Terms of Reference for Evaluation of the
“Capacity Strengthening of Local Self-governing Bodies” project (2013-2016)
July 2015
Job title:
Duty station:
Type of contract:
Application deadline:
Expected duration:
Proposed start date:
National Consultant
UNDP Mongolia
Individual Contract
10 August 2015
1 month
15 September 2015
1. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
“Capacity Strengthening of Local Self-governing Bodies” (CSLSB) project aims to strengthen capacities of
local hurals (local councils) to fulfil their representational and oversight mandates for improved
accountability of local governments and local service delivery. This is an ongoing project with 4 specific
outputs: i) A National Training Programme for local elected representatives is developed and
institutionalized; ii) Improved downward accountability of elected representatives through promoting
citizen participation in decision making; iii) Increased oversight capacity of local hurals; and iv) Lessons
integrated into legal and policy framework for local self-governance (see Project Document).
Since the CSLSB project was launched in March 2013, the project made a significant progress, especially
with regard to the National Training of elected representatives and increasing hurals’ visibility, openness
and transparency, and experience sharing among them through an integrated portal website. (see Project
Annual Progress Report for 2013, 2014, and Project Progress Report for the 1st half of 2015).
Geographically, the project covers all 21 aimags, 330 soums, and 9 districts of Ulaanbaatar, with selected
activities such as grants being announced on a competitive basis. The project works closely with local
NGOs working in the area of local government, and relevant academic and research institutions. The
CSLSB is being implemented by the Parliament Secretariat and funded by Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) under its broader support to decentralization and public participation.
2. EVALUATION PURPOSE
The purpose of the evaluation is:
 to assess the extent to which the CSLSB project activities are effective (contributes to achievement of
the project’s stated objectives), sustainable (ability to continue after the project is completed), and
implemented in efficient and timely manner;
 to validate/document stories about concrete results and change from the perspective of target groups
and stakeholders, and
 to provide recommendations for the next phase of the project;
3. INDICATIVE EVALUATION QUESTIONS
In general, the evaluation exercise shall use the standard OECD/DAC Evaluation Criteria for Evaluation of
Development Assistance namely: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Below is
a list of indicative questions for evaluation of the CSLSB project:
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Achievement of outcomes (results) – progress so far:
 What are main intended and unintended outcomes of the project? What are the most important
changes?
 What are the specific achievements by Outputs? How do the four outputs link and relate to each
other? To what extent have the project outputs contribute to the project intended outcome?
 What are the main factors (positive and negative) that affect achievement of the outputs? What was
the effect of the change in project implementation modality?
 What are the mechanisms for quality assessment and assurance of project activities, especially of
those activities related to capacity building?
 Does the project create synergy with other local governance/public participation projects and
activities?
 To what extent has gender been mainstreamed both at process and results level?
Sustainability/institutionalization
 To what extent was sustainability considerations taken into account in the design and implementation
of the project activities? Is there evidence that capacity and knowledge generated by the project will
be used beyond the project lifecycle? How effective are strategy/approaches used in
institutionalization of the National Training Programme?
 To what extent the new processes, tools or initiatives are owned by target groups/stakeholders?
Lessons learned and recommendations
 What are the key lessons learned or best practices and key critical risks?
 Is there a need to change/adjust the project implementation strategy in order to achieve the project
objectives while using the remaining resources effectively and efficiently?
4. METHODOLOGY
The evaluation team shall refer to UNDP Evaluation Handbook for the overall evaluation framework.
Proposed tasks of the evaluation team include, but not limited to, the following:
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Desk review of all project/s related documents, including project workplans, progress reports,
manuals, publications, and the websites;
Interviews with key stakeholders, including government and non-government organizations (for a
more complete list of stakeholders, please refer to the project reports);
Interviews with representatives of donor organizations and other development partners working in
the country;
Field trips to at least 2 aimags and 2 soums;
Any questionnaire or survey to be conducted must take into account the geographical scope and
duration of this evaluation work.
Submit initial findings of evaluation to key stakeholders for comments before finalizing the evaluation
report;
5. DELIVERABLES
 Evaluation inception report (in English) – to be submitted by the end of the first week of the
assignment, before going into the full fledged data collection. It should detail the evaluators’
understanding of what is being evaluated and why, showing how each evaluation question will be
answered by way of: proposed methods, proposed sources of data and data collection procedures.
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The inception report should include a proposed schedule of tasks, activities and deliverables,
designating a team member with a lead responsibility for each task or product. The inception report
provides the programme unit and the evaluators with an opportunity to verify that they share the
same understanding about the evaluation and clarify any misunderstanding at the outset.
Draft evaluation report and presentation (in English and Mongolian) – to be submitted by the end of
third week, for review by key stakeholders to ensure that the evaluation meets the required quality
criteria.
Final evaluation report (in English and Mongolian) – to be submitted by the end of fourth week,
incorporating feedback from stakeholders.
6. EVALUATION TEAM COMPOSITION AND REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
The evaluation team will consist of 1 international consultant/team leader and 1 national consultant
who also work as translator.
National Consultant (1 month) – to be recruited locally.
Education background:
 Master’s degree in relevant fields (local governance, public policy, public administration, political
science, sociology, development economics);
 At least 10 years of experience of working in relevant fields;
 Experience and familiarity with research methods, monitoring and evaluation techniques;
 Experience in working with government agencies (central and local), civil society organizations, and
international organizations;
 Strong analytical and reporting writing skills;
 Good interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills,
 Fluent written and oral English and Mongolian.
7. EVALUATION ETHICS
Evaluations in UNDP will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical
Guidelines for Evaluation’, and must follow the procedures to safeguard the rights and confidentiality of
information providers, for example: measures to ensure compliance with legal codes governing areas such
as provisions to collect and report data, particularly permissions needed to interview or obtain
information about children and young people; provisions to store and maintain security of collected
information; and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality.
8. IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
The evaluation team shall report to UNDP Deputy Resident Representative (DRR). The Governance team
shall provide relevant project related documents, and assist in organizing field trips and debriefing
meeting. UNDP will provide office space and meeting room during mission in Ulaanbaatar, if required.
9. APPLICATION AND CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF BEST OFFER
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Expression of interest letter;
CV showing educational background and experience;
o List of publications and/or evaluation reports;
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o 2 reference letters related to the assignment and contact details of referees;
3 pages short essay in English on current situation of local self-governance in Mongolia and a brief
outline of how the proposed evaluation can be conducted;
Evidence of English language knowledge;
Financial proposal with a clear indication of all inclusive fee (consultancy fee per month, travel/DSA,
stationery, and admin costs etc).
Combined Scoring method will be used in the selection of international consultant, where the technical
proposal (qualifications, experience and essay) will be weighted a max. of 70%, and combined with the
price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%. Below is the breakdown of points of Technical proposal.
Technical proposal: 100 points which equal 70% of the total scoring.
Educational background – 20 points
English skills – 20 points
Experience – 30 points
Essay and proposed methodology – 30 points
10. PAYMENT SCHEDULE
100% of the total fee to be paid upon submission and acceptance of the Final Evaluation Report.
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