Terms of Reference:

International External Consultant for the Midi-term Evaluation of TI-RW’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan & reframing its strategic priorities for 2025-2029 Strategic plan in line with TI 2030 Strategy 

Background of TI-RW and the external consultant position

Similar Jobs in Rwanda
Learn more about  Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda)
 Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda) jobs in Rwanda

Transparency International Rwanda  (TI-RW) is a non-governmental organization created in 2004. On February 17th 2012, it was officially registered by law n° 4/2002 governing the organization and functioning of national non-governmental organizations. TI-RW is a chapter of the wider organizations Transparency International (TI), a global coalition against corruption that operates in more than 100 countries worldwide. As a national chapter in a global organization, TI-RW has a strategy for fighting corruption in Rwanda which aims to align with TI’s overarching global objectives. 

TI-RW’s  mission is “to contribute in the fight against corruption and promoting good governance through enhancing integrity in the Rwandan society”. This mission is pursued through a succession of five-year strategic plans; the current one spanning from 2020 to 2024. 

Through this five-year strategic plan, TI-RW has been engaging citizens in terms of promoting transparency and accountability, holding their leaders accountable through different projects. The 2020-2024 strategic plan consists of four main strategic axes, which are:

• SA1: Preventing and combatting corruption and injustice
• SA2: Strengthening Evidence-Based Advocacy, communication, strategic partnership and engagement
• SA3: Fostering Citizen-Centred Governance
• SA4: Enhancing organizational capacity and sustainability 

Within the 2020-2024 strategy, these four strategic objectives are pursued through a number of different projects. Working together with partners in government, business and civil society, TI-RW aims to achieve the following outputs and projects in the 2020-2024 period:

• SA1-O1: Enhancing public engagement for preventing and combatting corruption and injustice through trainings, public education workshops, and community outreach.
• SA1-O2: Strengthening coordination with relevant anti-corruption stakeholders through advocacy dialogue meetings, interface advocacy meetings, and policy briefs/papers produced to address issues of corruption and injustice.
• SA1-O3: Implementing mechanisms to track and address corruption and injustice, such as suggestion boxes, media programmes, and information campaigns.
• SA2-O1: Providing evidence-based research & advocacy through research publications, policy assessments, and policy recommendations.
• SA2-O2: Designing and implementing a holistic communication and advocacy strategy.
• SA2-O3: Optimizing communication impact by analyzing the effectiveness of TI-RW’s communication channels, for example, its outreach by sector, website, and Twitter.
• SA3-O1: Supporting the inclusive participation in anti-corruption measures of all groups in society through outreach sessions with youth, women, people with disabilities, and historically marginalized people.
• SA3-O2: Increasing Citizen Ownership in government programmes through advocacy at the local government level promoting inclusivity and responsiveness to citizens’ needs.
• SA4-O1: Improving TI-RW staff’s capacity through the repeated assessment of capacity gaps, training courses, exchange visits, self-assessment, and constructive feedback.
• SA4-O2: Strengthening internal processes by providing procedural manuals (e.g. procedures on advocacy, communication, procurement, administration, and finance), an effective M&E system, capacity for staff to work from home, digital tools, and regular team meetings for risk indication and mitigation strategies.
• SA4-O3: Mobilization of resources and investments through effective fundraising strategy and the procurement of funded research projects. 

In addition to these strategic axes and corresponding outputs and projects in the 2020-2024 plan, TI-RW also strives to fulfill the global objectives of Transparency International. These are outlined in TI 2030 strategy, published in 2020 and spanning the 2021-2030 period. In this period, Transparency International aims to “hold power to account, for the common good”. Here, there are three central goals:

• Advancement of institutional checks and balances against the concentration of power
• Enforcement of anti-corruption standards for accountability
• Activation of social oversight by civil society and inclusive participation of stakeholders

Under TI 2030 strategy, seven objectives were formulated to achieve these overarching goals and combat corruption and injustice globally. These objectives are interrelated and do not correspond to a single overarching goal.

• Protecting the public’s resources by promoting openness, transparency, and responsiveness in public contracting, as well as by preventing public sector bribery, theft, and abuse of power.
• Stopping flows of dirty money by disabling systems for secret payments and concealment of assets, as well as increased accountability for corruption enabling networks and gatekeepers.
• Securing political integrity by removing undue influence from elections and political appointments, and by promoting transparency, accountability and equity in influence over public decision-making.
• Driving integrity in business by advancing integrity commitments in leadership and more effective exposure and punishment of corrupt business.
• Pursuing enforcement and justice through: 1) strengthened independence, capacity and will to act for integrity institutions, 2) greater equity, consistency and removal of bias in corruption prosecutions and judicial outcomes, and 3) an effective international anti-corruption enforcement framework.
• Expanding civic space for accountability through enhanced freedom and security for activists, whistleblowers and journalists, as well as Increased channels for people to demand results for the common good.
• Building community leadership against corruption through strengthened public discourse based on deeper understanding and acceptance of accountability values, as well as by building a next generation of civic, public and business leaders better equipped to fight corruption. 

