JOBS : Tanzania-based Consultant(s) With International Experience at SNV Tanzania

Description

SNV is an international not-for-profit development organisation, working in 36 of the poorest countries worldwide, including 17 countries in Sub Saharan Africa. We focus on Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. SNV’s strategy addresses the following key elements: Inclusive development listens to and engages with people living in poverty, and underprivileged categories of the population such as young women and men. Realizing inclusive and sustained development at scale requires systemic change in sector performance and promoting equality. SNV supports local ownership by strengthening the capacities of local stakeholders in development processes for and on behalf of the poor. SNV uses its long-term local presence and networks in countries to support contextualized solutions.
Mastercard Foundation (the Foundation) is a global, private foundation based in Toronto, Canada. The Foundation advances youth learning and promotes financial inclusion to catalyze prosperity in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Programs supported by the Foundation aim to expand access to learning, employment, entrepreneurship and financial services. For more information, please visit www.mastercardfdn.org.

III. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Opportunities for Youth Employment (OYE) project was designed by SNV Netherlands Development Organisation in close consultation with the Mastercard Foundation. The primary objective of OYE is to identify 20,500 rural out-of-school youth and train them in market-relevant skills, thus improving their employability. It is estimated that around 17,630 youth will access (self-) employment and 400 new youth-led enterprises will be established. OYE aims to achieve this by improving the skills of youth (push factor), linking them to market opportunities for employment and enterprise development (match factor) in growth sectors that have concrete potential for (self-) employment creation (pull factor). Since the start of the program in 2013, OYE has been implemented in Mozambique (focus on Agriculture), Rwanda (Renewable Energy) and Tanzania (Agriculture and Renewable Energy).

The project provides basic life and business skills in order to prepare selected youth for engagement with markets/private sector. Subsequent stages of technical training in the areas of agriculture and renewable energy are delivered as much as possible in practical, on-the-workfloor, contexts. This approach links skilled youth with market opportunities for (self-) employment, through internships, specialized business training and access to financial services. OYE provides youth with post-training support in order to strengthen their capacity to access employment opportunities or to start or grow their own businesses.

In 2016, the OYE mid-term evaluation was undertaken. This was a thorough exercise, implemented in all three countries with extensive field work combined with a desk study of project documentation. The complete mid-term evaluation report including all findings, lessons, recommendations with the underlying evidence collected by the consultants, will be one of the key documents for the final evaluation desk study. The mid-term evaluation was structured by key evaluation/learning questions and organized according to DAC criteria, namely: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.

The final report of the mid-term evaluation (October 2016) contains a wealth of lessons learned and recommendations. These include:
• OYE is responding to fundamental and urgent needs of the youth in their search for meaningful employment. Its approach to employment is inclusive as it targets both formal employment and informal youth-led entrepreneurship development to enhance livelihoods of both female and male youth.
• The OYE “Push-Match-Pull” model is well designed and appreciated by all stakeholders for its inclusiveness and context relevance. OYE was advised to start from the market opportunities at all times to increase relevance for youth and attract more attention from companies. Matching conditions (time, funds) should be agreed upon, with the youth, private sector, credit institutions, local government authorities and other stakeholders before “push” activities (training) take place.
• OYE is on track towards the number of trained youth in business, life and technical skills. OYE has already reached target numbers for setting-up youth-led enterprises and matching youth with internships. The challenge lies with making sure that trained youth continue towards employment and sustainable income generation.
• Systematic follow-up support, mentoring, coaching and monitoring of youth (groups) who completed trainings is observed to be incredibly important towards their continued engagement and progression towards income generation, but was too limited at the time of the mid-term evaluation. It was advised that OYE staff and Local Service Providers’ primarily focus (and re-allocate funds if need be) towards the continuous (technical, business, social life skill) guidance and mentoring of youth groups, especially young women, after initial trainings.
• It is advised to go beyond the primary production processes towards pre-production or post-processing opportunities such as supplying, packaging, storage, transport, promotion/marketing, and sales. This is especially important for OYE women as these opportunities are in line with gender norms and values.
• For all youth enrolled in OYE, a “change in mindset” is observed and, especially the combination of life and business skills trainings have a long lasting effect on the perspective that youth have on their lives and (self-) employment opportunities.
• The idea that the private sector is by design interested in trained rural out-of-school youth is flawed. In reality engaging successfully with the private sector requires systematic relationship building and evidence that OYE youth benefit companies’ productivity and/or image.
• In the three countries, OYE is interacting with the necessary stakeholders. These include central and local governments as well as with relevant governmental institutions and bodies. OYE is cooperating with an array of existing private sector companies and associations.
• Regarding sustainability, linking youth enterprises and youth groups to public youth funds is a valuable feature of OYE, enabling the youth groups to complement their self-help credit clubs. These public funds are however limited in availability, geared towards certain sectors, and possibly limited in time.

