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Call for Consultants
Invitation for Expression of Interest (EOI) and proposal to undertake End of Project Evaluation
Project Name: Strengthening Social Protection to prevent and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS and poverty in sub – Saharan Africa
Project Goal: To contribute towards equitable and sustainable development of vulnerable groups in Sub-Saharan Africa
Start and end date of project: January 2011- April 2016
Helpage Reference AFR611
Geographical Coverage: Mainly Eastern and Africa Southern
Contracting Organization: HelpAge International: East, West and Central Africa Regional Development Center
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Duration: August 30th to November 15th, 2015
1.0 Introduction: HelpAge International is inviting qualified External Evaluators to submit an expression of interest with interpretation of the Terms of Reference and proposal to undertake an evaluation of the project entitled, ‘Strengthening Social Protection to prevent and mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
With funding from Sweden / Norad, the project is jointly implemented through a “nesting” arrangement involving HelpAge International East, West and Central Africa regional office based in Nairobi Kenya; The Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) based in Nairobi, Kenya; University College London (UCL) based in London, UK; and The Coalition for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (The Coalition) based in Toronto, Canada. HelpAge is the coordinating organization.
HelpAge International (HelpAge) is a network of not-for-profit organizations with a mission to work with and for disadvantaged older people worldwide to achieve a lasting improvement in the quality of their lives.
HelpAge International helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so that they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives. In Africa, HelpAge has a network of 33 Partner organizations and affiliates.
The Africa Platform for Social Protection (APSP) was established in 2008 consisting of a group of national and regional organizations from across the African continent with the mission to create partnerships with Civil Society and other organizations to engage with Governments, Regional and Continental Bodies and International Development Agencies (IDAs) to develop and implement innovative Social Protection policies, strategies and programmes in order to make a difference in people’s lives in Africa.
The Coalition on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (The Coalition) is an independent collaborative entity composed of private or public funders and re-granting organizations, from both the North and the South, that provide grants to improve the lives of young children living in the context of HIV/AIDS.
University College London (UCL) works locally, nationally and internationally to reduce the population impacts of infection, and to promote individual health by means of prevention and treatment of communicable diseases.
2.0 Background
Geographically, the programme targets sub-Saharan Africa where HelpAge focuses on Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia; APSP works in 23 African countries divided into regional disaggregation of AU (East, West, Central, North and Southern Africa) and the UCL Community Care research project carried out by the Research Department of Infection and Population Health in collaboration with Stellenbosch University in South Africa is currently working in Malawi and South Africa.
The Coalition works globally but with a focus on vulnerable children and families affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa.
The programme results were to be achieved through combined approaches linking vulnerable groups to grassroots service delivery mechanisms alongside national and regional policy influencing processes.
The project was to build the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to effectively engage in social protection policy dialogue and in the design and implementation of social protection programmes.
In addition, the project focused on building evidence for effective policy action, promoting networking and learning among civil society, government, and research and academic institutions.
The overall objective of the project is to improve universal Types of services as defined by UNAIDS which include physical, psychosocial and economic support access to HIV and AIDS services and social protection mechanisms for vulnerable groups in sub-Saharan Africa by 2014.
The project has four key result areas:
- Increased access to HIV and AIDS services and Social Protection Mechanisms for Vulnerable groups.
- Regional and National level HIV & AIDS Addressing the needs of older people and their dependants and Social Protection policies and related [policies] plans and budgets increasingly incorporate measures which address the needs of vulnerable groups.
- Increased participation of Civil Society organisations in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of National and Regional HIV and AIDS and Social Protection policies and strategies.
- Evidence on effective Effectiveness in this case is defined as policy action with clearly earmarked resources action contributing to the achievement of universal HIV & AIDS and Social Protection services gathered, documented and shared and acted on among CSOs, Governments and other stakeholders.
The programme has reached 90% of its implementation period and an agreed final evaluation will take place between September and November 2015.
3.0 Context: Building Linkages in Social Protection, Poverty and HIV& AIDS
This programme seeks to build links between risks and vulnerabilities caused by HIV and AIDS and to demonstrate the effectiveness of social protection measures in realizing the rights of vulnerable people to achieving universal access in HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support, and treatment.
These measures include livelihoods support, cash transfer programmes and universal pensions and other grants.
Social protection provides access to resources to meet basic needs and HIV and AIDS and health services and prevents the transmission of intergenerational poverty often affecting older people and children.
4.0 The Scope of the Final Evaluation
The final evaluation will examine the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability and coherence within the project on all cross cutting issues and standards.
5.0 The purpose of the Final Evaluation
The purpose of the final evaluation is to assess and document the impact of the project on the target population and policies and analyse the project’s key learnings during implementation.
The final evaluation report will be used in guiding future programming, both in terms of appropriate implementation and relevant ways to work.
The main objectives and scope of the final evaluation are to:
a) Assess the extent to which the methods and approaches employed in the programme have guided the project to achieving the results and overall objective and make recommendations accordingly.
b) Assess the value for money principle in ensuring that grant is maximised to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations (Children, People with disability, older people and their households).
c) Assess the extent to which the project result areas have been met and this will include:
- Reviewing the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of the project implementation processes.
- Review the effectiveness, efficiency and the relevance of the project’s advocacy strategies and how they helped achieve the result areas.
- Review the timeliness of the project activities; whether activities were implemented within agreed timeframes.
