2

January 19, 2012

Dear Sir/Madam,

Subject: Request for Proposal

1. The American Red Cross, Haiti Delegation hereby solicit your proposal for the provision of an Programm Evaluation, Disaster Risk Reduction program; as per the attached Terms of Reference (TOR) that includes the scope of work.

2. The Request for Proposal (RFP) consists of this letter of transmittal and the following enclosures: Enclosure 1: Specifications/TOR

3. Please note that this document is an RFP and not an invitation to bid. You should also note that the terms set forth in this RFP, the TOR (Enclosure 1) will form a part of any contract should the American Red Cross (ARC) accept your proposal.

4. It is anticipated that any contract or contracts entered into as a result of this RFP will be for a period of 6 weeks (approx. 30 working days), beginning Mid February 2012.

5. This RFP does not commit the ARC to award a contract or to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of proposals, or costs incurred in making necessary studies for the preparation thereof, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. The ARC reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received in response to this RFP and to negotiate with any of the proposers or other firms in any manner deemed to be in the best interest of the ARC. It also reserves the right to negotiate and award separate or multiple contracts for the elements covered by this RFP in any combination it may deem appropriate, in its sole discretion; modify or exclude any consideration, information or requirement contained in this RFP, and to add new considerations, information or requirements at any stage of the procurement process, including during negotiations with proposers.

6. Proposers must provide all requisite information and clearly and concisely respond to all points set out in this RFP. Any proposal which does not fully and comprehensively address this RFP will be rejected. However, unnecessarily elaborate brochures and other presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not encouraged.

7. The normal terms of payment of the ARC are within 30 days of satisfactory delivery of goods or services and documents in apparent good order. Proposers must therefore clearly specify in their Proposal the payment terms being offered if different from these.

8. The agency/person is expected to submit a proposal (maximum 5 pages) in English submitted no later than 11:59pm EST, February 3, 2012.
9. Any proposals received after the stated opening time and date will be rejected.

10. Proposals must be sent to: Ranjan Mohnot (Delegate Quality & Learning) at MohnotR@usa.redcross.org and copied to arc.evaluation@gmail.com. Please use the following in the subject line of your email: “Consultant – DRR Final Evaluation”.

11. All elements of the proposal should be contained in one single file, in either Word or pdf format. The title of the file should use the following naming convention: Lastname_DRR.
12. The proposal should include the following four items. Please note that any proposal which does not contain all four items will be rejected.
1. One-page Summary of experience
2. Detailed CVs of all professionals who will work on the evaluation. If there is more than one consultant on the proposed evaluation team, please attach a table describing the level of effort (in number of days) of each team member in each of the evaluation activities.
3. Professional references: please provide two or three references from your previous clients.
4. Daily rate: please mention the proposed daily rate in USD.


The Summary of experience should be no more than one page and should include the following:

1. Experience in leading project/program evaluations
o number of evaluations led (with dates, locations and names of organizations)
o number of evaluations served as team member

2. Experience in qualitative methods
o numbers of years of experience
o tools/methods used in past

3. Experience in DRR projects/programs
o number of years of experience
o titles of positions held
o countries worked in
o organizations worked for

4. Experience in post-disaster/humanitarian context
o number of years of experience
o countries worked in

5. Professional experience in Haiti
o number of years of experience
o organizations worked for

6. Language proficiency
o clearly state language proficiency in English, French and Haitian Creole

13. Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the ARC in accordance with the provisions of the ARC’s Procurement Policy as well as the considerations, information and requirements contained in this RFP. The evaluation procedure will consist of a formal, substantive and financial assessment of the proposals received. Price is an important factor; however, it is not the only consideration in evaluating responses to an RFP.

14. Your proposal shall remain valid and open for acceptance for a period of at least sixty (60) days from the submission date. Please indicate in your proposal that it will remain valid for this period.

15. Following submission of the proposals and final evaluation, the ARC will have the right to retain unsuccessful proposals. It is the proposer’s responsibility to identify any information of a confidential or proprietary nature contained in its proposal, so that it may be handled accordingly.
 

