Project Final Evaluation Terms of Reference

Project Final Evaluation Terms of Reference

International Nepal Fellowship

Project to be evaluated:GRACE

Date: March 2019

1. Overview 

INF GRACE Project

(short overview of GRACE Project – INF Response to earthquake -100 words)

International Nepal Fellowship, with its long-standing experience in Community Based Rehabilitation was strategically placed to bring recovery and rehabilitation to those affected by the earthquake. 

This project  addresses post-earthquake needs of persons with disabilities in five earthquake affected rural municipalities (previously ten VDCs) of Gorkha. The prime focus of the project is to help re-build communities following the earthquake while facilitating rehabilitation of persons with disabilities to regain normal life, empowering them to attain independence and to enable for self-advocacy. This project therefore intends to address the immediate and longer-term needs of persons with disabilities in Gorkha in the aftermath of the earthquake. 

Project Goals:

• Rebuilding earthquake affected communities to become equitable,  inclusive and resilient, where people with disabilities have sustainable improvement in their quality of  life and can live dignified lives to  the full.
• Community infrastructures such as houses, offices, public places and others will be made disaster resilient and accessible for all including persons with disabilities.
• People with disabilities are empowered and equally take part in all events  of family and social life within an inclusive society, facilitating equal access to health,  education, livelihood opportunities and full participation.

2. Purpose of this evaluation. 

The Project has been implemented for 42 months  (Oct 2015- March 2019). This end of project evaluation focuses on the entire implementation period.

The evaluation is forward looking and will capture effectively lessons learnt and provide information on the nature, extent ad where possible, the potential impact and sustainability of GRACE project. The evaluation will  assess the project design, scope, implementation status and the capacity to achieve the project objectives. It will collate and analyse lessons learnt, challenges faced and best practices obtained during implementation.

The emphasis on learning lessons speaks to the issue of understanding what has and what has not worked as a guide for future planning. It will assess the performance of the project against planned results. The evaluation will assess the preliminary indications of potential impact and sustainability of results including the contribution to capacity development and achievement of sustainable development goals. The results of the evaluation will draw lessons that will  inform the key stakeholders of this evaluation who are the local government bodies. 

3. Scope and focus of this evaluation. 

3.1 Scope

The final evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the implementation strategy and the results of GRACE project. This will include review of the project design and management including the implementation strategies, project activities, it will assess the extent to which the project results have been achieved, partnerships established, capacities built, and cross cutting issues of mainstreaming disabilities and earthquake recovery have been addressed. 

3.2  Evaluation notes

In evaluating the project, observations and comments should be made on the relevance,effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability each project activity, with reference to how it has assisted the community/communities move towards the project goals. GRACE project was designed to meet the needs of people with disabilities especially earthquake affected. Through this evaluation, need to justify:

• Relevance refers to the extent to which an activity is considered useful and meaningful to the community, with special significance attached to how the activity is relevant to very poor and vulnerable peoples.
• Effectiveness and Efficiency refers to the extent to which the particular activity helps meet project goals.
• Sustainability refers to the degree to which any activity is owned, managed, and maintained by the community or beneficiaries. Not all activities are, or will be sustainable. 

3.3 Focus of Evaluation(Evaluation Questions)

3.3.1 Evaluation focus 1- Relevance

• How the interventions were designed to address the rights of the earthquake affected persons with disabilities?
• How relevant is the project? How does it meet the needs of people with disabilities?
• Was the project relevant  to the identified needs?
• To what extent did the  project achieve its overall objectives?
• Relevance of work done by INF in the context of the 2015 earthquake and with respect to other work previously reviewed by the evaluator.

3.3.2 Evaluation focus 2 – Effectiveness and Efficiency

• How effective were the strategies and tools used in the implementation of the project?
• How effective has the project been in responding to the needs of the beneficiaries, and what results were achieved?
• Quality of the reconstruction in comparison with other works reviewed.
• To what extent, did the actual or expected results (outputs and outcomes) justify the costs incurred? Were the resources effectively utilized?
• How efficient were the management and accountability structures of the project?
• What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the project implementation process?

3.3.3 Evaluation focus 3 – Sustainability

• To what extent are the benefits of the project likely to be sustained after the completion of this project? 
• What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of project outcomes and benefits after completion of the project?
• How effective were the exit strategies, and approaches to phase out assistance provided by the project including contributing factors and constraints
• How were capacities strengthened at the individual and organizational level (including contributing factors and constraints)?
• Documentation of good practices and lesson learned (with empirical evidences).
• What are the recommendations for similar support in future?

4. Stakeholders

• Persons with Disabilities and their families
• Children  with  Disabilities
• Local Partner Organizations (1. Disabled people’s organization, 2. Church based organization)
• Self-help groups
• Relevant service providers i.e. Health posts, Schools, ward offices etc.
• Relevant district government line agencies and service providers i.e. Women’s Development Office and local and national level authorities.
• The general community people and other groups in the community such as Community Forest User Groups, Schools, I/NGOs, clubs, schools and the public transport office.

5. Finances

The total cost for this study shall not exceed NPR 500,000. 15% withholding tax shall be deducted on payment. 30% of budget will be released after the submission of draft report and the rest 70% will be released only after approval of the final report.  Please refer to Annex A for financial quotation format.This amount includes  fees  for  the  full  team  including  taxes  and  social  funds,  administrative  costs,  travel  and accommodation  during  travelling,  communication  costs.  The  fees  are  calculated  for  the  entire assignment, so including planning, preparation, information collection, travelling, interviews, report writing, report revision, editing and finalization of the assignment, as well as dissemination of report findings. 

6. Methodology and Reporting

GRACE End of  project evaluation will be carried out involving qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the support of GRACE implementation and performance as well impact. 

6.1 Methods [any or all of the following and include others as necessary]

1. Document reviews prior to the visit and during the visit. Key documents include
1. Project Proposals
2. Project Annual Reports
3. Baseline survey Report 
2. Visits to project sites 
3. Semi-structured interviewing or focus groups/including MSC (most significant change).
4. One-on-one interviews/keyinformant interview.
5. Surveys
6. Feedback session with staff at the completion of field work to review and discuss information and impressions.

6.2 Reporting Major deliverables

The evaluator will be responsible for the quality and timely submission of his/her specific deliverables, as specific below. All products should be well written (reader friendly and communicative), inclusive and have a clear analysis process.

• Share evaluation outline as draft inception report, analytical framework, methodology, evaluation tools and techniques and a work plan.
• The consultant is requested to present data analysis report along with draft evaluation report. Case studies and stories from project participants where appropriate
• The consultant is requested to incorporate essential feedback and submit a final evaluation report (electronic and signed hard copy)
• The consultant is requested to submit a brief summary report (not more than two pages) of the evaluation, Please note that this brief report will be used for external audience.
• The raw data (all transcripts, quantitative data, and data collection tools) must be handed over to INF Nepal together with the evaluation report (electronic and hard copies)

7. Knowledge and Academic Requirement 

The consultant must  have the following qualifications and experiences: 

• Master’s in Social Science, Development studies or any relevant field
• Extensive expertise, knowledge, and experience in the field of CBR, Disability and relevant International and National policy instruments i.e. UNCRPD, the Rights and Protection of persons with disabilities Act 2013, Child Protection Policy. The community livelihoods and construction experiences will add benefits.
• Experience in conducting program/project evaluation and various evaluation methodologies, tools and techniques. 
• Excellent communication, presentation and report writing skills in English 
• Lead consultant or Consultancy firm should have TIN/PAN/VAT Certificate 

8. Schedule and Contacts

The deliverables will be delivered according to the following time allocation.The evaluation is expected to start in 15th April, 2019 for an estimated duration of 23 working days. This will include desk reviews, field work - interviews, and report writing.

The evaluation will take place between 15th April to 6th May,2019(23 billable days) 

Scheduling is tentative, and will be confirmed by mutual agreement between [the Partner], donors and the Consultant/s.

The contact person in country is BishnuGiri, Manager of Kaski Community Cluster

Email: community.cm@kaski.nepal.inf.org

8. Independence, Conflict of Interest,  and Confidentiality

The independence of the contracted evaluator is respected, and no attempt shall be made to influence the opinions and findings of the evaluator. Any conflicts of interest should be declared prior to the evaluator being contracted. 

Annex- A

INF Nepal

Financial quote for External Evaluation of GRACE Project

Notes:

• This page should be printed on your organization’s letterhead and sealed with company's stamp.
• The travel costs should include best estimate of the expected costs to be incurred during travels to evaluation areas.
• Please include notes wherever necessary to facilitate understanding.