Application Deadline : 20-Nov-21 (Midnight New York, USA)
Time left : 11d 20h 53m
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required :
English
Expected Duration of Assignment : 20 working days over a period of 03 months
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
Background
Background
The Project aims to go beyond the conventional partnership with the government to the private sector, NGOs, CSOs, think-tank, academia, and media to ensure the ‘whole of the society’ approach to attain SDG goals and targets. Bangladesh is both an inspiration and a development surprise for policymakers and practitioners around the world. While the income growth, human development, and vulnerability reduction efforts have been extraordinary, Bangladesh faces daunting challenges, with about 24 million people living below the poverty line. Achieving the 17 SDGs will require the government to work across government agencies even more than it has done in the past. The interconnectedness of each goal and target across sectors requires planning and budgeting, as well as monitoring and evaluation to be undertaken in a whole of government approach. Similarly, planning and budgeting processes will need to be enabled to identify and resource the achievement of ‘accelerators’ that promote the achievement of multiple SDG targets. Key goals such as leave no one behind also require bringing together multiple agencies behind common objectives in new ways. In short, the SDGs will require the government to continue strengthening its way of doing business to be a multi-sectoral and programmatic approach. In addition, the scale of the challenge of achieving the SDGs by 2030 will require institutionalization of stakeholder partnerships, particularly partnerships with the private sector that crowd in all society’s resources behind the 2030 Agenda. Key to the institutional arrangements for the achievement of the SDGs as part of the 8th Five Year Plan implementation will be robust and accessible data sets that allow the government and its partners to establish baselines and systems for monitoring progress. The indispensable criteria for successfully monitoring the progress of SDG implementation are generating, availing, storing, and managing required datasets. There exist enormous challenges in the collection, analyses, disaggregation, and dissemination of data. Hence, the government requires building collaboration at bilateral, regional, and global levels with other custodian organizations and the private sector to build and share best practices. Similarly, once SDG targets and indicators are integrated into development planning, including the 8th Five Year Plan, the government will need to engage multiple actors to implement these priorities at the local level.
A major area of challenge is the localization of the SDGs. Therefore, the government is encouraging inclusive and enhanced stakeholders’ participation for local-level ownership of the SDGs. SDG implementation also has a substantial fiscal implication in a country like Bangladesh, where the tax-GDP ratio is one of the lowest in South Asia and perhaps globally. Thus, the implementation of SDGs requires a comprehensive plan for resource mobilization and its efficient uses. Since SDGs cover a wide range of issues, unlike MDGs, the implementation of SDGs is a daunting challenge for the government alone. Forging ‘partnership’ among the key actors such as government, NGOs, CSOs, the media, private sectors, and development partners has been the key strategy to address the complex nature of SDG implementation. It also requires a multi-partner and multi-sector approach where all development partners can participate in Bangladesh’s development quest with their resources and expertise.
In its programing, UNDP is supporting the government in planning, finance, and key policy-making ministries related to social and environmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda, and local authorities and non-government partners in implementing the Agenda at the sub-national level. The Government of Bangladesh demonstrated commendable readiness for achieving the SDGs. To support its efforts, the proposed program outlined here will focus on developing and sharing cutting-edge policy thinking and innovative models for delivery across government and in partnership with other non-governmental actors – particularly the private sector. As a nodal government agency, General Economic Division (GED) will lead the Project to promote the engagement and capacity development of other key government ministries/divisions/agencies, including finance, local governance, and the private sector, to develop integrated policy and financing frameworks for SDG implementation. As a program built around innovation and new thinking, the government will be supported in accessing thinking from outside Bangladesh as well as sharing its innovations with the international community. The program will be a knowledge platform for promoting access to new approaches and adopting new capacities for achieving the SDGs both inside and outside Bangladesh.
The Project has four components:
Evidence-informed SDG policy and plans formulated.
Systems and capacities in place to localize the SDGs.
Financing for SDG Implementation secured and prioritized and
Partnerships and outreach for enhancing society-wide participation in SDGs ensured.
