End of Phase Evaluation-Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP)

Country: Kenya

Organization: Government of Switzerland

Closing date: 14 Jul 2023

TERMS OF REFERENCE (ToR)

End of Phase Evaluation

Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP)

1. Context:

The Horn of Africa (HoA) in general, and Somalia in particular, is heavily affected by climate change. Somalia is facing increased and multi-faceted climate-related shocks such as droughts and floods which have undermined the resilience efforts at national, community and household levels. The recurrent droughts have impacted the natural resource base of Somalia causing water scarcity, crop failure, livestock loss, deforestation and land degradation.

This situation has negatively affected household coping strategies leading to the erosion of livelihoods which contributed to increased food insecurity, poor nutritional outcomes and conflict over remaining resources. The impacts of resource-based and protracted armed conflicts have resulted in the displacement of rural populations and overcrowding in urban centres.

Drought, insecurity and high food prices are some of the drivers of acute malnutrition and disease outbreaks. Between April and June 2023, approximately 8.3 million people were expected to be in IPC phase 3 or worse especially agro-pastoralists and internally displaced persons.[1] However, Somalia received moderate to heavy rainfall from March 2023 which resulted in riverine flooding and flash floods[2]. A total of 468,000 persons were affected by floods among them 247,000 who were displaced along Juba and Southern Shebelle basins as of 6th June 2023[3]. The relatively good rains received since March 2023 may have some impacts on crop production and pasture regeneration in Somalia incl Somaliland, however, to fully recover from the impacts of drought, the country will require consecutive good rainy seasons to avert a disaster.

Based on the above, resilience building in Somalia is crucial to address the country’s vulnerability to recurrent shocks. It involves enhancing the capacity of individuals, communities and institutions to withstand and recover from shocks and stresses while minimizing their negative impacts. Building resilience in Somalia requires joint nexus approaches involving all key stakeholders (Government, International partners, communities etc.).

In the HoA, Switzerland is supporting programmes on Governance, Health, Migration/Protection and Food systems through its Regional Programme Horn of Africa (RPHOA) 22-25 covering Somalia including Somaliland, Northeast Kenya and Southeast Ethiopia. The RPHoA overall aims at contributing towards a stable and resilient region that supports the wellbeing, inclusion and empowerment of the most vulnerable among the pastoral and agro-pastoralist communities including women.

Under the RPHoA Outcome 2 (Food systems), Switzerland engages in resilience-building efforts and has been providing support to the SomReP consortium since 2014. The SomReP program is promoting sustainable livelihoods, including diversification of income sources, agricultural practices and access to saving and credit services to enhance the capabilities of communities. Under the SomRep program, Switzerland is focused on strengthening local governance structures, fostering social cohesion and supporting conflict resolution mechanisms to enhance community resilience and prevent conflicts triggered by resource scarcity. Further, investing in climate-smart agriculture, water management and disaster risk reduction measures to mitigate the impacts of disasters such as droughts. Switzerland’s partnership with the SomReP consortium takes a nexus and inclusive approach that links humanitarian, development and peace work to contribute to sustainable development, improved livelihoods and a more stable future for Somalia/Somaliland. SomReP program is contributing directly to achieving the two expected outcomes of Domain 2 of the RPHOA: (1) Pastoral and agro-pastoral communities have improved their natural resources management, productivity, quality of produce, and access to markets. (2)System-relevant local institutions effectively create framework conditions conducive for improved and sustainable natural resources management, productivity, and market systems.

2. Somalia Resilience Program (SomReP)

The SomReP is a multi-year program implemented by a consortium of seven International Non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and one National Non-Governmental Organisation (NNGO). It tackles the challenges of recurrent droughts and chronic vulnerability among pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and peri-urban households across Somalia incl. Somaliland. Designed to address communities’ unique needs towards building resilient livelihoods, the program builds on collective lessons learnt by its consortium members. The program coordination is undertaken by a technical team housed by World Vision on behalf of the consortium.

SomReP is a long-term consortium of partners led by World Vision (WV) as the principal recipient and grants manager. Other consortium members are ACF, ADRA, CARE, COOPI, DRC, Oxfam and Shaqadoon. They oversee the program via the SomReP Steering Committee. Donors play a hands-on role in shaping learning and promoting the progress of the program through a quarterly Donor Advisory Group meeting.

