TOR for a consultancy service: To establish Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system.

Background

The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF) is a non-for-profit international NGO established by the Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Hailemariam Dessalegn & the Former First Lady of Ethiopia, H.E. Mrs. Roman Tesfaye. It strives to support the efforts of government, communities and partners in bringing socioeconomic transformation in Ethiopia and the broader continental Africa.

With four of its programmatic focus areas- health and nutrition, climate smart conservation and ecotourism, youth and women economic empowerment, and agriculture transformation and food security, synergizing each other, the foundation envisions seeing “A healthy and economically empowered community in a well-conserved environment.” Geographically, it established four field program offices in Ari, South Omo, Gamo Gofa and Wolaita zones focusing to support the communities in areas where there are the highest disparities the foundation could add value.

As a reputable Foundation, HRF recognizes that to realize goals of its multisectoral development programs and projects and to measure the achievement of the goals, a robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system is essential.

Hence, HRF has established a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) section to coordinate the system. It has also developed comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning guidelines; accountability frameworks; program- and project-specific theories of change; logical frameworks; result frameworks; and tools to collect information and track the results, which have assisted the Foundation in quality program and project management.

However, HRF intends to further improve its Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) function through establishing automated/digital Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, software-supported system.

The Foundation prioritizes gender equality and nutrition sensitive outcomes across all its programmatic focus areas. HRF aims to ensure that systems and strategies, including the MEAL system, are responsive to the needs of women, men girls, and boys, and reflect the Foundation’s commitment to inclusive and nutrition sensitive development.

Purposes

The main purposes of Automated MEAL System or MEAL Software are:

• To efficiently manage and measure the success of the Foundation’s multisectoral development programs and projects, optimize their results and increase impacts.
• To meet the quality project management and result based reporting demands of donor partners, Government partners and for our internal consumption.
• To integrate and centrally manage different programs and projects intervention information in various field program offices.
• To satisfy the external and internal needs of MEAL Products in a continually changing and dynamically shifting development landscape.
• To ensure the MEAL system effectively tracks gender-responsive and nutrition-sensitive indicators across all programmatic areas.

Objectives of the Consultancy Service

• To establish an automated Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system’s software for the Foundation with comprehensive features and analytical tools to make data driven decisions. The system’s software is required to have, but not limited to, the following features, which help to:
• Flexibly adapt different monitoring and evaluation logics: Logical framework, results framework, theory of change, and others.
• Assist to conduct activity monitoring, budget monitoring, beneficiary monitoring, and in-depth analysis.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data with their respective analytical tools
• Track outcomes and performances of programs and projects implemented in different target areas periodically.
• Assess real-time progress, identify trends, and make informed decisions
• Have interactive Dashboards for visualizing performance and results reporting.
• Configure the system to projects, programs and organizational level and to adapt the system to specific context.
• Have a document management system for archiving and managing all documentation to build up success stories.
• To train HRF Staff on implementation of automated/digital MEL system and c
• To conduct functionality assessment of the system and staff’s implementation review.
• To provide ongoing mentoring and technical support to HRF staff on the implementation of the system
• To Design a MEAL system that enables the collection and analysis of sex, age and vulnerability- disaggregated data;
• To integrate nutrition-sensitive indicators and tools that help effectively monitor both direct and indirect nutrition outcomes, and improve programme design.

Scope of the work

Establishing and Implementing New automated System,

1. Establish/install automated Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system software using the server we use for Sage Peachtree financial software, if possible, if not, using other recommended server.

Training and technical support on implementation of new MEAL software

1. Prepare Standard training and reference materials on the use of the software.
   1. Train relevant HRF staff members from Head quarter and Field offices on the implementation of Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system software
      1. Conduct post implementation assessment to verify successful Implementation of the new software
      2. Provide ongoing mentoring and technical support to HRF staff on the implementation of the new software/system
      3. Ensure the system has the capacity to track indicators related to nutrition outcomes.
      4. Provide technical support on gender and nutrition-sensitive monitoring practices.

Deliverables

1. Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system software Installed and functional to the Foundation
2. Standard training and reference materials on the use of the software.
3. Soft and Hardcopy of the training Manual/Procedures.
4. The MEAL system dashboard has filters for data related to gender, age, and nutrition indicators.
5. Report on how the system address gender and nutrition integration, possibly with sample analytics.

Qualification, Experience and Competencies of the consultant

Education:

• As the service needs MEAL and Information Management System ( IMS) qualifications:

MEAL Specialist is required to have:

• Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Statistics, Business Administration, Business Management and related fields.

IMS specialists are required to have

• Master’s degree or equivalent with experience in computer science, computer/ software engineering, information technology and related fields.

Experience:

MEAL Specialist

• At least 5 years of related work experience in managing and implementing automated Monitoring and Evaluation functions in international/local institutions using digital data management software for multi-sectorial programs and Projects intervention set up

IMS specialists

• Demonstrable previous experience of development of high-quality automated Monitoring and Evaluation system software for institutions with recorded concrete evidence (samples)
• Experience of installing M&E software including preparing its training manuals and providing training for middle and senior level staff members in the areas of result based Digital Monitoring and Evaluation system.

Competencies:

• Excellent organizational and communication skills,
• Ability to prioritize, to lead and work independently with minimum supervision from the client and strong interpersonal skills
• The ability to communicate and work well with diverse people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Energetic time management and proactive operations
• Ability to integrate gender and nutrition indicators into digital systems and present data in an accessible and actional format.
• Strong understanding of gender dynamics and nutrition outcomes in developing settings.

Duration of the Assignment

The provisional start date of this assignment is on 01, July, 2025, with an expected end date of 01, August, 2025, but the end date will be adjusted in discussions with the winning firm.

Submission

• The outputs must match quality standards.
• The final delivery of the training materials for the newly established Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning system software and all other relevant attachments is expected to be submitted.
• A brief outline of how gender and nutrition consideration will be embedded in system design and capacity building.
• Evidence of prior work that demonstrate experience with gender-responsive or nutrition-sensitive MEAL frameworks