Welthungerhilfe Liberia

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Midterm Evaluation (MTE) of the

“Increasing Production and Consumption of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes by Adapting a Systems Strengthening Approach in Liberia”

• Introduction

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V. is one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Germany, operating in the humanitarian assistance and development fields. It was established in 1962, as the German section of the “Freedom from Hunger Campaign”, one of the world’s first initiative aimed at ending hunger. Our vision is a world in which all people can exercise their right to a self-determined life in dignity and justice, free from hunger and poverty. This Terms of Reference (ToR) outlines the framework for conducting the midterm evaluation (MTE) of the project “Increasing production and consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as part of a systems strengthening approach in Liberia”, implemented by Deutsche Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in partnership with the local implementing organization, Serving Humanity for Empowerment and Development (SHED). The project, which commenced in December 2023 and is at its midpoint of implementation, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung BMZ). The thirty-seven-month project seeks to reduce poverty, enhance dietary and nutritional outcomes, and increase the incomes of 6,200 farmers across Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, and Grand Bassa Counties.

• Implementing partner SHED

Serving Humanity for Empowerment and Development (SHED) is a Liberian NGO working for just and resilient society, established in 2017 as a national NGO birthed out of Finn Church Aid Mission to Liberia. SHED focuses on improving the livelihoods of targeted communities’ households and residents (rights holders) through poultry farming and vegetable production. In the same vein, SHED operates a semi-commercial level farm that functions as a social enterprise that is committed to tackling local social problems, improving household and community nutritional intake, providing people with increased access to employment and improving their skills for self-employment, production, and contributing to an overall green economy. To achieve the above, SHED works closely with local duty bearers, the Ministry of Agriculture, other government agencies, and the private sectors through collaboration and partnership.

• About the Project

SHED is implementing an Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) and vegetable production project in rural communities across the four programmatic counties of Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, and Grand Bassa, aiming to empower 6,200 farmers—4,500 engaged in OFSP production and 1,700 in vegetable farming—by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing their involvement in income-generating activities. Additionally, the initiative supports farmers through the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to strengthen financial inclusion and community resilience.

The Objectives and Intermediary Outcomes/results of the Project are as follows:

• Rational, Purpose and Priority Objectives of the Evaluation

The thirty-seven-month project implementation period reached the midpoint in July 2025. Against this background, SHED is seeking an external consultant to conduct the midterm evaluation and to write a report on the evaluation’s findings. The main objective of this evaluation is to examine the extent to which the project has been able to achieve its set results through implementation of activities geared towards fostering the necessary change in the results areas. Furthermore, the evaluation is to appraise the overall planning, implementation and monitoring processes of the project in relation to the realization of the set objective, expected results and related impact. The evaluation process aims at critically and objectively reviewing and documenting achievements, challenges and lessons learnt and giving concrete recommendations for the strengthening of ongoing implementation. More precisely, to determine the extent to which key results and targets are being achieved and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the project implementation.

The evaluation will assess the relevance of the objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, indication of early impact, and sustainability of the project. The evaluation will also assess whether the project is on track to achieve its intended results, the strategy for sustaining the project’s activities and outcomes, the need and appropriateness for future related work, and lessons learned as well as advancing actionable recommendations.

• Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation will utilize a systematic and objective approach to assessing the above mentioned project, its design, implementation and results. The aim is to determine the relevance and progress toward the achievement of objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, related signs of early impact and sustainability. The evaluation should provide credible and useful information, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into the decision-making process of both SHED and the donors, the BMZ and the WHH. The MTE will cover all the project’s components, geographical locations and the period of the project up to the point of the MTE.

• Evaluation Criteria and Questions

The MTE will be implemented within the framework of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Develop (OECD) and Develop Assistance Cooperation (DAC). These criteria are used to assess the quality and performance of development interventions. The framework provides a structured approach for assessing how well a project is performing and what adjustments are needed. The table below presents the OECD/DAC Evaluation Criteria and Questions. Please note, consultants can propose additional questions that may improve the overall quality and utility of the MTE findings.

Relevance

The MTE will examine whether the above-mentioned project’s objectives and design respond appropriately to the needs, priorities, and challenges of the target beneficiaries and the wider context in which it operates. Evaluators should look for alignment between project goals and the actual problems faced by the community, participants.

Efficiency

The MTE will examine how well the project has so far used its resources (financial, human, time, and materials) to achieve its outputs and outcomes. Evaluators should assess whether the project delivers value for money by comparing inputs with results, and whether activities were implemented in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Effectiveness

Effectiveness of the project will be assessed by focusing on the extent to which the project is on track to achieving its stated objectives and intended results. Evaluators should assess how much progress has been made toward key targets, whether planned activities have been delivered as intended, and what factors have facilitated or hindered results.

Signs of Early Impact

Impact evaluation is more feasibility or appropriate during an end line evaluation. At the midpoint of the project, it too early to accurately and fully capture both positive and negative changes on the beneficiaries. Therefore, this assignment will consider analyzing emerging patterns and early outcomes.

Sustainability

MTE will also assess the likelihood that the benefits of the project will continue after external funding or technical support has ended. Evaluators should consider whether the project has built the necessary conditions including technical, financial, institutional, social, and environmental for long-term continuation of results. Furthermore, to support long-term impact and continuity during project implementation, it is essential to assess early indicators and the systems being established.

• Approach and Methodology

The MTE will utilize both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. The data collection activities will include desk review with a focus on the relevant project’s documents such as quarterly and annual reports, monitoring reports, and training manuals. Relevant national report or policy documents will also be reviewed. Below is a detailed description of the MTE approach.

