ToR for Project Mid-Term Evaluation

National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFD-N)
TOR for consultant
Participatory Mid-term Evaluation

1. Background:

National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN), A national umbrella body of Disabled People’s Organizations, works for promoting, protecting and ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities through its working strategies: Advocacy, Awareness raising, Capacity building, Networking & Collaboration throughout the country. As a pioneer organization of the disability movement in Nepal, NFDN has been leading disability rights movements in Nepal since 1993. Internationally, NFDN is the member state to general assembly of World Council of Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI). NFDN has very influential and proactive roles for formulating, changing and implementing disability-related legal provisions, and building the leadership and advocacy capacity of Disabled Peoples’ Organizations (DPOs) in Nepal. It has very good networking and cooperation with different government and non-government stakeholders working in various domains of development.

Currently, NFDN, in partnership with CBM Global, is implementing a multi-years project entitled “Include Us” for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. It is an advocacy project for the period of 2019-2024. It is being implemented in all provinces and Federal levels in partnership with CBM Global. The proposed project by its name “Include US” shows “nothing about us without us”. The project has been envisioned as containing two levels of operation; first strengthening capacity of DPOs and government stakeholders, and second generating evidence on disability inequality at the backdrop of SDG 2030, UNCRPD having maintained spirit of LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. It is built on existing joint advocacy work of National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) and its more than 330-member organizations.

2.  Assignment title:

The participatory Mid-term Evaluation for the period of October2019- June2022

3. Scope of the assignment:

The main scope of this assignment is to evaluate the project implemented during two & half years using participatory approach with an appropriate tools and methodology and to measure the achieved outputs, outcomes and effectiveness of the project. The evaluation will also be focused to capture the strengths, improving aspects, relevancy, challenges, learning and process of project implementation along with the recommendations for further improvement. During the evaluation,an inclusive evaluation team will be formed across different provinces including the consultant evaluator. She/he will technically lead the team specifically to prepare the inception report, facilitate the field work and finalize the evaluation report. the evaluation team (not necessarily all the members in all places) will be expected to carry out the field visits to selected Municipalities and provinces to collect the relevant information and data on the project and consult with different stakeholders and structures of the project. The key stakeholders and target groups are Local Government, province government, local justice committees, police stations, courts,organizations of persons with disabilities, province structures of NFDN, and national human rights commission. Similarly, the beneficiaries of this project are persons with disabilities from all gender, impairment types and caste/ethnic groups.

4. Key Questions to be addressed during the project Mid-term evaluation.

i. Relevance, quality of design and appropriateness:
Note: This measures the extent to which the project is suited to the priorities and policies of the target group, the partner organizations, to local and national development priorities, to CBM policies, including changes over time.
a. What is the value of the intervention in relation to contributing to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), national priorities and policies, as well as Agenda 2030 and even NFDN & CBM-G strategic priorities?
b. Has the project developed appropriate linkages with various stakeholders at federal, provincial and local level in mainstreaming Disability Inclusion through its approach?
c. What were the gaps in relevancy and design of the project?

II. Effectiveness:

Note: This measures the extent to which the project actually achieved what it set out to do.
A. Were the achievements of results and indicators according to the plan? In cases of deviation from the original plans, what were the reasons for deviation?
B. Has the project contributed to strengthen the capacity of OPD network in Nepal with the specific focus on the issue of under representation and meaningful participation and to what extent?
C. How effective the engagement of governments, service providers and person with disability to mainstream the Disability Rights& Inclusion issue and their collaboration with NFDN and to what extent? and how is the relationship with government managed;

III. Efficiency or cost-effectiveness (of planning and of implementation):

Note: This measures the outputs in relation to the inputs (costs, both financial, staffing, and time) and whether funds are used in the least costly way in order to achieve the desired results. This generally requires comparing alternative approaches to achieving the same outputs, to see whether the most efficient process has been adopted.
a. Was the financial and operational implementation according to the planned activities? Was justify the costs incurred?
b. Did project activities overlap and duplicate other similar interventions (funded nationally, local government and/or by other donors? Are there more efficient ways and means of delivering more and better results (outputs and outcomes) with the available inputs?
c. What were the learning in efficiency or cost effectiveness of the project implementation? What are the recommendations for the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of the project intervention in future?

iv. Sustainability:

a. What are the key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of Project outcomes and the potentials for replication of the approach?
b. How were capacities strengthened at the individual and organizational level (including contributing factors and constraints)?
c. what aspects of the projects need more or less focus in the remaining period to ensure sustainable outcomes.
d. Impact – Contribution to change:
This assesses the positive and negative consequences of the project activities, direct and indirect, intended and unintended.
a. To what extend has the project contributed to changes in the lives (empowerment, meaningful participation & appropriate representation) of women, men, girls and boys across all gender, impairment groups, caste/ethnic groups with the special focus on under-represented groups and their groups/organizations?
b. To what extend government, non-government entities, and other stakeholders understand the importance of disability inclusion and readiness to bring systemic change to ensure disability inclusion? Has the project contributed to the development and implementation of policies, action plan, strategy and programs that focus on mainstreaming disability inclusion in project area?
c. Were there any unintended changes or impacts (positive or negative) because of the project?
e. Gender & ethnicity
Note: The evaluation must consider gender and caste/ethnic aspects of the project and report on these. Data collected must be disagregated accordingly.
A. Has the project addressed equality/equal opportunities for people from all gender and caste/ethnic groups? What were the specific measures the project adopted with?
B. Has the project sufficiently considered and addressed the needs and priorities of all women, men, girls and boys with disabilities including from under-represented groups I.E. impairment types, caste/ethnic groups, location and others? For instance: the benchmark of 50:20:15 (minimum of 50% of women, 20% of underrepresented impairment types, & 15% of underrepresented caste/ethnic groups)?

