Consultancy project history

 

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Project and programme evaluation

Projects:


Output to Purpose Annual Review: Tikambirane Programme, DFID Malawi
Requested by: S Matenje, DFID Malawi, 2008
Project documents: terms of reference | report 

The Tikambirane Programme, launched in 2003, is DFID’s main governance programme in Malawi. It works towards accountable and responsive governance with components focused on gender equality, strengthening parliament and electoral systems and addressing media bias.

The 2008 Output to Purpose Annual Review (OPR) of the programme confirmed the broadly positive direction of the previous review, and found progress occurring across most programme components, although to varying extents. Achievements for 2007 – 2008 include high quality contribution to the Election Task Force which has made DFID an indispensable donor ahead of 2009 elections. The start up of direct financial aid to parliament in support of the strategic plan, and of a curriculum on budget issues for journalism students under the Canadian International Development Agency Programme on Economic Governance (CIDA PEG) Project, demonstrates a focus on sustainability and long term strategic thinking.


BBC Sanglap Output to Purpose Review – Impact Assessment
Requested by: D Osbourne, DFID Bangladesh, 2008
Project documents: terms of reference

Bangladesh Sanglap II is a weekly, issue based current affairs programme complemented by a series of corresponding radio phone-ins, managed by the BBC WST. Sanglap II is a strategic intervention, designed to prove that constructive political debate is both desired and feasible in Bangladesh and raise demand for such debate, amongst politicians as well as the public. The overall objective of the assignment was to deliver the requirements of an output to purpose review, principally to: Assess and score the project progress against (original) log-frame outputs; Assess and score progress towards achieving log-frame purpose by the end of the agreed project period and Make recommendations for improvement where appropriate. The overall objective was informed by i) assessing the impact of BBC Sanglap I and II and by testing the results of an internal BBC WST impact assessment, with a focus on: State responsiveness’ - documented actions taken in response to issues raised through Sanglap and noted behaviour change of identified ‘Drivers of Change’; Increased accountability of elected politicians and appointed bureaucrats to the general public and poor; Sustainability of the impact of Sanglap I and II. The consultancy will inform work during a 19 month cost extension of BBC Sanglap and inform DFIDs longer term strategy in this area


Evaluation of the International Corruption Group 
Requested by:  D O’Mahony, Financial Accountability and Anti-Corruption Team, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference | report

The International Corruption Group brings together the experience of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) with new capacity in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and City of London Police (CoLP). The purpose of the ICG is to strengthen the UK’s capacity to investigate and prosecute corruption occurring between developed and developing countries and return stolen assets. DFID has a corporate requirement that all projects are independently reviewed on an annual basis, this review will also serve a wider UK Government audience. The core DFID objective was for the consultants to undertake an independent evaluation of the International Corruption Group Project. The consultants assessed the performance of the project against the project’s logical framework and make recommendations for improving project performance. The consultants also made a preliminary assessment of the project’s wider impact on poverty reduction. As a part of this, the consultants made recommendations for improved measures for assessing such impact. The wider HMG objective included a review of how the overall UK system is impacting on the ICG. With a view to improving project outcomes, the consultants recommended key priorities and immediate measures for strengthening the system


Annual Review of the Promoting Information, Voice and Transparency in Elections Programme
Requested by: B Massaquoi, DFID Sierra Leone, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference

The purpose of the ‘PIVOT’ programme was to support free and fair elections by improving citizens’ ability to engage effectively in the electoral process through enhanced capacity of media and civil society. This was intended to contribute to the wider goal of citizens being better able to hold local and national government to account. PIVOT is an umbrella programme of support to international and national organisations: Foundation Hirondelle, the BBC World Service Trust and Search for Common Ground (media strengthening); Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) (political party strengthening); National Democratic Institute (NDI), and National Election Watch (NEW; through NDI) (international and local election observation); and Oxfam and 50/50 (women’s participation and representation). A Coordinator was appointed to oversee regular monitoring of the programme and ensure that programmes are being implemented satisfactorily. The objective of the consultancy was to assess the programme’s performance and determine progress towards the achievement of the stated objectives in the logframe, proposing amendments as necessary and to make recommendations relating to the 6 sub-projects and the programme as a whole for the second year of the programme which will support local elections in 2008


