Attachment_J.1_Task_Order_1.pdf

Solicitation No.: - 72011518R00003 USAID/Central Asia

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) Attachment J.1: Task Order 1

ATTACHMENT J.1 -- TASK ORDER NO. 1

SECTION B – SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Task Order is to perform evaluation of Access to Information Activity and Tajikistan Agriculture and Water Activity as described in the Statement of Work (SOW) specified in Section C.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES

This is a Firm-Fixed Price Task Order. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor shall provide the deliverables or outputs described in Section C and comply with all contract requirements.

B.3 BUDGET

(a) The ceiling price of this task order is $TBD.

(b) The amount currently obligated and available for payment to the Contractor for performance hereunder is $TBD.

B.4 PAYMENT

The paying office is Financial Management Office, USAID/Central Asia, see Section G.5.

[END OF SECTION B]

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SECTION C – DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 TITLE OF ACTIVITY

The USAID/Central Asia “Access to Information” (A2I) Activity Evaluation

C.2 PURPOSE

The purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to test primary objectives set forth in the A2I cooperative agreement. The evaluation will provide pertinent information, analysis, and judgments that assist USAID to learn what has been accomplished against the intended results of the cooperative agreement, as well as will give recommendations on how to achieve any results not yet attained during the final stages of the award. Specifically, the evaluation will help USAID better understand results from its media investments in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Activities in the Kyrgyz Republic were part of A2I in the first three years of the program, but the Kyrgyz portion of this activity will not be evaluated under this task order.

C.3 BACKGROUND

Central Asia is at a crossroads with respect to media development. The diversification of traditional broadcast news outlets and the proliferation of “new” digital, satellite and social media platforms have been embraced to various degrees by the people and governments across the region. Despite these developments, the availability of quality, civically-relevant programming remains low and greatly overshadowed by Russian-broadcast news and entertainment programs that reflect a worldview no longer fully relevant to Central Asians.

In May 2017, Kyrgyzstan converted to digital television programming. Kazakhstan and Tajikistan postponed the transition to digital television until 2018 and 2020, respectively.

Incomplete legislative frameworks, pernicious or incoherent government policies, and a lack of preparation by non-government stations jeopardized the future of television in Central Asia.

Urgent support was required throughout this process to prevent the sudden disappearance of the already limited non-state media voices.

While non-state media has struggled to survive and remain relevant, public trust in mass media has been eroding. This is largely due to low professional journalism standards and poor business practices in the industry. In addition, while digital tools generally enhance the ability to gather, process and disseminate news, the increased use of technology placed additional demands on journalists in terms of capacities, skills, and experience.

C.4 PROJECT INTENT

The A2I program’s period of implementation is from October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2019 with a total estimated cost of $4,999,390. The goal of the program is to improve governance outcomes by increasing citizen access to civically-relevant information. The program is regional, with regional and country-specific activities focused on Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Activities in

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) the Kyrgyz Republic were part of the program in its first three years, but the Kyrgyz portion of this activity will not be evaluated under this task order.

Good governance is typically viewed as a two-way interchange between governance institutions and citizens. Access to civically-relevant information allows citizens to play an active role in the “feedback loop” with governance institutions -- be it by voting, advocating for improved service delivery, or speaking out against injustice. Access to information is a critical ingredient to participate fully in civic life and is fundamental to local and national government accountability.

Collectively, constructive interactions between citizens and the state on good governance issues lead to sounder policy, more responsive government institutions, and improved social services, simultaneously reducing the potential of social, ethnic, and other forms of conflict.

The A2I program aims to increase citizen access to civically-relevant information through four complementary objectives:

Increased regional cooperation to improve the competitiveness of non-state media outlets through content generation and sharing;

Increased resilience of independent media to survive the impending, treaty-mandated shift to digital broadcasting across Central Asia in 2015;

Strengthened diversity and professionalism of voices in traditional and “new” media; and Improved legal and policy environment for media.

C.5 EVALUATION PURPOSE

This is a mid-term performance evaluation that will help determine what components and project aspects are working well, which are not, and why, as well as to make informed decisions on the direction of the media portfolio in Central Asia. The purpose of this evaluation is to gauge the achievement of the primary objectives set in the A2I cooperative agreement. The evaluation should provide pertinent information, analysis, and judgments that assist USAID to learn what has been accomplished against the intended results of the cooperative agreement, as well as will give recommendations on how to achieve any results not yet attained during the final stages of the award. The evaluation will help USAID better understand its media investments in the region, notably in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

C.6 EVALUATION QUESTIONS

The evaluation will address the following key questions:

• To what degree has Internews met the four objectives as stated in the Cooperative Agreement?

• What gaps in addressing the program objectives still exist?

• Going forward, how, and in which areas, should USAID-funded media activities be conducted to support journalists and other media actors in reporting objective information to the people of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan?

