UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF) UNICEF Jordan Country Office (AMMAN - JORDAN) Request for Proposal (RFP) for JCO/RFP/2010/02

Transcription

1 Date: 14 March 2010 UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF) UNICEF Jordan Country Office (AMMAN - JORDAN) Request for Proposal (RFP) for JCO/RFP/2010/02 Evaluation of the Emergency Education Programme in Jordan SEALED separate financial and technical proposals, CAN be dropped directly (care of Zain Kurdi) at: UNICEF HOUSE, Tla a Al Al Dahak Bin Soufian St. Amman - Jordan, Tel , no later than 29 March 2010 IMPORTANT: Proposals received in any other manner or later than designated date as stated above will be invalidated. 1

2 PROPOSAL FORM PROPOSAL FORM must be completed, signed and returned to UNICEF. Proposal must be made in accordance with the instructions contained in this REQUEST. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT Any Contract resulting from this REQUEST shall contain UNICEF General Terms and Conditions and any other specific Terms and Condition detailed in the REQUEST. INFORMATION Any request for information only regarding the REQUEST must be forwarded by fax or to the attention of any of the following, with specific reference to the Request number. Ms. Zain Kurdi, M&E Officer, UNICEF JCO Emergency Programme. PROPOSAL The Undersigned, having read the Terms and Conditions set out in the attached document, hereby offers to execute the services specified in the Terms and Conditions set out in the document. Signature: Date: Name & Title: Company: Postal Address: Tel/Cell No s: Fax No: Validity of Offer (minimum 90 days): 2

3 UNICEF STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. LEGAL STATUS The contractor shall be considered as having the legal status of an independent contractor. Agents or employees of the contractor shall not be considered in any respect as being officials or staff members of the United Nations. 2. OBLIGATIONS The contractor shall neither seek nor accept instructions from any authority external to the United Nations in connection with the performance of its services under this contract. The contractor shall refrain from any action which may adversely affect the United Nations and shall fulfil its commitments with fullest regard for the interest of the United Nations. The contractor shall not advertise or otherwise make public the fact that it is a contractor with the United Nations. Also the contractor shall, in no other manner whatsoever use the name, emblem or official seal of the United Nations or any abbreviation of the name of the United Nations in connection with its business or otherwise. Contractors may not communicate at any time to any other person, Government or authority external to the United Nations or any information known to them by reason of their association with the United Nations which has not been made public, except in the course of their duties or by authorization of the Secretary-General or his designate; nor shall contractors at any time use such information to private advantage. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of their agreement with the United Nations. 3. TITLE RIGHTS (a) The United Nations shall be entitled to all property rights including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material which bears a direct relation to or is made in consequence of, the services provided by the Organization in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law. At the request of the United Nations, the contractor shall take all necessary steps, execute all the necessary documents and generally assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to the Organization in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law. (b) Title to any equipment and supplies which may be furnished by the United Nations shall rest with the United Nations and any such equipment shall be returned to the United Nations at the conclusion of the Contract or when no longer needed by the contractor. Such equipment when returned to the United Nations shall be in the same condition as when delivered to the contractor, subject to normal wear and tear. 4. TERMINATION OF CONTRACT This Contract may be terminated by either party before the expiry date of the agreement by giving notice in writing to the other party. The period of notice shall be five days in the case of agreements for a total period of less than two months and fourteen days in the case of contracts for a longer period. In the event of the Contract being terminated prior to its due expiry date in this way, the consultant shall be compensated on a pro rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work performed to the satisfaction of the United Nations. Additional costs incurred by the United Nations resulting from the termination of the Contract by the contractor may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the contractor from the United Nations. 5. ASSIGNMENT OF PERSONNEL The contractor shall not assign any persons other than those accepted by the United Nations for work performed under this Contract. 6. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE The contractor shall indemnify, hold and save harmless and defend, as its own expenses, the UN, its officers, agents, servants and employees form and against all suits, claims, demands and liability of any nature or kind, including costs and expenses arising out of acts or omissions of the contractor or his employees or sub-contractors in the performance of this Contract. This clause shall extend to claims and liability in the nature of workmen's compensation claims or liability or those arising out of the use of patented inventories or devices. In compliance with this clause, the contractor shall obtain and maintain adequate liability and property damage insurance in respect of any tort action or tort claim arising out of contractor's acts or omissions related to this Contract. The contractor shall, upon request, provide proof of such insurance. The contractor shall not permit any lien, attachment or other encumbrance by any person to remain on file in any public office or on file with the UN against any monies due or to become due for any work done or materials furnished under this Contract, or by reason of any other claim or demand against the contractor. 7. UNITED NATIONS PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES Nothing in or relating to this Contract shall be deemed a waiver of any of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. 8. ARBITRATION Any controversy or claim arising out of, or in accordance with this Contract or any breach thereof, shall, unless it is settled by direct negotiation, be settled in accordance with the UNICITRAL Arbitration Rules as at present in force. The parties shall be bound by any arbitration award rendered as a result of such arbitration as the final adjudication of any such controversy or claim. 9. AMENDMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS No change in or modification of this Contract shall be made except by prior written agreement between the Chief, Commercial, Purchase and Transportation Service, Office of General Services, United Nations, and the contractor. The Contractor shall not assign, transfer, pledge, sub-contract or make other disposition of this Contract or any part thereof, or of any of the contractor's rights, claims or obligations under this Contract except with the prior written consent of the United Nations. 10. OFFICIALS NOT TO BENEFIT The contractor represents and warrants that no official of the United Nations has been, or shall be, admitted by the contractor to any direct or indirect benefit arising from this Contract or the award thereof. The contractor agrees that breach of this provision of an essential term of this Contract. 3

