Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels. UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund, which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground

Afghanistan Sustainable Energy for Rural Development (ASERD)

The Afghanistan Sustainable Energy for Rural Development (ASERD) programme developed by MRRD and UNDP is contributing since 2016 to increasing the access to thermal energy and electricity through a technology neutral approach, in rural communities in Afghanistan. By the end of the project in 2021, it is expected this will result in increasing the access to electricity, clean cooking and heating options and will contribute to rural economic development and a tangible reduction in the pre-mature deaths of women and children due to indoor air pollution. The project will pilot seven innovative financing models which once successful will be mainstreamed. The project will also establish conducive policy and regulatory frameworks and capacity development of key stakeholders. It is envisaged that the project will establish a sustainable rural energy supply approach which can be scaled up beyond the project period.

The programme focuses on the following areas:

Output 1: Rural Energy Services increased in targeted areas: This output will seek to provide rural energy services – both electrical and thermal energy to rural village communities/Community Development Council. The output involves providing electricity using mini and micro-grids with a clear preference for larger mini-grids and will provide thermal energy services through renewable energy and energy efficient systems and devices through a finance-service arrangement.

Output 2: Rural energy policy and regulations developed: This output will create a favorable policy environment for rural energy efforts. The output will support the development of technical and environmental protection standards and a quality assurance framework for rural energy equipment, specific legal and policy instruments to implement and enforce the Rural Renewable Energy Policy; regulations for governing interface between mini-grids and the national grid and creating a fiscal and financial incentive framework.

Output 3: Innovative approaches to delivering rural energy piloted in target areas: This output will involve the piloting of seven pilot rural energy service delivery models such as a 5P model, a rural economic zone, a private investment de-risking mechanism, migrant remittances linked rural energy service model, women’s thermal energy service linked to carbon finance, Kuchi women’s portable energy pilot and a mobile telephony linked rural energy service model.

Output 4: Capacity of rural communities and relevant institutions developed: This output will support the institutional capacity development of Rural Energy and Enterprise Directorate, MRRD, training and capacity building of banks/Financial Institutions; build capabilities of research, education and training institutions; carry out generic promotion and outreach; establishment and maintenance of a website; establish an MIS for the programme; carry out analytical and policy research and publication of key reports.

Against this background, UNDP is seeking an International Consultant to perform the tasks as described in the section of this ToR Scope of Work and Deliverables below.

Duties and Responsibilities

Evaluation Scope and Objectives

The Mid-term Evaluation (MTE) will assess progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes mentioned above and as specified in the ASERD Project Document and assess early signs of project success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made to set the project on-track to help achieve its intended results.  The MTE will also review the project’s approach and methodology, its risks to results impact and sustainability and make recommendations to improve the project over the remainder of its lifetime.  

The objectives of the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) are to:

1. Assist the recipient Government, beneficiaries, UNDP and, as appropriate, the concerned partners and stakeholders, to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability, impact and replicating the existing model of the project;

2. Provide feedback to all parties to improve the policy, planning, appraisal, implementation and monitoring phases; and

3. Ensure accountability for results to the project’s financial backers, stakeholders and beneficiaries.

The questions regarding aspects of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the project will cover the design, start-up, project management, and project implementation phases from 1st January 2016 to 31st December 2021.

MTE Approach and methodology

The MTE must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The consultant will review all relevant sources of information including documents (reference the 'Documents to be consulted' section below). The consultant will also interview all relevant stakeholders including all parties who have been contracted by the project or participate in meetings and discussions with the project. The consultant is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach ensuring close engagement of all stakeholders (See section below: ‘Evaluation Target Groups and sources of information’).

The consultant will produce an Evaluation Inception Report based on a review of all relevant documents and initial consultations and present it to the UNDP Livelihoods and Resilience Unit, the Programme Strategy and Results Unit (PSR), UNDP Senior Management and other stakeholders to explain the objectives and methods adopted for the mid-term evaluation.

In addition to the Evaluation inception report, the consultant will produce:

1. an Initial findings presentation on the final day of the in-country mission to Afghanistan,

2. a Draft evaluation report, and

3. a Final evaluation report

Evaluation Questions:

Relevance:

1. Is the project design appropriate to address the substantive problem that the project is intended to address? How useful are the project outputs to the needs of the target beneficiaries?