• Given the media environment in Central Asia and goal of the program, was the design and structure of the activity appropriate to successfully achieving the goal?

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• To what extent were the strengths and weaknesses related to performance of the implementer and USAID team (particularly their management effectiveness and efficiency)?

• To what extent were the strengths and weaknesses related to the program being regional versus discrete activities for each country?

C.7 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS

This evaluation will be qualitative in nature with some secondary, quantitative data analysis.

Prior to the start of data collection, as part of the evaluation work plan, the evaluation team will develop and present, for USAID review and approval, a data analysis plan; what procedures will be used to analyze qualitative data obtained from key informant and other sources; and how the evaluation will weigh and integrate qualitative data from various sources with quantitative data from project performance monitoring records to reach conclusions about the effectiveness and efficiency of the A2I Program in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

The contractor shall have flexibility in proposing the most appropriate methodology to accomplish the tasks outlined in the most efficient way. However, the contractor will address the following:

Task 1: Desk review The contractor will conduct a desk review to gain a general overview of the media sector in Central Asia, particularly in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan and identify areas (as related to the A2I objectives and evaluation questions) that merit closer attention once the team begins its fieldwork. Reading materials will be available to the team upon award. The contractor shall also review a broad range of other relevant non-project related documents such as peer-review articles and other publications and incorporate the review findings into the data collection instruments, the data collection design, and data analysis and interpretation.

USAID will provide the evaluation team with a package of background materials, including:

• USAID Central Asia Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (2015-2019)

• A2I Cooperative Agreement (2014)

• A2I Work Plans, Years 1-3

• A2I Annual Reports, Years 1-3

• A2I Quarterly Reports, 2014 - 2017

• A2I Initial Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, 2014

• A2I Annual PMEP Report, Years 1-3

• Internews CAR Media Assessment, April 2017

• Media Sustainability Index 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 for Tajikistan and Kazakhstan

The final evaluation report shall triangulate information obtained from the pre-field work desk review and from the field to articulate A2I contributions to the objectives as well as any opportunities to strengthen achievements during the remaining time frame of the program and beyond.

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Task 2: Draft description of overall methodology and work plan In conjunction with USAID/Central Asia, the contractor will develop a plan for conducting their fieldwork using information from the desk review and this SOW. The work plan will clearly outline the methodological approach the team will use. The work plan shall be submitted for review to the USAID/Central Asia COR for approval prior to arrival in country. The work plan shall include a fieldwork schedule, including a preliminary list of all proposed districts for travel and key organizations the evaluation team plans to meet.

Task 3: Conduct a field data collection The in-country data collection includes, but is not limited to, facilitated discussions through interviews with the following counterparts:

KAZAKHSTAN

Internews Network Partner CSOs Other CSOs Partner media outlets Government of Kazakhstan Donor counterparts Business counterparts Journalists, media specialists (beneficiaries)

TAJIKISTAN

Internews Network Partner CSOs Other CSOs Partner media outlets Government of Tajikistan Donor counterparts Business counterparts Journalists, media specialists (beneficiaries)

The evaluation team will spend at least three weeks in the region with the evaluation team visiting at least four cities in Kazakhstan and three cities in Tajikistan. Travel to Kyrgyzstan is not included in the budget or SOW. The identification of informants/respondents and scheduling data collection must be arranged as far in advance as possible to maximize efficient use of time while in the field. USAID/Central Asia will provide introductions and contact information to facilitate the data collection.

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C.8 TITLE OF ACTIVITY

The USAID/Central Asia “Tajikistan Agriculture and Water Activity” (TAWA) Evaluation

C.9 PURPOSE

The purpose of this evaluation is to test primary objectives set in the Tajikistan Agriculture and Water (TAWA) contract. The evaluation should provide pertinent information, statistics, and judgments that assist USAID and Chemonics International, Inc. (Chemonics) to learn what has been accomplished against the intended results of the contract, including any management, financial, and cost-efficiency findings. The evaluation will help USAID better understand its investment in nutrition sensitive agriculture in Tajikistan and help focus and strengthen the TAWA activity.

C.10 BACKGROUND

Under the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, Tajikistan is part of an international effort to transform lives toward a world where people no longer face extreme poverty, under nutrition, or hunger. Tajikistan’s multi-year FTF strategy was approved in March 2012 and officially launched in May 2012. This strategy is built on three pillars of which TAWA addresses the first two:

• Pillar One: Assistance to household and small commercial farms to increase income and the production of food for home consumption, and support to improve nutritional and health outcomes.

• Pillar Two: Building the capacity of local institutions and community-based organizations.

FTF Tajikistan will support public and private agricultural extension to advise farm families on production technique, natural resource conservation, food utilization, and formation of producer groups to facilitate access to markets and inputs. It will also support village organizations to help rural residents tackle local development problems themselves. Finally, it will assist local governments in becoming more active and effective, as well as support and expand community-based health efforts.

