Terms of Reference for WASH systems strengthening and behaviour change in the hilly region of Makwanpur district in Nepal

WASH systems strengthening and behaviour change in the hilly region of Makwanpur district in Nepal

Final Evaluation - Terms of Reference

Welthungerhilfe

1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

1.1 Welthungerhilfe and Partner Organization

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Germany working in the fields of humanitarian assistance and development cooperation. Established in 1962 as the German section of the United Nations’ “Freedom from Hunger Campaign,” it was one of the first international initiatives focused on eradicating hunger. Today, Welthungerhilfe’s work remains guided by its founding vision: All people have a right to a self-determined life in dignity and justice, free from hunger and poverty.

In line with its Strategy 2025–2030: Zero Hunger on a healthy Planet, Welthungerhilfe promotes systemic change through evidence-based, impact-oriented approaches that are environmentally sustainable and socially just. The organization works in close partnership with local actors and communities to strengthen resilience, ensure food and nutrition security, and advance the realization of rights and agency among people affected by hunger and poverty.

Welthungerhilfe (WHH) has been operational in Nepal since 2012, and it is currently managing different projects in twelve districts under eight thematic areas (sectors): Humanitarian Actions, Agriculture, Climate Reliance and Natural Resource Management, Nutrition & Health, WASH, Economic Development, Civil Society Empowerment, ICT4D and Other. WHH works partnership with civil society in Nepal to empower socially marginalized and economically vulnerable citizens, to strengthen their resilience and to ensure their right to adequate food and nutrition through a systems thinking approach.

Welthungerhilfe is committed to program quality, accountability, and continuous learning. Comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) systems are embedded across the program cycle to ensure that interventions are effective, context-sensitive, and continuously improved. A central element of this approach is the Defining Impact paper, which outlines how WHH distinguishes between outcomes and impact to enhance clarity, credibility, and learning in its work. The organization fosters a culture of reflection, transparent sharing, and collaboration - ensuring that evaluations contribute to both organizational learning and broader sectoral knowledge.

Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) is a Nepali non-governmental, not-for-profit, social development organization, committed to driving positive change and empowerment in Nepal’s rural communities. It was initially set up as GRITS-Nepal in 1989 and by subscribing to the basic principles of the International Rural Reconstruction, GRITS-Nepal was renamed and officially registered as Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) in 1993. Since then, RRN has grown to become one of the largest development NGOs in Nepal, executing various development programs and serving wide geographical areas and populations. Since its inception, RRN has been working with the poor and marginalised people in rural Nepal to empower them in fulfilling their basic needs, improving livelihoods and building their own institutions. RRN substantially contributes to rural people’s empowerment and socio-economic reconstruction process, by embracing the rights-based approaches to development. RRN is also committed to creating an enabling environment for building a just, equitable, peaceful and prosperous society through social, economic and political empowerment of the rural poor, particularly the poor rural women, peasants, landless people and other disadvantaged and socially oppressed strata of Nepalese society. Therefore, besides implementing integrated community development programmes at grassroots, RRN is also extensively engaged in policy research, advocacy, lobbying, networking and campaign at local, national and international levels

1.2 The project and Context

The project “WASH Systems Strengthening and Behaviour Change in the Hilly Region of Makwanpur District, Nepal” is being implemented in Rakshirang and Kailash Rural Municipalities of Makwanpur. It aims to improve the health and nutritional status of marginalized communities through strengthened WASH systems and behavior change interventions.

The project area is characterized by high poverty, reliance on subsistence farming and daily wage labour, food insecurity, and low diet diversity leading to poor nutrition, especially among children under five. Communities face limited and inequitable access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services. Schools and healthcare facilities lack adequate WASH infrastructure, and menstrual hygiene management remains a taboo.

To address these gaps, the project works closely with communities and government stakeholders at local, provincial, and federal levels. It targets 54,752 direct beneficiaries (9,209 households) through activities including construction/rehabilitation of water supply schemes, strengthening WASH governance, promoting WASH financing, behaviour change communication on WASH and nutrition, and improving WASH facilities in schools and health centers.

