Job Opportunity at Istituto Oikos: consultant external interim evaluation – Tanzania

Istituto Oikos
International cooperation NGO based in Milan seeks
Consultant for external interim evaluation – Tanzania

Position: consultant external interim evaluation – Tanzania

Istituto Oikos (www.istituto-oikos.org) was founded in Milan in 1996. It works in Europe and in developing countries to promote the responsible management of natural resources and to spread more sustainable lifestyles as tools for socio-economic development and the fight against poverty. Vision: A future in which ecology, economics and equity are integrated, reconciling the needs of people and the environment. Mission: To contribute to preserving ecosystems by promoting development through professionalism, innovation and participation. Istituto Oikos has a PSEA policy which the successful candidate will be expected to respect and promote.

Project Description:
On 1 November 2019 Istituto Oikos started the implementation of the project funded by the Italian Development Cooperation Agency (AICS) “KISIMA – Strengthening of water service in KIteto and SImanjiro districts, MAnyara Region (Tanzania)” AID 011902. The intervention, which has a duration of 3 years, was extended by 2 months in the first year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is currently at its mid-term.
The project stems from the needs analysis carried out by Oikos Institute in 2018 in the Manyara Region which showed that the Region has the lowest indicators of access to water and sanitation in the country and within the 7 districts, those of Kiteto and Simanjiro are the worst recorded.
The poor service of the water systems is due to three problems: a) institutional weakness; b) poor management capacity of the committees in charge of managing the Community Based Water and Sanitation Organization (CBWSO) systems; high operating and maintenance costs. The project therefore intends to address these three issues in order to ensure equitable and affordable access to protected water systems and improved sanitation services for the population of the two Districts.
Following the passing of the new Water Act 2019 at the start of the project, the Rural Water and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), the government’s rural water management agency becomes operational and effectively becomes the local institutional counterpart for the project. The request for change of counterpart (initially Manyara Region), approved by AICS, starts the collaboration and the implementation of the planned activities.
Following the birth of RUWASA, in addition to the local counterpart, two local partners also changed: they were no longer the districts of Kiteto and Simanjito, but RUWASA Kiteto and RUWASA Simanjiro. The other local partners UCRT and MAMADO remain unchanged. The project is also supported by two Italian partners: the University of Milan – Bicocca – Department of Environmental and Land and Earth Sciences (DISAT) and Idrodepurazione srl, a private company that works in developing countries promoting technologies to improve water.
The KISIMA budget is €1,998,303.
The project is divided into four outputs:
R1. Regional and district institutions provide an effective, coordinated and competent service to ensure an equitable, accessible and improved supply of water and sanitation services
Main activities:

• Survey campaigns with elaboration of geological, hydrogeological and thematic maps
• Development of a three-dimensional model of the area
• Development of a regional database on water resources and existing interventions
• Theoretical and practical training for RUWASA officials and technicians
• Establishment of a water analysis laboratory in Babati and training of technicians
• Promotion of events at national and regional level to share results and best practices of WASH interventions in the country.

R2. Improved water management through the establishment of new grassroots organisations and consolidation of existing ones
Main activities:

• New registration of 46 COWSOs that become CBWSOs under current legislation (Water Act 2019).
• Registration of 40 new CBWSOs
• Support to CBWSOs in Simanjiro District through consolidation of a Service Provider and initiation of the process in Kiteto

R3. Increased water supply infrastructure through energy efficient systems (solar pumps) and sustainable water treatment processes
Main activities:

• Rehabilitation, expansion and consolidation of 6 energy-efficient water systems in 6 villages
• Replacement of diesel systems with solar systems in 3 village water systems
• Design, construction and installation of a desalination plant in Kibaya hospital

R4. Improved sanitation situation in schools, dispensaries and public centres in the Districts

Main activities:

• Construction of 52 latrines in primary schools, health centres, markets and bus stations
• Rehabilitation of 20 latrines
• Implementation of the “WASH in My School” educational programme in 9 schools
• Implementation of “WASH in My Community” awareness campaign targeting 11 village

Position Offered: Consultant for external mid-term evaluation
Indicative costs and payments: The economic offer should not exceed 10,000 euros and should include taxes, insurance, entry visa, international flights and transport, food and accommodation.
Payments will be made in euro according to the following schedule:
Tranche Payment Amount
1 Advance of 50% of the contract value
2 Balance (following delivery and approval of the final evaluation report) 50% of the contract value
Performance period: September 2021
Place of work: Manyara Region (Tanzania)

Tasks:
General objective of the evaluation

• The main objective is to evaluate the relevance of the intervention (whether the project objectives meet the needs and priorities of the target communities) efficiency, effectiveness (whether the project has the capacity to achieve the defined objectives, and whether the strategy adopted is appropriate), impact and sustainability.

