Final Evaluation of Nepal Earthquake Response, Recovery and Reconstruction Program

Oxfam in Nepal

Oxfam has been working in Nepal since the early 1980s undertaking various development initiatives addressing the poverty and injustice faced by women and other socially and economically excluded groups. The level of Oxfam's engagement increased substantially after restoration of democracy in 1990 as it became easier for civil society to work in the new political environment. Over the years, Oxfam has worked in partnership with local civil society organisations and the government to promote rural livelihoods, and vulnerable communities' resilience to climatic shocks and disasters. It has also significantly contributed to empowering community people, especially women, to; negotiate with people in power, influence decision making processes, claim rights and essential services to which they are entitled, demand accountability on the part of duty bearers and engage larger masses in advocacy efforts. Oxfam also worked closely with UNHCR in providing assistance to Bhutanese refugees during the 1990s. Oxfam and its long term programme partners believe that the underlying structural causes and drivers of poverty must be addressed if improvements in peoples's lives are to be broad and lasting. Poverty is not one-dimensional; nor is it purely local in its causes and solutions. Therefore, Oxfam's work addresses not only material and technical change, but also the related economic, social, institutional and policy changes which are necessary to end poverty and achieve development and wellbeing. The Oxfam Nepal Vision is: The people of Nepal are empowered and work together to attain a life of dignity with justice and equal rights for all. The Overall Nepal Programme Goal is: to improve the well being of vulnerable people through strengthening their participation in development and governance processes and reducing poverty and suffering.

Details / requirements:

Title: Consultancy for the Final Evaluation of Nepal Earthquake Response, Recovery and Reconstruction Programme

 Proposal Submission Deadline: 28 November 2019

Send Proposal to: consultancy_nepal@oxfam.org.uk  

 

Terms of Reference (ToR) 

Terms of reference

Programme/project title /affiliate identification code

Nepal Earthquake Response, Recovery, and Reconstruction

Geographical coverage:

Kathmandu Valley, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot, Gorkha, and Dhading districts

Programme/project lifespan

5 Years

Evaluation commissioning manager

Head of DRR/WASH/CCA/Water Governance + Head of BDPQ

Evaluation manager

Program Quality Coordinator

1. Background

The Terms of Reference are for the final evaluation of the Nepal Earthquake Response, Recovery and Reconstruction programme implemented by Oxfam in Nepal through local partners. It is a five-year programme ending in March 2020. The programme is funded by multiple donorsand implemented in seven districts. 

The programme through its lifetime worked directly with the earthquake-affected population providing them with shelter, livelihood options, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, whilst ensuring they are protected and safeguarded.  Whilst thematic focus and activities (Gender, Shelter, Livelihoods, DRR, WASH) are similar in all districts, projects differ from district to district by duration and nature. These projects aim to place the thinking, perspectives and lived experience of marginalized people at the centre of approaches and activities to build the resilience of community.

Oxfam as a humanitarian and development partner in Nepal responded to the earthquake emergency immediately on the basis of its ongoing work on preparedness, its strength to amplify resources regionally and internationally, and local and global experiences in the field of emergency. Using information and experience gained through local programme knowledge and direct partnership with local NGOs and contact with the poorest communities, Oxfam was able to work with and support the earthquake-affected community who were mostly poor and underprivileged. Oxfam started its work through immediate response. It expanded its support to early recovery, and recovery, and scaled up it to reconstruction. 

Oxfam is working closely with government, mainly with the National Reconstruction Authority, and so far, has provided support 645,804 population through different post-earthquake projects helping them with shelter, livelihood, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. The primary aim of the programme is to complement the government in its initiatives of inclusive and gender-friendly post-earthquake reconstruction, and eventually build resilient communities. Central to this primary aim are five outcomes that are dependent upon one another:

-By 2020, earthquake affected poor and marginalized communities take action to manage and sustain gender responsive WASH facilities and services 

-By 2020, 348,231 poor, marginalized and vulnerable earthquake affected men and women (at least 60%) have increased their ability to meet basic needs, restore, develop and sustain a resilient livelihood 

-By 2020, 336,888 poor, vulnerable and marginalized earthquake affected women (at least 60%), men, girls and boys have access to sufficient resources in order to avail dignified and more earthquake resilient living spaces. 

