Terms of Reference End of Project Evaluation July 2025 - Strengthening resilience of South Sudan refugees

PROJECT TITLE Strengthening resilience of South Sudan refugees in Uganda and IDPs in South Sudan and their host communities through a holistic approach PROJECT CODE EAF0102 PROJECT DURATION 01.10.22 - 30.09.25 DONOR Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) LOCATIONS Ikotos, Magwi and Torit Counties, Eastern Equatoria State DATE 21 July 2025 The Terms of Reference (ToR) serve as a request for applications from suitably qualified individual consultants or consultancy firms, hereafter referred to as ‘the Consultant,’ interested in carrying out the end of project evaluation for the project titled Strengthening resilience of South Sudan refugees in Uganda and IDPs in South Sudan and their host communities through a holistic approach. The evaluation focus will be on activities implemented in South Sudan. About Johanniter: Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe (JUH) is a German non-governmental organization that was founded in 1952. Johanniter International Assistance (Johanniter), a humanitarian arm of JUH, is implementing multi-sector emergency response and transitional and long term development projects across 20 countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Ukraine, Moldova, and Afghanistan. In South Sudan, Johanniter became active in 2011 with a country office in Juba, and has since 2012 been operating in Jur River and Wau Counties in Western Bahr-el Ghazal State, and expanded to Ikotos, Magwi and Torit Counties in Eastern Equatoria State in 2021. Johanniter projects in South Sudan are focused on supporting vulnerable host communities, refugees, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with integrated interventions that include health, nutrition, food security, livelihoods strengthening, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and protection including sexual gender based violence (SGBV). Project Background The Strengthening the resilience of South Sudanese refugees and their host communities in Uganda, as well as IDPs, returnees and their host communities in South Sudan projectis funded by the Transitional Development Assistance provided by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In South Sudan the 36 month project (October 2022 - September 2025), is being implemented in Ikotos, Magwi and Torit Counties of Eastern Equatoria State. The project aims to reach the most vulnerable IDPs, refugees and host communities negatively affected by the South Sudan crisis and increase their social and economic resilience, strengthen their self-reliance and build positive coping mechanisms that can be used in times of recurrent external shocks (e.g. displacement due to conflict, intra- or inter-communal violence, natural disasters, economic crises and inflation). The project was implemented in both Uganda and South Sudan with the aim to reduce further cross-border migration and to create an enabling environment for the return of refugees to South Sudan. The project has 5 outcomes, with the second outcome not implemented in South Sudan and the fifth added in 2024 as an emergency flood response measure (Please exclude outcome 2 and indicator 4.2 in evaluation) . The project outcomes are as follows: Improved food security of the target group through increased subsistence and commercial agricultural production and improved nutrition practices. Graduates of vocational education and training courses have improved their chances of employment and increased income at household level. Target groups have improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices. The peaceful coexistence and social cohesion of the target communities in South Sudan and Uganda is improved. Target households and communities have improved capacity to mitigate the effects of floods. Project Outcomes and Indicators: The project outcomes and respective indicators are as follows: Outcome 1. improved food security of the target group through increased subsistence and commercial agricultural production and improved nutrition practices Indicators: 1.1 By the end of the project, 70% of households in the target communities report that they have increased their agricultural production. 1.2 By the end of the project, more than 50% of the target households report regularly consuming food from 5 or more of the 12 food groups (Household Dietary Score). 1.3 At least half of the households in the agricultural groups report an increase of at least 25 % in income from agricultural production . Outcome 2: Graduates of vocational education and training courses have improved their chances of employment and increased income at household level. Indicators: 2.1 At the end of the project, 80% of the graduates of vocational education and training and creative skill building say that they have acquired new or improved skills that give them an advantage in the labour market. 2.2 At least 50% of the graduates increase their income within 6 months after the end of the course through employment or self-employment related to the training received. Outcome 3: Target groups have improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation and adopt good hygiene practices Indicators: 3.1. 80% of households in the target communities have access to drinking water (15L/person/day; Sphere Key Indicator) from at least one protected source by the end of the project. 3.2. 20% of people in the target communities were regularly using safe, gender-sensitive, disabled-friendly public latrines by the end of the project. 3.3 By the end of the project, 70% of people in the target communities report washing their hands regularly with soap or ash in at least 3 of the 5 critical situations. Outcome 4: The peaceful coexistence and social cohesion of the target communities in South Sudan and Uganda is improved. Indicators 4.1 At least 70% of people accessing psychosocial support in Eastern Equatoria, South Sudan, report improved subjective well-being. 