Final Evaluation of the Livestock Epidemio-Surveillance Programme(LESP)- South Sudan

SPECIFIC TERMS OF REFERENCE 
For the Final Evaluation of the Livestock Epidemio-Surveillance Programme(LESP)- South Sudan project 
GRANT CONTRACT: LESP 1 

1. BACKGROUND 

These Terms of Reference (ToRs) are intended to establish the framework for the final external evaluation of the “Livestock Epidemio-Surveillance Project” LESP- South Sudan project (formerly Southern sub-project) funded by the European Union from STABEX funds. 

LESP started in 2007 as a national programme composed of two separate sub-projects for Sudan and South Sudan. However, when South Sudan became an independent state on 9 July 2011, the two sub-projects evolved into two separate national programs which are the LESP- South Sudan and the LESP- Sudan. 

LESP- South Sudan is implemented in the Republic of South Sudan (which is the subject of this evaluation) has been implemented by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MARF) in partnership with Veterinaires Sans Frontieres (VSF) Belgium, an International Non Governmental Organization, through a grant contract. The project is due to end on the 31st of December 2012. 

The LESP Programme was developed in recognition of the need to provide support to the development of livestock production and productivity in South Sudan especially considering that: 

Extreme poverty is widespread in the South Sudan. Traditional livestock farming systems are very close to subsistence levels with consequently extremely poor access to social services (health and education) and industrial goods. 

Very low human and institutional capacities. The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) institutions are not currently in the position to deliver the expected services. The main problems reported relate to the lack of appropriate equipment, understaffing and staff expertise that need to be upgraded, as well as lack of operating budgets to undertake routine activities. 

Veterinary services issues: An epidemio-surveillance system has been put in place through the Pan-African Programme for the Control of Epizootics (PACE) project in South Sudan but requires to be assimilated within the GoSS MARF veterinary services both technically and financially. Threats of rinderpest and other diseases are still and will continue to hamper the development of the livestock sector. 

The overall objective of LESP is long term reduction of poverty of those involved in livestock farming. 

The specific objectives LESP are as follows: 

The rinderpest eradication pathway in South Sudan is completed by 2008. 

Effective and sustainable epidemio-surveillance system owned and supported by the Government of South Sudan supports timely and effective livestock disease control. 

MARF has an informed and fully-costed strategy addressing main animal health issues affecting South Sudan. 

The LESP- South Sudan project is expected to achieve its purpose through three results which were reformulated following the recommendations of the Mid Term Review as follows: 2 

Result 1. South Sudan timely and duly contributes to the OIE application for recognition of freedom from rinderpest infection in Sudan. 

Result 2. MARF has developed sufficient technical and institutional capacity to fully support an effective Epidemio-Surveillance System (ESS) for South Sudan. 

Result 3. Development of an enabling environment for the implementation of disease control plans and sustainable disease surveillance system. 

The target groups are the livestock owners of Southern Sudan, Community-based Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), Animal Health Auxiliaries, (AHAs), public and private veterinarians, South Sudan State Ministries of Agriculture and Animal Resources and Government of South Sudan Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries (MARF) Directorate of Veterinary Services. 

LESP - South Sudan project activities have been implemented in close collaboration with state-based Veterinary Directorates and livestock keepers in the targeted areas, ensuring that their needs in terms of animal health are met. 

The European Union supported the LESP - South Sudan project with a total € 3,550,000. The GoSS will contribute to the cost of the project by financing the salaries of the government staff involved in the action, the implementation of policies related to priority disease control and related animal health issues, and transport for field missions related to the action. 

2. DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

2.1 Global objective 

The objective of this assignment is to carry out the final evaluation of the Livestock Epidemio-Surveillance Project (LESP- South Sudan project), notably with regards to the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. 

The consultancy will produce clear conclusions and recommendations that will assess: 

a) Whether outcomes and impact of the LESP have been achieved as expected, with an emphasis on the sustainability of identified achievements; 

b) Why certain results and certain impacts have or have not been achieved by the implementing veterinary directorates of MARF and other state-stakeholders at national, state and locality levels. 

In broader terms, the consultancy will produce an independent assessment of the relevance of LESP as a valid approach in terms of the importance of supporting the Epidemio-surveillance system (ESS) as part of the priorities for the development of the livestock sector in South Sudan. It will also assess to what extent the importance of the ESS is recognised in MARF policies and strategies. 

Finally, the assessment will provide concrete recommendations and lessons learnt for future interventions taking into account the technical and managerial competency of the implementing partner (VSF-Belgium) and MARF given the political, economic and social circumstances in South Sudan. 

2.2 Specific objectives 

The assignment is expected to carry out a general assessment of the performance of LESP- South Sudan project against the stated objectives and results, looking at the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project. 

