Consultancy for End Line Evaluator – SFTA Project 270 views

PURPOSE
The purpose of the consultancy is to carry out end line external evaluation of the
project: “Strengthening and Sustaining Fiscal Transparency and Accountability in The Gambia
(SFTA)” funded by the U.S. Embassy in The Gambia. The consultant is required to adhere to
a strict code of conduct guiding the collection, analysis, and dissemination of evaluation data.

BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATION
Gambia Participates is a dynamic and impactful civil society organization at the forefront of
fostering civic engagement, transparency, and accountability in The Gambia. Established with
a commitment to promoting a vibrant democracy, the organization has been instrumental in
empowering citizens and civil society organizations (CSOs) to actively participate in shaping
the nation’s socio-political and economic landscape. At the heart of Gambia Participates’
mission is the belief that an informed and engaged citizenry is vital for the growth and
development of a nation. The organization is dedicated to advancing principles of good
governance, accountability, and social justice. Through a range of initiatives, Gambia
Participates seeks to amplify the voices of citizens and CSOs, creating a more inclusive and
responsive society.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE OF THE SFTA PROJECT
The overall objective of the SFTA project is to strengthen and sustain fiscal transparency,
public participation, government and civil society oversight on the national budget of The
Gambia through technical assistance rendered to budget stakeholders.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE SFTA PROJECT
Project Objective 1: The Ministry of Finance, NAO and Local Government Councils increase
communication and engagement with the public on the national budget, audit reports,
government spending, revenue collection and as well increase inter-agency collaboration for
timely government audits
Project Objective 2: To support the development of institutional and operational
frameworks for the National Assembly Budget Advisory Office and as well support the
National Assembly to increase its oversight functions on the national budget.
Project Objective 3: To build the capacity of civil society and journalists to track and report
on government spending, produce CSO Citizens’ Budget and Citizens’ Audit Reports, and
conduct 3 social audits using Community Score Cards.

SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT / BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
PROJECT RESULTS AREAS
Result 1: Public communication and stakeholder consultations for the MoFEA to increase
communication with the public throughout the budget cycle. To improve the
communication gap between the Ministry of Finance and the public on Public Finance
Management (PFM)
Result 2: Support the National Audit Office (NAO) to increase communication with the
public through radio and television programs and press conferences at key stages in the
budget cycle
Result 3: Consult with MOFEA to establish a framework to support the newly created NA
Budget Office that includes a 5-year strategic plan, an annual work plan, proposed staffing
structure and functions, budget for the NA Budget Office, fundraising plan, and
recommendations for reporting processes and templates that build on information currently
produced by the MoFEA, and associated training.
Result 4 Conduct budget forums and workshops for the NA to scrutinize the 2023 executive
budget proposal
Result 5 : Enhanced citizen engagement in budget and social audits; increase the capacity of
citizens’ groups and civil society to advocate for fiscal transparency and monitor the
execution of the budget and enhance a more simplified 2023 Citizens’ Budget
Result 5 Citizens’ Audit; provide continued technical assistance to civil society to develop at
least one Citizens’ Audit for the 2017 and 2018 reports and the 2019 and 2020 reports
should they be published. The Citizens’ Audit will be complemented by activities to raise
awareness about the contents of the audit and receive feedback from citizens.

SCOPE OF WORK
The Scope of the evaluation should be designed around the following
Establish endline information against which project log frame indicators can be used to assess
progress, outcomes and impacts.
To document the perception of Gambia Participates and project from relevant stakeholders,
including project beneficiaries and stakeholders
Produce an endline report that will be used to evaluate the impact of the project using the
OECD criteria, to gather and present the challenges, lessons learn, key opportunities, and
guide future project designs

GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE:
The evaluation will cover the 7 regions in The Gambia but 70% to 80% of the data collection
will be within the Greater Banjul Area.

