Baseline Study: PRIME Program at Mercy Corps

Purpose and Objectives of the Baseline Study:

• The process of developing the Baseline Study is part of the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (MEL Plan), which provides an early opportunity for program, and it’s implementing partners to collaborate and begin putting in place a results-based monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plan for their program.

The purpose of the PRIME baseline study is to help key program stakeholders focus on achievement related to a limited set of expected outcomes; and to empower them to collaboratively measure and review these outcomes. Aligned with this purpose, the baseline study is designed to achieve four specific objectives:

• To support a better understanding of the implementation context for the PRIME Program at the onset of the program
• To help validate the assumptions in the project’s Theory of Change (ToC) and targets of the indicators in the program’s Indicator Performance Plan
• To establish starting points or baselines for all indicators in the Performance Management Plan, suggesting revisions in their formulation if the need emerges; and,
• To provide recommendations for the implementation of the results-based monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) plan for the program.
• To further enrich the baseline by answering the following key program learning questions;
• Which transition pathways are more viable for adolescent and young people in the target locations, that provide the highest returns that can promote resilience in their households?
• What capacities are core to enhancing individual and household resilience in the face of shocks, that are applicable to adolescent and youth?
• What is the nexus between adolescent, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) strengthening and resilience building from the economic lanes?
• The specific baseline values must be provided for all indicators in the Performance Management Plan as early as possible in the program’s lifecycle. Baseline data is intended to inform the establishment of realistic and achievable targets, provide a point of reference against which progress on or towards the achievement of outcomes can be monitored and evaluated, and provide suggestions for the review of indicators if and where necessary. Baselines provided in the Performance Management Plan must be accompanied by narrative to explain how this starting point data was collected, analyzed, and validated. In the MEL Plan, this narrative includes an explanation of baseline data limitations at the onset of program implementation, and how these gaps will be dealt with as part of the program’s first-year work plan.

Mandate of the Consultancy

The Consultant will serve as the lead coordinator of this baseline study and be responsible for its design, the development and use of appropriate data collection tools, analysis of collected data, and the writing of a final report summarizing the findings and updating the data in the Performance Management Plan. The Consultant will design and facilitate a plan in close collaboration with the PRIME program management teams based in the counties. Specifically, the mandate of the consultancy is to:

• Design - Work with designated PRIME Program Manager and Country PaQ (Performance and Quality) team during an inception phase to finalize a detailed methodology and work plan for this study.
• Lead and coordinate - Recruit and orient competent and well-prepared research teams, and act as lead technical coordinator for the baseline study
• Support cross-partner collaboration - Assure collaborative design and local ownership through the direct involvement of key program staff and identified implementing partner representatives;
• Assure quality control - Provide oversight and quality assurance during sampling (if needed), development of data collection tools, data collection and entry, analysis of the data collected, and report writing;

Scope and Methodology of the Baseline

The following elements should guide the design and implementation of this baseline study:

• The study should consciously apply research methods that are gender and youth-sensitive and highlight participatory approaches.
• The geographic scope of the study will be aligned with the targeted areas, partners, households, and individuals targeted by the project as laid out in the program description. Purposive and typical-case sampling can be used to assure that the scope of the study is consistent with the budget and timeline available.
• The data collection approaches, and specific tools used to establish indicator baselines should be adapted to assure the appropriateness and reliability of the data collected.
• Outcomes, indicators, and data collection methods for each indicator, are included in the project’s draft Indicator Performance Plan (available upon contracting). The Consultant will be expected to review this Indicator Performance Plan with key project stakeholders and provide suggestions for revision of indicators. The project has a list of indicators that are presented in below. The baseline study is expected to collect data for these measures and for all other indicators in the Performance Management Plan. The final, integrated baseline study report produced by the Consultant will be expected to provide specific suggestions on how the project’s draft Performance Management Plan could be improved, and how the indicators might need to be adjusted.

Outcome Indicators

• Indicator 1a: Percentage of women who earn cash.
• Indicator 1b: Participation of women in household decision making index
• Indicator 2a: Percentage of target participants reporting increase in the total amount of savings because of VSLA uptake
• Indicator 2b: Percentage of participants transitioned into functional economic pathways.
• Indicator 3: Percent of county government budgets that are allocated to promote skills acquisition for the youth (girls and boys)
• While the Consultant, informed by discussions with field-based program teams is encouraged to suggest alternative methodologies that may be more appropriate, presently the Performance Monitoring Planout lines four data collection methods or evidence streams to establish a performance measurement baseline:
• Literature search and document review (secondary data
• Key informant interviews (primary data)
• Facilitated small group or focus group discussions (primary data)
• Household survey (primary data)
• The Consultant will be expected to propose a methodology for assessing all PRIME program Indicators as indicated in the Performance Management Plan.

Consultant Activities

• The baseline study will include four key phases: contracting, design of the inception report, data collection, and data analysis/report writing. After successfully completing the contracting process, the Consultant will immediately organize an initial round of consultations with key stakeholder representatives, as well as complete an initial document review to better understand the program and its needs. The Consultant will use this inception phase to assure a consensus on the baseline study’s design, outline the methodology for the study, and develop the data collection tools. Following this, the Consultant will begin data collection activities resulting in baseline data sets for each indicator in the Performance Management Plan. After data collection is completed, the report writing phase will consist of data analysis and consolidation, completing the updated Performance Management Plan, providing recommendations on targets whenever appropriate, and exchanging with Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality team and Program Manager to refine the final report. As part of the context analysis, the consultant is expected to carry out the following key analysis as part of the baseline; Rapid Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis; Safeguarding and Protection Issues analysis; and Stakeholder analysis.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

• Inception report which should include a comprehensive work plan including a detailed methodology, report format and revised timeline if appropriate.

Data collection tools

• Draft baseline report annexed with summarized 2-4 pager GESI analysis report; two-pager safeguarding analysis report; and a stakeholder analysis indicating all key relationships with the program for validation by Mercy Corps team.
• Final baseline report with final annexes of c above together with all the raw data sets from the baseline.

Timeframe / Schedule:

• The baseline study should be completed within a maximum of 20 working days from the commencement of the task. The consultant should submit the detailed breakdown of the assessment timetable based on the following major activities as a guideline or suggestion:

The Consultant will report to:

• The baseline study will be managed by the Mercy Corps Program Performance and Quality Team with close collaboration with the PRIME Program Manager. A more exact consultative and decision-making management structure with clear roles and responsibilities will be determined during the inception phase of the study.

Required Experience & Skills:

• Lead researcher/firm must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in administering studies, collecting data, and producing quality baseline/end line study reports, preferably for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies;
• Demonstrated experience in designing baseline and end line studies including proven experience in sound sampling, mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative), tool development, enumerator training, etc.;
• Experience in Carrying out GESI analysis and action planning, Safeguarding and Protection Analysis and Action planning, and stakeholder analysis.
• Excellent facilitation skills and ability to recruit and manage facilitators for qualitative component;
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis;
• Knowledge and experience with gender and health advocacy programming in Kenya;
• Knowledge and experience with livelihoods or skills training programs, ideally in a pastoral setting;
• Knowledge and experience in gender equality issues of sector is mandatory;
• Fluency in English is mandatory and Kiswahili or other relevant local languages (in Isiolo and Marsabit counties) an asset; and
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight time limits.
• The consultancy team should be diverse enough to possess expertise to carry out tasks in the consultancy.