CALL FOR PROPOSALS: EVALUATOR

Transcription

1 CALL FOR PROPOSALS: EVALUATOR Ex-post External Project Evaluation Project Title: Strengthening the operational capacities of the Turkish Coast Guard in managing migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea EVALUATION CONTEXT As a result of the civil war which took place in Syria in 2011, more than 5 million people had fled to their country between and many of them sought refuge in other countries. Among the recipient countries; Turkey holds the largest number of Syrians which exceeded 3.4 million by the end of In addition to Syrian population, thousands of irregular migrants from different nationalities; including Iraqis, Afghans, Iranians and Somalians arrive to Turkey each year and seek protection. It is quite important to note that a lot of migrants who come to Turkish territories attempt to travel by sea and suffer from various accidents during their travel. Considering these attempts; Turkish Coast Guard Command (TCG), which represents the main institution responsible for conducting the search and rescue (SAR) operations at sea, plays an increasingly vital role for locating and saving the migrants, detecting the potential migrant smugglers, identifying the vulnerable groups and protecting the country s maritime borders. Undertaking such duties inevitably creates a quite stressful and psychologically challenging environment for the TCG staff and may potentially cause traumatic disorders particularly for the staff directly working in the SAR missions at the sea. Therefore, psychosocial support and counselling becomes a vital necessity for the TCG staff to manage their SAR operations with minimum level of stress, demotivation, psychological disorder and maximum level of efficiency and alertness. Moreover, the process of responding to the needs of growing number of migrants and identifying/apprehending smugglers also require enhanced technical capacity and knowledge on international law (maritime, criminal, humanitarian, etc.), case management, protection mechanisms, communication techniques, investigation and prosecution of smugglers/traffickers and forgery detection. Considering all these necessities, IOM has completed a project in which it has provided the services below: a) Provision of six SAR vessels with enhanced technological capacity as well as technical and nautical familiarization trainings to support TCG s SAR missions. b) Direct Provision of capacity building trainings to TCG on various topics to enhance their knowledge of the areas mentioned in the above paragraph. c) Provision of psycho-social support services, individual counselling and administrative/managerial trainings to TCG staff through the support of external service providers/consultants. The project also provided trainings of trainers on International Migration law and effective presentation skills to ensure that a sustainable mechanism for TCG staff to train the members within their institution is created and all the activities/trainers delivered or organized and supervised by IOM are conveyed to a greater number of staff. BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT BEING EVALUATED With funding from the European Union, IOM implemented the project titled Strengthening the operational capacities of the Turkish Coast Guard in managing migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea over the period between 23/08/2016 and 22/02/2018. The overall objective of the action was to contribute to the ongoing efforts of the Government of Turkey in addressing the migration and refugee 1

2 crisis through supporting the search and rescue operations, in order to save lives and further strengthen the protection of refugees and migrants in Turkey s waters. The project has several intermediate and long-term outcomes stated as: - To provide the Turkish Coast Guard (TCG) with advanced technical equipment and related training to effectively conduct search and rescue operations at sea. - To enhance the capacities of the TCG in the field of Humanitarian Border Management to further enable the TCG to respond to migration flows, while safeguarding the human rights of migrants. - To uphold the well-being and prevent burnout of the TCG search and rescue personnel by providing them with professional psychosocial support. The project was implemented in various locations including Ankara, Antalya, İzmir, Trabzon, İstanbul, Mersin, Balıkesir, Muğla, Çanakkale, Samsun and reached to 1027 TCG staff and 46 staff from TNP, Gendarmerie, DGMM, Academy of Gendarmerie and Coast Guard. The project included various trainings/activities implemented by service providers/consultants which included; effective communication (competency-based interviewing, effective phone communication), mentoring supported with coaching, training of trainers on effective presentation skills, coaching support, individual psychosocial support, coaching and consultancy, Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The service providers/consultants have been selected in consideration with the beneficiaries requests and IOM s approval. Prior to and during the implementation process; IOM closely supervised, monitored the service providers/consultants and provided technical, administrative, organizational support to them while simultaneously acting as a bridge between the beneficiary (TCG) and service providers/consultants. Additionally, several trainings were provided directly by IOM including, mixed migration and protection of vulnerable groups, detection of forged documents, counter-migrant smuggling, training of trainings on International migration law (IML). Moreover, IOM supported the construction of 6 SAR vessels through closely coordinating with DAMEN and providing technical and administrative support whenever necessary. IOM also supervised the provision of technical and nautical familiarization trainings provided by DAMEN (delivered to TCG) which took place in Rotterdam, Stonehaven (Scotland) and Antalya. The intention is that the project contributes to a decline in migrant s deaths by improving the conduct of SAR operations with enhanced equipment, well-equipped SAR vessels, improved technical knowledge and ability of the TCG staff to carry out safer and quicker operations. TCG s training curricula to be utilized during the training of their staff is reviewed and developed through the contributions of IOM. TCG staff s stress management and communication skills improved as a result of the psycho-social support activities and effective communication trainings; which caused a decline in the levels of burnout and distress among the staff. EVALUATION PURPOSE AND SCOPE The main purpose of this external evaluation is to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, impact and implementation of cross-cutting issues of gender and human rights in the framework of the Strengthening the operational capacities of the Turkish Coast Guard in managing migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea project, and to draw and document key lessons learnt and the best practices to the project stakeholders. The evaluation will provide IOM, beneficiaries and European Union, a review of the overall evaluation of the project implementation and a documentation of the lessons learnt that can contribute to the improvement of similar interventions in the future. The specific objectives of the evaluation are: 2

