Open Tender - Evaluation of GBV and MHPSS Programme in NCA’s Ukraine Response

All pdf documents are available here: https://www.developmentaid.org/tenders/view/1459006

Application deadline:May 7, 2025

Location:Moldova, Ukraine

Category:Consulting services

Status:Open

Sectors:Gender, Health

Languages:English

Contracting authority: Norwegian Church Aid (HQ)

Funding Agency: Nonprofit organization

Eligibility:Organisation & Individual

Budget:N/A

Quick summary

Objectives: This tender aims to conduct an independent evaluation of the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Programme within NCA's Ukraine response. The purpose is to assess the performance, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the current programmes. The evaluation intends to generate knowledge, identify challenges, provide actionable recommendations, and improve future programming to enhance NCA’s capability in documenting results, improving programme quality, and informing strategic decision-making.

Eligibility criteria: Participants in the tender must demonstrate advanced research expertise and experience in various evaluation and research approaches. Prior experience in conducting thematic research and evaluations of GBV and MHPSS programmes is highly valued. Contractors are required to have conceptual and methodological skills, including applying qualitative and quantitative research methods. Knowledge of international frameworks related to women's political rights and gender equality is necessary. Participants must show country-level programming expertise, gender mainstreaming experience, and familiarity with feminist movements in Ukraine. A solid understanding of human rights issues and the rights-based approach is required along with excellent skills in analysis, facilitation, and communication. They must have the ability to negotiate with a wide array of stakeholders, with experience in parliamentary work, governance, rule of law, and civil society movements. Fluency in English, Ukrainian, and Russian is mandatory, and participants should have independent access to relevant parts of Ukraine. Contractor or consultancy firms must not be in conflict of interest, guilty of misrepresentation, or involved in any activities classing them ineligible as per the terms outlined by the Contracting Authority. Additionally, they are required to comply with the Code of Conduct for Contractors and the specific eligibility criteria provided in the tender documents.

Description

1. Context and Background 

Description of the context of the response 

More than three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the situation is volatile and unpredictable, and changes can occur at short notice. In the Southern and Eastern regions near the military frontline of the conflict, the situation remains an active emergency due to active warfare, moving frontlines, destruction of infrastructure and housing and deterioration of public services. The conflict has led millions of people to flee and seek refuge in Central and Western part of the country or abroad, however many remain in the war-torn areas and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.  

NCA has been responding to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and neighbouring countries since the onset of the conflict in a Joint Country Programme for Ukraine (JCPUA) together with ACT Alliance member DanChurch Aid (DCA), as well as through a partnership with the Swiss Church Aid HEKS-EPER (HEKS). NCA and partners are delivering lifesaving, cross-sectorial, integrated programming, within GBV and MHPSS, WASH, including district heating, winterization support, and utilizing the modality of multipurpose cash assistance. With funding from the Norwegian Government, NCA’s response has supported more than 300 000 people  affected by the war to meet urgent and complex needs, in collective shelters and affected urban and rural sites, including frontline and de-occupied areas across 7 oblasts (Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk) and in selected locations in Moldova. 

Brief stakeholder/ partner information 

Through JCPUA and HEKS, partnerships have been established with several registered Ukrainian and Moldovan organisations. In line with the preferred strategy and methodology outlined in the Nansen Support Programme, the response is implemented in close cooperation and coordination with relevant Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities, relevant stakeholders and humanitarian coordination structures, to ensure that the response is in line with the needs of people affected by the war in Ukraine and strengthens democratic institutions and civil society in Ukraine and Moldova. All NCA’s humanitarian responses are based on the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. 

Programme strategy and description of the results framework 

The overall goal of GBV and MHPSS programme is to increase survivors, and women and girls' access to lifesaving GBV services appropriate and relevant to their immediate needs.  NCA and partners are providing survivor-centred case management, mental health and psychosocial support focused on healing, empowerment and recovery. The partners are providing mobile and static services to increase access to services and information.  

