COOPERMONDO – Intermediate evaluation consultant for Coopermondo – Association for International Development Cooperation sta Progetto – Colo At COOPERMONDO

Application deadline 10/04/2024 Intermediate evaluation consultant – Colombia

Contract type: collaboration/consultancy

Duration of assignment: 2 months

Start of collaboration: short term

*(Coopermondo reserves the right to close the selection process as soon as the person deemed suitable is identified)

Financial offer: 10,000 Euros – Consultancy (complete remuneration package)

Coopermondo Association for International Development Cooperation-ETS is selecting a Consultant for the external and intermediate evaluation of the COLORES project financed by AICS.

CoLoRes Project: Resilient Local Communities. Women and young people build sustainable and solidarity-based economies to support the peace process in Colombia. (AICS AID 012590/0474)

Project data:

OG: The local, Afro, indigenous and peasant communities of the Colombian Amazon (Putumayo Department) improve their living and working conditions, their resilience to climate change and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a context of support to the peace process, protection of biodiversity and gender equity.

Duration: 36 months

Place of realization: Putumayo Region, Colombia Budget: €2,052,532.50

Funder: AICS, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation

Project partners:

COSPE – Cooperation for the Development of Emerging Countries SENA – Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje

CONFECOOP – Confederation of Cooperatives of Colombia

CORPOAMAZONIA – Confederation for the Sustainable Development of the Southern Amazon Alliance of Women Weavers of Life of Putumayo

Project summary:

The main aim of the project is to support the communities of the Putumayo region, particularly affected by the internal armed conflict and in complex and fragile socio-economic conditions, so that they can improve their living and working conditions, their resilience

to climate change and the effects of the pandemic in a context of support for the peace process and the protection of Amazon biodiversity.

To do this, 7 agro-forestry chains are promoted (asai, chontaduro, sacha inchi, coffee, cocoa, sugar cane, ecotourism/crafts), linked to Amazonian biodiversity, which favor practices of adaptation to climate change and at the same time generate a increase in profits and new jobs, in associative and inclusive businesses, recognizing the central role of women and young people.

The initiative is developed along three axes:

• STRENGTHENING THE COOPERATIVE MODEL: Increase in the organizational and productive capacity of initiatives linked to groups of young people and women, becoming more efficient and inclusive while respecting the gender and cultural diversity characteristic of the area.
• SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION PROCESSES: Implementation of more sustainable and innovative local production processes that reflect and respect Amazonian biodiversity, enhance traditional local knowledge and are capable of creating sustainable ways for the development of Amazonian biodiversity products.
• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Greater incidence and protagonism of the communities involved in the territorial processes of adaptation to climate change

OBJECTIVES OF THE EVALUATION

The Interim Evaluation will examine the progress of the first part of the Initiative, with the main aim of providing useful indications to improve its implementation in the time remaining until its completion and to consolidate the RBM approach; will focus on verifying the progress of the activities in relation to the expected results, on the veracity of the measurability of the current value of the Indicators, on the control and evaluation of the verification sources proposed in the DUP, on the validity of the partnership network and the project management structure , guaranteeing the real traceability and measurability of the indicators.

The evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) principles: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability:

Evaluate progress: Measure how much the project has achieved the intermediate objectives set out in its operational plan and the progress of the project indicators.

Relevance: to what extent do the project objectives correspond to the needs of the target groups and the priorities of national policies and the AICS funder? Are the activities carried out by the project consistent with other interventions present in the local context?

Verify effectiveness: Determine whether project activities and approaches are producing the expected results and contributing to the final objectives.

Impact: What is the overall impact of the project on communities? Has the project produced a change in behavior towards sustainable agriculture?

Identify challenges and opportunities: Detect challenges and obstacles encountered during project implementation and look for opportunities to address them more effectively.

Sustainability: what are the main factors that determine the sustainability of the project? To what extent can the project results be considered sustainable?

Gather stakeholder feedback: Engage key stakeholders, including beneficiaries and partners

local, to collect their feedback and opinions on the implementation of the project. Improve management: Identify any gaps in project management and resources deployed and make improvements based on lessons learned.

Evaluate the appropriateness of strategies: Examine whether the strategies and methodologies used to implement the project are appropriate to local conditions and the needs of beneficiaries. Optimize resource use: Evaluate whether the project is efficiently using the financial, human and material resources at its disposal.

