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INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT FOR TERMINAL EVALUATION OF THE GEF/UNDP CAPACITY BUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT IN MAURITIUSPROJECT IN MAURITIUS

Location : Reduit, MAURITIUS
Application Deadline :23-Aug-12
Additional CategoryEnvironment and Energy
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :International Consultant
Languages Required :
 English  
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)		01-Oct-2012
Duration of Initial Contract :13 days spread over 3 weeks
Expected Duration of Assignment :3 weeks

Background
In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full and medium-sized country projects implemented by UNDP with GEF financing must undergo a terminal evaluation upon completion of implementation. This terms of reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for a Terminal Evaluation (TE) of Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management in Mauritius.
 
The objective of the project was to build capacities for sustainable land management (SLM) in appropriate government and civil society institutions/user groups in Mauritius and Rodrigues, and SLM is mainstreamed into government planning and strategy development. It  benefited a land surface area estimated at 50,000 ha and contributed towards the achievement of the following long-term goal:  The agricultural, pasture, forest and other terrestrial land management in Mauritius and Rodrigues are sustainable, productive systems that maintain ecosystem productivity and ecological functions while contributing directly to the environmental, economic and social well-being of the country.
 
The Project on Building Capacity and Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Management in Mauritius, including Rodrigues, is a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded Project through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Project has been implemented by the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security through the National Directorate of Forestry from 2007 to 2011.The Project has been supervised by the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and received technical guidance from a Project Working Committee (PWC).Further details on the background and activities of the SLM Project are contained in the Project Document, the Mid-Term Evaluation Report (2008).
 
The TE will be conducted according to the guidance, rules and procedures established by UNDP and GEF as reflected in the UNDP Evaluation Guidance for GEF Financed Projects (2011).
The purpose of the evaluation is to:
  • Assess overall performance against the project objectives as set out in the Project Document and other related documents
  • Assess project relevance to national priorities, as well as UNDP and GEF strategic objectives
  • Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the project
  • Critically analyze the implementation and management arrangements of the project, including financial management.
  • Assess the sustainability of the project interventions and consider project impacts
  • Document lessons and best practices concerning project design, implementation and management which may be of relevance to other projects in the country and elsewhere in the world.

Duties and Responsibilities
The TE should consider and report on the following evaluation issues and criteria:
  • Project relevance and consistency with country priorities and the GEF Land Degradation Focal Area (specifically GEF-4 Strategic Objective 1 & 2, to develop an enabling environment that will place Sustainable Land Management in the mainstream of development policy and practices at the regional, national, and local levels; and to scale-up SLM investments that generate mutual benefits for the global environment and local livelihoods).
  • Ownership of the project at the national and local levels; stakeholder participation at national and local levels and partnerships developed through the project.
  • Effectiveness in realizing project immediate objectives, planned outcomes and outputs; the effects of the project on target groups and institutions; the extent to which these have contributed towards strengthening the institutional, organizational and technical capability of the government in achieving its long-term sustainable development objectives (including environmental management goals).
  • Sustainability of project achievements and impacts, including financial and institutional sustainability, and an assessment of planned replication and exit strategies.
  • Management arrangements, including supervision, guidance, back-stopping, human resources, and the Implementing Agency’s (UNDP) supervision and backstopping; the quality and timeliness of inputs, activities, responsiveness of project management to changes in the project environment and other M&E  feedback.
  • Financial planning and sustainability, including the timely delivery and use of committed co-financing.
  • Efficiency or cost-effectiveness in the ways in which project outputs and outcomes were achieved.
  • Adaptive management, including effective use of logframe, UNDP risk management system, annual Project Implementation Reviews, and other parts of the M&E system, tools and mechanisms as appropriate; evaluate whether project design allowed for flexibility in responding to changes in the project environment. Review the recommendations of the MTR and assess how the MTR had helped adaptive management of the project.
  • Risk management, including the UNDP risk management system within ATLAS, which is also incorporated in the annual PIR. The evaluators are requested to determine how effectively the risk management system is being used as an adaptive management tool. Risks may be of a financial, socio-political, institutional, operational, environmental (or other) type.
  • Lessons and Recommendations: The evaluator will present lessons and recommendations on all aspects of the project s/he considers relevant. with special attention given to analyzing lessons and proposing recommendations on aspects related to factors that contributed to or hindered attainment of project objectives, sustainability of project benefits, innovation, catalytic effect and replication, the role and effectiveness of M & E and adaptive management in project implementation
Cross-cutting issues:
  • Poverty reduction: How has the project contributed to poverty reduction through SLM initiatives in the pilot sites and enhanced sustainable livelihoods
  • Governance: How has the project facilitated the participation of the local communities in natural resource management and decision making processes
  • Promotion of gender equity: Has the project considered gender sensitivity or equal participation of man and women and boys and girls in decision making processes
  • Capacity development of participants and target beneficiaries, communications and use of technology.
Evaluation Approach and Method:
 
