Mid-Term Evaluation of Swedish Committee for Afghanistan’s Strategic Plan
Terms of Reference Mid-Term Evaluation of Swedish Committee for Afghanistan’s Strategic Plan
1 Background
Swedish Committee of Afghanistan (SCA) is a Swedish membership non-governmental development organization that has been operating in Afghanistan for almost thirty years. SCA’s vision is an independent Afghanistan in peace, where human rights are respected, rural communities are empowered and all Afghans have the right and opportunity to democratic participation in the governance of their country.
The mission of SCA is to empower poor women, children and men through combining service provision, capacity development and advocacy in the implementation of development programmes predominantly in rural areas of Afghanistan within the sectors of education, health, support to persons with disabilities and rural development. SCA’s main target group in Afghanistan is the rural population, with particular focus on women and girls and vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities. Vulnerable people’s right to quality of life and human rights are promoted in all sectors of work.
In Afghanistan, SCA runs four large programmes in the fields of Health, Education, Rural Development and Rehabilitation of People with Disability in 17 of the country’s 34 provinces. There are support units for all programme activities relating to quality assurance, civil society, human rights & gender and information.
A management office in Kabul coordinates all operations, while programme activities are implemented from five provincial project offices and four field offices. SCA has more than 6,000 employees, of whom more than 99 % are Afghans. The work is always conducted in close cooperation with the local population.
In Sweden, SCA influences the public opinion by providing knowledgeable and reliable information about Afghanistan, communicating SCA’s basic values and development results in order to increase sustainable cooperation and assistance in a spirit of solidarity. There is one management office in Stockholm.
SCA is independent from political and religious organizations both in Sweden and abroad.
2 Rationale, purpose and scope of the mid –term evaluation
2.1 Rationale of the mid–term evaluation
In 2009, as part of an ongoing transition from a humanitarian to a development-oriented organisation, SCA developed a Strategic Plan (SP) covering 2010-2013, which guides the organisation in all its operations. The SP was an important first step in SCA in introducing Results-based Management (RBM) as a framework for programme management. Accordingly the SP includes detailed result matrices for all programme areas. Baselines were identified in 2010 to enable SCA to measure the change that it will have contributed to by 2013. In addition, a technical revision of outcomes and outcome indicators was carried out in 2011.
The purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to provide the basis for SCA to make appropriate adjustments to the SP during the summer of 2012. In addition, the mid-term evaluation will provide a key input to the next cycle of strategic planning, due to commence in 2013/2014.
2.2 Evaluation objectives
To assess progress so far towards achieving the SP’s planned outcomes;
To verify the relevance of the SP and the appropriateness of the individual programme strategies to the context in which SCA works;
To evaluate the efficiency so far of the implementation of the SP;
To analyse the coherence between the SP and the work plans and budgets of 2011 and 2012, where the differences between the programmes’ capacity for long-term strategic programme development will be reflected upon.
To identify key factors either enabling or constraining the achievement of planned outcomes, as well as identify any gaps in the SP;
To assess the extent to which SCA’s cross-cutting strategies concerning human rights and gender, capacity development, and the Environment are integrated into the methodology of the SP and its individual programme strategies;
To provide recommendations for enhancing the SP, including methodology and objectives
3 The Scope and methodology of the mid –term evaluation
The mid –term evaluation will give attention both to SCA’s work in Afghanistan, and include all SCA’s programs in education, health, people with disabilities rural development as well as cross cutting support programs human rights and gender, and civil society. The evaluation will take place principally in Kabul at SCA’s Kabul Management Office (KMO), but will also include consultation in Sweden at SCA’s Stockholm Management Office and also field visits to at least two of SCA’s project offices in Afghanistan. The consultant will devise his/her own detailed methodology, which will be form the initial evaluation task. However, the methodology will broadly consist of personal testimony of staff members and other stakeholders, backed up by a thorough desk study of all relevant documentation.
Consultation in both Sweden and Afghanistan with staff members, partner organisations and associates, project and community stakeholders, as well as donor organisations will be used to collect and analyse primarily qualitative data. Consultations with staff and stakeholders will include analysis of achievements to date, limitations of the SP, and also challenges facing SCA in implementing the SP. Methods might include semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and workshops. Selection of project offices to be visited and staff members and stakeholders to be consulted will be carried out in close consultation with SCA.