The project seeks to achieve the key outputs: 

• Output 1: Women and adolescent girls at risk of violence and survivors access quality and specialised lifesaving GBV services 
• Output 2: Dominant norms are transformed to protect girls and women from violence and harmful practices 
• Output 3: At risk groups access quality mental health and psychological support focused on healing, empowerment and recovery.  
  
  

2. Purpose of the Evaluation 

Purpose and objectives  

The GBV and MHPSS programme has been implemented from March 2022 to the present, and the evaluation will focus on the entire implementation from 2022 until the end of 2024. NCA is seeking to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of its contribution to Ukraine humanitarian protection response. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide NCA, project partners and stakeholders with an overall independent assessment of the performance of the GBV and MHPSS programmes. This will provide evaluative evidence of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of current programme, which can be used by NCA and its partners to strengthen existing and future programmes.  

The evaluation will generate knowledge from the implementation of the programme and reflect on challenges and lesson learnt. It will also propose actionable recommendations for future programming. 

Intended use of the evaluation for the different stakeholders 

The evaluation will be used by NCA, JCPUA and partners as documentation of results and will be shared with NCA’s donor, NORAD. Field visit reports, the draft evaluation report and the final evaluation report will be shared with the JCPUA and HEKS. The evaluation will generate knowledge from the implementation of the programme and reflect on challenges and lesson learned. 

The evaluation will focus on the following items, which are further detailed below: 

• An in-depth review of implementation of various programme outputs and activities outlined in the project documents with a view to identify the level of achievement as well as an analysis of factors in case the targets were not fulfilled 
• Review the extent by which the programme has contributed to women and girls' protection, participation, wellbeing and empowerment 
• Assess the quality of partnerships with women led/ or women rights organisations, identify if there were gaps and document a lesson for future referencing 
• Extract the lessons learned and best practices that can be considered in planning and design of an amended future phase and recommendation that can be applied in projects with the same nature 
• Assess the quality of GBV and MHPSS projects and activities, and the competency including soft skills of all staff 
  
  

3. Evaluation criteria and questions 

An in-depth review of implementation of various programme outputs and activities outlined in the project documents with a view to identify the level of achievement as well as an analysis of factors in case the targets were not fulfilled 

1.       To what extent is the programme in line with national action plans, feminist movement and priorities on GBV and mental health? 

2.       Are the programme’s objectives and outputs clear, practical and feasible within its frame? 

Review the extent by which the project has contributed to women and girls' protection, participation, well-being and empowerment, and addressed during project planning and implementation 

3.       To what extent does the programme contribute to women and girls' protection, empowerment and participation? 

4.       To what extent does the programme facilitate access and adapt programming for women and girls with disability? 

Assess the quality of partnerships with women led/ or women rights organisations, identify if there were gaps and document a lesson for future referencing 

5.       To what extent has partnership strategy with Women Led/ or Rights Organisations been appropriate and effective? 

6.       To what extent have local authorities and local partners been involved in project implementation? 

Extract the lessons learned and best practices that can be considered in planning and design of an amended future phase and recommendation that can be applied in projects with the same nature 

7.       In which areas does the programme have the greatest achievements or negative impacts? Why and what have been the contributing factors? How can the project build on or expand these achievements and avoid negative impacts for future programming.  

Assess the quality of GBV and MHPSS projects, and the competency including soft skills of all staff 

8.       To what extent was resources used to build the capacity of staff in GBV and MHPSS? Has the project promoted quality and positive changes (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in staff in areas of gender equality and more.  

9.       To what extent have supervision mechanisms been implemented in the programming and its contribution in the development of staff skills and quality of care provided. 

10.   Is there a system of measuring and follow up on the psychosocial wellbeing of clients which informs client care and interventions.  

4. Scope 

The evaluation will focus on the GBV and MHPSS programme in NCA’s Ukraine response from the start in March 2022 to the end of 2024 in Ukraine and Moldova. The geographical focus of the evaluation will cover locations within Moldova, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Kharkiv in addition to on-line services.  

The total duration of the assignment is expected to be a maximum of 10 weeks with at least three weeks of in-person interviews and data collection in Ukraine, and desk review and online-interview with partners in Moldova.  

