Program Evaluator (Firm or Consultant) for Freedom of Expression, Rule of Law and Access to Justice in Tanzania and Uganda

ABA ROLI is a non-profit organization that implements legal reform programs in roughly 50 countries around the world. ABA ROLI has nearly 500 professional staff working abroad and in its Washington, D.C. office. ABA ROLI’s host country partners include judges, lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislatures, ministries of justice and a wide array of civil society organizations, including human rights groups.

ABA ROLI is seeking an evaluation firm or consultant (or team of consultants consisting of a lead international evaluator consultant and local evaluation specialist consultant), hereafter referred to as “Evaluator” to conduct a final evaluation of the Promoting Freedom of Expression, Rule of Law and Access to Justice in Tanzania and Uganda program. The Evaluator will work to complete a data quality assessment concurrent with the evaluation.

Background

Background The Promoting Freedom of Expression, Rule of Law and Access to Justice in Tanzania and Uganda Project (from here on forward referred to as “the Program”) is a 46-month program awarded to the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL). The Program aims “To promote freedom of expression, rule of law and access to justice in Tanzania and Uganda”. To accomplish the project goal, activities under the program contribute to the following objectives:

• Objective 1: Enhance protection of freedom of expression, assembly and civic space through advocacy and legal strategies at the national and regional;
• Objective 2: Enhancing protection and access to justice for persons whose freedom of expression is at risk;
• Objective 3: Strengthen capacity and engagement of regional and national civil society actors. ABA ROLI addresses a cross cutting objective of sustainability and continuity through its overall approach for coordination with local counterparts.

To implement the program, ABA ROLI leads a consortium of five local subgrant organizations and one international subgrant organization.

Evaluation Objectives

The evaluation is commissioned by ABA ROLI’s Africa Division and aims to: (1) assess whether anticipated outcomes of the program have been met; (2) assess the extent to which the program contributed to observed outcomes; and (3) identify the strengths and weaknesses of methods or approaches used by the project, as well as the factors that (positively and negatively) affected effectiveness and efficiency in fulfilling the anticipated outcomes. The evaluation building on a midterm evaluation conducted in 2021 and findings will be shared with partners and key stakeholders to disseminate key lessons learned and recommendations applicable to current and future programming that seeks to enhance impact and relevance in the surrounding context of closing civic space in Uganda and Tanzania.

The final evaluation is anticipated to address the following evaluation questions:

1. To what extent have the following objectives been achieved?

Objective 1: Enhance protection of freedom of expression, assembly and civic space through advocacy and legal strategies at the national and regional

Objective 2: Enhancing protection and access to justice for persons whose freedom of expression is at risk

Objective 3: Strengthen capacity and engagement of regional and national civil society actors.

1. To what extent did the Program contribute the achievement of observed results or outcomes?
2. What factors, including those outside the influence of the Program, positively or negatively contributed to the achievement of outcomes?
3. What suggestions/recommendations can be made to improve on program approaches? Where applicable, what recommendations can be made to navigate the reduced space and be effective in meeting project goals?

The evaluation shall be guided by the American Evaluation Association’s principles for evaluators.

Duration of Assignment and Payment Schedule

This will be a short-term assignment, approximately 33 working days to run from June 15 to July 31, 2021. Payment will be tied to successful completion of deliverables as outlined in a contractual agreement and in accordance with acceptable quality standards as determined by ABA ROLI.

Deliverables

The following are the expected deliverables during the assignment period:

1. Inception report: The selected Evaluator will be expected to prepare an inception report within 5 business days of being awarded the contract. The inception report must clarify the approach/ framework for evaluation (i.e. including what the conceptual framework is or the theory behind the changes being observed and highlighting literature that is existent on the framework used if applicable), the methodology and reasons for this, data sources and collection, and a detailed work plan with a clear timetable proposed to execute the assignment.
2. Data quality assessment. The Evaluator will conduct a data quality assessment concurrent with the final evaluation and to be completed within the evaluation period.
3. Draft final evaluation report. The Evaluator is expected to complete an initial draft of the final evaluation within 20 business days of the inception report being submitted to ABA ROLI. The draft final evaluation report will include at minimum: (1) response to evaluation questions, addressing each of the objectives set out for the evaluation; (2) description of approach and methodology; (3) description of data sources, quality conditions, as well as limitations and challenges experienced; and (4) key findings and recommendations. The main body of the report should not exceed 30 pages and should include an executive summary that highlights the approach and methodology, key findings and recommendations.
4. Validation meeting: The Evaluator will share preliminary findings and recommendations with ABA ROLI and potentially program partners, to better appreciate the implications of the evaluation on the program. The validation meeting findings/discussion will inform the final recommendations of the evaluation.
5. Final evaluation report: The Evaluator will incorporate feedback from the validation meeting to complete the final evaluation. The final report will be submitted to ABA ROLI within 8 working days following the validation meeting.