• Pillar Three: Completing effective agrarian reform in selected districts of Khatlon Province. Agrarian reform includes changes in land and water relations and rights, institutions, policies, and incentives.

TAWA is focused on 12 districts within Khatlon Province, which is referred to as the Zone of Influence (ZOI). These districts are: Bokhtar, Jomi, Dusti (formerly Jilikul), Khuroson, Nosiri Khisrav, Qabodiyon, Jaihun (formerly Qumsangir), Balkhi (formerly Rumi), Sarband, Shahritus, Vakhsh, and Yovon.

C.11 PROJECT INTENT

TAWA is a key component in USAID/Central Asia’s FTF portfolio to improve nutrition of women of reproductive age and children under the age of two in what is referred to as nutrition sensitive agriculture. TAWA’s primary focus is to positively impact nutritional outcomes by

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) increasing yields and returns from household plots. The program directly supports FTF objectives by assisting smallholder farmers to increase, diversify, and add value to their agricultural production to address dietary deficiencies and market production by focusing on five nutrition sensitive agriculture sectors. These sectors were identified as having the greatest possibility of scaling in the ZOI and are agriculture extension, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and irrigation water.

TAWA interventions are coupled with a robust portfolio of other USAID activities, which address both agricultural and non-agricultural activities including sanitation, hygiene, health behavior change, iodized salt, drinking water, and flour fortification.

TAWA is working to improve nutritional outcomes by focusing on family owned private farms or small commercial farms that average less than five hectares. Regardless of farm size, this activity focuses on horticulture, orchard, and dairy livestock feed production and not work with cotton or wheat, the primary agricultural commodity crops currently produced in the ZOI. In addition to private sector engagement, institutional interventions with public entities such as agricultural universities are encouraged. In addition to extension and agricultural technology interventions, this program works to increase the sustainability of the 60 Water User Associations (WUA) USAID organized through its Family Farming Program from 2010-2014 in the FTF ZOI.

The program also places special emphasis on engaging women in all activities. Seventy to Eighty percent of households have a family member working in Russia, Kazakhstan, and in other countries either semi-permanently or seasonally during the period of April to November. This in turn causes an increasing labor shortage in agriculture. Thus, much of the farming and hired farm labor is provided by women. At the same time, the fertility rate within the ZOI is 4.2 children per woman, which is the highest in the former Soviet Union and very high by international standards.

Most of the rural population and possibly more than 90% live in extended families situations where the sons and their families live with the parents. Because of the large number of women working in agriculture and a general lack of access for women to agricultural technologies and services, TAWA programming is directed at the women. In addition, the activity gives consideration to the volatility of international labor markets and uncertainties, with men potentially returning to Tajikistan in the future with domestic employment needs.

Key components within TAWA include the following:

1. Focus on both men and women, recognizing that constraints exist for both male and female farmers (including the needs to migrate due to lack of jobs with earning potential);

2. Reduce the confidence gap by developing activities that address women’s low confidence at all levels of household, farm, community, and government;

3. Reduce the resources gap to ensure that both women and men farmers have access to extension services, credit, and agricultural inputs; and

4. Address time-saving measures for improved technologies

At least half of the level of effort for the Ag and Water program focuses on the following two areas:

• Agricultural Extension Service Development: Agricultural Extension can best be defined as the transfer of current agricultural knowledge to farmers through individual

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) consultations, train the trainer, group training, or mass media as appropriate and economically feasible. Therefore the person transferring the knowledge should be considered as an educator or facilitator and is sometimes referred to as an extension agent.

The Ag and Water activity continues to develop an agriculture advisory service and information system in the ZOI. The program maximizes educational activities with existing groups such as participatory farmer groups, health groups, saving groups, Water User Associations, women’s savings groups, and others to deliver extension services in a cost-efficient and sustainable way.

These groups can be either formal or informal groups. The program educates both experienced farmers and the jamoat agricultural specialists who will further disseminate the new knowledge and farming methods.

• Extended Season Vegetable Production: All interventions support the FTF objectives to increase income for smallholder farmers and to improve nutrition of children under the age of two and women of reproductive age. Agricultural production should address how to increase the amount of Vitamin A, iron, zinc, and animal protein in the diet.

These areas are also being addressed within the Ag and Water program in descending order of importance:

• Orchards Production: All interventions are integrated into the extension component and aim to increase consumption in the ZOI of wholesome, safe, and nutritious fruit products.

Specifically, fruit production addresses how to increase the amount of Vitamin A, iron, and zinc in the diet.

• Dairy Production: Dairy production activities aim to increase production and consumption in the ZOI of wholesome, safe, and nutritious dairy products. Dairy is the cheapest form of animal protein in the ZOI can be used to improve the amount of Vitamin A, iron and calcium in the diet.

