Mid-Term Evaluation for WWF GEF Peru's Natural Protected Areas Project

World Wildlife Fund, Inc. (WWF) policies and procedures for all GEF financed full-sized projects require a midterm evaluation (MTE). The following terms of reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for the MTE for the project: Securing the Future of Peru's Natural Protected Areas , hereafter referred to as the "Project." The technical consultant(s) selected to conduct this evaluation will hereafter be referred to as "evaluator."

The Project Objective is to promote long-term financial sustainability for the effective management of the National System of Protected Natural Areas of Peru for the protection of globally important biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Peruvian Amazon. This is a child project for the Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program and contributes directly to the program by supporting an innovative financial model and developing key institutional and technical capacities that will ensure that Peru's Amazon protected areas have adequate and long-term sustainable financing to consolidate a standard level of management across the PA system and significantly improve their management effectiveness.

The Project was organized into the following components and outcomes:

• COMPONENT 1: Development of a multi-partner, public-private initiative for long-term financial sustainability of the NPAs in the Peruvian Amazon
  • 1 Government and donor commitment secured for a long-term financial sustainability initiative for effective management of Peru's Amazon NPAs
  • 2 PdP Initiative for financial sustainability of NPAs in the Amazon operationalized
  • 3 PdP integrated in SERNANP and across other sectors for the management and financing of the Amazon NPAs
• COMPONENT : Diversification of sources to increase NPA financing
  • 1 NPA values and benefits showcased to increase public and private support for PdP and new financing mechanisms
  • 2 Increased options for the sustainable financing of NPAs
• COMPONENT 3. Implementation of PdP Action Plan Measures to consolidate and improve the effective management of Amazon NPAs
  • 1 Improvements in effective management levels contribute to the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable forest and natural resources management, and maintenance of ecosystem services in 2 to 4 Amazon NPAs
• COMPONENT 4: Project Coordination and M&E
  • 1 Project M&E data and lessons learned are transparent, participatory and shared with relevant stakeholders to contribute to coordination, knowledge management and achieving program results
  • 2 Project monitoring and evaluation data and lessons learned are transparent, participatory and shared with relevant stakeholders to contribute to coordination, knowledge management and achieving program results

SCOPE AND Objective for the evaluation

WWF is seeking an independent consultant to undertake a Midterm Evaluation (MTE) of the Project. The scope of the MTE will cover only the GEF financed components of the child project and review the project co-financing delivered. The objective of this evaluation is to examine the extent, magnitude, sustainability and potential for project impacts to date; identify any project design problems; assess progress towards project outcomes and outputs; and draw lessons learned that can improve the project effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of project benefits. Based on this assessment, it is expected that the evaluator will provide feasible recommendations that could be applied for the remaining duration of the project.

The evaluation will adhere to the relevant guidance, rules and procedures established by WWF[1] and align with guidance from the GEF Terminal Evaluation[2] and Ethical Guidelines.[3] The evaluation must provide evidence‐based information that is independent, participatory, transparent, and ethical. The evaluator must be unbiased and free of any conflicts of interest with the project and will state so in their proposal. The evaluator is expected to reflect all stakeholder views and follow a participatory and consultative approach. There should be close engagement with government counterparts, the GEF operational focal points in each country, the Executing Agency project management unit (PMU), partners and key stakeholders. Contact information will be provided.

The Evaluation process will include the following, with deliverables marked by "*":

Desk review consisting of, but not limited to:

• Project Document and CEO Endorsement Letter;
• Relevant safeguards documents;
• Annual Work Plans (AWP) and Budgets;
• Project Progress Reports (PPR) including Results Framework and AWP Tracking;
• GEF Agency reports, including Project Implementation Reports (PIRs), Back to the Office Reports (BTOR), Supervision Mission Reports (PrISM);
• Relevant financial documents, including financial progress reports; co-financing monitoring tables and co-financing letters from government as necessary;
• Meeting minutes (Project Steering Committee (PSC)) and relevant virtual meetings with the WWF- GEF Agency and support team; and
• Other relevant documents provided by the Executing Agency and partners.

