Afghanistan: Participatory Watershed Management Project Consultant

Apr 22, 2015 | Afghanaid
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Afghanaid (leader of the Afghanistan Resilience Consortium – ARC) is a British-registered international NGO, which has worked in Afghanistan for over 30 years. We assist community-driven processes that address the rights and fundamental needs of people in some of the most remote areas of Afghanistan, providing basic services, supporting development of rural livelihoods and responding to humanitarian emergencies. We are headquartered in Kabul, and operate 20 provincial and district offices across Badakhshan (north-eastern region), Samangan (northern region) and Ghor (western region), as well as a Marketing and Fundraising office in London. We employ over 400 personnel, 97% of whom are Afghans.
 
As per outlined in the project proposal as well as agreement and with European Commission(EC) the Final Evaluation has been planned to review the project performance and achievement of its objectives and to inform future programming. In view of the aforesaid background information, Afghanaid would like to commission a consultant to carry out the final evaluation of PWM project.
 
PROJECT BACKGROUND:
 
Land, water and vegetation of upper catchments in Afghanistan have been vital livelihood resources for local upland dwellers and nomadic pastoral communities. It now appears that rangeland vegetation cover has become depleted leaving soil unprotected during the spring season, rains and insufficiently productive to sustain current grazing pressures. More than three decades of armed conflict and civil unrest have adversely impacted on social cohesion and any traditional management systems in the local community. Some individuals, particularly powerful ones, are competing to establish ownership like rights and denying access to others what have been common pool resources. Against this background, Afghanaid has been implementing “Participatory Watershed Management (PWM) ”project in Badakhshan province in four sub-catchments (Tagab, Kishm, Teshkan and Darayem) of the Kokcha Sub-basin. It has been operating in line with the broader framework ofAmu River Basin Program (A-RBP) funded by European Commission (EC). The project has a specific objective of promoting conservation and sustainable management of natural resources (soil, water, and vegetation) in selected upper catchments (Keshem, Teshkan and Darayam watersheds and Sare-e-shahr, Pasira irrigation schemes in Baharak.) of the Kokcha Sub-basin in a way that will have long term downstream benefits. 
 
Result one: Developed better understanding of catchment resources (Forests, pastures, irrigated lands and rain-fed cultivated lands) uses
 
Result two: Established, transparently operated, community based users' associations for sustainable management of natural resources (water, forests and pastures/ rangelands)
 
Result three: Developed, operated, efficient and equitable water distribution system of important farmer managed irrigation systems located within selected sub-catchments of Keshem, Teskan, Tagab and Darayam watersheds.
 
Result four: Re-established perennial vegetation (trees, shrubs, grass, forbs) in degraded forests and rangelands
 
Result five: Improved, conservation friendly, appropriate, agricultural and irrigation techniques
 
Result six: Disseminated, information, knowledge and lessons to appropriate stakeholders
 
FINAL EVALUATION:
 
PURPOSE OF THE FINAL EVALUATION:
 
A Final Evaluation assesses the achievement of the project in relation to its set objectives at the end of the implementation period. It also summarizes the lessons learned that may be useful for future program development and feed into community based NRM related policy development and implementation in Afghanistan. In this specific assignment, the OECD guidance shall be used. The purpose of the evaluation of PWM is to provide Afghanaid with an external, independent analysis and assessment of the project with regard to whether it is reaching its intended objectives or not and to provide recommendations for the project in order to ensure project’s impact, sustainability, effectiveness and ownership. Particularly the evaluation is expected to:
 
•Provide evidence of the performance of the project to date (is the project achieving its objectives, expected results and impact, including the cross-cutting objectives)
•Analyse the reasons explaining success and failure (understanding why?) of the planned result chain and theory of development
•Recommendations for future project planning.
 
GENERAL APPROACH OF THE FINAL EVALUATION:
 
The evaluation should be seen as a participatory, open and transparent learning process for all stakeholders including the final beneficiaries. It shall ensure that all the relevant stakeholder groups are heard during the mission. The stakeholders include:
 
•Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock ( MAIL) and Department of Agriculture and Livestock ( DAIL)
•Ministry of Water and Energy ( MEW) Kokcha river basin Program ( KRBP )
•NGO technical assistance ( A-RBP TA)
•District DAIL office
• Community Development Centre ( CDCs)
 
The evaluation will cover the duration of the project from July 2011 until to date.
 
ISSUES TO BE STUDIED:
 
The evaluation will apply the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. As appropriate the Evaluation will also consider the three EU criteria: cooperation, complementarily and coherence. Furthermore the evaluation should not be restricted to the below listed issues, some additional tasks or issues occur, according to the expert judgment are necessary and add value to the evaluation as a whole will be highly appreciated. The questions below should be answered.
 
Relevance:
Relevance related issues concern whether the results, purpose and overall objectives of the programme are in line with the needs and aspirations of the beneficiaries, and with the policy environment of the programme.
•Has the situation changed since the approval of the project document? Is the project still consistent with the needs and priorities of the final beneficiaries and other stakeholders?
•Are various stakeholders and interest groups satisfied with the objectives of the project?
•Have the needs and aspirations of relevant actors of the project been taken into consideration when planning the project activities? Have there been some strong shifts in the sector priorities?
•Is the project consistent with the policies of Afghanistan and EU? Have some relevant policies been changed since the start of the project or are there some new relevant policies nationally or globally that should be taken into account?
 
