CONSULTANCY TO CONDUCT MID-TERM REVIEW FOR THE CBNRM-EDA PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

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TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy to conduct Mid-Term Review for the CBNRM EDA Project implementation

1. PROJECT CONTEXT

The Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF), in 2015, obtained accreditation by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in order to access funding on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Namibia. The GCF is a unique global fund, established within the rubric of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as a response to climate change for investing in low- emission and climate-resilient development in eligible countries.

With approval of EIF’s accreditation, EIF is eligible for accessing climate change funding from the GCF. The GCF Board, at its 14th Board meeting in October 2016, approved a full funding proposal submitted by the EIF entitled “Empower to Adapt: Creating Climate Change ResilientLivelihoods through Community Based Natural Resources Management (EDA- CBNRM) in Namibia. The Empower to Adapt project – referenced FP024 on GCF portfolio - seeks to ensure that local communities within CBNRM areas have reduced vulnerability and increased resilience to the anticipated impacts of climate change by incorporating climate adaptation response strategies into local practices. The project was approved under GCF’s pilot funding window called “Enhanced Direct Access” (EDA) and was the first project approved under this modality. Through the EDA modality the GCF experiments with an investment mechanism that delivers financial resources directly local communities where the impact of climate change is experienced. This makes EDA a highly ground-breaking and transformational financing instrument that seeks to mark a departure from the classical approaches of delivery community benefits through intermediaries. It is in keeping with this modality that Empower to Adapt project is designed to directly engage with legally-registered CBNRM Community Based Organisations (CBOs) as vehicles for delivering climate change funding to Namibia’s vulnerable rural communities.

The project is being implemented under two main components as indicated below:

Component 1 – Capacity Building and Community Support

The activities are to provide technical assistance and training to enhance climate change knowledge and awareness of the CBOs, develop and verify climate monitoring systems by CBOs, strengthen governance of the targeted CBOs and increase community led-initiatives and CBOs capacity to access grants funding under the CBNRM EDA Project.

Component 2 – Grant Facility for Resilient CBNRM Livelihood in Namibia

The component entails establishing and implementing a ring fenced grant facility by providing sub-grants to the targeted CBOs in the following investment areas/windows, (a) climate resilient agriculture, (b) climate proof infrastructure and (c)ecosystem based adaptation.

The Funded Activity Agreement (FAA) for the Empower to Adapt project – essentially the grant agreement between EIF and GCF – requires the EIF to undertake an interim and final independent evaluation of project implementation. The CBNRM-EDA Project interim evaluation has now become due.

EIF hereby seeks consultancy services from suitable consultants (both individuals and firms, preferably with international experience) to undertake the required interim independent evaluation of the Empower to Adapt Project.

2. OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

2.1 `The purpose of the envisaged interim evaluation is to assess and or evaluate the progress of the Empower to Adapt Project since its inception, with an intention to apply formative evaluation principles to enable learning from implementation experience to date that can be used to further improve implementation planning and activities to ensure progress towards expected results as well as assess emerging opportunities for enhancing achievements in the work of the EDA- CBNRM project. The evaluation will encompass progress made towards reaching the project objective measured against the planned outcome, outputs, targets and activities as outlined in the Project Document and the Funded Activity Agreement.

3.1. For proper background as well as for the purposes of locating the project underdiscussion within broader context of GCF’s climate change investments, the envisagedevaluators are required familiarize themselves with the following GCF documents/guidelines downloadable form the respective links provided:

3.1.1.  Six (6) GCF investment criteria:

www.greenclimate.fund/documents/20182/1087995/GCF_B.20_Inf.14_- _Investment_criteria_indicators.pdf.

3.1.2.  Eight (8) GCF strategic results areas:www.greenclimate.fund/documents/20182/473770/Decision_B.07_04.pdf

3.1.3.  Terms of References (ToRs) of the EDA

www.greenclimate.fund/documents/20182/24952/GCF_B.10_05_- _Additional_Modalities_that_Further_Enhance_Direct_Access__Terms_of_Referen ce_for_a_Pilot_Phase.pdf.

4. SPECIFIC TASKS

Working under the direct supervision of the EIF’s Project Support Team (PST), under the direction of the Director of Operations, and in close collaboration of the Project Management Unit (PMU), the consultant(s) is/are expected to carry out the assessment using the following specific process:

4.1. Convene an inception meeting with the PMU, EIF and NDA to agree on the concept, tasks and the relevant logistical arrangements and timeframes.

4.2.  Conduct an extensive desk review of all reports and documents related to and generated thus far under FP024 implementation. These will include, but not limited to:

4.2.1.  Review and familiarize themselves with GCF instruments outlined under section 3 above.

4.2.2.  Review and familiarize themselves with Funded Activity Agreement (FAA) between GCF and EIF and all attachments/annexures referenced FP024, especially the funding proposal and logical framework.

4.2.3.  Review of Project Inception Report, the Stakeholders Engagement Strategy and Gender Action Plan and Environmental and Social Safeguards Report; reports onstakeholders’ engagement activities, CBO training reports, mandatory AnnualProgress Reports (APRs), Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs), Monthly Financial Reports (MFR)monitoring reports, minutes of EIF’s project oversight structures (i.e. Project Steering Committee (PSC), Technical Advisory Panel (TAP), Fund Management Committee (FMC) and Project Support Team(PST)), and other internal documents. The review should also assess the project webpage content and online application system.

