28 October 2020 –

Application deadline: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Consultancy start and end date: 23 November – 31 January 2020
Duration: approx. 15 to 20 working days
Location: Vienna or remote

Background

The UNCAC Coalition is a global network of more than 350 civil society organisations (CSOs) in over 100 countries, committed to promoting the implementation and monitoring of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).

Established in 2006, it mobilises civil society action for the UNCAC at international, regional and national levels. After more than a decade as an informal civil society network, the Coalition in 2015 registered as an association in Austria and in early 2019, the Coalition opened its first permanent office in Vienna (the “Vienna Hub”), now staffed with a team of five, which has been made possible by the support provided by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). 

This permanent presence in Vienna enables the Coalition to engage with diplomatic delegations, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – the lead entity in the UN system on countering corruption and the guardian of the Convention – and other Vienna-based organisations on a regular basis to promote good anti-corruption practices, share UNCAC-related developments with the Coalition members and to support civil society organisations around the world to better understand and use the UNCAC to advance their mission, including by contributing to the review process in their country. Furthermore, the Vienna Hub team works to ensure that the voice of civil society is present in UNCAC fora.

The project under review 

The UNCAC Coalition is looking for an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation consultant (or a small team of consultants) to carry out a programmatic review of the progress made in the implementation of its project “Civil Society Participation in the UNCAC – Building Momentum for Change”, funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). (The review does not entail a review of the project’s finances.)

The project under review encompasses most of the UNCAC Coalition’s ongoing activities. Norad has provided funding of NOK 2.5 million (approximately Euro 230.000): the support started in November 2018 and is scheduled to end at the end of 2020. Starting from mid-2019, the project has been co-financed by the Foreign Ministry of Denmark (Danida), which will continue its support until the end of 2022 (providing a total of approximately EUR 800.000 over four years in funding).

The project aims to build momentum for effective anti-corruption reforms to be adopted and implemented on the national level following a transparent and inclusive process of reviewing the implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption, reflecting the input and recommendations of Civil Society Organizations in Official Development Assistance (ODA) countries.

Key outcomes of the project are the following: 

1. Civil society organisations contribute to the national UNCAC 2nd Cycle review process with support of the Coalition.
2. ODA country governments enable a transparent and inclusive UNCAC review process on the national level.
3. Civil society groups use the UNCAC to advocate for change in anti-corruption practice in ODA countries.
4. Civil society successfully advocates for improvements related to UNCAC processes and policy issues.

The more detailed planned outputs and results of the Project are detailed in the contract here. 

More broadly, the project seeks to support the involvement of civil society organisations, including by facilitating civil society contributions in UNCAC fora (i.e. the UNCAC Conference of States Parties and its subsidiary bodies, as well as the UNCAC implementation review process), by strengthening networking efforts among NGOs, by support provided to NGOs contributing to the UNCAC review process by creating parallel reports on national implementation, and by engaging governments to commit to higher standards of transparency and civil society participation in the UNCAC review process, as well as by engagement with governments to advance good practices in the UNCAC implementation. 

Objectives of the review

The objectives of this evaluation are the following: 

• Objective 1: Provide an objective assessment of the achievements and impact the project has had so far (including but not limited on the indicators agreed with the donor), and the strengths and weaknesses of the project
• Objective 2: Assess the organisational development of the UNCAC Coalition during the implementation period that has been made possible by the funding provided by Norad
• Objective 3: Conduct an in-depth analysis of the challenges associated with the project and how they can be addressed moving forward, generating lessons learned and recommendations for the future project implementation (funded by Danida until the end of 2022) and for the UNCAC Coalition’s organisational development to help maximize the relevance and effectiveness of the Coalition’s work
• Objective 4: Evaluate the nature of cooperation between the UNCAC Coalition and UNODC and assess how the Coalition could have a greater direct impact both in Vienna and at the country level.
• Objective 5: Generate insights based on input from Coalition CSO members how the Coalition could better support the work and help maximize the impact of its members

The findings of the review will also inform the Coalition’s next organisational strategy which will be developed in late 2020/early 2021. 

Methodology and approach 

The evaluator is ultimately responsible for the overall methodological approach and design of the evaluation and is expected to propose methodologies he/she/they consider most appropriate to achieve the aims of this review. 

