Consultant – Results-Based Reporting (RBR) Assessment

Position Title: Consultant – Results-Based Reporting (RBR) Assessment

Duty Station: Home-based

Classification: Consultant, Grade Other

Type of Appointment: Consultant, two months

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 06 September 2023

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

Project Context and Scope

The Results Based Management Unit (RBM) and Donor Relations Division (DRD) seek a consultant to conduct a results-based reporting assessment in coordination with both units to review IOM project documents and complete an analysis using an established methodology (analysis framework and tools).

The UN system is striving to achieve a strengthened and more coherent focus on results-based reporting at system-wide and individual entity levels. Significant progress has been made for IOM’s results-based management approaches since the last assessment in 2019 by the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) covering the period of 2017-2018. However, in comparison with other UN entities, this work is still nascent. IOM has also committed to effective reporting under the Grand Bargain.

In 2020, IOM conducted a Strengthening Results-Based Reporting at IOM assessment (RBR Assessment), as a follow-up to several internal and externals audits and assessments on IOM’s work including the MOPAN assessment. The RBR Assessment measured the Organization’s results-based approach at the project level, looking at the factors that contribute to or hinder quality results-based reporting, with the view to highlight areas of success and areas for development. The assessment, released in 2020, identified good practices highlighted throughout the review process along with areas that require improvement. In addition, the assessment provided vital recommendations, which formed part of the capacity development initiatives led by the Results-Based Management (RBM) Unit, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit, and the Donor Relations Division (DRD), and directly fed into the three-year workplan of the cross-organizational Donor Accountability Working Group (DAWG) (2020-23).

Proposed Action:

In 2023, this assessment will be replicated as a follow-up to the 2020 assessment to see how far IOM has come and to guide IOM’s internal future capacity building efforts in results-based reporting. The assessment will support efforts to improve IOM’s effectiveness based on a clearer understanding of the quality of results-based proposal development and reporting and how to replicate good practices.

The results will feed into a broader Donor Reporting Assessment Report planned as part of the DAWG work plan, which will include analysis across key performance indicators including those related to quality (covered by this RBR Assessment) to complement others related to capacity and practices (for which data collection and analysis will be conducted separately by IOM’s DAWG). The results will also inform other initiatives of DRD and the RBM Unit, including a revision of IOM’s Monitoring Policy (2018).

The objective of the assessment:

1. Assess the quality of results-based reporting at project-level within IOM.
2. Identify methods to improve results-based reporting at IOM.

This will be done through:

a) An assessment report of the quality of results reporting, where reporting issues will be identified and a set of recommendations developed for further strengthening of results-based reporting.

Methodology:

Data collection for this component will include a review of 100 proposals and their corresponding final reports – modelling the exercise conducted in the RBR Assessment (2020). The following criteria will be used to select reports for review through IOM’s project management tool (PRIMA):

• Projects starting from Jan 2020 with an end date up to April 2023;
• Projects with a budget of at least USD 100,000;
• Projects with a project duration of at least 12 months; and,
• Projects focusing on operational outcomes.

Projects fitting these criteria will be identified and then narrowed down to a sample of 100 by RBM and DRD staff members, making sure that there is proportional representation (related to current the project portfolio) by region. Proposals and final reports in both IOM and donor templates will be reviewed.

The review of the proposals and final reports will use assessment tools developed in the RBR Assessment, particularly the Assessment tool – the Project Proposal Checklist; the Final Report Checklist; and both corresponding Technical Guidance Notes.

Both the Project Proposal and Final Report Checklist were drafted based on parameters identified as markers of quality final reports within the IOM Project Handbook. The questionnaires include a series of multiple-choice and closed-ended questions under the following sections:

Proposals

• Proposal Narrative:

• Project Purpose and Rationale (e.g. is the problem statement clearly identified/articulation of results at the various levels/vertical logic of the results, cross-cutting issues, etc.?).
• M&E Approach (e.g. how does the project intend to monitor its progress towards results and will the project be evaluated?).

• Results Matrix:

• Vertical Logic (are there evident links between the different results levels, eg. objective and outcomes/are assumptions clearly identified/are there any results missing, etc.?). o Quality of Results Statements (this section checked the quality of the result statements using the guidance from the IOM Project Handbook (IOM PH) as a reference. Each statement was assessed based on the key characteristics of each result (objective, outcome and output). o Indicators (type of indicators, baselines, data collection methods, etc.)
• Examples of good practices and areas for improvement (this section concluded the questionnaire with a series of open-ended questions asking the reviewer to provide their opinion as to whether the proposal is a good example of results articulation or requires improvement in the narrative, results matrix or cross-cutting themes)

Reports

• Report Narrative:

• Structure and Language (e.g., document length, quality of language and structure);
• Results-Based Reporting (Quality of Objective, Outcome and Output level reporting, identification of challenges and mitigation actions, etc.);
• Lessons Learned, Beneficiary Voices and Cross-Cutting Issues (e.g., whether any lessons were identified, how these will be used in the future, whether direct beneficiary voices were used to illustrate results, and what, if any, achievements were made in integrating cross-cutting themes identified at proposal stage).

• Results Matrix:

• Reporting against the results matrix (e.g., whether any changes made to the matrix, to what extent indicators were reported against, whether sex and age disaggregated data (SADD) was provided);
• Examples of good practices and areas for improvement (this section concluded the questionnaire with a series of open-ended questions asking the reviewer to provide their opinion as to whether the final report is a good example of results-based reporting or if it requires strengthening in the narrative and results matrix).

In addition to the above data collection, this assessment will also include analysis of two global indicators on reporting, which are being monitored by the Donor Accountability Working Group (DAWG). IOM will work with the Consultant to ensure that the design of this assessment will facilitate the measurement of these indicators.

These indicators are as follows, with the latter being measured with the RBR 2020 Assessment Section 2: The Final Report, as the baseline):

• Indicator 1: Improvement in results from donor assessments E.g. Higher score in MOPAN key performance indicators 7 & 8
• Indicator 2: % improvement in reporting quality by 2023 (disaggregated by year, region, IDFand non-IDF)

Other qualitative data collection methods could be used, if deemed necessary by the Consultant, such as key informant interviews to support the analysis and triangulation of findings.

Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

Under the Results Based Management Unit (RBM) and Donor Relations Division (DRD), Internal Governance Framework.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

Tasks to be performed under this contract

Category B Consultant hired to deliver an assessment and report on a one-instalment payment basis, over a period of approximately two months. Payment will be delivered on completion of the below work plan and all expected deliverables.

• First Deliverable: Conduct data collection and analysis – October 2023
• Second Deliverable: Conduct data collection and analysis – October 2023
• Third Deliverable: Draft report (including incorporating feedback on progress report) -October/November 2023
• Fourth Deliverable: Submit final report and short PowerPoint summarising findings

Performance indicators for evaluation of results

• Progress report with preliminary findings delivered;
• Final report with detailed findings, including good practices/examples and recommendations delivered;
• Presentation (PowerPoint) of findings delivered.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education, experience and/or skills required

• Demonstrated M&E experience
• Demonstrated reporting experience
• Familiar with results-based management and reporting

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written).

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

The consultant must adhere to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Data Protection Principles (IN/138) and maintain confidentiality.

The consultant will be responsible to follow IOM writing guidelines and latest glossaries in all given assignments for accurate translation.

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Interested consultants should provide:

• Interested consultants should provide a short proposal explaining their understanding of the assignment and a work plan for how they would go about supporting data entry/collection from the IOM staff as well as additional data collection as above and how they would then proceed with data analysis and production of deliverables. Reference to the proposed draft methodology and suggestions for improvements, with justifications, should also be taken into account.
• C.V.
• Budget for this assignment.
• The appointment is subject to funding confirmation.
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.
• Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.