2. What is the value of intervention in relation to the national and international partners’ policies and priorities (including SDG, One- UN and UNDP Country Programme Document, Corporate Strategic Plan; ANPDF/NPPs, etc)?

3. Are the project objectives consistent with substantive needs, and realistic in consideration of technical capacity, resources and time available for a good model to be replicated and scale up?

Efficiency:

1. To what extent were project start-up activities completed on schedule?

2. How well is the project managed, and how could it be managed better?

3. Is there an appropriate mechanism for monitoring the progress of the project? If yes, is there adequate usage of results/data for programming and decision making?

4. What is the project status with respect to target outputs in terms of quality and timeliness?

5. What is the potential that the project will successfully achieve the desired target and initiatives could be replicated?

6. What are the potential challenges/risks that may prevent the project from producing the intended results?

Effectiveness:

1. Are the project’s objectives and outcomes clearly articulated, feasible, realistic?

2. Are the underlying assumptions on which the project intervention has been based valid? Is there a clear and relevant Theory of Change?

3. If there were delays in project start-up, what were the causes of delay, and what was the effectiveness of corrective measures undertaken? Do start-up problems persist?

4. To what extent has the project implemented activities as envisaged? To what extent have those activities contributed to achieving the project objectives?

5. What factors have contributed to achieving/not achieving the intended results?

6. To what extent have the project implementation modalities been appropriate to achieve the overall objectives?

7. To what extent has the project managed to implement activities across the target project locations?

8. To what extent do external factors, such as logistical or security constraints, have impact on project implementation?

9. To what extent is the project logic, concept and approach appropriate and relevant to achieving the objectives?

Impact:

1. What is the wider perception of the project, its image, applicability and performance? Are project communications effective in positively promoting the project to a wider audience?

2. What are the results (or preliminary results) of the intervention in terms changes in the lives of beneficiaries against set indicators?

Sustainability

1. What are the Implementing Partner’s resources, motivation and ability to continue project activities in the future?

2. Is there adequate all-party commitment to the project objectives and chosen approach?

3. To what extent is there constructive cooperation among the project partners? What are the levels of satisfaction of government counterparts, donors and beneficiaries?

4. What has been the quality of execution of the implementing partner, and if applicable where are there specific areas for improvement?

5. What is the likelihood that the project results will be sustainable in terms of systems, institutions, financing and anticipated impact?

6. What is needed for the project intervention to be adapted/replicated further?

Conclusions and Recommendations:

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

2. What corrective actions are recommended for the design, start-up phase, managerial arrangements and project implementation, including sustainability, of the project? An actionable recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary.

3. What actions are recommended to follow up or reinforce initial benefits from the project?

4. What are the main lessons that can be drawn from the project experience that may have generic application?

Evaluation Target Groups and sources of information:

The consultant should strive to reach as many people as possible, ensuring diversity of various stakeholder groups, as well as to review existing reports and data for an enriched evaluation. 

A provisional list of stakeholder groups that should be consulted during the evaluation is given below and will be updated once the consultant is on board:

1. Government of Afghanistan:MRRD, and its various departments including relevant Directorates, DRRD.

2. Beneficiaries: MRRD and its various departments including relevant Directorates, DRRD, targeted rural communities/CDCs

3. International Organizations: Korean Embassy, GIZ, USAID other relevant stakeholders

4. Donor: Republic of Korea

5. UNDP Country Office

6. ASERD Project Staff in Kabul and Nangarhar

Expected Outputs, Deliverables and Timelines:

The following key deliverables are expected from this assignment:

1. Evaluation inception report—An inception report should be prepared by the evaluators before going into the fully-fledged data collection exercise. It should detail the evaluators’ understanding of what is being evaluated and why, showing how each evaluation question will be answered by way of: proposed methods, proposed sources of data and data collection procedures. The inception report should include a proposed schedule of tasks, activities and deliverables for each task or product. The inception report provides UNDP and the consultant evaluator with an opportunity to verify that they share the same understanding about the evaluation and clarify any misunderstanding at the outset. The Evaluation inception report should outline a clear overview of the mid-term review approach, including:

   • The purpose, objective, and scope of the review

   • The approach should include a summary of the data collection method, and the criteria on which the methodologies were adopted

   • A proposed work plan including a schedule of tasks, activities, and deliverables

   • A mid-term review matrix, specifying the main review criteria and the indicators or benchmarks against which the criteria will be assessed

   • Any limitations for the mid-term review

2. Initial findings presentation — An initial findings presentation and report, presented on the last day of the MTE mission.