The project contributes to SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 2 (zero hunger) and aligns with Nepal’s WASH Sector Development Plan (2019–2030), WASH in School Procedure (2019), and Total Sanitation Guidelines (2073). Implemented by Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN) with support from BMZ, Viva con Agua, and WHH, the project runs until January 2026.

Project Goal:

Improved access to safe drinking water, safely managed sanitation, and hygiene through sustainable WASH services and behaviour change among target communities.

Project Outputs:

1. Strengthened WASH service delivery through improved governance at local government level.
2. Improved drinking water supply schemes and WASH facilities in communities, schools, and healthcare facilities.
3. Adoption of safe WASH and nutrition practices among vulnerable and marginalized households through behaviour change interventions.

2. EVALUATION PURPOSE

The overall purpose of the evaluation is to evaluate the performance of the project against its set ambitions and targets. However, specific objectives are:

1. Determine the project results against the set targets in the logical framework
2. Assess the performance of project-based OECD/DAC criteria
3. To identify key lessons, good practices, issues, challenges and make recommendations for the future programming.

Besides this, the evaluation will also further assess the project along selected evaluation criteria, identify enabling and limiting factors, identify lessons learned/recommendations/good practices to use for further project design.

3. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation will be conducted as a final evaluation, with the purpose of systematically assessing the project’s overall achievements, challenges, and lessons learned. It will cover the entire project implementation period, from inception to completion, and will focus on interventions aimed at strengthening WASH systems and promoting sustainable behavior change. The geographical scope of the evaluation is confined to two rural municipalities (Raksirang and Kailash) of Makwanpur District. The evaluation will consider the perspectives and experiences of a broad range of stakeholders, including project participants, marginalized households, community members, local government representatives, partner organizations, and other relevant actors directly or indirectly engaged in or influenced by the project.

4. USERS OF THE EVALUATION

The primary users of the results of this evaluation will include:

• Welthungerhilfe at project level to report on log frame outcome indicators,
• Welthungerhilfe Country offices to design and strengthen existing projects in WASH related to system approach and behaviors change and learning,
• Welthungerhilfe Head Office to compile reliable evidence on effectiveness, and impact to report to funding organization and report finalization
• Partner organizations (for introspection and learning),
• Project participants and the Donors to hold Welthungerhilfe and partner organizations accountable on the delivery against the logframe and the OECD/DAC criteria.

The secondary users will be the funding organization, local and provincial government and other networks and organizations in the project region and sector.

5. EVALUATION QUESTIONS (AND CRITERIA)

The evaluation will need to answer the following key questions as per the standard OECD/DAC criteria:

Relevance:

• How far were the project objectives consistent with national priorities, the needs of target groups, and donor policy?
• Do the tools and approaches applied in the project facilitate the improvement of the living conditions (WASH and nutrition) of targeted population in the working area?
• How relevant are the project interventions in the socio-economic context of the project areas?
• How relevant are the project strategies, approach and activities as perceived by the target groups and other community stakeholders?
• Are the approaches used in the project relevant and adaptable for replication in other similar regions of Nepal?

Effectiveness:

• What are the major outputs and outcomes of this project? How is the progress in comparison to the relevant baseline and results?
• To what extent have the intended outcomes (and use of output) been achieved?
• To what extent have the target groups been reached?
• To what extent have the knowledge and skills of WASH behaviour change, including and WASH governance increased among the target groups, including local government?
• To what extent has the project’s MEAL system been used to adjust interventions and improve the achievement of outcomes and mitigate risks?
• Are there any exceptional experiences e.g., case studies, best practices, upscaling and replication potentials which should be highlighted? What approaches of the project can be regarded as innovative or as adaptations of good practice?

Efficiency:

• To what extent were project staff and field teams deployed efficiently, with workloads, capacities, and skill aligned to the project's operational and technical needs?
• How efficient is the project in terms of effective utilization of the project resources, time management, cost-efficiency, and reaching target groups?

