Organisation Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V.
www.hoffnungszeichen.de, www.sign-of-hope.org
Position Mid-term Evaluation Consultant
Type of Contract Short-term consultancy
Location Home-based with field mission travel to Isiolo County, Kenya
Relevant Languages Swahili/English
Application Deadline 31st July 2026
Starting Date 17th August 2026.
Project Title SI AGER – Promoting sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods in Isiolo County, Kenya.
Total Project Budget 800,000 EURO
Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is announcing an open tender procedure for consultancy services for a mid-term evaluation in Kenya.
Background and Rationale
Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) is a Christian-motivated organization for Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance and Development Cooperation. From its base in Constance, Germany, SoH is committed to helping those in distress and exploited people worldwide.
This mid-term evaluation is commissioned under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) budget for development projects run by private organisations.
SoH is the private German executing agency and the contracting party, with Merti Integrated Development Programme (MID-P)being the local implementing partner.
Promoting sustainable and climate-resilient livelihoods in Isiolo County, Kenya, is a 3-year climate resilience and livelihood project implemented in Isiolo County, Kenya, from 1 October 2024 to 31 December 2027. The project responds to the increasing loss of livelihoods among pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities caused by drought, floods, environmental degradation, declining natural resources, and resource-based conflicts. Its overall goal is to improve the living conditions of vulnerable communities by strengthening food security, social cohesion, safety, and sustainable management of natural resources. The project will support communities to diversify their livelihoods through activities such as poultry farming, briquette production, energy-efficient cookers, biogas production, women and youth entrepreneurship, and sustainable irrigation. It will also help communities rehabilitate degraded land, manage grazing and water resources more sustainably, reduce conflicts over natural resources, and clarify communal land rights through land registration and land use planning. The expected outcome is that communities will have stronger systems for protecting, restoring, and peacefully using their land, water, forests, and pasture resources, while also improving their income and resilience to climate shocks. The project will be implemented in 7 wards of Isiolo County: Chari, Cherab, Sericho, Garbatulla, Kinna, Burat, and Oldonyiro. It will directly benefit 2,883 households, equivalent to about 13,900 people, as well as 292 representatives of local institutions and political decision-makers; an additional 69,782 people are expected to benefit indirectly. The implementation approach is community-based and participatory, combining household-level livelihood support, capacity building of local groups and institutions, peacebuilding, natural resource management, land rights processes, and collaboration with county and national government actors. The project is implemented by Merti Integrated Development Programme (MID-P), a local NGO with long-standing experience in climate resilience, livelihoods, humanitarian response, and community-based development in Isiolo County
Purpose, Objectives and Use
The purpose of the evaluation is to provide SoH and MID-P with a comprehensive assessment of the project, conducted systematically and impartially, as well as analyse the progress towards the achievement of the project’s results and identify risks to sustainability. The study will provide concrete, credible and practical recommendations that will assist with the timely incorporation of the findings into the decision-making process and contribute to the organisational learning of both implementing organisations.
The study will support the project quality assurance measures implemented by SoH and meet the donor requirements towards the development projects implemented by German private organisations.
The evaluation will address evaluation questions based on the standard OECD/DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact (please see http://www.oecd.org/development/evaluation/daccriteriaforevaluatingdevelopmentassistance.htm). The objectives of the evaluations are to:
- Assess the extent to which the project has sustainably achieved its objectives and results (see Annexe 1), including the extent to which the lives of the project beneficiaries have been improved,
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses in terms of planning, management, implementation and monitoring of the project,
- Evaluate sustainability measures,
- Identify cross-cutting issues addressed through the project, including gender equality, human rights, marginalized groups, inclusion, and other issues,
- Identify risks and weaknesses and make recommendations for the successful completion of the project.
- Document lessons learned and good practices to inform implementation during the remaining phase of the project.
- Determine the progress made against the log-frame indicators.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Evaluation Consultant will work in close cooperation with the responsible SoH Officer and the local implementing partner.
The duties and responsibilities of the Evaluation Consultant will include:
- Develop a work plan outlining the proposed research methodology, geographical coverage and schedule to conduct the study,
- Conduct a desk review of relevant documents,
- Carry out a project site visit to a project location to conduct research, collect data and establish contact with the local implementing partner, project beneficiaries and relevant project stakeholders,
- Review and evaluate available data and existing sources of information, including the project proposal, annual reports, conducted studies and other documents,
- Examine institutional, technical, staffing and financial capacities of the implementing partner as well as its relationship with the target group and other relevant stakeholders.