-By 2020, earthquake affected at-risk women & girls and vulnerable women and men have more influence on and equitable and safe access to humanitarian and recovery activities that address their expressed needs. 

-Disaster risk reduction (DRR) mainstreamed in post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction and development plans and programmes in earthquake affected districts. 

 

2. Rationale and purpose of the evaluation

The Earthquake Response, Recovery and Reconstruction programme is coming to an end in March 2020. The main aim of this assignment is to perform an evaluation of the intervention. This is expected to systematically analyse the actual outcomes of the five-year long programme implemented by Oxfam and its partners in all phases of implementation and the impact made by the programme interventions in the lives of poor and marginalized people we work with. 

This final evaluation responds to the following objectives:

-Building institutional knowledge: The evaluation will provide input into the development of current and future humanitarian programmes and projects. To maximize learning for all those involved, the methodology for the final evaluation will ensure active involvement of Oxfam staff, partners, government stakeholders, and community participants. Transition of Oxfam from response to recovery and to reconstruction will also be an important part of the study. This study will also capture innovation done in the interventions.

-Accountability: The evaluation will allow us to be fully accountable to our different stakeholders. It will also reflect to what extent Oxfam has been able to change its ways of working in response to the recommendations of base-line, light Mid-Line Evaluation, Real time monitoring and Contribution to Change analysis. 

 

As such, the evaluation process should: 

-Stimulate reflection and learning among country office, partners, community groups, government stakeholders, non-government stakeholders and international communities. 

-Review and validate achievements against each outcome as presented in the programme log frame, and recommendations as presented in base-line, light Mid-Line Evaluation and the Contribution to Change analysis.

-Develop concrete recommendations for future humanitarian programme and project development.

 

3. Geographical areas and beneficiaries

Oxfam worked in seven earthquakes affected districts: Kathmandu Valley, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot, Gorkha, and Dhading. In the entire cycle of disaster risk management, Oxfam covered the following topics: 

-Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), 

-Shelter and housing

-Food Security and Livelihood, 

-Disaster Risk Reduction in an integrated way, 

-Gender and protection 

-Advocacy and influencing as cross-cutting themes. 

 

The programme reached to the total population as in the table below:

Sector

Total

(In some cases, they are double counted)

WASH

482,459

EFSVL

341,770

Gender

36,256

Shelter

337,530

DRR

57,855

 

4. Scope 

The evaluation will follow the criteria laid out in Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Principles for Development of Evaluation Assistance aligned with Oxfam’s Common Approach to Monitoring and Social Accountability (CAMSA) which are: 

-Relevance

-Effectiveness and efficiency

-Impact, and

-Sustainability

The guiding questions for evaluation below are aligned with these criteria. The evaluation should interrogate each phase of intervention (Response, Recovery and Reconstruction) focusing thematic areas: 

- To what level/extent were these interventions successful to meet community needs? (The indicator that defines “Successful” will be discussed and agreed between Oxfam and consultant/s after the consultant is hired). 

- How effectively were the affected women and girls, and vulnerable women and men involved in the whole intervention cycle? 

- Is there any inter-connection among different thematic sectors during the intervention? How did it contribute to the improvement of Oxfam’s intervention as a one programme approach? In places where inter-connections were missed, what could have been done differently to improve strategic integration of different themes? 

- What were the most effective ways to structure partnership among different stakeholders during the interventions? (This includes inter agency coordination and collaboration. Highlight the role of private sectors in such partnership. Was it effective?)

- The evaluation will also address the implementation of follow-up actions after the base-line, light Mid-line Evaluation, Real time monitoring and the Contribution to Change analysis. 

