Tender Advertisement for ( End Term Evaluation) At Norwegian People’s Aid

Terms of Reference for End Term Evaluation

*“Widening the Space for Women, Youth and Civil Society in Iraq 2019-2021” Project**

Background

The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is a non-governmental organisation with roots in trade unions and labour movements. NPA supports processes towards democracy and equitable distribution of power through mobilisation, popular participation and collective organisation. The international strategy affirms civil society as a key pillar for nation building; democracy and development, and views human rights as building blocks for development and redistribution.

NPA’s goal is to support human worth and equal rights for all, irrespective of sex, disability, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual preference or social status. The NPA vision is solidarity in practice. The vision demands commitment and action to protect life and health, build democratic societies and strengthen people’s ability to master their own lives. NPA is politically independent but not a politically neutral organisation.

NPA has been working in Iraq since 1995. Its vision is to support processes towards a democratic, safe and stable country where human rights are respected, people can freely participate without discrimination in the social and political processes, free from explosive ordinance, having access and control over the use and redistribution of resources. In this context, NPA, through its Development Humanitarian Cooperation (DHC) programme aims to work on strengthening the capacity of selected civil society actors to better protect and represent the interests of citizens and hold the governing bodies and other power holders accountable.

NPA is implementing a three years project named “Widening the space for women, youth and civil society in Iraq” with fund from Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). The goal is to have women, youth and Civil Society Organisations influence the decision-making process in Iraq. The project targets selected Iraqi civil society organisations, informal civil society groups and local populations and will have a particular geographical focus on South of Iraq (Basrah, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna), Baghdad, Kurdistan region (Erbil, Sulaymania, Duhok and Halabja), Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, Salah ad Din and Anbar.

NPA strongly believes that the civil society, women and youth have a critical role to play in the future of Iraq, to foster a spirit of reconciliation, combat extremist ideas, challenge the culture of authoritarianism and help create the ground for a sustainable peace where also the rights of women and minorities are addressed. It is therefore vital to support the civil society and the bottom-up work to open up and sustain dialogue and space for influence.

Purpose of the evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to help NPA assess how well the Theory of Change of this project has worked to deliver the goal and to learn from what worked well and less well. The evaluation will be used to inform decisions on how the Theory of Change may be adjusted and improved and act as an input to the development of future similar programming. This evaluation will look closely at lessons learned and recommendations, in line with NPA guidelines for end of project evaluations and for drawing lessons to improve our practice in design and implementation of similar projects. The evaluation should provide a framework to collect data on immediate, basic changes that lead to longer, more transformative change, and allow for the plausible assessment of the initiative’s contribution to results.

To aid in this purpose, the evaluation will therefore respond to the following objectives:

• To reflect on NPA and partners’ achievements and the change achieved with focus on the successes, challenges, best practices and key lessons learned during the project period.
• To reflect on the effectiveness of the NPA model of working in local partnerships with civil society organisations to achieve project objectives with focus on women and youth mobilisation and how to engage with them is a meaningful and purposeful way.
• To suggest key practical targeted recommendations and learning to be considered by NPA for future projects and programmes, in particular inform with practical recommendations the continuation and further implementation of the current project in 2021 and beyond.
• To contribute to NPA’s overall institutional learning and referring to NPA Development and Humanitarian Cooperation Result Evaluation Plan 2020-2024.

The evaluation results are envisaged to identify and describe the lessons learned, through measurements of the changes in the set milestones (progress markers), summarize the experiences gained, technically and managerially, and recommend ways in which the activities of the project and future project(s) can strengthen the decision-making process in Iraq.

Users of the evaluation

The project has a dynamic approach where each process is feeding another. For example, the CSOs partners utilize their capacities in terms of connections, relations, their previous works, field of their expertise, their staff, their mandates, etc., in order to reach out to women and youth and to create space for engagement. Examples of such spaces would be dialogue fora, thematic based activities, centers, social activities, political debates, etc. The aim is that both women and youth can find places to nurture their capacities and power, also to discuss how to engage and where to get involved. The CSO partners are also able to provide training to equip women and youth with necessary means and capacities to present themselves and have the confidence to participate and engage with their communities.

The evaluation shall provide the donor and NPA with a review of the project performance, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency and to capture outcomes and possible impact, and make suggestions for potential adjustments for similar projects in the future.

