Tender document for the evaluation of ‘An End of Programme Evaluation of Islamic Relief’s Triple Nexus Programme: Addressing the Imbalance

Tender document for the evaluation of ‘An End of Programme Evaluation of Islamic Relief’s Triple Nexus Programme: Addressing the Imbalance – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts 2018-21’, June 2021

Islamic Relief Worldwide

Islamic Relief is an international aid and development charity, which aims to alleviate the suffering of the world's poorest people. It is an independent Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) founded in the UK in 1984.

As well as responding to disasters and emergencies, Islamic Relief promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities - regardless of race, religion or gender.

Our vision:

Inspired by our Islamic faith and guided by our values, we envisage a caring world where communities are empowered, social obligations are fulfilled and people respond as one to the suffering of others.

Our mission:

Exemplifying our Islamic values, we will mobilise resources, build partnerships, and develop local capacity, as we work to:

Enable communities to mitigate the effect of disasters, prepare for their occurrence and respond by providing relief, protection and recovery.

Promote integrated development and environmental custodianship with a focus on sustainable livelihoods.

Support the marginalised and vulnerable to voice their needs and address root causes of poverty.

We allocate these resources regardless of race, political affiliation, gender or belief, and without expecting anything in return.

Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, and is a signatory to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct. IRW is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through raising awareness of the issues that affect poor communities and through its work on the ground. Islamic Relief are one of only 14 charities that have fulfilled the criteria and have become members of the Disasters Emergency Committee (www.dec.org.uk)

IRW endeavours to work closely with local communities, focussing on capacity-building and empowerment to help them achieve development without dependency.

Please see our website for more information http://www.islamic-relief.org/

Islamic Relief Sweden

IR Sweden was founded in 1992 and is incorporated as a Swedish non-profit organization, which means that the organisation is governed by its bylaws and constitutes a legal entity with the right to enter into agreements with rights and obligations. IR Sweden is an independent organization, which is part of a worldwide Islamic Relief network “Islamic Relief global family”.

Project background

Addressing the Imbalance – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts is a multi-year, multi-country triple nexus initiative focusing on peacebuilding and social cohesion. The programme aimed at significantly contributing to the peaceful transition of selected fragile and conflict affected communities in Kenya, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines and enhancing their resilience to conflict so that they can resolve and manage their disputes and differences in a non-violent manner.

Aligned with IR’s strategy the programme adopts a broad perspective on peace which goes beyond the political sphere that primarily aims at stability (when there is no fighting, or at least no significant outbreak of fighting or immediate risk thereof). Thus this programme focussed on the building blocks which create an enabling environment for peace to be built and sustained - social justice, inclusion (social and economic), positive relationships, good and accountable governance, and the degree to which people have fair opportunities for livelihoods, and general wellbeing. The programme also focussed on building the resilience of communities in the four programme countries to withstand shocks – economic, political, social and natural hazards etc. which could fuel and legitimise intolerance and violence.

Three programme outcomes:

· Outcome 1: Critical partnerships towards sustaining an environment of mutual trust, confidence and collaboration for peace and development

· Outcome 2: Improved human security and stability through access to basic services leads to a decline in core grievances in communities

· Outcome 3: Formal and informal institutions more responsive to economic needs and opportunities of youth, and builds resilience and reduces their susceptibility to violence and conflict

Specifically, the outcomes concentrated on enhancing social cohesion at the community level; and strengthening capacities to deal with conflicts in non-violent manner and communicate with conflict stakeholders in support of peace. In addition to this, the programme has sought to increase capacities of both duty bearers and right holders in making shared decisions and taking collective action. Therefore the programme has included a component focussed on economic development while another component explored disaster management promoting inclusion and dignity of affected populations. The programme has been implemented in:

Indonesia - three districts (Bima, Bima City, and Dompu) of Sumbawa Island (until May 2020)
Kenya – Mandera County
Pakistan
Philippines - barangays (communities) of Datu Piang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, and Datu Salibo in Maguindanao province in Mindanao.

Objectives of the evaluation

This evaluation has been commissioned by Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), funded by Sida, Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation, through IR Sweden in line with Islamic Reliefs commitment to learning and accountability to communities and partners. The purpose of this evaluation is to:

1. Determine the extent to which the programme has met its three proposed outcomes

2. Review the programme Theory of Change and assess the validity of pathways and assumptions.

To do this, the evaluation will be focussed on the following:

· Assess the extent to which planned outputs and outcomes have been achieved using the OECD DAC criteria for evaluating humanitarian action and the CHS.

