Background

This is the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the UNDP-GEF Midterm Review (MTR) of the full-sized project titled Climate Proofing Local Development Gains in Rural and Urban Areas of Machinga and Mangochi Districts (PIMS#4508). The project is implemented by the Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining with support from Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is to be undertaken in year 2017. The project started on 24th July 2014 and is in its third year of implementation. In line with the UNDP-GEF Guidance on MTRs, this MTR process was initiated before the submission of the second Project Implementation Report (PIR). This ToR sets out the expectations for this MTR.  The MTR process must follow the guidance outlined in the document; Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects.  

The project was designed to: secure the development and food security gains from the baseline programs by empowering communities to integrate climate risk considerations in the development policies, plans, projects and actions.   The project’s outcomes are as follows:

  • Outcome 1: The impact of ecosystems degradation in aggravating vulnerability to climate change risks and reducing resilience of development gains understood and integrated into key decision-making processes at the local, sub-national and national levels.
  • Outcome 2: Skills and operational capacity of District, EPA and TA level technical officers to support implementation, maintenance and monitoring of the activities under component 1 and to mainstream climate risks into all local development process (skills, legislation, information)
  • Outcome 3: Public and domestic water harvesting, storage and distribution reduces climate change driven flooding and regulates availability of water throughout the year in flood & drought hotspots
  • Outcome 4: Rehabilitation of badly degraded forests, protection of riverbanks, lake shores and urban infrastructure
  • Outcome 5: Productivity of agriculture supported by adoption of climate smart agriculture practices

Duties and Responsibilities

The MTR will be carried out by an independent international consultant with experience and exposure to projects and evaluations in other regions globally.   

The MTR consultant will first conduct a document review of project documents (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, Project Document, ESSP, Project Inception Report, PIRs, Finalized GEF focal area Tracking Tools, Project Appraisal Committee meeting minutes, Financial and Administration guidelines used by Project Team, project operational guidelines, manuals and systems, etc.) provided by EAD and UNDP Project Team. Then they will participate in a MTR inception workshop to clarify their understanding of the objectives and methods of the MTR, producing the MTR inception report thereafter. The MTR mission will then consist of interviews and site visits to Machinga and Mangochi districts.

The MTR consultant will assess the following four categories of project progress and produce a draft and final MTR report. See the Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects for requirements on ratings. No overall rating is required.

Project Strategy
Project Design: 

  • Review the problem addressed by the project and the underlying assumptions. 
  • Review the effect of any incorrect assumptions or changes to the context to achieving the project results as outlined in the Project Document.
  • Review the relevanced of the project strategy and assess whether it provides the most effective route towards expected/intended results.   
  • Review how the project addresses country priorities
  • Review decision-making processes 

Results Framework/Logframe:

  • Undertake a critical analysis of the project’s logframe indicators and targets, assess how “SMART” the midterm and end-of-project targets are (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timebound), and suggest specific amendments/revisions to the targets and indicators as necessary.
  • Examine if progress so far has led to, or could in the future catalyse beneficial development effects (i.e. income generation, gender equality and women’s empowerment, improved governance etc...) that should be included in the project results framework and monitored on an annual basis.  

Progress Towards Results:

  • Review the logframe indicators against progress made towards the end-of-project targets; populate the Progress Towards Results Matrix, as described in the Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects; colour code progress in a “traffic light system” based on the level of progress achieved; assign a rating on progress for the project objective and each outcome; make recommendations from the areas marked as “not on target to be achieved” (red). 
  • Compare and analyse the GEF Tracking Tool at the Baseline with the one completed right before the Midterm Review.
  • Identify remaining barriers to achieving the project objective.
  • By reviewing the aspects of the project that have already been successful, identify ways in which the project can further expand these benefits.