The project has been involving the officials of the Government of Bangladesh, particularly from GED, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Local Government Division (LGD), Ministry of Finance, National Board of Revenue (NBR), and SDG focal points from all ministries/divisions as well as parliamentarians, private sectors, CSOs, NGOs, media, and academia.
Total approved budget of SC4SDG is USD 5.0 Million, of which we have secured USD 4.4 Million from UNDP, PEA, UNEP and FCDO. So far, the project has spent USD 398,246.61 as of July 2021.
Though the SC4SDG Project was scheduled to start on January 01, 2020, and be completed on December 31, 2023, actually the Project kicked off from May 2020.
Evaluation Purpose, Objectives and Scope:
Purpose:
As the project has reached the mid-way mark of its duration, the mid-term evaluation (MTE) is required to get an evidence-based, highly consultative analytical reflection on all the four components to assess whether the project is functioning as planned in terms of efficiency, relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability. The primary purpose of this Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) is to review the progress of the SC4SDG Project towards the achievements against project outputs/outcomes (as per the project result framework) as guided by the Theory of Change (ToC) from May 2020 to March 2022 based on the evidence and learning the project has produced. All four components of the Project will be included in the evaluation. To sum up, MTE is expected to assess achievements to date, document lessons learned, and provide recommendations for adjustment of program based on the findings of the review assessment to develop innovative strategies for enhancing capacity of the public officials for SDG implementation in Bangladesh.
Specific Objectives of the assignment
The specific objectives of this mid-term evaluation are to:
Evaluate the project’s performance in relation to the implementation process, outputs and indicators, assumptions and risks specified in the Result Framework matrix and M&E plan;
Assess effectiveness and efficiency of the SC4SDG Project in influencing and contributing to shaping the national policies, plans, and programs in implementing SDGs and how would this be sustained beyond the end of this project;
Assess challenges and opportunities (including external factors/environment/COVID-19 pandemic) that have facilitated and/or hampered progress in achieving the project outcomes;
Assess the extent to which the application and apprehending all stakeholder’s commitments to gender mainstreaming/equality and human rights-based approach is integrated within planning and implementation of the SC4SDG Project;
Identify innovative approaches, coherent synergies among potential partners, and resource mobilization in the future as well as ongoing initiatives that need to be continued for the remaining period of the Project;
Address the knowledge gap on what works and what has not worked in terms of sustainability and replication of project activities to scale up effective actions;
Document substantive lesson learned, good practices, and provide action-oriented recommendations (for any course correction) to improve several aspects of implementation for the remaining period of the project
The evaluation will focus on six critical evaluation criteria: relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, impact, and coherence. The evaluation should provide credible, useful, evidence-based information which enables timely incorporation of its findings, recommendations and lessons into decision making processes of UNDP and key stakeholders as well as assess the potential of the next phase of the project.
In addition, the evaluation aims at critically reviewing and identifying what has worked well in the project, what challenges have been faced, what lessons can be learned to improve future SC4SDG programming. This evaluation should also identify how the Project has progressed and make any difference in project design and implementation to date towards achieving the project objective. The evaluation will also generate knowledge for wider uses, assess the scope for scaling up the current program, and serve as a quality assurance tool for both upward and downward accountability.
Scope of Evaluation/ Timing
The evaluation will cover the period from May 2020, the beginning of the Project, to March 2022, which is the mid-way mark of the Project’s implementation phase. The Mid-term project evaluation is proposed to be conducted from January 2022 to March 2022.
