The final summative performance evaluation study is to be conducted for a humanitarian response project funded through Oxfam and aimed to contribute to effective coordination and collaboration among the NGOs active in the fields of migration and integration in Poland, in particular inside the Ukraine Response, where L/NNGOs are empowered to act inside the humanitarian structures and take joint action with INGOs, and the NGOs together amplify the voices of the affected populations on local and international level, namely through the following activities:
1) Improving coordination among the NGOs active in the field of migration and integration in Poland through continued information and capacity sharing between the NGOs in the context of shrinking funding for the Ukraine Response in 2024.
2) Increasing capacity of the L/NNGOs to act consciously inside the humanitarian structures following their own agenda and to grow their resilience.
3) Increasing weight of the voice of NGOs on the directions of the Ukraine Response in Poland and broader migration topics in Poland.
The project is implemented by Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) and NGO Forum Razem.
Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) is an international non-governmental organization which since 1992 has been providing humanitarian and development help worldwide. So far, the interventions have been carried out in 46 different countries. By possessing long-standing expertise in the implementation of projects in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Food Security and Livelihoods, as well as Nutrition and Education, PAH concentrates its global activities on ensuring sustainable and stable development of regions suffering from the consequences of armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other humanitarian crises.
NGO Forum “Razem” was established in March 2022 as a joint effort of Polish Humanitarian Action and ASHOKA: Innovators for the Public with the financial support of CARE, as the response to the war in Ukraine and the arrival of Ukrainian refugees to Poland. The technical support was provided by Netguru. The initial goal of the Forum was to provide the basis for further development of both countries and the region and in the long term to implement various systemic changes for the public good by Polish social organizations in partnerships with other stakeholders, using the potential of migrants, supporting them and their host communities.
NGO Forum “Razem” aims to create space for multilateral cooperation for non-profit organizations active in migration and integration in Poland. It welcomes local and international NGOs and CSOs with short-, mid-, and long-term horizons of involvement in Poland to build connections and understanding among the actors. NGO Forum “Razem” supports its Members in building their capacity and forming a community of practice.
The Forum is a wide-ranging cooperation initiative for social organizations in Poland that creates a democratic space to inform, share knowledge, look for partnerships and synergies, and mutually strengthen their actions in response to the challenges related to their work.
For more information, please refer to www.pah.org.pl and https://forumrazem.org.pl/terms-of-service.
2. Background
The purpose of this Terms of Reference (ToR) is to call for competitive proposals for providing qualified assistance, namely, conducting a summative evaluation study of the project “Localizing the Ukraine Response in Poland by Investing in Local Capacity an Amplifying NGO’s voice” funded by Oxfam and other donors, as according to the ToR. The study shall provide an independent and impartial assessment, complete with findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the idem project, based on the best available, objective and accurate analysis of evidence (project documents and primary data collection).
The contractor will have access to all project data and monitoring reporting materials, including project proposal, logframe, periodic monitoring reports (mid-PDM/PIM), regular monitoring reports, indicator tracking tool, as well as secondary data (such as research and studies conducted in Poland which show the relevance of the NGO Forum “Razem” as a mechanism in the Polish context).
3. Purpose
The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of project activities in relation to the activity’s purposes and results. Additionally, the evaluation is aimed to identify best practices and lessons-learned in the activity design and implementation for achieving the activity’s expected results.
For this study, the relevance criterion assesses the extent to which the intervention objectives and design responded to project participants’ needs and priorities and the effectiveness should be a measure of the extent to which the intervention achieved its objectives, and results, including any differential results across groups.
To assess the relevance and effectiveness of the selected project activities, this evaluation will answer 2 evaluation questions, presented below:
1) Relevance: How relevant is the NGO Forum “Razem” in addressing the needs and priorities of local and national NGOs (L/NNGOs) engaged in the Ukraine response and migration issues in Poland, particularly in the face of reduced funding?
2) Effectiveness: How effective has the NGO Forum “Razem” been in facilitating the co-creation of solutions for people with refugee and migration experience in Poland, especially in relation to building cooperation with relevant stakeholders (UN, Polish Government, etc)?