The consortium is funded by 8 donors: The Australian NCO Cooperation (ANCP), the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) United States, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Germany, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia, European Union (EU), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the World Bank (WB).

SomReP is currently implementing a 5-year strategy for 2019-2023, with a budget of USD 102 million which focuses on strengthening household coping strategies to mitigate the impacts of shocks such as droughts in Somalia incl. Somaliland. The program also envisions enhancing adaptive capacities and food security through sustainable livelihoods and economic development. SomReP is supporting transparency and accountability within governance structures both at Federal and Federal Member State levels and is advocating for an enabling environment for policy changes.

SomReP is starting a new strategic cycle (2023 – 2028) that aims to build on the gains and experience made by earlier phases of the program.

3. Purpose of the external evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of SomReP, examining its overall performance and generating valuable insights and recommendations for program steering. In line with the Swiss Regional Program Horn of Africa (RPHoA) 2022-2025 strategy, Switzerland mandates the evaluation of Phase 5 of the SomRep program to inform its future engagement in resilience building in Somalia incl. Somaliland.

4. Objectives and scope of the evaluation

The objectives of the external evaluation are to:

1. Review the impact, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of SomReP in achieving its overall objectives.


2. Assess the added value of the Swiss contribution to the SomReP program.


3. Analyse the sustainability of the program (incl aspects of localization) in enhancing the resilience of communities. What added value does the consortium approach bring in terms of resilience building?


4. Review the application and effectiveness of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach, conflict sensitivity approach, and gender/minority inclusion within SomReP.


5. Review and assess SomReP’s design, coordination and internal governance, with a focus on the effectiveness, efficiency.


6. Identify and document lessons learned and recommendations for a future Swiss resilience program in Somalia incl. Somaliland.

5. Guiding questions

The following non-exhaustive key questions should be addressed:

5.1 SomReP impact, relevance, effectiveness and efficiency

• Does SomReP have an impact? What are the factors that contributed to or hindered the achievement of the intended program goals and objectives? Were there any unintended results (either positive or negative) or outcomes from the program? How adaptive is the SomRep programming in dealing with undesirable outcomes?


• How relevant is SomReP? Is SomReP doing the right things the right way? Is the program model contextually relevant,appropriate and responsive to the needs? Are contextual changes (e.g. droughts, security etc) taken into perspective?


• How effective are the SomRep set-up, approach and interventions?


• How efficient is SomReP? Can resources available be utilized more efficiently?


• Is SomReP aligned with the government's agendas, policies, plans, priorities and strategies in regard to resilience building in Somalia and Somaliland?

5.2 Value Added of the Swiss Contribution

• Is there an added value for Switzerland to contribute to SomReP? Are there tangible contributions of Switzerland towards achieving the program objectives?


• How have the SomReP program goals and strategies corresponded with Swiss foreign policy and objectives i.e. poverty reduction, political stability and sustainable development in Somalia and Somaliland?

5.3 Sustainability, localization and accountability

• How sustainable is the Program and its interventions? What are key factors related (positive /negative/ Internal/ external)? To what extent will resources be available to sustain the benefits achieved by the program? Which key benefits accruing to beneficiaries are likely to be sustained beyond the program taking into consideration the socio-economic, political and environmental factors? To what extent are the (local) structures/communities capable to sustain the benefits of the program?


• Does SomReP have a localization strategy? To what extent has the program contributed to the localization agenda (illustrate)? Has the program supported the capacity strengthening of the local partners (CBOs/CSOs), government (national/local) institutions and communities? How has this been reflected in the knowledge transfer between SomReP and the partners? To what extent were local ownership, competencies and leadership established? Is there a space for local representation in the current SomReP consortium setup? And if so, how different will it be from the existing setup?


• How has the SomReP program ensured engagement of the communities and downward accountability to the target community? What measures were put in place to achieve this e.g. in decentralisation of decision-making, equitable resources sharing, access to information, openness and transparency? How are the target communities involved in program reviews and evaluations, including grievances/complaint mechanisms?

5.4 Nexus, CSPM, Gender/Minority Inclusion, Environment

• How well are the program interventions aligned with the nexus approach? What connectivity and coordination mechanisms exist with other funding facilities such as the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) etc.? Does humanitarian assistance provided by SomReP reflect the needs, priorities and interests of the affected populations?


• How has conflict sensitivity (CSPM) been mainstreamed as an approach?