Inception report that details evaluation methodology*;

Field visits, as necessary and feasible given COVID;

Interviews, focus groups and consultations at local levels, national and international levels, including executing partners, GEF Operational Focal Points (OFP), Project Steering Committee (PSC) members and beneficiaries, primarily conducted virtually;

Post-field visit debrief and presentation* of initial findings to project management team and other partners;

Draft report* not to exceed 30 pages (excluding annexes) shared with GEF AMU and PMU for review and feedback. A sample outline will be provided; and

Final MTE report* that has incorporated feedback and comments.

The WWF GEF projects emphasize an adaptive management approach, which relies on testing the assumptions of the project theory of change and making necessary changes to improve the project. The evaluator is expected to question project assumptions and provide recommendations to improve the theory of change by framing their analysis on the seven core criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, results/impact (where feasible), sustainability and adaptive capacity. Definitions of each of these criteria are provided with ratings classifications, a sample summary table and report outline (Click to see annexes A - D).

[1] For additional information on evaluation methods adopted by WWF, see the WWF Evaluation Guidelines , published on our WWF Program Standards public website.

[2] For additional information on the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines, see the GEF Terminal Evaluation Guidelines , published on the GEF Evaluation Office website.

[3] Please see the GEF Ethical Guidelines as published on GEF website.

Expected Content of Evaluation Report

The Midterm Evaluation report will include:

• Information on the evaluation process, including when the evaluation took place, sites visited, participants, key questions, summary of methodology and rating rubric, and feedback log showing how comments on draft were incorporated;
• Assessment of risks to the sustainability of project outcomes;
• Assessment of Monitoring and Evaluation systems;
• Assessment of knowledge activities and products;
• Assessment of replication and catalytic effects of the project;
• Assessment of relevance and coherence of the project and with WWF and GEF priorities;
• Assessment of stakeholder engagement and gender-responsive measures, including the application of the gender action plan;
• Assessment of any environmental and social impacts, suggestion for risk category classification, if applicable, information on mitigation measures taken; and any related assessments relating to environmental and social safeguards.
• Financial assessment of the project, including efficiency;
• Assessment of implementation and execution by WWF GEF Agency, PMU and project partners;
• Summary of key findings by core criteria[1]; and ratings by GEF rating categories, including justification and/or indicators for their determination;
• Lessons learned regarding: project design (theory of change), objectives, and technical approach; use of adaptive management; administration and governance arrangements; relevance; implementation of the work plan; achievement of impact; environmental and social safeguards, etc.;
• Conclusions, and recommendations that include: practical and short-term corrective actions per evaluation criteria to address issues and findings; recommendations on best practices towards achieving project outcomes and knowledge sharing / replication for other projects of similar scope.

[1] See annex A

Evaluation Team Qualifications

A team of consultants is welcome to expand the expertise, and regional or language abilities.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience;
• Excellent written and oral communication in English.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Recent experience conducting evaluations, particularly for GEF financed projects is an advantage;
• Technical knowledge in the targeted GEF Operational Focal Area(s), protected area management effectiveness and/or sustainable financing
• Knowledge of GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy is an asset;

• Familiarity with WWF Project and Program Management Standards or Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (www.cmp-openstandards.org) is preferred;
• Experience with social assessments, participatory project design and management, and community-based resource management preferred;
• Knowledge and experience in implementing or reviewing application of social and environmental safeguards policies in GEF (or similar) projects preferred;
• Professional fluency in Spanish preferred;
• Regional experience an asset and residency to enable site visits preferred.

Payment Modalities and Specifications

Payment, expense reimbursement, and other contractual terms and conditions are outlined in the consultant agreement made between WWF and the evaluator(s). Payments are according to deliverables submitted. Twenty-five percent of payment will be delivered with completion and approval of the Inception Report. Fifty percent of payment will be paid with submission and approval of the Draft Report and debrief presentation. The final twenty-five percent will be delivered with the submission and approval of the Final Report. The budget shall not exceed $30,000 including fees and reimbursable expenses.

Application Process

Applicants are requested to apply by e-mailing their full application to amelia.kissick@wwfus.org by June 25, 2021. Consultants are invited to submit a technical proposal and financial proposal with their curriculum vitae. The financial proposal should include both fee and expenses. The selection of candidates and contractual agreements will be in compliance with WWF procurement policies[1] and subject to GEF requirements. WWF applies a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.

[1] WWF Procurement Policy