4.2 Reduce incidents of violence and disputes in the target communities in Adjumani and Obongi, Uganda by at least 30% by the end of the project. Outcome 5: Target households and communities have improved capacity to mitigate the effects of floods Indicators 5.1 Flood risk and early warning information is disseminated and available to at least 70% of households within the targeted communities. Project reach so far: The project has reached over 75,000 direct project participants with a arrange of interventions that include training and awareness raising, infrastructure construction and rehabilitation, targeted non-food items distribution, conditional cash transfers, and formation and strengthening of community structures. Detailed achievements as outlined in reports and logframe will be shared with the Consultant during inception. Evaluation Purpose, Objectives and Use Key purpose of the evaluation: The purpose of the evaluation is to generate evidence on the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, coherence and sustainability of the project interventions. The evaluation will also document key lessons and recommendations that will be used to design and enhance the quality of future projects. The evaluation is also an effort by Johanniter to be accountable to key stakeholders (such as the people we work with, relevant line ministries and the BMZ) by not only allowing them to provide feedback to the extent possible but by also sharing the evaluation findings as evidence of the work done over the duration of the project. Objectives of the evaluation: Overall, the main aim of the evaluation is to establish the extent to which the project outcomes were achieved and identify the immediate changes (both intended and unintended, and positive or negative) on the target population attributable to the interventions, lessons and recommendations. A comparative analysis of baseline versus end of project evaluation findings to establish the changes, if any, over the project period. The specific evaluation objectives are as follows: To evaluate the project's relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and coherence. To ascertain the extent to which the project was able to strengthen the resilience of target communities To ascertain the sustainability of implemented interventions, especially the rehabilitated/constructed infrastructure and established and strengthened community structures To identify lessons learnt, best practices and recommendations for future programming Evaluation Intended Users: The intended users for the evaluation will be: Program implementing team especially Food Security and Livelihoods, Nutrition, WASH, and Protection, and support staff. Johanniter SSD Senior Management Team, Regional Office, PMEAL, and other departments at Headquarter. The humanitarian cluster teams and all humanitarian agencies in South Sudan who are working towards the same goals and objectives. Representatives of BMZ as the donor that has funded the project. Scope of the evaluation, approach and methods The end of project evaluation will primarily focus on project implementation in South Sudan and will cover the whole project duration. Primary data will be collected from the 3 Counties; Ikotos, Magwi and Torit [1] . The evaluation will assess the project’s design and approaches, implementation process including operations (i.e. Programs, Finance, PMEAL and Logistics), outputs, outcomes and management. The Consultant is expected to incorporate relevant end of project evaluation findings from Uganda (on shared indicators/components) into the final report. Approach and Methodology: The end of project evaluation will comply with the Johanniter Guidelines on Evaluations and the OECD/DAC evaluation guidelines. The methodology will be based on participatory approaches and the use of mixed methods is preferred. The Consultants proposed sampling methods and sample size must ensure representation of the collected data. The sampling approach should ensure participation of the various project stakeholders which include women, girls, people living with disabilities, formal and informal community structures, relevant line ministries and government departments and Johanniter staff. The Consultant is expected to reflect the views and perspectives of the various population groups participating in the evaluation through data disaggregation (e.g. sex, age, disability, and location) and direct quotes from qualitative data sources. The Consultant should include a detailed evaluation methodology that is in line with the requirements outlined in this ToR. Upon selection, the Consultant will receive key project documents to use to enhance the proposed methodology. The documents will include the project proposal, log frame, and periodic and assessment reports. Evaluation Questions Relevance To what extent were the project interventions responsive to needs and priorities of the target population (including practical needs of marginalized populations) ? Did any changes occur during project implementation and how did the interventions adapt to the changes? What recommendations appear to improve project design and adequacy for future programming in this or in similar contexts? [1] The Consult is expected to travel to the field location(s) over the evaluation period. If the Consultancy is in the form of a team, the Lead Consultant is expected to be part of the team travelling to the field location, at minimum to Torit Field Office. Effectiveness To what extent did the project achieve the desired outcomes and output? Was the project effective in delivering desired/planned results? To what extent did the project achieve its overall objectives? What were the contributing factors and constraints? To what extent