Utilization
All the findings and recommendations from the evaluation will be taken into consideration to document lessons learnt and best practices for the next project cycle. SC4SDG Project of UNDP will prepare a systematic management response for each recommendation and implement follow-up actions as per UNDP Evaluation Resource Center guidance/policies. The primary users of the evaluation results will be UNDP, UNEP-PEA, and FCDO. Nonetheless, relevant government ministries/divisions/agencies (e.g., GED, Finance Division, ERD, Local Government, BBS), development partners, and donors will also benefit equally from the knowledge generated from the MTE.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work and Timeline:
The evaluation team consists of one international consultant (evaluator) and one national consultant (evaluator). An international consultant will serve as a team leader. The scope of work for the international consultant of this evaluation will include but not be limited to:
Lead the development and finalization of the inception report that will include the elaboration of how each evaluation question will be answered along with proposed methods, proposed sources of data, and data collection and analysis procedures;
Manage the overall evaluation process; and lead the designing of data collection tools;
Provide technical guidance/support to the national consultant on the field-level data collection; analysis, and interpretation; attend the meetings with the stakeholders if the meetings are conducted virtually;
Lead the development of the draft evaluation report;
Lead and finalize the evaluation report;
Lead the presentation of initial findings and de-brief;
Lead the evaluation team in planning, execution and reporting, inception workshop, kick-off, and feedback meeting, de-briefing; and
Finalize and submit the mid-term evaluation report
Phase
Scope of work of the consultant
Number of Days
Timing
Inception Phase
This phase is meant to ensure that the consultant is fully prepared before undertaking data collection. It includes:
Conduct desk review of existing documents, including project document, strategies developed by the Project, reports, and documents developed by the Project and write-ups on the project initiatives;
Develop data collection tools (i.e., KII/ FGD checklists and short questionnaires);
Review and finalize the inception report, including detailed evaluation methodology, timeline, evaluation matrix, and data collection tools;
Revise and finalize the inception report and data collection tools
5 days
Within 2 weeks of signing the contract
Data Collection Phase
Attend KIIs and stakeholder consultations, if organized virtually;
Consult with relevant UNDP staff, including the management;
Provide technical guidance to a national evaluator on data collection processes remotely;
Provide debriefing to the UNDP CO and the stakeholders on the key findings
4 days
Within 6 weeks of signing the contract
Reporting Phase
Triangulate/ analyze findings from desk review, stakeholders interview, KIIs and FGDs;
Guide national consultant in analyzing findings;
Prepare a draft mid-term evaluation report;
Organize a meeting to share draft findings with UNDP and relevant stakeholders to solicit feedback;
Revise the draft evaluation report to incorporate comments and feedback in collaboration with the national consultant;
Finalize and submit the mid-term evaluation report in collaboration with the national consultant
11 Days
Within 12 weeks of signing the contract
Evaluation Questions:
The project will be evaluated based on the OECD DAC’s six evaluation criteria – relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability. As part of the evaluation, the consultants need to address evaluation questions and develop the mid-term evaluation matrix. This evaluation matrix should include key evaluation questions, evaluation sub-questions, indicators, sources of information, and methodology. Some tentative key evaluation questions are as follows but not limited to:
Relevance: The extent to which the objective and results/outcomes of the intervention are consistent with the needs and interests of the people and the needs of the country.
To what extent is the SC4SDG design relevant to ensure the ‘whole of the society’ approach to attain SDG goals and targets?
Are the activities and outputs of the program consistent with the overall goal and the attainment of its objectives?
To what extent is the design and strategy of the SC4SDG relevant to the government’s priorities, policies, plans (e.g., five-year plans, national development plans, Vision 2021 Strategy), and UNDP priorities in Bangladesh?
To what extent was the theory of change (TOC) and assumptions support the project?
What has been the nature and quality of interaction and collaboration at the national and local levels? In particular, what partnerships have been established with other development partners?
To what extent the design and strategy of the SC4SDG were aligned with CPD (2017-2021) and UNDAF (2017-2021
Effectiveness: Extent to which the outcomes of the development intervention have been achieved
To what extent has the Project achieved the objectives, targets, and indicators stated in the Result Framework? (See Annex 1)
Did the undertaken activities contribute to the achievement of the planned outputs of the Project? What are the main factors that have facilitated or obstructed the achievement of outcomes?
In which areas does the Project have the most significant achievements? Why and what have been the supporting factors? How can the Project build on or expand these achievements?
