Terms of Reference for External Final Project Evaluation

Terms of Reference for External Final Project Evaluation

Organization profile

World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) is an international environmental non-profit organization, committed to the conservation of the country’s rich biological diversity, the sustainable use of natural resources and the promotion of actions to reduce pollution in order to meet the future needs of the people and nature. WWF-Pakistan was established in 1970, and is part of the global WWF network, which has a presence in over 100 countries.

WWF-Pakistan is working on improving management of the natural resources of the country while ensuring better livelihood for the rural and urban people through its different projects all over Pakistan. It has been realized over the past years that, in order to make conservation efforts sustainable and long lasting, working with local communities for their livelihood improvement and linkages with environmental management are essential.

Project Description

The project titled “improving livelihoods of fishermen communities of Central Indus Wetlands Complex (CIWC) Pakistan, through effective natural resource management” was a three years project funded by Department for International Development (DFID) under Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF). The project aimed to reduce pressure on natural resources through improving the livelihoods of fishermen communities of CIWC by diversifying their livelihood options which included promotion of eco-tourism, home based enterprise development, establishment of vocational training centers (VTCs) for women, provision of skill enhancement trainings, introduction of sustainable fishing practices, establishment of alternative energy sources, distribution of livestock & poultry packages, kitchen gardening, nursery raising etc. Under the project a network of community based organizations has been established to effectively address poverty related environmental issues. Linkages of CBOs were developed with various government and non government organizations to jointly carry out conservation work at the project sites. The existing Management Plans (MPs) of the Protected Areas were strengthened by incorporating components of Climate Change (CC), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Floodplain management.

The project was implemented by the site offices of WWF-Pakistan at three project sites i.e. Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary (TBWS), Kot Mithan-Chachran (KMC) and Indus Dolphin Reserve (IDR), along approximately 500 km long stretch of the Indus River. TBWS and IDR are protected areas which are also notified Ramsar Sites (internationally recognized wetlands). The local NGO/CBO from each project site was involved as implementing partner (IP) for implementation of project interventions at community level.

The project impact/goal was “socio-economic conditions of the riverine communities in Pakistan improved through addressing the poverty-environment nexus”.

Outcome:Improved livelihoods of fisher communities and natural resource management practices around Protected Areas (PAs) in Central Indus Wetlands Complex (CIWC).

Objectives of the Evaluation

The independent external evaluation of the project has two main objectives

To independently verify (and supplement where necessary), project’s achievements as reported through Annual Reports and defined in the project’s log frame;
To assess the extent to which the project performed well and was good value for money, which includes considering;

How well the project met its objectives?
How well the project applied value for money principles of effectiveness, economy, and efficiency in relation to delivery of its outcome;
What has happened because of DFID funding that wouldn’t have otherwise happened;
How well the project aligns with DFID’s goals of supporting the delivery of the MDGs.

The independent final evaluation report needs to be a substantial document that

(a) Answer all the elements of theTerms of Reference (ToRs);

(b) Provides findings and conclusions that are based on robust and transparent evidence;

Evaluation questions

The evaluator(s) should respond to the questions below.

Relevance

To what extent did the project support achievement towards the MDGs, specifically off-track MDGs?
To what extent did the project target and reach the poor and marginalized?
To what extent did the project mainstream gender equality in the design and delivery of activities (and or other relevant excluded groups)?
How well did the project respond to the needs of target beneficiaries, including how these needs evolved over time?

Effectiveness

To what extents are the results that are reported a fair and accurate record of achievement?
To what extent has the project delivered results that are value for money? To include but not limited to:
How well the project applied value for money principles of effectiveness, economy, and efficiency in relation to delivery of its outcome;
What has happened because of DFID funding that wouldn’t have otherwise happened; and

To what extent has the project used learning to improve delivery?
What are the key drivers and barriers affecting the delivery of results for the project?

Efficiency

To what extent did WWF-Pakistan deliver results on time and on budget against agreed plans?
To what extent did the project understand cost drivers and manage these in relation to performance requirements?

Sustainability

To what extent has the project leveraged additional resources (financial and in-kind) from other sources?What effect has this had on the scale, delivery or sustainability of activities?
To what extent is there evidence that the benefits delivered by the project will be sustained after the project ends?

Impact

To what extent and how has the project built the capacity of civil society?
How many people are receiving support from the project that otherwise would not have received support?
To what extent and how has the project affected people in ways that were not originally intended?

Required Qualification and Experience

The evaluator will be selected on the basis of the following criteria.

An evaluation specialist with ten to fifteen years of experience in programme/project evaluation in an international development context.
Experience of results-based monitoring and evaluation;
Ability to design and plan the evaluation approaches including quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Relevant subject matter knowledge and experience of livelihood sector, gender, conservation and economic growth to ensure the evaluation design and research methods are as relevant and meaningful as possible given the aims and objectives of the project and the context in which it is being delivered;
Design and manage data and information systems capable of handling large datasets for monitoring and evaluation purposes;
Consideration of the extent to which the evaluator or evaluation team has appropriate knowledge/experience of working in Pakistan. This includes language proficiency to conduct the research required or that resources be made available (e.g. translator or social gatekeeper) to enable the research to proceed smoothly;

Deliverables

The final external evaluation report (draft and final version) should be no longer than 40 pages long (excluding potential annexes).

The following structure should be used for the preparation of final external evaluation report.

Executive Summary

Introduction

Purpose of the evaluation
Organization context
Logic and assumptions of the evaluation
Overview of GPAF funded activities

Evaluation Methodology

Evaluation plan
Strengths and weaknesses of selected design and research methods
Summary of problems and issues encountered

Findings

Overall Results
Assessment of accuracy of reported results
Relevance
Effectiveness
Efficiency
Sustainability
Impact

Conclusions

Summary of achievements against evaluation questions
Summary of achievements against rationale for GPAF funding
Overall impact and value for money of GPAF funded activities

Lessons learnt (where relevant)

Project level - management, design, implementation
Policy level
Sector level
GPAF management

Recommendations

Annexes (such as)

Independent final evaluation terms of reference
Evaluation research schedule
Evaluation framework
Data collection tools
List of people consulted
List of supporting documentary information
Details of the evaluation team
WWF-Pakistan management response to report findings and recommendations

Time-Frame

The total duration for the submission of final draft of theevaluation reportwill be sixweeks (2 weeks for planning and preparation, two week for field visits/meetings and two weeks for report preparation).

Proposal Requirements

Individual CV
Organization profile ( in case of a firm)
Technical proposal (methodology to deliver consultancy)
Financial proposal
Work plan

How to apply?

Only electronic applications will be accepted. Please send your proposals along with required documents to . Proposals submitted after deadline will not be considered. The deadline for submission of proposals is24th July 2015.