Expected Deliverables
The study will produce the following deliverables:
- An inception report, including the proposed research methodology and data collection tools, a table of contents and timeline of research activities before the site visit to the project location.
- A comprehensive report of a maximum of 30 pages with practical recommendations and relevant annexes (including raw data and documented records).
A template will be provided to serve as a guide and may be used to structure the final report.
Study Quality and Ethical Standards
The study team will take all reasonable steps to ensure that the study is designed and conducted to respect and protect the rights and welfare of the people and communities involved. Furthermore, the study should be aligned to the following standards and applicable practices:
- Utility: the study must be useful and used.
- Feasibility: the study must be realistic, diplomatic and managed in a sensible, cost-effective manner.
- Ethics and Legality: the study must be conducted in an ethical and legal manner, with particular regard for the welfare of those involved in and affected by the Study.
- Impartiality and Independence: the study should be impartial, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment that takes into account the views of all stakeholders.
- Transparency: the study activities should reflect an attitude of openness and transparency.
- Accuracy: the study should be technically accurate and credible, providing sufficient information about the data collection, analysis, and interpretation methods so that its worth or merit can be determined.
- Participation: the Stakeholders should be consulted and meaningfully involved in the study process when feasible and appropriate.
- Collaboration: Collaboration between key operating partners in the study process improves the legitimacy and utility of the study.
- The consultant shall adhere to safeguarding principles and ensure protection of children, vulnerable adults, and affected communities throughout the evaluation process.
- All data collected shall remain confidential and be used solely for the purposes of the evaluation.
The study must be in line with the SoH guiding principles and Code of Conduct.
Process/Timeframe
The total duration of the assignment is up to 25 working days within the period from 17th August to 18th September 2026. There may be a slight variation on the days and/or dates for the assignment.
Planning meeting with MID-P, handover of relevant documents – 1 day
Initial document review and inception report preparation – 4 days
Sharing inception report with SoH and MID-P – 1 day
Finalization of inception report – 1 day
Data collection site visit to a project location – 10 days
Data analysis, draft report with annexes – 5 days
Incorporating received feedback and report finalization – 3 days
Qualifications and Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of 5 years of project evaluation and/or implementation experience in the result-based management framework
- Proven experience of conducting feasibility studies, evaluations and other research projects
- Technical and methodological knowledge to conduct research projects and formulate conclusions based on a solid methodology, assessing projects for relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of projects
- Experience working with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and partnered projects
- Fluency in written and spoken English
Desirable:
- Experience in the relevant field/sector
- Professional familiarity with the project country/region
- Practical experience of working for and/or evaluating BMZ-funded projects
- Fluency in written and spoken Swahili
Academic Background
An advanced level university degree (Masters’ degree or equivalent) in social sciences, public administration, international development studies, law and/or project management related studies. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted.
The Evaluation Consultant is to be independent and impartial with no liabilities to any other organization or government entity regarding this evaluation.
How to apply
Please submit the following documents as PDF files (documents in other formats will not be accepted) with the subject line “Evaluation in Isiolo County, Kenya, SoH DC-KEN25.01” to [email protected] no later than 31st July 2026 23:59 EAT:
- A resumé indicating all relevant experience (max. 2 pages),
- contacts of at least two professional referees,
- a cover letter, including a brief description of the proposed research methodology (technical proposal max. 2 – 3 pages) and a comprehensive breakdown of costs (financial proposal), including professional fees and all other relevant costs, including travel expenses (all costs in Euros),
- a writing sample of the document of similar research value (e.g. a feasibility study, an evaluation report).
Companies as well as independent consultants are invited for this tender. Female and differently abled candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please note that due to a large number of applications we may limit establishing contact to shortlisted applicants.
Bids received after deadline will not be considered. If offers are incomplete, bidders may be able to hand in missing documents within a deadline upon request by SoH.
The selection of the consultant will be conducted jointly by MIDP and SoH. Interviews with shortlisted candidates will be held online in the week of 10th-14th August 2026.
The consultancy agreement will be set up by SoH and MIDP. Consultancy agreements set up by consultants won’t be accepted.
Criteria and weighting for the evaluation of the submitted proposals:
- Essential and desirable competencies, proposed methodology: 30 %
- Financial proposal (fee): 30 %
- Performance during interview: 20 %
- Writing samples: 10 %
- Minimum amount of years of relevant experience: 5 %
- Language skills: 5 %
More Information
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