Notice of invitation to apply for the recruitment of an international consultant for the evaluation of ten years of implementation of the ECOWAS volunteers programme
Date : 12 Aug 2021 - 15 Sep 2021
Institution : Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Contact :
Notice of invitation to apply for the recruitment of an international consultant for the evaluation of ten years of implementation of the ECOWAS volunteers programme
Date: 16/08/21
Job Title: International Consultant for the Evaluation of 10 Years of implementation of the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP)
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Project Title: ECOWAS Volunteers programme
Period/Duration of Assignment/Services: Immediate (02 months maximum, including the submission of report)
Start Date: 15 October 2021.
Letters of application should be submitted to the email address cdjs@ecowas.int not later than 1400hrs GMT on 15 September 2021. The heading « International Consultant for the final evaluation of 10 years implementation of the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme» should be on the subject line of the email.
All clarification requests should be routed electronically to the email address above. The EYSDC Office in Burkina Faso will reply to all requests by both email and surface mail and copy all applicants without revealing the source of the request.
- INTRODUCTION:
Volunteerism is a social phenomenon that is not new in Africa, as traditional forms of volunteerism exist and are actively involved in actions such as giving a helping hand to the aged people in the community, collective maintenance of the environment, collective mobilization to save or help victims in case of disasters, etc.
Volunteerism focuses on civic engagement by free will and for the common interest without necessarily expecting a financial reward.
It is recognized as one the strategies for development and consolidation of peace that are very complex processes.
The ECOWAS Volunteers Programme was therefore set up to address the structural causes of the sporadic outbreaks of violence in the sub-region and the objective was to develop a “Cadre” of Youth (male and female) united in their belief in the benefits of peace building and reconciliation as a development tool to entrench peace in their nations and region.
The specific Objectives as indicated in the initial project document were:
- To deploy youth as volunteers in post conflict countries for peace building, conflict resolution and conflict prevention.
- To provide opportunities for constructive volunteer Youth leadership
- To use the youth to support the Peace progress already set in place by ECOWAS post conflict countries.
- To provide volunteer experience for the youth to enhance their employability.
Ø To place youth in civil societies, specialized agencies, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), Volunteer Involving Organizations (VIOs) and at ECOWAS focal points to build their capacity in major areas of development – education, health, environment, governance, and increase their effectiveness.
- To promote development, peace building culture and reconciliation in the region.
- CONTEXT AND JUSTIFICATION:
Strengthening a volunteer programme like the EVP enables it to serve as a launching pad for West African youth, who are required to fully participate in the development of their countries and their communities. While contributing to development, the youth will acquire the kind of experience and growth that are not available to young people otherwise. They will have the opportunity to obtain different perspectives on life that will bring them to a level of humility that will be useful to them in the future. When they become volunteers, they will not only have constructively invested their time in development activities as they would desire, but they will also have the opportunity for personal development, which will help them to be more responsible and useful to themselves.
The Programme was designed on the basis of a strong principle of youth development, with emphasis on youth pro-activity and youth involvement in socio-economic activities within their communities through volunteerism. In instituting its Volunteer Programme, ECOWAS took into consideration the fact that:
- peace fosters development;
- unemployment and inactive youth could provoke instability in a country;
- the youth, once actively mobilized in the communities, could sensitize the people on the importance of peace and contribute to the building and maintenance of peace in the communities; and
- youth can be used as catalysts in the development of a country.
Since the launching of the EVP in 2010, one external and independent evaluation was carried out to evaluate the pilot phase of the programme. The evaluation focused on the contributions of the volunteers to the three pilot countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. One of the recommendations of the evaluation was the pursuance, deepening of the programme and its expansion to all 15 member States of the Community.
Although the recommended expansion was adopted by the Programme’s Regional Coordination Council and offered to member States, it is yet to become effective due to paucity of funding, except for the deployment of volunteers to the EYSDC and EVP country offices in Liberia and Sierra, as members of the programme implementation team.