The primary intended users of the evaluation are:

• NPA Iraq Country Office
• NPA Head Office (MENA team and technical advisors)
• Sida
• Partner orgaisatoins

The Theory of Change of what will be evaluated

The scope of this evaluation will focus on Theory of Change, the role it has played in guiding NPA and its partners’ delivery of results against strategy, to learn how these results enable change for people, with focus on women and youth, and understand CSOs’ role, contribution and added value in this.

With the confidence in the democratic system in crisis in both Iraq and KRI, combined with public unrest related to the economic crisis and corrupted system, it is more pivotal than ever to support civil society organisations and the community-based work to open up and sustain local political spaces and embolden the rule of law. The crisis affects the democratic space and room for civil society, independent media and activists to organize and voice their concerns. This complements the absence of the rule of law or weak law enforcement. Civil society organisations in Iraq have made a great contribution in driving change within the society from 1991 (KRI) and 2003 (Iraq) onwards. They have challenged the culture of authoritarianism, fought for the freedom of expression, strengthened the abilities of women and youth to become stronger actors appealing for human rights etc. They have also engaged across political and cultural divides. Several civil society organisations have to a surprising extent been able to influence decision-making and access powerholders, thus in spite of the bleak outlook and massive challenges in Iraq, the country has also, more than most other countries in the MENA region, allowed civil society to organize and influence development and decision-making, which gives reason to hope.

The long-term goal of this project is that civil society organisations (CSOs) and actors with broad participation of women and young people from diverse segments of society are able to influence decision-making and contribute to widen the democratic space in Iraq. NPA sees through its experiences in partnership with CSOs in Iraq, that a well-rooted civil society with ability to voice the cause of their constituencies and interest groups can challenge and address some of the inherent inequalities in access to power and control over resources in the country, which has hampered social development, destabilised the country and led to massive waves of violence over the last decades. NPA thus sees democratisation as a prerequisite for a more peaceful Iraq.

Women and youth are the latent power in any society that seek for change. They influence the direction of change if they are empowered and invested. This requires providing right support in the right time. Civil society organisations benefit from their powers provided there are favorable conditions and appropriate grounds for women and youth to participate and burnish their skills and qualifications.

As women and youth in Iraq only to a limited extent are participating in formal organisations today, there is an important role of the Iraqi CSOs, in particular NPA partners, to play – to provide the necessary means and arenas and to establish an attractive atmosphere for youth of both genders and women to engage. Consequently, ensuring that women and youth gain skills enabling them to organize more effectively in long term actions, to be prepared to take part for different aspects of the communitys life that will lead to increase of their influence.

Thus, the three main outcomes are:

Outcome 1: Women influence and participate in decision-making

Outcome 2: Youth have representation to influence decision-making

Outcome 3: Strengthened civil society organisations effectively influence decisions, promote rights and freedoms and empower their constituencies and communities.

This requires that the organisational capacities of women and youth are utilised and supported, both within the existing organisations and through supporting new initiatives and organisational forms. Women and youth play an active role in both peace building and decision making because they are two main pillars in any society that can have power, ability and will for change. The CSOs also need to solidify their coordination and ability to build alliances both within the country with other actors and stakeholders and through linking up with likeminded organisations in the region and internationally. Strengthened bonds between CSOs and the community will increase the trust in the organisations and enable them to mobilise people and be a more legitimate voice in society.

The implementation of this project rests upon partnership between NPA and six civil society organisations. NPA and partners work to facilitate and create a space for women to enable them to engage in the process of decision-making on different levels.

Key evaluation questions

It is expected that the consultant give recommendations for further improvements of the programmes based on the key questions. The evaluation is expected to consider evaluation criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and partnrship.

In addition, the evaluation should focus on partnership and lessons learned. Lessons learned should be documented for informing NPA’s and parnters’ decision making processes. The evaluation should identify strengths, challenges and weaknesses in the project design, implementation and monitoring process and recommend possible changes for future learning. Also, document the lessons learned in terms of the design, implementation, and monitoring of the project, that should be applied for future projects, with consideration to NPA partnership model. Details of lessons learned about how change comes about, what should be done differently in the future and what needs to happen next.

Some of the key questions/issues to be evaluated are:

Evaluation Criteria

Key Review Questions

Relevance and quality of design

· To what extent is the project Theory of Change relevant to the needs, rights and priorities of project beneficiaires (women and youth)?

· Has the project design presented an in-depth understanding of the youth, women and CSOs issues in different regions of Iraq?

· To what extent are the objectives of the programme still valid?