While TI-RW is approaching the end of its 2020-2024 strategy implementation cycle, an integral part of this cycle is an analysis of the achievements of the implemented activities against its original objectives. This not only allows TI-RW to effectively reflect on its operations and strategize for the next strategic plan, but it also provides project partners with an independent review of the use of their funds. Furthermore, TI-RW aims to assess whether its own strategic plan and activities are sufficiently aligned with the global objectives and goals of TI. Although TI-RW’s focus is on the national context, its operations are interconnected with the global organization and aim to contribute to its wider strategic goals. For these purposes, TI-RW would like to hire an individual international consultant to conduct an evaluation of its approaches to engaging citizens and stakeholders, fighting against corruption and promoting good governance. 

Objectives of the assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is to conduct a mid-term evaluation on TI-RW’s operations from 2020 to 2024 in engaging citizens and stakeholders, fighting against corruption and promoting good governance. It will review how TI-RW has performed on its strategic axes and corresponding objectives, make a judgment of the relevance of these metrics and their alignment to TI’s global goals, and provide recommendations which will inform the 2025-2029 strategic plan. These recommendations will also be used to provide an overview to TI’s multiple development partners on what TI plans to focus on in the future. Thus, those development partners are supported in their coordination efforts and have an idea on which components of TI’s strategy implementation they plan to support in the future. 

The specific objectives of the evaluation are as follows:

• Assess the status of implemented projects and the degree to which they have achieved the objectives outlined corresponding to the four strategic axes.
• Assess the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the implemented projects, and identify factors that have facilitated and/or impeded the projects’ contributions to the objectives of the 2020-2024 strategic plan.
• Assess whether the objectives and projects are still relevant in the current national and global context of corruption and anti-corruption measures.
• Assess whether the 2020-2024 strategy and its implementation align with the global goals and objectives of Transparency International.
• Assess the internal human resource performance of the organization vis a vis TI-RW’s

predefined overall mission, strategic axis and objectives as defined in the current strategic plan 2020-2024.

• Assess whether the different projects of TI-RW are effectively coordinated, both internally and with relevant actors and partners in government, business, and civil society.
• Provide recommendations and mitigation measures to inform the 2025-2029 Strategic

plan to optimize TI-RW’s operations and ensure long-term sustainability.

• Provide an insight to development partners into TI’s objectives, thematic focus, and planned activities for 2025-2029 as basis for coordinated and informed funding decisions.
• Provide recommendations with regard to human resource capacity building to ensure TI-RW’s efficiency and effectiveness in delivering on its mission.
• Document lessons learnt from the previous evaluation. Based on the recommendations made from the evaluation of the 2015-2019 strategic plan, an assessment of TI-RW’s progress should be made. 

Key issues

The following key issues will be central elements of the evaluation and should receive attention throughout the assessment process: 

• Effectiveness:

The evaluation should assess the extent to which TI-RW’s objectives under 2020-2024 strategic plan were achieved or are expected to be achieved as well as the extent to which the beneficiaries are reached. The focus shall be put to examine, among others:

1. How effective are TI-RW’s planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting systems and procedures?
2. To what extent were the originally defined TI-Rw`s project objectives of the development intervention realistic?
3. To what extent do they meet the most recent national requirements and citizens’ needs?
   What factors were crucial for the achievement or failure to achieve the TI-Rw projects objectives so far? What were the most significant strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to effective operations? 

• Relevance

The evaluation should assess the degree to which TI-RW`s programs, activities, and tools are

relevant to achieve the overall goal of fighting corruption and injustice. Here, analysis and understanding of the context of corruption in Rwanda, its effects, and anti-corruption policy are essential. The evaluation should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following factors:

• Have the implemented projects under the 2020-2024 strategy responded to changes in the external environment/internal capacity?
• Are the areas of focus consistent with donors’ priorities in the field of anti-corruption?
• To what extent do the TI-Rw project interventions comply with relevant Rwandan and international anti-corruption policies? Are they aligned with, for example, Vision 2050, the JRLOS strategic plan, and Sustainable Development Goals?
• How important are TI-RW’s interventions to the beneficiaries?
• To what extent do TI-RW project interventions address beneficiaries’ needs and interests?
• How have TI-RW’s project interventions addressed the relevant and pressing issues regarding environmental governance? Are climate and environmental concerns and considerations intersected with objectives more directly related to corruption?

• Alignment with TI’s global objectives

The evaluation should assess whether the strategy for 2020-2024 and its corresponding activities and projects have addressed the overarching goals and objectives of TI. The following questions are relevant:

• How does the state of corruption in Rwanda relate to the global objectives of TI? What particular issues and developments regarding corruption in Rwanda threaten the achievement of the 2030 goals?
• How have TI-RW’s strategy and projects addressed these particular issue areas? Are there current blind spots and/or weaknesses?
• How can the 2025-2029 strategy be adjusted to cover these potential blind spots and/or weaknesses? 