Terms of Reference for External Contractor
Final Evaluations of Disaster Risk Reduction Projects and Program – Haiti
January 2012

Type of evaluations Two end-of-project evaluations & program review
Expected evaluation methodologies Quantitative esearch methodologies
Number of evaluators Two (2) evaluators:
- one to lead EDRR evaluation
- the other to lead CBDRR evaluation
- one (of the two) to lead the program-level review (“team leader”)
Who may apply Individuals, groups of individuals and firms may apply for one or both of the positions
Expected start/end dates, number of work days February 15, 2012
Budget USD 50,000
Deadline for receiving applications 11:59pm EST, February 3, 2012


1. Description of project/program to be evaluated

1.1. Background and objectives of project/program
Haiti ranks as one of the countries with the highest exposure to multiple hazards, according to the World Bank’s Natural Disaster Hotspot study. Between 1900 and 2011, more than 90 major disasters hit hard Haiti and 88 (98%) disaster events were weather related . On an average, Haiti has been stricken by 1 tropical storm in every 2 to 3 years and by a major hurricane every 6 to 7 years. While natural hazards have a severe impact in Haiti, it is the extreme vulnerability of the country due to poverty, environmental degradation and deforestation that increases its risk. The powerful earthquake that struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 was one of the worst catastrophes in history , which revealed once more the vulnerability of the country to natural disasters.

In view of this, The American Red Cross (ARC) has been supporting Haitian Red Cross (HRC) in disaster response and preparedness activities from many years, for instance, the ARC , since 2009, has supported the HRC in implementing Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) program in 10 different communities of Arcahaie and Cabaret Communes . Following the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the ARC has further scaled up Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) efforts targeting most vulnerable internally displaced population (IDP) residing in spontaneously established informal settlements (IDP camps). For instance, the ARC implemented emergency disaster risk reduction (EDRR) EDRR program in 66 different informal settlements in Port au Price Metropolitan area. The goal and objectives of both components of DRR program are:

Project Goal and objectives
CBDRR: It is implemented in 10 communities of Arcahaie and Cabaret (in West Department) of Haiti. Key interventions include; Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA), Community Awareness on DRR measures, training community members in First Aid, forming and training Community Disaster Response Teams, developing community disaster action plans, and conducting micro- mitigation projects Goal:
 Enhance disaster preparedness and response capacity and reduce the impact of disasters in the West Department, Haiti
Objectives:
 Build the disaster management capacity of Haitian Red Cross Branches to efficiently and effectively respond to disasters and implement community-based disaster risk reduction interventions.
 Build skills of communities to identify risk, and to take action to prepare for, respond to, and to mitigate potential disasters.
EDRR: It is focused on supporting residents of 66 different IDP camps to assess their camp’s hazard risk factors and improve capacity for disaster risk management; sharing knowledge and teaching skills to prepare for, respond to and cope with disasters; reducing impacts of hazards through micro-mitigation activities; and developing ways for camp residents to develop camp based early warning –early action measure. Goal:
 Reduce negative impacts of disasters and increase safety and resilience in the Internally Displaced Population (IDP) camps through rapid disaster risk reduction interventions
Objective:
 Build the skills of IDP camp residents to identify risk, and to take action to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate potential disasters


Since DRR is not merely a component or project (s) is rather holistic approach to build safer and resilient communities, the ARC intends to carry our strategic and combined final evaluation of both projects.

1.2. Scope and reach of project/program
From a strategic point of view the both projects (CBDRR and EDRR) have vast commonalities particularly the overarching goal is common-“reduce impact of disasters and increase safety & resilience…” However, bother projects have unique features in terms of target areas, beneficiaries, implementation modality and time frame –most importantly the ‘before earthquake’ and ‘after earthquake’ scenarios. The following table provides a snap shot overview of CBDRR and EDRR projects:


