Mid-Term Review of United Nations Peace Building Programme (Ugandan Nationals Only), Kampala, Uganda, With Travel To Acholi Sub-region, Uganda

Background:

The UN in Uganda is implementing a 14m USD Peacebuilding Programme with funding from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The Programme consists of three joint programmes (JP) and one supporting project.

As part of the PBF guidelines, an independent mid-term review is to be carried out. In Uganda, the mid-term review will be used to assess relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability through a combination of a quantitative and qualitative assessment. The results of the mid-term review will be used by the Joint Steering Committee to make decisions concerning any necessary re-allocation of funds between programme components.

The objectives of the mid-term evaluation are:

• To assess progress towards results within the established joint programme framework particularly from the perspective of impacting peacebuilding;
• To complete a qualitative analysis of programme/ project impact and sustainability;
• To review fund utilization and workplan completion rates;
• To provide the Joint Steering Committee a basis for decision-making regarding needs for fund re-allocation.

This consultancy is to be carried out by a team of one National Consultant and one International Consultant. The International Consultant will be the lead consultant.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will carry out the following specific tasks:

• Desk review of quarterly reports of the agencies and JPs, monitoring reports, project documentation, meeting minutes, and other relevant documentation;
• Review of the PMP framework from PBF headquarters and together with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist in the RCO assess the applicability (and inclusion) of its indicators in the Uganda mid-term evaluation;
• Develop and finalise based on comments from participating UN agencies, the Criteria for the Midterm Evaluation based on the following overall framework:

Relevance - Did the plans actually address the context of recovery and conflict prevention against which it was developed (situation analysis and identified conflict drivers)? Are the ongoing/planned activities likely to have an impact on peacebuilding?

Effectiveness – Were the programs implemented effectively (timely implementation, on track with plan for activity implementation and fund disbursement; building on synergies)? Did the services meet the needs of the target beneficiaries (women and youth)? Were the services included in local government plans/ PRDP?

Efficiency of the programmes: Which services produce the best results? - especially when some services can be provided in a number of ways;

Delivering as One - Was the UN able to maximize the comparative advantages of each agency and of the UN as a whole? What level of coordination was there within the joint programme; between the joint programme and other PBF components; within the joint programme and other UN/development partner programmes in the region; with the local government? Which percentage of activities within the joint programme was in the same Geographic area; have the same Beneficiary groups; involved the same Implementing partners? Extent of joint planning, monitoring adopted.

Sustainability – How feasible is the implementation timeline provided by the component including any proposal of corrective action to speed implementation that the agency proposes to take? Is the programme sustainable? Can and will the community/government continue the initiatives/ activities when the UN stops the programme?

• Present and finalize, based on comments from participating UN agencies, a detailed methodology and timeline for conducting the mid-term evaluation, including but not limited to:

A Sampling Proposal, including a proposal of sampling methods (simple random, systematic random, purposive, snowball, etc.);

A Proposal regarding Data collection procedures and instruments;

Conduct and document the mid-term evaluation, including discussions with implementing partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries at the national and local levels;

Draft and finalize a mid-term evaluation report based on comments from participating UN agencies.

Key Deliverables:

The consultants will produce the following:

• Complete desk review of PBF JP plans, reports and other relevant documents;
• Refined evaluation criteria, methodology and timeline;
• Timetable and interview guides for KIIs and/or FGDs with relevant implementing agencies and stakeholders at the national and district levels;
• Produce a draft evaluation report, to be refined based on comments from key stakeholders, including overview and recommendations for programme implementation;
• Final evaluation report.

The National Consultant will work with the International Consultant who will be the lead consultant will ultimately be responsible for the delivery of the above.

Duration and timing:

Approximately 30 working days over 2 months (mid-August and mid-October 2011). The first week would be used to refine the strategy and criteria, after which five weeks would be used for the field work and report writing.

Reporting:

The consultants will report directly to the M&E Specialist in the Resident Coordinator's Office in Kampala. Oversight for the work will be provided by the Head of the RC Office. Support will be provided by the Peacebuilding Coordination Officer in Gulu.

The planning of the consultancy, including the development of the tools, will be done in conjunction with the Technical Advisory Panel, and the implementation will be undertaken with the participating agencies' deputies and Peacebuilding Programme managers.

The findings will be presented to the Technical Advisory Panel of the UN Peacebuilding Programme.

Competencies

• Knowledge of peacebuilding and recovery programming;
• A strong academic and professional background/experience in research and programme/project evaluation, including participatory research/evaluation;
• Extensive practical knowledge/skills and experience on various quantitative and qualitative research methods, including use of relevant statistical software;
• Proven track record to conceptualise, undertake independent work and produce high quality reports with minimal supervision;
• Excellent analytical and communication skills (ability to convince based on analytical clarity and rigour);
• Knowledge sharing skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced academic degree in the social sciences, especially social science research and programme/project evaluation . A bachelor's degree combined with at least seven years of work experience can be considered in lieu of a higher degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of seven years research experience using quantitative and qualitative methods in a hands-on, lead/independent role capacity;
• Availability and willingness to travel to remote areas and personal initiative for quality assurance;
• Knowledge of peacebuilding issues, the UN operational framework and the region (Northern Uganda) essential

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Knowledge of Acholi.

Application Procedure:

The consultant is required to submit an application and a proposal, which include the following:

Job Proposal:

• Letter of Interest;
• Explanation as to why the consultant considers him/herself suitable for the assignment, with reference to the required competencies, tasks and expected deliverables;
• Given the overall framework and its guide questions above, a brief methodology on the approach and implementation of the assignment, including a proposal of a timeline and sample tools.

Personal CV of the Applicant:

• Highlighting past experience in similar projects;
• Work references - contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees.

Financial Proposal:

Please submit a financial proposal indicating consultancy fee in Uganda Shillings (UGX), lump sum fee (with a breakdown) or unit price together with any other expenses related to the assignment.

Please note that the online system will only allow you to upload one document, therefore all the job and financial proposals are to be attached to the CV and uploaded together at once.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.