3. Draft evaluation report—Full draft report and annexes should be submitted, UNDP and key stakeholders in the evaluation will review the draft evaluation report to ensure that the evaluation meets the required quality criteria. See section below ‘Suggested Template for the Mid-Term Evaluation Report’.  
4. Final evaluation report - Revised report with audit trail detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final MTE report

Working Arrangements:

The Consultant will work under the overall substantive guidance of the Head of the Livelihood and Resilience Unit with the PSRT Unit (for evaluation process and methodology) and overall logistical coordination with ASERD Project Manager and or designated L&R Programme Officer.

Duration of the Work

The whole assignment is foreseen for a period of two months with maximum of 35 working days. The tentative assignment for both tasks is as follows:

Duty Station

The ASERD project works in two provinces, Kabul and Nangarhar. The consultant will be guided by the reporting requirements of this assignment. Options for site visits to Nangarhar should be provided in the Inception Report, following discussions with UNDP Afghanistan and the Project Manager.

The consultant is expected to be in Afghanistan for a period of 15 days in a single visit and remainder of the time will be home based for desk review, report writing and editing.

Evaluation Competencies and Ethics:

The Evaluation will follow UNDP and UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) guidelines on the ethical participation of beneficiaries and children. In addition, all participants in the study will be fully informed about the nature and purpose of the evaluation and their requested involvement. Only participants who have given their written or verbal consent (documented) will be included in the evaluation. Specific mechanisms for feeding back results of the evaluation to stakeholders will be included in the elaborated methodology. All the documents, including data collection, entry and analysis tools, and all the data developed or collected for this consultancy are the intellectual property of UNDP-Afghanistan and project IP, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). The Evaluation team members may not publish or disseminate the Evaluation Report, data collection tools, collected data or any other documents produced from this consultancy without the express permission of and acknowledgement of UNDP and MRRD.

Documents to be consulted:

ASERD Project Document and revised Nangarhar Project document including annexes and Annual Workplans and project budget revisions, project reports including Annual Project Reports (APR), Quarterly Project Report (QPR), Back to Office reports, ad-hoc project activity progress reports, report or other documents produced by Implementing Partner, Meeting minutes including: Project Board and Technical working group meeting minutes, Terms Of Reference, including for the Technical Working Group, procurement for Job Creation, TORs for project personnel including UNDP staff and NTA modality, correspondence with the donor, any other materials that the consultant considers useful for this evidence-based review.

Sample Evaluation Matrix:

The evaluation matrix is a tool that the consultant evaluator will create as a map and reference in planning and conducting an evaluation. It also serves as a useful tool for summarizing and visually presenting the evaluation design and methodology for discussions with stakeholders. This will complement the Project’s M&E plan for each indicator. A sample Evaluation Matrix is provided below:

Management of the Evaluation:

The consultant is responsible for ensuring that the evaluation function is fully operational, and that evaluation work is conducted according to the highest professional standards.

Suggested Template for the Mid-Term Evaluation Report:

Executive summary

• Should include Recommendation Summary Table

Purpose of the evaluation

• Restate the purpose of the UNDP mid-term project evaluation

• How this evaluation fits into project cycle and project planning/review activities

Evaluation methodology

• Methods used

• Workplan

Background

• Country context (policy, institutional environment with relevance to ASERD programme intervention)

• Project rationale

• Project status (implementation, financial)

   

Evaluation:

• Evaluation Questions should be answered under the headings as outlined in the TOR
• Relevance
• Efficiency
• Effectiveness
• Impact
• Sustainability

1. Any other pertinent issues that need addressing or which may or should influence future project direction and UNDP engagement in the country.