Evaluation of Interpeace 2007
Requested by: J Mahey, CHASE, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference

DFID has been providing Interpeace with substantial core funding under a 3 year agreement. DFID led a joint review of Interpeace with Sweden, Norway and Switzerland with the following objectives; (1) assess Interpeace’s organizational development strategy with a specific focus on strategic vision, sustainable growth, business planning and management structure looking at how the strategy builds on Interpeace’s core competencies and whether there any decision-making criteria for engagement that forms the basis for business planning (2) assess Interpeace’s added value in the peacebuilding field and how lessons contribute to international efforts to advance peacebuilding policy and practice (3) assess the financial stability of Interpeace, including it’s financial management, fundraising, cost-effectiveness, value for money, core and programme  budget planning and control, and financial control by the governing structure (4) assess the relationship between Geneva HQ and regional offices in terms of technical backstopping, fundraising, lesson learning and look at how this relationship defines advocacy strategy and activities (5) look at how Interpeace uses  its special relationship with the UN to contribute to effective peacebuilding and how this relates to risks and opportunities


Fiduciary Risk Assessment, Ethiopia
Requested by: B Latto, DFID Ethiopia, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference

DFID Ethiopia required a fiduciary risk assessment (FRA) of the Productive Safety Nets Programme (PSNP). The key objectives of the FRA were to assess the public financial management and accountability (PFMA) system for PSNP, identify key fiduciary risks, make recommendations on strengthening the PFMA system and identify a process for monitoring future reform progress. The Consultants tasks included (1) making an overall assessment of how well the PSNP PFMA system is performing (2) Identify what the key fiduciary risks are (3) assessing overall fiduciary risk based on evidence generated (4) assessing corruption risk in PSNP (5) assessing past trajectory in fiduciary and corruption risk in PSNP (6) assessing credibility of current PFMA reform processes (7) identify risks and make recommendations on how they could be mitigated and (8) preparing PSNP FRA Report


Evaluation of DFID's Financial Assistance to Government of DRC to Develop a PRSP
Requested by: Y Bewick, DFID DRC, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference

DFID places a high value on PRSPs as critical mechanisms and processes. In its first funding agreement with a Government Ministry in the DRC, DFID signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Plan setting out its commitment to contribute £1,000,000 of un-earmarked money, in two tranches, to the “PRSP Common Account”. The aim of the donor support, was that by the end of 2005, the UPPE would have produced a sound PRSP. Despite substantial technical assistance being provided by the international community during the second half of 2005, the finalised version of the PRSP was not approved by the DRC Government Council of Minister until early July 2006. The scope of this consultancy was three fold. The first objective was to assess the level of value for money and impact achieved with donor financial assistance into the PRSP Common Account. The second was to document the lessons learned and the final objective was to provide recommendations on how to structure future donor assistance to strengthen DRC Government institutions


Impact Assessment of Transparency International
Requested by: D Osbourne, DFID Bangladesh, 2007
Project documents: terms of reference | report

The overall objective of the consultancy was to inform Transparency International’s emerging ‘Strategy Paper’, by assessing the impact of ‘Making Waves’- a project which is implemented by the Bangladesh Chapter of Transparency International (TI-B). The purpose of the ‘Making Waves’ project is to increase demand by men and women for transparency in public, non-profit and private sector transactions The impact assessment will also guide a possible 5 year DFID funded ‘Accountability’ intervention. The focus of this consultancy was initially to develop an appropriate framework and approach to the Impact Assessment and then using the agreed framework to carry out the assessment by focusing on the impact of ‘making waves’ on reducing corruption and generating accountability and transparency in service delivery institutions; the impact of Making Waves on accountability and transparency of local and National Government; best practice interventions to reduce corruption in service delivery and raise accountability and transparency of local Government


Governance Expert for the Evaluation Of DFID Russia Country Strategy 2001-2005
Requested by: L Quinn, Evaluation Department, DFID UK, 2006
Project documents: terms of reference

The scope of this evaluation covered a period of divergent change in DFID’s development assistance to Russia. The objectives of the consultancy were to assess (1) DFID's strategy for the CSP period, assessing the programme in terms of the DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability) (2) the transition process in downsizing the programme and (3) DFID as a development partner, in order to produce evidence-based recommendations


