Consultant- Central Tibetan Administration – Capacity Building and Sustainability Initiative (CTA-CBSI)

This scope of work (SoW) outlines the purpose and scope of the mid-term assessment of USAID’s Tibet Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) - Capacity Building and Sustainability Initiative (CBSI). The SoW will guide the chosen consultant in the development and implementation of a mid-term assessment. To that end, the consultant will produce an inception report outlining the data collection and analysis protocols, methodologies and timeline; lead the mid-term assessment and submit a final report. This consultancy will be based in India, will require travel and will include close coordination with Washington-based staff.  Candidates based in the South Asia region are preferred.

 

BACKGROUND

The CTA is the Tibetan government in exile. In August 2021, USAID awarded the National Democratic Institute (NDI) with a five-year grant focused on improving the CTA’s ability to deliver effective governance and building its capacity in several areas, including: strategic planning, leadership, budget transparency, management and resource flows, human resources, public outreach, information management and cyber security. The two overarching objectives of the program are to: (1) strengthen CTA leadership and planning and (2) improve management systems of the CTA and settlement institutions. NDI designed the program in consultation with a subgrantee, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Currently, the program is in its third year.

 

NDI will conduct an internal mid-term assessment of CTA-CBSI to assess the effectiveness of the program in addressing defined results and objectives. This evaluation is intended to serve several purposes. First, it will assess the progress made towards achieving the intended outcomes outlined in the program’s results framework. Second, it will determine if there are any unintended results of the project.  Third, it will identify and assess challenges, constraints and opportunities that impact the ability of the program to meet its objectives and results. Fourth, it will uncover changes in programmatic or political context that may necessitate project adaptation. Fifth, it will determine the extent to which the program’s activities have been sustainable. Finally, it will provide lessons learned to inform the design and management of future NDI programs.

 

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The mid-term assessment will employ modified Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC) criteria to establish an assessment framework:

1. Effectiveness of the program in achieving its intermediate results and objectives

 

1. Potential sustainability of the program results after cessation of program activities

 

1. Adaptability of the program to the CTA’s changing political context and emerging needs of the Tibetan community.    

 

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

1. A detailed inception report: NDI will provide the consultant with proposal documents, the program work plans and quarterly reports, the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) and Performance Management Plan (PMP), preliminary stakeholder analysis, and any other program documents for desk review. Based on the review and discussions with NDI staff, the consultant will develop an inception report that would propose the mid-term assessment design and methodology, including primary and sub-questions, primary data sources, data collection tools and protocols, and analysis methods, instrumentation and sampling strategy. The inception report will also describe the consultant’s approach for maintaining data security and data confidentiality. The draft inception report will be reviewed and approved by NDI’s MEL and Asia teams. The selected consultant will incorporate all requested edits and finalize an evaluation matrix as well as the key components of the inception report, in the approved NDI templates. The approved inception report will serve as the blueprint for the field portion of the mid-term assessment.

 

Components of Inception Report:

• Summary of desk review conducted
• Evaluation schedule including field implementation plan
• Proposed evaluation methodology (detailed below), including evaluation design matrix that links the evaluation questions to data sources, methods, and data analysis plan
• List of potential key informants and proposed selection criteria
• Draft data collection tools
• Limitations to the evaluation design
• List of revised evaluation questions, where necessary
• All lines of questioning that will be posed to stakeholders, to respond to the overarching evaluation questions

 

1. Mid-term Assessment Design and Methodology: The consultant will outline an evaluative framework and propose the best evaluative methods, depending on the available data and proposed evaluation questions to strengthen the validity of the findings and provide room for data triangulation. In addressing the evaluation questions, the consultant will assess the strategy, approaches, accomplishments, and impact of the program interventions. The consultant will also pre-test the data collection tools in the field to ensure their relevance and reliability. A description of the proposed evaluation methodology must include the following:

• Desk review of program activities and results, work plans, performance/progress reports, AMELP, and other relevant documents
• Sampling design and plan
• Survey(s) to be completed by stakeholders
• Focus group topics of discussion
• Qualitative and quantitative data collection tools 
• Data analysis plan
• Evaluation matrix
• Data analysis plan

1. Mid-term Assessment Data Analysis, and Report Write-up: The consultant will gather and analyze the data from a variety of sources and develop a comprehensive report. The consultant will develop a data collection plan to ensure the evaluation covers all key stakeholders and beneficiaries. Following each interview, the consultant will summarize the notes for data analysis. 