- Assessing the extent to which the project activities resulted in any unintended/unplanned results and outcomes.
d) Establish how issues of human rights, older persons, persons with disabilities and children are being addressed by the project and effects of the project on these populations.
e) Assess the extent to which the project contributes to Sweden-Norad Strategy for HIV and Social Protection in Africa (including any ways in which this could be enhanced/increased in future).
f) Document and demonstrate impact and major successes and challenges with global, regional, national and local structures including influencing key actors in the HIV and AIDS and Social Protection responses.
g) Measure, document and demonstrate the impact created, reviewing how the different interventions including policy advocacy work, have improved the well-being of vulnerable groups such as older persons, gender, persons with disabilities and children, and their respective communities in alleviating the impact of HIV.
h) Review the relevance of the project’s result areas in view of the changing scenarios vis-à-vis HIV and Social Protection, community needs as well as individual country HIV and Social Protection Strategic Plans, Policies and Guidelines.
i) Assess the effectiveness of the organisational management systems in the delivery of the project and the HelpAge – Partner and HelpAge – Nested Organisations management and coordination structures and processes contribute to, or inhibit the delivery of the project result areas.
j) Review the effectiveness of the project’s M&E system and how feedback has been used to inform and improve implementation of the project.
k) Document at least two case studies or good practices from each of the nested organizations under the project for future reference and replication purposes. This can be achieved through both field visits and review of documentation.
l) Assess how the projects responded and contributed to changes in various aspects including politically, policy wise, economically, socially and culturally in the project sites or sphere of influence.
m) Take stock of the 2013 MTE findings and recommendations and how they were incorporated in the implementation of the second half of the project.
n) Identify examples/models of effective programme actions that can make significant and sustainable improvement to the lives of extremely vulnerable people.
6.0 Output and Report delivery
The potential consultants are expected to deliver as follows
a) Send to HelpAge their expression of Interest including interpretation of the TOR and proposed methodology, timeframe and professional fees. Consultants are also expected to explain their competence to deliver the ToR and provide evidence of similar work undertaken in the past including names of references.
b) After the offer of the consultancy and signing the Professional Services Agreement, the selected consultant will then submit an inception report together with tools for the field work and timeframe for the completion of the evaluation exercise.
c) The inception report will cover analysis of the project achievement on the basis of desk review of project proposal, research reports, interim reports to date, Sweden-Norad Strategy for HIV and Social Protection in Africa, and other relevant self sourced documents and provided by HelpAge.
d) Preliminary debriefing of Final Evaluation findings after the field study, to be presented to HelpAge within 7 days of completion of the fieldwork and associated tasks, a draft report for review and comments by HelpAge and implementing partners and Nested institutions.
e) Meeting to debrief on main findings from field work and consultations
f) Soft and hard copy (40 page maximum) of the final report clear and free from excessive jargon. Technical details should be confined to appendices. Recommendations should also cover how they should be implemented.
g) The content of the Final Evaluation Report should include at minimum a contents page; abbreviations glossary; executive summary of no more than 3 pages focusing on key findings and recommendations; Summary of project/project objectives, Evaluation methodology, Results and findings, Discussion, including lessons learned, Conclusions and recommendations.
h) A clear set of conclusions, recommendations and key lessons emerging from the evaluation work in 2 pages, including guidelines for sustainability and continuity all related to the findings of the evaluation.
i) Annexes of any supporting documents that might include approach, and people consulted, project sites visited, raw data sets, case studies etc.
7.0 Timeframe
The consultancy is expected to last not more than 50 working days.
The activities are expected to be as follows:
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8.0 Consultant’s Profile
8.1 Core competencies
- Ability to research, collate and synthesize a range of information and data (qualitative and quantative) into useful, strategic and practical analysis and recommendations.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people within Government, development agencies at various levels and UN/international agencies.
- Demonstrates sensitivity, tact and diplomacy, and projects a positive image.
- Able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner and protocol appropriately.
- Managerial experience in organizational development including granting making through consortia.
- Ability in using online data collection tools across the globe.
- Ability to write high quality and concise technical reports with high proficiency in written and spoken English, within agreed terms of reference and deadlines.
8.2 Education and Experience:
- At least 10 years of relevant and diversified professional experience in international development (social protection, poverty reduction programmes, HIV&AIDS, psycho social support, social research, organizational development)
- Proven experience in conducting, evaluations of complex development programmes in HIV and AIDS, social protection, policy analysis and research
- Excellent knowledge and experience on issues of international development in relation to Africa
- Strong knowledge on rights based approaches to programming
- Proven experience in participatory reviews and research, and capacity assessments.
9.0 Expression of interest
All interested consultants/firms are requested to write an expression of interest by describing their competence in management and a proposal to show how they will deliver on the identified tasks:
- Interpreting the TOR
- Explaining in detail the methodology to be used in carrying out the assignment
- Providing a detailed professional budget in US $ (indicating daily professional rates)
- Explaining their competences to meet the requirements of the assignment
- Attaching brief technical biographical data of the core team-members
- Providing the duration of the assignment and when ready to undertake the assignment.
- Providing evidence of similar work undertaken in the recent past (not more than 3 years)
10.0 Tax Liability:
Settlement of any tax liability arising from this agreement will remain the responsibility of the consultant.
Deadline for submission of EoI and interpretation of ToR: September 11th, 2015
Email for Applications: hr.ewca@helpage.org
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