End of Year Impact Evaluation Consultant ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub

• Reports to: ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub Senior Analyst 
• Duty Station: Remote
• Travel: No travel required 
• Duration and contract type: Consultancy: ASAP to 24 June 2023 (16 days in total, can be negotiated)

Please check carefully at the end of this post all required documents to submit
 

ABOUT THE ACAPS AFGHANISTAN ANALYSIS HUB

Shortly after the Taliban take-over of Kabul on 15 August 2021, ACAPS reached out to humanitarian actors in Afghanistan and conducted a review of the humanitarian analysis ecosystem for Afghanistan. This review identified significant gaps and areas for improvement to strengthen the quality and objectivity of analysis used to inform humanitarian decision making. 

In response, the ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub was established on 13 July 2022 with the wider humanitarian community, specifically actors involved in the Afghanistan crisis response, as its target audience. The Afghanistan Analysis Hub is led by a Team Leader and supported by a team of analysts based in Afghanistan and remotely who work with expert consultants, operational partners and other information actors in the response (OCHA, REACH, IOM’s DTM, and others) to strengthen the evidence base for humanitarian decision-making in Afghanistan. An advisory committee guides the Hub’s work, ensuring that it is collaborative and relevant, avoiding duplication and maximising complementarity in the analysis that informs humanitarian response. 

The Afghanistan Analysis Hub thus aims to provide analytical products relevant to the humanitarian response and correspond to one of ACAPS’ product portfolio categories (alert, monitor, anticipate, deep dive or enable; see also the results framework in annex II). The analysts use existing wealth of academic, political, development, and sociological data and information on Afghanistan, and use primary data collection to develop analytical products that help humanitarian actors understand key issues and inform their decision-making. 

Purpose of the position

The ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub is coming to the end of its first year of operation (July 2022-June 2023). The purpose of this consultancy is to identify ways in which the ACAPS’ Afghanistan Analysis Hub can effectively inform and shape the decision-making processes of humanitarian responders in Afghanistan, thereby contributing to better and more context-sensitive aid delivery. 

More specifically, we aim to assess:

1. the Afghanistan Analysis Hub’s knowledge products, including information and analysis products, knowledge transfer (presentations, workshops) and capacity building, and the specific value they add to the existing information landscape,
2. the uptake and use of the Hub’s knowledge products in decision-making by different target audiences, 
3. how to improve and complement the Hub’s current methods of recording/measuring the impact of knowledge products with innovative methods,
4. how to strengthen the Hub’s internal processes. 

The consultant(s) will produce a report containing lessons learned covering all four outputs and related activities (see results framework in Annex II), which will enable the Afghanistan Analysis Hub to improve its future programming. Particular attention should be paid to assessing additional products and services that were not included in the original results framework but have emerged as an adaptive response to the situation in Afghanistan, and to the inclusion of quantitative and qualitative indicators. 

Upon completion of the draft evaluation report, the consultant(s) will present the findings to the ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub team and provide a set of recommendations that can inform the future strategic direction of the Hub. In addition, the consultant(s) should present the findings to ACAPS Global in a separate meeting once the evaluation report has been finalised, after incorporating the feedback from the Afghanistan Hub team. 

We expect the consultant(s) to rely on a desk review and key information interviews (KII) when producing the final report. 

1. Desk review, including: 

• the Afghanistan Analysis Hub results framework (Annex II) 
• the Afghanistan Analysis Hub knowledge products (incl. product top-sheets)
• the Afghanistan Analysis Hub team structure and working processes
• the Afghanistan Analysis Hub’s internal learning processes (e.g., product bottoms sheets)
• ACAPS Afghanistan Hub’s database of humanitarian agencies, partners and other relevant stakeholders
• the Afghanistan Analysis Hub’s product impact 
  • Review of product trackers (number of report downloads, number of datasets downloads, number of webinars, number of webinar registrations and attendees, number of online report mentions/citations, number of LinkedIn reshares of reports (manually reviewed), and direct feedback (via email). 
  • ACAPS Afghanistan Hub internal uptake report dated 24 February 2023. 

     2. Key Informant Interviews (KII) 

The consultant(s) will also conduct primary data collection through 10-15 semi-structured interviews to complement the findings from the desk review. This should include a cross-section of the ACAPS Afghanistan Hub’s target audience and/or Afghanistan information ecosystem, including (donors, UN agencies, (I)NGOs, coordination bodies and think tanks). The final distribution of KIIs will be jointly agreed upon between the consultant(s) and the Afghanistan Analysis Hub Senior Analyst.  The consultant(s) will also be expected to organise a learning workshop with the entire Afghanistan Analysis Hub team. 

