Consultant Full-Time

Introduction

Save the Children in Mozambique is seeking the consulting services of consultants to conduct a mid-term performance evaluation for the Sponsorship program in Nampula Province. Within Nampula Province, Sponsorship programming is implemented in Nacala Velha and Nacala Porto districts, where children face hardships daily, including limited access to quality education, high poverty and threats to health and wellbeing. To address these difficulties, Save the Children’s Sponsorship program has placed an emphasis on community engagement, education and health programming through four core programs: Early Childhood Care and Development; Basic Education; School Health and Nutrition; and Adolescent Development.

After 5 years of implementation it is necessary to review progress to date and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the Sponsorship program. A midterm performance evaluation is required for early 2019. The information generated by the evaluation will provide evidence to support Save the Children’s program implementation plan for the remaining period of implementation (2019-2023).

Scope of Work

The midterm performance evaluation will be mixed methods and include both qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies. The quantitative data collection and analysis will cover a representative sample from the entire impact area. In addition to collecting and analysing new data, the midterm performance evaluation will review existing program data and reports to prepare a report that will answer questions about the status of children and programs within the Sponsorship Impact Area.

The primary objective of this midterm performance evaluation is to assess the degree to which established strategic objectives for the four core programs have been achieved. Based on this, research questions should focus on both ascertaining the current situation of children, families and communities in the impact area, and changes from program start to the present. The secondary objectives of the midterm performance evaluation are: to provide a summary of implementation and outputs to date; to determine potential non-Sponsorship influences on intended results; to identify unintended outcomes; to assess the relevance, effectiveness & sustainability of the program; to assess the level of stakeholder satisfaction and strengths of strategic partnerships; and to include a gender analysis.

Evaluation Method and Data Collection Plan

The study will utilize a range of methods including careful document and database review and analyses, a household survey, a school-based survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and including some existing standard assessment tools. It will also be important for the evaluation team to describe the history of the program implementation, specifying in which schools and communities the different activities have happened. The Consultant is responsible for reporting quantitative and qualitative data against identified indicators to be provided by Save the Children.

In response to this request, we would ask the consultant firm to present a plan including:

1. Evaluation Methodology including: research design, sampling strategy, sample sizes, data collection plan, data analysis plan. The consulting firm should prepare a data analysis plan that envisions triangulation: that is, includes primary and secondary data, as well as quantitative and qualitative data, to respond to key study questions in such a way that the data analysis results can be generalized to the entire sponsorship IA. The consulting firm should provide information on how the data will be managed, including data handling and coding procedures to facilitate data analysis and the statistical software that will be used for the analysis. The statistical methods proposed to be used for the analysis of data should be clearly outlined, including power of the study, level of significance to be used, procedures for accounting for any missing or spurious data, etc. If qualitative design is to be used, the consulting firm should specify how the data will be analysed. Again, triangulation of data should also be part of the data analysis plan.
2. Data quality assurance plan: The consulting firm should describe their approach to data quality assurance at all phases of the assessment. In addition to the consultant’s data quality procedures, SC’s Sponsorship program will check the quality and reliability of the data and reports using appropriate procedures.
3. Sample data collection tools including household survey, observation sheets, focus group questions, and key information interview questions from past consultancies. The consultant will be responsible for creating and/or adapting tools with substantial logistical and technical support from SC Mozambique and SC US. When available, tools used at baseline will be re-applied for the midterm performance evaluation. Standardized tools for measures (e.g. classroom quality, ECCD center observation, etc.) already exist and will be translated and contextualized by the consultant to the Mozambique context. Other tools will need to be developed, based on existing questionnaires from the baselines. It is expected that all quantitative data collection will be digital, using KoBo Toolbox or another similar platform. Qualitative tools (Interview guides and FGD tools) will require creation and/or adaptation from baseline instruments and be jointly developed by the Consultant and Save the Children.

IV. Key deliverables

1. Draft followed by final research methodology;
2. Draft followed by final presentation of document review;
3. Draft followed by final data collection tools (pre-tested and adjusted): Sept 2018;
4. Ethical Clearances (local and through SCUS’s Ethical Research Committee);
5. Fieldwork/data collection plan: Sept 2018;
6. Report on field level data collection progress;
7. Soft copies of raw and final survey data with data dictionary/codebook;
8. Technical mid-term report and PowerPoint presentation. Draft by August 2019 and final by October 2019.

Certain deliverables will need to be provided in both English and Portuguese.

Application requirements and proposal submission details

For a full TOR, that includes further details on the evaluation methodology and indicators, reporting requirements, team composition, budget, payment and timelines etc. please contact Valerio Zango: valerio.zango@savethechildren.org

All interested applicants should present valid license and should meet the above competency requirements. Applications must be submitted in both hard and soft copy. Hard copy applications should be delivered to Save the Children Office, Rua de Tchamba, no 398, Maputo, Mozambique on or before 17 July 2018. Soft copies can be email to scimoz@savethechildren.org, with a copy to Valerio Zango: valerio.zango@savethechildren.org. Any submission after the given date will not be considered. The document should include:

• Letter of interest: a cover letter with a maximum of one page introducing the consulting firm with an expression of interest to carry out the work as described in this ToR.
• Technical proposal: This should include, but not limited to, understanding of the ToR with critical reflection on the consultancy assignment, methodology (with extremely strong emphasis, should be detailed with clear presentation), tentative work plan, proposed team qualification and experience, others. NB. Once the consultancy firm has been selected to undertake the study, Sponsorship program will accept changes on the team composition through formal communication with acceptable justification.
• Financial proposal: The consulting firm should submit a separate financial proposal, which indicates the budget item, unit cost and total cost and adequate justification should be given to the proposed budget.

Disclosure of information

The consulting firm shall treat any information obtained in the course of the agreement as confidential and not to reveal, unless authorized in writing by Save the Children, during and after the effective period of the contract. Consulting firms will have access to information relevant to the study whenever needed.

Contact Information:

Should applicants need further clarification or need additional information, they contact Valerio Zango: valerio.zango@savethechildren.org