4 TERMS OF REFERENCE Evaluation of the Emergency Education Programme in Jordan UNICEF/Jordan Country Office. 1. BACKGROUND 10 March 2010 UNICEF Jordan Country Office (JCO) Emergency interventions started in 2007 in order to ensure protection and fulfilment of the rights of vulnerable Iraqi and Jordanian children to health, education, and protection services. The Emergency Education Programme was established with focus on providing; education services and psychosocial services. The Iraqi community in Jordan is almost entirely urban and is mostly concentrated in the areas of; East Amman; Zarqa; Irbid; and Karak. Since August 2007, Iraqi children have had access to public schools in Jordan. In addition to allowing children the opportunity to continue their education, access to public schools has also allowed Iraqi children the opportunity to regain some sense of normalcy in their lives. Putting Iraqi children into school has for the first time grouped together significant numbers of Iraqi children in a place where they can be assisted not only with their education but also with their psychosocial recovery. Despite what is considered to be an important level of resilience amongst the Iraqi children in general, it is clear that considering the difficult context of the lives of many of them in Jordan compounded by their experience back in Iraq; significant numbers of them suffer from psychosocial problems. Since the establishment of the Emergency Education Programme (EEP) in August 2007, UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Education (via the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation) to provide safe quality and appropriate education. Finally, UNICEF continues to take the global lead in (emergency) psychosocial support programming and the implementation of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines on Mental Health & Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings. UNICEF supports the coordination of psychosocial activities for Iraqi children. UNICEF JCO considers the shifting requirements within a country as the situation moves from Emergency, to Early Recovery and finally to Development phases, specifically the different modalities required within each phase mentioned. UNICEF JCO is undertaking a Mid Term Evaluation this year. As part of this Mid Term Review, the EEP programme is to be evaluated, and its integration into the development work of UNICEF JCO considered. Also, the timing of the evaluation comes at a crucial time since the EEP is not working in an emergency capacity anymore and there is a need to integrate this project within the regular country programme. 2. EEP BACKGROUND The purpose of the Emergency Education Programme is to provide education and psychosocial support to vulnerable Iraqi and Jordanian children. The Education programme is linked to UNDAF and MDGs goals (1, 2and 3) in education, protection and health. The Overall Results for this programme during 2009 are: Strengthening the public education system, enabling it to integrate approximately 20,000 vulnerable Iraqi and Jordanian children specifically in areas where there are high concentrations of Iraqis, providing for the psycho-social needs of Iraqi children in Jordan, and supporting the informal education sector with the objective to assist students to return to formal public education. The EEP works with the Government of Jordan, International NGO s, local NGO s and CBO s. UNI- CEF works through INGO s to strengthen and build the capacities of local NGO s and CBO s to pro- 4