Project Scope and reach of the project
CBDRR: It’s started before earthquake (September 01, 2009) as a part of ARC’s Caribbean Disaster Preparedness (DP) program. The project sites are the 10 communal sections of Cabaret and Arcahaie which are located in the West Department of Haiti, which were was severely affected by floods (October 2007) and Hurricanes (September 2008). The direct beneficiaries of the CBDRR project are; the HRC’s committee members, volunteers and the members of Local Disaster Management Teams (i.e. CLD/ EIU and CDRT) in the 10 communal sections. The CBDRR sensitization activities reached more than 163,898 residents including school children located in the ten communal sections of these two communes. The project’s plan of action was revised and life of project (LOIP) extended for 6 months since project’s original plan was hampered by the earthquake and cholera outbreak.
EDRR: It’s started after the earthquake when more than 1.5 million had to be accommodated in 1,555 informal settlements/IDP camps (source: UNOCHA) in the urban areas of Port-au-Prince and Carrefour, and in the rural areas of Leogane and Jacmel who were exposed to multiple hazards and risks. The EDRR program scaled up since February 15, 2011 to reach 200,000 camp residents living in 100 IDP spontaneous camps or relocation sites in earthquake affected areas in Port au Prince metropolitan area. The program set out to reduce negative impacts of disasters and increase safety and resilience in camps through rapid disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction interventions. The plan of action of the EDRR project is being revised only targeting 66 camps with more follow up activities based on the recommendations of Mid-Term Review (MTR) conducted in November 2011.
The project documents and reports will be available for detailed information to the selected consultant.

1.3. Project/program management
CBDRR project is implemented by Haitian Red Cross with financial and technical support of American Red Cross. EDRR project is direct implemented by ARC with close coordination with HRC.

1.4. Previous evaluation activities
Internal evaluation (EDRR phase-I) and mid-term evaluation (EDRR phase-II) carried out and reports are available. For CBDRR components evaluation was not carried out before.


2. Evaluation Overview

2.1. Purpose of evaluation
1. Evaluate and learn from the DRR projects in Haiti
2. Provide inputs for future DRR projects in Haiti
3. Provide inputs for future DRR projects outside of Haiti, in both disaster and non-disaster settings

2.2. Objectives of evaluation
- Describe and assess results – intended and unintended, positive and negative
- Assess the major factors which influence results
- Draw lessons learned (including replicability within and outside of Haiti)

2.3. Main audience of evaluation
Haiti field staff (DRR delegates, Q&L delegate, senior management), as well as headquarters-based staff (M&E Advisor, DRR Advisor, HAP senior management, other senior management).

2.4. Coverage of evaluation
The evaluations will cover all geographic areas in which the projects were implemented, as well as all project components and all project beneficiaries.


3. Evaluation criteria and questions


Criteria Main evaluation questions Sub-questions
Outcomes 1. Did the project achieve its intended outcomes? 1.1. To what extent did the project increase safety, resilience and capacity in the targeted camps/communities? EDRR & CBDRR
1.2. Does the Haitian RC—and particularly the local branches—now have the capacity to effectively design and implement disaster risk reduction projects at the community level? CBDRR
1.3. To what extent did project activities impact behaviors in the targeted camps/communities? EDRR & CBDRR

Relevance 2. How appropriate was project design?
2.1. Did the project design and objectives meet the prevailing Haitian disaster risk humanitarian context? EDRR & CBDRR
2.2. Were objectives, activities and indicators appropriately designed to address identified needs in targeted camps/communities? EDRR & CBDRR
2.3. Did project activities ensure objectives were met? EDRR & CBDRR
2.4. Did project staffing (e.g. number of staff, location, capacity, skills, management support) ensure effective service delivery of the project? EDRR & CBDRR
2.5. Were the appropriate people and organizations (including targeted camp/community members) involved in project design? EDRR & CBDRR
2.6. What EDRR components were most useful? EDRR
Effectiveness 3. How well were project activities planned and implemented? 3.1. Were project activities implemented as planned? EDRR & CBDRR
3.2. Were there any key programmatic challenges during implementation and how were they addressed? EDRR & CBDRR
3.3. Did the project take advantage of opportunities to mobilize support from other actors in the area? EDRR & CBDRR
3.4. Were project monitoring systems effective in providing information to program staff to ensure program decisions and course correction (if needed) were made? CBDRR
3.5. How well did the project respond to unplanned events? EDRR & CBDRR

Coordination 4. How well did AmCross coordinate with project stakeholders? 4.1. Was the division of work, roles and responsibilities between the partners clear and appropriate? EDRR & CBDRR
4.2. What were the challenges and successes of the relationships? EDRR & CBDRR

Satisfaction 5. How satisfied were the targeted camps / communities with the project?

