1. Introduction 

1.1. Background and Context 

The evaluation study will cover the mid-term performance of development programme titled “Modernization, innovation and use of knowledge for the Moldovan diary sector – support to farmers in the northern Moldova” financed by Czech Development Agency and implemented by People in Need (PIN) between 2022-2024. 

Smallholder farmers are the cornerstone of the dairy sector in Moldova, but they are currently struggling to make a living out of the dairy sector as they face several challenges that threaten the development of the local dairy market. Gaps in the milk production process, quality control, quality of livestock veterinary services and coordination of market between various actors compromise the volume and quality of the dairy production. Concurrently, the number of Moldova’s dairy farmers and livestock keeps declining slowly, as it has been a trend for decades. The proposed programme aims at reverting this trend. 

Specifically, the programme focuses on improving the economic conditions of small and medium size farmers by strengthening the dairy value chain in northern Moldova, using a market systems development (MSD) approach and by leveraging knowledge and technical experts from the Czech Republic and Moldova. The programme will focus on establishing a regional platform for coordination of dairy sector, strengthening the capacities of Milk Collection Centers (MCC), improving the access of farmers to veterinary advisory services and pastures. As a result, the proposed project will strengthen the effectiveness and cooperation of market actors across the dairy value chain and increase the productivity and milk quality of small and medium size dairy farmers. 

The number of beneficiaries is an approximate 120 small and medium size milk producers from 4 villages within 4 districts (Drochia, Rascani, Glodeni, Ocnita) in Northern Moldova.  

The main target group of the project include: (i) private enterprises, (ii) veterinarians, (iii) milk collection centres (MCC, (iv) milk processor company, (v) LPAs, (vi) National Food Safety Agency (ANSA) and Ministry of Agriculture. 

1.2. Introduction to Evaluation Outline and Evaluation Purpose 

The mid-term evaluation study intends to cover the up-to date performance of development programme outlined in the section “1.1. Background and Context” implemented by People in Need (PIN) in support of dairy sector’s farmers in the northern Moldova. The evaluation exercise, its findings and recommendations will serve to: 

• Assess the immediate impact and effects of the intervention and demonstrate to what extent the intervention achieved its objectives up-to now; 
• Assess the extent of involvement by diverse stakeholders in the implementation process. 
• Assess the extent of aligment of the Project with the National Strategy (vide: Programul național de dezvoltare a sectorului de lapte în Republica Moldova pentru anii 2021-2025) 
• Gather beneficiary feedback on satisfaction, quality, quantity, timeliness and appropriateness of provided support and services and identify any challenges which occurred for the different stakeholders in the course of the programme implementation. 
• Develop lessons learned and based on them to apply adjustments in the implementation of the other similar programmes and to provide evidence to the revisions of procedures, models and solutions, therefore, to trigger the quality enhancement of the future programs; 
• Identify any gaps in the communication and coordination between the different stakeholders involved, and to bring ideas on how to better bridge among partners and create synergies. 

The evaluation outputs and recommendations that will be presented in the mid-term evaluation report are to be shared with PIN and stakeholders involved in the project and programme management and implementation both at the Country Programme and HQ level, donors and other stakeholders. The results of the evaluation and the developed lessons learned should support the programming in 2024 during the second stage of project implementation and similar in nature interventions in the future. 

2. Theory of Change 

The Theory of Change (ToC) reflects programme focused on dairy sector farmers in the northern Moldova; the visualization of ToC presented in brief below is also available in greater detail in the form of Annex to this ToR. 

The programme of People in Need (PIN) in Moldova aims that “The economic conditions of small and medium size cattle farmers are improved by strengthening efficiency of the diary value chain in the northern Moldova”. To achieve that, the intervention will need to generate the following two outcomes: “Outcome 1: The stakeholders across the diary chain strengthened effectiveness of their cooperation” and “Outcome 2: Small and medium size dairy farmers increased productivity and quality of milk production”. Elaborating here on the one of the second outcome pathway only (the rest in full picture could be seen in the Annex 1). 

3. Evaluation Questions 

The mid-term evaluation should answer the following main questions: 

Improved economic conditions  

1. To what extent did programme contribute to improving the economic conditions, in particularly led to income increase of small and medium sized cattle farmers in the northern Moldova? Have the activities delivered to date created an effective foundation for successful achievement of the projects objectives and results that are expected by the end of the project? 

• The question will be assessing the project through two evaluation criteria: Efficiency and Effectiveness. 

Strengthened effectiveness of cooperation  

2. To what extent did programme succeed in strengthening effectiveness of cooperation of the stakeholders across the dairy value chain? Which stakeholders were more and which less systematically engaged in exchanging of information, communicating and coordinating? What were the leverages that enforced communication and barriers for effective coordination? What need to be done to mitigate and address those bottlenecks, during the second phase of the project? 

• The question will be assessing the project through two evaluation criteria: Efficiency and Effectiveness. 

Increased productivity and quality of milk production 

3. To what extent did programme contribute to increasing productivity and quality of milk production among small and medium size farmers? To what extent and how did programme succeed in changing farmers’ behaviors over milk production practices? What should be the focus in this area for the second phase of the project implementation?  

