Midterm Evaluation Consultant

Terms of Reference

1. BACKGROUND

Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) has started implementing a 26-month project focusing on civil society in South Sudan. This project started in January 2020 as a continuation of 3 previous phases of the project. The overall goal of the project is to foster and increase operational space for civil society organization and to address needs arising amongst civil society actors through capacity building and mentoring. The Civic Engagement project team is based in Juba but seeks to work closely with civil society organizations throughout the whole country. The main activities of the project include; tracking online and offline activities of civil society organizations and gathering information on challenges and protection concerns of civil society organizations. The projects interacts with both partners from the media, judiciary as well as grassroots civil society organizations. Through relationship-building and trust building within civil society, and between civil societies and local communities, community leaders, and government authorities, the project aims to support an open civic space. In addition the Civic Engagement project strives to improve relations and communication platforms between the diplomatic community, government authorities, NGOs, INGOs, and UN agencies. Working alongside key partners NP seeks to identify challenges to the civic space and to understand barriers to the work of civil society and support mitigation measures where possible.

2. PURPOSE OF THE MIDTERM EVALUATION

The purpose of the mid-term evaluation will be to critically and objectively review and analyze the project progress, strengths and weaknesses in an effort to improve the effectiveness and relevance of the interventions. The evaluation will be a performance-based evaluation, with findings focusing on identifying opportunities and challenges and determining whether mid-course project alterations are needed to achieve maximum impact. Findings will also guide the rest of the project implementation and may redefine approaches and the pace of work accordingly.

Specific Objectives include:

· Assess progress made towards the achievement of results at the output and outcome levels;

· Evaluate the level of contribution of the outputs towards the achievement of the expected project objectives, goal and impact;

· Evaluate the appropriateness of the strategies and approaches used for implementing the project;

· Assess whether project resources (budget, assets, and staff) were used efficiently in relation to the planned activities, outputs and outcome;

· Identify major external factors that influenced or impacted on the implementation of the project and evaluate their implication on future interventions;

· Identify lessons learned, recommend midterm course corrections and address any areas of concern that strengthen the remainder of the project period.

· Propose in-depth and evidence based strategic directions for the upcoming anticipated phases of the project based on the current and past project documents and evaluations conducted

3. EVALUATION DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross sectional study will be conducted in project implementation areas(Juba, Wau, Yambio and Maridi). The external evaluator is expected to conduct a participatory evaluation providing for meaningful involvement by project partners, beneficiaries and other interested parties. Primary and secondary data is expected to be gathered using a mixed method to evaluate program implementation. Thus, evaluation will involve collecting the following data:

• Quantitative data: It will be used to measure indicators of the project expressed in terms of numbers/percentages (quantitative indicators). Information will be collected using questionnaire survey which will be administered to a sample of project beneficiaries. The consultant is expected to determine the sampling technique and size which would be representative, and adequate to detect the changes observed and do basic descriptive statistics.

• Qualitative data: Qualitative information will be collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) with key stakeholders including beneficiaries, civil society organizations, donors, local implementing partners and others to complement the information collected through quantitative approaches.

• Secondary documentation: Review of related documents will also be important to establish key insights relevant to the effective implementation of the project.

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITES OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant will be expected to:

• Design methodology for the collection of quantitative and qualitative data for the assessment;

• Develop necessary data collection tools and guides to answer the evaluation questions;

• Organize and facilitate training workshop for enumerators (NP will hire the enumerators) and other evaluation team members on evaluation implementation, including the evaluation protocol and tools to be used and pilot testing of the tool;

• Plan and coordinate the necessary logistics to collect the data in accordance with the selected methodology;

• Conduct the evaluation at the project location to measure key indicators as defined in the project logical framework;

• Develop the data entry template and ensures data entry clerks are trained adequately;

• Collect and analyze available secondary data to augment the evaluation findings;

• Based upon a reading of the program documents, propose any additional topics or issues for analysis in the evaluation;

• Analyze and interpret data to develop a comprehensive evaluation report;

• Share key findings and insights from the evaluation with relevant staff through consultations.

5. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES:

• Submit an inception proposal which responds to the scope of work by adding any further detail or clarification regarding the study approach, method, or implementation arrangements;

• Field work implementation plan (to be submitted before field work begins). This field work plan should be presented to NP for comment, and revised as necessary prior to commencing field work;

• Overall report that outlines the field work and the data cleaning;

• Cleaned data files (including Questionnaires) in excel format with data correctly organized, variables named and labelled;

• Cleaned qualitative data transcripts

• Summary of midterm values for the outcome and output level indicators from the log-frame

• A comprehensive midterm evaluation report that meets agreed formats;

6. TIMEFRAME

The timeframe for the midterm evaluation is estimated between 5-6 weeks. The consultant is expected to work from December 14, 2020 to January 30, 2021 and complete all responsibilities and deliverables outlined in the Scope of Work. The schedule outlined is tentative and open to revision.

7. RESOURCES

NP will arrange visa requirements and transport to South Sudan. In addition, NP will provide accommodation while in country. All necessary logistical arrangements for the assessment will be coordinated through the NPSS logistics department. The chosen consultant will coordinate with the Program Coordinator, Research Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and other relevant staff in the planning and implementation of the midterm evaluation.

8. SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Education:

• Master’s degree in International and Political Affairs, Law, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related field.

Required Experience and Skills:

• At least 7 years’ experience in the design and implementation of evaluations, assessments or surveys including qualitative and quantitative data collection;

• Previous work experience in the area of civic engagement and/or protection of civilians;

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of research methodologies and processes;

• Experience in the development of Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks and logical frameworks;

• Experience in gathering and systematizing large amounts of data;

• Experience developing protection projects in war and/or emergency settings;

• Experience of working with civil society actors or NGOs and understanding of the security situation dynamics is an advantage;

• Proven ability to manage highly confidential and sensitive information through a protection lens;

• Experience managing projects in complex and dangerous environments.

• Good knowledge and understanding of the security dynamics on the ground in South Sudan;

• Experience with multi-partner projects;

• Experience working with or for civil society organizations.