Job
Closing date: 10 Aug 2012
Islamic Relief
TENDER DOCUMENTS FOR ISLAMIC RELIEF’S CONSULTANCY FOR AN INDEPENDENT PROGRESS REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME PARTNERSHIP WITH DFID, JULY 2012 BACKGROUND
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is an international relief and development agency working towards a caring world where the basic requirements of people in need are fulfilled. IRW responds to disasters and emergencies and works with local communities to reduce poverty by promoting sustainable economic and social development.
IRW is an independent non-political, non-governmental organisation (NGO) supported by hundreds of thousands of individual donors as well as institutions including UN agencies and the European Commission (EC). Based in Birmingham, UK, IRW has partner offices in over 30 countries that co-ordinate, fundraise for and implement its emergency and development programmes.
At the international level, IRW has consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, and is a signatory to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct. IRW is committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through raising awareness of the issues that affect poor communities and through its work on the ground. Islamic Relief are one of only 13 charities that are members of the Disasters Emergency Committee (www.dec.org.uk).
Islamic Relief Worldwide endeavours to work closely with local communities, focussing on capacity-building and empowerment to help them achieve development without dependency. Please see our website for more information www.islamic-relief.com
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Many organisations have official Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies and budgets from which they will make charitable donations. As a registered charity and a member of the DEC, we would be ideal candidates to receive any charitable donations should you wish to incorporate them into any proposal that could also be considered.
INTRODUCTION
Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) envisages a caring world in which communities are empowered, social obligations are fulfilled and people respond as one to the suffering of others. By mobilising resources, building partnerships and developing local capacity, IRW works to enable communities to; • Mitigate the effects of disasters, prepare for their occurrence and respond by providing relief, protection and recovery • Promote integrated development and environmental custodianship with a focus on sustainable livelihoods • Support the marginalised and vulnerable to voice their needs and address root causes of poverty
Islamic Relief Worldwide entered into a Programme Partnership Agreement with DFID (2011-2014) for £3,000,000, although the signing of the agreement was, by mutual consent, delayed by nearly 1 year. Given the fact that the PPA was only signed in March 2012, IRW’s implementation of the PPA was limited and constrained by the absence of PPA funding.
The funds are intended to be deployed for two different purposes. Firstly, to finance innovation and capacity building through an Islamic microfinance programme in Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Sudan and secondly to fund policy work related to 5 thematic areas (climate change and food security, child protection, conflict transformation, gender and microfinance/debt).
Islamic Relief Worldwide is seeking to undertake a process evaluation of its PPA, and to submit a report of findings to DFID by October 2012. It is seeking to appoint a suitable external consultant to undertake this evaluation. It invites proposals in accordance with the information given in this specification.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this consultancy assignment is to conduct a process evaluation of the PPA. DFID has set out a detailed evaluation strategy for its PPA programme. It is run by Coffey, an international development organisation appointed by DFID to manage the evaluation, known as the ‘Evaluation Manager’. As the signing of the MoU was delayed, it has been agreed between DFID, Coffey and IRW that a process evaluation will be conducted, instead of an impact assessment for the mid-term review. However, please refer to Appendix 1 (which is available upon request) for the full terms of reference developed by Coffey, which will guide the evaluation.
The purpose of the independent progress review for DFID in relation to Islamic Relief Worldwide is: 1. To assess the extent to which comments provided as part of the annual review process have been acted upon by the organisation. 2. To verify, and supplement where necessary, the organisation’s reporting through the Annual Review Process, ‘changing lives’ case study and additionality report. 3. To explore whether key components identified as critical to the success of the programme are being implemented; whether key people, systems and processes are in place (including the appropriateness of the M&E systems); whether strategies are in place to reach target populations for Islamic microfinance programmes in Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and Sudan to improve livelihoods; and whether Islamic Relief is increasing awareness and understanding of Islamic stances on 5 policy issues.
Timeframe of Evaluation: July 2011-to date
DFID and the evaluation manager will use the findings of the independent progress review to assess grantees’ performance. Funding for year 3 of the PPA programme may be amended accordingly. The consultant(s) will also develop recommendations for Islamic Relief Worldwide to improve both programme delivery and management processes in the remaining 18 months of the PPA programme. Recommendations will be used by programme staff to strengthen programme delivery and where relevant, findings will also inform Islamic Relief Worldwide programmes more widely through lessons learned and programme innovations.