· Identify lessons and good practice from the programme to inform similar triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peacebuilding) programme approaches (both within IR and the wider sector) in the future, including making recommendations of changes to the ToC and programme approach.

The scope of the evaluation

The scope of the evaluation should cover the activities funded under IR’s three-year multi-country triple nexus programme entitled: Addressing the Imbalance – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts.

The geographical scope of the evaluation should include a desk review and mapping of the overall peacebuilding programme as well as targeted in-country reviews of specific, identified, completed projects from across all the following 4 countries:

· Indonesia (Sumbawa)

· Kenya (Mandera)

· Pakistan

· Philippines (Mindanao)

It is expected the lead global consultant, responsible for the consolidated final evaluation report, will identify and partner with a national consultant or consultants in each of the 4 countries.

Where a national consultant cannot be identified or would not have access to communities within any particular country or countries, we welcome proposals that combine in-country and remote reviews with consultation of IRW staff and stakeholders, and potentially community members, for these specific countries. If it is not possible to do a physical in-country review in all 4 countries, physical in-country reviews must be conducted in at least 2 countries and the others reviewed remotely using appropriate ‘good enough’ methodologies and approaches. National consultants/team members must have been identified and be available during the proposed evaluation by the time the consultancy agreement has been signed – expected to be no later than 31st July 2021. However, bids where national consultants have already been identified by the date of tender submission or interview will score higher in this component. Under the overall leadership and responsibility of the lead consultant, national consultants will need to be responsible, for hiring and supervising any in-country enumerators envisaged and ensuring data quality and integrity.

The technical scope of the evaluation is to:

1. Desk Review of Sida ToC to assess validity in light of Endline Data (this will be collected in advance of the consultancy but may require data analysis)

2. Desk Review of Programme Documentation (Proposals, Progress Reports, Case Studies, PDM reports, Monitoring reports and other project documents as provided by IRW)

3. Develop Inception Report proposing Framework for assessing what led to changes and validating ToC

4. Review and validate Outcomes reported in Outcome Harvest tool – significance & contribution (Outcomes have been harvested IR teams but will need to be validated through primary data collection as part of this consultancy)

5. Identify key lessons learned including through a multi-stakeholder workshop at country-level (1 per country)

6. Recommend changes to ToC and programme approach and IR’s Triple Nexus Approach

7. Assess the extent to which planned programme outputs and outcomes have been achieved against OECD-DAC[1] criteria and evaluate the appropriateness and extent of application of the Core Humanitarian Standards on Quality and Accountability** (CHS)[2].

8. Identify lessons and good practice from the overall programme to inform similar triple nexus (humanitarian-development-peacebuilding) programme approaches (both within IR and the wider sector) in the future.

To the degree feasible, the above should be done with a view to gauging differences in performance and outcomes in each country.

As IRW is deeply committed to ensuring accountability to and participation of communities, IRW incorporates the use of the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability within our evaluations as standard. The evaluation conclusion should provide an indicative assessment of performance of Islamic Relief’s peacebuilding and conflict prevention programme overall, as well as in each country against each of the CHS commitments and any actionable recommendations for improvements. This indicative assessment of compliance should be based on findings from consultations with communities and stakeholders and be presented using a RAG indicator, where red signifies non-compliance and significant improvement needed, amber signifies weak or non-systematic compliance requiring some improvement and green signifies adequate or good compliance. A consolidated assessment across the overall response against each of the 9 CHS Commitments should be included with recommendation for improvements and highlighting particular good practice examples.

Methodology and approach

The evaluation team should meet the above objectives and scope through a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach of:

· Desk review of relevant project documentation (proposals, progress reports, PDM reports, monitoring reports, baseline and midline reports and case studies)

· Desk review of endline data (compiled by consultants under a different contract, this may require some data analysis

· Review and validate Outcomes reported in Outcome Harvest – significance and contribution (outcomes have been harvested IR teams but will need to be validated through primary data collection as part of this consultancy)

· Focus Group Discussions with community members – with proportionate sampling and numbers of FGDs – encouraging a participatory approach

· Key informant interviews with IR staff (at IRW international office, country offices and potentially fundraising partner offices), relevant peer agencies, local partner organisations, key identified stakeholders in each country, including community leaders, faith leaders, representatives of specialised protection and inclusion focused agencies, relevant UN cluster leads and local or national government authorities

· Facilitating a lessons learned exercise with key staff from each country programme team (either in-person or via remote means) as well as a separate exercise with selected IRW international office staff to capture learning and opportunities for improvement at the global level

· Ensure robust qualitative and quantitative data analysis to ensure findings are triangulated, evidenced and representative

We would like the evaluators to outline their proposed methodology and requirements for this particular consultancy and we also welcome any alternative proposed methodologies or evaluation approaches that may be deemed more suitable and efficient.

Required competencies

The successful individual/team will have the following competencies:

· Demonstrate evidence of extensive experience in evaluating peacebuilding and conflict prevention initiatives

· Possess sectoral experience and knowledge in evaluating peace, livelihoods and humanitarian recovery interventions

· Possess deep knowledge and practical experience of using quality standards such as CHS and Sphere

· Possess strong qualitative and quantitative research skills

· Experience of analysis of large datasets

· Have excellent written skills in English

· Have the legal right and ability to travel to or within the identified countries or have national counterpart consultants appointed in those countries

· Be able to fluently communicate in English and can or shall have a team member/s who speaks the local language of the countries to be evaluated (if local translators are required this should be budgeted).

The chosen evaluation team will be supported by IRW Programme Quality (PQ) team, the IRW Programme Funding and Programme Development Team, IR Sweden and IR Field Offices (Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan and Philippines).

Project outputs

The consultant is expected to produce:

• A detailed work plan and inception report developed with and approved by IRW, setting out the detailed methodology and deliverables prior to commencing the evaluation.

• A full report with the following sections:

Title of Report: An End of Programme Evaluation of Islamic Relief’s Triple Nexus Programme: Addressing the Imbalance – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts 2018-21

a. Consultancy organisation and any partner names

b. Name of person who compiled the report including summary of role/contribution of others in the team

c. Period during which the review was undertaken

d. Acknowledgements

e. Abbreviations

f. Table of contents

g. Executive summary

h. Main report – max 30 pages – (Specific reporting structure will be agreed at inception stage, but consultant is invited to propose a suitable report structure layout)

i. Annexes;

· Terms of reference for the review

· Profile of the review team members

· Review schedule

· Documents consulted during the desk review

· Persons participating in the review – with appropriate consent for names to be published or specific names should be anonymised highlighting just role, organisation and gender

· Anonymised copy of field data collected during the review

· Additional key overview tables, graphs or charts etc. created and used to support analysis inform findings

· Bibliography

The consultant will be required to participate in the following:

• Country-level multi stakeholder workshops (1 per country) to present lessons learned to IR teams (either in person or via video conference)

• A video conference call with IRW international office to provide feedback on and answer questions about evaluation findings (key recommendations and lessons learned). This meeting can be attended remotely by the consultant via Microsoft Teams or Zoom (where the consultant is outside the UK)

Timetable and reporting information

The evaluation is expected to run for a maximum of 35 working days, starting by July/August 2021 and ending before the 30th September 2021. All field work and data collection must be completed by the 30th August, in line with donor requirements, however the reporting process will run until 30th September 2021. A first draft of the evaluation report should be submitted by 15th September but the final submission of the report should be submitted by 30th September 2021.

Date Description Responsibility

2nd July 2021 Tender live date IRW

22nd July 2021 Final date for submission of bid proposal Consultant

27^th & 28^th July 2021 Interviews IRW

Stage 1: Inception Preliminary desk review of Programme Documentation Consultant

5^th August 2021 Submission of first draft of Inception Report to IRW Consultant

10^th August 2021 Finalisation of Inception report Consultant

11^th – 31^st August 2021 Stage 2: Data collection (incl. review of endline data) Consultant

1^st – 30^th September 2021 Stage 3: Reporting Consultant

1^st – 5^th September 2021 (tentative) 4 Lessons learned multi-stakeholder workshops Consultant

15^th September 2021 Submission of first draft of report to IRW Consultant

16-29^th September 2021 Follow-up process with IRW Consultant

30^th September 2021 Final submission of Report to IRW Consultant

30^th September 2021 (tentative) Global Learning Event Consultant

Reporting information;

Contract duration: Duration to be specified by the consultant

Direct report: Programme Impact & Learning Manager

Job Title: Consultant; An End of Programme Evaluation of Islamic Relief’s Triple Nexus Programme: Addressing the Imbalance – Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Fragile Contexts 2018-21

The consultant will communicate in the first instance with and will forward deliverables to the IRW Programme Quality team.