did the Project’s M&E mechanism contribute in meeting project results? How effective were the strategies and tools used in the implementation of the project? How effective has the project been in responding to the needs of the target population, particularly to the needs of vulnerable people (women, youth, people with disabilities, internally displaced and returnees)? Coherence Was there complementarity, harmonisation, and co-ordination with other humanitarian actors and government? To what extent did the project interventions add value to other interventions implemented in Eastern Equatoria while avoiding duplication of effort? To what extent are the project interventions consistent with the JIA country, regional and global strategies? Efficiency Was the process of achieving results efficient? Specifically, did the actual or expected results (outputs and outcomes) justify the costs incurred? Were the resources effectively utilized? What factors contributed to implementation efficiency? Are there alternative solutions and approaches that are more efficient in delivering the same or better results with the available inputs? How efficient were the project (staff, management) and accountability structures of the project? How did the project financial management processes and procedures affect project implementation? What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the project implementation process? Sustainability What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of project outcomes and benefits after completion of the project? How effective were the exit strategies, and approaches to phase out assistance provided by the project including contributing factors and constraints What are the key factors that will require attention in order to improve prospects of sustainability of project outcomes and the potential for replication of the approach? How were capacities strengthened at the individual, community and state/county/Boma level (including contributing factors and constraints)? What are the main lessons learnt for each sector? What are the recommendations for future interventions based on the current evaluation findings)? Did the intervention contribute to greater gender equality? If so, how and to what extent? Did it result in enduring changes to social norms that are harmful to people, especially marginalized populations? What is the likelihood of the achievements in gender equality being sustained after the end of the project? If it did not achieve this, why not? Impact How did the project contribute to improvements in the sectors implemented ( WASH, protection, agriculture and livelihoods) What significant changes (both positive and negative, intended and unintended, immediate, medium and long term) have been brought about by the project through the approaches implemented.. Was the project impact the same across the different target groups? What factors contributed to the differences, if any? Process and timeline: Please note this is a tentative timeline. A clearly outlined timeline with roles and responsibilities should be included in the bid application. Consultancy phases Days required Phase I: On-boarding and Document Review Review of key program documents and reports. Drafting of Inception Report - refining the evaluation framework and methodology, work plan development (with detailed deadlines) 5 working days Inception Meeting 1 working day Finalize Inception Report and submission of data collection tools 3 working days Finalize data collection tools and upload survey questionnaire on mobile application 2 working days Phase II: Field Work Training of Enumerators and Pilot Testing 3 working days Finalize data collection tools 1 working day Field work; community, and stakeholder consultation (Primary data collection) 14 working days (including travel time, as required) Present preliminary findings to the JIA Team for comments and suggestions to proceed to comprehensive analysis and report writing. 2 working days Phase III: Analysis and Report Data analysis and draft report; validating findings with JIA (and beneficiaries), – details to be discussed with the selected candidate 8 working days Review of comments and finalization of draft report 6 working days - cumulative Total Days 47 working days Products to be delivered by the consultant The Consultant shall deliver, within the time schedule presented in chapter 6, the following products: Inception Report The Consultant will submit a detailed inception report outlining their understanding of the requirements of the assignment. The Consultant is expected to refine and submit a final inception report based on feedback from Johanniter. The inception report will include: An evaluation matrix that clearly outlines the evaluation design, methodology, evaluation questions, data collection methods and data analysis plan Work plan with clear roles and responsibilities Data collection schedule Support requirements from Johanniter Annexes with draft data collection tools Draft Evaluation Report The Final Report ( max 40 pages) Upon completion of the data validation process, the consultant will submit a draft evaluation report. The report should align to the format and requirements outlined in Section 5c. The report will be reviewed by Johanniter to ensure it meets the required evaluation standard. The consultant will be required to proactively address or respond to all comments or issues with the report. The feedback and finalization process should not exceed 15 working days. The final report must be submitted within the approved evaluation timeline, incorporating comments and feedback from Johanniter. Digital copies of the final report must be submitted in MS Word and PDF format. The final report is to be submitted in a package with the approved Inception Report, clean datasets, 2 page evaluation fact sheet and powerpoint presentation of evaluation