Consultancy Services Required for Desk-Based Midline Study for the WVL Project in Kenya

Background

CARE International is a confederation of 18 CARE member organizations and affiliates committed to supporting communities in over 90 countries to achieve lasting solutions to poverty. Founded in 1945, the organization’s mission is to work with individuals, communities and partners to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. CARE has been operating in Kenya since 1968 to facilitate processes that eradicate poverty and ensure social justice through development programs, local institutional capacity building and public policy influencing.

Drawing strength from our global diversity, resources and experience, CARE promotes innovative solutions and advocates for global responsibility.

At CARE, we put women and girls at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. Our Values are: Equality, Integrity, Transformation, Excellence and Diversity. We are present in at least 15 counties across Kenya and support sustainable development, humanitarian action, advocacy and partnerships.

Women’s Voice and Leadership Project Profile

The Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Kenya project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is being delivered by CARE Canada, CARE Kenya, Uraia Trust, The Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Community Advocacy and Awareness Trust (CRAWN Trust) and Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa). Its goal is to support the capacity and activities of local and national women’s rights organizations and movements seeking to empower women and girls, advance the protection of women’s and girls’ rights, and achieve gender equality with the ultimate outcome being the “Increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls and the enjoyment of gender equality in Kenya”.

Kenyan WROs range from large, well-established and internationally recognized organizations to small, county or youth start-ups. They focus on a gambit of issues, providing direct service delivery, linking women to legal aid and justice, raising awareness and undertaking political reform. Some are strongly aligned with international or Pan-African organizations and movements, while others work in relative isolation. Some have a strong ability to analyze and effect policy change, while others are skilled at mobilizing marginalized, grassroots women’s groups to advocate for their own rights, and those of their constituency. The WVL-Kenya project is coming in to strengthen the capacities of these WROs, women networks and women rights leaders. In so doing, the project intends to improve quality of work and service delivery in their various thematic areas of intervention.

WVL offers the following four types of support to women’s rights organizations (WROs):

1. Multi-year funding;
2. Fast, responsive funding for discrete activities/ short projects to allow for nimble responses to unforeseen events and pilot innovative ideas;
3. Institutional capacity-building support;
4. Network and alliance building (including inter-generational alliances) for movement building to amplify WRO voices and foster an enabling environment where collective action can coalesce.

The WVL project objectives include:

• Improved management and sustainability of local WROs.
• Enhanced performance of WRO’s programming and advocacy to advance gender equality and empower women and girls.
• Increased effectiveness of national and sub-national women’s rights platforms, networks and alliances to affect policy, legal and social change.

Purpose of the Mid-line Study

The first purpose of the mid-line study is to assess the progress of project implementation since inception, and document best practices and lessons learned and identify gaps to inform and support decision makers, key stakeholders in various policy, program design, and implementation.

The baseline will also seek to understand if the project is making adaptations to improve efficiency, impact, or effectiveness and analyzing the learning from implementation to see if these are being used to inform decision making or adapting where required. It will also be important to learn what opportunities and barriers exist in employing adaptive management principles within the context of the project.

Finally, it will collect baseline data on the new WROs selected as part of the project’s second call for proposals for multiyear funding.

The overall objectives of this assignment are:

1. To provide evidence of progress towards results and envisioned impact midline data for the WVL Kenya project indicators and to measure progress against the baseline, based on the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF)
2. To document success factors, barriers, best practices and lessons learned from the project, to inform project design, adaptive program management and implementation moving forward.
3. To provide the baseline data for the phase 2 cohort of WROs that have just been selected to implement the second phase of the project.

Examples of evaluation questions to be answered through the study (objectives 1 and 2 stated above) are:

• To what extent has the project adequately identified the capacity gaps of diverse WROs?
• To what extent have the project interventions addressed these gaps?
• To what extent are project interventions providing short and/or long term solutions to the WROs’ gaps (financial and capacity)?
• Are there are any assumptions in the project’s theory of change that need to be addressed or modified?
• What are the success factors and barriers that have affected project results so far?
• What are the best practices and lessons learned that can be drawn from the project?

