Historique

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full- and medium-sized UNDP-supported GEF-financed projects are required to undergo a Terminal Evaluation (TE) at the end of the project. This Terms of Reference (ToR) sets out the expectations for the TE of the medium-sized project titled “Promoting a better access to modern energy services through sustainable mini-grids and hybrid technologies in Djibouti”(PIMS #6202) implemented through the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The project started on the August 29, 2019 and is in its 3 years of implementation. The TE process must follow the guidance outlined in the document ‘Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects’ .

http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/documents/GEF/TE_GuidanceforUNDP-supportedGEF-financedProjects.pdf

PROJECT BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The project was designed to implement the specifics barriers for unlocking (private) investment in the sustainable off-grid sector (solar based mini-grids and Solar Home Systems - SHS) for increased access to reliable and affordable electricity to peri urban and rural areas of Djibouti. The project provides an enabling environment for investment in sustainable off-grid systems and concepts by developing suitable business models, financial instruments and delivery schemes that are viable and replicable. The project was carried out via two linked components.

• Component 1 called for to ensure policies and financial instruments, capacity building, knowledge management and an incentive system for sustainable off-grid technologies and delivery models.
• Component 2 centered on Showcasing Solar-battery mini-grids.

The project, implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in partnership with UNDP began on August 29, 2019 and planned to end on February 28, 2023.Other partners such as the Ministry of Energy have also played an important role in the implementation of the activities.

The total cost of the project is US$ 7,663,242.  This is financed through a GEF Trust Fund of US$ 863,242; USD 300,000 in cash co-financing to be administered by UNDP and USD 6,500,000 in parallel co-financing that includes US$ 1,000,000 as in-kind co-financing from the Government of Djibouti- Ministry of Housing, Urban and Environment and US$ 5,500,000 co-financing from Government of Djibouti - Ministry of Finance (through European Development Fund).  UNDP, as the GEF Implementing Agency, is responsible for the execution of the GEF resources and the cash co-financing transferred to UNDP bank account only.

The project aims to remove specific barriers to unlock (private) investment in the sustainable off-grid sector (solar mini-grids and solar home systems - SHS) for increased access to reliable and affordable electricity in peri-urban and rural areas of Djibouti. The project will provide an enabling environment for investment in sustainable off-grid systems and concepts by developing viable and replicable business models, financial instruments, and delivery systems.  The project is aligned with Djibouti's short-, medium-, and long-term development objectives as defined in the SCAPE, Vision 2035, the Energy Sector Development Plan, the National Climate Change Strategy, and the Nationally Determined Contribution.

The main focus of the project was to develop conductive policies and regulatory framework for investment in mini grid to meet the need of the underserved population in rural and peri urban areas according to their needs. Both mini-grids and standalone systems will be promoted to accommodate every need, whether for household or for productive uses. The project will advance the country agenda for 100% renewable to reduce electricity cost, unlock the potential for income generation and cut greenhouse emissions. The establishment of a robust policy framework for off gird solutions helps to create certainty, increase the predictability of the policy environment, and attract investment.

The immediate objective of this project is to promote rural development by improving the quality of life and economic well-being of rural residents through the implementation of a pilot solar mini-grid system to electrify a model village of approximately 100 households. The project will create a supportive policy environment for energy access, for off-grid solar home systems’, and ‘where Djibouti lags on establishing the regulatory framework to support off-grid access through solar home systems and other distributed resources. Regulations that clarify market entry and exit, define minimum quality standards, and target subsidies and duty exemptions should be considered for supporting off-grid solutions and enabling countries to benefit from the plummeting costs of decentralized solutions based on solar photovoltaics. The project will assist the Ministry of Energy (MERN) with developing and introducing a new regulation for decentralized RE tariffs. This will allow the tariffs to be set in better proportion to the customer’s ability to pay. Also, since most customers will be poor, it is envisaged that productive uses (businesses) will shoulder a disproportionate burden of electricity cost-recovery. A national policy will be developed to resolve the issue of very low Government controlled tariffs.

By the end of the project, the activities will have fostered the development of the capacity of local institutions and the private sector to promote peri-urban and rural electrification through renewable energy mini-grids and stand-alone systems.