Specific objectives
To verify the progress of the project in achieving the 4 results, and in particular:
Regarding R1 (“Regional and district institutions provide an effective, coordinated and competent service to ensure an equitable, accessible and improved supply of water and sanitation services”)
Evaluate the effectiveness of the tools being implemented (maps, model, database, analysis laboratory) and the degree of knowledge and skills acquired through the theoretical-practical training addressed to RUWASA technicians and officials in order to ensure an effective improvement of water supply.
With regard to R2 (“Improved water management through the creation of new grassroots organisations and the consolidation of existing ones”)

Evaluate the effectiveness of the activities in terms of: increased technical/managerial capacity of CBWSOs, improved governance of the water resource, increased efficiency of CBWSOs in managing the water systems entrusted to them. In particular, the performance of CBWSOs operating in the 9 target villages of the project will be evaluated.
Regarding R3 (“Increase water supply infrastructure through energy efficient systems (solar pumps) and sustainable water treatment processes”)

Evaluate the impact of targeted latrines, the sustainability of interventions and the communication tools of campaigns targeting schools and communities
With reference to the project strategy and scaling up:
Assess the degree of involvement and participation of beneficiaries and institutional and private stakeholders in project implementation (sharing strategy, participation in decision-making processes, etc.) and in the monitoring process and propose recommendations (tools and methodologies).
Assess the quality of coordination with project partners and propose recommendations.
Evaluate the degree of coordination with other ongoing interventions and propose recommendations on potential links to be strengthened and/or enhanced for greater project impact.
Evaluate the Logical Framework indicators, with regard to their effectiveness in measuring change in the beneficiary group and the impact of the intervention.
Activities:
Indicative work plan
Day 1 : Transfer and arrival in Arusha
Days 2 and 3 : Introduction to project staff, meetings with partners and stakeholders
Days 4 – 9 : Camp visits and meetings with beneficiaries
Day 10 : Review of project documentation, meetings with relevant staff
Day 11 : Debriefing with project staff and presentation of conclusions and recommendations
Day 12 : Departure from Arusha
Day 13 : Meetings (also via Skype) with Italian project partners
Indicators
The indicators defined in the Logical Framework of the project will be the main reference for the evaluator.
Composition of the evaluation team
1 evaluator, 1 cultural mediator/interpreter (CDO), 1 driver.
The project leader and staff will accompany the team when necessary. The CDO and the driver will be provided by Istituto Oikos.
Methodology
The evaluator will have to work in Manyara Region, specifically in Kiteto and Simanjiro Districts (project target area) and in Arusha City, Arusha Region (project headquarters).
The main tasks will be:
Review of all documentation produced by the project: quarterly/semi-annual reports; annual report; technical reports (e.g. hydro-geological analysis).
Interviews with the Tanzania Programme Manager, WASH expert, MEL expert (Milan)
Meetings (also remotely) with Italian partners
Preliminary meetings with the project leader and staff on site
On-site meetings with the counterpart and project partners and with the Steering Committee to have an updated view of the intervention
Field visits to verify the activities carried out, the results produced and to meet the project beneficiaries
Meetings with the main stakeholders
Final meeting with the project leader, project staff and relevant figures for a first sharing of conclusions and recommendations.
Report preparation
The report preparation phase includes the following steps:
De-briefing: on the last day of the field mission, the evaluator should present the main conclusions and recommendations to the project team.
First draft of the report: 2 weeks after the end of the field mission, the evaluator will hand over a digital copy (in MS word compatible format) to the Programme Manager Tanzania.
Final version of report: Within 10 days of receiving comments from Oikos, the evaluator will hand over a digital copy to Oikos.
Detailed work description
Visit of the different project activities: water and latrine rehabilitation interventions; replacement of diesel plants with solar ones; set-up of analytical laboratory; installation of desalinator in Kibaya hospital; capacity building activities for the benefit of RUWASA and CBWSOs; project communication and visibility actions.
Assessment of the degree of involvement of target communities.
Specific analysis and evaluation of the sustainability of the interventions carried out (water systems, laboratory, latrines).
Analysis of the degree of participation of local and Italian partners.
General evaluation of the project’s progress and recommendations.
Suggested format for the evaluation report
The evaluation document should be written in Italian with an executive summary also in English for the benefit of the partners and the local project counterpart. The report should follow the following structure
Title
With the name and number of the project, the name and title of the evaluator and the date of the report clearly marked.
List of acronyms

Executive Summary
Approximately 4 pages including: project background, evaluation methodology used, project achievements, main issues and recommendations

1. Index
   With a description of the main sections but also of the annexes, maps, figures, tables etc etc.
2. Evaluation
3. Introduction
4. Methodology used
5. Short description of the project
6. Analysis of project impact and sustainability
   This part refers to the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance and impact of the intervention. A review of the Logical Framework and indicators should be included.
7. Conclusions and recommendations
   Specifically the recommendations are related to the second part of the project in order to improve its performance.
8. References
   List of documents analysed and reviewed during the mission.

Requirements:
General professional experience

• At least 8 years of documented experience in the field of sustainable community development, with proven expertise in the WASH sector.
  Specific professional experience
• Documented experience in monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
• Documented experience in management and evaluation of projects funded by MAE/AICS;
• Relevant experience in East Africa or similar contexts.

How to apply

To apply, please send to selezione@istituto-oikos.org:

• CV in Italian with authorization to the processing of personal data in accordance with articles 13 and 14 of the G.D.P.R. (General Data Protection Regulation EU Regulation 2016/679 D.Lgs 196/2003)
• Methodological proposal
• Economic proposal (see Annex 1)
  Deadline: 11 July 2021
  Indicate in the subject line: TZ/21/VIE/01KISIMA

NOTE: Participation is open to individuals or companies. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an initial interview and will then be updated on the status of the selection.

Istituto Oikos reserves the right not to recruit or hire an applicant if the recruitment process or background check reveals that the applicant has previously been flagged for an SEA incident or is unsuitable to work with beneficiaries. Oikos Institute will not recruit or employ anyone with a previous conviction for SEA or related crime.

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