• The question will be assessing the project through evaluation criterion of Effectiveness. 

Farmers’ milk production functioning in enabling market environment  

4. To what extent programme contribute to developing market environment and conditions that enable farmers to growth, including access to pasture, quality feed, training and veterinary services and advice? What means used were the most effective and why, and what should be revised, and how? 

• The question will be assessing the project through two evaluation criteria: Efficiency and Effectiveness. 

Project’s alignment with National Strategy (vide: Programului național de dezvoltare a sectorului de lapte în Republica Moldova pentru anii 2021-2025)  

5. Does the Project’s goals, activities, and outcomes align with the key objectives and priorities outlined in the National Strategy? What are the improvements that could be made for future programs to better align with it? 

• The question will be assessing the project through two evaluation criteria: Efficiency and Effectiveness. 

Sustainability of implemented solutions 

6. To what extent and how newly introduced models and solutions succeed in economic sustainability of farmers, local authorities and support services, including e.g. veterinary hotline? 

• The question will be assessing the project through evaluation criterion of Sustainability. 

Unintended effects 

7. What unexpected or unintended effects did the programme have up to now, in particularly for the dairy value chain in the northern Moldova? Did it cause any distortions of local market or tensions between supported farmers and the ones that did not receive assistance but also with farmers from other agricultural sectors? Or in contrary did any secondary positive impacts occur as a result of intervention, within dairy sector and other positive and negative social effects? Did any of such effects take place, and if, why and how did programme contribute to their occurrence? Did programme envisioned and applied any mechanisms to mitigate those effects over time (or what still could be proposed in this regard) and to what extent they were effective? 

• The question will be assessing the project through the evaluation criterion of Impact. 

4. Stakeholder Selection 

The following stakeholders will take part in the mid-term evaluation process; depending on the chosen data collection methods and their further detailing in the Inception Report, the roles of indicated stakeholders will be concretized in greater detail. As for now, the ToR is limited to the selection of stakeholders with indication of their roles in the course of the programme. 

5. Deliverables and timeline 

The workload for the whole consultancy is estimated at 20-22 working days. 

6. Criteria 

The Evaluator / Evaluation Team must fulfil the following criteria: 

• At least three years proven and strong track record of conducting project evaluations in the field of agriculture value chain and modernization, innovation and use of knowledge;  
• Proven experience with the suggested or similar evaluation approach is an asset;  
• Prior experience of working in the Republic of Moldova is a must.  
• Excellent knowledge of English and Romanian is required; A good command of Russian is a distinct advantage. 

7 Communication Process 

The entire process of evaluation will require the partnership cooperation between the team in Moldova country programme, stakeholders and evaluators which will be ensured by establishment of coordination and steering mechanisms. 

For the day-to-day communication and coordination between PIN and evaluators, PIN Focal Point (PIN Head of MEAL or MEAL Project Focal Point) will be responsible. 

The Evaluation Advisory Group which consists of the representatives of both PIN and stakeholders will be established; the members of the Programme Steering Committee (namely: PIN Project Manager and representatives of the following stakeholders: farmers, Ministry of Agriculture, ANSA, Veterinary Association, local authorities, milk processor and MCCs and Diary Producers Association) and PIN MEAL Focal Point will be in the same time members of the Evaluation Advisory Group. 

The role of the Advisory Group and PIN MEAL Focal Point is to support the different stages of the evaluation process, and in particularly review and provide comments to Inception Report, including evaluation methodology, tools, work plan and first draft of the Mid-term Evaluation Report; they will validate findings and jointly develop recommendations and Action and Follow-up Plan for recommendations’ utilization as well as support the organization of the field work, including arranging and planning the meetings with different stakeholders, in order to conduct interviews, focus group discussions and other relevant meetings, including support in organizing the Lessons Learned Workshop, and provide all the logistics and transportation arrangements. 

The approach described above will ensure that the knowledge, experience and perspective of the different stakeholders at Moldova country programme is considered, their inputs included and that the final result of the evaluation process respond to the team and stakeholders needs and expectations. 

8. Selection process 

The selection process will proceed as follows: 

• Applicants are requested to submit an expression of interest filling out the template, to be sent at the latest by deadline of November  8, 2023 at meal.moldova@peopleinneed.net, in CC: octavian.olaru@peopleinneed.net; Subject: “M.I.L.K. – Mid-term Evaluation – name and surname/or company name” 
• The applicants will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee against the criteria listed in the section 6.  PIN reserves the right to enter into a negotiation with the candidates on the financial offer proposed by them, before finalizing the selection process. The technical offer will be weighted with 60%; the financial offer will be weighted with 40%. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Cumulative analysis 

Application file: 

• CV of the expert and examples demonstrating experience in conducting project evaluations and knowledge of the MSD (Market System Development) Approach;
• Proposed timeline for the sequence of activities; 
• Financial offer. 

The award of the contract shall be made to the consultant/team whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: 

a) responsive/ compliant/ acceptable, and 

b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. 

• Technical Criteria weight – 60% (60 pts); 
• Financial Criteria weight – 40% (40 pts). 
   

Annex 1. Visualization of Theory of Change (ToC)