Invitation to Tender: End-of-Term Project Evaluation of the SIDA-Funded Trade Facilitation Project: 2018 – 2022
1. BACKGROUND
Introduction to FSD Kenya
The FSD Kenya programme was established by the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2001 to support the development of financial inclusion and inclusive financial markets in Kenya. FSD Kenya’s aim today is to help realize a vision of an inclusive financial system to support Kenya’s long-term goals for economic and social transformation development. The programme works closely with government, the financial services industry, and other partners across key economic and social sectors. FSD Kenya’s core development partners are Department for International Development (DFID), the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Trade facilitation project
The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) funded FSD Kenya to develop and implement the trade facilitation project in November 2018. Among other objectives (see theory of change in Fig 1), the project whose specific objective is to “create market capacity and incentives to innovate trade solutions which deliver real value for the economy, enterprises and households”. Initially budgeted at KShs 750m (KShs 314m for phase 1 and KShs 436m for phase 2) for two years, the Trade project’s budget has since expanded to KShs 1.04b, spanning November 2018 to December 2022. A significant component on the Blue economy was added at the beginning of 2022, with the aim of piloting interventions in this area for further development in future implementation. As implementation ends in December 2022, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of the Trade project has had. A rigorous assessment of achievements, both intended and unintended outcomes, delivery approaches, partner management, the ecosystem, targeting, and emerging lessons. This assessment will furnish stakeholders with proof of positive achievement, while informing FSD’s future implementation.
Markets are often incomplete. As a result, viable opportunities to connect producers and consumers are lost. Information is at the heart of this market failure. A major reason for low levels of international, inter and intra county trade is the Information asymmetry that characterizes all forms of trade in Kenya. Lack of reliable transport and communication infrastructure as well as under-developed legal and regulatory framework is one of the causes of this imbalance and gives rise to constraints that militate against the growth of trade. Holders of information about
opportunities in the trading system can extract value from less well-informed players. The result is increasing wealth and income inequality as well as stagnation or decline of important sectors of the economy that are potential drivers of trade like manufacturing and agriculture.
The constraints to trade that arise out of information asymmetry fall into three broad categories which are access to markets, logistics and liquidity. These challenges affect all the players on trade value chains to varying degrees. Primary players on the trade value chain include primary producers, processors and aggregators, retailers and consumers. To achieve the project’s objective, the trade system must evolve in a way that it allocates value to trading partners in line with the value they have added within the system by breaking down information asymmetries. With a fairer allocation of value, trading partners will be more likely to have sustainable enterprises able to contribute to inclusive growth. The trade project is made up of five components: trade facilitation platform solutions, financial solutions for facilitating trade, inclusion of more women and youth in trade, inclusive export promotion solutions and Blue economy (LREB aquaculture value chains.
2. OBJECTIVES
The objective of this evaluation is to assess and review the impact of interventions undertaken by the project to date, review underlying concepts and their implementation, and subsequently, offer recommendations that will inform future implementation of similar interventions. In so doing the evaluation achieve the following:
a) Highlight the internal or external factors that influenced the success or the inverse of implementation.
b) Measure the extent of attainment of the results originally intended from inception, as well as intention during the project’s life and the revision therein.
c) Establish the relevance to national government priorities, regional trade facilitation roadmap, vision 2030, SDGs & frameworks.
d) Produce a framework for knowledge management & sharing with the community of practice and a systems for risk analysis and assessment
e) Identify and document substantial, forward-looking lessons especially on cross cutting issues drawing from FSD’s strategic planning including gender, youth and opportunities for research, learning and collaboration.
3. SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of work will be shaped during the reconnaissance discussions at the initial phases of this evaluation. The scope will revolve around the following five evaluation areas:
A. Project set up and evolution
How has the project been up? Document the evolution of the project (Components, tasks etc.) to date with keen attention to; (a) The original Theory of Change, updates and revisions and the circumstance around the changes; and (b) The efficacy of the theory of change, and the reasoning for the execution.