key findings and recommendations (max. 20 slides). The report structure should include at a minimum the following: Cover page (1 page) Table of Contents (1 page) Acknowledgements (1 page) Glossary (1 page) Executive Summary (1.5 pages) Introduction (1/2 page) Project Background (1 page) Evaluation Purpose,Scope, Objectives and Research questions (2 pages) Methodology (2 pages) Findings (max 12 pages) Conclusion and Recommendations per project component (2 pages) Lessons learnt per project component (1 page) Appendices which should include All the data collection tools Participants Interview Table Responsibility Roles and responsibilities of the Consultant: Prepare and submit to Johanniter, the evaluation proposal (both technical and financial proposal) Desk review of relevant program and project documents and reports such as proposals, assessments, project budgets, monitoring and assessment reports, Johanniter South Sudan Country Strategy (2022 - 2025) and Johanniter Strategy 2027 Submit inception report and design data collection tools as per proposed and agreed methodologies Put together a team to conduct field work, liaising with Johanniter on the logistics Responsible for any insurance including medical and travel related to this assignment Field visits to selected sites; and attend to surveys, interviews, and/or focus group discussions with community members (adults), government officers, and other stakeholders Train the data collection team Lead the supervision of the data collection including interviewing selected respondents during the evaluation Conducting entry and exit meetings (de-briefing) with Johanniter staff Conduct findings validation workshop with Johanniter before the draft report Submission of the draft evaluation report and finalize it based on the feedback from Johanniter. Submission of a 2 page evaluation fact sheet and powerpoint presentation (max 20 slides) of evaluation key findings and recommendations and final dataset Payment of any tax or other fees related to this assignment. Roles and responsibilities of Johanniter Provide ongoing security advice, transportation and support as necessary for travel to field sites Facilitate engagement with community and key stakeholders Provide all necessary project documents Briefing of the evaluator including facilitating an Inception Workshop Review and approve documents generated by Consultant, i.e. all reports and final report package, data collection tools Facilitate in recruiting enumerators, if requested by Consultant Cover the enumerators and field supervisor costs Support with tablets for data collection, if needed (not more than 20 tablets). Logistical arrangements for training of the enumerators Prepare and effect payments for the consultant in installments based on progress made Time schedule The Consultant is expected to start activities by the 11th of August and undertake the assignment within a 45 - 50 day working period. The Consultant should include a tentative work plan in the bid application package. N.B. The activities outlined in Section 6 are the minimum requirements by Johanniter. Management Johanniter shall prepare a contract that the Consultant shall sign as commitment to the assignment. The Consultant shall be answerable to the Johanniter team. The Head of Mission in South Sudan shall represent Johanniter, the PMEAL Coordinator will provide technical guidance and a Senior Programme Manager will be the focal person for day-to-day communication. Safeguarding and Protection The consultant will be expected to sign the Johanniter Safeguarding and Protection Policy, ensuring adherence to high standards of safeguarding the protection of staff, enumerators, and the people we work with during the course of this exercise Intellectual property and data protection All intellectual property generated by the consultancy will be owned by Johanniter, who will retain the rights to disseminate and publish the final report. The Consultant will follow the data protection policy of Johanniter while collecting, processing, and storing the program related data. Essential experience of the consultant Application by a consultant team with relevant multisectoral expertise, is strongly desirable. The consultant team must possess the following experience: The lead consultant must have at least a Master’s Degree in Management, Development Management, Development Studies, Development Economics, Social Sciences, Organizational Development, or Public administration or Management or equivalent. Minimum of 5 years’ experience in project management and team management skills, particularly in managing large scale survey/monitoring projects, and ability to prioritize tasks and meet multiple deadlines in a complex environment. Evidence of analytical ability, management experience, and process audit experience. Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact to effectively communicate with multiple stakeholders and professionals from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. CV and Certificates should be included in the bid application. A team member with strong skills in qualitative and quantitative data analysis with software such as SPSS, and or STATA. Statistical analysis skills and excellent skills in research, monitoring, and evaluation of Health, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH projects, including accountability to affected populations, is highly desirable. CV and Certificates should be included in the bid application. Previous experience evaluating projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is an added advantage. Strong analytical and conceptual skills to synthesize and present findings, draw practical conclusions, make recommendations, and prepare well-written reports promptly Have experience in multi-methodological and interdisciplinary approaches and data collection and analysis techniques in the evaluation of development programs. Demonstrable experience of at least 5 years in research/evaluation of projects related to the sectors, research, and analysis. Strong understanding of the South Sudan context, the humanitarian system, protection risks, and conflict dynamics in South Sudan. Strong experience in questionnaire development, interview techniques, and managing focus group discussions. Experience in using mobile data collection systems such as KoBoCollect, Survey CTO, ODK Experience writing high quality reports, and incorporating written feedback and addressing comments from multiple stakeholders. Excellent written and oral English Excellent Arabic skills and knowledge of the local languages, desirable Willingness and ability to travel to the field sites