In which areas does the Project have the fewest achievements? What have been the constraining factors and why? How can or could they be overcome?
Efficiency: Extent to which resources/inputs (funds, time, human resources, etc.) have been turned into results.
Has the Project been implemented efficiently in an economically justifiable way (e.g., outputs were delivered in time with high quality) and adapted to any changing conditions (e.g., Covid-19 pandemic)?
Was the funding sufficient for the achievement of results on time? (funding analysis)/ To what extent have resources been used efficiently? Have activities that supported the strategy been cost-effective?
To what extent has ownership – or the lack of it – by the Govt and other stakeholders impacted the efficiency of the Project?
How can the Project make more solid synergies between UNDP initiatives/projects that contributed to reducing costs while supporting results?
To what extent are project-level monitoring and evaluation systems, reporting, and project communications supporting the Project’s implementation?
Sustainability: Probability of the benefits of the intervention continuing in the long term
To what extent are the achievements/benefits of the project likely to continue? Benefits need to be environmentally as well as economically, technically and socially sustainable.
What are the main factors that facilitate or threaten the sustainability of the outcomes of the projects and activities?
To what extent have development partners committed to providing continuing support?
Coherence: How well does the intervention fit?
To what extent have other interventions (including policies) supported or undermined the SC4SDG’s intervention, and vice versa? It includes internal coherence and external coherence.
To what extent has the power dynamics played a role to understand the social relations of systemic inequalities (it includes policies and coherence as well)?
Impact: what difference does the intervention make?
What are the Project’s effects – intended or unintended, positive or negative, short term or long term?
Have the interventions of SC4SDG brought changes in the people’s lives and their communities as stated in the Result Framework? How have these changes happened, and what could be the potential ways to take all these changes to those people?
What impact has the SC4SDG’s policy-advocacy in bringing about changes to address underlying causes of the crisis, particularly for the most marginalized groups (especially women and youth and underprivileged people)?
Has the intervention contributed to transformative change and adopting a new way of working for achieving sustainable goals and targets?
Cross-Cutting Issues
As part of the requirement, ‘Leave No One Behind’, and Gender aspects must be covered in evaluation questions, based on which gender analysis, including gender-disaggregated data, need to be included in the evaluation report.
The evaluators are requested to review UNEG’s Guidance in Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation during the inception phase.
Leave no one behind:
To what extent have the interventions of the SC4SDG Project been able to support and reach the youth, women, and the most intersectional groups and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in its implementing area?
To what extent have research and monitoring of the SC4SDG Project been inclusive in capturing the situation of the youth, women, PWDs, and the most vulnerable and marginalized group of the society?
Gender Equality:
To what extent has the Project used gender analysis during the project design, implementation, and monitoring the progress of the Project?
To what extent has the Project responded to this gender analysis with concrete measures to address gender inequities and empower women?
To what extent has the SC4SDG Project strengthened the national stakeholders’ capacity for promoting and protecting gender equality?
To what extent have the gender-sensitive indicators been considered in the Result Framework of SC4SDG?
To what extent has the Project promoted positive changes in gender equality and the empowerment of women? Were there any unintended effects?
Is the gender marker data assigned to this project representative of reality?
Lessons Learned and Way forward:
What are the main lessons learnt (good practices, success stories, transferable examples) from the Project that could be documented? What interventions worked and/or did not work well and why?
Based on the achievements to date, to what extent could the Project’s interventions be scaled up or replicated in other regions?
To what extent have national authorities/stakeholders been involved in the projects’ design, planning, and implementation phases? To what extent have they gained a sense of ownership of the interventions?
What are the challenges that the Project has faced during its implementation? What measures have already been taken to mitigate those challenges?
Evaluation Methodology and Approach:
Evaluators are expected to propose and determine a sound evaluation design and methodology (including evaluation matrix with detailed processes to answer each evaluation question) and submit it to UNDP in the inception report following a review of all critical relevant documents and inception meeting with UNDP and SC4SDG. The effort will mainly focus on policy and institutional evaluation, and the evaluators will concentrate on transformational initiatives implemented through SC4SDG. The evaluators are expected to adopt a mixed method approach – collecting and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data using multiple sources in order to draw valid and evidence-based findings and conclusions and practical recommendations.
