Background and Context

Bangladesh is experiencing disaster and climate change induced migration of the poor population to urban areas. This migration is mostly happening in an unplanned manner. Arriving in the cities, the migrants barely find a decent life. Since they are poverty affected, they have no other opportunity than moving to urban slums where there is no decent infrastructure and amenities. Consequently, the dwellers become highly vulnerable to climate change induced and man-made disasters in their new settlement. Slums are considered as informal and illegal settlements, and are thus neglected by the cities’ planning authorities as well as urban service providers and suffer from vast development failure. The government/local urban authorities are not in a position to respond adequately to the need of the growing number of urban poor people that puts growing demand for employment, services, social benefits, etc. The slum people live in a deplorable situation like low level of income, inadequate water and sanitation services, poor/substandard housing with indoor pollution, unhygienic disposal of garbage/waste, poor drainage system, poor and broken pathways, etc.   

At this backdrop, the project “Empowering the vulnerable in six urban slums by building resilience to everyday and disaster risks – Urban DRR Project” is implemented by Caritas Bangladesh (CB) and Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh (HfHB), and coordinated and supported by Caritas Switzerland (CaCH). The project is designed in intervening on three broad issues: (1) Resilient community, (2) Vertical linkages with authorities and service providers, and (3) Advocacy for replication of urban community resilience. The three-year project started on 01/12/2016 and will end on 30/11/2019.

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the capacities of the slum ccommunities to avoid, reduce and cope with the impacts of natural and man-made hazards and to reduce related losses and damages. The specific objective of the project is to increase the resilience of dwellers in six urban slums in Dhaka and Khulna city in the face of disasters, climate change and socio-economic vulnerabilities.

The following four results are expected to be produced to support the achievement of the objectives:
Result 1 - Disaster risk awareness: Slum dwellers understand the likely impacts of disaster, climate and socio-economic risks on their lives and livelihoods and are able to mitigate them.
Result 2 - Resilient community infrastructure: All 6 slum dwelling communities in Dhaka and Khulna have improved access to community infrastructure and services as a result of DRR approaches and technologies.
Result 3 - Entrepreneurship and income generation opportunities: Women (and other vulnerable groups) have diversified income and livelihood opportunities to reduce their underlying drivers of risk.
Result 4 - Advocacy and enforcement of relevant policies: Policies and provisions such as the DMA (Disaster Management Act) are enforced through policy advocacy, resulting in improved access to services for slum dwellers.

During the inception phase, the project had gone through a baseline survey to create an evidence-base on the demographic and socio-economic status, condition of vulnerabilities and risk factors of the slum communities in Dhaka North and Khulna city corporation. Currently, the project is passing through its third and final year.

Assignment Location

The Mid-line Survey and Evaluation will require traveling and conducting fieldwork in the target slums in Dhaka North City Corporation and Khulna City Corporation. The slums under project interventions are: Lalmath, Bauniabadh and West Duaripara-Extension under Dhaka North City Corporation and Labanchara, Machghat and Natun Bazar Char under Khulna City Corporation. See here: https://goo.gl/duplhx

Overall objective of the consultancy

A midline survey and evaluation shall be conduced and focus on (1) the performance of the project in comparison with the indicators outlined in the project M&E plan/logframe/baseline. Furthermore, (2) the mid-line survey should collect further demographic and socio-economic information that can be seen as valuable for the further development of the project. Finally, (3) it shall be evaluated how the activities have performed in order to reach the results/objectives by assessing their effectiveness and cost efficiency. This information will help to see if we are on track to reach project goals and inform the process of developing a new, similar project (i.e. next and new project phase). This should be evaluated by a consultancy by collecting quantitative and qualitative data and applying DAC criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability (DAC criteria to be handed out to the consultant once awarded).

Specific objectives of the consultancy

• Collect mid-line information with particular focus on project logframe matrix and comparability to available baseline data to provide an updated status of the project indicators (specific objective and result indicators).
• Identify the achieved results aligning with the set indicators and measure changes brought by the project intervention including how and why changes happened. Compared this to the baseline survey data.
• Assess the changes in knowledge, attitude, practice and behavior of slum community people and other stakeholders towards disaster risk reduction, WASH and Waste Management in targeted six slums by the project interventions.
• Assess the change in social, economic and physical vulnerability condition of the targeted slum community.
• Assessing the linkage between slum dwellers/the project (e.g. Slum Disaster Management Committee, SDMC) and different government departments and agencies and their sustainability.
• Assess the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the various activities of the project and present the most effective activities that bring in changes in multiple ways among beneficiaries.
• Assess the worth of project interventions as per DAC criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact) of project intervention, approach, process, etc. 
• Suggest and/or make recommendations for designing a new similar project following the findings from this mid-line survey and evaluation, lessons learnt of the project and good practices (incl. state of the art in development aid/cooperation) of the implemented interventions.
• Collect case stories/case studies to substantiate the findings and analysis and to document the project’s good practices.

