AKF and WUSC are seeking qualified consultant(s) or a consulting firm to lead a multi-country, mixed method endline evaluation. This endline study is a contractual obligation included in the project’s Contribution Agreement (CA) with Global Affairs Canada. The purpose of the AGENCI project’s endline study is to provide key project stakeholders with evidence on the project’s achievements related to a set of expected outcomes and to empower them to collaboratively draw learnings and identify recommendations to foster sustainability after the closure of the activities. Aligned with this purpose, and based on the methodology designed for the baseline study as much as possible, the endline study is expected to achieve four specific objectives:

• To establish endline values and analysis for key performance indicators of the AGENCI Performance Management Framework (PMF) across all AGENCI target geographies, as well as measures of the level of achievement of each target. Quantitative data should be triangulated with qualitative data gathered through Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews;
• To assess the validity of the assumptions identified in the project’s Theory of Change (ToC) and validated at baseline;
• To provide an overall assessment of the AGENCI project, based on a set of the OECD-DAC evaluation criteria;
• To identify lessons learned and recommendations for partners and stakeholders, to foster the sustainability of the achieved results and promote the replicability of successful interventions.

4.   The Mandate of the Consultancy

The Consultant (or consultancy firm) will serve as the technical lead for this endline evaluation and will be responsible for revising and updating the methodology and tools developed for the baseline study, coordinating through local AKF and WUSC country units in Uganda, South Sudan, and Syria to facilitate data collection and interpretation, analyzing the collected data, preparing a final consolidated report with individual country annexes, and inserting the data into the Performance Measurement Framework. The Consultant will design and facilitate a plan in close collaboration with the WUSC and AKF project management teams based in Nairobi, Ottawa and Geneva, as well as in the three countries of the study. Specifically, the mandate of the consultancy is to:

• Revise/design the endline methodology and tools: Work with designated AKF and WUSC staff during an inception phase to revise the study design developed at baseline (including data collection methodologies, tools, data analysis plans, etc.) for the purposes of the endline study. This includes finalizing all timelines and necessary contingency plans;
• Support in-country collaboration/input on endline design: Ensure collaborative adaptation of the overall endline design to the local context through the direct involvement of key project staff and identified implementing partner representatives;
• Ensure endline design complements other ongoing AGENCI studies: Coordinate with AKF and WUSC’s teams leading other studies and research under AGENCI to ensure that the methodology and tools will exploit synergies with those studies and fill information gaps;
• Coordinate with country teams on data collection: The consultant will not be responsible for deploying data collection tools on the ground or recruiting/managing enumerators (this will be the responsibility of each AGENCI country team). Rather, the consultant will be responsible for training relevant staff and data collection teams on the use of the data collection tools/methodologies.
• Guide data quality control processes: Provide guidance to country teams on quality assurance during sampling, data collection, data entry, and preliminary data cleaning. Conduct data spot-checks and quality assurance on submitted datasets, following up with teams as needed on data quality issues;
• Conduct data analysis and compile consolidated findings: Analyze the submitted data from the three different countries in line with the endline data analysis plan, integrate the findings to create a final consolidated endline study report (including country-level annexes) that meets the objectives outlined above in section 3.

The endline study will be jointly managed by WUSC and AKFC, with close collaboration between the two organization-specific Canada-based MERL technical leads, and with country teams in the three target countries. A more detailed consultative and decision-making management structure with clear roles and responsibilities will be finalized during the inception phase of the study.

5.    Scope and Methodology of the Endline Evaluation

The following elements should guide the revision of the design and implementation of this endline study:

• The study should consciously apply qualitative and quantitative research methods that are gender and youth-sensitive, and engage as much as possible in participatory and consultative approaches;
• The geographic scope of the study will be aligned with the targeted areas, schools, households and individuals targeted by the project as laid out in the baseline report and all other relevant documents;
• The data collection approaches and specific tools used to establish indicator endline values should be adapted to the local contexts in the three countries, to assure the appropriateness and reliability of the data collected.

The endline study is expected to collect data for all outcome indicators in the PMF. Outcome statements, indicators, sources and data collection methods for each indicator are included in the project PMF and summarized in Table 1 below. While the Consultant, informed by discussions with country-based project teams is encouraged to make suggestions regarding methodologies, the PMF outlines the following data collection methods or evidence streams that were used during the baseline and should ideally be replicated at endline:

1. Literature and document review, including reference to rapid gender equality analyses conducted in the three countries, baseline reports and annual reports, outcome monitoring reports as available, and extraction of data points from education management information systems, whenever available and appropriate;
2. Key informant interviews;
3. Facilitated small group or focus group discussions
   1. with a broad target group of girls, boys and adolescent youth, and
   2. with narrower group of enrolled female and male learners;
4. Surveys, at school and/or household level.

The Consultant will be expected to review the methodology/tools used at baseline for collecting data on all AGENCI Project Outcome Indicators and propose detailed refinements as appropriate, using a combination of the above mentioned qualitative and quantitative methods.