The evaluation team also needs to develop an evaluation matrix (template is attached in Annex 3 of this ToR) to clarify what types of data will be required to respond to which evaluation question and how those data will be collected.
As part of the mixed method approach, in addition to small-scale quantitative data to be used as secondary data, the evaluators shall adopt qualitative methodologies, including an in-depth desk study analysis (including mapping of all relevant materials and resources), key informant interviews (key stakeholders including UNDP, SC4SDG, Government partners, donors, UN colleagues, development partners, partner NGOs), focus group discussions (stakeholders and beneficiaries of the Project) and case studies. The evaluation team shall also review all relevant reports/documents providing qualitative/ quantitative data collected by SC4SDG, UNDP, and the Government or other agencies. Evaluators may also propose any other appropriate data collection methods.
The evaluators are also requested to identify 5 to 6 systematic case studies to look into qualitative changes in project areas with data and evidence, addressing specific evaluation questions under various evaluation criteria. Case studies need to be elaborated on in the evaluation report together with infographics and photos.
The evaluators shall conduct contribution analysis to see how the project’s interventions have led to achievement and progress of the expected project’s outcomes/outputs-level results. However, the evaluators are expected to come up with the innovative data collection and analysis methods to fit with this evaluation. Detailed approach and methodology will be proposed in the inception report and determined during the inception phase.
Based on the proposal and discussions with the UNDP team and stakeholders, evaluators will further detail methodologies in the inception report, including 1) overall evaluation study strategies, 2) detailed work plan, 3) Evaluation matrix, 4) data collection methodologies & protocols (including detailed plans of FGDs and KIIs), 5) data quality control methods, 6) data analysis methodologies, and 7) gender analysis plan. The final methodological approach including interview schedule, field visits and data to be used in the evaluation should be clearly outlined in the inception report.
Final decisions about the specific design and methods for the evaluation will be made through consultation among the SC4SDG, UNDP, GED, and other key stakeholders about what is appropriate and feasible to meet the evaluation purpose and objectives as well as answer the evaluation questions, given limitations of budget, time and data. The details need to be fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, stakeholders and the consultants.
Since the International Evaluator shall work from home remotely, a National Evaluator is expected to conduct data collection in and outside Dhaka, using different data collection methods unless the COVID-19 pandemic situation becomes severe in Bangladesh. The National Evaluator shall collect qualitive and quantitative data from the relevant government and non-government stakeholders. If the SDG localization component of the project has been initiated at the time of evaluation, the National Evaluator may need to go to the field to collect data from local beneficiaries and local authorities. Meanwhile, an International Evaluator is expected to attend the KIIs and stakeholders consultations, if organized remotely, and provide technical guidance to a National Evaluator remotely during the data collection process.
In case if field-level data collection is required at the time of evaluation, details of field-level data collection, including locations, timelines, and number of field visits shall be proposed by the consultants in the inception report and will be determined during the inception phase of evaluation in consultation with UNDP and relevant stakeholders.
Data collection tools, including KII and FGD checklists/semi-structured questionnaires need to be developed and used in the field-level data collection. Methods to be used by the evaluation team to collect and analyze the required data shall include but not limited to:
Desk Review: This should include a review of inter alia as data sources
Project document
Result Framework/M&E Framework
Project Quality Assurance Report
Annual Work Plans
Annual & Quarter Report (donors report)
Financial Reports
Budgets and expenditure generated from Atlas
M&E plan
Theory of Change
Strategy documents
Highlights of Project Board meetings
Policy brief & documents
COVID-19 supporting activities.
Meeting minutes of Project Board
Database
Facts sheets
Case studies
Studies relating to the country context and situation
Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with key stakeholders including UNDP, SC4SDG, Government partners, donors, UN colleagues, development partners, partner NGOs:
Development of evaluation questions around relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability and designed for different stakeholders to be interviewed.