Consultant Responsibilities

The consultant is expected to work closely with the WVL Kenya project team and its four principal WRO partners and provide overarching strategic guidance and advice to the entire midline process. The CARE Kenya team and its four principal partners have already made a solid start on preparations for the midline study for the consultant to review and to incorporate into the consultancy midline report, once on board. These include:

• The first baseline report of the WVL-K project.
• The capacity assessment and capacity building plans and current progress status report for each of the 4 principal WRO partners and the ultimate recipient WROs.
• The updated WRO mapping that collected data on 639 WROs and women’s rights networks across Kenya, which was analyzed to help establish a typology of WROs, thematic programs and organizational structures in Kenya among others.
• An online gender resource center which has a database and directory of all WROs and women’s rights networks mapped in Kenya.
• A short context paper on of the situation of WROs in Kenya from the Project Implementation Plan.
• A gender analysis of women’s rights issues and WROs in Kenya.
• The rapid gender analysis conducted in the context of COVID-19.
• Project reports submitted to the donor.
• Periodic project fact sheets.
• Updated PMF.
• Updated project specific risk register.
• Updated project communication plan.
• In addition to reviewing and incorporating this preparatory work to date, the consultant will lead a three-tier desk-based data collection exercise of:

Tier 1: Midline data collection with key stakeholders and the four principal partners (November/ December 2021)

Conducting follow-up virtual key informant interviews with CARE staff and other key stakeholders, as well as virtual and phone-based interviews with staff of the four principal WRO partners, linked to the project’s performance indicators. Findings will be compared to the baseline conducted last year to track changes in the results.

Tier 2: Midline data collection with the 26 ultimate recipient/beneficiary WROs, beneficiaries of Rapid response grants and the network members involved in the first phase of project implementation (November/ December 2021)

Conducting follow-up virtual and/ or phone-based interviews/ surveys with staff/ members of the 26 WROs, beneficiaries of Rapid response grants and around seven national or regional women’s rights networks that benefited from the first phase of project granting. Findings will be compared to the baseline conducted last year to track changes in the results.

Tier 3: Baseline data collection with the new 24 ultimate recipient/beneficiary WROs involved in the second phase of project implementation (November/ December 2021)

Conducting baseline virtual and/ or phone-based interviews/ surveys with staff/ members of 24 WROs that have been selected to benefit from the second phase of project granting. Findings will be compiled to the baseline data collected last year analyzing both baselines’ results together to form a total baseline.

Scope of the Mandate

The study population for this mandate is composed mainly of the WROs and networks that benefitted from project activities and funding.

The midline study will be undertaken in a manner that is feasible given the current COVID-19 reality and associated limitations on movement and convening. Attached is a guidance paper on collecting MEAL data during the COVID crisis. Data will be collected against the PMF of the project which will be shared with the consultant.

The mandate should start approximately on 18^th October 2021 and end on 30^th October 2021, which is the latest date by when the final report must be approved. Altogether, it is estimated that the mandate should take about 14 person-days.

The project is currently funding WROs in the majority – (40) of counties in Kenya: the midline study will need to collect data from all WROs. Applicants are invited to propose a methodology that is either entirely virtual or that combines virtual and physical data collection.

Methodology

To gather information and data for key results, participatory and mixed methodological approaches will be used. Both primary and secondary study methods are expected to be applied to allow for the collection and triangulation of both quantitative and qualitative data. Specifically, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and review of secondary data will be used in order to understand the project, assess contexts, dynamics and policy frameworks that might influence project delivery.

CARE suggests the following methods for undertaking the study:

Secondary data review (October/November 2021)

• The consultant will review existing secondary information about the project, including the documents mentioned in section 3 above as well as policy documents, work plans, budgets, risk register, communication strategy, multi-year and rapid response fund granting guidelines, updated governance structure, donor reports, relevant project review meeting minutes/ reports and CARE International Kenya project-related documents. The consultant will use the data to formulate and triangulate findings in the midline report.

Tier 1 data collection (November/ December 2021)

• Conduct virtual key informant interviews with CARE Kenya staff (those engaged with the project) and two to six other key stakeholders (Program Steering Committee members, leaders in the feminist movement, etc.). In consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions posed on travel and meetings, these discussions can be done virtually (e.g. Skype/ Zoom/ WhatsApp/ voice-based communication systems).
• Interviews will also be conducted virtually and/or by phone with staff (leaders and other staff) of the four principal WRO partners (CRAWN Trust, CREAW, Uraia Trust and UAF-Africa), linked to the project’s performance indicators. Most of the principal WRO partners are working from home with Internet connections of varying quality. In the first instance, virtual surveys (ex. KoBo collect mobile data kit) could be sent electronically for partners to fill in on their own time. Depending on Internet access and personal preference, some partner staff may instead opt to instead do the interview over a voice call. Both these options should be made available.