This project will have leveraged the significant contribution of the private sector in the financing and operation of off-grid renewable electrification systems. At the end of the project implementation, the project will achieve the following results:

• A sound, efficient but simplified legal, regulatory, fiscal and tariff framework that contributes to de-risking the sector by reducing the perception of financial risks.
• Technical regulations to ensure quality off-grid electricity service based on product quality certification, qualified technicians and strong environmental regulations for waste recycling.
• Introduction and scaling up of sustainable off-grid electrification models; and
• Sharing information through various media to promote off-grid electricity. 

Target Population: The beneficiaries are the households of Moumina 1 village on the shores of Lake Assal. The village is composed of the following elements

• 100 houses of type F2 + kitchen + WC built by the Al Rahma foundation. The built surface is 100 m2.
• A mosque.
• A elementary school;
• A health centers.

The village is crossed by the RN9 which links Tadjourah to PK51. The village has important commercial links with the neighboring villages of PK51 and Wéa from where it obtains supplies of bread, khat and ice cream during the summer. The inhabitants of Moumina 1 are mostly former herders who remain vulnerable to poverty. The health center and the mosque of Moumina 1 are equipped with small solar photovoltaic systems. A few years ago, the houses received solar kits, but the vast majority of these kits no longer work.

A request for a 6-month extension of the project has been accepted until 28 February 2023. The implementation of the project which included activities primarily related to workshops and trainings were not possible due to COVID-19 pandemic. The country was placed under lock down and with limited internet access throughout the country, the digital option was not feasible.

TE PURPOSE

The TE report will assess the achievement of project results against what was expected to be achieved and draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of UNDP programming. The TE report promotes accountability and transparency and assesses the extent of project accomplishments. The final evaluation report will assess the progress and achievement of the project's objectives and outcomes as specified in the project document. The TE will also examine the project strategy and its risks to sustainability.

This evaluation is the first one, in this regard, the results and recommendations of the final review will be essential to know the achievements and main accomplishments of the project.

The results of the evaluation will allow donors, UNDP and the government to draw lessons learned from the project.

Completion of the final evaluation process is scheduled for December 2022.

Devoirs et responsabilités

TE APPROACH & METHODOLOGY

The TE report must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful.

The TE team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure/SESP) the Project Document, project reports including annual PIRs, project budget revisions, lesson learned reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based evaluation. The TE team will review the baseline and midterm GEF focal area Core Indicators/Tracking Tools submitted to the GEF at the CEO endorsement and midterm stages and the terminal Core Indicators/Tracking Tools that must be completed before the TE field mission begins. 

The TE team is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), Implementing Partners, the UNDP Country Office(s), the Regional Technical Advisor, direct beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful TE. Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to the following list of executing agencies, senior officials and task team/component leaders, key experts and consultants in the subject area, Project Board, project beneficiaries, academia, local government and CSOs, etc. Additionally, the TE team is expected to conduct field missions to 5 regions in Djibouti (Tadjourah, Ali-Sabieh, Arta, Dihkil, Obock), including the following project sites (Djibouti ville and Moumina 1- Arta).

List 1: Stakeholders to be consulted/interviewed:

1. Directorate of Environment and Sustainable Development (DEDD) / MEDD.
2. Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN)
3. Ministry of Economy and Finance
4. Electricité de Djibouti (EdD)
5. Social Development Agency of Djibouti (ADDS)
6. Société Internationale des Hydrocarbures
7. Agence Djiboutienne de Maîtrise de l’Energie
8. Office Djiboutien de Développement de l’Energie Géothermique - ODDEG
9. Commission Nationale de l’Energie - CNE
10. Centre des Etudes et la Recherche de Djibouti
11. Université de Djibouti
12. Chambre de Commerce de Djibouti
13. Agence Nationale de Promotion des Investissements - ANPI

The specific design and methodology for the TE should emerge from consultations between the TE team and the above-mentioned parties regarding what is appropriate and feasible for meeting the TE purpose and objectives and answering the evaluation questions, given limitations of budget, time and data. The evaluation should employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods and instruments. The TE team must use gender-responsive methodologies and tools and ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as other cross-cutting issues and SDGs are incorporated into the TE report. All evaluation results should be based on evidence.

