INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT- IGAD

Terms of Reference to Undertake End-Term Evaluation of

Strengthening Coordination and Implementation of IDDRSI (SCII) – Phase 2 

Sida Contribution No 16475

December 2024

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1. Background

The IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) is a comprehensive and strategic framework aimed at building the resilience of communities in the IGAD Member States to recurrent droughts and environmental degradation. Recognising the complex and multi-dimensional nature of drought and its impacts, IDDRSI adopts a holistic approach, addressing key challenges through eight complementary Priority Intervention Areas (PIAs). These areas form the initiative’s foundation, ensuring that efforts to enhance resilience are sustainable and inclusive.

Central to the initiative is the focus on Natural Resources and Environment Management (PIA 1), which emphasises the sustainable use and conservation of critical resources such as water, land, and forests. By promoting environmental stewardship and reducing resource depletion, this area seeks to mitigate the risks associated with drought and environmental degradation. Alongside this, Market Access, Trade, and Financial Services (PIA 2) play a crucial role in enhancing economic resilience by improving infrastructure, facilitating trade, and expanding access to financial services. These interventions aim to foster economic opportunities and strengthen market linkages, enabling communities to diversify their livelihoods.

Another key area is Enhanced Production and Livelihood Diversification (PIA 3), which focuses on increasing agricultural productivity through climate-smart practices and supporting alternative income-generating activities. By reducing dependency on rain-fed agriculture, communities can better withstand climatic shocks. Equally important is Disaster Risk Management (PIA 4), which aims to strengthen early warning systems and improve emergency response capabilities, ensuring that communities are better prepared to cope with natural disasters.

Recognising the role of science, technology and innovations, IDDRSI also prioritises Research, Knowledge Management, and Technology Transfer (PIA 5). The initiative seeks to enhance resilience-building efforts and inform evidence-based decision-making through research and technology transfer. Realising the context of the region, IDDRSI addresses Peace Building, Conflict Prevention and Resolution (PIA 6) as integral to the framework, targeting resource-based conflicts and promoting peaceful coexistence through dialogue and community-driven peace initiatives.

IDDRSI also addresses Coordination, Institutional Strengthening and Partnerships (PIA 7), which are critical components for enhancing the effectiveness of organisations in implementing policies, managing resources, and delivering services. Institutional strengthening focuses on improving governance, accountability, and operational efficiency. Coordination ensures alignment and collaboration among stakeholders, preventing duplication and optimising resource use at national and regional levels. Capacity development builds individuals’ and institutions’ skills, knowledge, and competencies through training, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer. Planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning are integral components of the capacity development efforts of IDDRSI. These elements foster resilience by enabling institutions to adapt to challenges and support sustainable development.

Human Capital, Gender and Social Development (PIA 8) is another critical pillar of IDDRSI. It focuses on strengthening human capital through education, healthcare, refugees, and IDPs. This area emphasises gender equality and inclusive development, ensuring that vulnerable populations are empowered to adapt and thrive.

At its core, IDDRSI is guided by a joint regional strategy that aligns the actions of all IGAD Member States, development partners, and stakeholders. The initiative operates within a framework of international cooperation, with the IGAD Secretariat providing overall coordination. By addressing the eight Priority Intervention Areas, IDDRSI seeks to build resilient communities capable of adapting to climate challenges, reducing vulnerability, and achieving sustainable development across the IGAD region.

The Government of Sweden has been supporting the IGAD’s resilience initiative through IDDRSI since October 2018, initially providing institutional support. This was followed by the first phase of the Strengthening Coordination of the Implementation of IDDRSI (SCII) project, which began in October 2019 and concluded on March 31, 2023. The second phase of the SCII project commenced on April 1, 2023, and is scheduled to run until March 31, 2025.

IGAD has planned a final evaluation of SCII Phase 2. The evaluation will assess the overall contribution of the SCII project to strengthening the coordination and implementation of IDDRSI in general and the effectiveness and efficiency of the SCII Phase at the programmatic level, generating lessons and challenges and providing recommendations.

