Nepal: International Consultant - Terminal Evaluation for GEF-5 Project in Nepal

See full link to terms of reference for this position at: http:/d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/tor___terminal_evaluation_of_wwf_gef_project.pdf

Position Details

• Location: Kathmandu and project sites in Churia of Nepal
• Reporting to: Nepal, Santosh & Rai, Kamal Raj of WWF Nepal
• Starting Date: May 15, 2017
• Duration: Approximately 25 days
• Report due: June, 2017

Project Data

• Project/Program Title: Sustainable Land Management in Churia Range, Nepal
• Implementing Agency(s): WWF GEF Agency
• Executing Agency: WWF Nepal
• Executing Partners: Ministry of Agriculture Development, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Ministry of Land Reform and Management, Ministry of Population and Environment
• Countries: Nepal
• Focal Area: Land Degradation LD-1, LD-3
• GEF Operational Program: GEF-5
• Total GEF Approved Budget: $917,431
• Total Co-financing Approved: $4,398,864

Relevant Dates

• CEO Endorsement/Approval: December 19, 2013
• Agency Approval Date: December 19, 2013
• Project Start: January 1, 2014
• Independent Project Review Completion Date: March, 2016
• Project Completion Date (proposed): December 31, 2016
• Project Completion Date (expectedl): May 31, 2017

Introduction and Project Overview

WWF and GEF policies and procedures require a terminal evaluation (TE) of the medium sized project “Sustainable Land Management in the Churia Range, Nepal,” hereafter referred to as the “Project.” The technical consultant(s) selected to conduct this evaluation will be referred to as “evaluator(s).” The evaluator will report to the WWF Nepal representative in consultation with the WWF Nepal Project Management Unit (PMU), as applicable. In this TOR, the WWF PMU should be consulted, as applicable, with all references to the WWF Nepal Representative.

This project started in January of 2014 and has expected end date of May 31, 2017. An independent project review was carried out in March, 2016. The review rated the output level performance as Satisfactory and rated the outcome level performance rating as Moderately Satisfactory. For the Year 3 project progress report, the GEF Development Objective rating was Satisfactory and the GEF Implementation Progress rating was Satisfactory.

Project Background

Unlike other regions of the Himalayas, the Churia range of Nepal is structurally and geologically weak and brittle. Soils found in the slopes and foothills of the Churia range are very shallow and are underlain by rocks and gravel. Thus, the range is highly prone to land degradation and this has been accelerated due to i) unsustainable and illegal harvest of timber, ii) encroachment on forest areas by communities, iii) decreased soil fertility, iv) unsustainable extraction of NTFPs, v) slash and burn, vi) over-grazing, and vii) landslide. In addition, climate change is exacerbating and accelerating degradation of the Churia. Land degradation and unsustainable use of natural resources have been recognized by the Government of Nepal (GoN) to be a serious threat to the ecosystem health of the Churia range as well as the livelihoods of the local communities that rely on sustained flow of ecosystem goods and services. The resulting land degradation, if allowed to continue unchecked, will threaten lives and livelihoods across the region.

The project “Sustainable Land Management in the Churia range, Nepal” was developed to introduce innovative technologies and techniques to address land degradation to become a model to be replicated by governments and other projects. The project objective is to substantially reduce land degradation in at least 2,500 ha of agro-pastoral lands and 5,000 ha of Churia sal and mixed forest areas in strategic project locations throughout the four pilot Churia Range districts by 2017 . The project has activities in four districts: Makawanpur, Parsa, Bara and Rautahat. The project is executed in joint collaboration with the Ministry of Land Reform and Management (MoLRM), the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD), the Ministry of Population and Environment (MoPE). For the OGFZ mitigation activities, the project also collaborated with the newly established Ministry of Livestock Development.

Project strategies to reduce degradation, include: promoting sustainable agricultural and livestock management practices; engaging local communities in forest conservation and creating enabling conditions for inter-sectoral collaboration for sustainable land use and management. The project expects to achieve its objective by a) engaging multiple stakeholders and partners to introduce sustainable, coordinated, forest and agro-pastoral management, b) supporting the development of enabling policies and inter-sectoral coordination for efficient land use and land allocation and c) building local capacity for sustained project implementation, replication and upscaling.

The project has the following components and outcomes to achieve the project objective:

Component 1: Sustainable management for improved flows of agro-ecosystem services

• Outcome 1.1: Improved agricultural management through innovative pilot practices introduced at the field level that reduces erosion and climate vulnerability across 1,000 ha.
• Outcome 1.2: Improved land management across 1,500 ha through an enhanced enabling environment within the agricultural sector.

Component 2: Integrated landscape management in forest areas.

• Outcome 2.1: Integrated landscape management practices adopted by local communities in 5,000 ha of forested areas within the four pilot Churia Range districts.

Component 3: Cross-sectoral coordination and local community engagement

• Outcome 3.1: Enhanced cross-sectoral enabling environment for integrated landscape management and participatory decision-making.