Tier 2 data collection (November 2021)

• Conduct virtual and/or phone-based interviews/ surveys with staff (leaders, other staff, and young female staff) from the 26 ultimate WROs that benefited from the first round of multi-year granting from the project, linked to the project’s performance indicators. In the first instance, virtual surveys will be sent electronically for respondents to fill in on their own time. Those who do not respond should be followed up and offered other response options (e.g. Skype/ Zoom/ WhatsApp/ voice-based communication systems). Both web-based and voice options should be made available to respondents. The list of organizations and their contact information will be provided by CARE Kenya in coordination with the principal partners (Uraia Trust and CREAW). Some of these organizations are well known national and county based WROs while others are small, nascent organizations.
• Conduct virtual interviews/ surveys with members of seven women’s rights networks (network leaders, members, and youth members) that are being supported by the project. Both web and voice-based options should be made available to respondents. The list of the networks and members will be provided by CARE Kenya. Some of these are large national networks, others are smaller, more nascent ones or ones specializing in specific women’s rights issues.

Tier 3 data collection (December 2021)

Conduct virtual and/or phone-based interviews/ surveys with staff (leaders, other staff, and young female staff) from the 24 ultimate WROs that have been selected to take part in the second round of multi-year granting of the project, linked to the project’s performance indicators. In the first instance, virtual surveys will be sent electronically for respondents to fill in on their own time. Those who do not respond should be followed up and offered other response options (e.g. Skype/ Zoom/ WhatsApp/ voice-based communication systems). Both web and voice-based options should be made available to respondents. The list of organizations and their contact information will be provided by CARE Kenya. Some of these organizations are well known national and county based WROs while others are small, nascent organizations as well as organizations representing marginalized groups.

The consultancy team should be prepared to have these calls at various times of the day, including outside business hours, to accommodate for the various needs of those being interviewed, especially women and youth who may have unpaid care burdens and other workloads to manage during the COVID-19 pandemic. If requested by respondents, the interviews could be split into two or more shorter calls to accommodate busy schedules. Data collection should also take into account the persons living with disability (e.g. visual impairment, hearing impairment, etc.) and take into account small and nascent WROs in the grassroots and remote areas who may be technologically disadvantaged and unable to take part in the virtual/ online survey or have language barriers and need translation support.

All primary data collected will be analyzed with disaggregation in line with the PMF as follows:

• Overall data for the four principal partners
• No disaggregation given small sample size
• Overall data for the 50 ultimate recipient organizations
• Disaggregated per different characteristics, as relevant and feasible (age, gender, rural/urban, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender non-conforming, indigenous groups, etc.)
• Overall data for the five women’s networks
• Disaggregated per different characteristics, as relevant and feasible (age, gender, rural/urban, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender non-conforming, indigenous groups, etc.)

Ethics and Consent

The consultant needs to apply standard ethical principles during the course of the assignment. This includes requiring respondent consent prior to beginning data collection and maintaining the confidentiality of interviewee statements. The consultant shall not, either during the term or after termination of the assignment, disclose any proprietary or confidential information related to the service without prior written consent by the contracting authority. Proprietary interests on all materials and documents prepared by the contract holder under this assignment shall become and remain properties of CARE.

Outputs and Deliverables

Inception report: The consultant will produce an inception report following the initial desk review and scoping meetings, including:

• Elaborate methodology and approach detailing how to measure all the indicators in the PMF, data management, quality control and ethical considerations. The consultant should clearly lay out their plan for virtual/ digital data collection during COVID-19, and their methods for maintaining data quality and addressing the limitations of the study. The team assigned to the study should be briefly described and their roles specified.
• Detailed work plan/ Gantt chart
• Draft tools for data collection
• Detailed budget

Preliminary findings workshop: Following data analysis, the appointed consultant will present preliminary findings to a selection of relevant stakeholders (CARE Kenya, CARE Canada, four principal partners, certain WROs). This presentation will be followed by a discussion. The objectives of the session are to validate the findings – and exchange on draft recommendations, if they are ready – prior to report writing.