· Has the project utilized and supported the organizational capacities of women and youth, both within the existing organizations and through supporting new initiatives and organizational forms?

· Assess the NPA partnership model for working in partnership with local CSOs for project implementation (refer to NPA Partnership policy document).

Effectiveness of implementation

· To what extent did the project achieve its outcomes?

· Were the inputs and strategies used effectively, realistic, appropriate and adequate to achieve the project results?

· Has the project reached youth, women and CSOs potential and assisted with their mobilization for positive and productive engagement and capacity development?

· How has NPA contributed to partners capacity to maintain their work to influence decision-makers?

· Were the strategies partners used effective to maintain their work to influence decision-makers?

Efficiency

· Were the resources used efficiently and in a timely manner to produce the outputs and outcomes? Were they appropriate compared to the planned budget and activities?

· What factors contributed to implementation efficiency?

· What factors hindered the efficient of project implementation?

· How efficient were the management and accountability structures of the project?

Partnership with local CSOs and NPA capacity

· Assess the partnership process and the partnership relationship between NPA and the seven local partners, identifying what worked well and what did not and recommend possible changes.

Evaluation implementation

Timeframe

The preliminary draft report should be submitted to NPA Iraq by 30^th November 2021 the latest and the final evaluation report should be submitted to NPA after two weeks of receiving NPA’s feedback to the draft report, latest by 15^th December 2021. The work is planned to commence not later than 1^st November 2021.

Evaluation team

• Proven expertise in design and review of programmes focused on human rights, democratization and experience in the MENA context, preference will be given to candidates that have past experience with programme design, implementation and/or evaluation of development projects in the MENA.
• Data analysis and writing up of evaluation reports experience is also key for this exercise. The consultant should possess extensive work experience and in-depth knowledge on conducting project evaluations.
• The consultant or group of consultants should have post graduate degree in development studies and human rights, or equivalent knowledge in the areas mentioned in above two points.
• Preferably, the Consultancy Company or the Individual consultant should deploy a multidisciplinary team with a background of political and statistical data analysis qualifications.
• It is desirable to have a postgraduate in political studies. Preference will be given to those who possess past experience working with INGOs and conducting evaluation surveys.
• The consultant or group of consultants should have proficiency in English. Working knowledge of Arabic is plus.

Organisation of evaluation management

• An external consultant will be hired by NPA to conduct the evaluation and report to the NPA steering committee, consisting of the Iraq Country Office team (Country Director, Projects Manager and MEAL Manager) and Iraq Advisor at NPA Head Office.
• The steering group will oversee and support the day-to-day delivery of the evaluation.
• The donor will provide feed back on draft findings and recommendations and inform NPA’s management response.
• NPA will provide administrative/logistical support towards organisation of documentation, interviews, meetings, field visits and workshops.

Methodology

The consultant will design the details in the methodology in cooperation with NPA. The evaluation should follow a collaborative and participatory mixed-methods approach that draws on both existing and new quantitative and qualitative data to respond to the evaluation questions mentioned earlier in this document. The consultant should follow a theory-based approach based on the project theory of change. Furthermore, it should combine evaluation tools based on international standards and guidelines, notably OECD DAC Quality Standards. It is expected that the consultant will assess the quality of the project’s theory of change and, if necessary, to develop a realistic impact logic based upon on the conducted interventions. The methodology design should be developed by the consultant in consideration of the information outlined in this ToR to ensure accuracy and rigor. A detailed methodology and data collection methods should be included in the technical proposal, which will be further improved in consultation with NPA team during the inception phase of the evaluation. The choice of methods must also consider the needs and capacities of the different target groups and stakeholders.

Desk review: **

Desk Review should be conducted by the consultant to inform the methodology and development of the tools. In addition, the conducted desk review should cover the following documents:

• project proposal;
• baseline;
• Outcome journal (progress markers);
• existing documents available at NPA and among partners; and
• sampling methodologies and secondary literature studies related to the measurement of goal and outcome level indicators.

The desk review process should serve as guiding for the consultant to continue gathering resources that would enable him/her to carry out development of tools.

The document review will also include NPA policies, proposal, reports to donor, documentation from partners, and various forms of project documentation.

It will also include field studies to the selected locations in Kurdistan region of Iraq and other parts of Iraq. This will include field visits and interviews with NPA staff, donor staff, representatives of partners, local authorities and other stakeholders.

The evaluation should have a strong learning aspect and should therefore apply participatory methods that will include various stakeholders.