• Water: Water activities focus on supporting the existing Water User Associations and

Federations of Water User Associations both in respect to technical support for association management and policy support with the government. Work will be done directly with the existing community based WUAs, Federations or similar entities, within the nascent river basin management, and Agency for Irrigation government entities. Improving water availability to small holders underpins USAID’s other work with extended season vegetables, orchards, and dairy sectors.

C.12 EVALUATION PURPOSE

This is a mid-term performance evaluation that will help determine what components and project aspects worked well, which did not and why, and to make informative decisions on the direction of the program for the remaining years of the contract. The purpose of this evaluation is to test primary objectives set in the TAWA contract. The evaluation should provide pertinent information, statistics, and judgments that assist Chemonics International, Inc. (Chemonics) and USAID to learn what has been accomplished against the intended results of the contract, Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) including any management, financial, and cost-efficiency findings. In summary, the evaluation will help USAID better understand its investment in nutrition sensitive agriculture in Tajikistan and help focus and strengthen the TAWA activity.

C.13 EVALUATION QUESTIONS

The evaluation will address the following key questions:

1. To what degree are women beneficiaries adapting improved farming practices and technologies in the long term?

2. How sustainable and effective is TAWA’s use of temporary informal women’s groups to deliver agricultural extension services?

3. To what degree are TAWA’s efforts in crop diversification impacting nutritional outcomes both through diet diversity and improve income?

4. How well is the activity coordinating with other USAID FTF agricultural and health activities, other donors, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders as applicable (e.g., universities and NGOs) to leverage resources, increase impact and prevent duplication of efforts?

C.14 DATA ANALYSIS METHODS

This evaluation will be qualitative in nature with some secondary, quantitative data analysis. Prior to the start of data collection, as part of the evaluation work plan, the evaluation team will develop and present, for USAID review and approval, a data analysis plan; what procedures will be used to analyze qualitative data from key informant and other stakeholder interviews; and how the evaluation will weigh and integrate qualitative data from these sources with quantitative data from project performance monitoring records to reach conclusions about the effectiveness and efficiency of the Ag and Water activity in Tajikistan.

The contractor shall have flexibility in proposing the most appropriation methodology to accomplish the tasks outlined in the most efficient way. However, the contractor will address the following:

Task 1: Desk review The contractor will conduct a desk review to provide a general overview of the current situation in Tajikistan, and will help identify areas that merit closer attention once the team begins its fieldwork. Reading materials will be available to the team prior to their arrival in Tajikistan. The contractor shall also review other relevant non-project related documents such as peer-review articles and other publications and incorporate the review findings into the data collection design and data analysis and interpretation.

The evaluation team shall consult a broad range of background documents apart from project documents provided by USAID/Central Asia/. USAID and Chemonics will provide the evaluation team with a package of briefing materials, including:

• USAID Central Asia Regional Development Cooperation Strategy (2015-2019)

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• Tajikistan Feed the Future Multi-Year Strategy (2011-2015)

• Tajikistan Agriculture and Water Contract (2015)

• Ag and Water Year 1 and 2 Work Plans

• Ag and Water Annual Reports, 2016 and 2017 (if available)

• Ag and Water Quarterly Reports, 2015 - Present

• Ag and Water Initial Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, 2015

• Ag and Water Annual PMEP Report, 2016

• Feed the Future Tajikistan Baseline and Midline Survey Reports

• Feed the Future Tajikistan Cost of Diet Study

• Government of Tajikistan National Development Strategy

• New USG Global Food Security Strategy (for context moving forward)

• Papers and reports from an on-going International Water Management Institute (IWMI) assessment of WUAs in Tajikistan

• USAID Tajikistan job diagnostic analysis

• USAID Tajikistan Feed the Future Gender Analyses

• ADB Tajikistan Country Gender Assessment

The final evaluation report shall incorporate information obtained from the pre-field work desk review as well as information obtained from key informants and observations in the field.

Task 2: Draft description of overall methodology and work plan In conjunction with USAID/Central Asia, the contractor will develop a plan for conducting their fieldwork using information from the desk review and this SOW. The work plan will clearly outline the methodological approach the team will use. The work plan shall be submitted for review to the USAID/Central Asia COR for approval prior to arrival in country. The work plan shall include a field work schedule, including a preliminary list of all proposed districts for travel and key organizations the evaluation team plans to meet.

Task 3: Conduct a field data collection The in-country data collection will expand upon the analysis in the desk review. The tasks will include facilitated discussions through interviews, focus groups of sub-grantees/end-users, the Government of Tajikistan, business associations, other private sector and certification entities and conduct field visits using other evaluation methods. The evaluation team will spend at least three weeks in-country to conduct the evaluation. The identification of key stakeholders and informants and the scheduling of in-person interviews/focus groups must be arranged in advance as much as possible to maximize efficient use of time while in the field. USAID/Central Asia will provide introductions and contact information to facilitate the data collection.