• Efficiency/Management:

The evaluation should assess the outputs/outcomes realized in relation to the inputs provided in all TI-Rw planned activities under the 2020-2024 strategic plan. The evaluation should clarify findings on the utilization ratio of the utilized resources. It should clarify among others, the following questions:

• To which extent were planned activities and outputs under the 2020-2024 strategic plan delivered on time and according to specifications of quality?
• How did the input of resources and results achieved compare, and is this relationship appropriate and justifiable?
• Were the different projects within TI-RW efficiently coordinated? Were the various projects integrated in a single systematic and strategic approach?
• To what extent have individual resources been used economically?
• Are there any alternatives for achieving the same results with fewer funds? 

• Impact, Sustainability, and Inclusivity:

The evaluation should assess the nature of change brought about by TI-Rw projects in the course of implementing the 2020-2024 strategic plan. This will provide insight into the success and impact of TI-RW’s projects beyond this strategic plan and into the future. The following questions should be addressed:

• How effectively were TI-RW’s strategy and activities coordinated with relevant institutions, government bodies and other CSOs? Have the projects established sustainable and cooperative relationships with relevant actors?
• How likely are the changes made by TI-RW’s 2020-2024 strategy to last over a longer period? Are changes made structural in nature, or short-term and dependent on a continuous influx of funds?
• How were the voices and interests of vulnerable groups in Rwandan society, such as youth, women, disabled people and historically marginalized people, considered and included in TI-RW’s activities?
• How has TI-RW changed its strategy based on the lessons learned from the evaluation based on the 2015-2019 period? How should it change its implementation of the lessons learnt from this evaluation, based on its previous response to recommendations?

Scope and Methodology of the Evaluation

The evaluation will target TI-RW beneficiairies (direct and indirect beneficiairies). The consultant will do desk review on available litterature (reports, strtegic plan documents,...), conduct interviews, focus group discussions in Kigali, and online workshops with different stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries slected on the basis of their knowledge on TI-RW work. 

The consultant is ultimately responsible for the overall methodological approach and design of the evaluation. However, it should be responding to the requirements and key issues outlined in these Terms of Reference. The assignment should be conducted in a participatory and gender-sensitive approach engaging relevant staff at TI-RW, relevant stakeholders, partners, donors and beneficiaries through structured methods. This should include, among others, interviews with internal and external stakeholders, survey questionnaires, field visits, focus groups, workshops and desk review of relevant documents. The methodology should combine both qualitative and quantitative evaluation to assess planned activity under the 2020-2024 strategic plan. Furthermore, before research is conducted, the evaluation consultant should provide details on how data will be collected from all stakeholders, and how data analysis will proceed, including data entry techniques and tools to be used. 

Duration and Tasks Required

This assignment should be completed in a period of 20 working days on maximum 45 days time span from the date of agreement signature. During this period, the consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of the Secretariat of Transparency International Rwanda and will be required to do the following:

1. Finalize the data collection methodology, including work design plan, sampling strategy and establish tools necessary for primary data collection to be approved after consultations with TI-RW management team; and stakeholders: Four  Days
2.  Conduct a comprehensive desk review and Key Informats Interviews with relevant existing available literature related to the subject of the assignment: Five days
4. Report writing and submit a  mid-term evaluation draft report of findings and recommendations for presentation to key stakeholders for comments and approval: Eight Days
5. Final report submission with a proposal on TI-RW 2025 -2029 priority areas as per TI 2030 strategy for endorsement by TI-RW members: Two Days
6. Stakeholders engagement in a workshop format on TI-RW priorities 2025 -2029: One Day

Qualifications and Competencies of the Consultant

The Individual consultant should have the following qualifications:

• A PhD or Master’s degree in rural development, agriculture, economic development, political science; sociology of development, demography, statistics, or another social science related to this assignment;
• Have a minimum of 5 years of experience in conducting mid-term and end term impact evaluations using OECD DAC evaluation criteria;
• Proven experience in multi-donors funds mobilization
• Strong research skills and experience in both quantitative and qualitative surveys;
• Excellent verbal command and outstanding written command of English;
• Excellent analytical, interpersonal, communication and reporting skills;
• An understanding of the global context in the fight against corruption and promotion of good governance;
• An added value is a strong understanding of the Rwandan national context. Specifically the process of national plans and policies related to the fight against corruption and the decentralization process. 

7. How to apply

Interested candidates are requested to read and strictly follow the detailed terms of reference and submit two proposals based on this outline. Firstly, a technical proposal, including ideas for a methodology and operational plan. Secondly, a financial proposal, including consultancy fees, questionnaire development costs, data collection costs, data processing costs, and reporting costs, alongside other relevant expenses. 

The two proposals should be placed in separate sealed envelopes, marked with the assignment title and addressed to the Executive Director of TI-RW. In the envelope containing the technical proposal, a letter of application and a CV should be included.  The envelopes should be submitted no later than 5^th August 2023. The dossiers can be submitted physically at Transparency International Rwanda’s main office located at the following address: KG 177 Street, Kigali, Rwanda. 

The documents can also be submitted through email as scans in pdf format. These should be fully readable and sent to the email address info@tirwanda.org; CC: amupiganyi@tirwanda.org. The same deadline as for the envelope submissions applies. For any further information or clarification, please contact us on +250788309563 during working hours. 

Done at Kigali, July 5th,  2023 

Apollinaire Mupiganyi

Executive Director

Transparency International Rwanda.