More specifically the consultancy is expected to: 

1. Carry out coherent and systematic desk reviews, as well as field missions to the project implementation sites (in Juba and in selected states), evaluating their performance, analysing the extent to which recommendations made by the Mid-term Review (MTR) carried out at the end of 2009 were applied, and the degree of continuity and sustainability of the different activities of each program component after cessation of the donor support. 
2. Conduct a detailed assessment of the adequacy of the implementation modality chosen for the project, and the extent to which it has allowed an optimum level of involvement of key stakeholders while ensuring a smooth implementation of activities. 
3. Assess the project performance with respect to: 
i. relevance (evaluate if the executed actions are adequate to the objectives and identified needs); 
ii. efficiency (study and estimate the results achieved in relation to the timing and human and material resources used); 
iii. effectiveness (measure and evaluate the level of achievement of the objectives – positives and negatives);
iv. impact (identify the effects generated by the project, whether positive or negative, expected or otherwise, direct or indirect); and 
v. sustainability (the continuation of benefits and achievements after the end of the intervention over the long term) 
o Consistency: Analyze the internal consistency of the project, that is to say, the consistency of the objectives of the project with the resources available to achieve them, and the appropriateness of the adopted approach in tackling the identified problems. 
o Level of stakeholders' participation, facilitation and local ownership in the management and implementation of the project. 
o Quality of operational arrangements, including preparation and submission of contractual and financial requests and documents, work plans, budget follow-up and risk management by the Project Management Unit (PMU). 
o Degree and quality of the project's external coordination mechanisms established during and after the implementation, with specific analysis of the mechanisms designed to ensure synergy and sustainability of the actions. 
o Harmonization and coordination with other similar actions like the Sudan Productive Capacity Recovery Programme (South Sudan) 
4. Review the extent to which timely and appropriate decisions were made by each of the supportive management structures (PMU, Technical Committees, Steering Committee, etc.) to support effective implementation and problem resolution; 
5. Assess the quality of monitoring, information management and reporting, including visibility and communication actions, and the extent to which key stakeholders at all levels were kept adequately informed about the project activities; 
6. Prospects for sustainability of the identified achievements after the closure of the project, in particular, the degree of ownership and the financial viability of actions, the handover of equipment and asset maintenance, and the level of technical and managerial capacities required to ensure the sustainability of achievements. 
7. Summarise the “lessons learnt” from the implementation approaches applied by the project, including guidelines and recommendations for further actions that could be envisaged for future initiatives after the end of the project. 
8. Assess effective progress in the implementation of the exit and sustainability strategy plan developed by the LESP-South Sudan project during the last stages of implementation. 

2.3 Methodology 

The evaluation will be conducted in a participatory manner through a combination of methods including a review of the key project documentation, interviews with different stakeholders and counterparts, beneficiary consultations and field visits to selected project areas as deemed necessary. 

During the inception phase, the consultancy shall propose the approach, design, methods, tools and data collection strategies that will be used to undertake this evaluation, in agreement with VSF Belgium and MARF. 5

The evaluators should triangulate and validate information, assess and describe data quality in a transparent manner. Data gaps, if any, should also be highlighted. 

2.4 Proposed consultancy team members and work plan 

The consultancy will be carried out by a team of two experts, one of them acting as a team leader. 

The tentative work plan will be prepared by the experts and validated during the inception phase, in agreement with VSF Belgium and MARF in South Sudan. To this end, the evaluation mission to South Sudan is proposed to be accomplished within 20 working days, including travel time and performing 5 working days per week. The team leader will get 5 additional work days to present the final report. 

Proposed schedule for the preparation of the consultancy: 

- Approximately 2 days for familiarisation by the evaluation team with the project documentation (home based), which will be timely submitted by VSF Belgium. 
- About 12 days for the evaluation of the project (mission days in South Sudan). During this period, the experts should assess the performance of the project as specified in sections 2.1 and 2.2 of these ToRs. To this end, the experts will meet with relevant stakeholders in Juba, including among others: the LESP-South Sudan Coordinator/ relevant Director Generals and Directors at MARF, members of the former LESP Technical Committee, the Undersecretary and other concerned staff at the MARF and the EU Delegation. Also as part of this period, the experts will visit at least two selected states to assess the implementation of LESP-South Sudan at state level, to be selected during the inception phase. 
- Approximately 4 days (mission days in South Sudan) for finalising and sharing a debriefing report outlining the preliminary findings of the evaluation with VSF Belgium, senior staff of MARF, EU Delegation and other relevant stakeholders in Juba. 
- Approximately 2 days (mission days in South Sudan) for debriefing sessions to stakeholders in Juba, as specified above. 
- Approximately 5 days for the completion of the final evaluation report (home based). 

2.5 Required Outputs 

At the beginning of the assignment in South Sudan, the evaluation team will prepare a brief inception report containing comments on the proposed ToRs and describing the way of implementation of their assignment. The inception report is to be discussed and agreed upon with VSF Belgium and MARF in Juba. 

At the end of the evaluation mission to South Sudan, and before leaving Juba, the consultants will present a debriefing report summarising the major preliminary findings, to be shared with the concerned stakeholders in Juba through debriefing sessions. The report is to be shared at least two days before the start of the debriefing, if feasible. 

