Background

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full- and medium-sized UNDP-supported GEF-financed projects are required to undergo a Terminal Evaluation (TE) at the end of the project. This Terms of Reference (ToR) sets out the expectations for the TE of the full-sized project titled Promoting the use of electric water pumps for irrigation in Sudan (PIMS #5324) implemented through the UNDP/ Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. The project started on the 28 Feb. 2016 and is in its 6th year of implementation. The TE process must follow the guidance outlined in the document ‘Guidance For Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects’ ( Guidance for Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects ).

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The project aims to support the adoption of solar PV technology for water pumping for irrigation in agriculture in Sudan, particularly in the North State. Adoption of renewable energies has been identified as a priority in Sudan, as is reduction of dependence on fossil fuels which are imported. The application of solar PV to pumping has been on a relatively limited scale globally but is seeing increased commercial interest in the past years. Solar PV technology in general is not widespread in Sudan.

The project includes four outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Financing and dissemination mechanism established and operational to support a PV pump installation programme.
• Outcome 2: Financing and dissemination mechanism de-risked through technical standards and demand-side support
• Outcome 3: Mitigation instrument (NAMA) design elaborated and implemented in support of the PV pump installation programme
• Outcome 4: Supportive enabling environment and scaled-up implementation

The project aims to help Sudan and Sudanese farmers reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, reduce their cost of production (via decreased diesel expenditures), increase the sustainability of water use, and increase their income. Give that agriculture is a main component of the economy in Sudan, the project will help increase Sudan’s energy security and decouple its GDP from fluctuations in fossil fuel prices and availability. The project has been designed to play a catalytic role in the transformational scaling up of solar power for productive use in Sudan’s agricultural sector.

The project implementing partner is the Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity. The project is expected to last 60 months.

The project aims to help diversify Sudan's power sources and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, particularly for future expansion and to reduce greenhouse gas (G H G). The project will therefore help increase Sudan's energy security and support its development. The project has been designed to play a catalytic role in this transformational scaling-up of wind energy, and renewable energies more broadly.

The project is aligned with UNDP Strategic Plan Primary Outcome “By 2021, people’s resilience to consequences of climate change, environmental stresses and natural hazards is enhanced through strengthened institutions, policies, plans and programmes” and the SDG7 :Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” and SDG13 “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”

The project was signed on the on the 28th of Feb. 2016 and originally planned to be closed in Feb. 28, 2021. However, there are number of risk factors affected the timely implementation of the project and led to extension the project time frame to 28th of May 2022. The following are the most important risk factors:

Economics:  

Sudan’s economy depends on agriculture and mining which drive growth on the supply side, and private consumption and investment on the demand side. The government started a restructuring and gradual liberalization of the economy. The process started with energy sector; removal of subsides on oil derivatives and finally subsidies are removed from the electricity sub-sector. This resulted increased burden on all economic sectors particularly on the irrigated agriculture. The expectation is to achieve some economic benefits in long run. However, due to renewed political unrest the expected economic gains and support from the international communities cannot be ensured.

The project established a solar pump demonstration farm in 29 sites across the 7 localities of the North State. A PV fund was established to with contribution of 7 Commercial Banks. A total of SDG120 Million was mobilized to finance 400 solar pumps and a contract with five companies was signed. However, due to successive devaluation of the local currency, companies were not able to implement this contract and it was finally ended. New ITB was set to procure only 120 solar pumps, the number the available fund can procure, instead of 400. One company was contracted to procure and install the solar pumps.      

Political: The overthrown of the military government which rule for 30 Years through a popular uprising and sit-in. The country wide demonstrations, during Dec. 2018 to July 2019, against political failure to stop wars and security deterioration beside the economic hardships. However, this government was also overthrown by the military council in 25th of October 2021. This resulted in the renewal of wide demonstrations and blockage of streets.

Health: The COVID-19 outbreak observed in Sudan in Mid-March 2020 and since then there are several measures taken by the Government of Sudan, UN Country Team (UNCT) to restrict movements, transportation to the states, lockdown, social distancing and safeguarding measures in place and remained in force till the date.  The Sudan ports remained closed for domestic and international travels. Government facilities remained mostly closed with very essential staffs only working at the office.  UNDP personnel are working remotely from home. This had major impacts on project to carry out its activities with the COVID-19 restrictions. For example, the travel of engineers to China to do the factory inspection of the solar pumps cannot be conducted. 

TE PURPOSE

The TE report will assess the achievement of project results against what was expected to be achieved and draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of UNDP programming. The TE report promotes accountability and transparency and assesses the extent of project accomplishments.

The TE is also intended to draw lesson learnt from the project experiences in developing conducive policies and regulations to encourage private sector investment and to explore the benefits of IPP to enhance the access to energy to the farmers and rural population. the report will be sued by all stakeholders; the government, the commercial banks and the North State government and the famers association.