- Were our interventions in the phases of response, sustainable recovery, and reconstruction able to reduce risks and increase resilience of earthquake affected vulnerable households? 

a.Were our interventions effective to improve access of earthquake affected population to sufficient resources for dignified and more earthquake resilient living space? How has it improved the lives of the people we work with? 

b.Were our interventions effective to improve access of affected community to safe water and strengthen communities to act to manage and sustain gender responsive WASH facilities and services? How has it improved the lives of the people we work with? 

c.Were our interventions effective to increase the ability of earthquake affected community to meet basic needs, restore, develop and sustain a resilient livelihood? How has it improved the lives of the people we work with? 

d.Were our interventions effective to mainstream disaster risk management in the earthquake affected areas? How has it improved the lives of the people we work with? 

e.Were our advocacy and influencing interventions effective to lobbying the government to find durable solutions of the problems of earthquake affected families especially geo-hazard displaced people? 

- How did all thematic interventions in all phases explicitly make an impact to the lives of girls and vulnerable women and men?

- How successful was Oxfam’s preparedness work in the areas where Oxfam was already working in the preparedness phase prior to the disaster? In what way did this prior expertise shape the manner in which both the surge, humanitarian and development deliver? 

- Are our actions in reconstruction sustainable? What modality or approach used in the interventions can ensure sustainability? If our approaches are not sustainable, what approach would be effective to make the intervention sustainable?

- How smooth was Oxfam’s transition from response to recovery and to reconstruction including management transition? Highlight key learnings in the transition that can be shared for learning globally and recommend what could have been done better in transition. 

- Capture innovation made during the project intervention. Innovation may include Oxfam’s ways of working, new technology introduced and/or demonstrated, or working modality practised during the intervention. 

- Highlight key success stories by project themes (WASH, Livelihood, Housing, Safe water, Gender, Advocacy and Influencing) from the project areas. 

- Provide key recommendation/s to Oxfam and partners on what can be done better to address gaps, if any, identified during the intervention phases: response, recovery and reconstruction. What could have been done differently in our approaches to interventions? What leverage would the approach give for organization like Oxfam in future to act in case of similar disaster?

 

5. Methodology

The evaluation will encompass the whole earthquake response programme from June 2015  up to the time of field visits. 

 

5.1 Document review 

The key documents for this evaluation process include existing project documents and studies done during the project implementation including project proposals, log-frame, annual project reports, baseline/midline studies, Contribution to Change report, real time evaluation report, management transition report, district-wise review and reflection meeting, and other relevant documents. 

 

5.2 Meetings and consultations

Regular meeting and consultations with evaluation manager at Oxfam and other concerned persons in Oxfam to set clarity on rationality of project interventions and subsequent changes in the working modality following the shift of phases -response to recovery and to reconstruction. The consultants will work closely with Oxfam’s team to finalize research methodology, tools and designing process, sampling and sample size, and indicators. This meeting will also help external consultant to have better understanding of the nature of the project.

 

5.3 Field visits

Additional primary data will be collected through field visits to a selected number of communities, partners and/or people we work with. The geographical focus for field consultation will be agreed upon after submission of the detailed methodology from the consultant/s. For the field visits, participatory methods are to be used. Consultant/s can propose a detailed set of methodologies which should be guided by the following basic principles: 

- Participation: Allow for the meaningful participation of Oxfam staff, partners, community people, government and non-government stakeholders in the evaluation process. 

Gender equality and social inclusion: The proposed approach/es should sufficiently ensure ways in which women and men, and people from poor and marginalised groups are involved in and responded to the programme.

- Data triangulation: The consultants will gather information through different complimentary sources including direct observations earthquake programme activities, key informant interviews, Focus Group Discussion etc. 

 

The detailed methodology proposed by the consultants should at least contain the following components: 

- Train evaluation team members on what is needed to actively take part in the evaluation

- Pre-testing and fine-tuning of evaluation questions also seeking feedback from Oxfam and partners where appropriate. 

- Sharing of information/data collection and documentation of the achieved outcomes.