The team will travel outside the capital to the agreed upon ZOI districts as stated in the approved work plan to collect data and/or obtain information from As and Water beneficiaries (e.g., male and female smallholder farmers, extension providers, district and community officials, etc.). The 12 districts, which are typically named after the district center town, are: Bokhtar, Jomi, Dusti (formerly Jilikul), Khuroson, Nosiri Khisrav, Qabodiyon, Jaihun (formerly Qumsangir), Balkhi (formerly Rumi), Sarband, Shahritus, Vakhsh, and Yovon.

[END OF SECTION C]

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SECTION D – PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 BRANDING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND MARKING PLAN

The Contractor must follow the approved Branding Implementation and Marking Plan submitted on [date TBD] and incorporated into this Task Order as Attachment [TBD].

[END OF SECTION D]

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs will be performed in accordance with SECTION E of the IDIQ Contract.

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs will take place primarily in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

The Task Order Contracting Officer has delegated to the Task Order Contracting Officer’s Representative (TOCOR) the authority to inspect and accept certain services, reports and required deliverables and outputs as outlined in the TOCOR designation letter and via clauses in the task order.

[END OF SECTION E]

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SECTION F – DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

The period of performance for this Task Order is from the date of award to [TBD].

F.2 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance of this Task Order will be Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

F.3 STAFFING

The personnel whom the Contractor will furnish for the performance of this contract are as follows:

Team Leader/Evaluation Specialist (key personnel) Technical Specialist (key personnel) Translator Logistical/Administrative Assistant

1. For A2I Evaluation:

• The Team Leader/Evaluation Expert must have extensive experience conducting evaluations, ideally in the areas of good governance and media enabling environment. The expert must have an advanced graduate degree in the related field of study. Experience in Central Asia region is highly desirable but is not required. The team leader is responsible for the day-to-day management of the team, evaluation design, work plan development, data collection and synthesis, presentations and draft and interim/final report. English language knowledge is a requirement.

• Technical Specialist must have extensive experience in media development and/or legal enabling environment for media in Central Asia or CIS countries. Fluency in English and Russian is required, Kazakh and Tajik is preferable.

• Translator/Assistant local individual with experience interpreting/translating for international donor programs. This individual will be responsible for providing translation and logistical support to the assessment team members including, but not limited to, scheduling appointments and arranging transportation. Fluency in English and Russian is required, Kazakh and Tajik is preferable.

2. For TAWA Evaluation:

• The Team Leader/Evaluation Expert must have extensive experience conducting evaluations, ideally in the areas of Feed the Future context. The expert must have an advanced graduate degree in the related field of study. Experience in Central Asia region is highly desirable but is not required. The team leader is responsible for the day-to-day management of the team, evaluation design, work plan development, data collection and synthesis, presentations and draft and interim/final report. English language knowledge is a requirement.

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• Technical Specialist must have extensive experience in introduction and scaling agricultural technology at field level and/or gender in value chains in Central Asia or CIS countries. Fluency in English and Russian is required, Tajik is preferable.

• Translator/Assistant local individual with experience interpreting/translating for international donor programs particularly in the subject matter being assessed. This individual will be responsible for providing translation and logistical support to the assessment team members including, but not limited to, scheduling appointments and arranging transportation. Fluency in English, Russian and Tajik is required.

Skill set of proposed key personnel should include:

a) Skills in evaluation research design (including quantitative methods, experimental and quasi experimental design, and qualitative methods);

b) Data collection, analysis, and synthesis;

c) Report writing, and planning for use and dissemination of evaluation findings.

d) Experience in mid-term and final performance evaluation and impact evaluation methodology, design, and implementation, including innovative, state-of-art research designs, participatory evaluation, and cost-effective evaluation methods; and

e) Assessment planning and implementation skills.

F.4 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

F.4.1 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES OR OUTPUTS

In addition to the requirements set forth for submission of reports in Sections I and J and in the AIDAR clause 752.242-70, Periodic Progress Reports, the Contractor must submit the following reports and deliverables electronically to the Contracting Officer’s Representative and a copy to the Contracting Officer at AlmatyAAReporting@usaid.gov.

All deliverables and required reporting must be submitted in English language, unless otherwise specified. The Contractor must promptly notify the Task Order Contracting Officer’s Representative (TOCOR), of any problems, delays, or adverse conditions which materially impair the Contractor’s ability to meet the requirements of the Task Order. The TOCOR and the Contractor will develop a standard format for submission of all deliverables and reports within the first 30 days of Task Order effective date.

F.4.2 DELIVERY SCHEDULE

For each deliverable/task, the corresponding deliverables must be provided by the delivery date, unless otherwise approved by the Task Order Contracting Officer. All delivery dates are based against the effective date of the task order.