As a result of the success of the OYE model, in January 2016 the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) began replicating the model with SNV in Tanzania. For the final evaluation, this offers an extra dimension of experiences and results and provides early evidence of the sustainbability of the OYE program.

IV. PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

The final evaluation marks the final year of this five-year project. Building on the extensive work and outcomes of the mid-term evaluation (completed in October 2016), the final evaluation will focus on the impact and sustainability of the program. In pursuit of understanding the outcomes, longer term impact of the program and it’s future trajectory, the final evaluation will also be expected to build off of the findings and recommendations from the mid-term evaluation listed in the section above.

Across the board, the final evaluation is expected to pay special attention to the accessibility and attractiveness of the program for young women, as well as to the levels of success they have been able to obtain.

The programme has periodically gathered monitoring data on the following key indicators:

Outputs: youth are provided with basic training in technical, life and business skills
o 1.1 # of youth who finished basic soft skills training (life, leadership, ICT, finance, entrepreneurship and career planning)
o 1.2 # of youth who finished technical training (renewable energy, agricultural practices, agro-business skills).
o 1.3. # of youth trained in business skills.

skilled youth matched with market opportunities
o 2.1 #of youth placed in internship and on the job training
o 2.2 # of young farmers linked to processing industries through business contracts
Youth received business / enterprise training and coaching
o 3.1 # of young entrepreneurs coached in setting up new business
o 3.2 # of youth with financial management skills
o 3.3 # of young entrepreneurs with access to BDS and financial products

Outcomes: Expand employment and self-employment
o 1.a # of youth who are employed in renewable energy and agro- enterprises
o 1.b # of young farmers within established farmer organisations with formal business relations with agro-business e.g. contract farming
o 1.c # of jobs created in new youth led enterprises

Establishment of new youth-led enterprises
o 2.a # of new youth led enterprises established and registered

Impact: Improved livelihood, ways of living and asset creation among youth
o 3.a % increase in youth income level
o 3.b Qualitative documentation (youth testimonies) on improved livelihoods

The program has produced an extensive range of qualitative data, including youth stories and testimonies, testimonies from private sector and other stakeholders, as well as video documentaries.

V. AUDIENCE
The primary audiences for the evaluation are the Mastercard Foundation and SNV, who will use the evaluation’s outcomes to inform their respective Youth Employment portfolios.

VI. TENTATIVE TIMELINE FOR ACTIVITIES AND DELIVERABLES
The deadline for submission of a technical (approach, methodology, work plan) and financial proposal is end December 2017. The evaluator will propose the details of the methodology for the evaluation as part of the proposal to SNV. The selection of the consultant is expected to be completed by the first week of January 2018. The assignment will start upon signature of the contract.

Proposed key components of the evaluation are as follows:

Key Activities/Deliverables Dates
Evaluation launch meeting: SNV, the Mastercard Foundation, and the consultant will hold a virtual meeting to make finalize the details of the evaluation proposal and workplan. This phase will also include the detailed list of documents for the desk study. 15 January 2018
Desk Study: The evaluators will perform a review of documents and data, including project proposal, (country) annual plans, (country and consolidated) progress reports, budgets and financial reports. The mid-term evaluation report and the management response to its recommmendations constitute key documents for analysis. 22 January – 23 February 2018
Inception Report: The desk study will inform the finalization of the evaluation design and field work schedule, which will be submitted to SNV and the Mastercard Foundation in an inception report, which must be approved before field work begins. 1 March 2018
Field visits for familiarization: As the mid-term evaluation already included vast, intensive and elaborate field work, whereby youth and other stakeholders have been interviewed, a repetition of such field research is not deemed necessary. Instead, the evaluators will undertake short field visits in order to familiarize themselves with actions and actors on the ground in the three countries. March 2018
Draft Final Report May 2018
Final Report: The final report will include the final evaluation and all incorporated recommendations, supporting tables and graphs, visuals and appendices as per the requirements. June 2018

