Consultancy to conduct a Final Evaluation for the project Promoting Civic and Political Participation of Youth and Women in the Informal Sector

Introduction: Promoting Civic and Political Participation of Women and Youth in the Informal Sector, a project funded by United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) was implemented over a period of two years (April 2010 to March 2012) in the districts Amolatar and Dokolo in Lango sub-region and Kaliro, Bugiri and Iganga in Busoga Sub-region by Platform for Labour Action with the United Nations Development Programme in Uganda as the Executing Agency. The main goal of the project was to educate informal sector women and youth on their civic and political rights and in particular create awareness on the multiparty party political dispensation and relevant laws  and provide a forum for networking and building political leverage through consultations and dialogue between women and youth groups, and elected local and national politicians. The project also sought to generate baseline on participation of women and youth in the informal sector. This evaluation is being carried out as one of the requirements of the United Nations Democracy Fund. As part of the project design, the final evaluation will be conducted by an independent Consultant/Expert to assess the extent of project implementation and impact on the ground. The project was designed within the framework of UNDAF, CPAP and NDP. It has been contributing towards the United Nations Development Assistance Framework and the Country Programme Action Plan Component 1 on Accountable Democratic Governance, Outcome 1.1 which provides that selected institutions at national and sub-national institutions have the capacity and deliver credible elections respectively. The NDP 2010/11-2014/15 recognizes that democracy and the rule of law is a major pillar of a modern society and that Uganda needs to consolidate and enhance the democracy so far attained to provide a solid foundation for transformation into a modern and prosperous society. Promotion of multiparty dispensation under this project is one way of promoting democracy and rule of law in the country. The NDP further recognizes that CSOs have an important role in the development process. The project total budget was USD 250,000. During the lifespan of the project, a baseline study was undertaken using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection in the five districts; IEC materials were developed and disseminated; women and youth were trained as peer educators and advocates; advocacy strategy and action plan for engaging local leaders and political parties; radio talk shows aired out and community awareness sessions conducted. Development Context of the Project: The National Resistance Movement came to power in January 1986 and henceforth prohibited the then existing political parties from active engagement in open political activities like recruitment of members, opening and operating branch offices, holding public rallies, or holding delegates conference. In October 1995 a Constituent Assembly enacted a constitution for Uganda which contained article 269 which re-enforced the restrictions that were imposed on political parties in January 1986. After the promulgation of the constitution the national resistance movement transformed itself into the movement political system articulated in article 70 of the constitution. In 1997, the Parliament of Uganda enacted the Movement Act No. 7 of 1997 whereby every adult Ugandan was conscripted into the movement through his or her Local Council. By the same law all members of parliament, all Resident District Commissioners, all District Chairpersons, all Chairpersons of the Sub-County Councils, or Town Councils, all Chairpersons of County Councils and all members of City Councils, all members of City Division Councils, all members of Municipal Councils and all members of Parish Councils by law became members of the various movement organs. Article 69 of the 1995 Constitution accorded the people of Uganda a right to choose and adapt a political system of their choice in a free and fair election/referenda by which Ugandans would choose whether they would continue to be governed by the movement political system or the multiparty political system or any other democratic and representation political system. The largely boycotted referendum of 2000 decided whether Uganda should retain the movement political system. The 2005 referendum affirmatively decided the return to multiparty political system hence the opening up of political space.  Uganda has had two national elections under the multiparty system, in 2006 and 2011 respectively.  Uganda also follows a decentralized policy whereby a range of political, executive and legislative powers have been devolved to Local Governments.  Local councils are elected at the village, parish, sub-county and the district.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of the Evaluation:    This Terminal evaluation is intended to assess achievement of the set objectives, and to identify and document lessons learnt, best practices and design issues that can be used to model/shape future projects. As an integral part of the project cycle, the evaluation will analyze effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact and potential for sustainability of the project.  