Background

The project, “Implementation of Comprehensive and Long Term Traffic and Transport Strategy” was signed between UNDP, General Secretariat for Supreme Council for Planning and Ministry of Interior as implementing partner for the period 2014-2016, and later extended for a two year period ending in 2018.  This project is a continuation of activities of a previous project 2009-2013 whose major accomplishment had been the facilitation of development of National Traffic and Transport Strategy for Kuwait 2010-2020.   The total approved budget of the project is 9,697,385 USD.

In 2016, the project underwent substantive revision to align more closely with priorities of General Department of Traffic (GDT) of MOI. The two-year extension of the project reflects the alignment of project with evolving institutional priorities of GDT in the area of supporting transition to e government

The initial project aims were to (1) build a National Traffic Information System (NTIS) with Geographical Information System which will provide decision makers and practitioners with reliable data for efficient policy development and implementation schemes; (2) establish National Black Spot System to minimize the social and economic cost of accidents and enhance road safety and (3) develop capacity building and human resources development program which will provide training and better skills, to strength institutional performance, learning and transfer of modern techniques and improve ability to implement work plans efficiently. 

To respond to above listed obstacles, the project was formulated with following main objectives:

• Establishment of a National Traffic Information System (NTIS), with Geographical Information System (GIS) functions, for gathering, analysis, reporting and dissemination of relevant data, to permit the true scale, nature and characteristics of traffic problems to be properly defined and remedial measures adopted by the relevant Government agencies.
• Establishment of a National Black Spot System (NBSS) to introduce more efficient “safety-conscious” road design and traffic management schemes and enhance road safety
• Development of traffic and road safety awareness campaign including establishment of new traffic police unites in various Governorates.
• Capacity Building of the national cadres of the GDT and other agencies and provide support for establishment of National Centres of Excellence in partnership with well-regarded international bodies, to provide decision-makers and practitioners with efficient capability to promote leadership in various traffic, enforcement and transport areas.

It is expected that the project will contribute to increasing the capabilities of General Department of Traffic and other stakeholders in effective and sustainable management of traffic in Kuwait.

The following main performance indicators are formulated for the project:

• Operation of integrated national traffic information system
• Establishment of National Blackspot system
• Establishment of national road safety centre of excellence and national training and development centre of excellence

The revision of the project in 2016 has, in addition to continuing some key activities, refocused the project on meeting new key priorities related to enhancing transition to e-government within GDT.  Such new priorities include the implementation of second phase of correspondence system, implementation of electronic document archiving system, implementation of electronic driving license issuance system and implementation of training software progamme system.

The project is implemented in accordance with UNDP national implementation modality (NIM) whereby MOI represented by GDT is the implementing partner. The main national counterparts are the Ministry of Interior and General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD), which is the executing entity for the project and UNDP’s national counterpart for overall programme in the country.

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

The mid-term evaluation is undertaken with the aim of gaining a deep understanding of project development impact.  This will involve assessing project progress toward its stated objectives as well as contribution to relevant country programme outcome.

The evaluation is intended to draw on lessons learned and achievements of projects so far to determine what can be done to achieve better project results and identify what improvements and adjustments can be made that would ensure achievement of project goals by the end of 2018.

The mid-term evaluation is launched by UNDP Kuwait with support of Regional Bureau of Arab States.  The findings of the evaluation will enable UNDP and key stakeholders to gain a deeper independent perspective of project’s progress toward the intended results in order to adjust the design and/or strategy, make informed decisions and choices and consider alternative approaches to achieving project results.

Duties and Responsibilities

EVALUATION SCOPE AND CRITERIA

The mid-term evaluation should cover implementation of the project in its second phase 2014-2018. The geographical scope of the evaluation is the State of Kuwait. The mid-term evaluation will focus on the extent of project achievements in meeting the identified priority areas needs and the project’s response to those needs as they have evolved over the lifespan of the project.  The evaluation should also cover the project concept and design, results and outputs, and provide information for further enhancement of the project’ s monitoring and evaluation strategy.

The scope should include findings, lessons learned and recommendations in the following areas:

• An analysis of how efficiently project planning and implementation are carried out. This includes assessing to which extent organizational structure, managerial support and coordination mechanism used by UNDP supports the project,
• Whether there has been progress made towards achievement of the project results,
• Whether the project addresses the identified needs/problem (relevance) taking into consideration evolving context and institutional priorities,
• Recommendations for future implementations and follow-up by MOI.

The scope should also include issues of:

• Relevance and attainability of the objectives;
• The usefulness of results and outcomes;
• Sustainability of expected results and benefits;
• Problems and constraints encountered during implementation;
• Project’s contribution to human and institutional capacity building. 

The evaluation should review following aspects of the project:

• Effectiveness: Is the project achieving satisfactory progress toward its stated objectives?
• Appropriateness: Is the project the appropriate solution to the problem?
• Relevance: Are the project objectives still relevant? What is the value of the project in relation to other priority needs and efforts in the sector? Is the problem addressed still a major problem?

• Impact: What difference has the project made to beneficiaries? What are the social, economic, technical, environmental, and other effects on individuals, communities, and institutions – either short-, medium-, or long-term; intended or unintended; positive and negative; on a micro- or macro-level?
• Sustainability: Is the activity likely to continue after end of the project? Do the beneficiaries accept the project, are they willing to continue, and is the host institution developing the capacity and motivation to administer it?

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Evaluation methods suggested to be used by the evaluation expert includes:

• Document review, this will include all major documents such as the project document and its revision, progress reports, implementing partners’ reports, self-evaluations of trainings etc (desk study);
• In country interviews with all key informants and key players: Ministry of Interior (General Directorate for Traffic), General Secretariat for Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD), UNDP and other relevant stakeholders

The evaluation expert should present a detailed statement of proposed evaluation methods.

The evaluation team should consist of one independent evaluation expert without prior involvement in the project “Implementation of Comprehensive and Long Term Traffic and Transport Strategy”.

The evaluators will not act as representatives of any party and should remain independent and impartial throughout the evaluation.

Competencies

• Possess a solid understanding of the institutional arrangements and resources required to carry out the scope of works;
• Demonstrate flexibility in the event adjustments are required based on the findings, both at the organizational and technical levels, for successful implementation of the consultancy;
• Experience in working with government institutions in GCC countries/Arab region and UN, is an added advantage;
• Personal skills: team work and cooperation; capability to work with diverse stakeholders; communication; strong drafting skills; analytical skills; negotiation skills.
• Experience in evaluations in the UN system, preferably as team leader;
• Demonstrate competence in report writing, presenting information and consulting with stakeholders;
• Strong communication, drafting, presentation and reporting skills; 
• Written and spoken proficiency in English is required, Knowledge of Arabic Language will be an added value.
• Proves integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards and diversity;

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with specialized training in areas such as monitoring and evaluation, social statistics, advanced social science research and analysis.

II. Years of experience:

• 5-10 years’ progressive experience in the planning, monitoring and management of modernization and upgrading of technical capacities (ICT, automation, information management systems and institutional capacity building) of government counterparts.
• Experience in monitoring and managing traffic and road safety projects with capacity building component is an asset.
   

EVALUATION

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
4. Technical proposal with clear methodology presented,

(i) Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

(ii) Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work

Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  If an Offeror 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 Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.