Estimated illustrative schedules for both evaluations follow:

mailto:AlmatyAAReporting@usaid.gov

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For A2I Evaluation:

Proposed Task/Deliverable Estimated Duration/LOE

Team Leader

Technical Specialist

Translator/ Administrative Assistant

Review background documents & submission of evaluation work plan

5 days 3 days 2 days

Travel to Almaty 2 days Team planning meeting and meeting with USAD/CA in Almaty

1 day 1 day 1day

Information and data collection. Includes interviews with key informants (stakeholders and USAID staff) and site visits

8 8 8

Travel to Tajikistan and Team Planning Meeting and meeting with USAID Tajikistan Country Office in Dushanbe

2 days 1

Information and data collection. Includes interviews with key informants (stakeholders and USAID staff) and site visits

5 days 5 days 5 days

Travel to Almaty and outbrief with USAID 1 days

1 days

5 days

Depart Almaty/Travel to US 2 days Draft report and send it to USAID 5 days 3 days USAID and partners provide comments on draft report (out of country)

Team revises draft report and submits final report to USAID (out of country)

3 days 1 day

USAID completes final review 5 days Total Estimated LOE 33 days 23 days 16 days

For TAWA Evaluation:

Team Leader

Technical Specialist

Administrative Assistant

Review background documents & submission of evaluation work plan

5 days 4 days 1 day

Travel to Tajikistan 2 days Team Planning Meeting and meeting with USAID Tajikistan Country Office in Dushanbe

2 days 2 days 2 days

Information and data collection. Includes interviews with key informants (stakeholders and USAID staff) and site visits

16 days 16 days 10 days

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Team Leader

Technical Specialist

Administrative Assistant

Discussion, analysis, and draft evaluation report in country

6 days

6 days

1 day

Debrief meetings with USAID and key stakeholders (preliminary draft report due to

USAID)

1 day 1 day

Depart Tajikistan/Travel to US 2 days USAID & partners provide comments on draft report (out of country)

Team revises draft report and submits final report to USAID (out of country)

5 days 4 days

USAID completes final review Team finalizes the report 1 day Total Estimated LOE 40 days 33 days 13 days

F.4.3 PLANNING AND REPORTING DELIVERABLES

The Contractor must work collaboratively with the COR to develop the required work plans and progress reports. All work plans and reports are subject to approval by the COR.

An illustrative timeline follows:

Deliverable/Task Description Due Date

Desk review After contract award USAID will provide project related documentation. The contractor shall conduct the desk review and incorporate findings into the proposed methodology and work plan.

5 days

Draft description of overall methodology and workplan

The evaluation work plan shall be submitted for review to the COR at USAID/Central Asia for approval prior to the team arrival in country.

USAID/Central Asia will provide feedback within one week after receiving the work plan.

5 days

In briefing During the first two days upon arrival to the field, the evaluation team shall meet with USAID for an in-briefing and planning session.

1-2 days

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Deliverable/Task Description Due Date

Field Work and Analysis

At the beginning of this period the evaluation team will be meeting with USAID, the staff of Activities, gathering and reviewing data not already available, and solidifying plans for visits to the field. Then there will be visits to sites, as well as interviews and discussions with key stakeholders, partners, beneficiaries, other donors and representatives of relevant Ministries, and all others who work with or have been impacted by the activities under evaluation. Follow-up meetings to discuss questions arising from the interviews and to clarify and remaining issues will be held with the contractor and USAID. Review data and findings from fiel work and follow on activities. Analyze data and findings.

Formulate conclusions and recommendations. Once evaluation field work done then the evaluation team will conduct a debrief meeting.

16 days

Debriefing

Before departing the country, the assessment team will debrief interested personnel from USAID on the preliminary findings and recommendations.

1 day

Draft report Team will provide to USAID a draft report. 5 days

Final report Submission of the completed draft report. The final report will be submitted no later than 5 days following receipt of final comments from USAID/Central Asia.

10 days

F.5 LOGISTICS

The contractor is responsible for providing all logistical support. Office space will not be provided by USAID as it is the responsibility of the Contractor to have fixed supplies to fulfill the task.

Translation services and transportation to/from/within Tajikistan are the responsibility of the contractor. USAID will support the evaluation team with Diplomatic Notes as necessary to ensure the team will have access to the government institutions.

F.6 EVALUATION AND REPORTING GUIDELINES

Work Plan: The team will prepare a detailed work plan which will include the methodologies to be used in the evaluation; such as data collection methods and tools, data analysis plan and any known limitations and ways to reduce and/or mitigate them. The work plan will be submitted to the COR at USAID/Central Asia for approval no later than the ten day of work.