Project Implementation and Adaptive Management:
Using the Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects; assess the following categories of project progress: 

  • Management Arrangements
  • Work Planning
  • Finance and co-finance
  • Project-level monitoring and evaluation systems
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Reporting
  • Communications 

Sustainability:

  • Assess overall risks to sustainability factors of the project in terms of the following four categories:
  • Financial risks to sustainability
  • Socio-economic risks to sustainability
  • Institutional framework and governance risks to sustainability
  • Environmental risks to sustainability 

The MTR consultant will include a section in the MTR report setting out the MTR’s evidence-based conclusions, in light of the findings.

Additionally, the MTR consultant is expected to make recommendations to the Project Team. Recommendations should be succinct suggestions for critical intervention that are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. A recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary. The MTR consultant/team should make no more than 15 recommendations total. 

Competencies

The selection of consultants will be aimed at maximizing the overall “team” qualities in the following areas:

  • Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and climate change vulnerability and adaptation; experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
  • Excellent communication skills;
  • Demonstrable analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

  • A Master’s degree in Geography, Environment, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or other closely related field.

Years of experience:

  • Work experience in relevant technical areas for at least 7 years;
  • ecent experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies;
  • Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios;
  • Competence in adaptive management, as applied to Climate Change Adaptation;
  • Experience working with the GEF or GEF-evaluations;
  • Experience working in Southern Africa/Malawi;
  • Project evaluation/review experiences within United Nations system will be considered an asset.

Language:

  • Fluent in English.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their    qualifications:

Proposal;

  • Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
  • Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work (if applicable)

Financial proposal;

Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Financial  Proposal:
This will be a lump sum contract. Financial proposals must be “all inclusive” and expressed in a lump-sum for the total duration of the contract. The term “all inclusive” implies all cost (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances etc.);

Note: Payments will be based on invoices on achievement of agreed milestones i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR and certification of acceptance by the UNDP. The applicant must factor in all possible costs in his/her “All Inclusive Lump Sum Fee/Daily Fee” financial proposal including his/her consultancy and professional fee, honorarium, accommodation, communication cost such as telephone/internet usage, printing cost, ad-hoc costs, stationery costs, and any other foreseeable costs in this exercise. UNDP (project) will provide transportation for field travel, however the consultant is responsible for covering their accommodation/meals/incidental expenses for such travel. No costs other than what has been indicated in the financial proposal will be paid or reimbursed to the consultant.

The lump sum is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components.  No costs other than what has been indicated in the financial proposal will be paid or reimbursed to the consultant.

Schedule of Payments:

  • 20% of payment upon signing of contract
  • 30% approval of the MTR Inception Report
  • 40% upon submission of the draft MTR Report
  • 10% upon finalization of the MTR Report

Evaluation
Technical:
Criteria A:  Professional experience:

  • A Master’s degree in Geography, Environment, Social Sciences, Development Studies, or other closely related field
  • A minimum work experience in relevant technical areas for at least 7 years;
  • Experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies;
  • Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios;
  • Competence in adaptive management, as applied to Climate Change Adaptation; 20 points.

Criteria B: Contextual experience and proven skills

  • Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and climate change vulnerability and adaptation;
  • Experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis research or academic and consultancy experience, with practical knowledge in Climate change and working on climate change policies and strategies, experience working with the GEF or GEF-evaluations;
  • Experience working in LDC especially Southern Africa/Malawi; 20 points.

Criteria C: Technical Proposal

  • Soundness of methodology proposed and schedule in technical proposal; 30 points.

Financial: Cost-effectiveness, 30 points.

Proposal should be submitted through the following email address:  procurementmw@undp.org no later than 28th May 2017 by 5pm Malawi local time.

The documents can be seen on the link below:

http://procurement-notices-admin.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=37416&view=admin

Consultant Independence:

  • The consultants cannot have participated in the project preparation, formulation, and/or implementation (including the writing of the Project Document) and should not have a conflict of interest with project’s related activities.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to the address or e-mail indicated above. [The procuring UNDP entity] will respond in writing or by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.