AUDIENCES
This consultancy is designed for Islamic Relief Worldwide and for DFID
METHODOLOGY
As outlined above, the required review is essentially a verification exercise and a process evaluation. Islamic Relief Worldwide Documents for Review • PPA proposals and MoU with DFID • DFID business case for Islamic Relief Worldwide PPA • PPA logframe • PPA annual review reports, including ‘Changing Lives’ case studies and additionality reports, and comments provided by DFID • Islamic Relief PPA coordination strategy • Policy engagement strategies • Islamic microfinance programme strategies and country strategic plans • Islamic Relief Global Strategy 2011-2015
Key Stakeholders • PPA central team members • Country and regional programme staff • Target communities in countries as appropriate
TIMESCALES
w/c 13th August 2012 Inception meetings 20th August 2012 Commence site visits 15th September 2012 Briefing of findings 28th September 2012 Final Draft report submitted 15th October 2012 Final submission to DFID with management response
DELIVERABLES
The consultant(s) will produce the following deliverables: • Inception report detailing specific evaluation questions and methods (analytical approach and framework, process for site visits, and interviews/workshops) • Briefing of preliminary findings at completion of document review, site visits and interviews / workshops by 15th September 2012. • Final draft report by 28th September 2012. • Presentation of draft report to senior management by w/c 1st October 2012. • Final report (incorporating Islamic Relief Worldwide feedback) by 15th October 2012.
The final report to be of maximum 60 pages of A4, in PDF or Word. The report should be written in plain English and accessible to a non-specialist reader. A contents page will be provided by IRW, but must include: • Executive summary (standalone) • Recommendations for future attention/action More ad-hoc updates/briefings may also be provided as agreed/required.
CONSULTANCY CONTRACT
The successful consultant(s) will demonstrate the following experience: Essential • A Monitoring and Evaluation specialist with a minimum of seven years’ experience working in an international development context • Experience of results-based monitoring and evaluation, using quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory approaches • Familiarity with policy influence work • Experience in a number of different regions • Experience of leading multi-country evaluation processes • Experience of CSO/NGO sector Desirable • Familiarity with current debates in and approaches to Islamic microfinance within the international arena
The duration of the contract is to be proposed by the applicant/bidder and may be reviewed for a possible extension thereafter; the selected candidate will be based at a location that is yet to be confirmed. The consultant will report directly to ‘DFID Partnership Coordinator’. Working hours and holiday entitlement to be negotiated with the assessment panel.
A contract is to be signed and is available upon request. It is up to the applicants to read it thoroughly and familiarise themselves with the terms contained within. The invoice is to be submitted at the end of the month and will be paid on net payment terms 14 days.
The applicant will need to provide all equipment required to undertake the necessary tasks and this must include a suitable laptop and phone.
All potential applicants must fill in the table beneath in Appendix 3 to help collate key data pertaining to this tender. The applicant must be clear about other expenses being claimed in relation to this consultancy this must be specified clearly.
A copy of the consultancy contract is available upon request. The successful applicant will be required to sign two copies of the consultancy contract and retain a copy for his/her perusal and the second copy to be submitted (must be signed) to Islamic Relief Worldwide within 48 hours of receipt. Requirements
This is an assignment that requires a child protection specialist with remarkable knowledge about child rights and protection in Islam.
Experience of and expertise in the charitable sector.
How to apply:
TENDERING DATES AND CONTACT DETAILS
All tenders are required to be submitted before 5pm on Friday 10th August 2012 pursuant to the attached guidelines for submitting a quotation and be returned to tendering@irworldwide.org .
The proposal should comprise the following documents and be submitted before the above deadline. • Proposal outlining the proposed methodology / activities, human resources/consultancy days and budget requested to respond to this specification. • Material comments on the specification, terms of reference and other elements of the task and how these have been taken into account in the proposal. • Statement of experience clearly demonstrating how the proposed human resources meet the requirements listed in section 5. • Proposed activity plan, clearly linking consultancy days and other costs to activities. • CV(s) of proposed consultant(s) – as an annex. • Example of previous evaluation by lead consultant – as an annex. The tender should be no longer than 12 pages, excluding annexes. Appendix 1: Coffey ToR Appendix 2: PPA Logframe
For any issues relating to the tender or its contents please email directly to tendering@irworldwide.org .
APPENDIX 3
Please fill in the table below it is essential all sections be completed and where relevant additional expenses be specified in detail.
Cost evaluation of consultancy for an independent progress review of Islamic Relief Worldwide programme partnership with DFID (Birmingham), July 2012
Applicants name Company name
No of proposed hours per week
No. of proposed days
Preferred days
Earliest available start date
Non preferred days
Hourly rate Total per week
VAT inclusive (Total)
Other expenses (please specify)
Other expenses (please specify)
Other expenses (please specify)
Preferred payment terms (IRW UK terms are normally 14 days).
Total cost for consultancy (for one month)
Total cost for consultancy (for proposed period)
Note
The applicant is expected to pay full taxes in his/her native country (s), native country is referred to here as the country of residence.