Draft report: The consultant will produce a report and hand it in after the preliminary findings workshop, after having carefully integrated data stemming from said workshop. The report shall be written in a clear, plain and concise manner in the English language not exceeding twenty-five (25) pages excluding annexes. The draft report shall consist of the following components: program description, purpose, methodology, findings, recommendations on project delivery and results measurement, and conclusion. The draft report will be submitted to CARE Kenya, CARE Canada and the four principal partners’ team for comments and revision.

Final report: Based on feedback received on the draft report, the consultant will produce a final midline study report following the same format as the draft. The final report will not exceed 30 pages and will include, in addition to the contents of the draft, an executive summary and a series of annexes (data collection tools, list of key informants, number of respondents by type and organization, bibliography of documents reviewed (secondary data), and a version of the Performance Measurement Framework with both baseline and midline data column filled in with the findings). The cleaned dataset will be shared with this report. CARE Kenya, CARE Canada and the four principal partners will provide feedback on the report, for integration by the consultant. The report will be considered final when approved by CARE and the four principal partners.

Consultant’s Roles and Responsibilities

• Conducting a desk study of all relevant documents (as specified above).
• Carrying out this midline study and producing a report according to the specifications in these ToR.
• Hold a session to provide key feedback on the findings of the midline evaluation process to the core working group including the partners to allow collaborative feedback as part of the validation process and input into the key recommendations.
• Leading in identifying and training data collectors if they are needed, as well as virtually supervising them during data collection.
• Working closely with the WVL CARE Kenya project team and the four principal partners/ Project Steering Committee to provide overarching strategic guidance and advice to the entire baseline process.
• Working in close coordination with the WVL Kenya evaluation team led by the Program Quality, Learning and Accountability Sector Lead, Senior MEAL Advisor at CARE Canada and WVL Program Leads in Canada and in Kenya. The consultant will report to CARE Kenya’s WVL Program Manager.

CARE and Principal Partners’ Roles and Responsibilities

• Developing assignment TOR and sending out the call for expressions of interest.
• Recruiting the consultant/ consultancy firm.
• Supervising the consultant/ consultancy firm.
• Availing documents for the desk review.
• Reviewing, providing comments and approving the deliverables mentioned above.
• Providing logistical arrangements for the consultant (e.g. contacting organizations). Preparations for data collection will be done in liaison with the CARE Kenya and the four principal partners for input and feedback.
• Provide telephone/ email contacts for staff and WROs to be interviewed.

Requirements

The applicant/ team should possess the following desired knowledge and expertise. The team as a whole should fulfil these requirements, not each individual consultant on the team unless that consultant is applying alone:

• A Master’s degree in monitoring and evaluation, statistics, international development, social sciences, gender studies, governance and civil society, organizational development or other related fields. A PhD will be an added advantage.
• At least 5 years’ experience working with civil society organizations and/ or on good governance issues. Demonstrated familiarity with the concepts, methods, and tools related to work on civil society and governance.
• Demonstrated experience conducting civil society organizational assessments and action planning, with focus on women rights organization.
• Demonstrated experience in MEAL (particularly baseline, midline or end line studies).
• Expertise in adaptive program management will be an added advantage.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative methods and analytics.
• Excellent knowledge of the sociopolitical and cultural context of Kenya.
• Excellent organizing, facilitating, presentation, communication and report writing skills (in English).
• Knowledge and ability to use a variety of online technologies to conduct interviews, surveys and analysis.
• Familiarity with feminist approaches to program implementation or feminist MEAL is an asset.
• Prior working experience in (or related to) project intervention zones is an asset.
• The consultant selected should not have participated in the project’s design or implementation or have a conflict of interest with project related activities.

Expression of Interest

Firms, teams, or consultant(s) who feel that they meet the requirements should submit an expression of interest, which should include the following:

• Cover letter, capability statement, and declaration of availability for the entire assignment.
• An elaborated evaluation methodology including a sample data collection tool, study questions, a timeline and a work plan/Gantt chart.
• An explanation of roles of the different consultants (if relevant).
• Commitment that the consultant(s) whose CVs are presented will be entirely engaged if consultancy is awarded.
• A detailed financial proposal, including the consultant(s)’ fees. The financial proposal should include daily cost per major activity for the three tiers.

Annexes must include:

• Updated curriculum vitae of the consultant(s) who will undertake the work, clearly specifying their qualifications and experience.
• Contact information of three organizations that have recently contracted the firm/ consultant(s) to carry out a similar assignment (preferably in the last 3 years).
• Samples of two previous evaluation works.

Submissions