The desk study will focus on both quantitative and qualitative data and will include any or all of the following: annual reports, work plans and budgets, program and project documentation, monitoring reports and project evaluations, sector and national policy documents and strategic plans, and situational analyses, sector reports and evaluations from donors and NGOs.
On completion of the field work, the consultant will conduct a workshop presentation in KMO of the initial analysis/results in order to obtain immediate feedback.
The first draft of the final report will be circulated among relevant SCA staff and key stakeholders and beneficiaries for their feedback and recommendations.
4 Methodology and Profile of Consultant
Profile required of the evaluation consultant: The evaluation will be carried out by an external national or international consultant who will be responsible for conducting all aspects of the evaluation and delivering the stated outputs. The consultant with have the following experience and skills: Minimum qualification of BSc/BA in a relevant academic field; Significant demonstrable experience in conducting evaluations of complex programmes or strategic plans for development NGOs; Have experience and full understanding of Result Based Management in development NGOs; Have knowledge and competence regarding work in any of the following fields: gender equality, rights-based approaches, civil society, education, rural development, disability and health (with a focus on sexual and reproductive health rights). Be practiced in a range of consultative and participatory data collection methods; Experience of working in conflict or post-conflict environments is highly desirable; Experience of working in Afghanistan desirable; Highly proficient in written and spoken English. Proficiency in Dari and / or Pasto an asset. Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate detailed concepts clearly and concisely both in writing and verbally is desired.
5 Outputs
Inception report - submitted not later than 5 days after the start of the assignment. This shall include:
- detailed methodology, including an explanation of the overall approach, as well as the chosen methods of consultation. -updated time plan and work schedule (including plans for field visits); -principles for selecting people to interview; Workshop presentation of preliminary findings of the review to SCA staff at KMO on finishing the field work Draft final evaluation report with executive summary in English (to a maximum 20 pages excluding annexes) addressing all the objectives given in the ToR. This report will be circulated among relevant SCA staff, and accepted by SCA before the final review report can be finalized. Final evaluation report incorporating or responding to collected feedback from SCA, to be delivered no later than seven days after receiving SCA feedback.
6 Time schedule, reporting and dissemination
6.1 Scheduling:
The evaluation will preferably start as soon as possible, but no later than April 1 2012 and will be carried out according to the following schedule: Preparation / desk study/Inception Report 4 days Interviews /consultations in Kabul 5 days Field trips to project offices (incl. travel) 8 days Trip to SMO, Sweden 3 days Feedback presentation (Kabul) 1 day Analysis and report writing 5 days Total 26 days
SCA’s Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation unit shall provide the consultant with assistance in arranging meetings and evaluation events, as well as the organizing of travel to and within the field and the provision of accommodation in the field in SCA’s guest houses. Overall management of the evaluation will be the responsibility of SCA’s Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, while a panel consisting of the Country Director, Programme Implementation Director, Finance Director and the PME Coordinator and a representative of SCA’s Stockholm Management Office will select the evaluation consultant and review and approve the evaluation report.
6.2 Deliveries and due date
• Inception Report -5 days after the start of the assignment. • Workshop presentation -date to be decided at the start of the assignment and included in the contract. • Draft final evaluation report -date to be decided at the start of the assignment and concluded in the contract. • Final Evaluation Report -date to be decided at the start of the assignment and concluded in the contract.
Interested consultants are invited to apply with an offer which includes the following:
CV of the consultant, showing relevant experience and background for the assignment;
an indicative work plan with proposed dates;
a description of the methodology to be applied;
financial offer including the consultant’s daily fee, travel costs to Afghanistan and Sweden, accommodation and food in Sweden and any other costs associated with the evaluation.
Accommodation, food as well as travel within Afghanistan will be arranged and paid for by SCA,
The full documentation, – excluding CVs – is not to exceed three pages.
The assignment is subject to a tender procedure according to SCA’s standard procurement regulations. SCA reserves the right not to accept any of the tenders submitted. In addition SCA reserves the right to take references on the proposed candidate. Tenders shall remain valid for a period of 60 days.
The tender, including all required information, is to be submitted to SCA at the following e-mail address: sp.evaluation@sca.org.af, cc-ed to bill.sterland@sca.org.af. The final date and time for submission of offers is 16.00 Afghan time (12.30 CET), 12 January, 2012. For further information, contact: bill.sterland@sca.org.af by 8 January 2012.
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