Efficiency:
The efficiency concerns sound management and value for money.
•How well have activities transformed available resources into intended results, in terms of quantity, quality and time?
•Can the costs of the project be justified by the results? Have the contributions by Afghanaid been provided as planned and has the quality of technical assistance and day-to-day management been satisfactory? Have possible problems in implementation been adequately addressed?
•Have institutional arrangements, including cooperation and communication between stakeholders been sufficient? Has the quality of monitoring, including the adequacy and use of indicators and management of risks been satisfactory?
•Have the capacity building and training programmes of the project produced expected results in an efficient and sustainable manner?
 
Effectiveness:
Effectiveness describes if the results and outputs have been achieved in terms of quality and quantity and how they have furthered the attainment of the purpose of the programme. The assessment will be made against the set results and related indicators.
•Is the quality and quantity of the produced results, outputs and outcomes in accordance with the plans? How are the results/outputs applied by the beneficiaries and other intended stakeholders?
•To what extent has the project achieved its purpose?
•Are the results/outputs and the project purpose making a contribution towards reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable community based natural resource development and management?
 
Development impact:
Impact describes how the programme has succeeded in the attainment of its development objective.
•Has progress been made towards achieving the overall objectives of the project?
•Did the planned result chain and theory of development work as planned in the project document?
•How the project is intended to increase and rehabilitate the natural resources and contribute reduction of poverty of the intended primary beneficiaries at the sub-catchment?
•Through which transmission channels (prices, employment, transfers, access, authority, and assets) are the project impacts supposed to be transmitted to the lives of the poor women and men? In the catchment area particularly, how will the capacity to use project’s results at village level be ensured?
•What is the overall poverty, inequality and sustainability impact of the project, intended and unintended, long term and short term, positive and negative?
•Do the indicators stated in the project log-frame for the overall objective show that the intended changes are starting to take place?
 
Sustainability:
Sustainability can be described as the degree to which the benefits produced by the programme continue after the external support has come to an end. It is a central theme in all evaluation work and relates to all the elements of the logical framework of the programme.
•What are the possible factors that enhance or inhibit sustainability, including ownership/commitment, economic/financial, institutional, technical, socio-cultural and environmental sustainability aspects? What corrective measures project has in place to address these and to enhance sustainability?
•Will the benefits produced by the project be maintained after the termination of external support?
•Who will take over the responsibility of financing and implementing the activities, or have they become self-sustaining?
•Is there an exit strategy and gradual handing over plan in place and will it ensure sustainability, particularly Aid effectiveness (Effectiveness of aid management and delivery) Ownership related to operational & infrastructure maintenance and human resources?
•Are the different associations /groups committed to achieve the planned results?
 
Coordination, Complementarily, Coherence:
•How have other projects and cooperation been taken into account in implementation, including experiences of joint work with other actors?
 
METHODOLOGY:
 
It is expected that the consultant will propose the methodology to be used in its technical proposal. The process should enable comprehensive coverage of the issues discussed in above sections 3.3, involving different stakeholders including the final beneficiaries, a field visit to the targeted areas possible. The assignment should be implemented in a way to fully utilize the existing capacity of the organization and other concerned stakeholders and interested parties through information and consultation designs in its technical proposal. These will include:
•Approach with rationale
•Information collection strategies
•Information validation procedures
•Information processing approach
•Information analysis plan
 
In addition, the combined financial proposal will provide a detailed work plan with breakdown of costs and level of effort, indicating work days. The consultant is expected to familiarize themselves with all the relevant material on the area and on the project before entering to Afghanistan. The Inception Report to be submitted before the field mission including a more detailed description of approach and methodologies, including data collection instruments (e.g. focus on group the final fieldwork plan, and a repost and analysis plan).
 
WORK PLAN AND REPORTING:
 
The assignment is planned to take place during the second week of June 2015. The field mission will start with a briefing meeting in Kabul. The assignment will be completed within 25 working days of the signing of the consultancy contract.
The outputs of the assignment are as follows:
•Inception reports will be produced within a week of the signing of the contract
•These shall be presented in a briefing meeting in Kabul prior to the field visit.
•Key recommendations of the evaluation will be presented in a de- briefing at Badakhshan and Kabul.
•Submission of the draft report within one week of the completion of the field work.
•Submission of the final report within one week after receiving the feedback from the Afghanaid on the draft report.
 
EXPERTISE REQUIRED:
 
It is preferred that the expert has a least Master’s degree and at least five years of relevant experience in Natural Resource Management sectors as well as development cooperation. Preferably doctorate degree. Prior experience from Afghanistan is not mandatory, but would be 
 
COMMISSIONING MANAGER/ REPORTIGN LINE:
 
The consultants will report directly to the Deputy program Director and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager.
 
How to apply: 
 
Consultants/Firms that meet the requirements should e-mail their expression of interest latest by 30th April to jobs@afghanaid.org.uk 
 
The expression of interest submission should include the following:
Please send:
•A covering letter explicitly referring to previous similar experiences, preferably in Afghanistan
•CV/s of expert/s
•Detailed methodology
•Work plan indicating dates and number of days for each task
•Professional fee (in USD – either lump sum or daily rate)
•Availability (date)