Duties and Responsibilities

TE APPROACH & METHODOLOGY

The TE report must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful.

The TE team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure/SESP) the Project Document, project reports including annual PIRs, project budget revisions, lesson learned reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based evaluation. The TE team will review the baseline and midterm GEF focal area Core Indicators/Tracking Tools submitted to the GEF at the CEO endorsement and midterm stages and the terminal Core Indicators/Tracking Tools that must be completed before the TE field mission begins. 

The TE team is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), Implementing Partners, the UNDP Country Office(s), the Regional Technical Advisor, direct beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful TE. Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to:

1. Ministry of Energy and Petroleum
2. General Directorate of Renewable and Alternative Energy
3. Higher Council for Environment & Natural Resources
4. Electricity holding Company
5. National Energy Research Centre
6. North State Ministry of Production and economic resources
7. Ministry of Finance and economic planning
8. Alnil Bank
9. Family bank
10. Saving and Social Development Bank
11. Al Shamal Islamic Bank
12. Al Baraka Bank
13. Sudanese Islamic Bank
14. Farmers’ Commercial Bank

executing agencies, senior officials and task team/component leaders, key experts and consultants in the subject area, Project Board, project beneficiaries, academia, local government and CSOs, etc. Additionally, the TE team is expected to conduct field missions to (North State), including the following project sites in the following localities:

1. Dongola
2. Elgolid
3. Eldabah
4. Merowie
5. Elbourgaig
6. Delgo
7. Halfa

The specific design and methodology for the TE should emerge from consultations between the TE team and the above-mentioned parties regarding what is appropriate and feasible for meeting the TE purpose and objectives and answering the evaluation questions, given limitations of budget, time and data. The TE team must, however, use gender-responsive methodologies and tools and ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as other cross-cutting issues and SDGs are incorporated into the TE report.

The final methodological approach including interview schedule, field visits and data to be used in the evaluation must be clearly outlined in the TE Inception Report and be fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, stakeholders and the TE team.

The final report must describe the full TE approach taken and the rationale for the approach making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach of the evaluation.

DETAILED SCOPE OF THE TE

The TE will assess project performance against expectations set out in the project’s Logical Framework/Results Framework (see ToR Annex A). The TE will assess results according to the criteria outlined in the Guidance for TEs of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects ( Guidance for Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects ). The Findings section of the TE report will cover the topics listed below.

A full outline of the TE report’s content is provided in ToR Annex C.

The asterisk “(*)” indicates criteria for which a rating is required.

Findings

1. Project Design/Formulation

• National priorities and country driven-ness
• Theory of Change
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Social and Environmental Safeguards
• Analysis of Results Framework: project logic and strategy, indicators
• Assumptions and Risks

• Lessons from other relevant projects (e.g. same focal area) incorporated into project design
• Planned stakeholder participation
• Linkages between project and other interventions within the sector
• Management arrangements

2.Project Implementation

• Adaptive management (changes to the project design and project outputs during implementation)
• Actual stakeholder participation and partnership arrangements
• Project Finance and Co-finance
• Monitoring & Evaluation: design at entry (*), implementation (*), and overall assessment of M&E (*)
• Implementing Agency (UNDP) (*) and Executing Agency (*), overall project oversight/implementation and execution (*)
• Risk Management, including Social and Environmental Standards

3. Project Results

• Assess the achievement of outcomes against indicators by reporting on the level of progress for each objective and outcome indicator at the time of the TE and noting final achievements
• Relevance (*), Effectiveness (*), Efficiency (*) and overall project outcome (*)
• Sustainability: financial (*)           , socio-political (*), institutional framework and governance (*), environmental (*), overall likelihood of sustainability (*)
• Country ownership
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Cross-cutting issues (poverty alleviation, improved governance, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster prevention and recovery, human rights, capacity development, South-South cooperation, knowledge management, volunteerism, etc., as relevant)
• GEF Additionality
• Catalytic Role / Replication Effect
• Progress to impact

Main Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations and Lessons Learned

• The TE team will include a summary of the main findings of the TE report. Findings should be presented as statements of fact that are based on analysis of the data.
•  The section on conclusions will be written in light of the findings. Conclusions should be comprehensive and balanced statements that are well substantiated by evidence and logically connected to the TE findings. They should highlight the strengths, weaknesses and results of the project, respond to key evaluation questions and provide insights into the identification of and/or solutions to important problems or issues pertinent to project beneficiaries, UNDP and the GEF, including issues in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Recommendations should provide concrete, practical, feasible and targeted recommendations directed to the intended users of the evaluation about what actions to take and decisions to make. The recommendations should be specifically supported by the evidence and linked to the findings and conclusions around key questions addressed by the evaluation.
• The TE report should also include lessons that can be taken from the evaluation, including best and worst practices in addressing issues relating to relevance, performance and success that can provide knowledge gained from the particular circumstance (programmatic and evaluation methods used, partnerships, financial leveraging, etc.) that are applicable to other GEF and UNDP interventions. When possible, the TE team should include examples of good practices in project design and implementation.
• It is important for the conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned of the TE report to include results related to gender equality and empowerment of women.