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Executive summary analysis of data collected, main findings and recommendations: The team will submit the draft executive summary to the USAID/CA, to the COR, and the CA teams, prior to debriefing. This will facilitate preparation of the final draft report.

In briefing: During the first two days upon arrival to the field, the evaluation team shall meet with USAID for an in-briefing and planning session.

Debriefing with USAID: The team will present the major findings of the evaluation to USAID/Central Asia through a PowerPoint presentation before the team‘s departure from the region. The debriefing will include a discussion of achievements and issues as well as any recommendations the team has for possible modifications to project approaches, results, or activities. The team will consider USAID comments, as appropriate.

Draft Evaluation Report: A draft report of the findings and recommendations, in English, shall be submitted to the USAID/CA within five days upon departure from the region. The written report must clearly describe findings, conclusions, and recommendations. USAID will provide comment on the draft report within two weeks of submission.

Final Report: The team will submit a final report in English that incorporates the team responses to Mission comments and suggestions no later than five days after USAID/CA provides written comments on the team‘s draft evaluation report (see above). The format will include an executive summary, table of contents, methodology and limitations, findings, conclusion and recommendations. The report will be submitted electronically and will be disseminated within USAID. A second version of this report excluding any potentially procurement-sensitive information will be submitted (also electronically, in English) for dissemination among implementing partners and stakeholders. The final report should contain no more than 30 pages, excluding executive summary and annexes, in Times New Roman, in 12-point font, single space, consisting of:

• Executive Summary. An executive summary -in English - not to exceed three pages in length. The executive summary shall present the major findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The executive summary must stand alone as an abbreviated version of the report. All content of the full report must be summarized.

• Evaluation Purpose and Questions. An introduction section for the overall evaluation purpose and questions shall be clearly defined at the beginning of the report. It should describe in about one page or less why the evaluation is being conducted now, how the findings are expected to be used, what specific decisions will be informed by the evaluation, and who the main audiences are for the evaluation report.

• Project Background. A project background section should summarize the project being evaluated in one to three pages, including the original problem the project is designed to address, any changes that have occurred since the project has started, a description of the beneficiary populations, geographic area of the project, and the underlying development hypothesis, or causal logic, of the project.

• Methods and Limitations. Description of the methods and limitations explaining the evaluation methods and why they were chosen. Provide information on all aspects of the evaluation design and methods, including tradeoffs that led to the selection of specific data

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) collection and analysis methods, a description of data availability and quality, and sampling strategies (purposive, random, etc.), including how respondents/informants or site visits were selected. Describe any limitations in data collection and analysis, data quality, access to data sources, or any other factors that may result in bias and/or limitations on data interpretation. It would be useful to include a chart in the report that lists each evaluation question, the corresponding evaluation method to be used for data collection and analysis, data sources, sample sizes, and limitations. Note: the full description of evaluation methods should be expanded in the Annexes.

• Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations. This section will make up the main body of the report, synthesizing what was learned during the evaluation and presenting in an easy-to-understand and logical fashion. It shall include actionable recommendations with a detailed discussion of strategic opportunities for future USAID programming, as well as recommended actor(s) for each recommendation.

• Annexes. The following annexes must be included, at a minimum:

1) Statement of Work

2) Full description of evaluation methods

3) All evaluation tools (questionnaires, checklists, discussion guides, surveys, etc.) in

English and all other translated languages.

4) A list of sources of information (key informants, documents reviewed, other data sources)

5) Disclosure of any conflict of interest by including a signed statement by evaluation team members that attests to a lack of conflict of interest or describes an existing conflict of interest relative to the project being evaluated.

6) Only if applicable, include as an annex Statement(s) of Differences regarding any significant unresolved differences of opinion on the part of the funders, implementers, and/or members of the evaluation team.

Information Dissemination: The reports should be emailed to the COR and Alternate COR, with confirmation of receipt. If accompanying files are too large to email, then USAID will provide further instruction for receiving the files in electronic format.

In addition to printed copies, all deliverables and supplementary data shall be made available in electronic form using USAID Branding and Graphic Standards (available at http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADB334.pdf). In addition, the report must follow standard Feed the Future branding per USAID guidance on usage of FTF funds. Guidance requirements found at: http://feedthefuture.gov/lp/feed-future-branding.

Once the data are cleared for use outside of USAID/CA, the Contractor must submit all the raw data sets (both quantitative and coded qualitative data as applicable) to the Development Data Library (DDL), at www.usaid.gov/data, in a machine-readable, non-proprietary format, as required by USAID’s Open Data policy (see ADS 579). The data should be organized and fully documented for use by those not fully familiar with the project or the evaluation. USAID will retain ownership of all datasets developed. After distributing the English version of the final approved reports, the reports must be professionally translated into Russian for greater http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADB334.pdf http://feedthefuture.gov/lp/feed-future-branding

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD) dissemination. The translated report must also comply with the same standards as mentioned above for the English version of the report.