   Conclusions and Recommendations:

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

3. What corrective actions are recommended for the design, start-up phase, managerial arrangements and project implementation, including sustainability, of the project? A recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary.

4. What actions are recommended to follow up or reinforce initial benefits from the project?

5. What are the main lessons that can be drawn from the project experience that may have generic application?

Annexes

To include, at minimum:

1. Evaluation Follow-up Matrix (sample template provided)

2. List of people interviewed/focus group discussions, etc

3. Tools/questionnaires used

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

1. Daily Fee – The Consultant shall propose a daily fee which should be inclusive of his/her professional fee, local communication cost, insurance (inclusive of medical health and medical evacuation etc.), equipment, and other costs required for performance of the contract but excluding travel, visa and DSA. The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is 35 working days over a contract duration of 2 months.

2. DSA – The Consultant shall be separately paid the DSA as per applicable UNDP rate for stay in Kabul and travel to other locations as per actual number of nights spent in Kabul or other locations. Deductions from DSA shall be made as per applicable UNDP policy when accommodation and other facilities are provided by UNDP. An estimated provision in this regard shall be included in the contract. The consultant need not quote for DSA in Financial Proposal.

3. Accommodation in Kabul - The Consultants are NOT allowed to stay in a place of their choice other than the UNDSS approved places in Kabul, Afghanistan. UNDP will provide accommodation to the Consultant for the duration of the stay in Afghanistan in UNDSS approved places. Deductions in this regard shall be made from DSA payment as per applicable UNDP Policy.

4. Travel – The Consultant shall include lumpsum cost of travel per trip for Home-Kabul-Home (estimated 1 trip) in the Financial Proposal. Any other travel for work, originating from Kabul shall be payable by UNDP separately as per applicable Policy.

5. Visa – UNDP shall facilitate visa requirements and reimburse the visa cost, if any.

Payment schedule - Payments towards remuneration/fee shall be linked to deliverables and shall be made on certification of completion of deliverables and submission of certified timesheet. Payment towards travel shall be made on an instance of actual travel and shall be cost-reimbursable limited to the amount quoted in Financial Proposal. Payments towards DSA, Visa, etc. shall be cost-reimbursable, as specified above.

Competencies

Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;

• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;

• Maturity combined with tact and diplomacy;

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in political science, sociology, international development, international relations, international economics, law, public administration, social science, evaluation,

Experience:

• At least 10 years of working experience in evaluation and social research, with at least 5 years working experience with developing countries and a demonstrated understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by post conflict countries;

• Proven experience in evaluating projects/programmes of UN or development agencies (preferably UNDP).

• Strong analytical and research skills with sufficient understanding of quantitative/qualitative methods and data analysis;

• Familiarity with UNEG evaluation norms, guidelines and processes required.

• Experience in evaluating rural energy development projects is an advantage.

• Work experience related to rural energy services and power mini-grids is an advantage.

• Experience working in Afghanistan is an advantage.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement. Knowledge of Dari, Pashto is an advantage

Special skills requirements

• Shows ability to communicate and to exercise advocacy skills in front of a diverse set of audience

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;

• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;

• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;

• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a multi-cultural and multiethnic environment;

• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;

• Ability to work independently with strong sense of initiative, discipline and self-motivation.

Proposal Evaluation Method and Criteria:

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

1. Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

2. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

   Technical Criteria weight 70%;

   Financial Criteria weight 30%.

   Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria (70 points)

Technical Proposal (30 marks)

1. Technical Approach & Methodology (20 marks) – Explain the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach.

2. Work Plan (10 marks) – The Applicant should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

   Qualification and Experience (40 marks) [evaluation of CV]:

3. General Qualification (15 marks);

4. Experience relevant to the assignment (25 marks);

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Duly accomplished confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);

• Personal CV or P11, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;

• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 - IC Contract Template (for information)
• Annex 2 -  Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (to be completed by consultant at application stage)
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions (for information)
• Annex 4 – RLA Template (if consultant wishes to be recruited through an employer) - (for information)

Incomplete application will not be considered, it will be disqualified automatically.