5 vide services (vocational training, recreational activities, learning support, etc) and establish themselves as centres of interaction and learning in communities, working with mothers and children. The EEP in 2010 is focusing on sustaining the education of vulnerable children and youth in the formal, informal and remedial education, also supporting Non-Formal Education and other forms of formal education like home schooling for vulnerable Iraqi and Jordanian children and youth while guaranteeing the accreditation at the regional level. Expand the integration of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) programmes (currently Special Education is provided to those that cannot be mainstreamed within formal education) & supporting Early Childhood Education. The psycho-social project is seeking to enhance the well-being and resilience of Iraqi conflict affected children, their families and their community. Projects are carried out in areas with the most concentration of Iraqi families, mainly; East Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Karak. 3. PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION Draw key recommendations and lessons learned from the Emergency Education Programme (EEP) to feed into further improvement of the programme. More specifically, the evaluation seeks to; 1. Measure the extent of results achieved during the implementation of the EEP and their impact; 2. Evaluate degree of integration of Emergency Support into UNICEF Jordan development work; 3. Suggest mechanism to improve incorporation and integration of EEP into UNICEF ongoing development work, considering and evaluating the context of the country, specifically the need to have Emergency, Early Recovery or Development mode of interventions; 4. OBJECTIVES To conduct an external outcome based evaluation of the UNICEF Jordan Emergency Education Programme, specifically the evaluation will address the following areas: a) Relevance Did the EEP objectives address identified rights and needs of the Iraqi and vulnerable group in a national context? How successful is the EEP activities in reaching vulnerable Iraqi children and adolescents in Jordan? What rights does the EEP advance under CRC, CEDAW and the Millennium Development Goals and other international development commitments? What is UNICEF s comparative advantage in designing and implementing this programme? To what extent have the program participants been involved in the planning, designing and implementation of project activities? b) Efficiency Could the EEP activities and outputs been delivered with fewer resources (human and financial) without reducing their quality and quantity? Have the EEP stated outputs been delivered in a timely manner? Have disadvantaged Iraqi and vulnerable children been reached in an efficient manner? How does the EEP utilize existing local capacities of right-bearers and duty-holders to achieve its outcome? How efficient is the level of coordination between UNICEF JCO regular programmes and the EEP? c) Effectiveness What has been the progress made towards achievement of the EEP expected outcomes and expected results? 5

6 Has the EEP followed the INEE and IASC guidelines in programme design and implementation? To what extent have the beneficiaries been satisfied with the results? Does the EEP have effective monitoring mechanisms in place and how is the programme using the information generated by the M&E system? To what extents are the inputs and outputs equally distributed between different age groups of children, and have the potentials of disadvantaged children (poor, ethnic, and disabled groups) been fully utilized to realize the outcomes? Was the EEP able to reach the target group (Iraqi and vulnerable children)? d) Impact To what extent has the desired impact been achieved? Are there any unintended (positive or negative) consequences from the EEP? To what extent has there been integration of Iraqi children into Jordanian society and can contributions of EEP be identified? What is the different impact of the EEP on various groups? e) Sustainability To what extent have the operational capacity of national partners, such as technology, finance, and staffing, been strengthened? The extent to which the project is embedded in local institutional structures; Are the activities and their impact likely to continue when external support is withdrawn, and will it be widely replicated or adapted? What adaptive or management capacities of national partners, such as learning, leadership, programme process management, networking and linkages been supported? f) Stakeholder analysis How effective was the coordination and how would the cluster lead approach apply in this particular context? What suggestions are there for ways to improve the program? What are the views of the stakeholders in relation to the impact of the programme? g) Lessons learned and good practices What ways can the programme be adapted, building on the good practices developed in particular EEP projects? A compilation and analysis of lessons learned by UNICEF, partners and the stakeholders. 5. PROCESS & METHODOLOGY a) General Scope: This outcome-based evaluation will require the use of participatory evaluation methodologies (preferably using a participatory or empowerment model). These will consist of predominantly qualitative evaluation approaches but will also include some quantitative methods (i.e. survey measurement). An important aim is to establish baseline information for subsequent planning and evaluations. Suggested qualitative approaches are focus group discussions, one-on-one interviews, individual case studies, etc. An evaluation team is desired to carry out this evaluation, with an experienced team leader leading the process with support and co-management of UNICEF Emergency M&E officer. The team leader is to guide country researchers to collect the necessary data from the specific areas of EEP implementation throughout Jordan, in order to feed the analytical evaluation of the project. It is expected that data and information on the views and perceptions of Iraqi children, adolescents and families will also be generated throughout the evaluation process. The main informants of this re- 6