• Were gender equality, women`s participation and empowerment addressed in the design, implementation, and monitoring? Are there commitments made to Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in the program and if so have they been realized? (Considering both intended and unintended outcomes). How has the program supported and promoted the inclusion of Persons with Specific Needs (PSNs) and is the model responsive to the circumstances of PSNs? How has the program supported and promoted the inclusion of internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees or returnees? What kind of community feedback and response mechanisms are in place


• How did the program mainstream environmental aspects in their intervention? What are the potential positive and negative effects of the program on the environment? How the program design, implementation and monitoring have taken into consideration climate shocks in protecting the resilience gains achieved?

5.5 SomRep Set-up and internal governance structure

• Were recommendations from the previous phase evaluation implemented and to which result?


• To what extent has SomReP been successful in establishing a functional consortium? Was there an added value in the consortium approach? Is the SomReP architecture fit for the resilience purpose?


• What is the quality of the program steering and coordination among the consortium members, donors, implementing agencies and the technical unit? Is there a common vision?


• Is the technical unit positioned to deliver the intended goals of the program?

5.6 Lessons learnt and recommendations

• What lessons can be learned from the implementation of SomReP? What are the implications of these lessons for a future resilience program in Somalia incl Somaliland in general and the next SomReP phase, in particular, taking into account layering efforts with other programs, transformative capacities for communities and systems (e.g. scale-up, climate change adaptation and mitigation, private sector engagement, durable solutions for IDPs, new areas for investment, geographic considerations based on the potentials for scale-up etc.)?


• What are the options to (better) link up the SomRep interventions/activities with the agenda of local, regional and national institutions of Somalia incl Somaliland or other actors?


• Are complementary measures necessary to strengthen systemic change and sustainability of resilience-building efforts?


• What are the lessons learnt regarding the adaptive nature of the program (if any) and the use of the crisis modifier fund?

6. Suggested Methodology

The evaluation shall undertake a participatory approach by engaging relevant stakeholders including the consortium members, donors, Governments, opinion leaders and beneficiaries. The evaluators should closely collaborate with other SomRep donors for information and synergies with other programs they support. A list of relevant stakeholders will be provided by the SomReP technical unit and SDC.

The evaluation is expected to apply a mixed methods approach (i.e. combining qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques). The collected data should be triangulated to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings. Qualitative data shall be collected through comprehensive desk review (stakeholder analysis, review of log frame, baseline data and theory of change), focus group, field visits and key informant interviews with the program’s target beneficiaries (pastoral, agro-pastoral, peri-urban or in some cases, Internally Displaced Persons), other community members, government stakeholders, and strategic partners. Additionally, the consultant will be required to review available secondary data including past annual resilience measurements, evaluation reports, and livelihood recovery assessment reports to strengthen the data comparison across the program target districts. Information on resilience review may include comparisons with other resilience programs in the Horn of Africa.

An inception meeting will be organized at the beginning of the evaluation with SomRep and consortium members to agree on the modalities of field visits, meetings and validation of the findings.

7. Deliverables

The following products are expected from the evaluators:

1. 
   Evaluation inception report submitted to Switzerland seven (7) days after the inception meeting. The report should elaborate on data collection tools, sampling, sample size, methodologies, detailed work plan, roles and responsibilities of team members and a detailed end-line evaluation matrix.


2. 
   Draft evaluation report submitted to Switzerland as per the signed contract. A PPT presentation to be prepared and shared with SomReP and partners on the methodologies used, key findings and recommendations.


3. A comprehensive, concise final report (max. 30 pages, excl. annexes) including an executive summary, analytical review and recommendation part (including of the intervention logic (logframe/ToC). The report should consider the guiding questions and respond to the evaluation guidelines.


4. Annexes: including Data sets (raw and refined products), Data sets transcripts of qualitative data and in an easy-to-read format for use by SomReP Consortium partners and key stakeholders.