3 1. To review and assess the effectiveness, relevance and sustainability of the trainings/psychosocial support activities delivered to the beneficiaries, including effects of the provision of technical equipment (vessels) and related trainings on the effective conduct of SAR operations at sea; 2. To identify and document best practices and key lessons learnt from the project and produce recommendations to guide similar interventions. The evaluation will be guided by the following evaluation criteria and questions: Relevance To what extent did the project s objective or outcomes remain valid and pertinent to the priorities of the target institution(s)? Were project objectives realistic and achievable within the timeframe? Were project goals, objectives, indicators, and activities aligned with the needs and priorities of the beneficiary? How appropriate were the design, chosen methodology and implementation of the trainings/activities with respect to their comprehensibleness from the various participants from distinct units within TCG (field personnel, administrative staff, executives etc.)? Did the project maintain its relevance considering possible changes in the context? Is there a need to reformulate project design given the changes in the country and operational context? Effectiveness Did the project achieve the overall and specific objectives as well as indicators of achievement delineated in the project proposal? What were the gaps between expected and actual achievements and what are the reasons for any such gaps? Were there any challenges prior to/during the implementation of the project? If so, what was done to remedy these and by whom (substantive, operational, by IOM, service providers/consultants, beneficiaries)? Efficiency Were the resources and inputs converted to outputs in a timely and cost-effective manner? Sustainability Review of The Trainings/Activities and Delivered Technical Equipment/Vessels To what extent are the project s benefits likely to continue after all the related trainings/activities are provided and the technical equipment/vessels are delivered to the beneficiary? Are there any structures and skills currently in place to ensure there is sustainability of project benefits? How adequate are they? How is the beneficiary prepared to continue to sustain project outcomes? Impact Which positive/negative and intended/unintended effects are being produced by the project? To what extent can observed changes be attributed to the project implemented? What were the particular features of the project and context that made a difference? Cross-cutting issues - To what extent were cross-cutting issues of gender and human rights addressed by the project? 3

4 In documenting the lessons learnt and best practices, the evaluator should also answer the following questions as part of the final evaluation report: What are the lessons learnt by IOM and beneficiary throughout the implementation of the project and can these lessons can be utilized in other contexts (in other similar projects)? What new initiatives, approaches/ways should be included in future projects to increase the efficiency of such projects? EVALUATION PROCESS AND METHODS The overall evaluation will be conducted through individual and focus group interviews, and lessons learnt review session with the beneficiary of the project (TCG), IOM staff relevant to the project, focal officers of service providers (including shipbuilding company) and consultants well as key trainers. A detailed Inception Report must be developed by the evaluator based on the above listed evaluation criteria and questions and should include the following: Evaluation matrix with questions and related data collection plans Data presentation/dissemination methods Procedures for analyzing quantitative and qualitative data Detailed schedule for the tasks to be undertaken (work plan) Activities to be implemented and deliverables Report writing and sharing etc. A likely methodology during the assignment will be as follows: Document review including the project proposal, progress reports prepared by IOM, service providers/consultants, evaluation surveys and other relevant documents In depth, semi-structured interviews with the related members of IOM, beneficiary (TCG), service providers/consultants Focus Group Discussions (if deemed appropriate by the evaluator EXPECTED OUTPUTS The evaluator will be expected to deliver the following outputs: 1. Inception report 2. Draft evaluation report of the evaluation s key findings to be provided to IOM. 3. The final evaluation report should have the following format: a. Executive Summary b. Background c. Methodology d. Findings and Analysis i. Relevance ii. Effectiveness iii. Sustainability iv. Best practices and lessons learnt e. Conclusion (should provide the overall inferences from the answers to the evaluation questions) f. Recommendations (of the Evaluator to enhance the efficiency of the project) g. Annexes 4