Sustainability:

• What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of project outcomes and benefits after completion of the project?
• To what extent will project achievements, results and effects be expected to continue after donor funding ends?
• What are the major activities which are owned by local government for further implementation and scale up?
• What are the major factors/areas/challenges to address for sustainability of the project?
• Describe key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of project outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach?

Impact

• Is the project contributing to improve the water and sanitation status of targeted population in the working area?
• Has the project influenced local or provincial government policies, plans, or budget allocations for WASH?
• What actual difference has the project made to the participants?
• Did the project take timely measures for mitigating any emerging negative impact?
• What are the unintended result and impact demonstrated in project area by project?
• What are the recommendations for further strengthening and sustaining positive change and for mitigating any risks perceived?

Coherence

• To what extent was the intervention coherent with WHH key policies and programmes or projects – operating in the same context?
• To what extent was the intervention coherent with other actors’ key policies and programmes – including local and / or national – operating within the same context?
• To what extent has the project engaged in stakeholder coordination, including local and national authorities?
• How has the coordination – also with local and federal level coordination mechanisms – affected the planning and implementation of the project?
• Which factors have restricted coordination, and which factors have supported it? Are there any coordination success factors that can be transferred to other situations?

WHH Criteria:

• Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience
• Impact (causal)
• Gender, diversity and inclusion (To what extent have gender equality and social inclusion been considered throughout the planning, monitoring and implementation of the projects?)
• Ways of working with local and national actors / localization / partnership

6. EVALUATION DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

The evaluation design should be finalized in consultation with WHH team before the primary data collection. It is foreseeable that the final evaluation will involve a mixed methods approach and involve specifically the following data collection methods:

• quantitative household survey
• Focus Group Discussions
• Key Informant Interviews
• Observation and case studies

The proposal is not expected to derive a thorough evaluation design and methodology, given that this will depend on the consultant/agency’s assessment of feasibility. However, the consultant/agency is expected to elaborate on:

• Refinement of key areas of inquiry: the process that they intend to employ to support Welthungerhilfe and partners to refine the key areas of inquiry based on the Impact-oriented data assessment exercise;
• Preliminary methodological approach: provide a preliminary description of the proposed evaluation approach and methods, including an outline of methodological and logistical considerations (such as sampling, data quality assurance and coordination with local partners).

The consultant/agency should be aware of the following requirements that will need to be adhered to as part of the thorough evaluation design and methodology developed later on during the assignment:

• The consultant/agency will be expected to collect data using commcare with devices that can record GPS locations. The study tools are to be developed by the consultant/agency. The selected agency would be required to translate the tools into Nepali language. The process of development of data collection tools is to be carried out in consultation with WHH team. The data collection process will be initiated only after final approval from WHH on the overall research design (including detailed sampling design and list of samples included in the study, data collection tools and qualitative and quantitative analysis plans).
• The data collection team must be provided with prior comprehensive training to enumerators to equip them with the information, knowledge and understanding of questionnaires and other data collection tools to ask the questions appropriately and fill out their responses in the application. The enumerators shall be expected to follow ethical guidelines and practices in the interviewing process.
• Ethical considerations, such as do no harm, confidentiality and informed consent will be strictly adhered throughout the evaluation process. The evaluator must sign an agreement to protect personal data collected through this assignment.
• Generally, the evaluation should allow the desegregation of gender, age, livelihoods, social status and other relevant demographic factors.

Sampling: The consultant/agency will design a detailed sampling plan incl. detail on the sampling methods and sample size for the quantitative and qualitative data collections. It is expected that for quantitative components the sample size should be sufficient to ensure a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error to allow for precision and reliability of the findings. WHH will share a comprehensive list of key institutions, stakeholders and program participants list for developing the detailed sampling plan.

Data Analysis: The consultant/agency is expected to share a detailed data analysis plan according to the evaluation framework developed for the evaluation and also use qualitative and quantitative analysis software. The consultant should propose a comprehensive list of parameters and indicators for data collection and analysis from their study of secondary resources shared by WHH during the design phase. The consultant shall seek WHH’s approval of the detailed analysis plan as part of the final research design deliverable submitted during the study implementation.

