Background

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full and medium-sized UNDP support GEF financed projects are required to undergo a terminal evaluation upon completion of implementation. These terms of reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for a Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the Implementing the Strategic Action Programme for the Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem: Restoring Ecosystem Goods and Services and Consolidation of a Long-term Regional Environmental Governance Framework (PIMS 4552.)

The essentials of the project to be evaluated are as follows:  

Project Summary Table

Objective and Scope

The project was designed to:

The project’s objective is to foster a long-term sustainable institutional, policy, and financial arrangements for effective ecosystem-based management of the Yellow Sea (YS), To achieve this objective, the project will support the formation of an YSLME Commission that will oversee the implementation of the SAP; and will support the states' efforts to reduce the decline in biological resources and to restore depleted fish stocks in the Yellow Sea.

Outcome 1:  Ensuring Sustainable Regional and National Cooperation for Ecosystem-Based Management;

Outcome 2:   Improving Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with Respect to Provisioning Services;

Outcome 3:   Improving Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with respect to Regulating and Cultural Services;

Outcome 4: Improving Ecosystem Carrying Capacity with respect to Supporting Services.

The TE will be conducted according to the guidance, rules and procedures established by UNDP and GEF as reflected in the UNDP Evaluation Guidance for GEF Financed Projects.  

The objectives of the evaluation are to assess the achievement of project results, and to draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of UNDP programming.  

 Evaluation approach and method

An overall approach and method[1] for conducting project terminal evaluations of UNDP supported GEF financed projects has developed over time. The evaluator is expected to frame the evaluation effort using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact, as defined and explained in the UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects.    A  set of questions covering each of these criteria have been drafted and are included with this TOR (fill in Annex C) The evaluator is expected to amend, complete and submit this matrix as part of  an evaluation inception report, and shall include it as an annex to the final report. 

The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with government counterparts, in particular the GEF operational focal point, UNDP Country Office, project team, UNDP GEF Technical Adviser based in the region and key stakeholders. The evaluator is expected to conduct a field mission to (both China and RO Korea), including the following project sites (TBC by PMO soon). Interviews will be held with the following organizations and individuals at a minimum: (Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), PR China; Fisheries Administration of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), PR China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) of PR China, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RO Korea, and stakeholders involved in implementation of project cooperation agreements (PCAs), grant support agreements (GSAs), etc.. ).

The evaluator will review all relevant sources of information, such as the project document, project reports – including Annual APR/PIR, project budget revisions, midterm review, progress reports, GEF focal area tracking tools, project files, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the evaluator considers useful for this evidence-based assessment. A list of documents that the project team will provide to the evaluator for review is included in Annex B of this Terms of Reference.

[1] For additional information on methods, see the Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results, Chapter 7, pg. 163

Duties and Responsibilities

Evaluation Criteria & Ratings

An assessment of project performance will be carried out, based against expectations set out in the Project Logical Framework/Results Framework (see  Annex A), which provides performance and impact indicators for project implementation along with their corresponding means of verification. The evaluation will at a minimum cover the criteria of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact. Ratings must be provided on the following performance criteria. The completed table must be included in the evaluation executive summary.   The obligatory rating scales are included in  Annex D.

Project finance / cofinance

The Evaluation will assess the key financial aspects of the project, including the extent of co-financing planned and realized. Project cost and funding data will be required, including annual expenditures.  Variances between planned and actual expenditures will need to be assessed and explained.  Results from recent financial audits, as available, should be taken into consideration. The evaluator(s) will receive assistance from the Country Office (CO) and Project Team to obtain financial data in order to complete the co-financing table below, which will be included in the terminal evaluation report. 

Mainstreaming

UNDP supported GEF financed projects are key components in UNDP country programming, as well as regional and global programmes. The evaluation will assess the extent to which the project was successfully mainstreamed with other UNDP priorities, including poverty alleviation, improved governance, the prevention and recovery from natural disasters, and gender.

Impact

The evaluators will assess the extent to which the project is achieving impacts or progressing towards the achievement of impacts. Key findings that should be brought out in the evaluations include whether the project has demonstrated: a) verifiable improvements in ecological status, b) verifiable reductions in stress on ecological systems, and/or c) demonstrated progress towards these impact achievements.[1]

Conclusions, recommendations & lessons

The evaluation report must include a chapter providing a set of conclusions, recommendations and lessons. 

Implementation arrangements

The principal responsibility for managing this evaluation resides with the UNDP CO in China. The UNDP CO will contract the evaluators and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the evaluation team. The Project Team will be responsible for liaising with the Evaluators team to set up stakeholder interviews, arrange field visits, coordinate with the Government etc. 

Evaluation timeframe

The total duration of the evaluation will be 35 days according to the following plan:

Evaluation deliverables

The evaluation team is expected to deliver the following:

*When submitting the final evaluation report, the evaluator is required also to provide an 'audit trail', detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final evaluation report.

[1] A useful tool for gauging progress to impact is the Review of Outcomes to Impacts (ROtI) method developed by the GEF Evaluation Office:  ROTI Handbook 2009

Competencies

Team Composition

The evaluation team will be composed of (1 international act as team leader, 1 national evaluator and 1 interpreter).  The consultants shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects.  Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage. The international consultant will be designated as the team leader and will be responsible for finalizing the report. The evaluators selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have conflict of interest with project related activities.

The Team members must present the following qualifications:

International Consultant (Team Leader):

• Strategic technical and intellectual skills in the substantive area with global dynamic perspectives;
• Work experience in the field of ocean governance, or ecosystem-based management, preferably at the LME level for at least 10 years;
• Ability to manage technical teams, work in an independent manner with good relationship management skills;
• Project evaluation/review experiences with results-based monitoring and evaluation and methodologies within United Nations system will be considered an asset
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a highly complex organizational context;
• Ability to maintain high standards despite pressing deadlines;
• Excellent communication (both oral and written) and partnership building skills with multi-dimension partners and people, skill for conflict resolution and negotiation;
• Excellent writing skills, especially in the preparation of official documents and reports;
• Good knowledge of environmental and socio-economic context of PR China and RO Korea;
• Knowledge of UNDP and GEF, such as GEF policy and practices, GEF project requirements;
• Previous experience with results-based monitoring and evaluation methodologies;
• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender; experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
• A Master’s degree in environmental science, marine science, fisheries management, or other closely related field.

Required Skills and Experience

Evaluator Ethics

Evaluation consultants will be held to the highest ethical standards and are required to sign a Code of Conduct (Annex E) upon acceptance of the assignment. UNDP evaluations are conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG 'Ethical Guidelines for Evaluations'

Payment modalities and specifications

Application process

Applicants are requested to apply online (http://jobs.undp.org, etc.) by (31 Jan. 2020). Individual consultants are invited to submit applications together with their CV for these positions. The application should contain a current and complete C.V. in English with indication of the e-mail and phone contact. Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit a price offer indicating the total cost of the assignment (including daily fee, per diem and travel costs).

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.

Annex A: Project Logical Framework

(will be provided after contract signed) 

Annex B: List of Documents to be reviewed by the evaluators

A list of suggested key documents to include is as follows:

1.      Project documents

1)      GEF Project Identification Form (PIF), Project Document and Log Frame Analysis (LFA)

2)      Project Inception report

3)      Implementing/executing partner arrangements

4)      List and contact details for project staff, key project stakeholders, including Project Boards, and other partners to be consulted

5)      Project sites, highlighting suggested visits

6)      Midterm evaluation (MTE) and other relevant evaluations and assessments

7)      Annual Project Implementation Reports (PIR), APR, QPR

8)      Project budget, broken out by outcomes and outputs

9)      Project GEF IW Tracking Tool

10)   Financial Data including Combined Delivery Reports (CDR)

11)   Sample of project communications materials, i.e. press releases, brochures, documentaries, etc.

12)   Comprehensive report of subcontracts (even in Chinese for national evaluator’s reference).

2.      UNDP documents

1)      Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)

2)      Country Programme Document (CPD)

3)      Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP)

3.      GEF documents

1)      GEF focal area strategic Programme Objectives

Annex C: Evaluation Questions

This is a generic list, to be further detailed with more specific questions by CO and UNDP GEF Technical Adviser based on the particulars of the project.

Annex D: Rating Scales

Annex E: Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct and Agreement Form

Evaluators:

1.      Must present information that is complete and fair in its assessment of strengths and weaknesses so that decisions or actions taken are well founded. 

2.      Must disclose the full set of evaluation findings along with information on their limitations and have this accessible to all affected by the evaluation with expressed legal rights to receive results.

3.      Should protect the anonymity and confidentiality of individual informants. They should provide maximum notice, minimize demands on time, and respect people’s right not to engage. Evaluators must respect people’s right to provide information in confidence, and must ensure that sensitive information cannot be traced to its source. Evaluators are not expected to evaluate individuals, and must balance an evaluation of management functions with this general principle.

4.      Sometimes uncover evidence of wrongdoing while conducting evaluations. Such cases must be reported discreetly to the appropriate investigative body. Evaluators should consult with other relevant oversight entities when there is any doubt about if and how issues should be reported.

5.      Should be sensitive to beliefs, manners and customs and act with integrity and honesty in their relations with all stakeholders. In line with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, evaluators must be sensitive to and address issues of discrimination and gender equality. They should avoid offending the dignity and self-respect of those persons with whom they come in contact in the course of the evaluation. Knowing that evaluation might negatively affect the interests of some stakeholders, evaluators should conduct the evaluation and communicate its purpose and results in a way that clearly respects the stakeholders’ dignity and self-worth.

6.      Are responsible for their performance and their product(s). They are responsible for the clear, accurate and fair written and/or oral presentation of study imitations, findings and recommendations.

7.      Should reflect sound accounting procedures and be prudent in using the resources of the evaluation.

Evaluation Consultant Agreement Form[1]

Agreement to abide by the Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN System

Name of Consultant: __     _________________________________________________

Name of Consultancy Organization (where relevant): ________________________

I confirm that I have received and understood and will abide by the United Nations Code of Conduct for Evaluation.

Signed at place on date

Signature: ________________________________________

Annex F: Evaluation Report Outline[2]

Annex G: Evaluation Report Clearance Form

(to be completed by CO and UNDP GEF Technical Adviser based in the region and included in the final document)

[1]www.unevaluation.org/unegcodeofconduct

[2]The Report length should not exceed 40 pages in total (not including annexes).

[3] UNDP Style Manual, Office of Communications, Partnerships Bureau, updated November 2008

[4] Using a six-point rating scale: 6: Highly Satisfactory, 5: Satisfactory, 4: Marginally Satisfactory, 3: Marginally Unsatisfactory, 2: Unsatisfactory and 1: Highly Unsatisfactory, see section 3.5, page 37 for ratings explanations. 

Application procedures

Qualified candidates are requested to apply by 31 Jan 2020 by sending their application packages through UNDP China website.

The application should contain:

• Offeror’s Letter explaining why the applicant is the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how the applicant will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Download offeror's letter and Financial proposal here
• Filled P11 form including experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 or your CV. Download here
• Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days – in home office and on mission, travel – international and local, per diems and any other possible costs). 

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall consider various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. 

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://intranet.undp.org

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to many applications we receive, we can inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.