Terms of Reference - External Final Evaluation

Terms of Reference External Final Evaluation 

INTRODUCTiON AND CONTEXT 

Caritas Czech Republic has been working in Moldova since 2004. Over the years, we implemented 37 development cooperation projects in home and social care, small business development, civil society development, agriculture, lively hoods support, and inclusion areas. The current project, “Technology for the Future - Telemedicine in Home Care in Moldova”, funded by the Czech Development Agency, aims to develop and apply telemedicine tools in the home care sector. The initiative is targeted at improving the quality and accessibility of home care for the elderly persons, people living with disabilities and palliative care patients, amidst Moldova's aging population and a shortage of medical professionals. The project has been running from September 2021 to August 2024. 

PROJECT GOAL 

The project aims to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in home care through telemedicine in eight centres across Moldova. Key interventions include enhancing the telemedicine platform, training healthcare workers, and developing a regulatory framework for telemedicine. The project also seeks to ensure that vulnerable populations (elderly, disabled, palliative patients) receive the necessary health and social services through these telemedicine tools. 

Altogether, the action provides support to 100 unique beneficiaries. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE FINAL EVALUATION:

The main objective of this external final evaluation is to verify whether the action has achieved the expected results in adequate quality and scope. The evaluator(s) is expected to review the project implementation against the objectives and results of the project proposal, mirroring narrative, log frame and budget. This final evaluation will identify strengths and weaknesses of the project, good-practice examples for the current project and recommendations for potential future interventions. 

EVALUATION FACTORS:

The evaluation is expected to be conducted based on the OECD-DAC criteria as following: 

• Relevance and appropriateness 

Was the project design aligned with the healthcare needs of Moldova’s vulnerable populations? Which parts of the project were most relevant and why? What mechanisms are in place to assure that the beneficiaries are kept informed and involved in the project activities? How and when were beneficiaries involved in the needs assessment? To what extent is the project accountable to its beneficiaries? How did activities contribute to the overall objective? How the project met the needs, how needs were assessed and response analysis designed? How effectively did the project respond to challenges in healthcare accessibility for the elderly persons and people with disabilities? 

• Coherence 

How well did the project align with Moldova’s National Development Strategy and other healthcare initiatives? Did the project complement existing healthcare policies and frameworks in the telemedicine sector? 

• Effectiveness  

To what extent have the anticipated results been achieved? What were the major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement? Do the project outputs have an appropriate level of technical quality? Which project activities have had the greatest positive effect, and which had the least effects? How did the activities contribute to the quality and accessibility of healthcare services?  What challenges affected the delivery of telemedicine services? 

• Efficiency 

Were the funds used in the most cost-effective manner to achieve the results? Was the project designed with sufficient and adequate resources? Were there any alternatives for achieving the same results with fewer inputs? Has the inflation affected the results of the project and in what way? 

• Impact 

What long-term impact did the project have on healthcare services in Moldova? Were the telemedicine services sustainable beyond the project lifecycle? What are the wider effects of the action on individuals; groups (gender, age, disability)? Were they positive or negative? Was it easy for beneficiaries to access the service provided? Are beneficiaries satisfied with the support received? Or even better what beneficiaries would suggest as improvement of the support received.  

• Cross- cutting issues 

To what extent did the program design, implementation and monitoring consider relevant cross cutting issues such as age, gender, disability, environment? How did the programme consider the needs of women, men, boys and girls, and people with disabilities? To which extent were beneficiaries familiar with the procedure to make complaints in case of low-quality services or sexual exploitation and abuse? 

• Coordination 

How cooperation with other stakeholders was established (or not)? Was the assistance well-coordinated, aligned with agreed standards and avoiding duplication of assistance and gaps? To what extent have adequate partnerships been established (with international, national and/or local stakeholders) to deliver assistance to affected people? 

The evaluator(s) are expected to employ a mixed - method approach – both qualitative and quantitative research where possible and a desk review of all relevant internal and external documents and policies. It is also expected that a sampling strategy will be developed capturing different groups of beneficiaries and geographic locations. The final evaluation is expected to be completed within 20 December 2024. Below is a tentative workplan that can be discussed further with the consultant(s). 

METHODOLOGY:

Inception Report: Listing the detailed methodology, evaluation matrix, all questionnaires (e.g. surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), detailed workplan and sampling methodology  

Presentation of initial findings: A power point presentation with the principal results of the evaluation and recommendations to be presented to CCR team members (Desk Officer, Program manager, Project manager). 

Draft and Final Report: A draft report (English, electronic version, max. 20 pages without annexes) including the findings of the evaluation and the recommendations will be sent to the project manager and desk officer and should include the following tentative components:   

• Executive summary 
• Introduction 
• Description of the evaluation methodology 
• Situational analysis with regard to the outcome, outputs and partnership strategy 
• Analysis of opportunities to provide guidance for future programming  
• Key findings, including best practices and lessons learned  
• Conclusion and recommendations  
• Appendices: charts, terms of reference, field visits, people interviewed, documents reviewed. 

The report (electronic version) will be finalised and sent to CCR latest 3 days upon receipt of comments and feedback. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

The evaluator(s) are expected to travel to Moldova during the field data collection phase. The total price will cover all costs incurred by the consultant related to the assignment and all taxes and fees required by law, including accommodation (if applicable). CCR will only cover the cost of fuel for the evaluator's vehicle. Communication costs, insurance, taxes and any other legal obligations are expected to be the responsibility of the consultant(s). 

EXPERIENCE OF THE EVALUATOR(S):

MINIMUM 

• More than 5 years of evaluation experience, preferably in evaluating healthcare projects. 
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research, sampling methodologies and data analysis 
• Experience conducting project presentations and excellent writing skills  
• Excellent written and spoken English; Russian/Romanian language skills is an advantage 

DESIRABLE 

• Experience in working in Moldova is an advantage. 

SELECTION:

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: description of experience and expertise (copies of documents proving the expertise and experience shall be attached), timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy. 

The description of experience and expertise has to include: 

• contacts to persons / institutions that can provide reference, and / or 
• copies of official documents proving the experience and expertise stated 

The selection criteria will be as follows: 

• Offered price (40%) 
• Proven expertise and experience (60%) 

TERMS OF ASSIGNMENT:

Selected consultant / group of consultants/ company will be subcontracted by CCR to produce the deliverables specified above. The price agreed on will cover consultant´s remuneration, all costs incurred by the consultant related to the assignment and all taxes and fees required by. The price will be final and cannot be increased under any circumstances. CCR will provide the consultant with all information and documents it has at its disposal needed to conduct the evaluation.  

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested candidates should send their offers in English with clearly indicated Name and Surname to the following address mihai.nani@caritas.cz by 7th of November 2024 with the subject line “MD29 final evaluation”. 

Interested applicants are expected to submit the following documents: 

1. Technical offer - description of methodology and workplan (max. 3 pages) 
2. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs. 
3. Information on previous experience, including CV, cover letter and 3 references  
4. At least 2 previous similar sample evaluations   
5. Copies of documents proving the expertise (links). 

Incomplete offers and offers received after the deadline will not be considered. CCR reserves the right to cancel the tender at any time. 

For additional information, please call +37379161176, Mihai Nani.