Consultancy to Design a Baseline Survey and Monitoring Tools and provide analysis and recommendations

To generate quantitative and qualitative data for project indicators in line with proposal logframe and project impact pathway to clearly show the status before the project intervention. To ensure that monitoring data collected during project implementation is in line with the logframe.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the consultancy are:

• With project management, technical advisors and stakeholders, to adjust the current RAIN project impact pathway based on adjustments in programme activities that will show project results (input, output, outcome, and impact) and develop a Theory of Change which interrogates the programme logic (based on available evidence), risks and assumptions made, key indicators of success and analysis of key stakeholders that contribute to this. To put in place baseline values for each of the indicators.
• To ensure the tools and methodologies are in place for monitoring during project implementation to collect data relevant to the logframe and project results.

Specific tasks

1. Desk review based on available materials including the RAIN+ Project proposal and RAIN project documents (Baseline report, process evaluation results, project briefs)
2. In close consultation with Concern team refine the project impact pathway clearly defining project impact, outcome, and outputs with a SMART indicators at each level.
3. Develop data collection grid for each agreed indicator, providing a clear definition, the data requirements, data sources and the methods of data collection
4. Work with gender equality advisor from HQ Dublin on developing/refining the women’s autonomy scale, gender attitudes scale and other related indicators.
5. Outline the quantitative and qualitative data needs for implementation to feed into the development of monthly data collection tools and Stories of Change methodology.
6. Design data collection tools (in collaboration with the digital team in Concern) and get approval from Concern;
7. Define sampling method, sampling size and get approval from Concern;
8. Train enumerators for the primary data collection at field level using the agreed methodologies and data collection tools
9. Analyse the data and submit a draft report to Concern with all necessary attachments.
10. Present key findings of the survey in a Powerpoint format.
11. Produce and submit final report based on feedback from Concern and partners

It is envisaged that Concern will prepare the survey screens for Digital Data Gathering and take responsibility for cleaning data.

The Study Framework and Methodology

The survey will use both quantitative and qualitative methods depending on the data requirement of proposed indicators. For the quantitative method, it will use a standardized questionnaire to address agreed indicators. To maintain the quality of the data, all quantitative data will be collected using Digital Data Gathering Devices by project staff and Concern will be responsible for uploading the survey questions onto the devices. A statistically representative sample will be taken from the list of beneficiaries registered for project target.

Expected Outputs ( Deliverables)

• An inception report clearly outlining the impact pathway, methodology of the survey, data collection tools and updated work schedule. This inception report will need to be approved by Concern before the start of the next step;
• First draft report to Concern Zambia for discussion and comments to include an analysis of the baseline data, a presentation of tools and methodologies for monitoring, an outline Terms of Reference for the Stories of Change Longitudinal study.
• Final report incorporating feedbacks from Concern and other stakeholders
• The tools and questionnaires used for the data collection

Duration

The overall consultancy work will commence in early May 2015 and will be completed within 8 weeks (with a total number of 30 days)

Required Qualification

Education:          The consultant should have post graduate degree in a related field (nutrition, development studies, public health, gender, monitoring and evaluation) with a strong research and evaluation component.

Experience:        Practical, demonstrable and relevant experience in conducing baseline surveys with multidisciplinary indicators (related to agriculture, nutrition and gender). Data analysis and interpretation skills.

Lines of Communication

The Consultant(s) will report to the Country Director and will work closely with the National Nutrition Coordinator, Equality Advisor and District Programme Coordinator.

Submission details

Interested applicants should send financial and technical proposals including a CV and three references to HR.Zambia@concern.net by 27th April, 2015. Requests for further information and questions can also be submitted through this e-mail address.