ETHICAL STANDARDS
The consultant shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that the data collected is designed
and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities
involved and to ensure that the survey is technically accurate and reliable. Consultant should
also ensure that the survey is conducted in a transparent and impartial manner and
contributes to organizational learning and accountability.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE CONSULTANT
• Inform Gambia Participates Programs Manager and M&E Officer promptly of the
progress made and any challenges encountered during the evaluation
• Conduct the consultancy as per agreements in TOR, and contract, and if
modifications are necessary, bring to the attention of the Programs Manager and
M&E Officer before making any changes. Financial matters will be forwarded to the
Finance Manager/department.
• Report on a timely basis as per the ToR and the contract agreement
• Declare any possible conflict of interest before signing the contract.
• Participatory share draft report and discuss the feedback and general findings with
the Gambia Participates team.
• Present the final evaluation to stakeholders

OBLIGATIONS OF GAMBIA PARTICIPATES
• Make sure the Consultant is provided with the necessary and required resources i.e.
the project documents- proposal, reports, and any other documents that the
consultant may need.
• Facilitate the work of the consultant in accessing beneficiaries and other
stakeholders
• Provide technical oversight in the review of all deliverables
• Provide timely comments on the draft report

DELIVERABLES
The following deliverables are expected from the consultant:
• Inception report, detailing the evaluation survey design, sampling methodology and
framework, survey tools, and agreed-upon workplan.
• Draft evaluation report that will contain the following elements:
Table of contents
1. Executive Summary including a summary of key findings
2. Introduction/background
3. Methodology – including limitations of the survey.
4. A presentation of the findings and the analysis.
5. Conclusions
6. Recommendations with clear guidelines on how they can be implemented.
7. Report Annexes:
8. Success Stories
• Copies of original and cleaned data sets (with a codebook for both quantitative and
qualitative data), including original field notes for KIIs and FGDs, as well as recorded
audio material, if available, should be submitted with the draft report to Gambia
Participates.
• Signed digital copy of Final Evaluation Report submitted to Gambia Participates by
the agreed submission deadline.

PROPOSED TIMEFRAME

DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY
The Evaluation will be conducted within 25 days (N/B 15 billable days) from contract signing
to delivery of the final report.
Payment
The consultancy fees will be fixed through a competitive bidding process and payment will be made
in two instalments, 40% upon signing the service agreement contract and the remaining 60% after
all tasks are executed by the consultant as stated under the timeline and the deliverables of this
engagement.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF CONSULTANT
The lead consultant must have a background and experience in project management,
research, monitoring and evaluation, statistics or any other related field. Past experience in
conducting similar assignments will be an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting endline evaluation or related projects
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation with more than 5 years of proven
experience in undertaking project evaluations, monitoring, and assessments.
• Fluency in English and two local languages.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills evidenced by comfort in sharing and
interpreting report data with stakeholders
• It is advisable for the consultancy team to have a statistician who can analyze
quantitative and qualitative data.
• Ability to write clear and useful reports – Attention to details is essential

SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION CRITERIA:
Bidder must provide the below listed information:
1. Must be an Individual Consultant/ Registered Consultancy Firm
2. Must submit CV of Key Personnel
3. Must submit a certificate of incorporation/ business registration
4. Technical Evaluation Criteria
• Consultant Academic and Professional Qualification-20%
• Consultant’s Prior Work Experience- 35%.
• Methodology/Approach- The consultant is expected to utilize a mixed methods approach collecting quantitative and qualitative data 25%
• Language and analytical skills -20%
5. Relevant experience of five years, include previous similar engagements, date
executed etc.
Due to the volume of expected applications, only the successful candidate(s) will be
contacted.
Bidders’ submissions of technical and financial proposals should be submitted via email to
careers@gambiaparticipates.org with the subject line “consultancy for end line evaluation”
before 20th May 2024. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. All
files should be sent in PDF file format.
Proposal must be written and submitted in English.

Performance Period: 20 June 2024 to 14 July 2024

Application Deadline: 23:59 GMT on 20th May 2024.