Company Profile
Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based 501(c)3, and UTZ, an Amsterdam-based foundation, merged in 2018. Together, the new Rainforest Alliance is now a $70 million per year organization with offices in 17 countries (and growing) and over 5000 staff. The merged organization has two main offices—one in Amsterdam and one in New York City.
The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.
We work towards making responsible business the new normal through our certification program, tailored supply chain services, landscape and community work and advocacy.
For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about.
Job Description
Request For Proposals to Conduct a Final Evaluation of the
“Landscapes & Environmental Agility across the Nation” (LEAN) Project in Ghana
Acronyms
CREMA Community Resource Management Area
EU GCCA+ EU´s Global Climate Change Alliance Plus
EU European Union
FE Final Evaluation
LEAN Landscapes & Environmental Agility across the Nation
LMB Landscape Management Board
MEL Monitoring Evaluation and Learning
NRM Natural Resources Management
RA Rainforest Alliance
ToR Terms of Reference
Background
The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behaviour. Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests and biodiversity, act on climate, promote rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people. As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land use and commodity production.
In line with this vision, RA is implementing the four-year Landscapes & Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) project, since November 2020, in partnership with World Vision Ghana, Tropenbos Ghana and EcoCare Ghana, and co-funded by the European Union through their flagship EU´s Global Climate Change Alliance Plus (GCCA+) Initiative. LEAN´s overall objective is to support national efforts to conserve biodiversity, improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, build climate resilience, and reduce emissions from land-use change across Ghana´s high forest, savannah, and transition zones.
The project´s specific aims are as follows:
- Support the establishment of strong, long-lasting and socially inclusive landscape governance structures in three priority landscapes.
- Reduce land degradation, prevent forest loss, increase productivity, build climate resilience, and promote natural resource conservation training for smallholder farmers within the project landscapes.
- Improve market incentives for smallholder farmers to access diversified income streams.
- Support the design and implementation of a LandScale-based Landscape Performance Management Framework.
The project´s management is seeking a consultant(s) to conduct a project final Evaluation of the impact of the project.
II. Target Groups
- Smallholders farmers and rural communities within the project landscapes
- Landscape Governance Structure actors and other stakeholders such as:
- Landscape Management Boards (LMBs)
- Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs)
- Forestry Commission
- Ghana Cocoa Board
- Municipal/District Assemblies
- Local community leaders/ Traditional Authorities
- Community members
- Private sector companies committed to deforestation-free supply chains, including logging companies and Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) sourcing cocoa, shea, and timber from local landscapes
- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
- Ministry of Food and Agriculture/ Department of Agriculture
- Legal Services (to guide and formalize the governance structures)
- Ghana Education Service (GES)
- Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA)
- Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), among others
3. Youth – students and graduates and educational system representatives
Scope of Work
This MTR will be conducted across 3 biodiversity-significant landscapes with the following details:
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No
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Project Landscape
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Municipality/ District
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Region
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1
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High Forest Zone (Western Zone B Hotspot Intervention Area)
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- Bibiani-AnhwiawsoBekwai
- Sefwi Wiawso
- Bodi
- Akontombra
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1. Western North
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2
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Savannah Landscape (Guinea and Sudan Ecological Zones)
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- West Gonja
- Kassena-Nankana West
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- Savannah
- Upper East
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3
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Transition landscape (Forest-Savannah Zone)
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- Offinso Municipal
- Offinso North
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- Ashanti
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- Techiman Municipal
- Techiman North
- Nkoranza North
- Nkoranza South
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- Bono East
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IV. Objectives and key questions to be addressed by the Final Evaluation
The objective of the Final evaluation is to provide a thorough assessment of the project´s key achievements
The objectives of this final Evaluation are as follows:
- Measure both outcomes and impacts indicators as indicated in the project’s logical framework
- Identify the strength, issues/ risks, and opportunities for scalability
- Evaluate the project´s efficiency, effectiveness, relevance and sustainability, and lessons learned as basic reference for future projects
Specific questions to be addressed by the Final evaluation are as follows:
- What adjustments were made to the project design & plan since its inception (if any)?
- What are the program’s main outputs, outcomes and impacts up to now for each of the indicators described in the project´s logical framework? And has the project met the outputs, outcomes and impacts? Are the project goals realistic?
- Which (internal and/or external, positive and/or negative) factors have influenced the program’s effectiveness and efficiency in the period examined? And how well has the project managed such issues/risks and opportunities?
- To what extent has the project been appropriated by relevant target populations and landscape stakeholders? Is the project sustainable (i.e., what are the chances of project outcomes and impacts to be continued by local stakeholders after the project ends)?
- What is the effectiveness of the project’s Monitoring &Evaluation system to measure progress towards results?
- Recommendation/s if any
Deliverables
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Deliverables
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Deliverable Details
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Timeline for delivery (number of calendar days after the contract is signed)
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1. Inception Meeting
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Proposed work program and methodology (Methodology, general schedule of activities to be carried out and documents required from project management).
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19th May 2025
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2. Inception Meeting Report
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Should describe a basic literature review, propose tools/ questionnaires/ instruments/ sources to be used and should propose a specific program of interviews (whom, where, when) of the relevant target population and other stakeholders.
