Project Evaluation – Syria Response and Winterisation At ShelterBox

ShelterBox has responded to the humanitarian need for shelter and NFIs in Syria since December 2012. We are currently delivering in two locations in Syria, the northeast (NE) and the northwest (NW). In both locations we are delivering in partnership. In the NE we are partnered with Bahar, a Syrian non-governmental organisation (NGO) which has a country office in Erbil, KRI and HQ in Gaziantep, Türkiye. In the NW with Relief Aid, a New Zealand based international NGO. Since the start of ShelterBox’s programme in Syria there have been numerous partnerships, the vast majority of which have been with INGOs for one-off projects however, since 2019 ShelterBox has only worked with the 2 current partners

In 2024 ShelterBox, along with our partners, is delivering a winterization response in NW and NE Syria. Both responses share the same project impact: ‘To contribute to the self-recovery of conflict affected displaced people in NE Syria through the provision of tarpaulins and rope, winter clothing and household items ahead of winter.’ In both locations, households will be provided with emergency shelter kits, clothing, household items (HHIs). However, in the NE project a pilot voucher modality will be used for a case load of ~185 households. In this pilot participants will receive a voucher supplemented with in-kind tarpaulins and rope. The estimated household reach in NE is 1,700 households and is also 1,700 households in the NW.

As part of responsible portfolio management, ShelterBox periodically reviews its programmes to determine whether they align with our organisational strategy and represent the best use of funds. Syria is one of the three programmes selected for review in 2024. This RFP is to appoint a consultant/consultants to undertake the review of both of these programs and feedback to ShelterBox.

The key objectives are:

1. Operational context – Developing a better understanding of the operational barriers in the current Syria projects including overall operating environment and ShelterBox’s current operational model.
2. Impact – Project impacts achieved by ShelterBox and our partners to date, highlights, lessons learned, to what degree these lessons have been integrated into subsequent responses, challenges faced, and adaptations made in response to these challenges.
3. Partnership – Reviewing the effectiveness of ShelterBox’s partnerships to date and mapping potential new partners to explore working with in future.
4. Strategic alignment – Examining the degree of alignment of ShelterBox’s responses to date with our current (2022-2027) strategy[1].
5. Value for Money (VfM) – Value for money provided by the Syria programme.

This review will be conducted by an impartial third party. The review should be guided by the following principles:

• It aims to promote accountability across the partnerships in respect to ShelterBox’s Syria response activities.
• Review processes are objective, impartial and transparent.
• Information gathered – particularly via any Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) – will be confidential, unless agreed otherwise with informants.
• The review seeks to stimulate a culture of critical reflection to improve the quality of future responses, partnerships, and regional approaches.
• The review should be conducted in a timely manner.

Bidders should return detailed proposals for each of the projects, following the requirements laid out in the TORs. Special attention should be paid to demonstrating how the bidder/bid meets the key requirements detailed in the TORs. For clarity, the below requirements are considered essential so should be demonstrated within the proposals received:

Lot 1 Syria Programme Evaluation:

• Higher university degree in humanitarian / development studies or any related academic discipline or an affiliation with a research institution
• Seven (7) years evaluating humanitarian programmes including using OECD/DAC evaluation
• Knowledge of the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS)
• Experience evaluating shelter, gender, and protection programming in emergencies
• Strong background in monitoring and evaluation, with a demonstrable track record of the use of quantitative and participatory qualitative methods of data collection
• Excellent analytical, communication, writing, and presentation skills in both Arabic and English.
• Ability to analyse complex interventions
• Conversant with the context in Syria

Lot 2 Winterisation Review:

• Higher university degree in humanitarian / development studies or any related academic discipline or an affiliation with a research institution
• At least five (5) years of experience evaluating/reviewing humanitarian response and/or strategic programming by non-governmental organisations in humanitarian settings.
• Excellent analytical, communication, writing, and presentation skills in English
• Ability to analyse complex interventions
• Conversant with the context in Syria and the evolving security situation in the region

Additional documents may be requested from ShelterBox but please note that it is not guaranteed they will be available prior to a bidder being selected.

Proposals should clearly identify how they will achieve each of the key components laid out in both the TORs and RFP.

A clear costing structure should also be included, with as many costs fixed as possible and costs which cannot be fixed, or which are only estimated, clearly identified.

The initial review of proposals will produce a short list of suppliers who will be contacted for interview with the project team, the interview will be to discuss the proposal in more detail and to clarify any outstanding queries the team may have.