Mechanisms to ensure Data Quality: A robust quality control and monitoring process must be followed during data collection. The following needs to be considered to ensure optimum data quality:

• The enumerators engaged in the study should have at least 2 years of experience conducting similar surveys.
• To fine-tune all quantitative and qualitative data collection tools, a pre-test must be conducted. A brief on the learnings from the pre-test exercise and subsequent improvements in the data collection tools must be shared with WHH for approval.
• 100% of the data collected will need to be validated using a validation checklist. Missing data points should be recollected.
• In the case of qualitative data collection, transcripts from interviews and group discussions should be shared with WHH.
• WHH should have access to all tools and data.

The consultant will propose the data collection method, tools for collecting qualitative and quantitative data based on the project logical framework and key evaluation questions. The design of questionnaires should be guided by steps to ensure data validity and reliability of the tools. The tools will be finalized in consultation and coordination with the Welthungerhilfe program and MEAL team after submission of the draft during the inception report by the consultant. The Welthungerhilfe MEAL and Program team will review and validate the tools in line to final evaluation key questionaries. After the finalization of tools and survey questionnaires, a pre-testing of the questionnaires should be done by the consulting team in one of the project areas to revise and improve the reliability of the tools.

7. RESOURCES AND AVAILABLE DATA/DOCUMENTS

The final evaluation should be completed within 15 December 2025. The total duration of consultancy is 45 days after signing the contract. WHH will provide the stakeholders information, participants data, baseline report and other data/information/report to determine the final respondent and finalize the inception report after signing the contract. WHH and RRN field staff will support to connect consultant with local government and other stakeholders for evaluation.

8. MANAGERIAL ARRANGEMENTS/ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The consultant/agency will be responsible for the design and execution of the full assignment.

The incumbent consultant/agency will report directly to the MEAL Expert as single point of contact for this assignment. He will facilitate overall coordination with all country teams, logistics, monitoring, sharing documents & data, review, and approval of all consultants’ outputs/deliverables.

WHH will establish an Evaluation Steering Committee, composed of the key evaluation users (program unit, MEAL, partners, Technical Lead(s)), who will be responsible for:

• steering and guiding the consultant work (briefing, inception, debriefing, approval of report),
• delegating the roles to coordinate the evaluation
• facilitating the take up of the results (including dissemination)

9. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

WHH is committed to uphold the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability, the organizational Code of Conduct and strong safeguarding principles, especially on the Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH). These standards guide all activities carried out by internal and external stakeholders, and require that all actions respect the dignity, rights and safety of individuals, especially project participants and those in vulnerable situations.

The consultants(s) are expected to adhere to these principles throughout the evaluation process. This include but is not limited to:

Respectful, non-discriminatory and safe interactions

• They must treat all participants with dignity and respect, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, religion or other identity markers. They must actively avoid any behaviour that could be perceived as discriminatory, intrusive or intimidating. Extra care must be taken when working with children, women, persons with disabilities and other potentially at-risk groups to ensure that their participation is voluntary, safe and culturally appropriate.

Prevent and report any suspected cases of SEAH in line with WHH’s Policy against Sexual Violence.

• Evaluators have a duty of care to prevent any form of sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment during the evaluation. If any suspicion or disclosure of SEAH arises, it must be treated seriously and reported immediately through WHH’s Reporting Channel: https://welthungerhilfe.whispli.com/reportconcerns. Evaluators must avoid any situations that could create a real or perceived power imbalance or misuse of authority.

Sign WHH’s Code of Conducts prior to the start of the assignment.

• Before the assignment begins, all evaluators must formally confirm their commitment to WHH’s ethical standards by signing the organization’s Code of Conduct, which sets clear expectations for professional and ethical behavior. Additional declarations related to safeguarding, data protection and PSEAH compliance may also be required.