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21st May 2025
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3. Delivery of Draft MTR Final Report
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Should include a well-written, well-organized Draft of the Final Evaluation Report, including:
- Executive summary;
- Description of activities and methods/tools used
- Data analysis plan. Thus, Analysis of each of the key questions specified in section IV of this ToR.
- Conclusions
- Recommendations (question 6 in section IV of this ToR), with justifications for each and specification of the responsible party for each.
A detailed list of people interviewed/consulted should be provided in an annex, as well as the specific tools (e.g., surveys, interview questionnaires) and databases generated.
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11th June 2025
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4. Delivery of Draft Final Report (Validation workshop)
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PPT slides of key findings presented to stakeholders at validation workshop for validation
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16th June 2025
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5. Final report
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Should include a well-written, well-organized Final Evaluation Report incorporating input from project and stakeholders during the validation workshop:
- Executive summary;
- Description of activities and methods/tools used
- Analysis of each of the key questions specified in section IV of this ToR.
- Conclusions
- Recommendations (question 6 in section IV of this ToR), with justifications for each and specification of the responsible party for each.
A detailed list of people interviewed/consulted should be provided in an annex, as well as the specific tools (e.g., surveys, interview questionnaires) and databases generated.
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23rd June 2025
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VI. Peer Review Process and Coordination
The Senior Associate, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning will lead the final evaluation and coordinate all activities with the consultant. Backstopping support will be provided by the Project Management Team and other Global Management team.
The Rainforest Alliance will provide all necessary documents relating to the project. It will also provide the necessary letters of introduction to facilitate the consultant´s access to the relevant target population and other relevant stakeholders. RA will not, however, provide transportation to project sites or any other kind of in-kind support.
VII. Duration
The consultancy will take at most 27 working days within 36 calendar-day period to complete.
VIII. General terms and conditions for Request for proposal
- Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by the Rainforest Alliance. Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.
- RA reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.
- RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.
- All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.
Required Skills or Experience
Selection Criteria
The Consultant or Consultant Firm should have the following qualifications and credentials:
- The lead consultant must have at least a master’s degree in M&E, statistics, environmental science, or social science.
- Data collection and analysis expertise, including social, environmental, and governance data and analysis. Thus, the team/individual must have the capacity to identify data sources, assess data quality/integrity, and calculate metrics based on secondary and primary data.
- Data and analysis expertise, including in social and environmental data and data analysis – the team must be able to identify data sources, assess data quality, and calculate metrics based on secondary and primary data.
- Have excellent and demonstrated knowledge in data analysis using Microsoft Excel, SPSS, STATA and or other statistical software related to qualitative methods of data analysis.
- The consultant should have experience of working with smallholder farmers and serving remote populations training, coaching, and/or development of training modules and working in remote areas
- Experience of the individual in using remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in collecting and analyzing data.
- Experience in conducting final Evaluations or similar development project assessments, with strong skills in M&E and a proven record of accomplishment in this regard
- Good understanding and knowledge of the project Landscapes, speak the local language of the target populations and stakeholders and have excellent fluency in written and oral English.
- Be committed to an objective and inclusive assessment including willingness to engage separately with marginalized or vulnerable groups to the extent necessary to properly understand their perspectives
- Experience with delivering high-quality products and respecting budgets and deadlines.
X. Grading criteria
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Criteria
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Maximum Value (%)
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The lead consultant must have at least a master’s degree in M&E, statistics, environmental science or social science with data collection and analysis expertise, including social, environmental, and governance data and analysis. Thus, the team/individual must have the capacity to identify data sources, assess data quality/integrity, and calculate metrics based on secondary and primary data.
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20
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Experience in conducting MTRs or similar development project assessments, with strong skills in M&E and proven record of accomplishment in this regard
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20
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Good understanding and knowledge of the project Landscapes, speak the local language of the target populations and stakeholders and have excellent fluency in written and oral English.
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20
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Be committed to an objective and inclusive assessment including willingness to engage separately with marginalized or vulnerable groups to the extent necessary to properly understand their perspectives
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20
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Cost of executing the assessment
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20
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Total
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100
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How To Apply
Submission Procedure and Format
- A letter of interest summarizing the reason why you should be selected for this consultancy.
- A Technical proposal not more than 15 pages detailing the consultant(s) understanding and interpretation of the ToR, expertise and record of accomplishment, proposed methodology/ approach to carry out this assignment, implementation plan, abridged CVs of proposed personnel you intend to use for this assessment.
- A Financial proposal. Detailed budget that indicates the professional fees and any other related costs to be incurred by the consultant(s) while conducting this assignment. Please note that the contract price will be fixed regardless of changes in the cost components. The proposed budget should detail all relevant costs, such as transportation, enumerators allowances, professional fees, accommodation, stationery etc. An additional column could be added to the budget to help the evaluation team understand what each item will be used for.
- The financial proposal should be calculated in US dollars ($), including all taxes and duties.
- Contact details of recent references (at least 2), including email, contact person’s name and phone number.
The letter of interest, technical, and financial proposal should be sent by email to ghanaoffice@ra.org with the subject line “Final Evaluation of the Landscapes & Environmental Agility across the Nation” (LEAN) Project in Ghana.” by 17:00hrs GMT, on 12th May 2025. Any questions and clarifications related to the assessment should be sent to the email mentioned above.
Thank you for your interest in working with The Rainforest Alliance
Note
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