Country: Georgia
Closing date: 15 Mar 2017
Europe Foundation (EPF) is seeking services of a qualified Consultant(s) to conduct an evaluation of its EC-funded project Partnership for Budget Transparency: Civil Society Oversight of Public Spending in Georgia. The evaluation is to provide an independent assessment of the project’s implementation, including the assessment of the quality, impact, and sustainability of the activities undertaken. EPF expects that the recommendations derived from the evaluation will support the Foundation’s own learning and development process.
The evaluation is scheduled to be conducted during March-April,2017.
About EPF
EPF’s mission is to empower people to effect change for social justice and economic prosperity through hands-on programs, helping them to improve their communities and their own lives. To achieve its mission, EPF strives (1) to strengthen the capacity of individuals and institutions, empowering them to address pressing issues, and (2) to mobilize relevant stakeholders in issue-based dialogue, through raising public awareness and creating various coalitions, platforms or working groups, so as to effect positive change.
EPF’s work is guided by the following approaches: (1) creating opportunities for civic participation in public policy making, (2) engaging youth, (3) fostering culture of corporate and community philanthropy, including through formation of public-private-NGO partnerships, (4) promoting evidence-based advocacy and decision making, and (5) building confidence across religious, ethnic, and community divides. Some of EPF’s flagship programs include Engage and Monitor for Change, European Integration, Youth Integration,Social Enterprise, and Open Door Grantmaking. Together, they feed into achieving the Foundation’s mission and provide opportunities for Georgians to engage in social, economic, and political developments, in order to effect substantive and sustainable positive change at the local and national level.
About the Project
The project to be reviewed is part of the broader EPF-wide efforts aimed at enhancing citizen monitoring of and participation in public decision-making processes. The project, which is to be completed in February 2017, was designed to address the need for improved oversight of public expenditure by enhancing civil society’s capacity to monitor public spending and by fostering civil society organizations’ (CSOs) participation in reforming the public expenditure management (PEM) oversight mechanisms.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to improved budget transparency and accountability in Georgia. Specifically, the project was designed (1) to strengthen CSO capacity to promote reform and improve transparency of budget spending, and (2) to increase interaction between civil society and Georgian public authorities on improving public finance expenditure oversight mechanisms.
The project anticipated results are as follows:
CSO capacity to promote reform and improve transparency of budget spending is strengthened;
Interaction between civil society and Georgian public authorities on improving public finance expenditure oversight mechanisms is increased.
For more information please visit http://www.epfound.ge/programs/current-programs-activities/engage-and-monitor-for-change/partnership-for-budget-transparency/.
The Evaluation Goal
The overall goal of the evaluation is to provide an independent assessment of the project’s implementation in relation to the achievement of its overall goal and specific objectives as provided in the original project proposal and logframe, including the project’s performance with respect to each of its component. The evaluator should look into the sustainability of concrete changes in the area of implementation of the project and, based on the information gleaned from the assessment, provide recommendations (methodological or otherwise) for future work in the PEM area that fall within the mission and the mandates of the Foundation and its Engage and Monitor for Change Program.
Below are the evaluation’s objectives, which are of particular interest to EPF. The evaluator is expected to complete this list with additional questions to better assess the relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the project.
Objective 1: Assess the extent to which the project contributed to strengthening the capacities of the targeted CSOs to engage in civic monitoring and advocacy for improved transparency of budget spending in Georgia. If yes, what methods utilized by the implementing partners or beneficiaries have been successful?
Objective 2: Assess whether the project contributed to enhanced interaction between civil society and Georgian public authorities on improving public finance expenditure oversight mechanisms. How has the project been able to achieve this result and what were the more effective methods used in this regard? In case of lackluster performance, what were either external or internal reasons that could explain lack of progress made? Has the enhanced interaction between these target groups led to improved implementation of the existing regulatory framework?
Objective 3: Develop recommendations for the Foundation for future interventions focused on promoting civic engagement in PEM reform. The recommendations must be in line with the mission and the mandates of the Foundation and its Engage and Monitor for Change Program.
Since the evaluation of the project’s implementation requires an analysis of the existing public finance management (PFM) systems in Georgia with a focus on participatory and transparent budget execution, EPF would like to see recommendations that will guide the Foundation’s efforts of enhancing civil society influence on both budget development and its execution. Ideally, the recommendations will be able to respond to the factors (formal and informal) that, according to the evaluation findings, have impeded participatory budgeting and public expenditure monitoring both on national and local levels. Based on the recommendations, EPF should be able to develop short- and medium-term interventions that promote citizen engagement along the PFM cycle. This will allow for sustaining and focusing the work of the multi-stakeholder platform on public expenditure monitoring set up within the framework of the EC-funded project to be reviewed.