4.3.  Select a representative sample of current portfolio of 19 sub-grants (taking into account 3 investment windows, geographic distribution, CBO type etc.) and undertake a thorough assessment of these in light of the objectives, indicators and results areas envisaged in the FAA. This process must appraise community experiences with FP024 from proposal development through to current stage of project implementation using the project cycle approach. It must also include site/field visits and key informant interviews with CBO leaders and sampled ordinary community members/beneficiaries.

4.4.  Conduct extensive but focused consultations and/or interviews with the relevant key stakeholders. This will include, but not limited to, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) (NDA and the Directorate of Parks and Wildlife) and Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry (MAWF) (Directorate of Forestry), Namibia Association of CBNRM Support Organizations (NACSO) (the Secretariat and various member organizations), and project oversight structures (PST, FMC, TAP and PSC).

4.5.  Conduct key informant interviews with key EIF staff members and PMU staff members.

4.6.  Undertake data collection as needed (government data/records, field observation visits; CDM verifications, public expenditure reporting, GIS data, etc.) to validate evidence of results and assessments (including but not limited to: assessment of TOC, activities delivery, and results/changes occurred).

4.7.  Present preliminary findings to EIF, NDA and key CBNRM stakeholders in a validation workshop.

4.8.  Compile a comprehensive assessment report - detailing the following (not limited to) - in the format and of quality acceptable to EIF, NDA and GCF:

4.8.1.  Assessment of progress with respect to project objectives.

4.8.2.  Assessment of challenges, constraints and shortcomings.

4.8.3.  Assessment of strengths and opportunities.

4.8.4.  Assess the efficiency of the NDA, EIF and Project Management Unit

towards delivering on the expected outputs and activities, in terms of quality, quantity, timelines and cost efficiency.

4.8.5. Recommendations.
4.9. EIF will provide a comprehensive set of guiding evaluation questions and a

guiding outline of the report as annexures to the consultancy agreement.

 

5. EXPERTISE REQUIRED AND CONSULTANCY MANAGEMENT

The consultant(s) should have the following proven experience and expertise:

5.1.  Minimum of Masters’ degree in Project Management, Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, Environmental Management, Social Sciences, Economics, Rural Development or equivalent relevant disciplines. This must apply at least to the team

leader if a consultancy team/firm.

5.2.  Minimum of ten (10) years’ consulting experience national/regional in climate change

mitigation and adaptation. This must apply at least to the team leader if a consultancy

team/firm.

5.3.  Demonstrated previous experience of project implementation review and evaluation

of technical projects – at least 5 projects of comparable type.

5.4.  Conversant with the principles and working in evaluation using both participatory

and qualitative approaches and quantitative methods and project cycle management

5.5.  Demonstrated subject matter expertise in climate change adaptation.

5.6.  Ability to assess complex scenarios and situations in order to succinctly and clearly distil critical issues, lessons learnt and draw well supported forward looking conclusions.

5.7.  An ability to assess policy and governance framework and institutional capacity;

5.8.  Understanding of governance, political, economic and institutional issues associated

with climate change.

5.9.  Familiarity with GCF frameworks and strategies would be an advantage.

5.10.  Knowledge of CBNRM and familiarity with CBNRM stakeholders in Namibia would be

an asset;

5.11.  English proficiency, both in writing and speaking.

 

6. KEY DELIVERABLES

6.1.  Inception report or work plan within 5 days of award;

6.2.  Draft interim evaluation report for PMU, EIF, NDA and PSC inputs (within 3 weeks);

6.3.  Submit a concise power-point slides with the review process, findings and

recommendations (within 3 weeks)

6.4.  Submit final interim evaluation report for PMU, EIF, NDA and PSC (within 1 month)

6.5.  Submit a 20 minutes’ video with interviews recording and a brief highlight of the

evaluation process for knowledge management (within 1 month)

 

7. LEVEL OF EFFORT AND DURATION

The detailed schedule of the evaluation and length of the assignment will be discussed with the Evaluator prior to the assignment.

7.1. The total consultancy will be 30 calendar days’ worth of work stretched over 2calendar months.

 

8. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

8.1.  Technical proposal not exceeding 10 pages in length with the proposed approach and activities to be taken for the implementation and management of the assignment, including an operational work plan with timelines.

8.2.  Credentials. The technical proposal must outline the credentials, experience and expertise of the consultants and demonstrate how these meet the requirements outlined under section 5 above.

8.3.  Financial offer/budget including breakdown of costs.

 

9. SUBMISSION GUIDE

9.1.  Comprehensive CVs and proof of similar work must be provided in form copies of reports and other relevant samples with contact details of the clients indicated. EIF reserves the right to contact such clients.

9.2.  Bidders are required to include an activity-based budget breakdown that clearly separates professional fees and operation costs portions.

10. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

10.1. To be announced through an advert/public announcement.

Contact Persons: Mr Joseph Elagon – Procurement
Mr Karl M Aribeb and Ms Selma Shitilifa - Technical

 

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Published on Dec 9 2019