The assessment should conform to OECD/DAC’s Quality Standards for Development Cooperation and use a combination of methods.

The evaluation should use a participatory approach involving the team of the UNCAC Coalition’s Vienna hub and also involve key stakeholders. The approach should include a review of relevant project documents and procedures (such as the project agreement and its log-frame, progress reports, donor reports, the annual report 2019, the Coalition’s Strategy, relevant information on the Coalition’s website and other project outputs, tools and guidance materials developed by the Coalition in the context of the project, relevant UNODC documents addressing the role of the Coalition) and interviews with key stakeholders (which may include: current and former members of the Coalition’s board (CCC), the Vienna hub team, UNODC officers, representatives of member organisations and groups receiving support to produce parallel reports on UNCAC implementation and donor representatives). 

Key issues to be addressed

The following questions could be addressed during the project evaluation but are subject to discussion and agreement with the UNCAC Coalition Vienna Hub team during the period of designing the evaluation approach. 

The evaluator is free to prioritise these issues in the proposal and to suggest others deemed necessary:  

• Assessing the (ongoing) project and its results in terms of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness and impact, including expected impacts and sustainability of the project, as well as the need and potential for readjustments and improvement
• Project design and management: assessing the approaches to planning, monitoring, evaluation and learning
• Added value and participation: What value has the project added to the
  • participation of civil society actors in and around the UNCAC
  • the overall development of the UNCAC Coalition?
• How can the Coalition increase its impact in relation to the work of UNODC and delegations in Vienna?
• How the Coalition can better support its members to maximize the impact of their work?

Qualifications and selection criteria

The consultant (or consultants) should present the following skills and qualifications:

• University degree in social sciences or another relevant area
• At least five years of proven relevant professional experience in an international development environment, preferably within non-profit organisations, foundations, donor organisations or international organisations
• Demonstrated experience in evaluation processes and production of at least three evaluation reports on projects or programs implemented by non-governmental organisations, non-profit organisations or international organisations, preferably in the areas of anti-corruption and good governance
• Substantial knowledge of and experience in anti-corruption and development work and of the role of civil society, in particular in the context of the United Nations
• Demonstrated ability to produce clearly written, focused analysis and substantiated recommendations based on that analysis
• Excellent command of English
• Availability to carry out the described tasks between November 2020 and January 2021
• Demonstrated familiarity with the functioning of civil society groups and Coalitions is desirable
• Familiarity with the work and role of the United Nations around conventions and knowledge of the UNCAC and its context is considered a plus

Main deliverables of the evaluation

• Detailed work plan, including approach, methodology, guiding questions, interview/survey questions, a proposed list of stakeholders to be interviewed or otherwise involved, and a timeline for the evaluation process
• Draft report, for comments and internal fact-checking
• Final evaluation report of approximately 30 pages (excluding any annexes) 
• Powerpoint presentation summarizing the evaluation report
• Documentation and delivery of a learning workshop to present key findings and recommendations to the Coalition and Norad

All deliverables are to be submitted in electronic form in English, in line with stipulated deadlines. The Consultant is responsible for editing and quality control of language.

Anticipated Timeline

– Second half of November: Start of the evaluation process with a desk review, conversations with the UNCAC Coalition’s Vienna team  

– Delivery of draft report: by mid-January 2021

– Delivery of final report, PowerPoint and learning webinar: End of January 2021

Application Process

To apply, please email the following documentation in English by the end of 12 November 2020 to email hidden; JavaScript is required:

• A letter describing your motivation and elaborating on your qualification and relevant experience for this assignment
• Curriculum Vitae with description of relevant experience and profile, including links or references to at least three relevant work samples 
• One sample of relevant previous work (confidentiality guaranteed)
• A technical proposal, outlining how you will approach the assignment, including an indicative timeline
• Financial offer for undertaking the work, with an estimation of the number of days spent on the different tasks of the project, the daily rate, estimates of any additional costs and the total amount (including VAT, if applicable)

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. 

We may enter into additional negotiations with one or more of the participants in the call. 

Data protection

By responding to this call for proposals and submitting an application, you provide consent to the UNCAC Coalition to keep your application materials for up to eight years, in line with legal requirements in Austria. Afterwards, we will delete your application. In case you have any questions please write to email hidden; JavaScript is required.