Call for External Evaluator (consultancy) for DFID’s Girls’ Access to Education: Girls’ Education Challenge (GATE-GEC) programme in Sierra Leone

Call from Plan International UK for an External Evaluator to undertake the Midline Evaluation of DFID’s Girls’ Access to Education: Girls’ Education Challenge (GATE-GEC) programme in Sierra Leone

Plan International UK strives to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. As an independent development and humanitarian organisation, we work alongside children, young people, our supporters and partners to tackle the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood and enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 80 years we have been building powerful partnerships for children, and we are active in over 75 countries.

Plan International UK leads a consortium of four organisations implementing DFID’s Girls’ Access to Education: Girls’ Education Challenge (GATE-GEC) programme in Sierra Leone, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE). The GATE-GEC project is a 4-year, DFID-funded project running from April 2017 to July 2021 that aims to support approximately 6,000 marginalised girls and children with disabilities in 6 districts of Sierra Leone to attend school, learn in a safe and inclusive school environment and successfully transition to further education and beyond.

Plan International UK is recruiting an external evaluatorto design, plan and conduct a Midline Evaluation of the GATE-GEC project.

Plan International UK is seeking a mixed-methods, gender-sensitive Midline Evaluation of the GATE-GEC project that is inclusive of persons with disabilities. The Evaluation is required to measure the impact of the GATE-GEC programme on marginalised girls and children with disabilities, with a focus on the GATE-GEC project’s three core outcomes of learning, transition and sustainability. The Midline Evaluation must involve both quantitative and qualitative research methods, including the use of EGRA and EGMA learning assessment tools.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) outlines the project and Midline Evaluation requirements in detail. Also linked to in the ToR for reference are MEL guidance documents from the Fund Manager (PwC).

The successful candidate is required to demonstrate:

· Expertise in quantitative and qualitative evaluation design, data collection and analysis

· Proven experience conducting research with children, vulnerable adults and people with disabilities

· Proven experience designing and conducting gender-sensitive research

· Country or context-relevant experience

· Robust safeguarding and Child Protection protocols

Further requirements can be found in the ToR available here: https://tinyurl.com/yawgv3ra

Plan International UK invites bids from Evaluation Teams with the experience and skills described in the ToR to submit the following application documents to gategec@plan-uk.org no later than 17.00 (UK time) on Monday 25^th February 2019. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

Bids should include:

· A technical proposal that includes the sampling strategy, intended methodological approach, proposed timeframe and detailed workplan;

· A financial proposal that covers all consultancy related costs (enumerator team, data collection, data entry, data analysis, administrative costs etc.) in PDF format;

· A CV of each of the evaluation team members detailing relevant skills and experience of no more than 3 pages;

· Two samples of relevant previous work;

· Two contactable referees.

Please direct any questions or requests for further information to gategec@plan-uk.org.