Terms of Reference for Final Project Evaluation
Solidarity Network for LGBTI in Armenia and Georgia
EIDHR/2014/348-110
The Heinrich Boell Foundation is a German independent political foundation affiliated with the Green Party of Germany. The Foundation promotes the ideas of democracy and human rights, self-determination and justice, non-violence and proactive peace practices.
Subject-matter of the evaluation / Background information on the project
Since 2015, the Heinrich Boell Foundation South Caucasus Regional Office, in partnership with partner organisations, Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK) and Society Without Violence (SWV) in Armenia and Women's Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG) and the Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center (EMC) in Georgia, has been implementing the project "Solidarity Network for LGBTI in Armenia and Georgia", funded by the European Union in the framework of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) programme (reference: EIDHR/2014/348-110).
The project combats discrimination against LGBTI persons in Armenia and Georgia with the overall objectives of enhancing protection of and respect for LGBTI people's rights and combating homo/bi/transphobia, as well as promoting LGBTI people's inclusion in Georgia's and Armenia's respective societies. The specific objectives of the action are to support LGBTI people in the full scale realisation of their rights through the enhancement of an LGBTI friendly environment and to stimulate civil society actors' higher cohesion on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) issues in Georgia and Armenia.
Towards this end, the action incorporates four major expected results delivered during the project’s lifecycle and to contribute to the intended objectives and overall impact. The expected results are as follows: 1. The development of a long-term evidence-based and politically viable advocacy strategy for Armenia and Georgia to reduce homo/bi/transphobia and enhance LGBTI rights protection; 2. Capacity building for CSOs, LGBTI organisations and activists, especially those working in the regions, to better mainstream LGBTI issues in their work; 3. Sensitisation of law-enforcement and other relevant state actors towards LGBTI issues; 4. Increasing positive visibility for LGBTI issues through a comprehensive multichannel public relations campaign and public discourse.
The stakeholders of the project include CSOs, LGBTI organisations and activists, especially those working in the regions, government officials, law enforcement agencies, media representatives, public figures, opinion makers, religious leaders, and the general population in both Armenia and Georgia.
As the project is nearing its completion in 2017, the Heinrich Boell Foundation is seeking a qualified evaluator to undertake the final project evaluation beginning in November 2017.
Reason for and objectives of the evaluation
The evaluation is aimed at the following outcomes:
- Evaluation of the quality of the planning, preparation and implementation of the action as well as of the results achieved;
- Assessment and description of the results and sustainability of the action with regard to the level of achievement of expected results on outcome and output level as indicated in the Logical Framework and project proposal.
Competencies of the Evaluator
The evaluation will be carried out by an experienced evaluator. For the acceptance of the terms of reference, the following expertise is required:
- At least 5 years of practical experience in implementing project evaluations and the necessary conceptual and methodical skills;
- Relevant experience in conducting qualitative research and intercultural communication on various levels and with various groups (government, law enforcement, grassroots) in order to plan and carry out adequate strategies for acquiring and evaluating information;
- Prior experience in evaluating EU funded projects, as well as knowledge of the requirements of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will be an asset;
- Knowledge of the regional political, social, and cultural context (Georgia, Armenia) in terms of human rights, gender, LGBTI issues will be an asset;
- Language skills: Fluency in English, command of Russian will be an asset;
- Full computer literacy.
Tasks of the evaluator
- Elaboration of a relevant evaluation methodology, including the development of a data collection system, which meets the requirements of the different parties involved;
- Formulation and coordination of specific evaluation problems;
- Collection of primary information through partially standardised interviews and guideline-based interviews, as well as other relevant field work and desk research as per the developed methodology;
- Analysis of available secondary information;
- Summary and interpretation of the collected and available information;
- Reporting to Heinrich Boell Foundation with recommendations for follow-up;
- Presentation of the results of the evaluation and recommendations in the form of a final report submitted in English.
Sources of information
The evaluation is primarily based on the following information sources:
- Study of the documentation on the planning, preparation and implementation of the action, as well as auxiliary documents;
- Interviews with project stakeholders and beneficiaries, especially to evaluate the achievement of objectives from the point of view of the persons concerned;
- Detailed interviews with selected resource persons (persons responsible for the implementation of the action, project partners in both countries) in order to evaluate the quality of the results and the efficiency of the action.
Financial arrangements
- The service must be offered at a fixed gross remuneration, in which all arising expenses have to be calculated and clearly shown in a breakdown (including, e.g. travel between Georgia and Armenia). Please, note that the EU-funded project is VAT-exempt.
Volume of the offer
- Financial proposal (fixed gross amount in EUR, without VAT);
- Cost breakdown with a detailed statement of time expenditure and person-days, as well as necessary material costs;
- Profile of the offeror and 2 references, in terms of previous relevant evaluation experience;
- Proposed timeframe for the task.
Please, submit your offers by email at: Ana.Nemsitsveridze-Daniels@ge.boell.org.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, May 29, 18:00.