INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSULTANCY: Endline Evaluation for Sustainable Opportunities for More Accessible Livelihoods and Integrated Assistance (SOMALIA) Phase III

Job Description

Job description
INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSULTANCY

Title of Consultancy

Endline Evaluation for Sustainable Opportunities for More Accessible Livelihoods and Integrated Assistance (SOMALIA) Phase III

SCI Contracting Office

Save the Children Somalia Country Office

Submission deadline

2nd January 2025.

Target regions and districts for the Evaluation

· Awdal: Borama, Lughaya, Zeylac

· Woqooyi Galbeed: Hargeisa

· Bari: Bandarbeyla, Qardho, Ishkuban

· Nugaal: Dangorayo, Eyl

· Hiiraan: Beletweyne, Mataban, Mahas

· Lower Shabelle: Barawe, Qoryooley

· Bay: Baidoa, Buurhakaba, Diinsoor

· Bakool: Yeed, Rabdhure

Sectors to be Evaluated

· Health

· Nutrition

· WASH

· Food security and livelihoods

· Child protection

Consultant type required

Consultancy firm

Responsibility for Logistics arrangements and Costs

Save the Children will pay the fees for the consultancy in a lump sum and will not reimburse any incurred costs during the assignment. The consultant will cover their Logistical arrangements and costs in the country to coordinate and implement the consultancy.

Taxation Provisions

The consultant shall be responsible for all Taxes arising from the consultancy in line with the local Tax regulations applicable at the SCI contracting office named above.

Travel requirements

The consultant will cover their travel costs (tickets) and arrange local travel to field sites if needed

Security requirements

The consultant will comply with standards of Save the Children Security procedures, including the completion of SCI online security training prior to travel to Somalia.

BACKGROUND

The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains extremely concerning. While Somalia managed to recover from the brink of famine in late 2022 and early 2023, close to 4 million people continue to be food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance. This is against a backdrop of decades of conflict, ongoing military operations, and persistent climatic shocks displacing thousands of people every month. Excessive seasonal rains, flash and riverine floods have been particularly acute in 2023 due to a concurrence of El Niño conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole phenomenon, resulting in loss of life, the destruction of property, loss of access to basic services, further displacements, and an aggravation of the prevalence of cholera and other water-borne diseases. According to the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 6.9 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2024. Moreover, an estimated 4 million people are internally displaced in Somalia due to the compounded impacts of climate change, conflict and insecurity, and other factors. Of those, more than 80 per cent are women and children, who face significant protection risks, which are heightened by pre-existing inequities. Limited access to basic services such as shelters and food renders women and girls more vulnerable to gender-based violence and disrupts their ability to live in dignity. Only 15 per cent of all pregnant women give birth in a health center; an additional 15 per cent are likely to experience a pregnancy-related complication, with a 2 per cent rate of stillbirths. Only 8 per cent of those who are newly displaced are estimated to have access to adequate shelters. Furthermore, there is an increase in eviction rates of displaced people from the sites where they have settled. Between January and October 2023, more than 170,000 people were forcibly evicted, according to the Housing Land and Property partners[i].

The humanitarian crisis in Somalia continues to be dire, with over 4 million people facing acute food insecurity amidst ongoing conflict, climatic shocks, and displacement. The compounding effects of El Niño-driven floods and severe droughts have devastated communities, particularly in 2023, displacing thousands and exacerbating public health crises such as cholera and malnutrition. Vulnerable groups, including women and children, face heightened risks of gender-based violence, inadequate access to healthcare, and limited protection services. Save the Children, in collaboration with local partner GREDO “Sustainable Opportunities for More Accessible Livelihoods and Integrated Assistance (SOMALIA) Phase IV” funded by USAID BHA to address these needs through a comprehensive, 12-month intervention focusing on nutrition, WASH, health, protection, and livelihood recovery in high-need regions.

The program targets over 243,000 individuals, including internally displaced persons and underserved populations, with lifesaving, disability-inclusive, and gender-sensitive support. Key activities include management of acute malnutrition, integrated healthcare services, rehabilitation of water systems, protection mechanisms for at-risk groups, and economic recovery programs. These efforts align with USAID/BHA’s mission to alleviate human suffering and foster resilience, ensuring that affected communities can rebuild and sustain their well-being despite ongoing adversities.