Component 4: Monitoring and Evaluation

• Outcome 4.1: Employ participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) throughout the project life cycle

Scope and Objectives for the Evaluation

WWF Nepal is seeking an independent consultant to undertake a Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the Project. The TE will comply with the guidance, rules and procedures as described in the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Terminal Evaluation Guidelines[1] as well as the GEF Ethical Guidelines.[2]

The GEF Independent Evaluation Office requests a Terminal Evaluation in order to 1) promote accountability and transparency, 2) synthesize lessons for the selection, design and implementation of GEF projects, 3) provide feedback on issues, and 4) allow the GEF Evaluation Office to analyze and report on effectiveness of GEF operations, including achievement of Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs).

The objectives of this terminal evaluation are to examine the extent, magnitude and sustainability of any project impacts to date; assess performance including progress towards project outcomes and outputs; identify any project design problems; review the roles and responsibilities of relevant stakeholders; analyze the implementation arrangements; review donor partnership processes (including co-finance); assess support efforts of the WWF GEF Agency; assess stakeholder involvement; assess adherence to policies and procedures, including those for environmental and social safeguards; assess the project adaptive management strategy; and draw lessons learned that can both improve the sustainability of results from this project, enhance future related projects and aid the effectiveness of the GEF Agency.

Evaluation Approach and Method

The Evaluator will be contracted and report to the WWF Nepal Representative. As such, WWF Nepal will also provide documentation, reimbursement, payment and logistical support for the consultant. The WWF GEF Agency will provide feedback to the reports and support as necessary.

While this TOR provides an overview of the requirements of the TE and report, the consultant is expected to follow all procedures and requirements detailed in the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines.[3] The evaluation must provide evidence‐based information that is useful, independent, participatory, respectful, credible, transparent, and ethical. The evaluator(s) must be unbiased and free of any conflicts of interest with the project. As such, the evaluator(s) cannot be previously employed by the Executing Agency, except as an independent evaluator.

The evaluator(s) is expected to reflect all stakeholder views and follow a participatory and consultative approach. There should be close engagement with government counterparts, the GEF operational focal point, the Executing Agency (WWF Nepal), partners and key stakeholders. Contact information will be provided.

The consultant will liaise with the WWF Nepal Representative and Project Management Unit (PMU) and WWF GEF Agency on any logistical and/or methodological needs for the evaluation. In addition to the inception report, a draft terminal evaluation report will be prepared and circulated to WWF Nepal and the WWF GEF Agency to solicit comments and suggestions for incorporation into the final report.

The evaluation process will consist of:

• Desk review of project documents, including but not limited to:
• Project Document (ProDoc) and CEO Endorsement Letter;
• Independent Project Review Report (March, 2016);
• Project Supervision Mission Reports;
• Relevant safeguards documents, including safeguards Categorization Memo, Social Assessment, Beneficiaries Selection Criteria Document, Open Grazing Free Zone Mitigation Plan, etc;
• Relevant documents assessing gender mainstreaming, gender-related concerns/issues
• Bi-annual Project Progress Reports (PPR) including Results Framework and AWP Tracking;
• Annual Work Plans (AWP) and Budgets;
• Annual Monitoring Reviews (AMR) and Project Implementation Reports (PIRs);
• GEF Tracking Tools;
• Relevant financial documents, including quarterly financial reports and co-financing letters from government;
• Meeting minutes, including those from Project Steering Committee (PSC) meetings; and
• Other relevant documents provided by the Executing Agency and partners.
• In-person visit to Kathmandu and follow-up to interview and consult with Executing Agency, WWF Nepal PMU and/or WWF Nepal Representative, Operational Focal Points (OPF), Project Steering Committee (PSC) members and Project Coordination Committee (PCC) members;
• Interviews with WWF GEF Agency staff who were involved in the preparation of the project and during project supervision;
• Visits to project field sites for interviews, discussions and consultations with local partners and beneficiaries;
• Post-field visit presentation on initial findings to PMU and partners;
• Draft report to be shared with WWF GEF Agency and WWF Nepal for review and feedback. A sample TE report outline will be provided; and
• Final TE report not to exceed 40 pages (excluding annexes) that has incorporated feedback and comments from WWF GEF Agency, WWF Nepal representative and partners.

The evaluator(s) is expected to frame the evaluation findings using the six (6) core criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, results/impact, sustainability and adaptive capacity. Definitions of each of these criteria will be provided. The Evaluator(s) will provide a rating on relevance, effectiveness and efficiency to assess the level of achievement of project objectives and outcomes compared to the expectations set out in the Project Results Framework (will be provided). The Evaluator will also provide a rating on Sustainability/Risk and a rating of the project M&E system. A ratings summary table template will be provided to the Evaluator(s) as well as GEF rating scales and definitions.

Expected Outputs of Evaluation Report

The TE will comply with the rules and procedures referenced in the TOR and outlined in more detail in the GEF Terminal Evaluation guidelines.[4] A sample outline of the report will be provided.

