Terms of Reference: Mid-term evaluation. Caribbean Water Initiative (CARIWIN) Project number: S

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1 February 16, 2009 Terms of Reference: Mid-term evaluation Caribbean Water Initiative (CARIWIN) Project number: S Project start: September 19, 2006 Project end: July 31, 2012 Project partners: McGill University, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) Pilot country partners: Ministry of Agriculture, Grenada; Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana; Water Resources Authority, Jamaica. Introduction The project is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) under the University Partnership in Cooperation and Development Program (UPCD Tier 2) and is managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. CIDA s contribution to the project amounts to $ 1,000, All UPCD Tier 2 projects must undergo a mid-term evaluation. Consultants interested in submitting a proposal to carry out the mid-term evaluation should send their curriculum vitae with the proposal no later than March 16, 2009 to Catherine Senecal, CARIWIN Project Coordinator at McGill University, via at catherine.senecal@mcgill.ca. Purpose of the mid-term evaluation An evaluation is a learning process and an ideal opportunity for a project team to take stock of its achievements, reflect on the project s strengths and weaknesses and strategize about the best options for the future. The mid-term evaluation is also an opportunity to use the knowledge gained during the first two to three years of implementation to validate assumptions made in the original analysis, including the gender equality analysis, and to adjust accordingly. Teams may need to fine tune activities and outputs to achieve the project s intended outcomes on schedule. An evaluation helps determine the best course of action. UPCD mid-term evaluations have a number of key purposes: First, the evaluation should asses the project s progress in meeting its expected results and the likelihood of attaining its outcomes and impact as defined in the RBM framework. The evaluation should also help improve a project s performance by highlighting and identifying ways to strengthen management and achieve sustainable results. Terms of Reference for CARIWIN Midterm Evaluation Page 1of 5

2 Suggestions and recommendations made in the evaluation report should inform the post-evaluation action plan that will be prepared by the project team. This will guide the project in its remaining years and confirm the continuing relevance of goals, objectives and methodology. Finally, an evaluation should provide accountability to all stakeholders: the lead university and its Canadian and overseas partners, beneficiaries, AUCC and the Government of Canada (CIDA). Brief project description Project context CARIWIN is a project on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Caribbean, led by the Brace Centre for Water Resources Management at McGill University and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) Barbados. The 6 year project was launched in February 2007 and is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project is co-directed by Dean Chandra Madramootoo, McGill University and Dr. David Farrell, CIMH. Government agencies from three partner countries - Grenada, Guyana and Jamaica - collaborate closely with the CIMH and McGill, to help achieve the overarching goals of poverty reduction and gender equality through a process of institutional capacity building in integrated water management. Difficult access to water contributes significantly to the risks people face in caring for their families and ensuring their livelihoods. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency notes that the past catastrophic effects of hurricanes and floods were compounded by a lack of hydrologic data, a shortage of skilled water resources specialists, and inadequate institutional capacity in Commonwealth Caribbean (CARICOM) countries. To help governments ensure sustainable development and alleviate poverty, the project will help establish an integrated, participatory, gendersensitive and environmentally sound approach to the management of water resources at the national and community levels in Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana. The project also addresses the regional priority of strengthening the regional integration process, through the upgrading of a regional training and technical services institution (CIMH), and ensuring the environmental sustainability of the Caribbean region. The main beneficiaries include national and local government authorities, national women's affairs departments, staff, faculty members and students from the collaborating institutions, water specialists, farmers, community water user groups, ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups from the targeted regions. The purpose of the project is to refine the training and analytical capacity of the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) as it pertains to the management of water resources. The Institute will train leaders capable of managing water resources in an economically productive, socially acceptable and environmentally Terms of Reference for CARIWIN Midterm Evaluation Page 2of 5