This post-10 years implementation evaluation of the EVP will cover the pilot beneficiary countries, and particular attention will be paid to the impact on, and the lessons learnt, in the course of its execution. The key outcome expected from this evaluation shall be captured in a report detailing the approach, the impact, and the sustainability of the EVP. It will also capture the expectations of beneficiary and target countries, the contributions of the ECOWAS volunteers in their tasks of building capacity, transferring knowledge, and consolidating peace and regional integration in their different places of assignment, as well as the impact and contribution of partners to the programme implementation.
The report will list the challenges and highlight lessons learnt, so as to make relevant recommendations to the EVP management team and other stakeholders to enable them make informed decisions. It will also help to define priorities as well as identify strategies for the mobilization of resources for the next phase.
The results of the evaluation would help to appreciate the added value of the Programme to the key development visions of the Community. It would also serve as the basis to not only lay more emphasis on the importance of the Programme, but also to attract more technical and financial partners with a view to mobilizing additional resources for its expansion to other ECOWAS member States.
The conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation will contribute to determining the priority areas of the operation of the Programme as well as its implementation modalities, going forward.
- OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this consultancy are:
- Identify the lessons learnt with regards to the administrative, financial and human resource management of the programme.
- Make recommendations on the continuation and sustainability of the programme: remodelling of the vision, priorities and strategic framework if necessary and its integration into the ECOWAS strategic plan and new vision 2050.
The evaluation will, more specifically, be used to study, collate and analyse tangible evidences on which policies may be drawn to promote volunteerism and propose a mechanism that will provide essential information on the impact of the EVP and the contributions of the Volunteers to ECOWAS member States.
The evaluation should be based on a holistic approach to support the EVP in all of its circumstantial and geographical diversities, while identifying the lessons learnt and the achievements of ECOWAS Volunteers right from the inception of the Programme.
- KEY AREAS OF FOCUS OF THE EVALUATION
The evaluation should identify the challenges that characterize project implementation. Projects do not always automatically lead to sustainable development. Given the nature of the project, the fundamental questions should be:
- Has the project developed and implemented “the things” it should have?
- Has ECOWAS done “the things” that it should do?
- Has ECOWAS done “things” in the best way possible?
In responding to these questions, the consultant shall take the following five points into consideration:
- Analyse the design of the project and her consistency with the objectives and orientations of the local partners:
- The relevance and validity of the strategies of the interventions and proposed actions vis-à-vis the national context;
- The relevance of the objectives, products and the corresponding activities of the project;
- The conformity of the objectives of the project with the actual needs as expressed by the beneficiaries;
- The degree of satisfaction of the partners and beneficiaries with the orientation documents.
- Evaluation of the performance of the project in relation to the following points:
- The achievement of the results and objectives measured against the expectations of the project document;
- The relevance and effectiveness of the activities which aim at maximizing volunteer involvement and the active participation of civil society, particularly young men and women, for the development of the host countries.;
- The relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of the support of the host countries in facilitating the implementation of the project;
- The identified constraints and opportunities;
- Other unexpected results that the project could get, or to which it may have contributed;
- The possible negative effects that the implementation of the project may have contributed to produce;
- The monitoring-evaluation system of the project;
- The role of the UNVP, partners and ECOWAS Commission in the implementation of the project.
- Evaluation of the sustainability of the achievements:
- The relevance of the project in relation to sustainable development objectives and its concretization on the field;
- The impact of the project in its areas of intervention and on the beneficiaries;
- The participation of stakeholders and the beneficiaries;
- The degree of satisfaction of the beneficiaries with respect to the developmental changes brought about by the project;
- The contributions of the project to the reinforcement of the capacities of its beneficiaries and public institutions to be better positioned to effectively complement the process of ensuring its sustainability;
- Assess the Administrative and Financial Management of the Project:
- The planning and financial efficiency of the project;
- Analyse the internal procedures of the project, particularly the management of human, material and financial resources;
- Operational Plans of the Project: Analysis of the planning and programming of the activities, the relevance of the system, and the constraints and solutions proffered.
- Identify the lessons learnt and best practices (strong and weak points) of the project, and make proposals and recommendations with a view to ensuring the consolidation and sustainability of achievements.