All interviews should be undertaken in full confidence and anonymity. The final evaluation report should not assign specific comments of individuals.
Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with relevant stakeholders/rights holders/duty bearers from government agencies, grass roots and national level civil society organizations, indigenous peoples ‘organizations, indigenous/ethnic minorities, excluded groups and PWDs, women, children, youths and other marginalized and disadvantaged groups, beneficiaries, both at national and local levels.
Case studies to capture transformational changes (Specific and unique changes specifically focused on poverty-environment issues) happened due to the project activities, addressing specific evaluation questions under various evaluation criteria.
Field visits/observation to selected project sites and validation of the key tangible outputs and interventions.
Data review and analysis of monitoring and other data sources and methods: ensure maximum validity, reliability of data (quality) and promote use; the evaluation team will ensure triangulation of the various data sources.
Gender and human rights lens. All evaluation products need to address gender, disability, and human right issues
This evaluation is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach. The data collection process should be participatory engaging senior government officials, implementing and donor partners, project concerns, key stakeholders, and a wide cross-section of staff incorporating a gender equity approach.
Evaluation team needs to triangulate data and evidence with multiple sources to address evaluation questions. The final methodological approach, including the interview schedule and data to be used in the evaluation should be clearly outlined in the inception report and fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, Government particularly GED and the consultants.
Given the current situation of the COVID-19 crisis in the country, evaluation team needs to be considered when proposing data collection tools. In case if the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow field-level data collection, the evaluation team should develop a methodology that takes this into account the conduct of the evaluation virtually and remotely, including the use of remote interview methods and extended desk reviews, data analysis, surveys and evaluation questionnaires. The evaluation team is expected to present alternative means of data collection (Skype/Zoom/WhatsApp/Phone call) as viable options. This should be detailed in the inception report and agreed with UNDP and relevant stakeholders during the inception phase. No stakeholders, consultants or UNDP staff should be put in harm’s way and safety is the key priority.
Gender and Human Rights-based Approach
As part of the requirement, evaluation must include an assessment of the extent to which the design, implementation, and results of the project have incorporated gender equality perspective and rights-based approach. The evaluators are requested to review UNEG’s Guidance in Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation during the inception phase.
In addition, the methodology used in the final evaluation, including data collection and analysis methods should be human rights and gender-sensitive to the greatest extent possible, with evaluation data and findings disaggregated by sex, ethnicity, age, etc. Detailed analysis on disaggregated data will be undertaken as part of final evaluation from which findings are consolidated to make recommendations and identify lessons learned for enhanced gender-responsive and rights-based approach of the project.
These evaluation approach and methodology should consider different types of groups in the project intervention – women, youth, minorities, and vulnerable groups. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) also need to be considered in the evaluation, following the new UNDP evaluation report checklist.
Evaluation questions extensively cover gender and human rights aspects (in Section E. Evaluation Questions of the ToR).
Evaluation Ethics
This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation. The consultant must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees, and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on data. The consultant must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation process must also be solely used for the evaluation and not for other uses with the express authorization of UNDP and partners. Signed ‘Pledge of Ethical Conduct in Evaluation of the United Nations System’ needs to be attached in the Annex of the final evaluation report. A template can be downloaded from the link below on the footnote[. The evaluation team may refer to UNDP’s Dispute and wrongdoing resolution process and contact details[ (Annex 3 (page 55) of Section 4: Evaluation Implementation and Use of UNDP Evaluation Guidelines (2021)).
Expected Deliverables:
Based on the scope of the work outlined above, an international evaluator will be responsible for completing the following outputs/deliverables of this assignment shall include:
Deliverable 01 (Inception Report): An inception report comprising the understanding of the assignment, initial assessment, methodology to be adopted, comprehensive work plan, timeline, and draft content of the report. Based on the ToR, initial meetings with the UNDP and the desk review, the consultants should develop an inception report which will elaborate evaluation methodologies, including how each evaluation question will be answered along with proposed methods, proposed sources of data, and data collection and analysis procedures. The inception report will include the evaluation matrix using the template provided in Annex 3 and will also include a proposed timeline of activities and submission of deliverables. UNDP and SC4SDG will review the inception report and provide comments for improvement based on which evaluators will revise and finalize the inception report. This report will serve as an initial point of agreement and understanding between the evaluation team and UNDP/SC4SDG.