7 search will be the local and international partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries themselves. In addition, views of the EEP s impact will be sought from parents, community members, and relevant government officers (MoPIC and MoE officials) working on the integration and protection of Iraqi children in Jordan, NGO partners, UNHCR and other agencies dealing with Iraqi children and adolescents. UNICEF and the donor perspectives will also inform the evaluation. b) Specific task/responsibilities for the Evaluation Team: A consultancy firm will conduct the evaluation. It will be chosen on the basis of a review and its field accessibility in relevant areas of EEP implementation. The Evaluation Team is responsible in carrying out the following tasks: Conduct a thorough desk review of project documents, donor reports, existing studies and situational analysis on the situation of Iraqi s in Jordan, in addition to any other documents related to the EEP. Prepare an inception report defining the Research Design, Information sources, Data collection instruments, etc Upon approval of the above report by UNICEF and Technical Committee, conduct the evaluation plan. The evaluation plan should include:- Develop evaluation tools (survey questionnaires, Focus Group Discussion FGD guidelines, etc) to collect data for the evaluation as well as to create baseline data for future evaluations. The tools will be prepared by the team leader (evaluation expert) and implemented by the evaluation team as a whole. Ensure the collection of the data needed for this evaluation and oversee the processing of the data. Generate an analytical report of findings, with EEP-wide and country-specific findings to be reviewed by UNICEF. Present initial findings during a UNICEF MTR workshop in July. Share findings and recommendations of the evaluation with the various stakeholders and adjust according to their feedback Ensure that all deliverables are undertaken and submitted in a timely manner. Produce a final evaluation report highlighting EEP s achievement and integration into an ongoing programme within the UNICEF JCO (highlighting the need to shift from emergency to early recovery in order to sustain results and ensure longevity). 6. EXISTING DOCUMENTATION EEP Annual Reports for 2007, 2008 and 2009 EEP programme documents Donor Reports Studies and Surveys undertaken during programme implementation (refer to attached list) List of partners UNICEF country programme documents UNICEF Evaluation Policy UNEG Evaluation standards SCF guidelines highlighting ethics of doing research with children Taleem Kids Phase one Evaluation 7. STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION AND ACCOUNTABILITIES UNICEF will ensure the formation of and the timely and periodic meetings of the Reference Group. UNHCR Government of Jordan; Local Partners; 7

8 Partner INGO s; and Iraqi children, adolescents and their families. Representatives from the above mentioned stakeholders and beneficiaries will form the reference group and be consulted widely during the design of this evaluation and will review the evaluation plan and final evaluation report. 8. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS & PROPERTY RIGHTS: All evaluation products, including data and reports, developed in the course of this consultancy are the intellectual property of UNICEF. The Evaluators may not share these products without the express permission of, and acknowledgement by UNICEF. The evaluation process should support and respect children's ethical and meaningful participation in research. 9. EVALUATION TEAM COMPOSITION A multi-disciplinary evaluation gender-sensitive team should be comprised of a team leader and national researchers. The evaluation team should have the following qualifications: At least a master s degree in the social sciences; Experience in evaluation methodologies; both qualitative and quantitative; Experience of project and programme management; Knowledge and experience around the thematic area under review (Human Rights: Children Rights, Emergency Response); Demonstrated ability to produce high quality evaluation reports, including recommendations for future work; Knowledge of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) standards. Experience and understanding of the national and sub-regional context essential; Fluency in Arabic & English; Excellent Communication skills and demonstrated ability to facilitate group discussions and knowledge of participatory methodologies; and Knowledge and experience on participatory evaluation 10. UNICEF RESPONSIBILITY UNICEF EEP M&E officer will supervise the work of the evaluators and will provide the evaluation team with the following; Relevant background materials on the EEP (refer to section 6); including any studies and reports published during this period and relevant for the desk review. Contact details of partners and stakeholders working on the programme. INEE and IASC standards in English and Arabic. UNEG Evaluation standards and SCF guidelines highlighting ethics of doing research with children. Establishment of contact and coordination with main ministries. Ensure the formation and timely meetings of the Reference Group. Providing timely feedback. 8

9 11. PROCEDURES AND LOGISTICS The evaluation team will be responsible for organising all logistical arrangements needed to conduct this evaluation including in-country travel and international travel (if applicable). 12. PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS The proposal is to include a detailed: a) Background of the organization (1 page maximum) b) Relevant experience c) Overall description of how objective will be met d) Proposed draft sampling framework e) Evaluation Work Plan f) CV s of the evaluation team g) Fees & payment schedule h) Estimated Number of working days needed 13. DELIVERABLES & TIMELINE Duration estimated for the contract is a five month period starting 1 st week of April covering desk review, development of tools, field work, analysis and report writing. Detailed work plan to be developed by the evaluators and submitted for UNICEF approval. Activity Timeframe No. Of days required Desk Review 1 st April 10 th April 2010 Inception Report & 5 th April 15 th April 2010 Evaluation Design Tool development 15 th April 20 th April 2010 Data Collection 25 th April 20 th May 2010 Data analysis 21 st May 10 th June 2010 Preliminary analysis and findings Presentation of preliminary analysis and findings to UNICEF JCO Draft Evaluation Report Final Evaluation Report 12 th June th June 20 th June th July st July 2010 # of days to be decided by bidding companies for each activity 14. ORGANISATIONAL RECOURSE: If the contractor for any reason did not deliver the work as agreed the contractor has to return any previous payment received. 9