1. Rationale of Phase 2 of the SCII Project  

The SCII Phase 2 focuses on two critical outcomes. These are:

Outcome 1: Optimized Implementation of IDDRSI Consolidated

Outcome 2: Strengthened Analytical Capacities and Institutional Mechanisms for Food Security, Nutrition Information, and Resilience Building.

The first outcome focuses on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of IDDRSI’s implementation by enhancing coordination, resource use, and stakeholder engagement. Strong coordination mechanisms at national and regional levels foster collaboration, minimise duplication, and ensure collective impact. Improved monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems allow for better progress tracking and accountability, while harmonised policies across IGAD Member States enable cohesive responses to transboundary challenges like drought and migration. Optimising implementation ensures that resources are used effectively, and interventions achieve sustainable results.

The second outcome emphasises the importance of evidence-based decision-making. Strengthening analytical capacities enables stakeholders to access timely, accurate policy formulation and planning data. Enhanced early warning systems help anticipate and respond to food security and nutrition crises, protecting vulnerable populations. Institutional mechanisms are also reinforced, equipping organisations with the tools and skills to sustain resilience-building efforts. Together, these outcomes support a data-driven, coordinated approach, ensuring that IDDRSI achieves its objectives and fosters long-term regional resilience.

The programmatic aspect of the evaluation will specifically address these two elements with their outputs, whereas the bigger picture on how this project contributed to the coordination and strengthening of IDDRSI in the IGAD region.

1. Objectives of the Consultancy

The final project evaluation aims to assess the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability in achieving its expected outcomes and benefits for target groups and institutions. It will evaluate the project’s success in delivering results. The evaluation will also examine gender dimensions, performance, and impacts, offering insights to improve future interventions.

Findings and recommendations will support learning for SIDA/Sweden and IGAD, focusing on enhancing service quality and identifying key lessons for future projects. Additionally, it will review the project’s potential impact, sustainability, and contributions to capacity development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national and regional levels.

The Consultant will analyse factors influencing project performance, document achievements, and offer lessons for future programming. A theory-based evaluation approach will be applied, focusing on the project’s result chain and its context within the IGAD region.

Objectives of the End Evaluation are:

1. Assess the project’s overall performance, paying particular attention to its outputs and outcomes.
2. Assess the project’s intended and unintended outcomes and determine the level of the project’s contribution to the overall impact. The evaluation will identify the outcomes achieved during the project implementation.

• Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and contribution to the impact and sustainability of project activities and implementation approaches.

1. Identify and document key lessons learned and best practices and propose practical recommendations for follow-up interventions.

1. Evaluation Criteria and Key Questions

The evaluation will follow the criteria established by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC) to guide the assessment process. It will focus on key areas, including:

• Relevance and strategic alignment of the program.
• Effectiveness in achieving project objectives.
• Efficiency in the use of resources.
• Impact of the project’s outcomes.
• Sustainability of the results achieved.

These DAC criteria and specific guiding questions will support an objective project evaluation. The Consultant will refine and expand these questions to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the project.

1. Relevance / Appropriateness

1.1 To identify if the project was adequately designed to meet targeted needs by evaluating and assessing the project result framework/ programme theory, conceptual components, and assumptions.

1.2 To assess the relevance of the project activities to the Member State institutions. Essentially, this asks whether the project is doing the right thing for the Member State institutions through NEP and the National Coordination. In addition, this involves enhancing the IDDRSI Platform Coordination Unit (PCU) capacity and strengthening national IDDRSI Platforms through various coordination mechanisms (project management meetings, regional and national-level steering committees, NEP meetings), gender mainstreaming, etc.

1.3 Does the project result chain allow for the achievement of the project’s outcomes?

1.4 Did the project contribute to aligning the Country Programming Papers and the National Development Plans in each country?

1.5 Did the project’s activities respond to the needs and priorities of the target institutions in the Member States?

1.6 To what extent is the project suited to the priorities and policies of the Sida/Sweden Strategy in the region (refer to relevant Sweden Strategy for the project period).