The main aim of this evaluation is to ensure accountability to stakeholders and improve PAH’s program effectiveness. The results of the evaluation will be described and grouped into three main sections: findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The recommendations will be incorporated into PAH’s future programming in Poland and shared with PAH HQ to be potentially incorporated into programming at other PAH missions. Management response will be documented.
4. Evaluation Methodology
The contractor is expected to conduct the full cycle of the summative evaluation in 6 weeks. The contractor is expected to develop a specific and detailed evaluation plan with methods and data sources to be discussed and agreed on with PAH MEAL team (evaluation team) and NGO Forum “Razem” team. The methodology should ensure that the conclusions and recommendations developed are valid and reliable and that the analysis is logically coherent and complete.
PAH MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) team recommends using a mixed-methods approach with the combination of the quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate to answer the evaluation questions. The quantitative methods will include a project participant based survey that will use a questionnaire to gather information from a probability sample of individual project participants (registered representatives of the organizations benefitting form the Forum activities) , depending on the indicators’ units of measure. The qualitative methods will include semi-structured in-depth interviews with key informants, focus group discussions and other relevant methods. The evaluation team will triangulate the data for each question by surveying participants , consulting project-related documents and databases, interviewing project managers and other relevant stakeholders , and conducting focus group discussions if applicable. In order to comprehensively assess the effectiveness of the Forum within the Polish context, it is imperative to undertake thorough desk research. This should encompass the collection of quotes and findings from studies and reports conducted in Poland that reference the NGO Forum. Such an approach will ensure that the evaluation is based on a comprehensive understanding of the Forum’s impact within the Polish setting.
5. Deliverables and Timeline
Expected deliverables:
Timeline for finalizing deliverables:
1) inception report with an evaluation plan and design (including sample of survey respondents, schedule of FGDs and KIIs)
24-01-2025
2) data collection tools (e.g., survey questionnaire in the form of a text document and KoBo-form, FGD and KIIs guides)
24-01-2025
3) draft evaluation report (which includes findings and conclusions sections, annexes with data collection tools)
28-02-2025
4) evaluation raw data (survey results in Excel file, FGD and KII notes)
20-02-2025
5) final evaluation report (which includes findings, conclusions, and recommendation sections, annexes with data collection tools); final evaluation report is to be finalized after the sense-making session about the conclusions with the PAH program team.
03-03-2025
6. Evaluation Team and Recruitment Procedure
The proposed assignment is external and will be performed by a specialist (evaluation lead) contracted by PAH. At the same time, the PAH MEAL Coordinator Liyana Arlouskaya will support the process of the study. For the purposes of phone data collection, skilled locally hired enumerators can also be involved if applicable.
An external evaluation lead will be contracted locally (preferably) either with individual consultancy contracts as physical persons or private entrepreneurs. The consultant should meet following requirements:
- Academic background and/or at least 3 years of professional experience in research, monitoring, and evaluation, preferably in the international humanitarian and development context
- Excellent knowledge of evaluation principles, standards, methodologies (must provide at least 1 previously done evaluation report)
- Data management and analytical skills
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Time management skills, ability to respect set deadlines
- Excellent writing skills
- Advanced knowledge of written and spoken English (C1-C2) and Polish. Knowledge of Ukrainian may be an asset to include the voices of the refugee-led organizations
In response to the PAH announcement, interested consultants should prepare and submit their applications in English, including the following inputs:
- CV
- portfolio of evaluation and/or other monitoring studies conducted by the applicant
- commercial offer for proposed evaluation costs, including all operational support costs, if required.
7. Scheduling, Logistics, and Budget
The detailed schedule will be developed in the evaluation plan and will be in line with the timeline for finalizing deliverables presented in Section 5 above. The preparation for the study should start no later than October 10, 2024; the final report should be prepared no later than December 20, 2024.
All costs of the exercise will be covered by PAH through a contract for consultancy services. The consultants are supposed to use their own equipment and tools for this assignment (computers, printers, etc.) and make their own travel arrangements for travel (train tickets, accommodation etc.) if needed.
The contract amount will be paid in one installment as follows: 100% upon acceptance of the finalized evaluation report.
If any questions occur please write to marta.krasa@pah.org.pl
How to apply
Offers must be delivered in the following way:
Email to: oferty.pl@pah.org.pl and in the subject field state:
PRF 460 – evaluation for NGO Forum Localization study project.