The consultant(s) will be expected to answer the evaluation questions in Annex I (the questions will be jointly reviewed at the beginning of the consultancy): 

Key deliverables (in English) and workplan

The assessment will take place during 26 May 2023 and 20 June 2023. An indicative work plan and allocated days is provided below with the deliverables. A more detailed schedule will be developed by the consultant as part of the application (letter of interest).

• Desk review of identified ACAPS documents, reports and data bases (3 days) 
• One inception meeting to review the proposed evaluation methodology, including the timeline of for completion (0.5 day)
• 10-15 information interviews (KII) (5 days)
• One learning workshop with the Afghanistan Analysis Hub team (0.5 day) 
• A draft report (4 days) 
• One presentation of initial findings from the draft report to the ACAPS Afghanistan Analysis Hub for feedback (1 day) 
• A final evaluation report with key findings and recommendations (2 days) 
• One presentation to ACAPS Global 

Total: 16 days

Critical interfaces:

• ACAPS Afghanistan Hub Team, including consultants
• ACAPS Afghanistan Hub’s target audience and/or Afghanistan information ecosystem, including (donors, UN agencies, (I)NGOs, coordination bodies and think tanks). 

Competencies

Professional Competencies:

• A proven track record in humanitarian analysis, impact assessments, and organisational, programme or project evaluation 
• Demonstrated experience in evaluating research and analysis products and their uptake 
• Knowledge of the UN cluster system
• Strong understanding of the Afghanistan context, and work experience in Afghanistan, is desirable
• University degree in humanitarian and development studies or related field 
• Knowledge of qualitative research methodologies (especially key information interviews), knowledge of quantitative research is an advantage. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook) and of social media.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and manage multiple tasks, while paying attention to detail 
• Plan and delivery results and meet deadlines 
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Ability to working with people, and working effectively as part of a team 
• Flexible and creative
• Adhere to principles and values

How to apply for the position

Interested applicants should submit a short technical proposal and financial by COB May 26 2023. Only bids submitted in English language will be considered.

Proposals must include complete and accurate information. The proposal must include, but is not limited to, the following items:

1. Consultant (s) Profile/CV
2. A letter of interest (max 2 pages) outlining:
   1. the relevant professional experience relevant to the consultancy– with particular emphasis on demonstrating expertise in evaluation and humanitarian research, especially of humanitarian research products, and expertise in Afghanistan (or similar context)
   2. an indicative approach to the evaluation and proposed timeline of completion and allocation of consultant days to achieve the deliverables.
3. At least 2 reports or work products from previous evaluations or impact reports undertaken by the consultant within the past 3 years, with particular emphasis on projects of similar scope and effort. 
4. A detailed budget for the evaluation, based on an all-inclusive daily rate in USD (incl. VAT)
5. All consultants, whether ltd or sole-trade, must be registered in accordance with the legal requirements of their place of business. The consultant must provide documentation that proves that they meet all legal and tax obligations for the consultancy.

Questions can be submitted to erik.laaken@acaps.org  - Closing date for questions is 2 days before the submission deadline. 

ABOUT ACAPS 

ACAPS was established in 2009 as a non-profit, nongovernmental project to provide independent, ground-breaking humanitarian analysis to help humanitarian responders and donors make better-informed decisions. To achieve this, we collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders across the humanitarian sector. We strive to be an evolving platform that provides: 

• Innovative approaches to reliable and timely data collection.
• High-quality, independent, and multisectoral analysis to enable crisis responders to better understand and subsequently address the needs of the affected populations, while strengthening the assessment ecosystem.
• Deployment of experts to support assessments and analysis in crisis.
• Supporting partner capacity in targeted areas (e.g., protection).

ACAPS challenges the humanitarian narrative and pushes for analysis, pushing analysis beyond the descriptive and to the interpretive and anticipatory. Our agility defines our work and enables us to design short- to medium-term projects in response to emerging crises. Today, ACAPS runs a number of Analysis Hubs, focussing on the Yemen crisis, then conflict in Colombia, the Rohingya refugee crisis, and the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Using the information assessed in these hubs, we produce granular analytical products in close collaboration with stakeholders and experts. The Hubs feed directly into ACAPS’ strategic priorities, including strengthening the humanitarian narrative, and connecting and convening analysts.