8. Review Team

For the evaluation, Switzerland is looking for a (team) of consultant (s) with the following composition:

1. 
   Lead consultant – High-level experience in resilience-building programming in fragile contexts (International and HoA experience desirable). Master’s Degree in fields such as resilience, livelihoods, food security, livestock sector development and disaster risk reduction. Proven knowledge and experience in good governance, climate change, conflict sensitivity, localization, nexus approach and gender approaches; Proven knowledge and experience in systems thinking and development


2. 
   National/Local expert – Has the requisite experience in program evaluations and can fully support the data collection and stakeholder meetings in Somalia incl Somaliland. Knowledge of Somalia context, local language


3. National/Local gender expert – Proven experience in gender/minority inclusive programming; preferably a female.

The team of experts is expected to have proven experience in conducting program evaluations of similar scope, in Program Cycle Management (PCM) and theoretical and practical knowledge of emergency-recovery-resilience building continuum in the food systems, water systems, local governance domain as well as conflict-sensitive programming and market system development.

Experience in the evaluation of complex resilience programs especially in fragile contexts in the Horn of Africa is desirable. Familiarity with programs that adopt push/pull factors of resilience building through improved adaptive, absorptive and transformative capacities of communities and institutional systems will be an important consideration.

Strong analytical capacity combined with the ability to synthesize/communicate conclusions and recommendations and report-writing skills is required.

9. Timeframe, Budget and Logistics

The maximum time frame for this evaluation by the international expert is 30 working days between July and August 2023 preferably. The allocation of working days to inception, desk review, field visits, etc. will be agreed upon based on the inception report and the decision of conducting a verification workshop.

10. Reporting

The consultant(s) will report to the National Programme Officer (NPO) Food Systems of SDC for the entire duration of the assignment. NPO will provide the consultants will the relevant documents.

11. Award criteria

The bids received will be assessed according to the following award criteria.

Award criteria

Weighting

• Technical proposal-50%


• Team qualification and experience-30%


• Financial offer/value for money for the service provided-20%

12. Application Process:

Complete applications have to be submitted by 14th July 2023.

The proposal should include:

1. 
   Letter of Confirmation of interest and availability (for all team members) stating the Point of contact (PoC) of the proposed team.


2. 
   Technical proposal including description/understanding of the assignment, the proposed detailed methodology and work plan.


3. 
   Composition of the proposed team including: CVs (max 3 pages per person including three references and documents/reports proving relevant experience) and division of responsibilities between team members; A sworn statement as to the absence of any conflict of interest of each team member. In the case a group of consultants, Embassy of Switzerland will only engage with one point of contact or person for contractual and obligation for the deliverables.


4. 
   Financial proposal including total budget in USD including all taxes (WHT, VAT etc.) and incorporating a detailed budget break-down (daily fees rate per consultant, living expenses, travel, etc.)

The winning bidder shall be required to submit the following administrative information to be verified and validated before the contract is awarded.

1. 
   Corporate person/company
   

• Certificate of registration/Incorporation of the company.


• Latest Tax Compliance Certificate of the company


• Copies of academic certificates of proposed consultant(s).

1. 
   For natural persons/individuals/freelancers
   

• Latest Tax Compliance Certificate.


• Copies of academic certificates of the consultant(s).

How to apply

Compliance with local law on taxation

1. Withholding tax (WHT)

Taxes, charges and social security contributions will be applicable in conformity with local legislation. The Embassy is obligated to deduct and submit Withholding Tax (WHT) to the Kenyan Revenue Authority (KRA). WHT is a percentage of the earnings and will vary depending on the country of origin of the consultant.

1. For non-residents, the Embassy will respect existing “double taxation agreements (DTA)”. The maximum WHT rate of 20% (subject to change depending on legislation) for non-residents, will be deducted.


2. For residents, the maximum WHT is 5% for this type of consultancy.

More information on the applicable tax rates can be found here: https://www.kra.go.ke/en/helping-tax-payers/faqs/more-about-withholding-tax.

2. Value Added Tax (VAT)

The Embassy is exempt from VAT. The service is subject to VAT according to the local law, the resident corporate person will within 30 days reimburse the VAT amount to the Embassy as soon as the exemption certificate is availed by the Embassy.

The legal status of the consultant in the country of engagement

The consultant must have valid a work permit or equivalent authorization before travelling, which allows such a person to live and work in the respective country.

All applications have to be submitted to: nairobi@eda.admin.ch under the subject line: Somalia Resilience Program (SOMREP) Evaluation, latest by 14th July 2023.

No applications shall be accepted after the deadline. Only complete applications will be considered.

[1] Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan 2023

[2] East Africa Seasonal monitor March-May 2023 and June-September Outlook.

[3] UNOCHA: Somalia flash and Riverline floods, situation report N0.2