Suggested methodological tools and approaches may include:

• Document review. (see annex B Project Information Package to be reviewed by TE team)
• Interviews and meetings with key stakeholders (men and women) such as key government counterparts, donor community members, representatives of key civil society organizations, United Nations country team (UNCT) members and implementing partners:
  • Semi-structured interviews, based on questions designed for different stakeholders based on evaluation questions around relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
  • Key informant and focus group discussions with men and women, beneficiaries and stakeholders.
  • All interviews with men and women should be undertaken in full confidence and anonymity. The final evaluation report should not assign specific comments to individuals.
• Surveys and questionnaires including male and female participants in development programmes, UNCT members and/or surveys and questionnaires to other stakeholders at strategic and programmatic levels.
• Field visits and on-site validation of key tangible outputs and interventions as mentioned above.
• Other methods such as outcome mapping, observational visits, group discussions, etc.
• Data review and analysis of monitoring; financial and funding data, and other data sources and methods. To ensure maximum validity, reliability of data (quality) and promote use, the evaluator will ensure triangulation of the various data sources.

The final methodological approach including interview schedule, field visits and data to be used in the evaluation must be clearly outlined in the TE Inception Report and be fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, stakeholders, and the TE team.

The final report must describe the full TE approach taken and the rationale for the approach making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach of the evaluation.

DETAILED SCOPE OF THE TE

The TE will assess project performance against expectations set out in the project’s Logical Framework/Results Framework (see ToR Annex A). The TE will assess results according to the criteria outlined in the Guidance for TEs of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects.

http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/documents/GEF/TE_GuidanceforUNDP-supportedGEF-financedProjects.pdf. 

The evaluation will cover the period from September 2018 to November 2022 and will assess all project indicators.

The Findings section of the TE report will cover the topics listed below.

A full outline of the TE report’s content is provided in ToR Annex C.

The asterisk “(*)” indicates criteria for which a rating is required.

Findings

TE APPROACH & METHODOLOGY

The TE report must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful.

The TE team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure/SESP) the Project Document, project reports including annual PIRs, project budget revisions, lesson learned reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based evaluation. The TE team will review the baseline and midterm GEF focal area Core Indicators/Tracking Tools submitted to the GEF at the CEO endorsement and midterm stages and the terminal Core Indicators/Tracking Tools that must be completed before the TE field mission begins. 

The TE team is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), Implementing Partners, the UNDP Country Office(s), the Regional Technical Advisor, direct beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful TE. Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to the following list of executing agencies, senior officials and task team/component leaders, key experts and consultants in the subject area, Project Board, project beneficiaries, academia, local government and CSOs, etc. Additionally, the TE team is expected to conduct field missions to 5 regions in Djibouti (Tadjourah, Ali-Sabieh, Arta, Dihkil, Obock), including the following project sites (Djibouti ville and Moumina 1- Arta).

List 1: Stakeholders to be consulted/interviewed:

1. Directorate of Environment and Sustainable Development (DEDD) / MEDD.
2. Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MERN)
3. Ministry of Economy and Finance
4. Electricité de Djibouti (EdD)
5. Social Development Agency of Djibouti (ADDS)
6. Société Internationale des Hydrocarbures
7. Agence Djiboutienne de Maîtrise de l’Energie
8. Office Djiboutien de Développement de l’Energie Géothermique - ODDEG
9. Commission Nationale de l’Energie - CNE
10. Centre des Etudes et la Recherche de Djibouti
11. Université de Djibouti
12. Chambre de Commerce de Djibouti
13. Agence Nationale de Promotion des Investissements - ANPI

The specific design and methodology for the TE should emerge from consultations between the TE team and the above-mentioned parties regarding what is appropriate and feasible for meeting the TE purpose and objectives and answering the evaluation questions, given limitations of budget, time and data. The evaluation should employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods and instruments. The TE team must use gender-responsive methodologies and tools and ensure that gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as other cross-cutting issues and SDGs are incorporated into the TE report. All evaluation results should be based on evidence.