Desk review: The methodology includes an initial review of secondary sources, including program documents, performance reports, related USAID policy documents, and publications. A summary of the findings will be added to the report by the consultant. 

Key Informant Interviews: The consultant will sample the program beneficiaries benefiting from its interventions. The purpose of the KIIs and group interviews will be to gather detailed information from the selected sample of program stakeholders regarding the program interventions, results of those interventions, and effectiveness. The consultant will ensure inclusiveness among the key informants, ensuring to include substantial representation from youth. The KIIs will help the consultant to collect qualitative data in the form of interview notes. Summarized notes from the KIIs will be organized, coded, and analyzed by the consultant, per the evaluation questions. Possible evaluation limitations, their implications, and mitigating research biases will also be included in the inception report. All raw data, notes and translated copies of notes will be provided to NDI. 

Evaluation Report: The consultant will be required to prepare an inception and final report consistent with the scope provided in the ToR, report templates, and must meet all the evaluation requirements as per the provided checklist. The final evaluation will broadly cover the following format:

1. Executive summary   
2. Evaluation purpose
3. Background 
4. Evaluation questions
5. Methodology - including a detailed matrix that links the evaluation questions to data sources, methods, and data analysis plan
   1. Summary of desk review conducted
   2. Selection criteria (sampling plan)
   3. Data analysis
6. Limitations to the evaluation design
7. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations
8. Annexes
   • . Data collection tools

1. List of potential key informants
2. Bibliography

The report will include recommendations for effective implementation and adaptation of the program, which will be reviewed and approved by NDI’s MEL and Asia teams.

 

1. Internal and External Briefings: The consultant will conduct a briefing with NDI during the data analysis phase, to share preliminary findings.  This briefing will be useful to NDI as the findings will help to inform the program’s annual work planning process, which will be occurring simultaneously.  The briefing with the donor will be conducted virtually, will include the NDI program team and will take place after the mid-term assessment report has been written and submitted to NDI.

 

CONSULTANCY TERMS

1. The exact term of consultancy will be determined upon signature of contract. The consultancy will start in June 2024 and will end on or before September 20, 2024 with a maximum of 62 billable days, based on the allocation outlined below, in the mid-term assessment schedule.
2. NDI will cover the cost of the consultant’s travel, including airfare, lodging, and per diem for meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) when traveling to a location they do not reside in, in line with NDI’s policies and procedures. M&IE will be provided based on the prevailing US Department of State rates minus any meals otherwise provided including group meals. 
3. The consultant is responsible for the filing and payment of all withholding and other taxes to which he is subject. The consultant is not entitled to any fringe benefits from NDI, including but not limited to sick leave, health or life insurance and pension plan.
4. NDI will make payments to the consultant upon receipt of invoices for work completed. 
5. All raw data collected and reports prepared would be considered property of NDI. 

Mid-term Assessment Schedule

Month/Days

Proposed Activities

June / 7 days

Desk review and inception report

June / 6 days

Travel and preparations for data collection / refinement of data collection tools

June-July / 15 days

Consultant deploys to Dharamshala for data collection

July / 15 days

Data analysis

Aug. / 17 days

Report writing

Aug.-Sept. / 2 days

Consultant to conduct internal and external briefings on key findings, considerations and recommendations

To apply to this consultancy, please submit a resume to asiarecruitment@ndi.org by May 30, 2024. 

ABOUT NDI

NDI is a nonpartisan, nongovernmental organization that responds to the worldwide quest for popular civic participation, open and competitive political systems, and representative and accountable government. Since its founding in 1983, NDI and its local partners have worked to establish and strengthen democratic institutions and practices by building political and civic organizations, safeguarding elections and promoting citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. You can learn more about the Institute at our website, www.ndi.org.

To Apply: Please send your CV and daily rate to asiarecruitment@ndi.org