Inception activities: The selected consultant/firm will participate in MTE inception activities meetings. The meetings are intended to clarify and engender a common understanding of the overall and specific objectives of the MTE between all parties. The roles and responsibilities of each party will be articulated, the deliverables and timelines will be specified, the quality and ethical perimeters will be defined.

Inception report: the selected consultant is expected to develop and present a detailed inception report to SHED. The report should outline a clear roadmap for how the MTE will be conducted. The evaluation objectives, criteria (such as relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, early signs of impact, and sustainability), key evaluation questions, and the data collection and analysis methods to be used should be presented in the report. It should also clarify the evaluation design (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method), sampling strategy, tools (e.g., survey questionnaires, interview guides), and the approach to incorporating cross-cutting issues like gender, inclusion, and environment. Stakeholder participation is integral to the MTE design and planning, data gathering, drafting of findings, evaluation reporting and results dissemination.

In addition to the methodological approach, the inception report should include a detailed work plan and timeline of key activities and deliverables as well as roles and responsibilities of evaluation team members. It should highlight any anticipated risks or limitations such as data gaps or access challenges and how they will be mitigated. The inception report should include annexes of the draft evaluation matrix (linking evaluation questions to indicators, data sources, and methods) and data collection tools.

Ethical consideration: The Mid-Term Evaluation must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards for research and evaluation. Participation in the evaluation will be fully voluntary, and informed consent must be obtained from all respondents prior to data collection. Measures should be taken to ensure confidentiality, anonymity, and privacy of all individuals involved. No personally identifiable information will be disclosed in any report outputs. The evaluation will also take special care to ensure that the rights and dignity of vulnerable groups including women, youth, and marginalized populations are respected and protected throughout the process.

• Key Deliverables and Timeline

The MTE process is structured into key deliverables spanning a total of 25 days, beginning with the preparation of an inception report, work plan, and questionnaire. It also includes recruiting and training of the MTE team members, as well as testing the evaluation tools. Fieldwork and data collection, transcribing, cleansing, and analyzing focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs), drafting of report and validation and stakeholder feedback are all part of the MTE process. The incorporating of feedback and finalizing the evaluation report, ensuring a comprehensive and participatory assessment process critical deliverable. The table below assigns suggestive timeline for each deliverable.

• Payments and schedule

The phased payments against specific outputs (see below – indicative only)

• REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

Qualification and Desirable Competencies

Applications from individuals, teams, or firms are welcome and will be evaluated based on their demonstrated qualifications and competencies:

• The lead researcher should possess a master’s degree in International Development, Agriculture, Natural Resources Assessment, Sustainable Development, Economics or related subject and practical knowledge in conducting evaluations.

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in carrying out impact evaluations, demonstrable academic and practical experience in qualitative and quantitative research methodology, evaluation design and implementation.
• Good understanding of Root and Tuber specifically OFSP value chain, vegetable, and VSLA.
• Experience in evaluating BMZ projects, especially access to livelihood.
• Strong analytical, facilitation and communication skills.
• Ability to produce effective and clear communication in English, both written and verbal.
• Previous experience and understanding of the local context required.
• Excellent reporting and presentation skills.

Budget

• Provide a detailed breakdown of the budget at VAT 0 to ensure clear and fair comparison during the assessment of the bids
• The budget format is included in the Technical Proposal Template

Bids assessment

• The below criteria in addition to others shall be the basis on which the bids will be assessed:

Terms of contract

• Confidentiality – Highlight any confidentiality concern;
• The Consultant is responsible for payment of all social costs, other employment related costs and insurance contributions and for all other liabilities of a statutory nature;
• The consultant will have to abide by WHH and SHED’s Child Safeguarding policy and any other relevant policies.

• The consultant will provide a debriefing session to present the main findings and recommendations;
• Copyright for the report will remain with SHED.

Submission process (Interested evaluators or firms are requested to submit)

• CV – including a short summary of relevant competences and previous evaluation work conducted, not more than 2 pages. Only CVs for the specific individuals that will form the proposed evaluation team should be included;
• A sample of an evaluation report for a similar project/ engagement completed within the last 36 months (this will be treated as confidential and only used for the purposes of quality assurance);
• Two references (including one from your last client/employer);
• Technical Proposal (using the SHED template);
• Budget excluding VAT (VAT 0) for assessment grid.

Please provide all the above documentation into a single consolidated document.

Late, incomplete or partial bids will be rejected.

All documents must be submitted by email to the Executive Director Joyce Queeglay Pajibo (joyce.pajibo@shed-liberia.org), with copied to emmanuel.sandi@shed-liberia.org and eric.sackie@welthunferhilfe.de , on later than July 18, 2025

• Annexes:

Annex 1: Technical proposal template Technical Proposal template, see below

Technical Proposal Template

To be filled-in by the candidates, in compliance with the following instructions

1. Rationale (max. 1 page)

Any comments on the Terms of Reference of importance for the successful execution of activities, in particular its objectives and expected results, thus demonstrating the degree of understanding of the contract. Any comments contradicting the Terms of Reference or falling outside their scope will not form part of the final contract.

An opinion on the key issues related to the achievement of the contract objectives and expected results

(Optional: An explanation of the risks and assumptions affecting the execution of the contract)

1. Evaluation questions (max. 2 pages)

Evaluation questions formulated on the basis of the criteria presented in the Terms of Reference’s

Sub-section 4.

1. Proposed Methodology (max. 3 pages)

An outline of the approach proposed for contract implementation;

A list of the proposed activities considered to be necessary to achieve the contract objectives;

The related inputs and outputs.

1. Timetable of activities (max 1 page)

The timing, sequence and duration of the proposed activities, taking into account mobilization time

1. Financial proposal (max 1 page)

Please provide a detailed budget of the evaluation (at VAT 0).