Suggested methodological tools and approaches may include:

• Document review. (see annex B Project Information Package to be reviewed by TE team)
• Interviews and meetings with key stakeholders (men and women) such as key government counterparts, donor community members, representatives of key civil society organizations, United Nations country team (UNCT) members and implementing partners:
  • Semi-structured interviews, based on questions designed for different stakeholders based on evaluation questions around relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
  • Key informant and focus group discussions with men and women, beneficiaries and stakeholders.
  • All interviews with men and women should be undertaken in full confidence and anonymity. The final evaluation report should not assign specific comments to individuals.
• Surveys and questionnaires including male and female participants in development programmes, UNCT members and/or surveys and questionnaires to other stakeholders at strategic and programmatic levels.
• Field visits and on-site validation of key tangible outputs and interventions as mentioned above.
• Other methods such as outcome mapping, observational visits, group discussions, etc.
• Data review and analysis of monitoring; financial and funding data, and other data sources and methods. To ensure maximum validity, reliability of data (quality) and promote use, the evaluator will ensure triangulation of the various data sources.

The final methodological approach including interview schedule, field visits and data to be used in the evaluation must be clearly outlined in the TE Inception Report and be fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, stakeholders, and the TE team.

The final report must describe the full TE approach taken and the rationale for the approach making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach of the evaluation.

1. DETAILED SCOPE OF THE TE

The TE will assess project performance against expectations set out in the project’s Logical Framework/Results Framework (see ToR Annex A). The TE will assess results according to the criteria outlined in the Guidance for TEs of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects.

http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/documents/GEF/TE_GuidanceforUNDP-supportedGEF-financedProjects.pdf. 

The evaluation will cover the period from September 2018 to November 2022 and will assess all project indicators.

The Findings section of the TE report will cover the topics listed below.

A full outline of the TE report’s content is provided in ToR Annex C.

The asterisk “(*)” indicates criteria for which a rating is required.

Findings

Project Design/Formulation

• National priorities and country driven-ness
• Theory of Change
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Social and Environmental Standards (Safeguards)
• Analysis of Results Framework: project logic and strategy, indicators
• Assumptions and Risks

• Lessons from other relevant projects (e.g. same focal area) incorporated into project design
• Planned stakeholder participation
• Linkages between project and other interventions within the sector
• Management arrangements

Project Implementation

• Adaptive management (changes to the project design and project outputs during implementation)
• Actual stakeholder participation and partnership arrangements
• Project Finance and Co-finance
• Monitoring & Evaluation: design at entry (*), implementation (*), and overall assessment of M&E (*)
• Implementing Agency (UNDP) (*) and Executing Agency (*), overall project oversight/implementation and execution (*)
• Risk Management, including Social and Environmental Standards (Safeguards)

Project Results

• Assess the achievement of outcomes against indicators by reporting on the level of progress for each objective and outcome indicator at the time of the TE and noting final achievements
• Relevance (*), Effectiveness (*), Efficiency (*) and overall project outcome (*)
• Sustainability: financial (*)      , socio-political (*), institutional framework and governance (*), environmental (*), overall likelihood of sustainability (*)
• Country ownership
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Cross-cutting issues (poverty alleviation, improved governance, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster prevention and recovery, human rights, capacity development, South-South cooperation, knowledge management, volunteerism, etc., as relevant)
• GEF Additionality
• Catalytic Role / Replication Effect
• Progress to impact

Main Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations and Lessons Learned

• The TE team will include a summary of the main findings of the TE report. Findings should be presented as statements of fact that are based on analysis of the data.
•  The section on conclusions will be written in light of the findings. Conclusions should be comprehensive and balanced statements that are well substantiated by evidence and logically connected to the TE findings. They should highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and results of the project, respond to key evaluation questions, and provide insights into the identification of and/or solutions to important problems or issues pertinent to project beneficiaries, UNDP and the GEF, including issues in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Recommendations should provide concrete, practical, feasible and targeted recommendations directed to the intended users of the evaluation about what actions to take and decisions to make. The recommendations should be specifically supported by the evidence and linked to the findings and conclusions around key questions addressed by the evaluation.
• The TE report should also include lessons that can be taken from the evaluation, including best practices in addressing issues relating to relevance, performance and success that can provide knowledge gained from the particular circumstance (programmatic and evaluation methods used, partnerships, financial leveraging, etc.) that are applicable to other GEF and UNDP interventions. When possible, the TE team should include examples of good practices in project design and implementation.
• It is important for the conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned of the TE report to incorporate gender equality and empowerment of women.

