Historique
Albania has had an impressive growth and poverty reduction record in the past years. Prior to the financial crisis, which has impacted the world economy, Albania had achieved a growth rate of about 8% since 1998. Although many improvements have been achieved throughout the economy and poverty levels have been reduced significantly, vulnerability of some groups still remains an issue. General decreases in poverty have not equally affected the entire population, and certain groups have not been able to catch up. Vulnerable groups are at higher risk of social exclusion as well as exclusion from the labor market. The labour market is one of the most important channels through which social exclusion risks materialize. In Albania, high unemployment, and the deterioration of social protection and social services are legacies of a long transition. Addressing unemployment tackles two key dimensions of social exclusion, namely exclusion from economic life and from social services. Exclusion from the labour market leads to the loss of crucial social benefits, such as healthcare, pension and disability insurance, which increase the risk of long-term exclusion.
In the frame of the GoA-UN Project Cooperation for 2012 – 2016, the access of men and women to the labour market is identified as a key challenge. As such, UNDP’s “Addressing Social Exclusion through VET” project aims to address the capacities of key state institutions to develop and implement employment and vocation education and training (VET) policies and programmes. SIVET project ultimate aim is to promote coordination on employment and social services across national institutions and between the central and local levels. It further addresses the needs of the targeted disadvantaged groups through the design of employment programmes linked to social services in three selected target municipalities, and building the capacities of local structures to implement such programmes. The SIVET Project has been funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation and UNDP.
Main Objectives of SIVET Project
- Generation of information on vulnerable and marginalised groups at risk of labour market exclusion;
- Capacity development of decision-makers and duty bearers to better design, monitor and evaluate policies, strategies and action-oriented employment programmes for marginalized groups;
- Advocacy, policy dialogue, and awareness raising (including the private sector);
- Design of employment programmes in target municipalities
Key Project Results to Date
Following the approval of the project document in March 2011, the Project has commenced in July 2011. In line with the set Project objectives, the key results achieved to date by the SIVET Project include:
- A national and 3 regional studies on vulnerable groups at risk of being excluded from labor market are completed and presented to key stakeholders
- A Practical Guide and series of training for 56 representatives of National Employment Offices from the 3 regions to address the needs of Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Groups through targeted Active Labour Market Projects and Vocational Education and Training has been accomplished
- Good practices on social inclusion in Europe, in the Balkans, and in Albania have been collected and disseminated to all key stakeholders in the three selected regions.
- 60 VET instructors and teachers in the 3regions are trained on delivery modalities specific to the needs of the target groups.
- Skills Needs Analyses to identify labour market demand and economic opportunities has been carried out in all 12 regions
- A policy document: a bottom – up approach in addressing the needs of vulnerable groups at risk of social exclusion has been developed and presented to the key stakeholders at National level.
- Awareness raising activities on fulfilment of legal obligation and enterprise social responsibility are organised
Devoirs et responsabilités
This final evaluation exercise will:
- Measure to what extent the SIVET project has fully implemented the activities, delivered outputs and attained outcomes and specifically measuring development results.
- Generate substantive evidence based knowledge, by identifying best practices and lessons learned and make recommendations for improved future assistance to Albania.
Evaluation scope and objectives
More specifically the Consultant will:
- assess the relevance of the overall project and the extent to which the development intervention's objectives were achieved;
- assess the efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project;
- look at the project as a whole, identifying good practices and lessons learned to be used as a knowledge base for developing future technical assistance packages;
- analyze strategies and implementation modalities so as to provide recommendations to be integrated in the planning process in Albania;
- review the project sustainability and potential life-long impact on Albania’s social and economic conditions.
Suggested Analytical Framework
The key evaluation criteria revolve around the following aspects:
Relevance: The Consultant will assess the degree to which the project takes into account the local context and development problems. The evaluation will review the extent to which the objectives of the project are consistent with beneficiary requirements and needs, and assess whether the approach was coherent with the Country's policies and Poverty Reduction Strategy objectives. The evaluation will also review the extent to which the project design was logical and coherent, and it will assess the link between activities and expected results, and between results and objectives to be achieved.
Effectiveness: The evaluation will assess the extent to which the Project's objectives have been achieved, compared to the overall project purpose. In evaluating effectiveness it is useful to consider: I) if the planning activities were coherent with the overall objectives and project purpose; 2) the analysis of principal factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives.
Impact: The evaluation will assess the main impact effectively achieved by the SIVET Project in the context of reference.
Sustainability: The evaluation will assess the project capacity to produce and to reproduce benefits over time. In evaluating the project sustainability it is useful to consider to what extent intervention benefits will continue even after the project is concluded and the principal factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the project sustainability.
Outputs and Deliverables
The consultant shall produce the following deliverables through the course of the assignment:
Work plan – within two days of the start of the assignment. The Consultant will submit the wok plan which will include a detailed approach and methodology and schedule. In particular, the work plan will require a clear approach to data collection and work organization to examine the project in its full scope.