B. Design and focus of the project
The evaluation will answer the following question:
a) To what extent did the project achieve its overall objectives?
b) What and how much progress has been made towards achieving the overall outputs and outcomes of the project?
c) To what extent were the results (impacts, outcomes and outputs) achieved?
d) Were the inputs and strategies identified, and were they realistic, appropriate and adequate to achieve the results?
e) Was the project relevant to the identified needs?
C. Project management and delivery
The evaluation will appraise the project’s processes and their appropriateness. The evaluation will answer the following questions:
a) Was the project effective in delivering desired/planned results?
b) How effective were the strategies and tools used in the implementation of the project?
c) How did project facilitation or implementation partners delivery influence outcomes?
d) How effective has the project been in responding to the needs of the beneficiaries, and what results were achieved?
e) What are the future intervention strategies and issues?
D. Value for money of project implementation
a) Was the process of achieving results efficient? Did the actual or expected results (outputs and outcomes) justify the costs incurred?
b) Were the resources effectively utilized? What factors contributed to implementation efficiency?
c) Did project activities overlap and duplicate other similar interventions (funded nationally and /or by other donors within and without FSD?
d) Are there more efficient ways and means of delivering more and better results (outputs and outcomes) with the available inputs?
e) How efficient were the management and accountability structures of the project?
f) How did the project financial management processes and procedures affect project implementation?
E. Sustainability
The evaluation will give a projection of the future of the trade project’s impact by answering the following questions:
a) To what extent are the benefits of the project likely to be sustained after the completion of this project?
b) What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of project outcomes and benefits after completion of the project?
c) How effective were the exit strategies, and approaches to phase out assistance provided by the project including contributing factors and constraints?
d) What are the key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of Project outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach?
F. Recommendations development
The Consultant will make recommendations against findings of the impact evaluation, including lessons learned to inform future implementation of Trade interventions by FSD.
4. CONDUCT OF THE WORK
The Consultant(s) will report directly to James Kashangaki, FSD’s Chief Programme Officer, with day-to-day engagement with Jared Ochieng, the Senior Trade Specialist at FSD Kenya.
5. OUTCOMES AND DELIVERABLES
The following specific deliverables are envisioned:
a) An inception report of the assessment
b) Evaluation plan
c) Preliminary findings in .ppt format
d) A Workshop and/or/Webinar: to share findings with the broader FSD Kenya team and/or external audience
e) Final report in .doc format
Payment under these terms of reference shall be made as follows:
- 30% upon submission and acceptance of the inception report & evaluation plan
- 40% upon submission and acceptance of preliminary findings and draft report.
- 30% upon submission, presentation (virtual or at a workshop) & acceptance of final report, after all comments/suggestions have been considered.
6. REQUIREMENTS
Mandatory requirements
- Previous performance reviews of private sector development programmes
- 7 years of consistent work in African financial markets, development economics, agricultural economics, inclusive development, trade and market development and/or other relevant and allied areas
- Demonstrable experience in conducting studies and assessments
- 7 years assessing development programmes that use the making markets work for the poor (M4P) approach
Deadline for receipt of tenders
Your tender must be received by 17:00HRS, (East Africa Time), on 4th September 2022 and be valid for 6 months. Tenders received after the due time and date will not be accepted. Tenders should be submitted by e-mail using the addresses provided. If requested, an acknowledgement of safe receipt of tenders will be provided. You are
requested to submit your tender comprising of technical proposal and financial proposal separately. The proposals shall be submitted separately to the following addresses:
Technical Proposal: tenders@fsdkenya.org
With the following subject title: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL- END-OF-TERM PROJECT
EVALUATION OF THE SIDA-FUNDED TRADE FACILITATION: 2018 – 2022
Financial Proposal: tenders@fsdkenya.org
With the following subject title: FINANCIAL PROPOSAL- END-OF-TERM PROJECT
EVALUATION OF THE SIDA-FUNDED TRADE FACILITATION: 2018 – 2022
Download the full terms of reference at: https://www.fsdkenya.org/opportunities-tenders/invitation-to-tender-end-of-term-project-evaluation-of-the-sida-funded-trade-facilitation-2018-2022/