Communicate results: Provide a transparent account of progress and interim results to stakeholders, including funders, to ensure accountability and transparency.

Plan corrective actions: Identify corrective actions needed to address challenges or improve the project in its second half.

Guiding the next phase: Use the results of the mid-term evaluation to guide the next phase of the project, adapting strategies and activities based on lessons learned.

Support continuous learning: Promote a continuous learning approach, so that the project can adapt to the changing conditions and needs of the beneficiary communities.

Ensuring positive impact: Verify that the project is contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of the target communities and the effective achievement of development objectives.

METHODOLOGY

The evaluation will be divided into 4 phases:

1. Documentary analysis
2. Visit to the land where the project was implemented
3. Interviews and focus groups with staff from the project partner bodies and institutions, the structures involved, beneficiaries, families of beneficiaries.
4. Drafting of the evaluation report

The program manager and the project team will be available to accompany the evaluation mission on the ground and for meetings and operational exchanges during the visit.

DOCUMENTS PROVIDED

Attachments to the signature of the contract:

1. Project text
2. First year project report
3. First year financial statement
4. Second year financial statement
5. Internal activity reports
6. Internal monitoring matrix

OUTPUT

The selected person(s) will have to provide:

The data collection tools to be validated at internal project level;

1 provisional final evaluation report written in Italian, to be delivered within fifteen days of the conclusion of the evaluation.

1 final report with the integration of the project partners’ comments in Italian, to be delivered within one month of the conclusion of the evaluation.

DURATION

The final evaluation must be carried out in the period April 2024 – May 2024. The timing has a slight degree of flexibility to be agreed in advance with Coopermondo and the project partners.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

• Level of education corresponding to a bachelor’s or master’s degree in project management, social and/or political sciences or equivalent;
• 4 years of experience in the case of a master’s degree or 6 years of experience in the case of a three-year degree in the field of management and/or evaluation of projects and programs in the urban development sector;
• Proven advanced knowledge of using digital data collection tools and core IT packages, including Microsoft Office 365;
• experience of at least 10 years in the evaluation of international cooperation projects and preferable demonstrable experience in the evaluation of projects financed by AICS with an RBM approach
• absence (currently and in the three-year period preceding the submission of the proposal) of stable collaborations with the Implementing Party,
• guarantee that no more than three evaluations of projects co-financed by AICS are underway at the same time with the Executing Party, issuing a specific declaration in lieu of an affidavit.
• Perfect written and spoken command of Italian and Spanish (C1);
• Immediate availability;
• Experience working in the districts where the project operates is an advantage;

PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL

On the basis of these terms of reference, you are asked to submit an evaluation proposal containing:

1. The objectives of the intermediate evaluation, the formulation of at least 3 key questions (by way of example) that the evaluation will have to answer which are obtained from the first documentary analysis (max 2 pages)
2. The tools that will be used to collect information (a simple example of an interview, questionnaire, focus group for one of the categories of people to be met on site) (max 3 pages)
3. Brief summary of evaluations previously carried out by the consultant in the socio-economic field (at least 1 evaluation) omitting project data if necessary.
4. Curriculum of the evaluator(s) with signed authorization to process personal data to:

candidature@coopermondo.it with subject: “COL_Interim evaluation 2024” . Only candidates deemed suitable will be contacted for an interview.

The selection respects the principle of equal opportunities (L. 903/77).

How to apply

PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL

On the basis of these terms of reference, you are asked to submit an evaluation proposal containing:

1. The objectives of the intermediate evaluation, the formulation of at least 3 key questions (by way of example) that the evaluation will have to answer which are obtained from the first documentary analysis (max 2 pages)
2. The tools that will be used to collect information (a simple example of an interview, questionnaire, focus group for one of the categories of people to be met on site) (max 3 pages)
3. Brief summary of evaluations previously carried out by the consultant in the socio-economic field (at least 1 evaluation) omitting project data if necessary.
4. Curriculum of the evaluator(s) with signed authorization to process personal data to:

candidature@coopermondo.it with subject: “COL_Interim evaluation 2024” . Only candidates deemed suitable will be contacted for an interview.

The selection respects the principle of equal opportunities (L. 903/77).