- Sharing of summary and interpretation of achieved outcomes with participants

- Presentation and discussion of preliminary findings

-An inception report should be submitted at a date to be agreed. 

-A mid-term meeting should take place to present and validate intermediary results 

-At the end of the evaluation but before finalizing the report, the consultants will present the preliminary findings to Oxfam, partners and those concerned. 

-The final report incorporates the inputs/suggestions provided by Oxfam and partners, and it should have proper analysis and clear interpretation of programme’s interventions in three phases: Response, Recovery and Reconstruction including pre-earthquake preparedness.

 

The report should acknowledge the donors, concerned stakeholders, and research team who are part of and/or involved in the final evaluation. Proper credit should be given to articles, reports or study materials used as references for this evaluation. 

 

6. Management

This consultancy will be managed by Oxfam in Nepal. The Oxfam team consisting of thematic advisors, technical leads, Programme Quality Coordinator and Head of DRR/Hum, and Head of BDPQ will provide overall management and assist in the entire evaluation process. The team will also support the evaluation technically.

 

6.1 Key deliverables 

The key deliverables should include:

-Inception report outlining key methods and plan for field work 

-Draft Evaluation Report and Power Point Presentation of key findings and recommendation. 

-Final Report that contains executive summary, explanation and justification of methodologies used including perceived limitations. The report should explicitly consider all the questions reflected in the scope of the study. The report should not exceed 30 pages. The final report should have a good gender and inclusion analysis, balance between content, data, graph and images.

-The report should have a list of participants, interviews and location 

-A 6-pager communique to Oxfam that depicts the summary of the final report. 

-Time sheet of each member of the team involved in the evaluation

 

6.2 Terms of payment 

No.

Payment conditions and terms

Payment

1

Upon signing of the contract

20%

2

Upon submission of satisfactory inception report

30%

3

Upon submission and satisfaction of the final report

40%

4

Upon completion of all tasks as per mentioned in the ToR and sign-off from Head of Programs

10%

6.3 Evaluation team composition

A team of experienced consultant will be hired in a transparent way for this task. One principal consultant will take the overall lead and responsibility. The team will consist of one team leader with experience of leading large-scale project evaluation and should lead the team consisting of each member with specific expertise on WASH, Shelter, DRM, Gender and Protection, Livelihood and Advocacy and Influencing. The team should also consist of a data analyst. The team leader will lead all corresponding activities associated with the evaluation. The team should be composed of equal gender representation and will be subject to Oxfam’s vigorous safeguarding checks and commitments. 

 

6.4 Timeline

The tentative start date of the consultancy service will be mid of December 2019 and complete all the evaluation process by the end of February 2020.

 

7. Consultant selection process 

A public call will be made inviting EOI from the qualified firms or companies. They should meet the following criteria and qualifications to be eligible to the call. 

 

7.1 Qualifications 

Evaluation team should be from consulting company or companies, with competency and sound understanding of the context of Nepal and nature of humanitarian response, recovery and reconstruction. Some of the specific requirements to be demonstrated by the team are: 

•Demonstrated experiences in reviewing, monitoring, evaluating and learning experiences of complex and multi-year transdisciplinary programs. 

•Demonstrated high level proficiency in writing (English and Nepali) and concise analysis and in developing reports that include visual representation of data and findings. 

•Demonstrated understanding of issues related to humanitarian work, DRR, WASH, Livelihood, Shelter, gender equality and social inclusion, and advocacy and influencing 

•Prior experiences of conducting similar evaluation 

 

7.2 Application process

Interested companies or firms that meet the above qualifications should submit the following:   

•Technical proposal clearly stating the research design, methodology, sampling method, quantitative and qualitative data collection tool. 

•Financial proposal with indicative budget of the entire assignment. 

•Samples of similar evaluation reports (in English) which were written by the proposed team leader and that are relevant to the ToR.