The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with government counterparts, in particular the GEF country focal points, steering committee, project team, and key stakeholders. The evaluator is expected to conduct a field mission to Mauritius including specific project sites. The evaluator is expected to use interviews as a means of collecting data on the relevance, performance and success of the project. Key stakeholders to be interviewed are listed in Annex 1. 
The evaluator will review all relevant sources of information, such as the project document, project reports, including: Annual Reports, project budget revisions, progress reports, focal area tracking tools, project files, national strategic and legal documents, and any other material that s/he may consider useful for evidence based assessment. A list of documentation that the project team will provide to the evaluator for review is included with the Terms of Reference (Annex 3)
Two weeks prior to the evaluation mission, the evaluator will submit a brief (2 page) inception note, to include:
  • Further elaboration on the intended approach & method, consistent with this TOR.
  • Planned timing for carrying out the evaluation mission.
  • Any requests to include additional participatory techniques, such as surveys and focus groups, or other approaches for the gathering and analysis of data that are otherwise not specified in the TOR, and which may entail additional time or cost.
  • Requests for additional project background information not included with this TOR
Evaluation Criteria & Ratings:

Project performance will be measured based on the Project Logical Framework (Annex 2), which provides performance and impact indicators for project implementation along with their corresponding means of verification. The evaluation will at a minimum cover the criteria of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact, as defined and explained in the hyperlinked guidance manual. As agreed with GEF, ratings will be provided on the following performance criteria. The completed table must be included in the evaluation executive summary. In addition, a rating must also be provided for project implementation.

Competencies
The evaluator for the SLM Project TE will be an international consultant with in depth understanding of UNDP and GEF projects including evaluation experience. S/He will be responsible for developing the evaluation methodology, conducting the evaluation and delivering the key products expected from the evaluation. The evaluator will work with a small consultative group from Forestry Services and UNDP Mauritius.  Because the SLM Project manager and implementation unit have been disbanded already, the evaluation exercise will be supported and facilitated by the UNDP Programme officer responsible for the SLM Project. The consultant will sign an agreement with UNDP to undertake the SLM Project evaluation and will be bound by its terms and conditions set out in the agreement.
 
Evaluator selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have any conflict of interest with project related activities
 
Corporate Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UNs values and ethical standards.
  • Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN.
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity andadaptability
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
 Functional Competencies:
  • Operational effectiveness;
  • Solid knowledge of financial and human resources management, contract, asset and procurement, information and communication technology, general administration;
  • Ability to lead business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems (business Management and Leadership
  • Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
  • Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
  • Shows mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
 

Required Skills and Experience
Educations:
  • The candidates should have at least MSc or higher degree in Environment, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management or related fields.

Experience:

  • Should have adequate experience in the management, design and/ or evaluation of comparable projects.
  • In-depth understanding of land and environment issues in tropical/ subtropical and island environments. A minimum of 10 years of relevant working experience is required.
  • Prior experience in evaluation of international technical assistance projects with major donor agencies, including UNDP-GEF projects, is an advantage.
  • Familiar with SLM approaches in Indian Ocean either through management and/or implementation or through consultancies in evaluation of land related projects. Understanding of local actions contributing to global benefits is crucial.
  • Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations, succinctly distil critical issues, and draw forward-looking conclusions and recommendations.

Language:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. Good knowledge of French advantageous.
  • Ability to deliver quality reports within the given time.
How to Apply -  Documents required:
 
Technical Proposal:
  • Candidate CV. Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit their signed P11. 
  • Motivation letter describing their interest in the position and why they are the most suitable for the work.
Financial proposal:
 
The financial proposal will specify the daily fee. Please provide a breakdown of the lump sum; fees, travel, per diems and misc. costs in the financial proposal. UNDP will provide entitled air tickets to Mauritius and daily subsistence allowance (DSA). Payments of fees are made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked.
UNDP will not cover travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket.  Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class, he/she should do so using their own resources.  In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
 
Evaluation Criteria: Please refer to the Procurement Notice available on the local website http://un.intnet.mu
  • The technical proposal is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Term of Reference (TOR).
  • The contract shall be awarded to the “Best Value” applicant, who is awarded the highest combined technical and financial score. Interviews will be used to determine the technical competencies of the candidates. Technical scores will account for 70% of the points for the evaluation. The candidate offering the lowest lump sum price for completing the work, will be offered the maximum points for the Financial Evaluation i.e. 30%, all others will be awarded a relative score. Only consultants with relevant experience in supplying similar services will be considered qualified.
Applications should be submitted on line and include an up to date CV and a signed Personal History Form (P11)  and a financial proposal. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
 
Further details about the Terms of Reference and Procurement Notice are available on the local website http://un.intnet.mu

 
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.


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