Consultancy for Endline Evaluation

 TERMS OF REFERENCE

 Consultancy for Endline Evaluation

Nigeria-Benin Border Communities Peace Initiative: Enhancing Collaboration for Peace and Security in Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Kwara, and Niger States (ECPS Project)

Context

Search for Common Ground

Search is an international conflict transformation NGO that aims to transform how individuals, groups, governments, and companies deal with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative solutions. Headquartered in Washington DC, USA, and Brussels, Belgium, with 52 field offices in over 30 countries, including Nigeria. Search designs and implements multifaceted, culturally appropriate, and conflict-sensitive programs using a diverse range of tools, including media and training, to promote dialogue, increase knowledge, and determine a positive shift in behaviours. Search is seeking a consultant to conduct an Endline Study to determine age, and gender-disaggregated information for the outcome indicators in 5 focal states of the project implementation: Kebbi, Kwara, Katsina, Niger, and Zamfara in Northern Nigeria. 

The Project 

The project aims to improve peace and security in Nigerian-Benin border communities in Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, Katsina, and Zamfara States. The first three states were the focal states for the on-the-ground implementation of the project initiatives. These initiatives are being achieved through community capacity building, institutional strengthening, and cross-border collaboration. Planned project activities focused on empowering community members through training in conflict sensitivity and early warning systems, establishing and revitalising local government-level and state-level Peace Architecture Dialogues, and fostering collaboration amongst project stakeholders. The project also sought the promotion of trust-building and social cohesion through approaches such as sports activities between communities and security officials, media engagement for conflict-sensitive journalism, and community outreach through radio dramas and participatory theatre. By fostering inclusive dialogue and enhancing security coordination, the project improved perceptions of peace and security while building sustainable conflict resolution and prevention mechanisms in the region. 

As a best practice and contractual obligation of the project, this study is designed to conduct an endline evaluation to assess the project's achievements through a comparative analysis between the baseline and endline studies, among other approaches, to evaluate the project's impact by measuring the status of the project’s outcome indicators, as outlined in the table below:

Specific Objectives (SO) and Expected Results (ER) of the Project against the Indicators to be provided by this Consultancy

a. Theory of change: 

b. Project objectives & expected results: 

• The consultant is expected to collect data, analyse, and provide answers to the following research questions

• Were the project’s outcomes aligned with the identified needs and priorities of the target community?
• How does the project address the significant gaps in the context of its implementation?
• How do the project's impacts align with the Peace Impact Framework (PIF)?

• To what extent were the project’s objectives and targets met?
• What factors contributed to or hindered the achievement of these objectives?
• Were the methods and strategies used effective in delivering results?
• Impact:
• What significant changes occurred in the community and the lives of beneficiaries as a result of the intervention?
• How did the project contribute to systemic or transformative changes?
• Were there any intended (positive) or unintended (negative) consequences?

• Are mechanisms in place to sustain the project’s benefits?
• Were local capacities and systems strengthened to maintain activities?
• How did the project integrate environmental, financial, and social sustainability considerations?
• How adaptable was the intervention to changes in the operating environment?

• How consistent was the project with national policies and donor interventions?
• How did the project complement or duplicate the efforts of other stakeholders?
• How does the project achieve synergies through collaboration with other programs?
• What worked well, what did not work well, and what needs to be improved in the project implementation?

• In addition to the above-mentioned evaluation objectives, the firm/consultant will be required to analyze the project's contribution to the organization's overall indicators. This will involve identifying which themes the project's objectives and results align with and how they align. The peace impact framework document will be provided to the firm/consultant for this purpose. 

• The endline Study will be conducted in the following States targeting the selected LGA: Niger (Borugu LGA), Kebbi (Dandi LGA), and Kwara (Barutten LGA), Katsina (Jibia LGA) and Zamfara (Kaura Namoda LGA).

• The consultant in submitting the proposal should outline the research approaches and methodologies for data collection to be used, including sampling techniques and justification for these methods related to the research objectives. The application submitted must clearly explain why the proposed methodology is the most appropriate to achieve the study objectives; it must also clarify the different tools that will be used and how each of these tools contributes to meeting the established lines of inquiry. 