Deliverable 02 (Draft Report): The draft report on “Mid-term Evaluation of SC4SDG project” will ensure that each evaluation question is answered with an in-depth analysis of information and back up the arguments with credible evidences. The evaluation report will contain the same sections as the final report and shall follow the structure outlined in Annex 3/ Evaluation Report Template and Quality Standards (Page 56-60) of Section 4/ Evaluation Implementation and Use of UNDP Evaluation Guidelines (2021). The draft report will be reviewed by the SC4SDG, UNDP and GED. The draft report
will ensure that each evaluation question is answered with in-depth analysis of information and back up the arguments with credible quantitative and/or qualitative evidences.
The evaluation report will be quality assessed by UNDP Bangladesh Country Office and UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). Details of the IEO’s quality assessment of decentralized evaluations can be found in Section 6 (Page 9-13) of the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines.
Deliverable 03 (Debriefing Session): A presentation/debriefing session will be organized with key stakeholders, including UNDP and SC4SDG Project, to present findings, conclusions, and recommendations; and
Deliverable 04 (Final Report): Final report on “Mid-term Evaluation of SC4SDG project” incorporating the feedback from UNDP CO and SC4SDG project and consultation outcomes. All comments and an evaluator’s response to each comment need to record in Audit Trail. Other relevant documents (i.e., data collection tools, checklists questionnaires, datasets (if any)) need to be submitted as well.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards (human rights, tolerance, integrity, respect, and impartiality);
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability
Functional Competencies:
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude ;
Strong interpersonal and written and oral communication skills;
Strong analytical skills and strong ability to communicate and summarize this analysis in writing
Has the ability to work both independently and in a team and deliver high-quality work on tight timelines.
Skills:
Strong leadership and planning skills
Possess strong analytical and writing skills, with the ability to conceptualize, articulate, write and debate about governance issues
Strong communication skills
Knowledge of current issues and innovation in results-oriented monitoring, including trends, principles, and methodology
Working experiences with multi and bi-lateral development partners in international development cooperation and its impact assessment
Good knowledge of UN and/or UNDP’s mandate and socio-political context in the region
Ability to work in the multi-cultural team environment and to deliver under pressure/meet deadlines
Ability to network with partners on various levels
The necessary computer skills with competence in MS office package
Required Skills and Experience
Evaluation Team Composition and Required Competences
A. Team Composition
The evaluation team consists of one international consultant (evaluator) and one national consultant (evaluator). An international evaluator shall serve as a team leader, while a national evaluator will take more on a supporting role.
An international evaluator shall be responsible for managing the overall evaluation process as a team lead, including evaluation design and implementation. Although an international evaluator works remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, s/he is expected to closely communicate with the national evaluator. While a national evaluator shall be in charge of data collection in the field, the international evaluator is also expected to attend the meetings with the stakeholders if the meetings are conducted virtually. And the international evaluator shall also provide technical guidance/support to the national evaluator on the field-level data collection remotely. The international evaluator shall take the lead in preparation and finalization of an evaluation report with the national evaluator and ensure the quality of the report, incorporating feedback/ inputs from all relevant stakeholders.
Detailed workplan, including division of labors needs to be included in the inception report and will be discussed with UNDP and key stakeholders during the inception phase.