2. Effectiveness

To assess the achievements made towards the project’s goal, outcomes and outputs based on the log-frame, design and monitoring data.

2.2 To what extent have the project outcomes been achieved, addressing the targeted stakeholders?

2.2 Have critical components for coordinating and strengthening resilience been implemented and shown intended results? What is the contribution of Phase 2 of the SCII project in terms of project outcomes?

2.3 What, if any, unintended results of the program have been identified or perceived?

2.4 How has program management managed the contextual and institutional risks and assumptions, including the political climate and conflicts (external factors to the programme)?

2.5 What were the main internal and external factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of programme results?

3. Efficiency

Efficiency aims at the investigation of whether the resources (financial, human, and materials) have been used efficiently and effectively in line with the project goal and outcomes.

3.1 Have the resources (financial, human, technical, time) been used efficiently to achieve the project outputs and outcomes?

3.2 Did the project receive adequate administrative and technical support from respective IGAD offices and project staff?

3.3 Were the programme implementation arrangements appropriate to the regional context? Did the programme implementation arrangements contribute to quality results and value for money?

4. Impact

To assess the potential impact of the project at the regional level, on the target countries and institutions and staff involved in the project activities.

4.1 Is there evidence of positive changes among Member State institutions in planning and implementation of resilience projects at the national level that affects the lives of the beneficiaries. How?

4.2 What changes have the project achieved in the lives and livelihoods of women and other socially marginalised groups?

4.4 Have these changes contributed to any identified changes in the coordination and implementation of resilience initiatives in the IGAD region?

4.5 What real difference has the intervention made to the beneficiary institutions in the IGAD Member States?

5. Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the likelihood that the benefits of a project or intervention will continue after external support has ended. It assesses whether the project outcomes can be maintained and whether the systems, structures, and processes established will remain effective and relevant over the long term.

5.1 What could be identified as project sustainable impacts in the target groups and other actors as relevant?

5.2 Are the results integrated or likely to be integrated into national institutions, target populations, and will partners be able to sustain them beyond the project (institutionalisation of project components)?

6. Methodology

The End Evaluation will be informed by the project result framework that provides a basis for methodology and the Baseline Survey report of Phase 1 of the project. The evaluation should follow a collaborative and participatory mixed methods approach that draws on both quantitative and qualitative data to answer the evaluation questions. The evaluation should follow a theory-based approach. The evaluation should combine evaluation tools based on international standards and guidelines which are OECD DAC Quality Standards for evaluation in the context of the project.

A detailed methodology and data collection methods should be included in the technical proposal, which will be further improved in consultation with the IDDRSI PCU.

7. Specific Activities

In line with the project objectives, the Consultant will undertake the following specific activities:

7.1 Gather and review all necessary project documents such as project proposal, result framework, monitoring and evaluation plan, background documents such IGAD Strategy, IDDRSI Strategy, the Sweden Regional Strategy, Regional Programming Paper, Country Programming Papers, etc.

7.2 Prepare an inception report with detailed methodology, and work plan. Among others, elaborating on sample size and sampling techniques and data sources (groups, individual by country and location), methods of data collection, and methods of data analysis, and outline of the evaluation report.

7.3 Prepare and submit a draft Evaluation Report for review based on an outline developed in consultation with IGAD.

7.4 Incorporate IGAD’s comments on the first draft reports for review and submit a revised survey report to IGAD five days.

7.5 Submit the final draft and present the draft report at the online validation meeting to be organised by IGAD.

7.6 Incorporate comments from IGAD staff on the final the Evaluation Report within five days and submit the report.

8. Deliverables

The Consultant will provide the following deliverables:

8.1 The Inception Report.

8.2 Draft Evaluation Report that should be submitted to IGAD as per the agreed work plan.

8.3 Presentation (PPTs) of the key findings to the stakeholders – online meeting.

8.4 The Consultant will submit a detailed final report of the evaluation (not exceeding 30 pages, excluding annexes).

9. Required Qualifications and Experience

Interested applicants should possess the following qualifications and experiences.

9.1 Qualifications

• One consultant with a PhD Degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Statistics, or Monitoring and Evaluation. Combined specialisation in the above fields would be an advantage.

