Consultancy – Mid-Term Review

Synopsis: The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct a mid-term review (MTR) of the “Future Forward: Unlocking Sustainable Local Opportunities” project. This review will assess the project’s objectives and capture achievements, challenges, and best practices. The purpose of the MTR is twofold: and i. to ensure that the findings and recommendations are incorporated into the planning for 2026 and support correction; and ii. to support learning. A progress report will be developed to track progress. Through this, ARDD will be able to evaluate progress and make adjustments if necessary.

1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE

About the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD):

Founded in 2008 in Amman (Jordan), the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) is a Civil Society Organization (CSO) seeking to reinitiate a new Nahda (Arab Renaissance) project to contribute to addressing the challenges faced by the Arab World, building on the achievements and ideas of the Arab Nahda and aiming to open the doors for future participation in formulating concrete actions to achieve the desired change and development. ARDD supports marginalized individuals and communities, including refugees and migrants, in acquiring and enjoying their social, political, and economic rights, through legal aid, psychosocial support, media and grassroots mobilization, and research and advocacy, to raise stakeholders’ awareness locally, regionally, and internationally about the challenges that vulnerable persons face in Jordan and the Arab Region. Every employee of ARDD is committed to carry out the organization’s Mission and Guiding Principles.

Through the “Sustainable livelihoods and economic well-being” program, the organization aims aim to strengthen the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, enabling them to better withstand and recover from challenges. By providing support, resources, and training, ARDD aims at empowering individuals and families to build sustainable livelihoods, ultimately fostering greater stability and resilience within their communities. By advocating for more inclusive and effective policies and support practices, ARDD aims at contributing to creating an increasingly enabling environment for people to have the means to leave their lives in dignity.

Project background:

ARDD is implementing “Future Forward: Unlocking Sustainable Local Opportunities” project between the period 1 November 2023 to 31 December 2026. Due to the deteriorating economic conditions in Jordan, the main priority for civil society has primarily shifted towards the livelihoods sector to respond to the needs of vulnerable communities including Syrian refugees and host communities. For vulnerable communities, both Syrian and host community, livelihood opportunities remain compromised by their inability to access the Jordanian labor market, requiring more than traditional livelihood programming and short-term solutions to achieve long-lasting impact. There is a need for locally led livelihood solutions to unlock the potential of vulnerable communities, create opportunities for them, and enhance their accessibility to decent income to enable them to thrive.

Project Objective: Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan have improved livelihoods opportunities through increasingly localized ecosystems.

Project Outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Capacities of selected local organizations and Jordan National NGO Forum (JONAF) in knowledge sharing and service provision are strengthened.
• Outcome 2: Synergies between INGOs, NNGOs and donors are built to strengthen joint advocacy towards heightened level of dialogue, efficiency and accountability.
• Outcome 3: ARDD’s institutional capacity is developed to support the breadth of its localized advocacy work on the medium and long terms.

The theory of change encapsulating the intervention is: IF local civil society organizations are capacitated to respond to the needs of their local target communities, AND synergies between INGOs, NNGOs and donors are built to strengthen joint advocacy towards heightened level of dialogue, efficiency and accountability, THEN Syrian refugees and host communities’ resilience is amplified with improved access to livelihoods opportunities through increased localized ecosystems.

Consultancy’s objective:

Through this consultancy, ARDD is seeking a service provider to conduct a Mid-Term Review (MTR) for the “Future Forward: Unlocking Sustainable Local Opportunities” project. The evaluation will assess coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact, and sustainability, measuring achievements against targets while identifying strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. The MTR will assess the validity and viability of the project’s Theory of Change, examining whether its assumptions and intended outcomes remain relevant and achievable within the current context. The MTR should deliver clear, practical, and implementable findings that can be integrated into project planning to support correction and improvement. It will provide strategic insights to enhance implementation, optimize resources, strengthen partnerships, and refine advocacy efforts. Additionally, the MTR will generate key recommendations to improve monitoring, adapt project management accordingly, and verifying that the project is being implemented in a way that demonstrates steps toward sustainability, guiding potential project adjustments and donor engagement.

1. EVALUATION APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

Evaluation approach:

To enhance the evaluation’s benefit, a participatory approach will be adopted, engaging various project stakeholders, including trainers, participants, the donor, and other relevant parties. Data collection will employ triangulation to ensure validity and reliability, utilizing mixed research methods such as a comprehensive desk review, quantitative surveys, key informant interviews, focus groups, and/or field visits. The service provider will conduct both quantitative and qualitative analyses to address the main evaluation questions, presenting findings as appropriate.

Evaluation-specific methodology:

The methodology design should be developed by the service provider, taking into account the information outlined in this Terms of Reference (ToR). ARDD will provide the existing project documents, including the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools and data, project reports to date, beneficiary lists, and other relevant supporting documents. The service provider must ensure the confidentiality of all shared data and respect the privacy of project beneficiaries throughout the evaluation process. This includes adhering to ARDD’s data protection policies as well as any other requirements.

The service provider will utilize the M&E tools and results as a foundation for the MTR, following a theory-based approach. Adherence to ARDD’s code of conduct, practices, and confidentiality is vital, especially when interviewing or photographing vulnerable Syrian and Jordanian populations. Additionally, the service provider must uphold principles of impartiality, independence, objectivity, participation, collaboration, transparency, reliability, privacy, and utility throughout the process, in alignment with ARDD.

