Senior Expert in Monitoring and Evaluation

Project description

Expertise France, the French technical cooperation agency, has been entrusted with a major Private Sector Development Programme in Lebanon by the European Union. This project aims to increase micro, small and medium enterprises competitiveness and participation in the economy by fostering their development and integration into value chains.

The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to Lebanon's economic development and job creation by enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of its private sector, with focus on vulnerable groups. The project has a budget of EU15M.

The specific objective of the programme is to provide integrated non-financial and financial intermediation services to groups of Micro and SMEs in the agribusiness and wood processing sectors through the establishment, management and operation of market-oriented value chains and clusters, with special focus on enhancement of productivity and competitiveness. Value chains and clusters are considered as the most appropriate specific approach for achieving concrete results in terms of effective inter-business, inter-sectoral and private/public institutional linkages.

The expected outputs are:

1. MSMEs are reorganized into stronger groups for a more efficient and cost-effective use of inputs and resources

2. Market positioning and market access of MSMEs in the targeted sectors are expanded

3. Access to finance is facilitated for needed investments; available funding instruments are better used

4. New jobs and inclusive employment are created as a result of increased production and sales

The implementation phase of the PSD-P started in April 2017 and was on full track in Autumn 2017. During this period, EF Management Team, with the support of an M&E Expert, designed an M&E framework. In this context, the contractual mid-term external evaluation shall provide the following elements:

Monitor and evaluate the project results and ensure their consistency with the programme objectives;

Assess transparency and responsibility in implementing the programme;

Integrate and evaluate the information collected (good practices, lessons learned, potential re-orientation of the policy direction(s) of the programme and its projects).

Improving the performance of activities through identifying the stakeholders’ problems, preemptively taking corrective actions and corrective actions

Job description

Implementing an external evaluation at mid-term for the PSD Programme

In this context, the evaluation should:

focus mainly on the programme’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and emerging effects

combine both operational aspects (how to improve the programme now, modify implementation procedures and reallocate funds) and strategic one (what needs to be dealt with in future, what change of policy direction is needed).

Beneficiary:

Expertise France Management Team

Technical Assistance Teams in Tripoli and Zahlé

Local partners (BIAT, CCIAZ and the selected NGO which are implementing projects in the framework of the PSD Programme)

Objectives and deliverables

Specific objectives

Objective and scope of the evaluation

The objective of the M&E consultant/expert is to implement an external evaluation of the program that covers the implementation phase since it started (from April 2017 until now). The expert will assess the inputs, the outputs and the outcomes of each project within their component and the overall program, based on the OECD‐DAC evaluation criteria[1] and the evaluation questions .

In order to implement this evaluation, the M&E expert should:

Task 1: Provide an external evaluation of the PSD-P by assessing each component and each project within the programme.

Task 2: Deliver and present the assessment along with recommendations to re-orientate and/or improve consequently the PSD-P and the M&E framework for the programme, mainly through for the following grant contract with two of the main partners 

Requested services

Task 1: Provide an external evaluation of the PSD-P by assessing in detail each component and each projects within the programme by following these outlines:

Section 1. Main users and stakeholders of the evaluation

The entities and organizations that have an interest in the intervention to be evaluated and in the results of the evaluation itself are EF Management Team, the Technical Assistance Teams in Tripoli and Zahlé and local partners (BIAT, CCIAZ and the selected NGO which are implementing projects in the framework of the PSD Programme). The results will be also presented to the Delegation of European Union and a sample of beneficiaries.

Section 2. Evaluation questions

The monitoring and guidance of the external evaluation will be done through evaluation questions already defined in the M&E report for the PSD-P (the report will be transmitted once the contract signed).

Section 3. Available information

The annexes of this Terms of Reference will contain a review of the current status of information on the programme. This will include all the reports that have been produced and sent to the donor (monthly and half-yearly reports), the logical frameworks for each component and project and other relevant documents.

Section 4. Methodology: Main methods or techniques to be used

In general, the proposed approach will be as follows:

1) data collection,

2) analysis of data,

3) provide judgment.

Nevertheless, if applicant wants to propose other methodological approach, it’s strongly recommended to do so within the technical offer.

We invite the applicant to provide us with an overview of methods and techniques of evaluation to answer the following topics :

Planning and structuring of evaluation

Obtaining data

Analyzing information

Tools to inform evaluative judgment

Task 2: Deliver and present the assessment along with recommendations to re-orientate and/or improve consequently the PSD-P and the M&E framework for the programme.

Propose and discuss the diagnosis with the relevant stakeholders (EF Team and the DEU and if possible with local partners) to validate the final report and define the main recommendations

Formalize the assessment and the recommendations to feed and reinforce the strategic management of the program.

Time schedule: main tasks& reporting requirements for this intervention will be as follows:

Provisional schedule

Week 1: Start evaluation with kick-off meeting

Week 1-2: Info gathering and analysis

Week 2-3: Meetings between programme and evaluator

Week 4: Draft final report & recommendations, Feedback & meeting with Evaluation Steering Group

Week 5: Final report, Presentation and discussion of final report and recommendations

Outputs

PSD Programme Final mid-term external evaluation’s report (Word format) along with recommendations

Presentation (PPT) and discussion of final report with the stakeholders

[1] To assess the relevance of the program, please refer also to the European Union’s criteria « for supporting private sector actors » specifically the measurable development impact. Source: European Commission, 2004, A Stronger Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries [page 5]. Available at: http://www.cosv.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/psd-communication-2014_e…