Preliminary findings and draft evaluation report – within 10 days of the start of the assignment, the Consultant will share a draft report. The purpose of this report is to demonstrate progress on the assignment and adherence to the TORs, and will identify any evaluation issues that may need further clarification before completion of the assignment.
Presentation of findings – within 12 days of the start of the assignment a presentation of findings and preliminary recommendations to key stakeholders will be carried out. The purpose of this session is to provide opportunity for initial validation and support further elaboration of the evaluators’ findings and recommendations.
Final evaluation report – within a week of receiving the consolidated comments from projects’ stakeholders, the Consultant will submit a final document that addresses relevant comments and provides comprehensive reporting on all elements of the assignment. This report will be submitted to the SIVET project team for clearance.
Summary of the report - a two-page summary of the Project Evaluation Report should be provided in addition to the fully fledged evaluation report.
Evaluation Report Outline
As a minimum, the Evaluation Report (draft or final) shall include the following components (the exact structure of the report may be influenced by the project components and components of the Evaluation TOR):
Executive Summary; Introduction (Project outline; Methodology; Analysis; Findings; Best Practices and Lessons Learned; Recommendations; Relevant Annexes, for example: a. List of people interviewed; b. List of acronyms; c. Evaluation work plan and TOR; d. List of key reference documents)
Evaluation methodology
The evaluation will be carried out through the analysis of various sources of information including desk analysis, survey data stemming from the performance monitoring, as well as interviews with governmental counterparts and project partners and direct beneficiaries.
Management arrangements, work plan and time frame
Desk review - Review of key project documents (2 working days)
Field visit - The Consultant visits project sites, interviews stakeholders and beneficiaries and gathers additional information (5 working days)
Report drafting - The Consultant drafts the evaluation report (5 working days)
Presentation of findings - Workshop on the presentation of the draft report (1 working day)
Final report - The Consultant finalizes the report embedding the comments (2 working days)
It is expected that the Consultant will conduct consultations and meetings with representatives of the following institutions:
- UNDP Albania
- Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth
- National Employment Services
- Ministry of Education and Sports
- Select members of the Project National and Local Working Groups in Lezha, Elbasan and Fier
- VE schools and VET centres in Lezha, Elbasan and Fier
Evaluation Principles and Ethics
The evaluation should be conducted in accordance with the principles laid out in UNDP Evaluation Policy http://www.undp.org/evaluation/ and http://www.undp.org/evaluation/handbook/ and the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation” http://www.uneval.org/search/index.jsp?q=ethical+guidelines. and the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation” . and the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation” . and the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation” . and and the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation” .
Implementation Arrangements
The national consultant will have overall responsibility for the production of deliverables, in particular the evaluation report, and is ultimately accountable for its quality. The consultant is also responsible for facilitating the communication to ensure adequate consultations with all stakeholders and for reporting to UNDP on progress.
The Consultant will report to An Evaluation Reference Group which will be established and which will encompass representatives from Government, the ADC, UNDP, and ILO. The Evaluation Reference Group will provide guidance in the development of the work plan and ensure the monitoring of satisfactory completion of evaluation deliverables. In consultation with the Consultant and as requested, UNDP personnel will make available all relevant documentation and provide contact information to key project partners and stakeholders, and facilitate contact where needed.
Timeframe for the Evaluation Procces
The Evaluation is expected to start in November 2013 and have an expected total duration of 15 working days within a calendar month. The final work plan will be confirmed by the Consultant and upon submission of a draft work plan for discussion.
Compétences
- Knowledge on Social Inclusion and Labour Market strategies and approaches
- Excellent analytical skills
- Excellent communication and report-writing skills in English
Qualifications et expériences requises
Academic Qualifications/Education:
- Advanced Post-University Degree in International Development Cooperation, Economics or closely related field of studies
Experience:
- Substantial knowledge in the field of, and 7-10 years of experience with project evaluation in development cooperation contexts
- Experience in international project evaluation
- Prior organizational experience in the evaluation of projects executed by UNDP and ILO is an advantage
Language skills:
- Excellent working knowledge of English and Albanian.
Evaluation of Applicants
Individual consultant will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70
Criteria A: Professional Experience on project / programme evaluation – max points: 35
Criteria B: Educational Background– max points: 25
Criteria C: Effective writing skills – max points: 10
Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30
Application procedure
Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 4 November, 2013.
Please submit the following to demonstrate your interest and qualifications by explaining why you are the most suitable for the work:
- Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
- Filled P11 form (Personal History Form) for Service Contracts and Individual Contracts, including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (Blank form can be downloaded from http://www.undp.org.al/index.php?page=bus_center/vacancies ; please upload the P11 instead of your CV. ; please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
- Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other costs such as per diems, travel and incidental expenditures in project sites).
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested documents.
UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly. Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.