Proposal to tender and costing:

Consultants (single or teams) interested in carrying out this work must:

a) Submit a proposal/bid, including the following;

i. Detailed cover letter/proposal outlining a methodology and approach briefing note

ii. CV or outline of relevant skills and experience possessed by the consultant who will be carrying out the tasks and any other personnel who will work on the project

iii. Example (s) of relevant work

iv. The consultancy daily rate

v. Expenses policy of the tendering consultant. Incurred expenses will not be included but will be agreed in advance of any contract signed

vi. Be able to complete the project within the timeframe stated above

Vii. be able to demonstrate experience of humanitarian review for similar work

Payment terms and conditions

Payment will be made in accordance with the deliverables and deadlines as follows:

· 40% of the total amount – submission of the inception report

· 30% of the total amount – submission of the first draft of the evaluation report

· 30% of the total amount – submission of the final report including all outputs and attachments mentioned above**

We can be flexible with payment terms, invoices are normally paid on net payment terms of 28 days from the time of the invoice date.

Additional information and conditions of contract

During the consultancy period,

IRW will only cover:

· The costs and expenses associated with in-country, work-related transportation for the consultant and the assessment team

· International and local travel for the consultant and the local team

· Accommodation while in the field

· Training venues

· Consultancy fees

IRW will not cover:

· Tax obligations as required by the country in which he/she will file income tax

· Any pre/post assignment medical costs. These should be covered by the consultant

· Medical and travel insurance arrangements and costs. These should be covered by the consultant

[1] Relevance, connectedness, coherence, coordination, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability

[2] With a particular focus on CHS 3: Avoiding Negative Effects and CHS 4: Community Participation, CHS 6: Complementarity and Coordination with stakeholders, CHS 7, Approach to learning and CHS 8: Staff safety and wellbeing

To download and access the full tender and guidelines documents click on the link below;

https://www.islamic-relief.org/tenders/category/open-tenders/

How to apply:

Consultancy contract

This will be for an initial period that is to be specified by the consultant commencing from August 2021. The selected candidate is expected to work from their home/office and be reporting to the Programme Impact & Learning Manager or team member designated for this study.

The terms upon which the consultant will be engaged are as per the consultancy agreement. The invoice is to be submitted at the end of the month and will be paid on net payment terms 28 days though we can be flexible.

All potential applicants must fill in the table beneath in Appendix 1 to help collate key data pertaining to this tender. The applicant must be clear about other expenses being claimed in relation to this consultancy and these must be specified clearly.

For this consultancy all applicants are required to submit a covering letter with a company profile(s) and CV’s of all consultants including the lead consultant(s).

A proposal including, planned activities, methodology, deliverables, timeline, references and cost proposal (including expenses) are expected.

Other relevant supporting documents should be included as the consultants sees fit.

All applicants must have a valid visa or a permit to work in the UK (if travel is required to the UK) and to the places where this project is required to be undertaken.

TENDER DATES AND CONTACT DETAILS

All proposals are required to be submitted by Thursday 22^nd July 2021 at 1.00pm UK time pursuant to the attached guidelines for submitting a quotation and these be returned to tendering@irworldwide.org

For any issues relating to the tender or its contents please email directly to tendering@irworldwide.org

Following submission, IRW may engage in further discussion with applicants concerning tenders in order to ensure mutual understanding and an optimal agreement.

Quotations must include the following information for assessment purposes.

1. Payment terms (as mentioned above)

2. Best value for money including a full break down of costs including taxes, expenses and any VAT

3. References (two are preferred)

4. Technical competency for this role

5. Demonstrable experience of developing a similar project

Note: The criteria are subject to change.

Appendix 1

Please fill in the table below. It is essential all sections be completed and where relevant additional expenses be specified in detail. In case of questions about how to complete the table below, please contact tendering@irworldwide.org **

Cost of a consultancy for the evaluation of addressing the imbalance - conflict prevention and peacebuilding in fragile contexts programme 2018-21, June 2021

Full name of all consultants working on this project

Full company trading name

No of proposed hours per week

No. of proposed days

Preferred days

Non preferred days**

Earliest available start date

Expected project finish date

Day rate (required for invoicing purposes) £

Total cost for consultancy in GBP (less taxes and expenses) £

Expenses (flights) £

Expenses (accommodation) £

Expenses (transfers) £

Expenses (in country travel) £

Expenses (visa) £

Expenses (security) £

Expenses (food) £

Expenses (print/stationary) £**

Expenses other (please specify) £

Total expenses £

Total VAT or taxes £

Total cost for consultancy in GBP (inclusive of taxes and expenses) £

Note

The applicant is expected to take responsibility for paying full taxes and social charges in his/her country of residence.

To download and access the full tender and guidelines documents click on the link below;

https://www.islamic-relief.org/tenders/category/open-tenders/