Transparency International (TI) Independent External Consultant to Conduct a Mid Term Evaluation

Background 

Transparency International-Kenya (TI-K) is a not for profit organisation founded in 1999 with the aim of a transparent and corruption free Kenya for and good governance and social justice initiatives in Kenya.

TI-KENYA is part of the Transparency International group that is a non-partisan coalition of individuals with a shared vision of a corruption free world. TI-Kenya is an autonomous Chapter in the Transparency International movement, a global coalition against corruption, with which we share knowledge and exchange ideas for the greater good of Kenya.

Vision and Mission
 

The vision of TI-Kenya is “..a transparent, just and

accountable Kenyan society” whilst its mission is “..to support citizens and governance institutions effect transparency and accountability in public and business affairs through legal and policy frameworks, skills, knowledge and information.”

Strategic Planning

The TI-Kenya reviewed strategic plan 2008-2012 plan identifies four strategic priorities namely:
  • Advocating for transparent and accountable institutions of governance in Kenya.
  • Working towards an effective constitutional, policy and legal frameworks that promote accountability and transparency.
  • Supporting citizens to proactively demand for transparency and good governance.
  • Advocating for a regulated, accountable and transparent political participation and competition in Kenya.
The Independent External Mid-term Evaluation (IEE) is therefore intended to assess TI-K’s performance pursuant to the reviewed strategic plan mid-way into its implementation.

Objectives of the TORs

The main objectives of the IEE are:
  • To inform decisions on operations, policy, or strategy
  • To demonstrate accountability to stakeholders It is expected that improved decision-making and accountability will lead to better results and more efficient use of resources.
Generally, the IEE is expected to determine the progress in TI-K’s contribution to reducing corruption and enhancing good governance in Kenya, the results and impact it has achieved and the relevance of TI-K’s mission and objectives pursuant to its ongoing SP.

The IEE will also assess whether and what TI-K has learned from past experience and how its policies and operations have evolved in response to lessons learned. Finally, the IEE will offer recommendations on the policy directions TI-K should pursue and other steps it should take to improve its future performance in continued implementation of the SP.

The purposes of TI-K evaluative activities are therefore:
 

Accountability: TI-K is accountable to the Kenyan citizenry, the tax-paying public of our donors who fund its work, the communities in which TI-K and its partners are working and to its membership.

Learning:
 TI-K needs to learn from its successes and mistakes.

Evaluations should help build understanding about what difference our work is making in the lives of Kenyans; what impact TI-K’s activities are having; and whether and how the work is making lasting changes to the lives of the poor and marginalised.

Improvement:
 The knowledge gained from evaluation should help to improve the on-going quality of TI-K’s work. Information from evaluation should feed back into policies, strategies and activities ensuring on-going improvement to programme delivery and greater future development impact, modify unsuccessful strategies, enable corporate learning and contribute to our body of knowledge and to verify/improve programme quality and management.

Core values important

The core values that guide TI-K’s work also underpin evaluative activities. It is intended that participatory approaches to measuring performance are used whenever possible and that in understanding these activities, over time, there is a positive contribution to the evaluation capability and capacity of our development partners.

In the design of its institutional arrangements and in its organizational culture, as well as in its decisions and actions in thematic and programmatic focus, TI-Kenya is guided by the following set of values:
  • Integrity
  • Justice
  • Courage
  • Equality
  • Respect for diversity, inclusion and participation
  • Excellence
Closing date: 09 Apr 2010

Location:
 Kenya

Scope and Focus of the IEE

The IEE is expected to assess the sustainable impact and effectiveness of TI-K’s strategic planning and initiatives. The focus of the IEE will be on TI-K-supported projects and programmes, policy dialogue, advocacy work, corporate policies and strategies initiated or contributed to by TI-K over the period of its current strategic plan ie 2008 to date.

This will include the management processes through which TI-K formulates its policies and strategies and its management of the project cycle in co-operation with other partners.