- METHODOLOGY:
The methodology to be used will be based on:
- Consultation of all the documents produced within the framework of the conduct of the activities of the project (Project document, technical documents/manuals drawn up for the implementation of the activities of the project, documents required for the management of the project, annual reports, mission reports, auto-evaluation reports, etc.);
- Consultation with ECOWAS offices, ECOWAS Volunteers Programme Regional Office, Regional and National Coordination Councils, and the country teams;
- Questionnaire-based semi structured inquiry targeted at programme beneficiaries;
- Field visits to identify and appraise achievements on ground (these visits should be carried out during the interview of the beneficiary communities). In the course of these visits, the consultants may hold group discussions, workshops with stakeholders or use other participatory methods of information gathering with Project Team, the local authorities, the different partners and beneficiaries.
- EVALUATION TIMELINE
Step 1- Briefing/Data Collation/Meetings (21 days)
As soon as the consultancy contract is signed and delivered, the consultant shall be required to visit the headquarters of EVP and the ECOWAS Commission for a briefing to help prepare and harmonize the understanding of the mission.
This will be followed by data collection from all key stakeholders of the Programme: Two of the pilot countries (Liberia and Sierra Leone) shall be visited and an online questionnaire will be submitted to Guinea.
Total duration of this step: 21 days
Step 2 – Provisional Report (07 days):
At the end of the data collation and discussions, the consultant(s) shall, in not more than seven (07) days thereafter, submit five copies of a provisional report of at most fifty (50) pages in English, and provide an executive summary thereof of ten (10) pages in French. The report shall be analytical in nature, and shall highlight the principal results of the evaluation as well as its recommendations. Its content shall correspond to the prescriptions of the terms of reference of the mission.
Before submitting the report, the consultant will have a face-to-face debriefing meeting with ECOWAS headquarters and an online debriefing with ECOWAS commission and any other key stakeholders as judged necessary by the EVP.
After submission of the provisional report, the EVP Regional Office, Programme Stakeholders and the ECOWAS Commission will prepare and send electronically to the consultant their reactions and observations not later than five (5) working days after receipt of the preliminary report.
The feedback received shall serve to correct factual errors, request missing information and update data, where necessary.
Step 3 – Final Report (5 days)
The consultant shall submit to the EVP in English, 5 copies of the final report based on the comments and observations, not later than five (05) days after the deadline for the receipt of comments and observations from ECOWAS and stakeholders mentioned in step 3 above.
Step 4 – Presentation of Final Report (2 days)
After receipt of the final report, at a date to be decided by the ECOWAS Commission/EVP Regional Office, the Consultant(s) shall be invited to present the report to all stakeholders at a Workshop to be organised by ECOWAS.
The purpose of the Workshop shall be for ECOWAS and the stakeholders to review the outcome and recommendations of the evaluation study and take a decision on the way forward thereon.
- REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Education:
Must have a minimum of a Master’s degree (BAC+5) in Economics, Sociology or other relevant and equivalent academic qualification.
Professional Experience:
- Must have at least eight (08) years cognate experience in consultancy and monitoring and Evaluation;
- Must have excellent knowledge of Development Programmes and Project Management;
- Must possess strong and proven competence in the drafting of projects, reports and legal texts on volunteerism frameworks;
The following shall be considered as added advantage:
- Good knowledge of issues on the management of Volunteer Programmes
- Be experienced in the setting up of institutional frameworks for Volunteer Programmes;
- Have cognate experience in the evaluation of projects and programmes of similar nature and scope.
Competences:
The Consultant(s) shall:
- Demonstrate proven technical skills necessary for the assumption of the responsibilities and requirements for this consultancy;
- Have good knowledge of project design and management, and must be knowledgeable in monitoring and evaluation issues;
- Be in a position to interact, establish and maintain good interpersonal and working relationship with other consultants, agents of host institutions, technical and financial partners and other stakeholders from diverse culture;
- Have a sense of organisation of work, dialogue and be able to lead discussions;
- Be able to plan, prioritize and execute the tasks within the time limit allotted for each stage;
- Ability to plan and produce quality results to achieve set objectives;
- Ability to contribute to practical and innovative solutions to complex issues as they arise;
- Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills in English and in French.
Language:
Fluency in spoken and written French and English languages is compulsory and knowledge of Portuguese is an asset.
- DURATION OF THE MISSION:
The total working days of the consultancy shall not exceed 35 days spread over a period of no more than 55 Calendar days, including travel days and weekends, but excluding the required days for the Presentation workshop (Step 4 above).