9.2 Experiences

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in designing, undertaking project and programme evaluation and impact assessment covering multi-disciplinary and multi-level projects that address coordination platforms from regional to national and sub-national levels.
• Research experience (adequate publication record) on resilience, food security, climate change, designing M&E system for projects and programmes.
• Experience is using statistical software such as SPSS, and Stata.
• Evidence of having undertaken similar assignments (to be submitted electronically with the technical proposal, a maximum of 3 recent works).
• Ability to develop high quality research reports in English.
• Experience in the IGAD Region

10. Time Frame

The consultancy services are scheduled to begin immediately upon the signing of the contract. The entire project is expected to be completed within 30 person days from the commencement date. The consultant’s timetable will at least include the following activities:

• Meeting with the IGAD staff to discuss on the approach and research methodology.
• Development of the evaluation design matrix, refining of the study methodology, sampling tools and strategy
• Development of evaluation instruments/tools (questionnaires, interview guidelines, etc.).
• Site visits, observations and meetings/focus groups and interviews with the stakeholders (according to the sample strategy)
• Data collection and analysis
• Presentation of findings
• Preparation of the draft report and presentation materials
• Incorporation of comments and finalization of the report

11. Persual and Evaluation of Offers

The offers will be sorted at the IGAD secretariat based in Djibouti. An evaluation committee will be tasked to assess the eligible offers. The choice will be based on technical capacity. The final choice will be made considering the budget available for this exercise.

12. Reserve on Cancelling the Bid

The present invitation to bid can be cancelled due to the conditions below:

• There has not been enough competition.
• No offer meeting the requirements of the invitation to bid has been received.
• The offers accepted at the time of the perusal by far exceeded the available budget.

13. Conditions for Carrying out Mandate

• The service will be subject to a contract and will be added as an appendix to the present ToR and the offer shall be validated.
• The study consultant will take up all the tax obligations related to its status of consultancy.
• The consultant will comply with IGAD’s management procedures while performing the services, subject to this offer of consultancy.

14. Offers from the Consultant

• A letter of bid duly signed.
• A technical proposal that details:
  • A general profile of the consultant/firm.
  • The applicant’s understanding of the TOR (technical understanding of the assignment, methodology, timeline, and budget).
  • Suggested detailed methodology.
  • Work plan
  • Experience with similar previous assignments indicating field of specialization and references.
  • In annex: sample reports of similar assignment which will be treated confidentially.
  • In annex: CV of all members of the study team and possible track record

• A financial proposal showing the total cost (in USD), professional fees and reimbursable expenses (e.g., travel costs, field work, materials, etc.). The financial proposal must cover all costs associated with this assignment. Costs incurred outside the terms agreed in the financial proposal and final contract will not be reimbursed. The offer will also state the details of the amount not including taxes and including all taxes. Any special exemption should be clearly stated.

15. Reporting Line and IGAD’s Role

The Consultant will report to the Director of Planning, Coordination and Partnership through the Coordinator of the IDDRSI Platform Coordination Unit (PCU). A day-to-day guidance will be given by the IDDRSI Regional Programming Coordinator, who will be the technical Focal Person for this task.

IGAD will provide the following to ensure the smooth implementation of the assignment.

1. Pay the consultancy fee according to the contract payment schedule.
2. Provide the required internal documents for review by the consultant.
3. Monitor quality of the progress of the assignment.
4. Facilitate the communication of the consultant with the IGAD Member States and other stakeholders.

Provide timely feedback to all reports submitted by the consultant.

16. How to Apply

Interested Individual Consultants who are citizens of the IGAD Member States are invited to submit their application to the following addresses:

Attn: procurement@igad.int

IGAD Procurement Unit.

Ave Georges Clemenceau, Djibouti

P.O. Box 2653, Republic of Djibouti

E.mail: procurement@igad.int

CC to: Jemal.mensur@igad.int

IGAD is an equal opportunities employer. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Download Attached ToR in PDF below:
End Evaluation ToR_SCII Phase 2_Final