5. Methodological approach 

Conduct a qualitative and quantitative evaluation which will be centred around the following activities: 

a.       Desk review of relevant documents (including project documents, donor reports with project amendments made, project quality assurance reports, annual workplans, financial reports and including funding data required for the funding analysis as per the evaluation questions., etc.) 

b.       Interviews and Meeting with GBV and MHPSS staff in JCPUA, HEKS, local partners and key stakeholders including donors including Norad and local authorities 

                                                         i.Semi-structured key informant interviews designed for different categories of stakeholders 

                                                       ii.Focus Group Discussions with male and female beneficiaries and stakeholders 

c.       Survey and Questionnaire of staff, participants in programmes, partners and other stakeholders including a KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practice) survey in MHPSS and GBV for technical staff 

d.       Observations of project activities including the soft skills and attitudes of staff 

e.       Case reviews Discussions and use of supervision checklist and assessment of case formulation skill 

f.        Data review and analysis of monitoring and other data sources and methods. Evidence will be provided for every claim generated by the evaluation and data will be triangulated to ensure validity. An evaluation matrix or other methods need be used to map the data and triangulate the available evidence. 

The evaluation team must be able to conduct field visits in our areas of operation (see Scope section and below) and to communicate with stakeholders in Ukrainian and Russian. Depending on how the safety and access situation may develop during the assignment, data collection may be alternatively done remotely, e.g. through online or phone interviews.  

The proposed approach and methodology should be considered as flexible guidelines rather than final requirements. The evaluator will have an opportunity to make their innovative inputs and propose changes in the evaluation design—with the final methodological approach to be clearly outlined in the inception report and fully discussed and agreed with NCA.  

6. Evaluation deliverables, timeline and logistics 

The following deliverables are expected:  

a.       Submit the inception report: The inception report should be carried out following and based on preliminary discussion with NCA and partners after the desk review and should be produced before the evaluation starts.  

b.       Submit the assessment tools 

c.       Field work debrief: Immediately following the field work, the evaluator/s will provide a debriefing to NCA and partners  

d.       Draft Evaluation Report 

e.       Final Evaluation Report with incorporation of feedback from NCA on the draft report and following the 1-2-25 format: 

o    1-page of specific, actionable recommendations   

o    2-page evaluation summary, following a template provided by NCA  

o    25-page evaluation report with a presentation of background, methods, results, and findings, with discussion of limitations and specific actionable recommendations 

f.        Presentation to NCA, partners and donors. 

All deliverables will be submitted in electronic format and in English.  

Tentative timeline 

7. Evaluation logistics and other support   

The consultant is expected to organize and assume full responsibility for the conduct of the evaluation, including field visits, in line with the approved inception report.   

Expected participation and support from JCPUA DCA-NCA office and from HEKS-EPER:   

• Sharing of relevant information and documentation  
• Key staff being available for interviews   
• Safety briefings 
• Facilitation of contact with partners and other stakeholders (authorities, public institutions, UN system)  

8. Required expertise, qualifications and competencies  

The researcher/ research team requires a strong team of experts with different backgrounds. The expertise and requirements include but not limited to: 

a.       Advanced research expertise and experience in a wide range of evaluation and research approaches  

b.       Previous experience, preferably conducting thematic research and evaluations of GBV and MHPSS programmes 

c.       Extensive conceptual and methodological skills and experience in applying qualitative and quantitative research/ evaluation methods.  

d.       Knowledge of the relevant international/regional frameworks pertaining to women political rights and gender equality, women’s political participation  

e.       Country level programming expertise, gender mainstreaming, experience/knowledge of feminist’s movements in Ukraine.  

f.        Strong experience and knowledge in human rights issues, the human rights-based approach to programming, human rights analysis and GBV  

g.       Excellent analytical, facilitation and communications skills 

h.       Ability to negotiate with a wide range of stakeholders 

i.         Experience in parliamentary work, governance, rule of law, civil society movements.  

j.         Fluency in English, Ukrainian and Russian is mandatory

k. Independent access to the relevant parts of Ukraine 

Link to original source:https://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/en/for-contractors/current-business-opportunities