• The consultant will be responsible for finalising the literature review, designing the final methodology, developing tools, training enumerators, data analysis, drafting the report, and providing actionable recommendations that will be validated (one day) in each target State. Proposals should include clarity on data triangulation and key methodologies for data collection. Methodologies for data analysis would also have to be outlined with justifications and reasoning for any key methods mentioned, including the Do No Harm strategies and any proposed strategies for sharing the findings of the study in line with research ethics involving human subjects.

• Desk review of key documents eg. Project Documents, baseline reports, assessments, research studies, and progress reports.
• Qualitative assessment methods (to provide in-depth individual interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document review).
• Quantitative assessment methods (i.e. survey format/questionnaire)
• A collaborative approach, engaging key programme stakeholders in the design, data collection, and analysis phases, is essential.

• The consultant(s) will be responsible for organising their logistics for data collection (vehicles, fuel, and drivers), and this must be budgeted into the study.

• In addition, Search will share the following elements with the awarded consultant: background materials of the project, including logframe and similar surveys to guide and support the study.

• The timeline and the key deliverables for this study are as follows:

• This study will take place from 7th October- 5th November 2025, with the final deliverables due by 10th November 2025 at the latest.
• Final deadlines will be agreed upon by Search and the Consultant upon finalisation of the contract.

• Search expects the following deliverables from the external consultant(s) as they correspond to the timeline and budget:
• Inception report detailing the methodology, data collection tools, Analysis plan, and timeline.
• Setting up, and sharing the systems for data collection with Search.
• Oversight of data coding and training data collectors.
• Supervised and participated in field data collection, and cleaned data used for analysis, and submitted to Search.
• Debrief after data collection is completed (presentation of first trends and preliminary findings).
• Uses the Search evaluation template unless otherwise agreed in the contract.
• Provides a clear connection between the conflict or context assessment and the intended and unintended results that have changed as a result of the project.
• Fully explains the objectives and research questions of the study, limitations, and methods chosen for analysis.
• Findings should respect Search’s evaluation standards, be structured around the main objectives of the study, and be presented concerning the intended target groups. The findings should speak to the link between the project, its Theory of Change, and its contribution to our strategy. It should explain adaptations that occurred during the project and their impact on results.
• Strategic Recommendations should have a clear audience and be specific, accessible, and actionable. 
• Appendices should include detailed research instruments, a list of interviewees, terms of reference, and evaluator (s) brief biography.
• 2-page summary of key findings.
• PowerPoint slides (12 slides max)

• The proposal must also include a budget offer in line with the technical offer.
• A detailed budget should be provided, including daily rates for personnel and costs related to data collection (per total number of people sampled, sites for collection, etc.), analysis, and production of deliverables. Also, the cost of holding data validation sessions should be included in the proposal. Note that the Budget should include all planned costs for the study, as no additional costs will be borne by Search.

• The following skills and experience are expected by Search for the selected evaluator for this project:
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken).
• More than 7 years of experience in evaluation, including collecting data using interviews, surveys, and focus group Discussion methods.
• Experience in previous work of this nature in the social sector.
• Experience working with international organisations/Non-Profit organisations.
• Experience conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys and analysis.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• Familiarity and experience with contextual challenges in the geographic location(s) where the study will take place.

• Selection will be based on the cost-performance ratio and clarity in the developed proposal.
• The weighting coefficients fixed to calculate the final score for each supplier are: 75% or 0.75 for the technical bid score. The proposal for awarding the contract will be determined by adding the technical and financial scores: TO (Technical Offer) + FO (Financial Offer) = successful candidate.  

Applications

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents along with a short cover letter:

Curriculum vitae and a sample of past Endline research work in Northern Nigeria.

A technical proposal proposing a methodology for the evaluation, together with a financial proposal for the completion of the aforementioned deliverables.

NB: Note that all documents should be merged and uploaded as a single document.

Applications must be submitted on or before 11th October 2025

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.

Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.

-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------

Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.

Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.

Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.

Consultez notre code de conduite ici et notre politique de confidentialité ici.

Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web www.sfcg.org para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables.  Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta aquí y nuestra política de privacidad aquí.