Background

The Bangladesh Parliament is a unicameral legislature consisting of 350 Members - 300 directly elected seats and 50 reserve seats for women appointed by political parties represented in Parliament. A large number of MPs come from the business sector and a large percentage of MPs are newcomers. The 10th Parliament convened in January 2014 with a total of 154 of the Members of Parliament elected unopposed. The Ruling AL Party holds 231 of the 300 elected seat and Jatiya Party (JP) now the main Opposition Party in the Parliament, holds 44. There are also 16 Independents and a handful of representatives from five other small parties The representation of the JP also a former ally of AL, was formed as a result of a series of trade-offs for parliamentary seats and ministerial appointments. The parliamentary election was conducted in an increasingly politically tense and repressive environment with restrictions to civil and political rights and human rights abuses involving both state and non-state actions were reported.

Success in building a robust parliament is dependent largely on the commitment of the elected government to implement its election manifesto commitments relating to strengthening parliament and the parliamentary authorities taking bold steps to reform and modernise the parliament working methods and strengthening its resources both human and technical.

As was identified at the start of the IPD Project the structural, procedural and political factors impact on the capacity of the Parliament to be an effective check and balance on the executive and effectively review government policy and expenditure. Secretariat and legislative support to parliamentary committees continues to need to be strengthened staff to be provided with the skills, expertise and resources to deliver a broader range of services that would allow the parliament to fulfil its constitutional mandate trough enhanced committees’ performance.

In this context, UNDP Bangladesh, in line with its Country Programme Action Plan with the Government of Bangladesh is committed to assist in strengthening the Parliament to improve its (i) legislative capacity, (ii) oversight functions and (iii) democratic practices through institutional and operational reforms.

A fifteen month UNDP Preparatory Assistance (PA) programme for Parliament, which involved strengthening the capacity of the institution and providing policy advice and technical support, concluded on 30 June 2010. Following extensive consultation and planning during the PA and with the approval of the Parliament and the government the 'Improving Democracy through Parliamentary Development' (IPD) project 2010 to 2014 commenced on 1 July 2010 budgeted at US$7.9m. The overall project objective is to assist the Parliament in effectively performing its role as legislative, representative and oversight body. To this end, the project has been working to seek to achieve the following four outputs:

• Parliament is supported by an independent, capable and service oriented secretariat;
• Parliamentary committees are able to effectively scrutinize executive actions, review public policy and the expenditure of public funds and take parliament to the people;
• The Speaker and Members of Parliament have the necessary support and resources to effectively undertake their respective roles and responsibilities;
• Parliament is able to effectively engage with the people of Bangladesh.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives:

In line with the requirements of the project document agreed between UNDP Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Parliament an independent Final Evaluation of the IPD project will assess the level of progress key benefits, achievements and possible gaps and validity of its overall approach, towards the achievement of the overall IPD project outcome and outputs. The evaluation findings will help to establish the extent to which the IPD project will reach its stated outcome before the end of the project in June 2014. The information and findings gathered as part of this final evaluation whilst looking specifically at the IPD project, will also address how the program has sought to incorporate gender and to the how gender has been mainstreamed into project activities.It will also provide recommendations with a forward-looking perspective about the possible future strategy, engagement and direction of support to the Bangladesh Parliament.

Looking forward:

• To assess the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of programme design and implementation in the context of Bangladesh;
• To assess outputs in relation to inputs and objectives, results achieved so far and their sustainability, and operational constraint to efficient implementation, operational and financial management of the project.
• To evaluate the success or otherwise of the IPD project NEX modality in terms of implementation and capacity of the counterpart to implement the NEX guidelines and any lessons learned;
• Extract lessons learned and best practices that can be considered in the planning and design of future support activities for the Bangladesh Parliament;
• Develop recommendations for the future direction, strategies (including about capacity development versus policy advice) and areas of possible focus for any future iteration of Parliamentary development support.

Illustrative methodology:

The Mission team will review existing documentation related to the Parliament of Bangladesh and the IPD Project, including the Programme Document (ProDoc), Technical Project Proposal (TPP), Project work plans, Project reports; RAS report 2013, IPD M&E Framework updated as of June 2013 as well as other relevant documents from other development partners working to support the Parliament of Bangladesh.

The Mission team will hold meetings and discussions with the Project beneficiaries and counterparts including the Speaker and/Deputy Speaker, Members of both 9th & 10th Parliamentary Standing Committees, relevant Parliament Secretariat officials both permanent and on deputation to the Parliament Secretariat, Members of Parliament, and the Government of Bangladesh leadership and supporting staff. The Mission will also meet with the Senior Secretary and National Project Director and other relevant actors including project management and technical staff, donors, UN personnel and strategic partners.

