Call for Expression of Interest: Final Evaluation for Covid 19 Response Mechanism

Terms of References (ToRs)
for COVID-19 Response Mechanism: Health and Community Systems Strengthening in Preparation for Future Pandemics – Final Evaluation.

Call for Expression of Interest – Final Evaluation for the COVID-19 Response Mechanism: Health and Community Systems Strengthening in Preparation for Future Pandemics Project in Malawi

About ActionAid Malawi

ActionAid is a global justice federation working to achieve social justice, gender equity and poverty eradication founded as a UK charity in 1972. In 2003, ActionAid established the International Federation comprising members in every region of the world, and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. ActionAid is working in seventy-two (72) countries globally with a vision to achieve “a just, equitable and sustainable world in which every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity, freedom from poverty and all forms of oppression”. Its mission is to achieve social justice, gender equality, and poverty eradication by working with people living in poverty and exclusion, their communities, people’s organisations, activists, social movements and supporters. This mission aligns with ActionAid’s program framework, which focuses on shifting and redistributing power and resources, strengthening the resilience of communities and movements, and fulfilling the rights of individuals living in poverty and exclusion.

ActionAid Malawi (AAM) is an affiliate member of the ActionAid Federation. ActionAid Malawi was established in 1990 and started working in 1991 with a secretariat located in Lilongwe. It registered locally (Reg. No. 8289) under the Companies Limited by Guarantee Act (Cap 46:03) of the laws of Malawi in April 2007 as a company limited by guarantee. AAM has therefore a “dual of citizenship” being a local organization as well as a member of an international organization. AAM has a local board, and a local General Assembly, which is the supreme decision-making authority. As a local non-governmental organization, the General Assembly mostly comprises indigenous Malawians living in poverty. Additionally, AAM is registered with the Non-Governmental Organizations Registration Authority (NGORA).

AA Malawi is deeply engaged in the community, national and global social justice movements and is a member   of various civil society networks, alliances, and coalitions. Through a human rights-based approach, AAM empowers marginalized communities, particularly women, to assert their rights and address the underlying causes of poverty and injustice. As a proud member of the ActionAid International Federation, AAM collaborates with like-minded organizations worldwide to advance its mission of promoting social justice, gender equality, poverty eradication, economic and climate justice.

ActionAid Malawi is currently implementing its sixth Country Strategy Paper (CSP VI) for the period 2024–2028, titled “Transforming Systems for Social Justice.” This strategy builds on key lessons learned from the previous CSP V (2018–2023) and reinforces ActionAid’s unwavering commitment to driving systemic change across all priority areas including women’s rights, economic and climate justice, resilience, and humanitarian response.

 Background of the project.

The project focuses on  key pillars: Social Mobilization, Community-Led Monitoring, Community-Led Advocacy and Research, and Institutional Capacity Building of CBO-Led Entities all geared toward strengthening accountability, enhancing service delivery, and improving health outcomes in HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB), Malaria, and Pandemic Preparedness.

To implement non-biomedical interventions at the community level, the Ministry of Health partnered with ActionAid Malawi as the Sub-Recipient (SR), who in turn worked with several Sub-Sub Recipients (SSRs) including CRECCOM, MANET+ and Lilongwe Catholic Health Commission . These partners have been instrumental in executing the project. The project focuses on strengthening community engagement, promoting accountability, and identifying service delivery gaps through real-time data collection, participatory monitoring, and feedback mechanisms.

The project is implementing a series of key activities across 36 health facilities, facilitated by AAM, MANET+, CRECCOM, and LL CHC in Twelve (12) districts: Northern Region (Rumphi, Likoma, and Mzimba and Nkhotakota), Central Region (Mchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, and Salima), and Southern Region (Phalombe, Mwanza, Nsanje and Zomba). The project targets a population of 1,147,219, including People Living with HIV, TB patients, Adolescent Girls and Young Women, members of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), support group members, volunteers, community leaders, faith and religious leaders, health facility and health advisory committee members, judiciary, men in uniform, journalists, and peer educators.

 Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the overall performance and impact of the COVID-19 RM Community-Led Monitoring Project, with a specific focus on its relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, coherence, and sustainability. The evaluation will examine the extent to which the project achieved its intended objectives, using both the original project indicators and the “shadow indicators” approved by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and ActionAid Malawi (AAM). It will also assess the impact of COVID-19 on TB and Malaria programs and provide actionable recommendations to inform and strengthen future programming. Furthermore, the evaluation will generate evidence on how the project enhanced the responsiveness and accountability of policymakers and service providers, particularly through community-led approaches in the districts where the project was implemented. In addition, it will support the documentation of good practices, lessons learned, and strategies for scaling effective approaches to other districts.

Objectives of the Evaluation

The overall objective of this evaluation is to generate evidence on the performance, outcomes, and sustainability of the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) Project, and to inform future programming, learning, and accountability. Specifically, the evaluation seeks to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. Assess programme performance and effectiveness – Evaluate how well the project has achieved its planned outputs and outcomes and assess the effectiveness of implementing partners in delivering interventions and meeting targets across the project’s focus districts.
2. Measure changes in the lives of target groups – Assess the impact of Community-Led Monitoring activities on the wellbeing and quality of life of key beneficiaries, including People Living with HIV, TB & Malaria patients, youths, women, and other vulnerable populations.
3. Evaluate the potential for sustainability and transformative Change – Assess the project’s contribution to establishing sustainable, community-led mechanisms for health service monitoring, and determine the likelihood that its impacts especially in community engagement and health systems strengthening will continue beyond the project’s duration.
4. Assess Value for Money – Evaluate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of project implementation in relation to the resources invested and results achieved.
5. Identify Strategic Areas for Future Engagement – Recommend potential focus areas for future programming related to community-led monitoring, health systems strengthening, and pandemic preparedness.
6. Assess performance against cross-cutting themes- Review the project’s effectiveness in promoting inclusion, participation, and empowerment of marginalized groups, and assess its alignment with Ministry of Health priorities and equity-related performance indicators.
7. Document lessons learnt and best practices – Capture key insights, innovations, and lessons learned from implementation to inform future design and scale-up of similar interventions.

Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation will cover the full two-year implementation period of the COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) Community-Led Monitoring Project, spanning from January 2024 to December 2025. It will be conducted across twelve target districts in Malawi, Rumphi, Mzimba, Likoma, Nkhotakota, Dowa, Ntchisi, Salima, Zomba, Mwanza, Nsanje, Mchinji and Phalombe with a particular focus on the 36 health facilities where project activities have been implemented.

The scope of the evaluation includes an in-depth assessment of key project components such as community-led monitoring mechanisms, stakeholder engagement and accountability, service delivery outcomes, and sustainability planning. These components are central to understanding the project’s effectiveness and its contribution to strengthening community systems and health service delivery.

The evaluation will engage a diverse range of stakeholders and target populations, including People Living with HIV (PLHIV), TB patients, Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), members of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), support groups, volunteers, community leaders, faith and religious leaders, health facility staff, health advisory committee members, the judiciary, uniformed personnel, journalists, and peer educators. These groups represent the core beneficiaries and actors involved in the project and will provide critical insights into its outcomes and impact.

As part of the process, an end-of-line survey will be conducted to assess final results against the indicators outlined in the project’s logical framework. The evaluation will be guided by the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, coherence and sustainability to ensure a comprehensive assessment. In addition, it will examine cross-cutting themes such as gender, disability inclusion, human rights, environmental sustainability, and accountability to affected populations, as informed by relevant national strategies and COVID-19 response guidelines.

OECD-DAC Evaluation Framework.

Criteria	Key Evaluation Questions	Examples of Focus Areas
1. Relevance	To what extent was the project aligned with the needs of the target groups and national priorities?	– Alignment with MoH COVID-19, TB, HIV, and Malaria strategies – Community needs assessments – Adaptation to emerging pandemic challenges
2. Coherence	How well did the project coordinate and align with other COVID-19 or health-related initiatives and actors?	– Synergy with MoH, NGOs, CBOs – Partnerships with other Global Fund-supported projects – Avoidance of duplication or conflict with other efforts
3. Effectiveness	To what extent were the project’s objectives and planned results achieved across the 36 health facilities?	– Achievement of output and outcome indicators from the logical framework – Performance of implementing partners – Community feedback on services
4. Efficiency	Were resources used optimally to achieve results? Were project timelines met effectively?	– Timely delivery of activities – Cost-effectiveness of interventions – Use of human and financial resources
5. Impact	What positive or negative, intended or unintended long-term effects has the project had on target communities?	– Changes in access to TB, HIV, and malaria services – Empowerment and participation of communities – Improvements in health-seeking behavior
6. Sustainability	Are the benefits and systems introduced by the project likely to be sustained beyond its duration?	– Functionality of community monitoring structures – Capacity of CBOs and community leaders – Institutional integration of best practices

 Cross-cutting themes to integrate across all criteria.