3 sustainable manner while meeting the needs of all stakeholders, particularly the most vulnerable. Key expected results and progress to date The main expected outcomes include: the emergence of CIMH as a strengthened regional training institution and information centre of excellence in equitable and sustainable integrated water resources management (IWRM); an increase in the number of skilled water specialists and decision-makers who are qualified to develop IWRM policies in Jamaica, Grenada and Guyana; the establishment of partnerships among national agencies and community water users associations to adopt these standard practices to address the needs of the poor and reinforce women's participation at all levels of planning and decision-making. Key project activities include the development of IWRM programs and the training of national policy-makers, senior water specialists and technicians; the implementation of a computer hardware and software data system used for the analysis and presentation of water data; and the development of a community water strategy governance model in each country that will be documented and disseminated to other CARICOM member states through workshops and publications. CARIWIN has provided training to CIMH personnel in principles of IWRM as well as improvements to the CIMH library, computing center and laboratory which have strengthened the capacity of CIMH as a training and information centre. The delivery of educational programming at CIMH has expanded to include IWRM. CIMH personnel have successfully co-delivered six targeted IWRM short-courses in collaboration with McGill to key representatives from the three CARIWIN partner countries. The purchase of water quality testing equipment for CIMH and the partner countries has enhanced the training and research infrastructure by providing a means of data collection which was previously unavailable. The institution is already emerging as a regional reference in IWRM. CARIWIN activities have facilitated the strengthening of relationships between CIMH and major regional stakeholders such as the University of the West Indies, the FAO, and the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute. To date, 58 project documents related to best practices in IWRM have been made available on the CARIWIN website. Project results and learning were disseminated regionally at the 7 th Caribbean Islands Water Resources Congress and the 3 rd Caribbean Environmental Forum. Mid-term evaluation methodology The low level of involvement and participation of the project team, partners and stakeholders will be applied in the evaluation as described in the Project Implementation Manual page 96, and attached hereto as an annex. Terms of Reference for CARIWIN Midterm Evaluation Page 3of 5

4 Scope of the evaluation Subject areas for evaluation include: partnership, relevance, achievement of results, CIDA priorities, UPCD program priorities, sustainability, financial and operational management and efficiency, lessons learned. Related questions to guide the evaluation as presented in the Project Implementation Manual pages , and attached hereto in annex, shall be used to conduct the evaluation. Evaluator s mandate The evaluator should: Based on the Terms of Reference, submit a service offer which describes the methodology envisaged and a budget Sign a contract with the Canadian lead university Prepare a detailed workplan describing the methodology, the timeline and a final budget Collect data from primary and secondary sources Organize working sessions and interviews with team members in Canada and abroad Meet with AUCC for a pre-briefing meeting and a debriefing meeting Prepare a preliminary report in English that will be sent to project directors and AUCC simultaneously for comments Submit a final report taking into consideration comments received from the project teams and AUCC. List of documents to be provided by the project team Project Implementation Plan Annual Progress Report 2007 Annual Progress Report 2008 Annual Progress Report 2009 Current Financial Report Current In-kind Contribution Report Minutes of Meetings Event reports Papers presented GE Strategy for CARIWIN a working document 2008 update CARIWIN website Proposed timeline The final version of the mid-term evaluation should be available by November 16, 2009 in order to allow project partners to develop and implement a Post-Evaluation Action Plan in a timely fashion. Terms of Reference for CARIWIN Midterm Evaluation Page 4of 5

5 The following timeline is proposed: Activity Deadline Submit a proposal to the project team March 16, 2009 Submit the MTE workplan April 15, 2009 Meeting with AUCC prior to the field trip August 3, 2009 Data collection in Canada and abroad Aug/Sep 2009 Preparation and submission of the preliminary report October 1, 2009 Debriefing meeting with AUCC in Ottawa October 20, 2009 Submission of the final report November 16, 2009 The project team will name the selected evaluator on or before March 25, Budget The evaluator should submit a budget including the following eligible expenses Honoraria (daily rate x number of days) per task (i.e. workplan development, review of documentation, interviews, etc) Travel expenses (international, in Canada, in-country) Per diems and accommodation in accordance with Treasury Board of Canada regulations Direct costs, (communications costs, printing) Taxes if applicable Contingency (3 to 5 per cent) Annexes Project approved LFA Level of involvement and participation of the project team, partners and stakeholders, table on page 96 of the Project Implementation Manual Subject areas for evaluation and Related questions to guide the evaluation, table on pages of the Project Implementation Manual Terms of Reference for CARIWIN Midterm Evaluation Page 5of 5