Evaluation of the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme Phase 2
Requested by: D Kirkwood, DFID UK, 2006
Project summary and documents not available


Review of HRM and Pay Paper
Requested by: A Preston, DFID Mozambique, 2006
Project documents: terms of reference

The Government of Mozambique was attempting to deliver improved services and to respond to the challenges of HIV/Aids as set out in its Action Plan for Poverty Reduction 2006-2010. To this end it was faced with severe capacity challenges of which human resource and pay issues are recognised to be important dimensions. The government took forward HRM and pay reforms through its central Public Sector Reform (PSR) programme and through activities within key sector Ministries but it is judged that there has been little positive progress achieved to date. There is concern about the limited focus on the HRM and pay with the central reform programme (phase II of which is currently being finalised) and by the weak co-ordination of central and sectoral issues. Whilst the donors have recognised the importance of these issues, there has been only a weak substantive donor dialogue on these issues and the levels of understanding are variable. The purpose of the consultancy was to review the paper: “HRM and Pay in Mozambique: Issues and Options” providing comments and suggestions based on international experience of such reform processes


Management Review of UNDP Trust Fund under the Partnership for Local Governance project supported by SIDA, DFID and UNDP
Requested by: T Wingfield, DFID Cambodia, 2006
Project documents: terms of reference

The Partnership for Local Governance (PLG) is a joint initiative between UNDP, DFID and Swedish Sida providing core technical and financial support to the Royal Government’s Seila Programme; and aid mobilisation and coordination framework for support to the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)’s decentralisation and deconcentration (D&D) reforms. The objectives of the consultancy were (1) to assess the effectiveness of UNDP’s management of the trust fund-strengths and weaknesses, as well as value for money (2) to document the lessons learned and make recommendations for management arrangements, based on initial assessment


Baseline for the Malawi Parliament
Requested by: C Mtegha, DFID Malawi, 2005
Project documents: terms of reference

The Malawi National Assembly commissioned Consultants to undertake a baseline study for Parliament. This was used to bench mark, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the revised Strategic Plan. The baseline was aimed to: provide baseline information of relevant to the Strategic Plan (SP) and a sector wide approach for Parliament; provide concrete measures to inform SP implementation, and to measure Legislative strengthening program impacts; provide quantitative and qualitative data that is based on a sample of sufficient size, and implemented in a rigorous, reliable fashion, so that no questions are raised about the explanatory power, statistical generalisability, and questionnaire item validity of the baseline; fill research gaps as they relate to the SP’s log frame; collate research and analysis on Parliament; and inform future operations research needs within the Legislative Strengthening programme


Output to Purpose Review of the Political Empowerment Programme
Requested by: A Kaushal, DFID Kenya, 2005
Project documents: terms of reference

The DFID funded, Political Empowerment Programme phase II (PEP II) formally started in May 2003. The project is due to finish in 2008. PEP II goal, revised after the adoption of the inception review consists of the following strategic outcome areas, which reflect the diversity and complexity of activities undertaken under this umbrella programme: Rights Awareness, Knowledge generation & deepening, Mobilisation through Information, Democratic Institutions and Programme management.
The challenge facing PEP II in the second phase was how to strengthen the public accountability of public office holders and government more broadly, to the citizenry and ensure that poor Kenyans have access to high quality services. There is a clear case for action towards addressing the prevalent culture of patronage especially through: increased public awareness of rights, evidence based policy making process and the monitoring of the impact of such policies on the poor.
In general the review assessed all active and planned programmes within PEP II on their relevance, effectiveness and strategic fit with the goal and purpose of the project. The objectives of the consultancy were to (1) assess all active and planned programmes within PEP II on their relevance, effectiveness and strategic fit with the goal and purpose of the project (2) assess and report on the progress of the project to date against the plans and targets agreed for the project (a historical perspective) (3) propose options if any, for making changes at both programme and implementation level, for greater impact (4) consider the degree to which the PEP  sub-components and inputs are sufficiently coordinated with LIMID and GOK in support of civil society e.g. ECK, CKRC, NCEP II , GGP, PNOWB, IEA etc


 
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