In addition, the evaluator(s) must follow ethical standards for evaluation, such as:

Consent

• The evaluator(s) must ensure that informed consent is obtained from all participants prior to any kind of data collection and taking photos. This includes providing clear information about the purpose of the data collection, how the data will be used, and the voluntary nature of participation, including the right to withdraw at any time without consequences.

Confidentiality

• All documents and data acquired from documents as well as during interviews and meetings are confidential and to be used solely for the purpose of the evaluation. Any deliverables as well as all material linked to the evaluation (produced by the evaluator(s) or the organization itself) is confidential and always remains the property of the contracting party.

10. DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING DEADLINES.

The following deliverables are expected to be produced by the evaluator(s):

Inception report and evaluation matrix

The inception report (max. 5-8 pages for the main text without front page, table of contents and annexes) should set out the planned design and methodology to meet the above-mentioned purpose and to answer the evaluation questions.

It should also reflect the limits of the suggested design and methodology and explore the feasibility for answering the EQ and reflect on the ToR, describe the overall approach of the evaluation and how data will be collected by providing an evaluation matrix breaking down the overarching evaluation questions, drafts of suggested data collection tools such as questionnaires and interview guidelines as well as a tentative evaluation schedule.

The inception report and the evaluation matrix follow standard outlines which will be provided to the evaluator(s) after contracting and needs the approval of the contracting party.

Data collection debriefing

• Debriefing notes/presentation outlining the most important observations from the data collection and reporting on any challenges faced during the data collection (2–4 pages) including short enumerators training report (with attendance and photos)

Deadline: Shortly after the end of data collection.

Sensemaking session

• Comprehensive power point slides summarizing important preliminary findings and recommendations and their presentation to key stakeholders to discuss. The discuss should inform the report and ensure recommendations will be actionable.

Deadline presentation: [fill in date, usually after submitting the draft report and before submitting the final report]

Evaluation report incl. higher-level project rating along selected evaluation criteria

• Evaluation report as draft and final (define language, 25–35 pages main text, including the executive summary but excluding the front page, table of contents and annexes). The evaluation report must contain an executive summary of a maximum of 5 pages and several mandatory annexes, incl. a mandatory project assessment based on the selected evaluation criteria. A template for the criteria assessment as well as an overall outline with key expected content for the evaluation report will be provided to the evaluator(s).

Deadline draft report: [fill in a date, usually at the latest 3 weeks prior to the final evaluation deadline].

Reporting of WHH Measuring Success Indicators

• A brief report on the relevant WHH Measuring Success indicators. The results of data analysis for the project-relevant quantitative Measuring Success indicators, along with qualitative insights into these results, may be included in the overall evaluation report. Additionally, a concise summary of qualitative findings, highlighting insights and reasons for observed changes in Measuring Success indicators should be reported separately using WHH standard template.

Evaluation brief 2-pager

• A two-paged summary of the project, evaluation design and methodology, findings, conclusion and recommendations using a template provided by WHH.

Management Response Matrix

• Management response matrix with actions derived based on the recommendations. A template will be provided to the evaluator(s).

Photos:

• The evaluator(s) should provide a digital file with at least 5 photos of the evaluation, including photos related to the evaluation process (e.g. of group discussions, interviews, final workshop). The photos should be submitted in a JPEG or GIF format. The informed consent of the person presented is a prerequisite.

Clean data set (quantitative and Qualitative) in excel format with analysis and transcribe sheet

11. TIME FRAME / SCHEDULE

The evaluation is expected to be accomplished by 25 December 2025. The assignment will be effective in action from the day of signing of contract. Proposals are expected to discuss the feasibility and include a workplan. The final timeline/workplan will be agreed upon jointly with the evaluator(s) and WHH.