Evaluation Methodology
The Consultant(s) will be responsible for developing the evaluation design and methodology in order to meet the evaluation’s goal and objectives. Details about the approach and the data collection methods to be employed to undertake this task should be included in the bid. When developing the assessment methodology, the Consultant is to be cognizant of the Objective 3 of the evaluation, designing a sampling strategy in such a manner that ensures the collection of data that is relevant to developing post-project recommendations as well.
EPF expects that the Consultant(s) will conduct a participatory evaluation, providing for active and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, namely the relevant EPF staff, partners, grantees, donors, etc.
The evaluation is to be conducted following ethical practices in evaluation, which should be outlined in the proposal.
The work to be carried out by the Consultant(s) will be based on the following four criteria:
Relevance, including the extent to which various problems and needs addressed by the Project are relevant in the Georgian context;
Effectiveness, including the extent to which the Project objectives have been met;
Impact, the extent to which EPF’s efforts contributed to the achievement of the Project’s overall goal; and
Sustainability, the extent to which outcomes of the project have been sustained or are likely to be sustained in the future
The issues of efficiency should be addressed in a broad manner, as it relates to the project partners’ decisions on cost allowance.
Sources of Information
Documents available for review include all documentation related to the grants funded within the project, programmatic reports submitted to the donor, Assessment of Public Expenditure Management Oversight Mechanisms in Georgia report, training materials, outreach and media materials, public service announcements, terms of reference for competitions, policy papers, and correspondence with authorities. Large part of this information is available both in Georgian and English languages.
For more information please visit http://www.epfound.ge/programs/current-programs-activities/engage-and-monitor-for-change/partnership-for-budget-transparency/.
Intended Use of the Evaluation
In addition to EPF and its grantees, the following organizations may also benefit from the findings of the evaluation: the Foundation’s past, current, and future donors, local civil society actors, and international implementers supporting civil society and fostering civic engagement in Georgia, the region, and internationally.
Timeframe and Reporting Requirements
The expected duration of the evaluation is 6 weeks.
The Consultant(s) will produce the following deliverables (all in English):
Inception report (due on April 9, 2017), which will address the following components:
Overview of the project
Expectations of evaluation
Methodology and data collection methods (derived from methodology)
Evaluation framework
Synthesis of the collected data
Indicative timeline
Data collection instruments (due on April 9, 2017)
Draft of the evaluation report (due on May 5, 2017)
Final report (due on May 15, 2017). The final report will include the following sections:
a) Executive summary (max. 2 pages);
b) Evaluation summary in PPT form;
c) Brief description of the context and the project;
d) Description of evaluation goals and objectives;
e) Description of evaluation methodology and data collection tools utilized in the course of the evaluation;
f) Presentation of main findings and conclusions of the assessment (including both generalized part, as well as individual grant projects);
g) Discussion of lessons learned;
h) Recommendations (programmatic and otherwise);
i) Annexes as provided in the inception report, including all data collection tools, list of interviewees, etc.
The evaluation report will be the sole property of EPF, which will retain the right to use it for internal and external purposes.
Budget
The budget of the evaluation should not exceed EUR 9,000 (GROSS)** for evaluation services, including expenses for transportation to and within Georgia, accommodation, per diem, Georgian taxes (if applicable). Price competitiveness will be a consideration during the selection process, and all proposals exceeding the maximum will be ineligible.
How to apply:
Request for Bids
EPF seeks bids from individuals or organizations to conduct this evaluation. Applicants should submit a proposal in English that includes:
· Detailed description of the Consultant's qualifications, with a list of previously undertaken assignments in the same field;
· Copy of an evaluation report completed by the applicant during the past three years;
· Description and justification of proposed evaluation methodology including sampling strategy, description of tools and techniques that will be used to collect and analyze information;
· Draft work plan and budget.
Only complete applications will be considered.
Selection Criteria
EPF will select the winning candidate among the companies or individuals submitting a complete bid by the application deadline. The selection criteria will include the following:
· Degree to which proposal adheres to evaluation questions listed above;
· Quality of the proposed methodology;
· Qualifications of the bidding individuals or organizations, including past experience in evaluating similar projects and expertise in PEM regulation issues;
· Feasibility of proposed methodology and work plan;
· Cost-effectiveness of the proposal;
· Ability to adhere to the time constraints of the proposed activities.
Review Process
Proposals can be submitted by email to mrobitashvili@epfound.ge. When making the submission, please indicate “PEM Project Evaluation” in the subject line of your email. Inquires about this tender can be emailed to nmeladze@epfound.ge.
The deadline for the submission of applications is March 15, 2017.