6. How satisfied was the Haitian Red Cross—including the local branches—with the project?
5.1. What were the main issues raised by people in the camps/communities concerning their level of satisfaction with the project? EDRR & CBDRR

6.1. What were the main issues raised by the Haitian Red Cross—including the local branches—concerning their level of satisfaction with the project? EDRR & CBDRR

Replicability 7. Is EDRR replicable in non-camp settings in Haiti?

8. Is EDRR replicable in other disaster contexts outside of Haiti? 7.1. Are the skills taught to beneficiaries through EDRR transferable to a non-camp, urban setting in Haiti? EDRR
7.2. Is the early warning “flag” system transferable to a non-camp setting in Port-au-Prince? EDRR

Sustainability 9. How sustainable were project outcomes? 9.1. What are the main factors that affect, either positively or negatively, the sustainability of project outcomes? CBDRR
9.2. What exit strategies were incorporated into project design? Were such strategies implemented and to what extent did they contribute to sustainability? EDRR & CBDRR

Lessons 10. What lessons can be learned that would help inform future DRR projects, both in Haiti and elsewhere? 10.1. In what ways could future urban (EDRR) and rural (CBDRR) DRR projects effectively complement each other? Program
10.2. What are key lessons learnt from the project that would help inform future DRR projects in Haiti? EDRR & CBDRR
10.3. What are key lessons learnt from the project that are generalizable to future DRR projects outside of Haiti? EDRR & CBDRR


4. Scope of work and Evaluation design

4.1. Scope of work
The contractor will be responsible for the following:
1. Developing evaluation methodology and work plan
2. Data collection and analysis
3. Report writing

4.2. Methodologies
The evaluator is expected to use the following methodologies:
1. Desk review of key documents, including strategy documents, prior evaluation reports, monitoring reports and other documents judged relevant.
2. Literature search and review of material on the environment in which the program operates, and recent developments which impact objectives and activities
3. Interviews with key project staff and with representatives of project stakeholders
4. Focus group discussions with stakeholders
5. Physical inspection of transitional shelters

Other approaches can be proposed, including (but not limited to) the following:
6. “Most Significant Change”
7. Case studies

4.3. Discussion of inception report
After the consultant has had the opportunity to review monitoring data, speak with key project personnel and review background and project materials, the consultant will prepare an inception report that will include details on the proposed methodology, work plan and analysis plan. A discussion will take place with the Evaluation manager to review and finalize the details in the report.

4.4. Logistic and Administrative Support
The American Red Cross can support the consultant with airfare to Haiti, and with accommodations and transportation in Haiti. A translator and additional requested human resources can also be provided. The consultant is expected to bring their own computer.



4.5. Reporting relationship
The contractor will report to Adesh Tripathee, Senior DRR Delegate, who is the designated evaluation manager.

4.6. International standards & Presentation of evidence
Standard evaluation and survey methodologies and good practices utilized in the international humanitarian community should be applied. Such resources should include but are not limited to those promulgated by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

In particular, all findings and conclusions should be based on evidence which is presented in the evaluation report. For sample surveys, detailed information should be presented on the sample design (including sample size calculation, stratification, clustering, allocation, selection, departures from equal selection probability and weighting), the respondent selection methodology, nonresponse rates, and coefficient of variation, design effect and intra-class correlation for all variables. For case studies, the criteria and processes for selecting those cases should be presented.

4.7. Ethical Guidelines
It is expected that the evaluation will adhere to ethical guidelines as outlined in the American Evaluation Association’s Guiding Principles for Evaluators. A summary of these guidelines is provided below, and a more detailed description can be found at www.eval.org/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesPrintable.asp.
1. Informed Consent: All participants are expected to provide informed consent following standard and pre-agreed upon consent protocols.
2. Systematic Inquiry: Evaluators conduct systematic, data-based inquiries.
3. Competence: Evaluators provide competent performance to stakeholders.
4. Integrity/Honesty: Evaluators display honesty and integrity in their own behavior, and attempt to ensure the honesty and integrity of the entire evaluation process.
5. Respect for People: Evaluators respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants, clients, and other evaluation stakeholders. It is expected that the evaluator will obtain the informed consent of participants to ensure that they can decide in a conscious, deliberate way whether they want to participate.
6. Responsibilities for General and Public Welfare: Evaluators articulate and take into account the diversity of general and public interests and values that may be related to the evaluation.

4.8. Future use of data
All collected data will be the sole property of the American Red Cross. The contractor may not use the data for their own research purposes, nor license the data to be used by others, without the written consent of the American Red Cross.




5. Expected activities and Deliverables

5.1. Expected activities

Activities Number of days (illustrative)
1. Desk review, literature search and discussions with key program staff 5
2. Develop and submit inception report for approval 1
3. Develop instruments for qualitative data collection (FGD guide, Key informant interview etc.) 2
4. Qualitative data collection (Key Informant Interview, FGD, & beneficiarie’s interview etc.) 10
5. Prepare and submit draft report 7
6. Finalize report in line with ARC feedback 5
Total expected work days: 30

5.2. Deliverables

1. Inception report
2. Finalized data collection instruments
3. Finalized data collection training tools
4. Draft report
5. Final report


6. Obligations of key participants in the evaluation

6.1. Obligations of the Contractors
a. Inform the evaluation manager in a timely fashion of progress made and of any problems encountered.
b. Implement the activities as expected, and if modifications are necessary, bring to the attention of the Evaluation Manager before enacting any changes.
c. Report on a timely basis any possible conflicts of interest.

6.2. Obligations of the Evaluation Manager
a. Make sure that the contractors are provided with the specified human resources and logistical support, and answer any day-to-day enquiries.
b. Facilitate the work of the contractors with beneficiaries and other local stakeholders.
c. Monitor the daily work of the contractors and flag any concerns.
d. Receive and signoff on deliverables and authorize payment

6.3. Obligations of Quality & Learning Delegate and NHQ Technical Team
a. Review and approve the proposed methodology.
b. Provide technical oversight in the review of all deliverables.
c. Provide timely comments on the draft report.
d. Receive and signoff on deliverables and authorize payment


7. Required qualifications of both consultants

ARC is seeking a team of two (2) professionals to undertake this evaluation. It is anticipated that the following skills and experience will be represented in the team:

1. Demonstrated experience in leading evaluations of DRR-related humanitarian projects/programs
2. Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing DRR projects, particularly in a post-disaster recovery context
3. Demonstrated experience in training on participatory assessments (VCA, PRA, etc.)
4. Demonstrated professional experience in post-disaster/humanitarian environments
5. Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis
6. Candidate with Red Cross experience preferred
7. Professional work experience in Haiti preferred
8. Fluency in English required; fluency in French or Haitian Creole preferred


8. Application and selection details

8.1. Application materials
CV and proposed daily fee for each consultant, in one single Word or pdf file. The title of the file should use the following naming convention: Lastname_DRR.

8.2. Application procedures
Send all application materials to the following email address: arc.evaluation@gmail.com. Incomplete applications and applications sent after the deadline will not be accepted.

8.3. Deadline for applications
11:59pm EST, February 3, 2012

8.4. Selection criteria
Applications will be evaluated within one week of receipt according to the following criteria:
1. Experience in leading project/program evaluations
2. Experience in DRR projects/programs
3. Experience in post-disaster/humanitarian context
4. Professional experience in Haiti
5. Cost

8.5. Questions from bidders
Considering the expected timeframe of the evaluation, we will not be able to respond to questions from potential bidders.

Consultant

1. Demonstrated experience in leading evaluations of DRR-related humanitarian projects/programs
2. Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing DRR projects, particularly in a post-disaster recovery context
3. Demonstrated experience in training on participatory assessments (VCA, PRA, etc.)
4. Demonstrated professional experience in post-disaster/humanitarian environments
5. Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis
6. Candidate with Red Cross experience preferred
7. Professional work experience in Haiti preferred
8. Fluency in English required; fluency in French or Haitian Creole preferred