• Gender equality and inclusion: Did the project promote participation of women, youths, people with disabilities, and marginalized groups?
• Human rights and accountability: Were community voices amplified, and duty-bearers held accountable?
• Environmental sustainability: Were project activities environmentally responsible where applicable?
• Safeguarding: Were vulnerable populations protected throughout project delivery

Methodology, Roles and Timeframe

The evaluation will be conducted by external consultant(s) under the responsibility of the Programme Quality and Effectiveness Unit of ActionAid. The consultant is expected to design appropriate review, documentation, and field evaluation methods, using a mixed-methods approach to data collection, in order to produce high-quality outputs from the assignment. The evaluation should serve as a learning exercise, and the consultant is expected to organize a consultation meeting to present and discuss preliminary findings. This meeting will include key staff from ActionAid, implementing partner organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.

The methodology, data collection tools, and review questions will be presented in the inception report and must be approved by ActionAid. The evaluation will establish the final project results in alignment with the targets set out in the logical framework. These results will be reported to the donor. A household and institutional survey will be necessary to support this assessment. The evaluation team will work closely with ActionAid Malawi to agree on the methodology and tools for collecting data related to the logical framework indicators, in line with existing monitoring and evaluation plans. This may include the use of enumerators, where necessary. The methodology will consist of an extensive document review, structured and semi-structured interviews with key staff and partners, as well as stakeholders from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the target communities.

The consultant should clearly demonstrate the type of sampling methodology to be used during the evaluation, including a detailed explanation of how the sample size has been determined, considering the margin of error and the confidence level.

The evaluation will incorporate:

• Participatory review techniques to ensure the process is collaborative and consultative, involving ActionAid, implementing partners, and target groups.
• A combination of primary and secondary, as well as quantitative and qualitative, data collection and analysis methods across all target districts.
• Desk-based and field research, including household and institutional surveys aligned with the project’s M&E plans.
• Utilization of relevant secondary data and project documentation, including the project proposal, logical framework, budget, donor reports, baseline reports, research, policy briefs, advocacy and communication materials from ActionAid, partners, communities, and other stakeholders.
• Field research conducted in all project districts, using appropriate sampling methods and tools such as Key Informant Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, and surveys.

To ensure the reliability of findings, lessons learned, good practices, and recommendations, the evaluation will apply multiple data collection tools including document reviews, interviews, mapping, evidence assessments, and surveys for effective triangulation of information.

A draft evaluation report will be submitted to ActionAid for review and feedback. The evaluation is expected to be completed within 24 days. The project will cover the costs associated with hiring the external consultant(s) and will oversee the overall implementation and management of the evaluation process. Participatory workshops may also be organized to discuss the preliminary findings, lessons learned, and recommendations before finalizing the evaluation report.

 Key Deliverables

This consultancy is expected to be delivered within a maximum of 24 working days that includes: preparation, field work involving ActionAid staff, partners and other key stakeholders, data analysis and report writing.

The successful Consulting Team will have a preliminary meeting with ActionAid to discuss further on the assignment. Among the agenda for this meeting will be the expectations for the work, discussion around the proposed methodology, review of work schedule, and administrative details related to logistics, contract, reports and ongoing communication. From the meeting, the consultant will therefore be expected to produce the following deliverables.