The dates for the Presentation workshop shall be defined by ECOWAS, but shall in any case, not be beyond 6 months after commencement of the consultancy.
- DOCUMENTS TO INCLUDE WHILE SUBMITTING THE PROPOSAL:
Interested Consultant(s) shall submit an application dossier comprising of the following items:
- A) A TECHNICAL PROPOSAL:
- An explanatory note on the understanding of the ToR and reasons for application;
- A brief introduction of the methodology and the proposed organisation of the mission.
- B) CV (TO INCLUDE):
- Experience acquired in similar projects;
- 3 references at the least;
- C) CERTIFIED COPIES OF RELEVANT CERTIFICATES/DEGREES.
- D) FINANCIAL PROPOSAL:
Lump sum Price Contract:
The Financial proposal shall show:
- The total amount/overall lump sum. To aid the EVP in the comparison of offers, each financial proposal shall include a detailed or itemized breakdown of the total lump sum, including:
- The consultant’s fees for the expected working days
- DSA for travel
Travel tickets and local transportation will be arranged by EVP Regional Office.
The financial offer is subject to negotiation on the basis of budget availability and ECOWAS’ scales of fees and DSA
Terms of payments
The payments schedule is as follows:
| Deliverables | Working days | % |
| 1st Tranche: Submission of preliminary report | 28 | 30% |
| 2nd Tranche: Submission of final report | 5 | 40% |
| 3rd Tranche: Conduct of stakeholders workshop | 2 | 30% |
| TOTAL | 35 | 100% |
- EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSALS:
Cumulative Analysis [Weighted Rating]:
The contract shall be awarded to the consultant whose offer [bid] shall have been evaluated and established as follows:
- Exactly as required or acceptable, and
- Must have received the highest cumulative rating on the total pre-established technical and financial criteria on this particular invitation.
Weighting: The weighting analysis for the evaluation of the bids is as follows:
* Total/Max rating for the technical bid: 70% of the total bid
* Total/Max rating for the financial bid: 30% of the bid
Only Candidates whose technical bids score a minimum of 70 points would be considered for financial evaluation. After verification of the adequacy between the financial and technical proposals, each financial bid (F) will receive a financial rating (NF) calculated in comparison to the lowest financial bid (Fm) calculated as follows: NF=100x Fm/F (F being the price of the financial bid).
In conclusion, the proposals shall be ranked by adding up their technical rating (Nt) and financial rating (Nf), using the weightings (70% for the technical proposal, and 30% for the financial proposal) to arrive at an overall rating (NG).
The proposals shall thereafter be ranked according to their total weighted ratings:
NG = 0.7 x Nt + 0.3 x Nf.
Financial rating is calculated based on the formula: [100 Points] x [the lowest price USD] / [cost in USD offered by another bidder] = points awarded to the cost of the other bidder.
The bid shall be awarded to the proposal that has obtained the highest total weighted rating, taking into consideration ECOWAS Tender Code provisions.
The EYSDC is not in any case obliged to select the Consultant offering the lowest price.
ECOWAS reserves the right to renegotiate financial offers of consultants whose technical bids have qualified, in order to ensure conformity with ECOWAS tenders Code provisions.
Principal Criteria for Selection:
| Criteria for Evaluation | Scores maxi |
| Profile: Must possess at least a Master’s degree 2 (BAC+5) in Economics, Sociology or related course. (1) | 20 |
| Professional Experience: Must have at least eight (08) years cognate experience in consulting and monitoring and evaluation and possess excellent skills in development projects and programmes management (2) | 15 |
| Must have excellent skills in the drafting of laws and regulations. (3) | 8 |
| Must be experienced in the setting up of institutional frameworks for Volunteer Programmes (4) | 25 |
| Must be experienced in the evaluation of projects and programmes of similar nature and scope. (5) | 20 |
| Must have excellent understanding of the ToR, Methodology and the proposed Work Plan (6) | 7 |
| Knowledge of ECOWAS programmes, vision and procedures (7) | 5 |
| Grand Total (1) + (2) + (3) + (4) +(5) + (6) + (7) | 100 |
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