The TE report will include an Evaluation Ratings Table, as shown below:

ToR Table 2: Evaluation Ratings Table for Promoting a better access to modern energy services through sustainable mini-grids and hybrid technologies in Djibouti  6202

TIMEFRAME

The total duration of the TE will be approximately 30 working days over a 3-month period beginning September 15, 2022. The tentative schedule for the EA is as follows:

Options for site visits should be provided in the TE Inception Report.

TE DELIVERABLES

*All final TE reports will be quality assessed by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).  Details of the IEO’s quality assessment of decentralized evaluations can be found in Section 6 of the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines. The reports should address all the quality criteria mentioned in the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines.

TE ARRANGEMENTS

The principal responsibility for managing the TE resides with the Commissioning Unit. The Commissioning Unit for this project’s TE is the UNDP Djibouti Country Office

The Commissioning Unit will contract the evaluators and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the TE team. The Project Team will be responsible for liaising with the TE team to provide all relevant documents, set up stakeholder interviews, and arrange field visits.

The consultants will report directly to the designated evaluation manager and focal point and work closely with the project team. Project staff will not participate in the meetings between consultants and evaluands. Limited administrative and logistical support will be provided. The consultant will use his own laptop and cell phone.

The?evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach?that?ensures?close engagement with the evaluation managers, implementing partners and the project stakeholders. The evaluation manager will convene an evaluation reference group comprising of technical experts from UNDP, donors, GEF RTA and implementing partners. This reference group will review the inception report and the draft evaluation report and provide detailed comments related to the quality of methodology, evidence collected, analysis and reporting. The reference group will also advise on the conformity of processes to the GEF, UNDP and UNEG standards. Comments and changes by the evaluator in response to the draft report should be retained by the evaluator to show how they have addressed comments (audit trail). The ERG will also provide input to the development of the management responses and key actions recommended by the evaluation.

The final report will be approved by the evaluation commissioner.

TE TEAM COMPOSITION

A team of two independent evaluators will conduct the TE.

1. The international consultant will be the team leader. He/she will be responsible for conducting stakeholder interviews, conducting field visits, and preparing and finalizing all initial and final evaluation reports in English. The international consultant is responsible for the timely delivery of all reports and will ensure the quality of the report in accordance with GEF and UNDP evaluation guidelines.

2. The national consultant will be responsible for consolidating existing documentation, conducting stakeholder interviews, participating in the field mission, and writing and finalizing the field mission analysis report. He/she will support the international consultant in the evaluation process.

The CO office will assist in identifying stakeholders and organizing bilateral and group consultations with stakeholders.

The international consultant should not have been involved in the preparation, formulation, and/or implementation of the project (including the drafting of the project document) and should not have any conflict of interest with the project activities.  The selection of evaluators will aim to maximize the overall qualities of the "team" in the following area:

 Outcomes, Effectiveness, Efficiency, M&E, Implementation/Oversight & Execution, Relevance are rated on a 6-point scale: 6=Highly Satisfactory (HS), 5=Satisfactory (S), 4=Moderately Satisfactory (MS), 3=Moderately Unsatisfactory (MU), 2=Unsatisfactory (U), 1=Highly Unsatisfactory (HU). Sustainability is rated on a 4-point scale: 4=Likely (L), 3=Moderately Likely (ML), 2=Moderately Unlikely (MU), 1=Unlikely (U)

Access at: http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/section-6.shtml

• National priorities and country driven-ness
• Theory of Change
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Social and Environmental Standards (Safeguards)
• Analysis of Results Framework: project logic and strategy, indicators
• Assumptions and Risks

• Lessons from other relevant projects (e.g. same focal area) incorporated into project design
• Planned stakeholder participation
• Linkages between project and other interventions within the sector
• Management arrangements
• Project Implementation
• Adaptive management (changes to the project design and project outputs during implementation)
• Actual stakeholder participation and partnership arrangements
• Project Finance and Co-finance
• Monitoring & Evaluation: design at entry (*), implementation (*), and overall assessment of M&E (*)
• Implementing Agency (UNDP) (*) and Executing Agency (*), overall project oversight/implementation and execution (*)
• Risk Management, including Social and Environmental Standards (Safeguards)