•CVs of key evaluation team members clearly stating their past experiences and skills

•Signed TOR along with tentative work plan

 

7.3 Selection criteria 

The shortlisting/selection of the consultants/consulting firm will be based on the following criteria: 

 

Commercial and ethical assessment 

-Risk rating 

-Financial capacity 

-Ethical screening 

 

Technical Evaluation 

-Organizations’ experience and capacity - 25% 

-Skills and experiences of evaluation team - 25% 

-Technical qualification of the proposed team- 30% 

-Value for money - 20% 

 

A final interview with the consultants/consulting firm will be arranged to finalize the selection of the consultants/consulting firm.

 

7.4 Evaluation responsibilities and management arrangements

The overall evaluation will be led by Business Development and Program Quality Team. The overall evaluation will be coordinated by Programme Quality Coordinator. An evaluation reference group composed of Thematic Advisors and Thematic Leads will be formed in Oxfam who will provide necessary support in the entire process of the evaluation. This evaluation will be supervised by Head of DRR/CCA/WASH and Head of Business Development and Programme Quality (BDPQ) and make sure that the work is progressing as planned, among other things.

 

8. Total budget

SN

Particulars

Unit costs

Number

Working days

Total amount (NPR)

Remarks

1

Team leader

 

1

 

 

 

2

Thematic experts

 

5

 

 

 

3

Data analyst

 

1

 

 

 

4

Report writer and editor

 

1

 

 

 

5

Enumerator

 

 

 

 

Number to be proposed by consultant

6

Transportation

 

 

 

 

Payment will be made as per actual

7

Workshop/Meetings

 

 

 

 

Number to be proposed by consultant

8

Stationary

 

 

 

 

Number to be proposed by consultant

 

VAT (13%)

 

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENTS FOR SUBMISSION

• Technical proposal with Organisation Profile and CV of consultants (during proposal submission)

• Financial proposal in above mentioned format

• Company Registration Certificate (during proposal submission)

• VAT registration certificate (during proposal submission)

• Tax clearance certificate 2074/75 (during proposal submission)

• References detail of previous 2 clients (during proposal submission) 

 

RESPONSE

The Consulting VAT Registered Firm should submit the proposal to Oxfam by 28 November 2019 via mail to consultancy_nepal@oxfam.org.uk, clearly mentioning the title of assignment in the email subject line and not exceeding 15 MB.

 

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING

Oxfam is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff, consultants, volunteers to share this commitment. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work within our values are selected to work for us. 

 

 CONFIDENTIALITY/ NON-DISCLOUSER 

All material issued in connection with this ToR shall remain the property of Oxfam and shall be used only for the purpose of this procurement exercise. All information provided shall be either returned to Oxfam or securely destroyed by unsuccessful applicants at the conclusion of the procurement exercise.

During the performance of the assignment or at any time after expiry or termination of the Agreement, the Consultant shall not disclose to any person or otherwise make use of any confidential information which s/he has obtained or may in the course of this agreement relating to partner organization/Oxfam, the respondents or otherwise.

The consultant will be required to sign a non-disclosure / confidentiality agreement as part of their undertaking of this work. 

 

INTELECTUAL PROPERTY, COPYRIGHT AND WONERSHIP OF THE MANUAL

The Consultant shall retain all rights to pre-existing (background) intellectual property or materials used by the Consultant in the delivery of this training. All arising intellectual property, ideas, materials, processes or processes formed in contemplation, course of, or as result of this training shall be passed to Oxfam without restriction.

Copyright of all arising documents, data, information or reports produced by the Consultant under this agreement shall belong to Oxfam and will be passed to Oxfam without restriction. Such documents, data, information and reports shall not be used by the Consultant for any other purpose other than in conjunction with this assignment, without the express written permission of Oxfam

Oxfam is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff, consultants, volunteers to share this commitment. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work within our values are recruited to work for us. This job is subject to a range of screening checks

Overview

Category Consulting & Professional Services
Openings 1
Experience Please check details below.
Education Please check details below.
Posted Date 14 Nov, 2019
Apply Before 28 Nov, 2019
City Lalitpur