The team will be responsible for submitting the following outputs:

An inception report

Which contains the description of the evaluation methodology/methodological approach, data analysis methods, key informants/agencies, issues to be studied, work plan. Note the methodological approach will be devised by the team as a stand-alone document which will set out the approach and design for the evaluation in line with the UNEG/G (2010)1;

Executive Summary (max 6 pages);

Final Evaluation Report including (max 20 pages but excluding annexes):

• Executive Summary (maximum six pages);
• Programme description;
• Evaluation purpose;
• Evaluation methodology;
• Findings;
• Lessons learnt;
• Recommendations.
• Annexes (including interview list – without identifying names for the sake of confidentiality/anonymity, data collection instruments, key documents consulted, Terms of Reference).

Based on comments received on the drafts, the Mission Team Leader will finalize the deliverables, with inputs from the other evaluation team member, as required, and submit to UNDP at the end of the assignment.

A Power point presentation of preliminary findings will be developed in order to brief the key stakeholders and for wider dissemination purposes.

The Mission team should pay particular attention to the following criteria in the Final Evaluation:

• Relevance: Evaluate the logics and unity of the process in planning and designing the activities for supporting the Parliament of Bangladesh. Consider the extent to which the parliamentary and governance context has allowed the project to function;
• Efficiency: Evaluate the efficiency of the Programme implementation, the quality of the results achieved and the time/political constraints;
• Effectiveness: Conduct an assessment of management decisions vis-a-vis the cost effectiveness; and to which extend the Programme outputs have been effectively achieved;
• Impact: Evaluate the overall impact of the Project and its contribution to the development of the Parliament of Bangladesh;
• Sustainability: Assess the sustainability of results with specific focus on national capacity and ownership over the process.

In this Final Evaluation, the Mission team is expected to analyze all relevant information sources, such as annual reports, programme documents, internal review reports, programme files, strategic country development documents and any other documents that may provide evidence on which to form opinions. The team is also expected to use face to face interviews as a means to collect relevant data for the Final Evaluation.

The methodology and techniques to be used in the evaluation should be described in detail in the desk study report and the final evaluation report, and should contain, at minimum, information on the instruments used for data collection and analysis, whether these be documents, interviews, questionnaires or participatory techniques.

Scope of work and expected outputs / deliverables:

Review the status of the project:

• Assess the progress made to date in achieving the IPD goal/objectives of the project.
• Assess whether the project management and technical advisory structure and staffing was efficient and effective.
• Identify factors beyond UNDP’s control that influenced the project environment and impacted on the achievement of the project outcome.
• Assess approaches and strategies in developing institutional capacities.
• Assess the level of participation of stakeholders in the achievement of the desired outcome, as well as the effectiveness of such participation.
• Extract lessons learned and best practices that may be considered in the planning and design of future support initiatives.
• The continued relevance of project design, scope and priorities, including an analysis of the validity of objectives, project components, implementation arrangements, and management set-up with special emphasis on elements related to capacity building.
• An in-depth review of the implementation of various project components with a view to identifying the level of achievement of the planned project outputs, the contribution to institutional development and sustainable human capacities and; in cases of no effective achievement, analyze the underlying reasons and provide recommendations for improvements.
• Assess the project’s strengths and weaknesses.

Plan for future intervention:

• Develop recommendations and ideas for the possible future direction, strategies (including on capacity development vs policy advice) and areas of potential for any future legislative assistance support and the project focus as per the findings.

Identify cross cutting areas to be incorporated in future legislative development support:

• Looking forward and with concrete ideas, consider feasible initiatives that could be considered in the context of a broader parliamentary reform agenda, including the promotion and integration of specific cross-cutting issues such as anti-corruption, gender mainstreaming, human rights , poverty reduction strategies, the (post) Millennium Development Goals, engagement of civil society, marginalized disadvantaged groups regions. The mission should seek to incorporate into the forward look ideas and strategies with concrete and feasible initiatives that could further the reform agenda on such issues.

For the purposes of conducting this Final Evaluation review, the Mission team should also evaluate any modifications that were made to the objectives/components of the IPD project. To this effect it is recommended to consider priorities in terms of areas of focus; emerging issues in each of the project components; prevailing and current political context which could have impacted on the original intervention logic of the IPD Project; composition and roles of the project management and technical team and; budgetary aspects of the project and the sustainability of the interventions undertaken by IPD. Recommendations and solutions to the shortcomings and obstacles identified must be provided for each of the issues identified as part of the broader lessons learned.

The consultant will produce the following reports/deliverables:

• A draft Final Evaluation report on the mission findings (achievements and challenges), lessons learned and recommendations. The report should include: (1) Executive Summary, (2) Introduction, (3) Methodology, (4) Analysis of the status of the Project with regard to key components, outcomes, outputs, and implementation strategies, (5) Assessment of the context (political, donor environment, etc.) for programming in the coming years, (6) Key findings, best practices and lessons learned, and (7) Conclusions and recommendations reflecting the most likely scenarios for future developments in terms of further legislative support which could be useful to development partners when designing future democratic governance assistance.
• An Executive Summary and recommendations including the potential future strategy which could be used to initiate dialogue with donors and other stakeholders on future approaches to parliamentary development in Bangladesh.
• De-briefing session where evaluators will present a summary of the findings and recommendations to UNDP, Parliament and other stakeholders and development partners in order to receive their feedback on findings and preliminary recommendations.
• Review of the IPD project Results Framework with recommendations.
• Recommendations about the effectiveness of the risk logs and whether the risks identified were managed effectively.
• Final Evaluation Report incorporating earlier feedback.