The Terminal Evaluation report should include:

• Identification of project strengths and successes, including ratings for relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, results/impact and overall achievement of outputs and outcomes;
• Identification of challenges and shortcomings;
• Analysis of risk to sustainability of project outcomes, including Sustainability rating;
• Review of Monitoring and Evaluation systems, including rating for M&E and adaptive capacity;
• Description of the catalytic role of the project;[5]
• Analysis of alignment between project and GEF and WWF priorities;
• Analysis of whether the project interventions addressed the challenges outlined in the ProDoc as well as the independent project review. Include a description of the success to date;
• Assessment of WWF GEF Agency performance during:
• Preparation phase; and
• Implementation phase;
• Assessment of the performance of WWF Nepal PMU and project partners during:
• Preparation phase, including but not limited to establishing enabling environment, beneficiary/stakeholder consultations and involvement; and
• Implementation phase, including, but not limited to: gender mainstreaming and inclusion; compliance with WWF safeguards policies, quality of external relationships and participatory processes.
• Assessment of country ownership and alignment with government policies and frameworks;
• Assessment of co-finance, financial planning and management;
• Identification of lessons learned regarding: project design (theory of change), implementation, and monitoring and evaluation, using the core evaluation criteria (will be provided);
• Recommendations that cover: practical and short-term corrective actions, as applicable; recommendations for PMU and WWF GEF Agency; project M&E; recommendations on best practices towards achieving project outcomes and their sustainability; and replication for other projects of similar scope;
• Information on terminal evaluation team, as well as date of evaluation, sites visited, participants, key questions and methodology used.

[1] Please see the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines , published on the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) website. The WWF Evaluation Guidelines, are also useful, but do not substitute for the requirements under the GEF IEO.

[2] Please see the GEF Ethical Guidelines as published on GEF website.

[3] See the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines , published on the GEF Independent Evaluation Office website

[4] For additional information on the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines, see the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines , published on the GEF Evaluation Office website.

[5] See details in the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines.

Duration of Evaluation

The total duration of the evaluation will be approximately 25 days as per the following plan:

• Document review and preparation of inception report, 4 days
• Submission of Inception Report
• Evaluation mission, stakeholder consultations and field visits, 13 days
• Debrief presentation on initial findings,1 day
• Draft Evaluation Report, 5 days
• Final Report, 2 days

Evaluation Deliverables

The evaluation will include an inception report, a presentation on initial findings, a draft TE report and a final report based on feedback and comments received from WWF Nepal and the WWF GEF Agency.

Evaluator Qualifications and Competencies

The evaluation team will be composed of at least one independent consultant. The consultant shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects in an international context. Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage. The evaluator selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have a conflict of interest with project related activities.

Education :

• An advanced degree in natural resource management, social sciences or relevant equivalent experience.

Experience :

• Minimum of 7 years of working experience in the area of forestry, community-based conservation, agro-ecosystems, and/or sustainable land management (preferably in Asia); directly in monitoring and evaluation and/or project management;
• Demonstrable experience conducting quantitative and qualitative project evaluations and/or reviews, particularly for GEF Agencies;
• Experience collaborating with government and NGOs;
• Recent knowledge of the GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy and Terminal Evaluation Guidelines is an asset;
• Familiarity with Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (www.cmp-openstandards.org) is preferred; and
• Regional experience is an asset, particularly in South East Asia.

Language :

• Fluency in English language with excellent communication skills (oral and written); fluency in Nepali is an asset.

Evaluator Ethics

Evaluators must adhere to relevant professional and ethical guidelines, undertake the evaluation with integrity and honesty, and be respectful of human rights, differences in culture, customs, and practices of all stakeholders. Evaluations are conducted in accordance with the consulting agreement and with all WWF and GEF policies and guidelines.[1]

[1] Please see the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines , published on the GEF Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) website. The WWF Evaluation Guidelines, can also be useful, but do not substitute for the requirements under the GEF IEO. Please see the GEF Ethical Guidelines as published on GEF website.

Payment Modalities

Payment, expense reimbursement, and other contractual terms and conditions will be specified in the agreement between WWF Nepal and the evaluator(s).

Application Process

Applications are requested to apply by submitting their application to info@wwfnepal.org by April 26, 2017, indicating “Consultant for Terminal Evaluation of Sustainable Land Management in the Churia Range, Nepal” in the subject line. See below for application requirements. The selection of candidates and contractual agreements will be in complian ce with WWF policies and subject to GEF requirements. Applicants should also provide contact information that would be valid for a period of up to three years, due to GEF IEO potential to contact evaluators to verify information on the project and TE report.

Required Documents in Application

• Sample of past evaluation reports written/supported by evaluator;
• Technical proposal – Brief proposal on evaluation materials and methods, including approach to conduct field visit, desk review and work plan;
• Financial Proposal –Proposed payment and deliverable schedule;
• Curriculum Vitae in English (also in Nepali, if applicable) with contact information;
• General availability of terminal evaluator(s) and proposed duration of TE.

WWF applies a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.