Terms of Reference for Consultancy Service for Endline Survey for the Gunvor CRP “Alumni Agents of Change” Project implemented in Arusha Region

Reference Number: HIHEA/TZ-01/2023

Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (TZ), P.O.BOX 7152, Arusha. Tel: +255 743 720 805,

Email: infotz@handinhandea.org

1.            Summary of the Consultancy Services

This Term of Reference is associated with a call for a VAT registered firm based in Tanzania to provide consultancy services to Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (TZ) by conducting an endline      evaluation of the Gunvor CRP “Alumni Agents of Change” Project implemented in Arusha District, Arusha Region.

 Consultancy Title             Consultancy Service for Endline Survey for the Gunvor CRP “Alumni Agents of Change” Project implemented in Arusha Region

Geographical location     Arusha District, Arusha region

Appointment type and duration Fixed Term Contract

Expected commencement date March, 2023

Application deadline       March 12th, 2023

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1.            Introduction

Hand in Hand Eastern Africa Tanzania is a registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in Tanzania with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. HiH EA (TZ) is part of the Hand in Hand International which works with the marginalized, vulnerable poor rural and peri-urban smallholder farmers (80% women) to help them uplift out of poverty through the power of enterprises and job creation. The organization started operations in Kenya in October 2010, and started its operations in Tanzania in 2018, and works in Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions with its headquarters in Tanzania being based in Arusha region. It has mobilized over 28,386 members into different projects implemented in Tanzania; 18,411 enterprises have been created/enhanced so far and 25,486 jobs have been created

Hand in Hand International, based in London, provides support to Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (TZ). The Hand in Hand model is based on setting up or mobilizing self-help groups that act as savings groups, delivering enterprise skills through training, promoting financial access and providing linkage to broader markets.

3.            Background

3.1 The project and how it evolved

The project aimed to support community members in Arusha district with entrepreneurial skills to launch and/or strengthen their own small businesses and thereby increase their income and financial resilience. The project aimed to support 3,240 people (2,592 Women; 648 Men) for 3 years. Training programs were built on the HIH’s Eastern African four-step approach: self-help group formation, capacity building, access to credit / savings, and market linkages. The training programs were delivered through seven core training modules. The project focused on the use the former hand in hand trained members to be as Alumni Agent of Change. This means that, Alumni Agent of change (Community Resource Person) were responsible on mobilizing members and training members on two modules (Group formation & Saving Resource Mobilization). After the two modules then HIH Staff were responsible for training the remaining five topics of HIH Modules therefore, the project engaged 9 CRP`s who were supervised by 3 BRO`s. It is expected that, by the end of the project in May 2023, the project will generate income for 3,240 (2,592 Women, 648 Men) members (beneficiaries) by building their financial management and entrepreneurial skills which will, increase their financial resilience and quality of life as well as contribute to their ability to exit the poverty cycle. The project is also expected to support the creation of 2,268 enterprises and 2,948 jobs. So far, the project has created 158 Self-Help Groups with 3,274 members (1,702 Women, 271 Men, including 1,081 youth women and 220 youth male).

4.            Scope of the Evaluation

4.1 Purpose and key questions

4.1.1 The objectives

The overall objective of this consultancy is to conduct an endline evaluation for the Gunvor CRP “Alumni Agents of Change” project against the OECD DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. This will encompass:

1.            Comparative analysis of endline data against baseline and midline data on output and outcome indicators

2.            Critical assessment of the project design and delivery, identifying key challenges and successes

3.            Do-no-harm checks for any unintended / negative consequences of the intervention

4.            Learnings and recommendations for improvements to implementation strategies, essential exit plans for sustainability of results and for future projects that can be drawn from this project.

4.1.2 Criteria and questions

The report should be structured around and clearly answer the following evaluation questions:

Relevance

• To what extent did the intervention objectives and design respond to beneficiary needs?
• To what extent did the intervention objectives and design align with local government policies and priorities?
• Did the project demonstrate a good CRP approach?

Coherence

• To what extent did the project harmonize and coordinate with relevant actors for example government, FINCA, Echo East Africa, Mviwa Arusha, Ruconet and Mkojera Company LTD in the implementation area?
• To what extent did the intervention add value while avoiding duplication of effort?

Effectiveness

• To what extent did the project achieve its intended outputs and outcomes, as defined by its performance indicators in the project MEL Plan? (Note: MEL plan with list of indicators will be provided to the successful consultant candidate. The evaluation report must include all indicators and the data must be collected, analyzed, and reported according to the MEL plan).
• To what extent did project outcomes differ for men and women?

Efficiency

• To what extent are the outputs being produced in a cost-effective manner? To what extent are the outputs and objectives achieved on time?

Impact

• What are the most significant changes in members’ lives as a result of the training?
• To what extent did the intervention address gender gaps, and what remaining aspects need to be considered for future projects?
• Did the intervention have any unintended and/or negative consequences?

Sustainability

• How likely is it that the intended and unintended positive effects or impacts of the intervention will continue beyond the project lifespan?