The main findings should be presented at NPA Iraq country office before the final version of the report.

Deliverables

a. Present to NPA Iraq Evaluation Work Plan: This document will operationalize and direct the evaluation. It will describe how the evaluation will be executed, thus refining and elaborating upon the terms of reference; it will be approved by NPA senior management and act as an agreement between parties for how the evaluation will be conducted. The work plan will include the following elements:

• Expectations of evaluation
• Roles and responsibilities
• Evaluation methodology, questions
• Evaluation framework
• Information collection and methods of analysis
• Reporting formats
• Day by day work plan and time-frame for deliverables

b. Develop the tools and methodology for conducting the evaluation, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches to address the key evaluation questions listed above. The consultant will then compare the findings with baseline values, using appropriate surveys, statistical tests (relevant methodology), to draw the findings and conclusions and taking into account the qualitative information to write the report.

c. Review all of project documents (proposal, log frame, baseline report, M&E data and partners’ reports) and relevant NPA policy documents.

d. Conduct qualitative/quantitative data collection through appropriate methods and carry out data analysis (including appropriate statistical tests).

e. Prepare draft evaluation report which includes the following elements:

1. A stand-alone Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Methodology
4. Responses to questions/ Findings
5. Problems and needs
6. Achievement of purpose
7. Overall assessment
8. Conclusions, Targeted Recommendations and Management Responses
9. Annexes to the report, including data analysis report.

f. Present findings to NPA Iraq and partner staff in a briefing session.

g. Consultant receives feedback on the first draft from NPA Iraq and partner staff

h. Prepare the evaluation report incorporating all the feedback from both the document review and briefing session and submit final report to NPA Iraq.

i. All developed tools, questionnaires, reports, guidelines should be delivered to NPA in soft and hard copy.

Qualities of the evaluators

The consultant should be skilled in conducting evaluations and reviews. The consultant must have substantive understanding of issues related to human rights, youth and women issues. Knowledge of project management and implementation is critical for this assignment. The consultant should demonstrate ethical consideration including respectful attitude towards NPA partners and their constituency, as well as other stakeholders.

The consultant should have proven experiences of previous assignments with development analysis, evaluations and reviews of similar nature as well as engaging communities using participatory methodologies.

The composition of the evaluation team is up to the consultant/firm who can choose, depending on their internal system, ideas and logic but the team members must fulfill competency criteria. NPA recommends that the team should be comprised of one Team Leader/Focal point who takes overall responsibility for this evaluation and coordinate/liaise between NPA and the evaluation team.

Supervision of the field work and quality (reliability and validity) of the data/information collected at field level is the primary responsibility of team leader. Similarly, the team Leader will work closely with NPA’s project management team. In each step and process, consultation with the NPA Programme Manager is vital.

Resource needs

Submission of technical and financial proposition:

The potential and interested firms/consultants must submit a technical and financial proposition expressing their interest to conduct an evaluation for the project “Widening the Space for Women, Youth and Civil Society in Iraq 2019-2021” by 16^th October 2021 to:

Procurement Department, NPA Iraq (Saloma657@npaid.org) and (GeorgeN@npaid.org)

NPA will hold prior discussions with short listed interested consultants/firms to provide further clarification to the ToR in order to ensure quality final quotations. Short listed consultants/firms will be contacted by NPA for a meeting date/location/skype for the interview prior to a final revision of the technical proposal budget and finalization.

Budget:

The total budget should include the entire total cost of the consultant/firm to implement the above listed activities and deliverables. In the budget, the flight and accommodation costs should be indicated. NPA will NOT cover these costs.

Evaluation Criteria:

The application will be evaluated based on following criteria: The key factors stated below will be taken in consideration during the evaluation process:

Technical proposal – 70%:

§ Details and quality (adequacy) of methodology proposed for the assignment, tools, approach (30%).

§ Detailed implementation plan indicating time frame, data collection and analysis plans (15%).

§ Experience of implementing similar work with development organizations (15%).

§ Detailed description of the proposed team, position with the company with CVs (not more than three page for each CV) of the proposed Team Leader and other key team members (10%).

Financial proposal in USD (consultant fees, clear breakdown of activity costs, etc.) – 30%

Literature reads

· Previous relevant evaluations

· Programme documents

· Programme reports and available results information

· NPA current strategy

· NPA country programme strategies

· NPA Partnership Policy

· NPA Humanitarian Policy

· NPA Gender Policy

· NPA MEAL Policy