5 4. A summary document or learning brief (maximum four pages) to briefly describe the purpose, scope, objectives and methodology of the evaluation, along with the main conclusions and recommendations. The final report will be shared with IOM and the donor after IOM s final review, along with the summary document, whereas the informative note will be shared with beneficiaries and other relevant institutions working in the field. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY The Evaluator will be responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of all the evaluation tasks in consultation with IOM S Project Managers and Project Assistants. In addition, the Project Manager/assistants will provide the necessary technical support required throughout the evaluation process. IOM shall be responsible for the following: Share all necessary documents to the Evaluator to finalize the evaluation methodology and data collection tools. Provide guidance and feedback for evaluation study methodology, data collection tools and report. IMPORTANT NOTE: Evaluator s flight expenses within Turkey (if necessary), vehicle hiring costs to support the evaluation exercise, accommodation costs, translation costs (where necessary) will be included in the total payment to be made to the Evaluator. IOM shall NOT be involved in the direct assistance in logistical arrangements and translation. The Evaluator will be responsible for the following: Review all the relevant documents shared by IOM as well beneficiary and service providers for the conduct of evaluation Design the Inception Report including evaluation methodology to be used during interviews, review sessions and prepare the data collection tools (interview; focus group guides, interview protocol, etc.) Conduct interviews and project review session(s) with key stakeholders of the project such as the beneficiary (TCG), the implementing agency (IOM) and service providers/consultants Conduct data analysis, prepare the evaluation report (in English), summary document (in English) and informative note (in English), upon IOM s feedback on the draft report consultant should finalize the report. Provide periodical feedback to IOM on the progress and any challenges pertaining to the implementation of evaluation process and/or preparation of the reports and other relevant documents Attend meetings to discuss the progress of the evaluation whenever requested by IOM and regularly communicate with IOM focal points Closely coordinate with the selected interviewees to organize and conduct the interviews in a timely manner At the end of field visit stage in Turkey, to provide briefing to project related staff of IOM on key findings of the evaluation EVALUATION TIMELINE The evaluation is expected to be conducted starting on 02/04/2018. The number of working days will be 20 during the evaluation period and cover the following tasks: - Inception report: 1 day - Documentation review: 4 days 5

6 - Field visit: 8 days - Drafting of the report 5 days -Finalization 2 days Indicative timeline/workplan Activity Dates 1. Documentation review analysis of project documentation provided 02 07/ 04/2018 by IOM) and preparation of inception report (home-based) 2. Field visits in Turkey (in Ankara only) 09 16/04/ Drafting and delivery of the draft evaluation report and evaluation s key findings (by ) 4. Delivery of final evaluation report, summary document and informative note (by ) 17-21/04/2018 (home-based) By 20/05/2018 (home-based) The timeline can be adjusted if necessary and if agreed by both parties (IOM and consultant) EVALUATOR S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE At least a Bachelor s degree in International Development, International Relations, Public Administration, Social policy, Psychology, Sociology and other related fields Experience in conducting at least 3 evaluations of large-scale projects comparable to the one to be evaluated Strong background and expertise in conducting quantitative and qualitative data analysis Excellent report drafting skills Excellent oral and written command in English Turkish language knowledge is a distinct advantage CONTACTS Interested candidates are required to submit a letter of motivation, curriculum vitae, proposal (methodology) for the evaluation, availability (dates) to conduct the evaluation, proposed fee (which includes all the budgetary items with their respective costs), payment plan (installments) and at least two (2) samples of previous evaluations to below addresses by 11 March Darijus Pamparas (dpamparas@iom.int), Project Manager Meltem Hamit (mhamit@iom.int), Project Officer Interested candidates may request additional details related to the evaluation before the submission of their applications using the above indicated addresses. 6