Project Results

• Assess the achievement of outcomes against indicators by reporting on the level of progress for each objective and outcome indicator at the time of the TE and noting final achievements
• Relevance (*), Effectiveness (*), Efficiency (*) and overall project outcome (*)
• Sustainability: financial (*)      , socio-political (*), institutional framework and governance (*), environmental (*), overall likelihood of sustainability (*)
• Country ownership
• Gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Cross-cutting issues (poverty alleviation, improved governance, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster prevention and recovery, human rights, capacity development, South-South cooperation, knowledge management, volunteerism, etc., as relevant)
• GEF Additionality
• Catalytic Role / Replication Effect
• Progress to impact

Main Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations and Lessons Learned

• The TE team will include a summary of the main findings of the TE report. Findings should be presented as statements of fact that are based on analysis of the data.
•  The section on conclusions will be written in light of the findings. Conclusions should be comprehensive and balanced statements that are well substantiated by evidence and logically connected to the TE findings. They should highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and results of the project, respond to key evaluation questions, and provide insights into the identification of and/or solutions to important problems or issues pertinent to project beneficiaries, UNDP and the GEF, including issues in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Recommendations should provide concrete, practical, feasible and targeted recommendations directed to the intended users of the evaluation about what actions to take and decisions to make. The recommendations should be specifically supported by the evidence and linked to the findings and conclusions around key questions addressed by the evaluation.
• The TE report should also include lessons that can be taken from the evaluation, including best practices in addressing issues relating to relevance, performance and success that can provide knowledge gained from the particular circumstance (programmatic and evaluation methods used, partnerships, financial leveraging, etc.) that are applicable to other GEF and UNDP interventions. When possible, the TE team should include examples of good practices in project design and implementation.
• It is important for the conclusions, recommendations and lessons learned of the TE report to incorporate gender equality and empowerment of women.

The TE report will include an Evaluation Ratings Table, as shown below:

ToR Table 2: Evaluation Ratings Table for Promoting a better access to modern energy services through sustainable mini-grids and hybrid technologies in Djibouti  6202

TIMEFRAME

The total duration of the TE will be approximately 30 working days over a 3-month period beginning September 15, 2022. The tentative schedule for the EA is as follows:

Options for site visits should be provided in the TE Inception Report.

TE DELIVERABLES

*All final TE reports will be quality assessed by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO).  Details of the IEO’s quality assessment of decentralized evaluations can be found in Section 6 of the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines. The reports should address all the quality criteria mentioned in the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines.

TE ARRANGEMENTS

The principal responsibility for managing the TE resides with the Commissioning Unit. The Commissioning Unit for this project’s TE is the UNDP Djibouti Country Office

The Commissioning Unit will contract the evaluators and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the TE team. The Project Team will be responsible for liaising with the TE team to provide all relevant documents, set up stakeholder interviews, and arrange field visits.

The consultants will report directly to the designated evaluation manager and focal point and work closely with the project team. Project staff will not participate in the meetings between consultants and evaluands. Limited administrative and logistical support will be provided. The consultant will use his own laptop and cell phone.

The?evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach?that?ensures?close engagement with the evaluation managers, implementing partners and the project stakeholders. The evaluation manager will convene an evaluation reference group comprising of technical experts from UNDP, donors, GEF RTA and implementing partners. This reference group will review the inception report and the draft evaluation report and provide detailed comments related to the quality of methodology, evidence collected, analysis and reporting. The reference group will also advise on the conformity of processes to the GEF, UNDP and UNEG standards. Comments and changes by the evaluator in response to the draft report should be retained by the evaluator to show how they have addressed comments (audit trail). The ERG will also provide input to the development of the management responses and key actions recommended by the evaluation.

The final report will be approved by the evaluation commissioner.

TE TEAM COMPOSITION

A team of two independent evaluators will conduct the TE.

1. The international consultant will be the team leader. He/she will be responsible for conducting stakeholder interviews, conducting field visits, and preparing and finalizing all initial and final evaluation reports in English. The international consultant is responsible for the timely delivery of all reports and will ensure the quality of the report in accordance with GEF and UNDP evaluation guidelines.

2. The national consultant will be responsible for consolidating existing documentation, conducting stakeholder interviews, participating in the field mission, and writing and finalizing the field mission analysis report. He/she will support the international consultant in the evaluation process.

The CO office will assist in identifying stakeholders and organizing bilateral and group consultations with stakeholders.

The international consultant should not have been involved in the preparation, formulation, and/or implementation of the project (including the drafting of the project document) and should not have any conflict of interest with the project activities.  The selection of evaluators will aim to maximize the overall qualities of the "team" in the following area.