The responsibilities of the service provider include developing tools, conducting data collection from various sources, data analysis the data, and preparing reports. This entails:

• Conducting the MTR with a sample of beneficiaries who participated in project activities.
• Interviewing project staff to gather insights on implementation challenges and suggestions for improvement.
• Conducting Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with key stakeholders.

While the service provider is responsible for analyzing the collected data, the following components should be included in the analysis:

• Updating the project result framework with progress achieved.
• Utilizing the M&E data and information already collected data to measure the project outcomes.

1. CRITERIA:

The MTR will assess the project performance against:

• Coherence
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Relevance
• Impact
• Sustainability
• Learning: informed by the project’s overarching goal of improved livelihoods opportunities, which serves as a foundation for the advancement of vulnerable communities in Jordan, this evaluation seeks to identify the factors, both positive and negative, that have influenced the project’s intervention.

1. DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Proposal approval:

After submitting the MTR proposal, including the fees in the initial application, the selected service provider will be invited to attend a meeting with staff in order to discuss the proposal, review existing M&E materials, and adjust the methodology as required.

MTR plan:

Once the contract is signed, the service provider should then submit a revised “MTR Plan”, which should include:

• A detailed methodology for the MTR.
• Draft key informant interview guidelines and other qualitative data collection instruments.
• List of interviewees with selection criteria and/or sampling method (it must include calculations and a justification of sample size, plans as to how the sampling frame will be developed, and the sampling methodology).
• Known limitations to the MTR design.

The evaluation plan will be developed in close collaboration with ARDD staff, and the final version must receive their formal approval.

MTR process:

The service provider will first meet with ARDD staff. Upon approval of the MTR plan (with methodology, workplan, resources), the service provider will start a desk review of relevant project documentation. Based on this review, the service provider will develop and submit an inception report outlining the evaluation approach, methodology, and tools to be used.

Following the approval of the inception report, the service provider will proceed with the primary data collection, using mixed methods. The service provider will perform the data analysis (both qualitative and quantitative), which will be used to inform the findings and recommendations of the evaluation.

After completing the data analysis, the service provider will prepare and submit a draft final report. ARDD staff will review the draft and provide consolidated feedback, including input from the donor, which the service provider will be expected to address. A final report, reflecting all feedback, will then be submitted. The evaluation tools include surveys, and interview questions, which should be submitted in both Arabic and English. The final report should be submitted in English. The service provider will also develop a presentation of findings.

1. TIMELINE (PROPOSED)

Proposed activities

June

July

August

Service provider’s meeting with ARDD staff

x

MTR plan including methodology, workplan and resource request.

x

Desk review: assessment of relevant project documents, including i.a. data collection tools, data and reports.

x

Inception report

x

Primary data collection

x

Data analysis (qualitative and quantitative)

x

Draft final report

x

Incorporate comments and prepare final report

x

Presentation of findings

x

1. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The service provider will be hired on a consultancy contract. Preference will be given to a company in order to ensure continuity of service delivery. The CV(s) of individuals who will be involved in the evaluation should include the following:

• Bachelor’s degree or M.A. preferred in evaluation, development, CSO-related training, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of professional experience conducting evaluation in the field of educational, protection, development, and livelihood programs including accountability to beneficiaries.
• Demonstrated experience with quantitative and qualitative research, database management and statistical data analysis.
• Familiar with the refugee sector, particularly the situation of Syrian refugees in Jordan (recommended).
• Proven record of communicating with beneficiaries.
• Ability to assess and further develop a conceptual evaluation tool.
• Excellent facilitation skills, co-ordination, and oral and written communication skills in English (particularly report writing).
• Demonstrated excellent written and spoken communications skills in Arabic and English.

1. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

The service provider shall submit the Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the individual(s) carrying out the evaluation along with the following components:

• Technical proposal.
• Workplan.
• Financial proposal, including payment schedule.
• Evidence of experience related to Project Evaluations.
• Curriculum Vitae and proposed capacity of any complementary staff (CVs submitted should be for staff involved in this assignment).
• Contact information for three professional referees.
• Copies of relevant work undertaken in the last 3 years.

All application materials should be submitted by email to ARDD. Please note that only completed applications will be considered.

1. ETHICS AND RISKS:

The service provider must agree and sign up for ARDD’s ethical guidelines and code of conduct. This consultancy presents medium to low risks. Concrete risks that could affect its execution concern any delay that might be caused due to the unavailability of ARDD staff or the service provider. However, such risks are mitigated by the possibility of eventually adjusting the delivery date and keeping open channels of communication and follow-up.

1. REMUNERATION

The full consultancy amount will be disbursed in accordance with ARDD’s approval of deliverables. It is important to note that ARDD reserves the right to withhold payment if the deliverables are not deemed satisfactory or fail to meet the required standards.

1. GUIDELINES FOR DOCUMENTATION

The final product must include references for all resources, specific facts, and information utilized. The service provider must safeguard the anonymity and confidentiality of individual informants, providing maximum notice, minimizing demands on time, and respecting people’s right not to engage. Ensuring that sensitive information cannot be traced to its source is imperative, and individuals have the right to provide information in confidence. The service provider should refrain from evaluating individuals and must balance an evaluation of management functions with this principle. All evaluation findings, along with information on their limitations, must be disclosed and accessible to all affected by the evaluation, with expressed legal rights to receive results. Additionally, the developed report and materials will be the property of ARDD.

How to apply

Kindly send your application to this email: [email protected]

Thank you