After leaving South Sudan, the team leader will prepare the final evaluation report (home-based) considering the feed back obtained during the debriefing sessions. The draft final report will be due no later than 10 days after completion of the mission to Sudan. VSF Belgium, MARF and the EU Delegation will then have 3 days for comments. Finally, within 14 days of receipt of the comments, the final version of the report will be submitted, first by email (soft copy) to VSF Belgium in South Sudan, then in six (6) bound hard copies and six (6) CDs. 

3. EXPERTS PROFILE 

Two experts are requested for this assignment. 

Expert I – Team Leader –Senior expert: 

Minimum requirements: 

- A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 5 years in Veterinary sciences or equivalent field plus relevant post graduate (Masters and above) qualifications. 
- At least 10 years of relevant experience in rural development, including livestock support interventions in developing countries, among them those belonging to tropical zones. 
- Relevant experience in the management, monitoring and/or evaluation of government-led programs for the control of animal diseases in developing countries. 
- Evidenced knowledge and use of the Project Cycle Management (PCM) methodology for monitoring and evaluation of development projects. 
- Fluency in English language, both written and spoken. 

In addition: 

- Good knowledge of the animal disease situation in East Africa and their impacts on livestock trade will be an asset. 
- Familiarity with South Sudan will also be considered as an asset. 

Expert II – Senior expert: 

Minimum requirements: 

- A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least 4 years in one or more of the following fields: rural development, agriculture or related field. 
- At least 10 years of relevant experience in rural development, agriculture and/or livestock support interventions in developing countries. 
- Relevant experience in the management, monitoring and/or evaluation of government-led related programs in developing countries. 
- Evidenced knowledge and use of the Project Cycle Management (PCM) methodology for monitoring and evaluation of development projects. 
- Fluency in English language, both written and spoken. 

In addition: 

- Good knowledge of the livestock sector, particularly in East Africa, and their impacts on livestock trade, will be an asset. 
- Familiarity with South Sudan will also be considered as an asset. 

4. LOCATION AND DURATION 

4.1 Indicative Starting Dates 
The proposed start date for this assignment will be 01/02/2013. 

4.2 Duration and Location(s) of Assignment 
The consultancy is expected to be undertaken as indicated in the tentative timetable included in section 2.4 of these ToRs. 
5. REPORTING 

Please refer to section 2.5 of these ToRs. 

The experts will share reporting duties at their own discretion; however the team leader is responsible for the submission of all required reports to VSF Belgium in English language (inception, debriefing and final report). 

6. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

6.1 Tax and VAT arrangements 
Under South Sudan law (Section 21, part 4) VSF-Belgium is obligated to deduct 15% withholding tax and submit this on behalf of the consultant to the Tax Administration. Any additional income tax liability, within South Sudan or elsewhere, is the consultant’s sole responsibility for compliance. VSF-B will not accept any responsibility or liability for any future tax bill or legal repercussions resulting in the non-payment of tax by the consultant from this specific contracted work.

6.2 Others 
- The Consultant is liable to get his/her own insurance for all risks, such as but not limited to illness and accident, which may occur during the course of the contract, in South Sudan. 
- The experts should be equipped with their laptops and mobile phones. 
- The working hours are fixed on the basis of the local laws and the requirements of the assignment. In general the experts are expected to work 5 days a week (except when visiting the field, when 7 days a week might be required). 
- VSF Belgium in will provide assistance in facilitating visas. 
- VSF-Belgium will pay for return international flight travel from the consultant(s) place of residence to South Sudan and for travel to locations within South Sudan in order for the consultant to execute his/her duties as per the ToRs. A consultant who misses any scheduled flight or connecting flight shall be responsible for any penalty fees incurred therein. It is worth noting that all boarding passes must be surrendered to VSF-Belgium after every trip as this may delay processing of the final dues. 
- While in Juba (and the field) you will be paid a per diem of 40 USD per day to cater for meals and incidentals. 
- VSF Belgium will also pay for the necessary daily allowances for the mobilisation of two government counterparts as resource persons to accompany the experts throughout their mission in South Sudan. 

7. AVAILABLE DOCUMENTATION UPON REQUEST 

- Consolidated Framework of Mutual Obligations 1999 / Sudan. 
- LESP Implementation Protocol and its addenda. 
- LESP-South Sudan implementation progress reports (technical and financial). 
- Mid-term evaluation report of LESP. 
- Report of the European Union LESP - South Sudan Results Oriented Monitoring mission. 
- Minutes of the meetings of the Steering Committee and Technical Committee of LESP. 
- Reports from consultancies commissioned through LESP-South Sudan. 
- Sector policy strategy papers, e.g. action plans for control of livestock priority diseases. 
- Exit and sustainability strategy plan for LESP-Sudan project. 

8. CONTACT DETAILS 

Interested expert(s) should submit proposals indicating relevant qualifications and experience as well as a detailed execution plan they would use for the mission. They should also indicate daily consultancy rates and possible starting dates. The proposals, CV and letter of motivation as well as three (3) referees should be send electronically to recruitment@vsfb.or.ke no later than 17th December 2012. Ref: LESP South Sudan Consultancy 1/12