It will also identify factors that have affected project implementation and facilitated or impeded the achievement of the objectives and attainment of results. Findings from the evaluation are expected to be used by UNDEF, UNDP, the Government of Uganda, Civil Society Organizations, local communities, women and youth in the informal sector who were the main beneficiaries of the project. Scope of the Evaluation: The evaluation will cover project design, implementation, project results, resource utilization; issues of sustainability, lessons learnt and intended results of the project. The evaluation will cover the time period April 2010 to March 2012 when the project was operational. The geographic coverage of the evaluation will include the project area of implementation namely Amolatar, Dokolo, Bugiri, Kaliro and Iganga. The target population for the evaluation will be the local communities (women and youth in the informal), local governments of the targeted districts and politicians both local and national, technical officers, Platform for Labour Action and other national level actors. Objectives of the Evaluation:  The evaluation will address questions in relation to Effectiveness, Relevance, Sustainability, Project design and Efficiency as well as Impact. In detail, it will look at:  Relevance: This will assess the degree to which the project was justified and relevant given the country context and appropriate to the needs and the situation at the national and global level. The extent to which the project objectives and performance continue to remain germane(useful) to the country needs; Efficiency: This will be the analysis of the overall project performance, the outputs in relation to the inputs, and management arrangements for implementation of the project. Assessment of how economically the project converted inputs into outputs; Effectiveness of the project: Did the project achieve the intended objectives?  This will be a review of the activities, outputs and outcomes as detailed in the project document. The evaluation will assess the achievement of indicators and review the work plan, planned duration and budget of the project; Impact: the evaluation will assess the impact of the project (both positive and negative) on the target audiences and the effects. The changes in people’s lives intended or unintended to which project interventions can be shown to have contributed; Sustainability: What is the prospect of the sustainability of and replicability of the project interventions after UNDEF support? The likelihood of continued, long-term benefits from the project’s interventions. In addition to the above, the evaluation will also: Analyze the challenges to the project success and lessons learned from managing them; Highlight the lessons learnt from the projects; the results achieved, the process followed and the recommendations that may be required for refining further UNDEF’s future project support as well as UNDP programming; Analyze the overall impact of the projects in targeting gender and marginalized groups; Analysis of the good practices/success stories if any; Analyze the added value of UNDEF funding; Impact of institutional and management arrangements on project achievements. The information from this evaluation will be used where necessary to improve on design, implementation and management of other future projects and programming considerations.  The Evaluation Methodology/Approach: In general, the evaluation approach will comprise a desk review, field work, qualitative and quantitative data analysis among others. The approach should elaborate the sources of data, sample and sample frame for the source of data, data collection procedures and instruments, performance standards, stakeholders’ participation, ethical considerations and major limitations of the methodology used.  The consultant(s) are expected to be abreast with the objectives, indicators, baseline information, historical developments, institutional and management mechanisms, project activities and any already documented ‘lessons learned’ of the project. The consultants will develop a detailed appropriate approach/ evaluation methodology to address the above evaluation questions. The evaluation methodology will be agreed upon by UNDP and the Project Steering Committee during the inception report, and will include: Review of documents related to the project such as project document, quarterly and annual progress reports, monitoring reports, field visit reports etc Data collection approaches and tools, focusing on structured interview with partners who are knowledgeable about the project. This will include: Executing and Implementing Agency personnel, Project Manager, UNDP Project Personnel, members of the Project document, Project Closure Review Meeting, project beneficiaries, opinion leaders e.t.c. Data analysis techniques, including a table indicating how the consultants will obtain answers for all evaluation questions. Duties and Responsibilities of the Consultant: The consultant is responsible and accountable for the production of the agreed products and timely submission to UNDP Country Office. He or she shall submit the final evaluation report to the UNDP Team Leader in Governance for certification of completion of work. In addition to the above, the consultant is responsible for the following: Review of documentation to be provided by the project (implementation/evaluation reports) Conducting fieldwork and interview of stakeholders, national and local government officials, communities and stakeholders to generate authentic information and opinions.  Writing and compilation of the information and reports as needed.  