Supervision and Performance Evaluation:

The Team Leader of the Final Evaluation will supervise and collaborate with the other international team member. The Final Evaluation Mission Team will report to the Chief Technical Adviser and on a day to day basis will report to the designated IPD Project Officer and as necessary will work closely with the Parliament Secretariat including the IPD NPD. The Team will also receive guidance from the UNDP SM.

Timeframe and deadlines:

The assignment will be for 20 working days and tentatively scheduled during the period from April 27 to May 20 2014 (based on a 6 day work week) as per the below timetable.

The IPD project will facilitate the work of the mission before and during its stay in Bangladesh, including preparing a schedule of meetings and interviews, facilitating interpretation/ translation support and transport for official purposes and, producing the necessary background information for the review process.

Action, Timeline and Location:

• Desk review of relevant documents for 3 days (Home based).
• Planning and data collection through interviews, discussions and field work for 7 days (Dhaka based).
• Submission of draft report  for 3 days (Dhaka based).
• Presentation of findings for 1 day  (Dhaka based).
• Draft report submission to the IPD CTA for 3 days (Home based).
• Submission of final report for 3 days (Home based).

Composition of the Evaluation Team:

The IPD Final Evaluation will be undertaken by a team of two. One international consultant will serve as the Team Leader for the evaluation and the second international consultant will be a team member.

International Parliamentary Development Expert Team Leader (1)

The Parliamentary Development Expert will lead the mission to evaluate the final results, achievements and constraints in the implementation of the Project Improving Democracy through Parliamentary development (IPD) 2010- 2014 and will provide recommendations for any possible future engagement. The Team Leader will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring that a high quality mission report is developed and delivered in a timely manner.

The responsibilities of the other team member as part of the final evaluation assignment include;

International Governance, capacity development Expert Team Member (1)

The International Governance capacity development expert team member will contribute her/his expertise to contextualize and assess the final evaluation results, achievements and constraints in the implementation of the Project Improving Democracy through Parliamentary development (IPD) 2010- 2014 and provide recommendations for any possible future strategy. The Team Member will be responsible for collaborating with the assignment Team Leader to help develop and deliver a high quality mission report in a timely manner.

Inputs:

The Consultant(s) will be provided with the following professional supports and physical facilities:

• The Consultant(s) will be provided space at the IPD office and will be to work off site whenever necessary. The Consultant(s) will use her/his own computer.

Key documents for background information:

• Detailed Project Document/TPP;
• Minutes of PIC and PSC meetings;
• Work plans for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014;
• Budgets for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. 2014;
• Annual progress/financial project reports 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014;
• M&E Survey results and reports;
• Mid Term review March 2013;
• Technical reports on parliamentary development and governance in Bangladesh;
• Relevant project expert reports in areas of representation, gender, library and research, ICT etc.;
• Relevant documents on other donors’ programmes.

Competencies

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Demonstrable client based and results-oriented approach to work;
• Demonstrated ability to work with and lead a team;
• Prior experience of working with UNDP is an advantage;
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritise multiple tasks and work with neutrality in a highly political environment;
• Demonstrated cultural sensitiveness and sound judgment.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Social/Political Sciences, Law or other relevant field.

Experience:

• More than 15 years of experience in Parliamentary Development at international level;
• At least five years of experience conducting reviews and evaluations of parliamentary development programmes;
• Experience in formulating development strategies and policies in the democratic governance/parliamentary development sector with emphasis on post-conflict/transition countries;
• Good experience/understanding of the functioning of the parliamentary institution in the commonwealth system;
• Experience of working in South Asia would be an advantage.

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation of the Candidates:

• Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:
  

Cumulative analysis:

The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. When using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
  

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for Financial Evaluation.

Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks)

• At least five years of experience conducting and producing written reviews and evaluations of parliamentary development programmes. (20 marks);
• Experience in formulating development strategies and policies in the democratic governance/parliamentary development sector with emphasis on post-conflict/transition countries. (20 marks);
• Good understanding/experience of the functioning of the parliamentary institutions in the commonwealth system. (15 marks);
• Work experience with UN or other International Organizations. (15 marks).

Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)

All technical yqualified proposals will be scored out 30 based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals received points according to the following formula:
                p = y (μ/z)
where:
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
μ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: 

Financial proposal:

The offer must include the Daily Consultancy Fee in USD including all expenses with a detail break-down. Payment will be made upon completion of the entire contract. 

Personal P-11 form including past experience in similar projects and at least 2 references.

Attention:

Please, note that while uploading application on the web-site, your application should contain all the docs mentioned above: Financial Proposal, CV, Personal P-11 form - All together as one set. Incomplete applications might be rejected.