The TE report will include an Evaluation Ratings Table, as shown below:

ToR Table 2: Evaluation Ratings Table for the project: Promoting the use of electric water pumps for irrigation in Sudan (PIMS #5324)

TIMEFRAME

The total duration of the TE will be approximately (average 35 working days) over a time period of 8 of weeks starting on 30 March. The tentative TE timeframe is as follows:

Options for site visits should be provided in the TE Inception Report.

TE DELIVERABLES

*All final TE reports will be quality assessed by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).  Details of the IEO’s quality assessment of decentralized evaluations can be found in Section 6 of the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines.

TE ARRANGEMENTS

The principal responsibility for managing the TE resides with the Commissioning Unit. The Commissioning Unit for this project’s TE is UNDP Sudan CO. The UNDP Sudan CO will contract the evaluators and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the TE team. The Project Team will be responsible for liaising with the TE team to provide all relevant documents, set up stakeholder interviews, and arrange field visits.

TE TEAM COMPOSITION

A team of two independent evaluators will conduct the TE; a Team Leader and a National Expert. The team leader will be responsible be responsible for the overall design and writing up of the TE report and the National Experts will support the leader, in data collection, verifications, documentation  and work with the Project Team in developing the TE itinerary, etc.

The evaluator(s) cannot have participated in the project preparation, formulation and/or implementation (including the writing of the project document), must not have conducted this project’s Mid-Term Review and should not have a conflict of interest with the project’s related activities

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Ability to work with a multi-cultural and diverse team.

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrated experience in technical issues related to climate change
• Demonstrated experience in project evaluation/review
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large amounts of complex and diversified data related to climate change mitigation in least developed countries.
• Demonstrated strong coordination and facilitation skills;
• Proved strong interpersonal skills and the ability to conduct the mitigation training
• Excellent communication skills;
• Demonstrable analytical skills;

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree in (renewable energy, electrical engineering, agricultural engineering) or other closely related field;

Experience

• Relevant experience with results-based management evaluation methodologies;
• Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios;
• Competence in adaptive management, as applied to (GEF-5 Climate Change Focal Area Objective #3, to “Promote Investment in Renewable Energy Technologies”);
• Experience in evaluating projects;
• Experience working in (RBAS) countries
• Experience in relevant technical areas for at least 10 years;
• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and (GEF-5 Climate Change Focal Area); experience in gender responsive evaluation and analysis;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Demonstrable analytical skills;
• Project evaluation/review experience within United Nations system will be considered an asset;

Language

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Fluency in Arabic language is an asset

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

• The assessment will be based on the following criteria:

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The assessment will be based on the following criteria:

Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

EVALUATOR ETHICS

The TE team will be held to the highest ethical standards and is required to sign a code of conduct upon acceptance of the assignment. This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The evaluator must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on data. The evaluator must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation process must also be solely used for the evaluation and not for other uses without the express authorization of UNDP and partners.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

• 20% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the final TE Inception Report and approval by the Commissioning Unit
• 40% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the draft TE report to the Commissioning Unit
• 40% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the final TE report and approval by the Commissioning Unit and RTA (via signatures on the TE Report Clearance Form) and delivery of completed TE Audit Trail

Criteria for issuing the final payment of 40%:

• The final TE report includes all requirements outlined in the TE TOR and is in accordance with the TE guidance.
• The final TE report is clearly written, logically organized, and is specific for this project (i.e. text has not been cut & pasted from other TE reports).
• The Audit Trail includes responses to and justification for each comment listed.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Recommended Presentation of Proposal:

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template[2] provided by UNDP;
2. CV and a Personal History Form (P11 form[3]);
3. Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment; (max 1 page)
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template. If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

All application materials should be submitted online in the  UNDP Procurement website

 indicating the following reference “Consultant for Terminal Evaluation of the project (Promoting the use of electric water pumps for irrigation in Sudan)”

Incomplete applications will be excluded from further consideration.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal: Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

[1] Engagement of evaluators should be done in line with guidelines for hiring consultants in the POPP https://popp.undp.org/SitePages/POPPRoot.aspx

[2]https://intranet.undp.org/unit/bom/pso/Support%20documents%20on%20IC%20Guidelines/Template%20for%20Confirmation%20of%20Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal.docx

[3] http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc