For the Projects Titled:

1. Emergency and Early Recovery Livelihood Support for IDPs and Vulnerable Host Communities in Blue Nile State
2. Strengthening the resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Blue Nile State through livestock, fishery and agricultural support

1. Background of VSF Germany Sudan Program

VSF Germany (VSF G) is a non-governmental and non-profit making organization, engaged in the field of relief and development, with projects in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Uganda. The regional office is in Nairobi, Kenya and the headquarters is in Berlin, Germany. VSF-G has over 20 years of experience in implementing short-term and long-term projects with pastoralists and agro-pastoralists, and focuses not only on animal health, production and marketing, but also tackles issues of food security, livelihood diversification, income generation, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction, conflict mitigation, peace building and advocacy. In addition to food security and livelihood activities, in Sudan VSF-G also implements water, sanitation and hygiene as well as protection interventions. VSF-G has been operational in Sudan since 2010, currently working in four states: Blue Nile, South Kordofan, Central Darfur and West Darfur States. The main donors in the mentioned states are USAID/OFDA, UN/SHF, GFFO, BMZ/GIZ, UNICEF and WFP.

Summary of the Projects to be evaluated and Documented

Project 1

• Project title - Emergency and Early Recovery Livelihood Support for IDPs and Vulnerable Host Communities in Blue Nile State
• Project Locations - Wad-Almahi, Gissan, Bau and Roseries Localities of Blue Nile State
• Project Duration - November 1, 2019 – July 31, 2021
• Project Target Groups - Total number of people targeted: 72,700 individuals. Total number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) targeted as subset of above: 36,350 individuals
• Project Objective - Humanitarian and early recovery support to conflict-affected population in Blue Nile state through improved access to safe water, hygiene promotion, food security, enhancing women and environmental protection
• Project Description - This project aims to address crucial needs and provide emergency support to conflictaffected population in Blue Nile State, with specific focus on addressing gaps in humanitarian services in the target areas in FSL, WASH and Protection. The beneficiaries of the program are mainly IDPs, returnees and destitute host communities who are still suffering from the protracted crises which exposed them to socioeconomic hardships and disrupted their livelihoods since the inception of the conflict in 2011. The project would achieve its objectives through implementation of packages of interrelated activities in three sectors: WASH, Agriculture and Food Security and Protection, as follows:
  • WASH sector interventions: rehabilitation/upgrade of water supply infrastructure and hygiene promotion activities.
  • Agriculture and Food Security sector interventions: provision of farming inputs and services; support fishery groups; goats restocking and distribution of supplementary dairy goat feed; and livestock vaccination and treatment programs.
  • Protection sector interventions: capacity building of government counterparts; supporting referral mechanisms and provision of psychosocial support to survivors; rehabilitation of women multipurpose centers; and awareness creation on prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence.

Project 2

• Project title - Strengthening the resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Blue Nile State through livestock, fishery and agricultural support
• Project Locations - Wad-Almahi, Gissan, Roseries, Damazine and Tadamon Localities of Blue Nile State
• Project Duration - April 1, 2019 – July 31, 2021
• Project Target Groups - 45,000 individuals (9,450 men; 13,500 women; 10,350 boys and 11,700 girls)
• Project Objective - To promote greater resilience and economic development, particularly among vulnerable groups including pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, women and youth through assets protection, infrastructure rehabilitation, capacity building and establishment of sustainable systems
• Project Description - This intervention aims to contribute to the improvement of resilience in Blue Nile State through introducing recovery actions that would speed the transition from relief to development, design evidencebased interventions through conducting different types of assessments (technical, market, value chains and existing systems) and to contribute to conflict mitigation through reopening and demarcation of livestock routes, rehabilitation of basic infrastructure and strengthening of different systems such as institutions, community-based organizations and cooperatives. Blue Nile State is emerging from protracted conflict since its eruption in 2011, the conflict has impacted the entire population of the state by variant degrees. Mass internal displacement has resulted in loss of assets, disruption of livelihoods and increased pressure on resources and infrastructure. The conflict has also halted development processes in the state, many programs were discontinued as a result of insecurity, lack of access and the need to shift focus to emergency interventions. The deterioration of the economic situation in Sudan has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Blue Nile State. Recent improvement in the security and accessibility in the area represents an opportunity to initiate community-driven development approaches that mainstream peace building which is crucial to ensure long-term sustainable impacts for the affected populations. This project intends to increase the resilience and contribute to the economic empowerment of pastoral, agropastoral and fishing communities in Blue Nile State through implementing different activities under three modules (i.e. livestock, horticulture; and fishery), as follows:
• Livestock: reopening and demarcation of cattle corridors; rehabilitation water points and rangelands along the livestock corridors; strengthening of veterinary service delivery system along the corridors and in bordering areas; rehabilitation of livestock market and support to livestock cooperatives through trainings and in-kind assistance
• Fisheries; conduct comprehensive fishery assessments including technical, value chain and system assessments to comprehend the current situation with regard to challenges and potentials of fisheries in Blue Nile State; revitalizing and capacitating of fishery union and cooperatives to develop their livelihood and economic stability through training and in-kind provisions
• Horticulture: conduct a comprehensive assessment/value chain analysis of horticultural crops production in Blue Nile State in collaboration with agricultural institutes and the government line ministry to inform on the appropriate interventions in the state; contribute to improved production and productivity of selected vegetables through trainings and in-kind assistance of selected farmer groups; promote value addition of selected vegetables and crops to increase marketability of the selected crops for farmer groups thorugh establishment and support to agro food processing IGA groups and market linkage.

Objectives of the final Project evaluation and Lesson Documentation

The overall objective is to measure achievements to date in terms of the implementation of all the planned activities and expected results including in terms of the longer term and intermediate impacts/outcomes and the sustainability of the results, and also document lessons based on more robust analysis than that provided by routine monitoring data.

Accordingly, the evaluation findings will provide information on what worked and what did not work and why and whether the underlying theories and assumptions used in the projects document were valid.

The specific purpose of the evaluation is to: 

1. Assess the achievements made towards the overall goal and specific objectives of the project based on the project log frame and achievements for each specific result and indicator;
2. To make an assessment of whether the resources (financial, human and material) have been used efficiently.
3. To assess the level of community participation and partnership in the design and implementation of the project.
4. To assess how the project involved and benefited vulnerable groups (gender, marginalized groups, children, and the disabled) throughout the planning, implementation, monitoring and ongoing management of the project.
5. Evaluate project cost effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and sustainability, including the level of synergies/integration/complementarities with other projects in the area;
6. Identify and document key lessons and success stories in the form of case study which will be consider for future improvement
7. Recommend improvements for longer-term strategies, focusing on program and management, quality and accountability, by contributing to learning VSF G and other stakeholder

Key Assessment and Lesson Documentation Questions

• Did the project succeed in meeting its target results?
• What are the expected and unexpected results achieved?
• Are the positive impacts likely to be sustained?
• What are key lessons and success stories?

Duty Station

• The main duty stations will be Damazine, Blue Nile State. The consultant is expected to carry out the field work in WadAlmahi, Gissan, Bau, Roseries, Damazine and Tadamon Localities. VSF-G has office in Damazine which the consult can utilize in order to carry out his/her plan for the assessment and documentation work.

Assessment Deliverables

The consultant/consultancy team will be expected to provide the following set of deliverables for each project assessment and lesson documentation:

• Inception report with the assessment and documentation exercise methods, tools and work plan proposal
• Draft and final reports of the assessment and documentation findings in soft and hard copies (English language the report should not exceed 50 pages including annexes)
• The report should be in English language, and of high quality to share with donors or interested third parties. The report should be structured to reflect the assessment findings that answer to the assessment objectives and key assessment questions above.
• Success stories (i.e. at least two success stories captured and documented with good photos of the project beneficiaries relying their experience before, during and after the project intervention took place and how the positive changes effected by the intervention have improved their lives and livelihoods)
• Case studies of the project intervention e.g. the veterinary drug vouchers, goats and animal feed distribution, and so on (i.e. here the consultant can select one or more project intervention or best practice to present in the form of a case study to reflect on the objective, implementation modality and approach including pros and cons, results and benefits of the intervention supported with beneficiary testimonies)
• One documentary video (3 – 5 minutes) to showcase the project activities and achievements
• High quality and meaningful photographs from the project sites (50 photos – soft format) 

Tasks of the Consultant (for each project assessment and lesson documentation)

1. Review of project detailed implementation plans, reports (quarterly & interim narrative and financial reports), assessment documents, relevant sectoral strategies and plans.
2. Develop appropriate methods and tools to collect primary data (e.g. Direct Observation, Key Informant Interviews including guidelines and checklists)
3. Develop a realistic sampling plan that covers beneficiaries of the different project activities, community committees and government partners, etc.
4. Perform data collection for the assessment and perform the documentation activities at different project sites. The consultant should use his/her own equipment (tablet, laptop, camera, tripod, sound recording and lighting kit, external hard drive, software, etc.). If the consultant should rent part or all of their equipment, the cost should be included in the offer. The consultant takes full responsibility of his/her equipment, and should make sure rented equipment is insured.
5. Perform data analysis, interpretation and compilation
6. Prepare the draft report and the final report (i.e. after receiving and addressing VSF-G comments); including creatively writing the success stories and case studies
7. Carry out the montage of one documentary including adding subtitles (i.e. in English), info graphics and showcase VSF-G and donor visibility
8. Submit original footage and high quality photographs to VSF-G (i.e. the consultant must acquire written and verbal consent of interviewed beneficiaries, community members, government staff, etc. and also record information for each photo caption including names of people, places, dates and credit)

Timeframe for the Assignment

• The actual duration of the assignment will be determined based on the approved plan of the consultant. The overall duration of the assignment, including the submission of the final report should not exceed 50 days and should be accomplished by September, 2020.

Profile of the Consultant

The assignment will be contracted to a consultancy team or a freelance consultant with experience and capacity to carry out assessments and media production tasks. The following capacities are required to perform this assignment:

Qualification and proven experience in carrying out project evaluation, baseline survey through data collection (particularly interviewing), analysis and interpretation to develop quality reports and presentable write-up for the humanitarian and development sectors (i.e. excellent English communication is a must)

Demonstrated project lessons and success story documentation and media production skills

Consultant Proposal:

1. Potential consultants should review this ToR and develop a proposal that outlines appropriate methodology, tentative duration of the assignment, material/logistical requirements for the study and the overall cost of the assignment broken down into components. Specifically, the proposal should contain three main elements:
2. Technical proposal
3. Financial offer
4. Annex section should include the consultant resume/company profile and other relevant documents including qualifications, recommendation letters, samples of previous work, etc.

The technical and financial proposals will be used as a bases for the preparation of the contract between VSF-G and the consultant.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payment

The consultancy fee will be determined on a lump sum basis. The lump sum amount must be all-inclusive and the contract price must be fixed regardless of changes in the cost components. Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA), travel fees to the Page 5 of 6 duty station and the field locations and accommodation will be included in the lump sum. The payment will be made at two phases.

• 40% upon signing the contract
• 60% upon completion of the assignment and acceptance of the final report by VSF-G

The consultant is obliged to pay tax for government from the total amount of agreement as per the working income tax policies and procedures of the government of Sudan.

Provisions by VSF-G

• Project documents;
• Project reports;
• Beneficiaries’ records;
• Briefings as required.

Interactions/Communication:

The consultant/consultancy team will have interaction with the following entities in terms of logistical support, data sourcing and political and administrative access:

1. VSF Germany country and field office staff;
2. State Humanitarian Aid Commission;
3. State line ministries;
4. Community leaders.

Application

Interested and qualified candidates should send a cover letter responding to the Terms of Reference that includes CVs, and proposals including work plan and a budget to: khartoum@vsfg.org CC. adil.bushra@vsfg.org, esmael@vsfg.org, eiman.ahmed@vsfg.org, sudanhr@vsfg.org and osman@vsfg.org indicating the title of the assignment in the subject line.

Deadline – application should be submitted to the above address latest on 28th of July 2021

Award of the Contract/Award Criteria

• The contract will be awarded to the candidate (bidder) whose proposal obtains the highest cumulative marks (points) when the marks obtained in technical and price proposals are aggregated together.