4.2 Scope

The scope of this assignment is       conducting an endline evaluation for the Gunvor CRP “Alumni Agents of Change” project implemented in Arusha Region using a mixed-methods approach; which includes the following tasks:

• Review the project documents (e.g., the proposal, logic model, MEL Plan, indicator tracking table, baseline and midline datasets and reports, case stories, and budget).
• Prepare an inception report, including the detailed methodology, data sources and sampling approach, data collection tools closely aligned to the baseline and midline tools, and field data collection work plan (road map)
• Hiring and training enumerators, conducting pilot study, and producing pilot report.
• Field visits to observe the project interventions (business practices) on the ground for lessons learnt, key achievements and challenges
• Field data collection (for output and outcome indicators). This will include a survey, KIIs/IDIs, and FGDs with key project stakeholders, community groups and/or target beneficiaries.
• Data quality assurance including regular (daily) checks during field data collection and cleaning of data following collection.
• Prepare the endline evaluation report, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative findings aligned with the performance indicators as per the project MEL Plan
• Present the key findings and recommendations of the endline evaluation in a meeting or workshop with the project team

1.            Evaluation Methodology

5.1 Research designs

The endline evaluation will use both qualitative (KII/IDI, FGD, observation) and quantitative (survey, project records) methods to assess the project results (outputs and outcomes)     . Data will be collected from the project locations in Arusha region (Laroi, Oljoro, Mateves and Kisongo wards in Arusha Rural District). The selected consultancy firm will prepare the study methodology, adapt the baseline/midline data collection tools and prepare further tools where necessary. The baseline and midline methodology and relevant tools will be adjusted in consultation with Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (Tanzania), which will be further pilot tested, and finalized before the study. All data collection tools and subsequent revisions must be approved by Hand in Hand Eastern Africa (Tanzania) prior to the commencement of data collection.

5.2 Data

All primary data collected during the course of the evaluation must facilitate disaggregation by gender, gender of the head of household, age, and business sector     . Data triangulation is expected for this evaluation; the secondary data available is expected to provide additional insight towards the triangulation of the collected data. A range of project documentation will be made available to the selected firm, which      provides information about the project design, implementation and progress, including the baseline and midline datasets for comparative analysis. The evaluation firm is required to adhere to the Hand in Hand Eastern Africa data protection and privacy policy throughout all project valuation activities, minimizing the collection of any non-essential personally identifiable information and ensuring secure storage and transfer of data. In addition, the consultancy firm is expected to explore any personal and professional influence or potential bias among those collecting and/or analyzing data and mitigating them ethically.

5.3 Ethical Considerations

It is expected that the evaluation will be conducted under the guidance of ethical considerations, which includes an adherence to the principles of openness of information given; sensitivity about gender, inclusion and cultural contextual contexts; reliability and independence of findings and conclusions as well as confidentiality of information and data protection. Informed consent must be provided by all respondents for qualitative and quantitative studies.

Expected Deliverables

The evaluation deliverables and due dates (subject to the commencement date of the evaluation) are outlined below.

Deliverables and due dates

Deliverables       Due dates

The consultancy firm is contracted and commences work March/April, 2023          March/April 2023

Inception report.      To include:

1.            Evaluation objectives and evaluation questions (as specified in the ToR)

2.            Description of the methodology, data sources, and sampling considerations

3.            Risk and issue management plan

4.            Work plan

5.            Report structure (Template to be provided by HiHEA (TZ)

6.            Draft and review of data collection tools

7.            –       List of enumerators plus their qualifications and experiences             March/April 2023

8.            Data collection tools & evaluation question/indicator map

9.            Survey instrument (review and digitalize for Kobo Collect)

10.          Business practice assessment checklist

11.          FGD guides

12.          KII/IDI guides

13.          Case stories guide

14.          –       Note: all questions in the data collection tools must be mapped to the relevant evaluation question and/or indicator from the project MEL plan          March/April 2023

Training enumerators and Pilot study      March/April 2023

Data collection  March/April 2023

Data and analyses, including submission of anonymised raw & cleaned data in Excel format           March/April 2023

A draft evaluation report aligned to the template provided, including the following elements:

1.            Executive summary (max. 2 pages)

2.            Background description of the project and context relevant to the evaluation

3.            Scope and focus of the evaluation

4.            Evaluation methodology and limitations

5.            Findings aligned to each of the key evaluation questions & indicators

6.            Conclusions outlining implications of the findings

7.            Recommendations

8.            –       Annexes (Project workbook, evaluation TOR, inception report, study schedule, data collection tools, list of people involved)         March/April 2023

Final endline evaluation report incorporating all the feedback from consultation on the Draft Evaluation Report   May 2023

7.            Expertise and Experience

• A degree in Statistics, Econometrics, or Rural Development, or closed related degree
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in field research and monitoring and evaluation of community projects, including conducting evaluations of a similar nature
• Solid understanding of project themes to include: agriculture; small, medium and micro enterprises; economics;                     and value chain analysis
• Experience working with women’s economic empowerment or similar gender-focused projects, including conducting gender-sensitive evaluations
• Excellent written and spoken English and Kiswahili languages
• Strong understanding of a variety of research designs, sampling strategies, and data collection methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups
• Ability to conduct rigorous data quality checks and data cleaning
• Advanced qualitative and quantitative data analysis skills
• Experience with data visualization, able to create easy-to-interpret graphs and charts for project indicators
• Strong organization and management skills, able to remain on time and within budget while ensuring high quality delivery
• Experience working in or near project location in Northern Tanzania
• Experience in Results-Based Management approach
• Experience and ability of using digital data collection tools (including Kobo) and able to provide devices for data collection
• Should be a VRN registered firm and able to issue EFD receipts

8.            Application Instruction

Interested and qualified consultancy firms/ institutions or organizations should submit a technical and financial proposal that presents a detailed understanding of the TOR and evidence of successful completion of evaluations of a similar nature and one sample of previous evaluation report. Proposals shall be submitted via email: infotz@handinhandea.org by 12th March, 2023.