F.7 REPORTING QUALITY CRITERIA

Per the USAID Evaluation Policy and USAID ADS 203, draft and final evaluation reports will be evaluated against the following criteria to ensure the quality of the evaluation report.

● The evaluation report should represent a thoughtful, well-researched, and well-organized effort to objectively evaluate what worked in the project, what did not, and why.

● Evaluation reports shall address all evaluation questions included in the SOW.

● The evaluation report should include the SOW as an annex. All modifications to the SOW— whether in technical requirements, evaluation questions, evaluation team composition, methodology, or timeline—need to be agreed upon in writing by the

COR.

● The evaluation methodology shall be explained in detail. All tools used in conducting the evaluation—such as questionnaires, checklists, and discussion guides—will be included in an annex in the final report.

● Evaluation findings will assess outcomes and impact on males and females.

● Limitations to the evaluation shall be disclosed in the report, with particular attention to the limitations associated with the evaluation methodology (selection bias, recall bias, unobservable differences between comparator groups, etc.).

● Evaluation findings should be presented as analyzed facts, evidence, and data and not based on anecdotes, hearsay, or the compilation of people’s opinions. Findings should be specific, concise, and supported by strong quantitative or qualitative evidence.

● Conclusions are clearly distinguished from findings.

● Recommendations need to be supported by a specific set of findings and conclusions.

● Sources of information need to be properly identified and listed in an annex.

● Charts and graphs will include clear labels and captions.

● Recommendations should be action-oriented, practical, and specific, with defined responsibility for the action.

F.8 TECHNICAL DIRECTION AND DESIGNATION OF RESPONSIBLE USAID

OFFICIALS

Contracting Officer Acquisition and Assistance Office USAID/CA Regional Mission Email: almatyaao@usaid.gov mailto:almatyaao@usaid.gov

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD)

U.S. based mailing address:

USAID/DOS

7030 Almaty Place Washington, DC 20521-7030

Street/delivery address:

USAID/CA, Acquisition and Assistance Office 41 Kazibek bi Street Park Palace Building Almaty, Kazakhstan 050010 Tel.: 7(727)-250-7612/17

The Task Order Contracting Officer’s Representative (TOCOR) is designated in Section G.2.

F.9 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The place of performance under this Task Order is Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

F.10 AUTHORIZED WORK DAY / WEEK

No premium or overtime pay is authorized under this contract. A six-day workweek is authorized with no premium pay while in country; a five-day work week is authorized while working in the US.

F.11 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Task order performance evaluation shall be performed in accordance with Section F.4 of the IDIQ Contract.

[END OF SECTION F]

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SECTION G – TASK ORDER ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S AUTHORITY

The Contracting Officer is the only person authorized to make or approve any changes in the requirements of this task order and notwithstanding any provisions contained elsewhere in this task order, the said authority remains solely in the Contracting Officer. In the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the contract terms and conditions, including price.

G.2 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

The COR for the Task Order is:

[TBD]

An administrative letter issued by the Contracting Officer, which designates the COR, will be provided to the contractor at the time of task order award.

G.2 TECHNICAL DIRECTION

USAID will provide technical oversight to the Contractor through the Task Order Contracting Officer’s Representative (TOCOR). The Contracting Officer will issue a designation letter detailing the COR’s specific duties and responsibilities under this task order and provide a copy of the designation letter to the contractor.

G.4 ACCEPTANCE AND APPROVAL

All deliverables must in accordance with Sections C and F and be accepted and approved by the TOCOR before payment is made. Delivery payment means a payment for accepted supplies and services, including payments for accepted partial deliveries.

G.5 INVOICES

One (1) original of each invoice must be submitted on an SF-1034 Public Voucher for Purchases and Services Other Than Personal to the USAID/CA, Financial Management Office. One copy of the voucher and the invoice will also be submitted to the Task Order Contracting Officer and the

TOCOR.

Electronic submission of invoices is encouraged. Submit invoices to this address:

CAInvoices@usaid.gov.

The SF-1034 must be signed, and it must be submitted along with the invoice and any other documentation in Adobe.

mailto:CAInvoices@usaid.gov

Learning from Evaluations & Assessments for Development (LEAD)

Paper Invoices will be sent to the following address:

U.S. based mailing address:

USAID/DOS

7030 Almaty Place Washington, DC 20521-7030

Street/delivery address:

USAID/CA, Financial Management Office 41 Kazibek bi Street Park Palace Building Almaty, Kazakhstan 050000 Tel.: 7(727) 250 76 12/17

If submitting invoices electronically, do not send a paper copy.

G.6 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION

[Will be completed at the time of award.]

[END OF SECTION G]

SECTION H – SPECIAL TASK ORDER REQUIREMENTS

SECTION…