1. Inception Report: The consultant will prepare, submit and present an inception report which must include a comprehensive research methodology, data analysis plan, data collection tools/templates/instruments and a detailed work plan with implementation timelines. The Data Analysis Plan shall specify the methods by which data collection will occur, and from whom, including a timetable for any development, pre-testing and revision of data collection instruments. Both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis approaches are to be undertaken for this assignment. The Data Analysis Plan shall include a description of the data and its sources required to complete the analyses.
2. Draft Evaluation Report. The Consultant will prepare and submit a draft evaluation report to be reviewed by ActionAid. The consultant shall make a PowerPoint presentation of the draft report to ActionAid. The evaluation report should follow the standard format of putting forward the purpose, focus, scope, evaluation methodology and evaluation findings that must be directed at identifying successful factors, appropriateness of design, relevance of intended results, partnerships, achievement and relevance of results, cost-effectiveness and sustainability. The report must consist of a synthesized analysis of findings from all project activities and indicators.
3. Final Report: A final report (including Executive Summary and Appendices) will be prepared and submitted and should not exceed 35 pages excluding the appendices. Comments from the draft report and presentation must be taken into consideration when writing the final report. In general, the report should be technically easy to comprehend (even for non-specialists), contain detailed lessons learned, actionable recommendations, and list of all people interviewed and survey templates in Annexes. The report should also contain the summary of indicator values for the project end against the baseline values. There should also be submission of the database (applicable with the quantitative component) and all secondary data collected.
4. Soft copy of data: The consultant will be expected to give a consolidated compilation of all data sets collected as a part of this exercise.

Ethics and risks

The evaluation must adhere to ActionAid’s Global Evaluation Policy, Global Standard on Safeguarding and Code of Conduct.

SHEA and Safeguarding Issues

ActionAid takes the safeguarding of its project participants, staff, partners, and all vulnerable individuals very seriously. It is therefore paramount that all consultants, contractors, suppliers, and anyone working on behalf of ActionAid familiarize themselves with and always adhere to ActionAid’s SHEA and Safeguarding Policies.

Consultants are expected to demonstrate their understanding of SHEA and safeguarding issues in their Request for Applications and, if successful, ensure that all team members working on their behalf fully comply with ActionAid’s Safeguarding Policies. To confirm their commitment, the consultant team will be required to sign a declaration indicating that they have read, understood, and will abide by the policies throughout the assignment.

 Consultant Qualifications and Experience

The consultant (or consultancy team) undertaking the final evaluation of the C19RM Community-Led Monitoring Project must possess the following qualifications, competencies, and experience:

• A master’s degree in public health, Health Systems Management, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Environmental Health, or a related field relevant to the scope of the evaluation.
• Proven experience in conducting complex evaluations using both qualitative and quantitative participatory methodologies, with a strong focus on community engagement and inclusion of marginalized groups particularly women, girls, and people living with HIV, TB, or affected by malaria.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the health sector in Malawi, including experience with community-led approaches and health systems strengthening.
• Prior experience in evaluating projects focused on public health, or health systems integration, especially those involving community-led monitoring or pandemic response.
• Familiarity with the integration of COVID 18 response Mechanisms into health programming, and understanding of its relevance in improving access, accountability, and service delivery in rural or underserved areas.
• Professional work experience in Malawi is required, including an understanding of the local context and engagement with local stakeholders.

 Reporting and Management

The evaluation will be managed internally by the ActionAid Malawi Programme Quality and Effectiveness Unit, under the supervision of the Programs and Policy Lead. Coordination support will be provided by the Project Manager and SSR focal persons. The Project Manager will oversee the review and validation of all deliverables prior to submission to the Ministry of Health, and all reports, tools, and findings will be submitted to ActionAid Malawi’s M&E team for formal validation and archival.

Application Process and Submission

Interested teams should submit their letter of expression of interest accompanied by the following documentation:

• Detailed Technical proposal with clear understanding of the Terms of Reference (ToRs), with a focus on addressing the purpose and objectives of the assignment, outlining methodology data collection tools and methods; and suggestions of key audiences for specific tools; and proposed work plan. (Maximum 10 pages) and should include:

1. 1. Capability statement demonstrating how they meet the required qualifications and competencies.
   2. Brief profile of the team members highlighting only key qualifications, and recent relevant work done with corresponding references.
   3. Detailed Financial proposal (inclusive of taxes) detailing consultancy fees, operation costs, and other necessary expenses which should be presented STRICTLY in Malawi Kwacha. (Maximum 3 pages)

• Profile of team members which should include CVs and citation of the most recent similar and/or relevant assignment conducted, including contact details references for each assignment.

 Application procedures

Interested consultants/consulting firms are requested to submit both their technical and financial proposal with the title Final Evaluation for Covid 19 Response Mechanism at the cover of envelope or email subject in either hard copies or electronic not later than 22^nd October 2025 to the following:

The Chairperson

Internal Procurement Committee

ActionAid Malawi

P.O. Box 30735

Lilongwe 3.

Area 9, Plot No.5/350

Email: procurement.malawi@actionaid.org

Note: Only successful applicants will be contacted.