 12. EXPERTISE OF THE EVALUATORS

The evaluators are required to have the following expertise and qualifications:

• At least master’s degree in development studies, economic, public health, environment science or equivalent degree.
• Team leader must have +7 years of working experience in development project monitoring and evaluation using DAC criteria and mixed methods in WASH and WASH system strengthen approach.
• She/he must have prior work experience with or working for international development organizations and familiarity with development and humanitarian programmes/issues.
• Team leader must have knowledge of evaluation methods and techniques, including a thorough understanding of data collection, evaluation methodologies and design, and strong qualitative and quantitative research skills.
• The composition of the team of experts should be balanced and inclusive to enable complete coverage of the different aspects of consultancy as set out in these terms of reference.
• The team members must have more than four years of experience in similar kind of evaluation.
• The evaluation team must have good command in both writing and speaking in English languages.
• The team has a strong track record of working flexibly to accommodate changes as the project is implemented.
• The team members (or a proportion) of the study team have a track record of previously working together and having experience in WASH systems strengthening.

13. TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL OFFER

Applicants have to provide technical and financial offer.

• The technical part includes:
  • Evaluation methodology: detailed explanation of how the evaluation purpose; criteria and questions will be addressed within the scope of the evaluation. The methodology should be proposed with the aim to meet the objectives outlined in this ToR and discussing its feasibility.
  • Work plan: A clear and reasonable timeline of activities, aligned with the deliverables and ideally matching the overall deadlines mentioned in the ToR.
  • Team composition and roles: where applicable, an overview of the proposed evaluation team, including individual roles, qualifications, relevant experience and an indication of whether the team has worked together in any capacity before.
  • Feasibility and risks: Reflections on potential challenges and mitigation measures for the evaluation process.
  • Full CVs of the proposed team members, including references, should be attached
  • Examples of relevant previous assignments and at least two relevant work sample, e.g. a final evaluation report or a relevant innovative evaluation product.
  • The financial part includes a proposed budget for the complete evaluation. It should state the fees per working day (plus the respective Tax/VAT, if applicable), the number of working days proposed and other costs.
  • Proof of professional registration and taxation is also required (e.g., by providing the evaluator(s) tax number).

Following are the key consideration while preparing the budget:

• All insurances are the responsibility of the evaluator(s).
• Soft copies of relevant documents will be provided by Welthungerhilfe.
• Welthungerhilfe staff will facilitate community entry.
• Laptops need to be provided by the evaluator(s).

Technical and financial Evaluation Criteria: Criteria used to evaluate the bidder’s ability, skill and experience in relation to the requirements. Bids will be evaluated against the same pre-agreed criteria. The offer will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Based on above selection criteria, 3 highest scorers will be invited for the physical presentation/interview. After completion of interview process, cumulative analysis will be used to evaluate and award proposals.

14. VALIDITY OF THE BID

All bidders are bound by the price for their bids for at least 60 calendar days after the closing date of the tender. The bidder can only withdraw their bid within the bidding period by a written declaration.

15. DEADLINE FOR PROPOSAL

The interested and qualified consultant/ consulting firm must apply by 17:00 hours (COB) dated 15 October 2025 via e-tender portal through this link: Public RFT - Final Evaluation - Terms of Reference for the project WASH systems strengthening and behaviour change in the hilly region of Makwanpur district in Nepal

Any questions/clarifications needed can be requested via the same e-tender portal platform by 8 Oct 2025.

The proposal should include the following documents:

• Letter of expression of interest (EoI) signed by the main applicant.
• Detailed technical and financial offer as stated in bullet 13 above
• Firm profile detailing the past assignments (at least two final evaluation report as a sample copy)
• Detailed curriculum vitae of the consultant and of all team members, if any, highlighting their areas of work and experience
• Company registration certificate
• Latest tax clearance certificate
• VAT registration certificate (for both firms and individual consultants).
• Signed supplier declaration form

You can access the Supplier Declaration form and other relevant documents in the same e-tender portal link mentioned above.

Please note that the selected consultant/ consulting firm should adhere with WHH data protection and other relevant policies during the assignment.

Only short-listed applicants will be contacted for further evaluation process. Welthungerhilfe Nepal reserves all the rights to reject any or all application without assigning any reasons.