Application and selection process: 14.1. Selection criteria The proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria; Preliminary Evaluation (Mandatory Submission Requirement). 1. Legal company registration documents (Valid Registration Certificate, Memorandum and Articles of Association clearly showing the company shareholders and Trading license) 2. Profile of the consultancy firm if not an individual 3. Valid tax registration and clearance certificates, including exemption certificates, where applicable. 4. Certified bank statements for at least the last 3 months or audited accounts for the past 12 months. (Applicable to companies only) 5. Duly signed and stamped copy of the declaration of suppliers and Terms of Reference (TOR) 6. Technical proposal (Max 15 pages). The Technical Proposal should contain inter alia a complete description and explanation of the proposed methodology, work plan, timeline, staffing, names and qualifications of allocated personnel, and any other resources that the consultant will make available to execute the assignment and achieve the objective, including budget. 7. A financial proposal with a clear breakdown as indicated in Section 14.1 and should be in USD and prices valid for at least 90 days) 8. A minimum of 5 traceable references in the last 10 years for similar works related to FSL, WASH, Health and Nutrition, and Protection indicating the name of the organisations worked for, type of consultancy and details of contact person (s). 9. Banking details. Phase 1: Technical Evaluation Stage (30%). 1. Proposed personnel for the assignment with a minimum of 5 years of proven experience in undertaking similar tasks in humanitarian organisations (05%). Required: Copies of CVs of proposed personnel and academic qualifications. The Lead Consultant (s) must possess a PhD or a Master’s degree relevant to the thematic sectors of the project, or any relevant qualification. 2. Past experience in the last 5 years related to FSL, WASH, Health and Nutrition and Protection consultancies with international NGOs, government health agencies, and community-level actors (10%). Required: A minimum of three (03) copies of approved reports for previous similar works are required. 3. Previous experience of consultancies in South Sudan (15%). Required: At least 3 copies of approved reports of previous similar works in South Sudan are required) Phase 2: Validation of Technical capacity (Interview) (30%). 1. Demonstrated clarity and understanding of the assignment and interpretation of the Terms of Reference and work plan (15%). 2. Appropriate methodology as per Terms of Reference aligned with the context (15%) Financial Evaluation (40%). Based on the details in the TOR, the consultant will develop a detailed itemised financial proposal aligned with the proposed work plan. All prices must be quoted in US Dollars (USD). The validity period for the financial proposal should be indicated, and consultants' professional fees and logistical costs should be quoted in separate lines and not as a lump sum. The overall consultancy fees must include all relevant taxes\\.\\ The format for the overall consultancy cost must be summarised as indicated below: No. Item Description Units Unit Type Unit Price Total Amount Remark/Description 1. Consultant's fees (including data enumerators’ costs) 2\. Transport cost 3\. Subsistence costs (including accommodation, communication, meals, etc.) 4\. Any other costs that are critical but not provided for by JIA Total 14.2. Payment Methods Payment will be made as follows; - Milestone 1: Submission of approved Inception Report and Invoice - 30% fee - Milestone 2: Completion of project and submission of all deliverables - 70% fee (payments of the final fee is dependent on Johanniter agreeing on final sign-off on the report.) If the consultant does not meet the agreed deadlines (without advance agreement from Johanniter), the second payment will be reduced by 5% for each calendar day if the submission is late. 14.3. Submission Interested consultant(s) is/are required to submit complete proposals in soft copy in a zipped folder to the EMAIL ADDRESS, [email protected] with the subject line “EAF0102 Endline Evaluation” by 08th August 2025 (Midnight Central Africa Time). Please note that hard copies dropped at the JIA Offices and incomplete packages will not be considered. For inquiries and clarifications, please email [email protected] and copy [email protected] , [email protected] and [email protected] 14.4 TERMS AND CONDITIONS Johanniter reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and to cancel the procurement process at any stage. The selected Consultant will be expected to adhere to Johanniter's ethical standards and guidelines, and Johanniter’s Safeguarding Policy throughout the duration of the consultancy. All data and information collected, and any reports, as well as the methodology of the study, will be the property of Johanniter International Assistance. Finally, please note that only short listed candidates will be contacted. Thank you! Annexes - Annex 1: Declaration of Supplier Form