Save the Children has been implementing the multisectoral project across 19 districts in 8 regions of Somalia. These regions and districts include:

· Awdal: Borama, Lughaya, Zeylac

· Woqooyi Galbeed: Hargeisa

· Bari: Bandarbeyla, Qardho, Ishkuban

· Nugaal: Dangorayo, Eyl

· Hiiraan: Beletweyne, Mataban, Mahas

· Lower Shabelle: Barawe, Qoryooley

· Bay: Baidoa, Buurhakaba, Diinsoor

· Bakool: Yeed, Rabdhure

SC has implemented the project activities in compliance with Sphere, Child Protection Minimum Standards (CPMS), Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), Minimum Economic Recovery Standards (MERS), SEADS Standards to support crop-related livelihoods joins Humanitarian Standards Partnership, and other humanitarian standards. SC has been coordinating this intervention with the humanitarian actors, local and national authorities, humanitarian, and development partners and ensure collaboration and information exchange to improve the quality and effectiveness of the humanitarian assistance provided.

Goal: Provide life-saving assistance to support most vulnerable children and families to reduce hunger, acute malnutrition, disease outbreaks and exposure to protection risks by increasing access to integrated, disability-inclusive and gender-sensitive agriculture and economic recovery, food assistance, health, nutrition, WASH, and protection services.

2. Purpose

The project aims to reduce morbidity, chronic hunger and mortality by providing holistic integrated life-saving and early recovery interventions to crisis-affected communities.

2a. Overall Objectives

The overall objective is to evaluate the achieved results against the stated objectives, the implementation strategies pursued to do so, and the extent to which the overall impact was achieved.

Specific Objectives

Document the project’s results and impact, sharing the learnings and challenges among project implementers, partners, and stakeholders. Below are the main objectives:

ü Assess the impact of integrated humanitarian interventions on reducing acute malnutrition, hunger, disease outbreaks, and protection risks among targeted communities, with a focus on children and women.

ü Evaluate the accessibility and adequacy of WASH, health, nutrition, and protection services provided to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other crisis-affected populations, particularly in areas impacted by climatic shocks and conflict.

ü Examine the effectiveness of gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive approaches in addressing the specific needs of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and persons with disabilities, within the project interventions.

ü Measure progress in reducing negative coping mechanisms and improving the resilience and well-being of displaced and underserved populations through the provision of food assistance, agricultural support, and economic recovery initiatives.

ü Assess the level of coordination and adherence to humanitarian standards (Sphere, CHS, CPMS, MERS, SEADS, etc.) in the design and delivery of life-saving interventions, including collaboration with local authorities, partners, and stakeholders.

ü Identify challenges encountered during project implementation, including logistical, climatic, infrastructural, and coordination barriers, and analyze how these impacted the delivery and effectiveness of interventions.

ü Document lessons learned from the project implementation, highlighting successful strategies, innovations, and adaptive measures that contributed to achieving the project’s objectives.

ü Provide actionable recommendations for improving the design, delivery, and sustainability of similar future interventions, with a focus on enhancing inclusivity, resilience, and adherence to humanitarian standards.

3. Evaluation criteria

Following evaluation questions should be at least included in the evaluation criteria. This evaluation criteria is based on OECD DAC.

a) Relevance: Is the intervention doing the right things?

· Were interventions appropriate and effective for the target group based on their needs?

· Which target groups and individuals were reached by the interventions? ○ How effective was the targeting approach in achieving the activity goal?

· To what extent did the response meet the basic needs of the target households according to their priorities?

b) Coherence: How well does the intervention fit?

· To what extent did the activity consider gender equity, protection, age, physical and emotional challenges of the participants, and risks to participation in various interventions in activity design and implementation?

· How has management adapted the activity design or implementation based on monitoring information and feedback from the target population?

· How well do the different sectors complement and reinforce each other’s efforts? Are there clear synergies and shared objectives that enhance the overall impact and effectiveness of the project?

C) Effectiveness: Is the intervention achieving its objectives?

· To what extent do the activity’s interventions appear to have achieved their intended outputs and outcomes? What were the underlying factors (internal and/or external) influencing the achievement (or non-achievement) of the intended outputs and outcomes?

· To what extent did the activity help prevent individuals and households from adopting negative coping strategies such as selling productive assets?

· What good practices, successes, and replicable lessons/experiences or strategies have been identified during the implementation which have proven to be effective for replication/scale up?

d) Efficiency: How well are resources being used?

· How were problems and challenges managed? ○

· To what extent have the activity’s interventions adhered to planned implementation schedules?

· What was the level of efficiency and timely delivery of the goods or services?

· To what extent were the project inputs/resources utilized for efficient delivery of the project activities?

e) Impact: What difference does the intervention make?

· What changes expected and unexpected, positive and negative were experienced by the targeted beneficiaries and other stakeholders?

· What factors appear to facilitate or inhibit these changes?

· Which interventions appeared to be more or less important to achieving activity outcomes?

· How did these changes correspond to those hypothesized by the activity’s Theory of Change?

· Document any evidence of practical success (case stories).

f) Sustainability: Will the benefits last?

· To what extent did the activity take advantage of other USG and non-USG investments in the same target areas to facilitate linkages with complementary services, layering with earlier investments, and implementing an exit strategy?

· To what extent did the activity align and integrate with host government humanitarian response plan/policy/service delivery?

· Which mechanisms already existed and which have been put in place by the project to ensure results and impacts are sustainable beyond the project?

· Was the activity able to end operations at the close of the award without causing significant disruptions in the targeted communities?

Connectedness and integration

· How was integration of different sectors of BHA carried out at structural, community and household levels? Was this integration improved based on the findings of the previous

program evaluations?

3.1: Learning Questions

· To evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated interventions in addressing the critical needs of vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, by reducing hunger, malnutrition, disease, and protection risks.

· To assess the coordination efforts and adherence to humanitarian standards, identifying lessons learned to improve future project designs, enhance sustainability, and strengthen the overall impact and resilience of the affected communities.

Following are Theory of Change (ToC) related learning questions we need to outline as the evaluation takes place.

Effectiveness and Impact: How the integrated activities in WASH, Nutrition, Health, Protection, and Livelihood helped to reduce hunger, malnutrition, and disease outbreak among the most vulnerable populations participating in the BHA project and particularly among women and children? And how have these interventions contributed to improving the overall well-being of the most vulnerable communities?

– Link to ToC: This question aligns with the “IF” part of the Theory of Change, focusing on whether access to sufficient food, health services, malnutrition prevention and treatment, protection, and WASH services has contributed to alleviating suffering, restoring dignity, and improving children’s well-being.

Coordination and Standards: How well did Save the Children, GREDO and other partners work together to ensure the project met humanitarian standards? What can we learn from this collaboration to make future BHA projects more effective and better tailored to the needs of the people we serve?

· Link to ToC: This question connects to the “THEN” part of the ToC by evaluating how effective coordination and adherence to humanitarian standards contribute to the desired outcomes of reducing negative coping mechanisms, restoring dignity, and enhancing the overall resilience of displaced populations.

Lastly, the evaluation should keep certain contextual factors in mind and understand how the program/s evolved throughout the BHA/OFDA – SCI Implementation in Somalia.

· How does the contextual factors (such as Climate Change – i.e. droughts or floods) have affected the implementation of the program, or may have forced programs to adjust and adapt

· How did the evolving conflict/security realities on the ground have influenced programming throughout the years, to what extent SCI Somalia has been able to react in appropriate time against the changing context.

4.1 Methodology

The lead consultant will develop a mixed methods evaluation methodology and tools in line with the SoW and other relevant documents provided by SC Somalia. These will be approved by the MEAL team with internal collaboration with Health, Nutrition, WASH, FSL, CP technical leads and the Project director. The consultant is expected to come up with details of the methodology for conducting the endline. But the following issues should be given due consideration in designing the methodologies.

• Primary sources will be used to generate data and information. The project baseline report, annual reports, monitoring reports, work plans, project proposals, review meeting minutes, health and nutrition documents at both SCI and Health facilities etc. are some of the documents that should be reviewed as part of the initial phase.

• Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be employed via surveys, Key Informant interviews and Focus Group Discussions and observations for physical characteristics.

• The data will be gathered through interviewing and holding discussions with the different target groups, community groups, and local authorities as well as through observation and reviewing different documents.

• Reviewing contextual data is also needed to conduct context analysis

• If the consultant(s) are not fluent in local language(s), high quality interpreters will be required.

• Key staff of Save the Children and local implementing partner NGO will also be interviewed.

• Observation checklist for sampled health and nutrition facilities

Such a methodology should define an appropriate sample size and specify mechanisms that will be adopted to avoid selection bias in line with the SoW, other relevant documents, and BHA guidance.

4.2. REFERENCE MATERIAL

BHA Endline Report 2023
BHA Technical Proposal 2024/2025
Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for 2024 – 2025 BHA project
MEAL BL/EL SoW for the 2024-2025 BHA project
Semi-Annual report (Annual report and semi- reports)
FSNAU Somalia 2024 update
Evaluation Reporting Criteria Scoresheet

Skills and qualifications
Qualification and Experience

The consultant (s) should possess the following qualifications and expertise the consultancy firm

Relevant Masters level education, experience and training in Research, Development studies or Social Sciences, and/or related fields.
Proven experience of not less than 7-10 years in conducting quality evaluations and assessing child protection related and/or integrated programmes.
Solid methodological and research skills.
Previously experience of conducting similar evaluations for UN or INGOs.
Thorough knowledge on the relevant thematic areas and Somalia context.
Fluency in English language and local language skills would be helpful.
Excellent communication and report writing skills.
Able to communicate effectively and work in the project areas for the duration of the data collection.
Able to demonstrate solid experience with evidence of previous work on similar topics and/or for international organization and evaluating program
Selection Criteria

Essential Criteria:

1. Registrations

a. The firm to submit proof of valid registration certificate from respective registered country

b. The firm to submit valid tax compliance certificate from respective registered country.

2. SCI terms & Conditions

The Bidder and its staff agree and Sign to comply with SCI policies embedded below at this ITB. The Bidder is to download below listed items, read, understand and sign off appropriate section in below.

a. Terms & Conditions of Bidding

b. Supplier Sustainability Policy and the included mandatory policies

Capability Criteria:

a. Technical Proposal including work plan

Detailed technical proposal with clear methodology of how the consultant intends to conduct the evaluation in different sites; effective strategies for engaging stakeholders, collecting data, and analyzing, ensuring adaptability and effectiveness in the Somali context, and understanding of the TOR. This to be evaluated based on:

i) Overall quality, clarity, organization and relevance of the technical proposal document

ii) clarity, sequence, and relevance of the proposed methodology and approach to meet the requirement in this assignment, Proposed methodologies should outline pragmatic and effective strategies for engaging stakeholders, collecting data, and analysing implementation fidelity, ensuring adaptability and effectiveness in the Somali context.

iii) The work plan detail and how it is related to the proposed methodology

iv) A cover letter expressing the firm’s interest, availability and commitment

Experience

The firm to share Proof of 3 relevant contract experience and a good track record of working with international organizations such as international NGOs, or the UN in Somalia

i. Technical/ lead team CVs and profiles

Updated CVs for the firm’s consultant and all technical teams detailing qualifications and experience including the firm’s profile

ii. Bank statement

Please submit copies of bank statement for the past 12 months. The firm to share Proof of bank statement with traceability, the bank statement should be signed stamped

Commercial Criteria

Detailed financial proposal with budget breakdown including all expenses, fees, and taxes, the financial proposal should present a cost-efficient strategy that capitalizes on local insights and resources, aiming to optimize both the impact and efficiency of the third-party monitoring system

Sustainability Policy

The firm to share their own sustainability Policy

Attachments

18-12-ITT For Endline evaluation-Hamda (004)

.docx
How to apply
· Interested consultant (s) who meet the consultancy requirements are requested to submit their bid and each application package should include the above required minimum requirements.

· Please send your application, technical & Financial proposals, Registrations,

Somalia.sstenderbox1@savethechildren.org

· The subject of the email should be tender for Endline Evaluation for Sustainable Opportunities for More Accessible Livelihoods and Integrated Assistance (SOMALIA) Phase III.

· All attached documents should be clearly labelled so it is clear to understand what each file relates to.

· Emails should not exceed 15mb – if the file sizes are large, please split the submission into two emails.

· Do not copy other SCI email addresses into the email when you submit it as this will invalidate your bid.

Closing date for Applications

Interested consultants shall submit their applications through the above procedures on or before.

2nd January 2025.