VII. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE EVALUATION
SNV and Mastercard Foundation reserve the right to negotiate changes regarding proposed approach and methodology as presented in the winning proposal. Subsequently, the lead evaluator is responsible for the preparation of a work plan for desk study, and field visits. Following the desk study, the consultant will submit an inception report with details for the field visits, that will require formal approval from The Foundation and SNV.
The evaluators are required to submit names and CVs of staff that will be engaged in the evaluation team in the proposal. Any changes to the key personnel would need to be discussed and approved with SNV. The lead consultant will ensure the overall quality of the evaluation and work of other team members, and will bear explicit authorship.
SNV will ensure availability of relevant data for the desk study. SNV in the participating countries will provide logistic support for field visits.
SNV OYE management team approves the final evaluation document, and will engage in the production of the publication for external use.

VIII. BUDGET
The total available budget for the final evaluation is US$40,000. The breakdown of the budget to be proposed by the candidate-consultant will contain the following components:
Consultants’ fee. Estimation of costs for an at least four months’ engagement, consisting of the following tasks:
o Desk study
o Inception report
o Field work
o Final report writing
The candidate proposes the size of the team, which may not necessarily exceed two experts. Fees will include taxes.

Field visits. Local travel in Tanzania; travels to Rwanda (Kigali) and Mozambique (Nampula).

The bidding consultants will tentative plans for these components (desk study, field visits, learning events, reporting and publication) in their proposals, taking into account the available budget space indicated above. Full details on the field visits will be presented in the inception report aftr the desk study.
The approach for collecting and analysing data should be developed using the most cost efficient combination of methods combining international and local staff. SNV will be looking for a high quality process and end product at the keenest price to ensure that the best value is obtained from limited funds. It should in any case be noted that proposals going beyond US$40,000 would not be considered.

IX. SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The consultant shall will be paid as outlined in the table below.

Deliverable % of professional fees to be paid
Inception report 40%
Draft final report 30%
Final report 30%
TOTAL 100%

X. PROFILE OF THE EVALUATOR(s)
SNV is looking for Tanzania-based consultant(s), with international experience. The evaluator(s) must demonstrate:

• Extensive experience in evaluation, including in designing and leading evaluations;
• Strong analytical and writing skills and knowledge of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methodologies;
• Extensive experience within the field of international development cooperation in Africa;
• Track record of evaluations in (youth) employment development/market development/private sector in Africa;
• Advanced degree in development economics, business, agriculture, renewable energy and/ or other relevant fields;
• Ability to facilitate and relate to stakeholders at multiple levels (e.g., Mastercard Foundation and partner staff, NGOs, public and private employer organizations, youth participants, etc.)
• Sensitivity to cultural/historical context in the data collection process
• Demonstrated ability to thoughtfully bring youth/client experience to the forefront of the evaluation.
• Fluency in reading and writing English required.

APPLY FOR THIS JOB

Through this request for proposals SNV invites qualified service providers to submit proposals that include:

• A cover letter showing expression of interest

• A five pages (maximum) proposal, explaining:

o Understanding of the evaluation purpose

o Proposed methodology approach, broad outline of methods to be employed and description of roles and responsibilities of the evaluators

o Short introductions of proposed staff

• Financial proposal / budget and suggested number of days per phase

• Annexes:

o Evaluator(s)’s competencies and proof thereof (include 2 evaluation/research reports related to the evaluation subject,

o Evaluators’ CV

o Company profile, Legal requirements: TIN no. and Registration Certificates

o A declaration of no conflict of interests by persons and organizations involved in the evaluation.

Proposals must be submitted by email to rvanderdrift@snv.org by 22 December, 201