Methodology

The Mid-line Survey and Evaluation will employ both qualitative and quantitative approaches with a variety of primary and secondary data sources including participatory methods. Type of quantitative and qualitative method and tools will be determined in consultation with CaCH County Office (CO), HfHB and CB personnel. In addition, information available through secondary sources, i.e. review literatures (e.g. good practices, state of the art in development aid/cooperation) and conduct interviews with various stakeholders ranging from beneficiary communities and relevant Government Department and Institutes and relevant NGOs.
Suggested data collection methods will include but not limited to:

• Literature Compilation and Desk Review (for secondary data collection)
• Relevant laws, policies and agreements: Identify which relevant laws, policies and agreements are followed and are in practice in the country with regard to DRR and identify its relevance with this project. The findings should be analysis of the extent of implementation of such policies/frameworks and programs.
• Household interviews/survey in the targeted slums
• FGD with communities
• Key Informant Interviews (KII) with key stakeholders
• Case study on best practices

The consultant will finalize the sampling methods and sample size in consultation with CB, HfHB and CaCH CO team.

The assignment will require both primary data collection and secondary data review:
Primary data collection: The consultant will design mid-line tools (questionnaire, checklist, forms/formats, etc.) and collect primary data in both quantitative and qualitative forms. The quantitative data will provide concrete mid-line values for the outcomes to be used to measure indicators of the project expressed in terms of numbers, percentage, proportion (quantitative indicators). The consultant will collect primary data through household survey following a questionnaire. The questionnaire will be Kobo Software based (https://www.kobotoolbox.org/). The data has to be collected through Kobo toolbox by using a tablet or smart phone. Thus, it is an advantage if the consultant is well orientation on Kobo Software. However, the consultant can also be briefed on Kobo by CaCH and is encouraged to submit a bid even if no prior experience in working with Kobo exists. The qualitative data will allow verifying the perceptions, and experiences of boys and girls, men and women on knowledge, aptitudes and practices on different interventions of DRR, WASH, Waste Management and Livelihoods. Thus, the consultant should conduct

• FGDs with target slum community people, Fire Volunteers, WASH Volunteers, Adolescents, Slum Cluster Leaders, Slum Disaster Management Committees.
• KII with Local elites (local leaders/politicians/influential person) Land owner/slum owner, representatives of INGOs/NGOs, CBOs & Media Personnel, representatives of service providers (WASA, DESA, Titas Gas, Fire Service and Civil Defence), representatives of duty bearers (City corporation/ Ward Councilors, RAJUK/ KDA, representatives of Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, etc).

Secondary data review: The consultant will go through secondary data for review (project proposal including logical framework; baseline report; literature on good practices and state of the art in development aid/cooperation approaches in urban contexts; relevant laws, plans and policies such as DM Act, SOD, NAPA, BCCSAP, Urban Policy 2014, National Urban Health Strategy 2014, Local Government Act, Perspective Plan of Bangladesh 2010-2021, Dhaka Megacity Development Plan including National strategy of Water & Sanitation, SFDRR, New Urban Agenda etc.

The consultant will conduct triangulation of information gathered during the quantitative and qualitative research with reflections on how the findings relate to the secondary documentation.

The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

• Detailed mid-line survey and evaluation plan with methodology and data collection tools (survey questionnaire/checklist) shall be submitted to CaCH within three days after signing of the Contract. CaCH will then review and approve them for onward use
• An inception report outlining the approach/methodology and execution of programs/timetable. This report shall be submitted for review and approval by CaCH five working days after the signature of the contract before commencement of the work.
• A comprehensive and analytical Mid-line survey and Evaluation Draft Report with in-depth description shall be submitted within five days after completion of the field work.
• Presentation of the key findings of the draft report through workshop
• All materials produced for the Mid-line survey cum Evaluation and raw data of SPSS, Excel and Word in soft form in CD Rom.
• Three copies in printed document with soft copies (MS Word) of the Final Report shall be submitted within five days after the stakeholders’ dissemination workshop incorporating the feedback/inputs from CB, HfHB, CaCH and other stakeholders. The Final Report shall contain the following areas (may not be limited to) 
• Cover page, table of contents, and list of acronyms
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Analysis and interpretation (including tables/graphics and text)- it includes both process analysis and result/impact analysis (DAC criteria)
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• Annexes including data collection tools and data sets
• Case studies, testimonies and related pictures to support the analysis

Tentative time schedule of the assignment

The Mid-line survey cum Evaluation will take place over 30 working days including field travel in Dhaka and Khulna. The consultant will submit a detailed tentative survey and evaluation work plan indicating the time and responsibility of the survey team. The assignment shall be accomplished after signing the contract as stated below:

Payment Method

Payment mode for the consultancy service will be on the following basis:

• First installment of 40% upon submission of the inception report
• Second installment of 40% upon receipt of the draft report.
• Final installment of 20% upon satisfactory acceptance of the final report

Collaboration

CaCH designates Ms Amrita Rejina Rozario, Country Director, CaCH in Bangladesh as the chief responsible and contact person.

Tender

Tenders should include the above-mentioned criteria and:

• an outline of the Mid-line survey and Evaluation design,
• detailed work plan,
• detailed budget,
• up to date CVs of the involved researchers,
• at least two references for all involved researchers,
• and work samples of at least one report/academic paper that was completed for a recent survey/evaluation of a development cooperation project.

The final decision on tenders will be taken by CaCH. The tender shall be submitted to Ms Amrita Rejina Rozario, Country Director, CaCH, countryofficebd@caritas.ch no later than 18 April, 2019.

Amrita Rozario, 02.04.2019
Nicola Malacarne, 02.04.2019