Request for Tender

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Independent Monitoring of FERN’s Forest Governance Campaign

Context & Objective

FERN has recently secured funding for a 3-year programme which sets out to (a) ensure the effective implementation of existing FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) and support the negotiation of some new ones, (b) expand lessons learned from FLEGT to other processes (eg REDD) and other commodities, and (c) ensure effective implementation of ‘demand-side measures’ of the FLEGT Action Plan in the EU.

In order to ensure maximum impact of its planned work, FERN has decided to hire an independent monitor to guide this programme. This independent monitor is expected to evaluate outputs and outcome and suggest to the FERN team adaptations to the programme where required. The monitor will produce regular assessments for FERN and its partners that will document emerging results, use and share lessons learned, and keep the programme on track. The aim of the monitoring is to provide insight into the programme’s effectiveness at any particular point in time during the life of the programme with a view of improving its implementation. Furthermore we expect the monitor to support FERN and its partners in further developing and implementing its own monitoring and evaluation processes.  

The programme’s monitor will have access to all FERN’s relevant (internal) documents and is expected to regularly attend meetings with FERN and FERN’s partners, notably when they take place in Brussels and the UK. It is the intention of FERN that the monitor will work as a team with FERN and as such become an ‘integral’ but still ‘external’ part of the programme. This is essential to ensure the consultant monitors what FERN and its partners expect the outcome of this programme to be.

Tasks

The specific responsibilities of the consultancy are: 

1.       Read background documents to get understanding of the program’s aim and objectives

2.       Meet and confirm with FERN, the objectives of the consultancy, process and methods to be used, expected outcomes, and the format for reporting. 

3.       Become familiar with the work done to date in the ‘project countries’ through review of relevant documents and discussions with key people.  

4.       Go through the work plans of the programme of FERN as well as these of different partners

5.       Provide input into the logframe and suggest adaptations where possible.

6.       Provide input into the feasibility of developed governance baseline indicators with regards to monitoring

7.       Develop monitoring framework or process based on results based monitoring and outcome mapping, including suggested approach/methodology and where relevant , reporting template, feedback loop for suggestions/adjustments and proposed timeline

8.       Develop, use and assess efficiency of different monitoring tools for partners (eg participatory or self-monitoring, scorecards, ...)

9.       Assess on a regular basis the impacts/effectiveness of forest governance campaign in comparison to impacts/outcomes/outputs indicated in programme document

10.   Assess on continuous basis the emerging impacts, and the programme’s particular contributions as well as external factors

11.   See how this monitoring work can feed back into the overall monitoring of the DFID FGMC Programme

12.   Assess and identify the approaches which have been most effective in empowering communities through civil society networks to participate actively in FLEGT implementation

13.   Include regular encounters with FERN team to assess the programme’s progress and performance and to communicate emerging results according to indicators in the logframe

14.   Develop regular monitoring reports

Outputs

1.       A clear and simple monitoring framework/process for FERN and its partners, that explains the methodology, indicates a reporting template, timeline and a process for feedback to adjust programme on continuous basis.

2.       Progress reports on monitoring – annual summary reports

3.       Regular feedback meetings with programme team at FERN (and whenever possible with partners)

Profile of the supplier for monitoring

• At least 5 years of Monitoring and Evaluation experience, including of NGO work
• A good understanding of forest governance issues as well as land tenure conflicts
• Good knowledge of constraints and possibilities in work of southern partners on advocacy issues and the challenges involved
• Good knowledge of participatory monitoring and advocacy tools
• Experience and expertise in capacity building of southern CSOs
• Experience of working with African CSOs
• Fluency in English and French
• Excellent communication, writing, and presentation skills, cultural sensitivity and an understanding of, and a commitment to participatory approaches.

Background reading

• Forest Governance funding proposal, annual and tri-annual work plan, logframe
• www.Loggingoff.info – VPAs, counterbriefs by civil society of the priority countries
• Previous partners reports with regards to forest governance

Applications

If you are interested to apply please contact us so we can send you the background documents. Please provide us with CV indicating relevant previous experience, a suggested approach or methodology for this monitoring work as well as the costs involved. 

Deadline: 20^th February 2012 (if you would like to apply but are unable to meet this deadline, get in touch with us as soon as possible)

Suggested start date: 1^st March 2012 – 3 year contract

Contact: An Bollen (an@fern.org) and Gianni Valentini (gianni@fern.org)