Presentation of key findings highlighting achievements and constraints, and making practical recommendations to decision makers and stakeholders. Finalization of the Terminal Evaluation Report. Expected Deliverables: An acceptable Inception Report with clear indications of understanding of the terms of reference, the deliverables and detailed methodology 3 days from the date of signing the contract. Field work debriefing before draft report writing 5 days from the date of presenting the inception report Report Outline provided; the draft evaluation report shall be presented to stakeholders in the targeted districts, Project partners and other stakeholders for review not later than 18 days after start of the assignment. Comments and feedback from all stakeholders should be incorporated into the final version of the report, 10 days from the date of field work debriefing PowerPoint Presentation for UNDP and stakeholders to tally with presentation of an acceptable evaluation draft Acceptable Final Evaluation Report of a maximum of 45 pages, MS word font 12, Times Roman (excluding annexes), using the attached report format, including 5 bound hard copies and 1 soft copy, 3 days from the date of presentation of the draft evaluation report Reporting: The consultant team will work under the overall guidance and leadership of the UNDP Country Director.   They will liaise on a day to day basis with the relevant UNDP Programme Officer and will also work closely with the Team Leaders of the Accountable Democratic Governance Unit and the Management Support Unit. Remuneration:  The consultant’s payment shall be based on the financial proposal developed for this consultancy;  Payment shall be made in three installments of; 20% down payment upon submission of an acceptable inception report   50% upon submission of an acceptable draft report; and 30% final payment upon submission of the approved final report incorporating recommendations from the stakeholders and/or the validation meeting Reference Materials:  Project Document for Promoting Civic and Political Participation of Women and Youth in the Informal Sector; The UNTFHS guidelines; Quarterly and Annual Project Reports; Field Visit Reports Monitoring Reports Baseline survey on civic and political participation of Women and youth in the informal sector The Project Evaluation Report Format; UNDP Quality Criteria for Evaluation Report ; Ethical Code of Conduct for Evaluation in UNDP; The Evaluation Policy of UNDP; United Nations Evaluation Group Standards for Evaluation in the UN (2005); Norms of Evaluation in the UN system; Any other relevant documents ( recommended by UNDP) The selected consultant will be expected to adhere to a code of conduct (Statement on Ethics), and conduct him/herself according to the expected ethical standards.

Competencies

Composition and Skills of the Consultant:  The evaluation will be undertaken by a national consultant with expertise in conducting project evaluations in the political governance area. The consultant shall work closely with the relevant UNDP Programme Officer and report weekly (by telephone) on the progress of the consultancy to the UNDP Team Leader, Governance Unit or any designated officer. The consultant must be independent of both the policy-making process and the delivery and management of assistance to the project.  He or she should not have been engaged in the activities to be evaluated, or responsible in decision-making roles for the design, implementation or supervision of the project.  The consultant is expected to be impartial and will present a comprehensive and balanced appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the project and activities being evaluated.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications: Education: PhD or Master’s Degree or equivalent in governance, International Relations, Political Science, development studies, Economics or related social sciences. Experience: 10 years of relevant experience in evaluations at the national and international levels in Uganda, East Africa on international development issues. 10 years experience in political governance. Substantive knowledge of participatory M&E processes is essential, and experience with CBOs/community development processes, and country experience in Uganda are advantages. Experience in the review/evaluation of technical assistance projects, if possible with UNDP or other UN development agencies and major donors, is required.  Excellent English writing and communication skills.  Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations in order to analyze critical issues succinctly and clearly and draw forward-looking conclusions. Experience in leading small multi-disciplinary, multi-national teams to deliver quality products in high stress, short deadline situations Language Requirements: Fluency and excellent command of written and spoken English is a necessity. Application Procedure: Applicants are requested to apply online at http://jobs.undp.org by 29th October, 2012. Applicants are required to submit an application and proposals, which include the following: Job Proposal: Letter of Interest. Explanation as to why you consider yourself suitable for the assignment.  A brief methodology on the approach and implementation of the assignment. Personal CV: Highlighting past experience in similar projects. Work references - contact details (e-mail addresses) of referees. Financial Proposal: Financial proposal indicating consultancy fee, lump sum fee or unit price together with any other expenses related to the assignment.   A lump sum fee will be paid against the completion of specific, measurable deliverables as identified in ‘Key Deliverables’ UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.  A detailed work plan and estimated timeline for completion of the assignment; Please note that the system will only allow you to upload one document, therefore all the technical and financial proposals are to be attached to the CVs and uploaded together at once(in a single WORD Document).

Consultancy to conduct a Final Evaluation for the project Promoting Civic and Political Participation of Youth and Women in the Informal Sector