B. Qualifications:
The qualifications below are for the International Consultant:
Minimum masters’ degree or equivalent in Economics, Public Administration, Public Policy, development studies/management, Social Sciences, or other relevant fields;
Proven experiences in conducting technically robust evaluations or assessment of large-scale policies and programs funded by government, UN and/or donors, particularly SDGs-related policy evaluation/ assessment.;
At least 07 years of demonstrated experience in programs, projects, and policies in governance-related areas, capacity building, policy advocacy, poverty, environment, climate change, and SDGs;
Comprehensive knowledge and proven experience in advising government and/or UN development partners on Sustainable Development policy (focusing Gender and LNOB) at a senior level.
Special Note
No involvement in the design and implementation of the SC4SDG Project. Any individual who has had prior involvement in the design and implementation of the SC4SDG Project or those directly or indirectly related to the SC4SDG Project are not eligible for this consultancy due to conflict of interests.
Language skills:
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English are required.
Travel:
An international consultant is not required to travel to Bangladesh due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This is a home-based consultancy.The financial proposal should not include travel and accommodation costs.
Implementation Arrangement, Supervision, and Performance Evaluation:
The evaluation team will independently conduct the evaluation but shall take necessary assistance from SC4SDG and UNDP. Both the consultants will work under the overall supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative and guidance of the UNDP Governance Cluster lead in close consultation with the M&E Specialist/ Analyst of the Partnerships unit. Additionally, the consultants will have to discuss with the SC4SDG team led by Chief Technical Advisor to provide necessary support in the day-to-day operation. The Project’s SDG and M&E Analyst will be the focal point of the overall management of the project evaluation with technical guidance from the Partnership Cluster of CO. The final evaluation report needs to be cleared by the M&E Specialist/Analyst at UNDP Bangladesh Country Office and approved by the Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh, and RBM/ M&E focal point, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.
A.Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments
Consultants must send a financial proposal based on a Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be a fixed output-based price regardless of the extension of the specified duration herein. The assignment is tentatively scheduled for 20 working days over a period of 03 months. Payments will be made upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per the below percentages:
The expected outputs, deliverables, and payment schedule are as follows:
Deliverables
Number of Days
Payment Schedule
Review and Approvals Required
Deliverable 01: Inception Report
Submission of Inception Report, including a detailed methodology note, evaluation matrix, and desk review and preliminary analysis of the available information provided by UNDP
05 days
25%
SC4SDG / Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh/ Head of Democratic Governance Cluster, UNDP Bangladesh/ M&E focal point, UNDP Bangladesh/ RBM focal point, Bangkok Regional Hub
Deliverable 02: Draft report
Submission of draft Evaluation Report addressing all evaluation questions
11 days
45%
Deliverable 03: Presentation/debriefing session
A debriefing will be organized with key stakeholders including SC4SDG, UNDP and GED to present findings, conclusions and recommendations.
01 days
Deliverable 04: Final report
Submission of final Evaluation Report, which has been approved and accepted, together with data collection tools, questionnaires, datasets (if any), and audit trails
03 days
30%
Total days consultant wise
20 days
Evaluation Method and Criteria
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:
Cumulative analysis
The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of the set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%). The financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.
Technical Criteria for Evaluation for an International consultant (Maximum 70 points)
Criteria
Weight
Max. Point
Technical
70%
70
Educational qualification
10%
10
Proven experiences in conducting technically robust evaluations or assessment of large-scale policies and programs funded by government, UN and/or donors, particularly SDGs-related policy evaluation/ assessment.
25%
25
Working experience in programs, projects, and policies in governance-related areas, capacity building, policy advocacy, poverty, environment, climate change, and SDGs
25%
25
Comprehensive knowledge and proven experience in advising government and/or UN development partners on Sustainable Development policy (focusing Gender and LNOB) at a senior level.
10%
10
Financial
30%
30
Total
100%
100 points
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)
All qualified technical proposals will be scored out of 30 based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals received points according to the following formula:
p = y (µ/z)
Where:
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.
DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
Proposal
Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
Personal CV, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment and a methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment, together with links to three (3) publications (past evaluation reports);
Financial Proposal: Financial Proposal must be submitted through a standard interest and availability template which can be downloaded from the link below:
http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Jobs/Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal-Template%20for%20Confirmation.doc
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