C. Does the project ensure data disagregation related to gender and ethnicity if so how are they analyzed?
f. Safeguarding:
Note: First and foremost, please keep in mind to adhere to safeguarding ethics during the entire evaluation process if children and adult at risk are involved. The evaluation must consider child and adult at risk safeguarding aspects of the project and report on these.
a. Does the project partner have a safeguarding policy for children & adults?Are all the stakeholders aware of such policy and reporting procedures?
b. Are the participants aware of feedback/complaint mechanism? How accessible are these/are there any barriers to providing feedback/complaints?

5. Methodology:

The Project Mid-term Evaluation will be carried out in a participatory way.An inclusive evaluation team, approximately comprised of 7 members, (OPDs members& beneficiaries: external to the project team) from federal and different provinces including the consultant evaluator will be responsible for this whole process. Not necessarily, all the team members will visit and attend all the meetings and discussions. However, the whole team, facilitated by the consultant evaluator, will meet to discuss and decide at least for one time as per the needs. It means the consultant will technically lead the evaluation process specifically to prepare &agree upon the inception report, facilitate the field work and finalize the evaluation report.So The following methodologies and processes are expected to be adopted at least (but not limited to it) for the evaluation.

1. Desk review of Include Us project document, project reports (qualitative and quantitative both), log frame, baseline value, planning documents and process documents and its critical analysis.
2. Consultation meeting with project staff and board of NFDN and capture the observation of NFDN
3. Field visits to at least three provinces along with the inclusive evaluation team members and consultation with project structures, government stakeholders and beneficiaries to collect the data and information.
4. Consultation meeting with Project Taskforce(FPTF/PPTF) or other structures at federal & provincial level,
5. Analysis of collected data and information using appropriate techniques along with comparison and triangulation of data/information including the meetings of an inclusive evaluation team.
6. Deliverables:
Activity Deliverable
Documents review, meeting with the project team. Evaluation design, methodology and detailed work plan. Inception meeting initial briefing Inception Report
Field visits and consultations, meeting of an inclusive evaluation team, Data analysis, debriefing and presentation of draft evaluation report Draft evaluation report
Finalization of Evaluation Report incorporating additions and comments provided by all stakeholders and submission to NFDN Final Evaluation Report

7. At least the final report shall incorporate:
a. Executive summary
b. Introduction
c. Description of the evaluation methodology
d. Situational analysis with regard to the outcome, outputs and partnership strategy
e. Analysis of opportunities to provide guidance for future
f. Key findings, including best practices and lessons learned
g. Conclusion and recommendations
h. Appendices: charts, terms of reference, field visits, people interviewed, documents reviewed
8. Qualifications and experience of the consultant
i. Academic Qualification
• At least a Master’s degree (preferable) in Social Science (Disability, Sociology, genders, inclusion and Development Studies) or related fields.
ii. Experiences and Knowledge
a. Having proven experience in research, project evaluation &monitoring and experience working with persons with disabilities, their organizations or their issues.
b. Required expertise and qualification as the evaluator in social and developmental sectors.
c. Having prior knowledge of disability and the government’s interventions on disability.
d. Having experience in research and study on the various issues of disability and capacity to present analytical views.
e. Having good knowledge on disability specific laws, policies, SDG, CRPD & Human Rights Approach of Disability and Disability Inclusive Development.
f. Having good and attractive writing skills.
9. Expected Skills
a. Excellent in handling basic computer programs such as MS Word, Excel, Power-point
b. Good in communication across multi-cultural contexts
c. Good in collecting, storing and managing data and information
d. Good in developing and using various data collection tools and methods.
e. Good in data presentation and analysis.
f. Strong report writing skills in Nepali & English
10. Ethical and safe guarding and gender related Statements
It is NFDN’s duty and responsibility to reduce the risks of abuse to the children and adults who we have contact with and keep them safe from harm. NFDN’s Child and adult safeguarding Policy framework to protect children and adults and gender policy promotes the rights of men & women for equality who come into contact with NFDN employees, volunteers, vendor and individuals, including consultants, who are working on behalf of NFDN.
The consultant should thus include statements in the proposal on how he or she will ensure safeguarding during the assignment. The consultant is expected to take consent of before taking photographs and ask if their photographs could be used in report. Such consent must be documented and submitted to National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) along with the final report.
11. Supervision
The Senior project coordinator of NFDN will supervise during the process. Senior Project coordinator will be contact person for coordinating work. National Federation of the Disabled Nepal (NFDN) relevant staff will accompany with the external consultant to ensure the work.

12. Cost of Payment
All the cost related to travel, accommodation, consultations and meetings will be covered by NFDN directly. So the consultant need not to include this cost in the budget. The consultant is only requested to submit their financial proposal of consultancy fees including all applicable taxes according to the Nepalese law.

13. Time-Frame for the Evaluation Process
The mid-term evaluation will be conducted between 14 th September 2022 to 20th October 2022 for an estimated of 20 working days. The consultant will be provided with information to prepare (with the support of the NFDN Office) a table with tasks, timelines and deliverables, for which the consultants will be responsible and accountable.

14. Application Process
Both individual and registered companies are requested to send their application to the email address at: lcs@nfdn.org.np with the attachment of the following documents.
The Company Should Submit
a) Letter of interest for the consultancy service including Proposal and Methodology.
b) VAT registration number and copy of registration certificate.
c) Latest Tax clearance certificate.
d) Updated bio-data (resume).
e) Company registration and renewal certificate.
f) Updated Company profile with related work experience, competency & capacity.
g) Technical proposal with methodology and financial proposal.
We would thus request the interested and qualified consultants to submit the required documents during office hours by 11th  September, 2022.