Consultancy: Baseline Assessment Terms of Reference

Consultancy: Baseline Assessment Terms of Reference

Central Tibetan Administration Program 

* Please send resumes to [email protected] by September  30, 2021. Only this application method will be considered.*
 

Consultancy Overview

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is seeking a consultant based in India to support a baseline assessment for USAID’s Central Tibetan Administration – Capacity Building and Sustainability Initiative.  The consultant will be expected to contribute to an inception report, support data collection and analysis, and help produce a final report.  The ideal candidate will be based in India and will be willing to travel to Dharamshala and/other Tibetan settlements.  The consultant will coordinate with NDI and an externally recruited international expert.  This consultancy is for approximately 20 days of work. 

Program Background

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is the Tibetan government-in-exile. There are significant management challenges throughout the CTA and its institutions. To improve the CTA’s ability to deliver effective governance, CTA capacity must be built in several areas, including: strategic planning, leadership, budget transparency, management and resource flows, human resources, public outreach, information management, and cyber security.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) has been awarded a five-year multi-million award to strengthen the capacity of the CTA. This activity will propose new and innovative approaches to institutional capacity building for the CTA, both at the central and local levels. 

The activity will support increased engagement between USAID, the CTA, other development partners, the private sector, and other governments to provide effective and efficient results that are grounded in international best practices. To the greatest extent possible, interventions will institutionalize and make sustainable any assistance that is delivered. As a result, the CTA will become a stronger leader for Tibetan communities in India and Nepal.

Consultancy Purpose, Deliverables & Methodology 

Purpose 

The assessment will be utilized to: 

1. Further define democracy challenges related to the scope of the program objectives;
2. Establish a baseline of identified partners’ current capacity; 
3. Refine draft key evaluation questions and sub questions;
4. Set a framework to assess and adjust the theory of change (TOC) and programmatic approach; and modify the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the program.

During the baseline assessment, NDI will also review other recent assessments, including USAID’s 2020 Tibet Needs Assessment Report and the 2019 Department of Information and International Relations Organizational Development Assessment Report, to help inform baselines and targets.

Deliverables 

The consultant will support the following deliverable items to NDI as a result of the baseline assessment:

1. Revised evaluation questions
2. Focus group topics for discussion
3. Relevant first measurement for both objectives  
4. Amended indicators
5. Data collection system and raw data including interview transcripts
6. Presentation/explanation of the importance of measurable indicators, effective data collection systems, baseline assessments, the reasons certain indicators were amended during the baseline assessment, best practices and techniques of indicator-creation, data collection, and monitoring and evaluation to NDI (both field and DC teams).  
7. Baseline assessment report including methods and findings and recommendations for programmatic adaptation where applicable 
8. A revised MELP and PMP with updated indicators and targets responsive to the baseline findings
9. Report on lessons learned on conducting baseline assessments and creating data collection systems.  

Methodology

The baseline assessment questions are normative and descriptive.  The assessment is predominantly qualitative in nature with supportive quantitative data.  

The following tools and methods may be used: 

1. Review of relevant documents and materials by key stakeholders such as strategy documents and guidelines related to political, and socio-economic research and trends in the CTA. 
2. Interviews/and group discussions with CTA stakeholders including elected representatives, government officials, settlement representatives, civil society organizations, women, youth, marginalized groups, and members of the diaspora. 
3. Quantitative data from third-party opinion polling or produced by CTA stakeholders. 

 

NDI will take into consideration COVID-19 environment and associated risks when determining the feasibility of in-person meetings. Data collection methods may need to be either partially or completely conducted using virtual methods. 

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