EVALUATOR ETHICS

The TE team will be held to the highest ethical standards and is required to sign a code of conduct upon acceptance of the assignment. This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The evaluator must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees, and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on data. The evaluator must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation process must also be solely used for the evaluation and not for other uses without the express authorization of UNDP and partners.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

• 20% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the final TE Inception Report and approval by the Commissioning Unit
• 40% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the draft TE report to the Commissioning Unit
• 40% payment upon satisfactory delivery of the final TE report and approval by the Commissioning Unit and RTA (via signatures on the TE Report Clearance Form) and delivery of completed TE Audit Trail + knowledge product.

Criteria for issuing the final payment of 40%

• The final TE report includes all requirements outlined in the TE TOR and is in accordance with the TE guidance and addressing all the required quality criteria.
• The final TE report is clearly written, logically organized, and is specific for this project (i.e. text has not been cut & pasted from other TE reports).
• The Audit Trail includes responses to and justification for each comment listed.

The Commissioning Unit is obligated to issue payments to the TE team as soon as the terms under the ToR are fulfilled. If there is an ongoing discussion regarding the quality and completeness of the final deliverables that cannot be resolved between the Commissioning Unit and the TE team, the Regional M&E Advisor and Vertical Fund Directorate will be consulted. If needed, the Commissioning Unit’s senior management, Procurement Services Unit and Legal Support Office will be notified as well so that a decision can be made about whether or not to withhold payment of any amounts that may be due to the evaluator(s), suspend or terminate the contract and/or remove the individual contractor from any applicable rosters.  See the UNDP Individual Contract Policy for further details:

https://popp.undp.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/UNDP_POPP_DOCUMENT_LIBRARY/Public/PSU_Individual%20Contract_Individual%20Contract%20Policy.docx&action=default       

Compétences

• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and environment, experience in gender responsive evaluation and analysis.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Demonstrable analytical skills.
• Project evaluation/review experience within United Nations system will be considered an asset.

Qualifications et expériences requises

International Consultant:

Education

• Master’s degree in evaluation methodologies, energy, economic, sustainable development, policy support or another relevant field.

Experience

• Relevant experience with results-based management evaluation methodologies.
• Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios.
• Competence in adaptive management, as applied to Climate Change, and Energy.
• Experience in evaluating GEF projects.
• Experience working in east Africa.
• Experience in relevant technical areas for at least 7 years.

Language

• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proficiency in French

APPLICATION PROCESS

Recommended Presentation of Proposal:

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template  provided by UNDP;
2. CV and a Personal History Form (P11 form);
3. Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment; (max 1 page)
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template. If an applicant 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 applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

All Application Clarification should be submitted  with the reference “Consultant for Terminal Evaluation of Strengthening national capacities for improved decision making and mainstreaming of global environmental obligations 5894” or by email at the following address ONLY: proc.dji@undp.org by  10 August 2022 12:00 PM New York time. Incomplete applications will be excluded from further consideration.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal: Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

TOR ANNEXES

• ToR Annex A: Project Logical/Results Framework
• ToR Annex B: Project Information Package to be reviewed by TE team
• ToR Annex C: Content of the TE report
• ToR Annex D: Evaluation Criteria Matrix template
• ToR Annex E: UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluators
• ToR Annex F: TE Rating Scales
• ToR Annex G: TE Report Clearance Form
• ToR Annex H: TE Audit Trail

https://popp.undp.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/UNDP_POPP_DOCUMENT_LIBRARY/Public/PSU_Individual%20Contract_Individual%20Contract%20Policy.docx&action=default  

Engagement of evaluators should be done in line with guidelines for hiring consultants in the POPP https://popp.undp.org/SitePages/POPPRoot.aspx

https://intranet.undp.org/unit/bom/pso/Support%20documents%20on%20IC%20Guidelines/Template%20for%20Confirmation%20of%20Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal.docx

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc

Engagement of evaluators should be done in line with guidelines for hiring consultants in the POPP https://popp.undp.org/SitePages/POPPRoot.aspx

https://intranet.undp.org/unit/bom/pso/Support%20documents%20on%20IC%20Guidelines/Template%20for%20Confirmation%20of%20Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal.docx

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc