Country: occupied Palestinian territory
Closing date: 20 May 2016
The assessment will comprise the following phases:
Design and desk review: During this phase it will be necessary to examine all the documentation and gain a detailed understanding of the intervention, as well as holding preparatory meetings with those in charge of running the Program, so that the assessment team will be well prepared to deal with the following issues:
Establishing the specific objective of the assessment and the evaluative context in which it operates, including the sources and conditions of access to information, and identify key informants.
Operationalizing the key questions through indicators and propose appropriate techniques for the collection of information.
Refining the methodological instruments and data collection tools, and their feasibility in terms of collecting and processing data.
At the end of this phase, the assessment team will prepare a methodological proposal that will include, as a minimum, the following elements:
a) Objectives and scope of the assessment
b) An assessment matrix comprising
I) evaluation criteria and relevant questions
II) indicators that operationalize these questions,
III) proposed techniques and information gathering tools for each case.
c) Identification of key informants
d) Methodology planned for data analysis
This final design will then be approved by the Management Unit as the final step in the desk study phase.
Additionally, the assessment team will present a communications plan that will include the return of contributions made by field work participants and the conclusions and recommendations that will facilitate their appropriation by the various stakeholders. Furthermore, the plan will be approved by the Management Unit.
During this period, the agenda for field work will also be agreed. The itinerary for field work, the key informers and the work schedule will be agreed in collaboration with the Assessment Monitoring Committee.
- Fieldwork: Whilst field work is being carried out, the required quality control information, both quantitative and qualitative, will be produced in order to meet the information needs detailed in section 4 "Questions and assessment levels" and 5 "Assessment Criteria," using the tools previously designed.
Field work will be carried out in the different areas where intervention activities are conducted and also in local partner management (East Jerusalem and Gaza), planning and administration units, as these centralised units are a key element of field work.
Once the field work stage has been completed in the country, preliminary feedback meeting should be scheduled with the stakeholders involved and linked to the intervention, including the authorities and partner institutions concerned.
At this stage, in addition to the work carried out in the various intervention countries, it is essential to rely on the participation of key personnel at the Alianza por la Solidaridad headquarters in Madrid, as well as others who may be considered relevant (the Program Monitoring Unit in Madrid, for example).
Logistical support will be provided by Alianza in Spain and Palestine, as well as by various local partners, through the Management Unit, to implement the agenda of meetings, workshops, interviews and data collection and processing.
- Preparation of the report: The report should be drafted in accordance with the recommendations set forth in section 7 of this document. A final draft will be drawn up to be reviewed and discussed by all parties until a definitive report is produced. This discussion will take place at a regional feedback workshop. Once the final report has been produced, it will be submitted to AECID and to the various stakeholders involved in the intervention.
The results of the assessment should be presented in a way that differentiates facts from interpretations and conjectures. Conclusions (factual findings regarding the criteria and factors evaluated), lessons learned (cause-effect relationships between activities undertaken and the outcomes obtained) and recommendations (suggestions to improve the cause-effect relationship and design logic of the intervention, information systems that should be implemented, etc.) will be presented to the Management Unit.
The final assessment report should not exceed 50 pages (not including appendices), and will include an executive summary of a maximum of 5 pages. Furthermore, an assessment summary sheet should be submitted following the format established by the DAC of the OECD for their assessments inventory, with a presentation in PowerPoint format to provide feedback to the various stakeholders.
After the submission of the report in electronic format and once the English version has been approved, the assessment team will provide 2 printed copies of the definitive version of the final report in Spanish and three copies in English, together with 2 CDs containing copies of the reports in electronic format.
The final report will include the following sections (indicative content):
Executive summary: 3-5 pages, including the main results and recommendations of the assessment.
Introduction, outlining the purpose of the assessment, the questions and the principal results
I. Background and objective of the assessment
II. Methodology used in the assessment
III. Conditioning factors and limitations of the study
IV. Presentation of the work team
Description of the intervention under assessment, which outlines its objectives and logical planning structure, highlighting in particular the expectations of compliance at the interim point in the execution of the intervention; brief history and background, organisation and management; stakeholders and economic, social, political and institutional context in which the intervention is conducted.
Analysis of information gathered, addressing the assessment questions and criteria established previously, organized in accordance with the comprehensive approach of the proposed assessment. Analysis of the different levels (design, process, outcomes)
Results of the assessment, presenting the evidence disclosed in connection with the assessment questions and the interpretations put forth on this evidence
Assessment findings, in relation to the established assessment criteria
Recommendations arising from the assessment, and which are oriented toward improving the intervention under assessment through specific indications to improve the design, management processes and impacts of the intervention activities.
The lessons learned, which are detailed in the general conclusions, show good practice and can be extrapolated and serve as feedback for the actions of the Program
Appendices: to include the ToR, proposed methodology, the data collection tools applied duly completed and ordered, the database used with all information organized and updated, the work plan and mission statement (detailed breakdown of all work undertaken), among other elements that may facilitate the assessment process and the CAP summary sheet.
All documentation produced by the assessment team will be written in English, except for the final report, which will also be submitted in Spanish.
The draft report will be discussed by assessment team, until a final report is produced.
ASSESSMENT TEAM
Minimum number of assessment team members: 2, an international consultant who will be in charge of coordinating the team, and an international or local consultant team member.
Assessment team coordinator
Master's or doctoral degree, preferably in Social Sciences.
10 years of experience in design, implementation and assessment of development and humanitarian action interventions, with at least 5 years' experience in gender-specific interventions.
Experience in monitoring and assessment and in results-based management.
Experience and knowledge of gender issues in humanitarian action, gender based violence in humanitarian crisis and emergencies.
A good knowledge of socio-political policies and the situation in the Middle East, as well as the specific conditions affecting women and girls
Proven experience as an assessment team leader, with team leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team of other expert evaluators.
Ability to produce well-written reports that demonstrate excellent analytical and communication skills.
Ability to work with the organisation and with other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of a high quality product in a timely manner.
Experience in capacity building is essential.
Excellent command of English
A good command of Spanish is desirable.
A good command of Arabic is desirable.
The Assessment Team Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating the assessment as a whole, the assessment team, the work plan and the presentation of the revised intermediate products.
Team member
Bachelor's degree with at least 3-5 years of experience in research, gender and humanitarian action.
1 or 2 years' experience in development and humanitarian action programs assessment.
Extensive experience in monitoring and assessment of development/humanitarian action and gender projects.
Experience and knowledge of gender issues, and in particular, gender based violence.
Experience in facilitating workshops on assessment findings
A good knowledge of socio-political policies and the situation in the Middle East, as well as the specific conditions affecting women and girls
Knowledge of methodologies employed for qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Ability to work as part of a team
Good level of spoken and written English
Fluent Arabic.
A good command of Spanish is desirable.
How to apply:
Tenders should be submitted in English by email to: mgil@aporsolidaridad.org AND cmunoz@aporsolidaridad.org, indicating the reference "Final Assessment Project AECID 2014/PRYC/000813” in the email subject. The deadline for submission of tenders is 20th May 2016