Methodology

Whilst providing a comprehensive outline methodology will be the responsibility of bidders, TI-K holds the following principles to be relevant in considering the methodology of the evaluation:

The purpose of the evaluation and TI-K’s Core Values as defined above. Where possible, participatory processes should be used to measure performance.

Evaluation processes should engender greater accountability, transparency, and help build capacity, attempt systematic and objective assessment(s), guide decision-makers and/or programme managers and provide information on whether underlying theories and assumptions used in programme devlopment were valid (what worked and what did not work and why) The measurement of effects/benefits of programme and project interventions; Giving stakeholders the opportunity to have a say in programme delivery To justify/validate programmes to donors, partners and other constituencies

Evaluate at a minimum:

Relevance
 - whether the programme continues to make sense; any changes that may have occurred in its context during implementation.; the appropriateness of results in relation to the national needs, policies, and priorities; the needs and priorities of programme target groups (the local programmecontext); our policies and priorities and our comparative advantage vis à vis other agencies and partners.

Efficiency
 - relationship between the quantity, quality, and timeliness of inputs, including personnel, consultants, travel, training, equipment and miscellaneous costs; the quantity, quality, and timeliness of the outputs produced and delivered; whether there was adequate justification for the expenditure incurred and whether the resources were spent as economically as possible

Impact and sustainability
 - priority assigned to the programme by stakeholders; readiness to continue supporting or carrying out specific activities, or even replicate the activities in other regions or sectors of the country; availability of local management, financial and human resources that would be needed to maintain theprogramme results in the long run

Key questions to consider when thinking about methodology are:
  • Who should be involved in the evaluation process and how?
  • How can we understand impact from the perspectives of those whose lives should have been affected by this work?
  • How will the findings be fed back and discussed with appropriate stakeholders during the evaluation process?
  • How can the evaluation be made into an interesting learning process, rather than an arduous chore?
  • How can we keep this simple, while involving the right groups in the right ways?
  • How can we ensure honesty and openness in this process?
  • What information will be needed to answer the evaluation questions?
  • What data collection methods and analytical procedures could be used?
Deliverables

In accordance with these terms of reference, the IEE Team will submit five reports (see table below) over the coming months to the DED/HOP through M&E. The DED/HOP will share them with the Senior Management Team. The BoD will receive the draft final report and eventually the final report.

Task 1
 inception phase report due 1 April 2010
  • Develop a common understanding of the IEE TOR to determine scope, focus, key questions, methodology and tasks of the evaluation Finalise IEE timetable
Task 2 Desk Review Report due 3 April 2010
  • Assess TI-K’s strategic frameworks, national and regional strategies and corporate policies developed since 2008, based on TI-K documents, interviews & meetings with TI-K staff and management
Task 3 Field Work Report Due 20th April 2010
  • Validate and supplement desk review through original research of TI-K projects & activities Fieldwork will include consultations & interviews with government representatives, civil society, the private sector, development agencies including TI-K funding partners, the rural poor & their organisations and develop draft report.
Task 4 Draft Final Report Due 21st April 2010
  • For internal review by TI-K SMT/BoD Task 5 Final Report Due 30th April 2010
  • TI-K intends to make a summary of the resulting report available on its website, and to release the full report as and when requested. Any information that could prevent the release of a review or evaluation report, or would breach evaluation ethical standards must be placed in a Confidential Annex

Qualification of the Consultant(S) Required:
  • Post-graduate degree in law, political science, social sciences or other relevant field;
  • Post-graduate training in monitoring and evaluation methodologies
  • Extensive experience in strategic planning, institutional evaluation.
  • Good experience in public policy analysis and governance research
  • Familiarity with developments in governance and anti-corruption reform in Kenya.
  • Knowledge on gender mainstreaming
  • Strong communication skills -oral, written and presentation skills
How to apply

Submission of Bids

Bids should be accompanied with the relevant experience, proposed approach and methodology, detailed proposed timeframe and financial quote to be forwarded through electronic mail to -

The Deputy Executive Director
Transparency International-Kenya,
Email: transparency @ tikenya.org

Kindly note:
 applications omitting relevant documentation will not be reviewed. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.