SAMEA Request for Proposals - Appointment of a consultant to present a seminar on The State of M&E Institutionalization in Government

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Background

Towards the end of April, SAMEA will be hosting a series of seminars on The State of M&E Institutionalization in Government. The purpose of this communication is to seek a suitably qualified consultant that would be able to prepare the inputs for this and present this input at three events to be hosted in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Gauteng.

The purpose of the seminar is three fold:

• Firstly to expose members to a list of key South African M&E publications (available in the public domain) that can guide their thinking about the institutionalization of M&E in government and to provide members with a copy of these documents (either in hard copy or in electronic format) for their own use
• Secondly to reflect on the state of M&E institutionalization in South Africa
• Thirdly to create an opportunity for the members to engage in critical conversation about these publications and the topic of institutionalization of M&E in South Africa

Objective and Deliverables required

The scope of work includes:

1. Receiving and analyzing a list of publications in accordance with an agreed upon analytical framework (Approximately 2 person day)
2. Preparing a presentation of approximately 60 minutes on the analysis work and incorporating comments from the SAMEA board representatives (Approximately 1 person days)
3. Delivering the presentation at three regional events to be held in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Gauteng (Approximately 3 person days including travel time)

Receiving and analyzing the publications

The consultant will be required to engage with the list of publications as identified by the SAMEA board and analyze each of these publications in terms of an analytical framework which will be concerned with details such as

• Title of the Document, Organization responsible for its publication, where copies can be obtained
• To which users the document will be relevant
• What are the M&E methodologies used / suggested / supported in the publication?
• What does the publication contribute to the conversation about the institutionalization of M&E in government?
• What points of critique should be considered when engaging with this document?
• How beneficial/ limited are these documents in informing the broader debates of governance on the one hand and Monitoring & Evaluation in general.

Suggestions from the consultant on adjustments to the analytical framework would be welcomed.

The list of publications to be analyzed & presented will include:

The Presidency Government-wide Monitoring and Evaluation Policy Framework (November 2007)

A policy framework for the Government-wide Monitoring & Evaluation, which discusses:

• Key monitoring & evaluation (M&E) concepts and principles
• The importance of M&E as a tool for the public sector to evaluate its performance and identifying the factors which contribute to its service delivery outcomes
• The composition of the Government-wide Monitoring & Evaluation (GWM&E) system and intended outcomes
• The relationship between institutional M&E systems and the GWME system
• The relationship of the GWME framework to the three critical M&E data terrains:
• Programme Performance Information;
• Social, Economic and Demographic Statistics and
• Evaluations
• The role of M&E strategies and findings in supporting planning, budgeting, programme implementation, financial management and reporting processes
• The roles and responsibilities of government officials as implementing agents of M&E
• Capacity building interventions required to manage and effectively utilize M&E
• The institutional arrangements of the GWM&E system and the legal mandate underpinning roles and responsibilities

The Presidency: Development Indicators Mid-Term Review.

The policy Coordination and Advisory Services in the Presidency, working with the Clusters of Directors-General and with Departments compiled data on each of the 72 indicators (approved by Cabinet to provide evidence based pointers to the evolution of our society), informed by international good practice adapted to South African conditions.

National Treasury: Framework for Managing Programme Performance Information (May 2007)

A publication that will help the reader to understand

• The importance of performance information as a management tool
• The link between this Framework and the Governmentwide Monitoring and Evaluation System
• The role of performance information in planning, budgeting and reporting
• Key concepts, including the criteria for good performance indicators
• An approach to developing performance indicators
• The capacity required to manage and use performance information
• The roles of key government institutions in performance information management
• The publication of performance information.
• Also refer to the South African Statistics Quality Framework 

Public Service Commission: Basic Concepts in Monitoring and Evaluation (February 2008)

A document which aims to

• clarify basic M&E concepts and ideas as the apply in the context of the SA Public Service
• Put the concepts in a framework showing the interrelationships between them
• Contribute to the development of a coherent and dynamic culture of monitoring and evaluation in the Public Service and
• Contribute to a better understanding and enriched debate about the different dimensions of public sector performance

Public Service Commission: Report on the Audit of Reporting Requirements and Departmental Monitoring and Evaluation Systems within National and Provincial Government (June 2007) (Note - There is acknowledgement that the contents may be dated)

Cabinet mandated the Governance and Administration cluster of the Forum of South African Directors-General to develop a plan for a monitoring and evaluation system that can be used across government. To contribute towards this initiative the PSC undertook an audit of existing monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems in government departments.

Fourth Consolidated Public Service Monitoring and Evaluation Report (October 2007)

The report is a product of information gathered through the Public Service Commission’s Transversal Public Service Monitoring and Evaluation Systems (PSM&ES). This edition covers a sample of 16 departments assessed during the 2006/07 research cycle.

Keith MacKay Independent Evaluation Group (World Bank): How to Build M&E Systems to Support Better Government (2007)

This includes a detailed discussion on what M&E has to offer governments, some lessons learnt and examples from other countries, and a chapter that discussed the strengthening of a government M&E system amongst others.

Preparing a presentation

The consultant will prepare an electronic PowerPoint presentation (with any appropriate audiovisual aids) based on the analysis to be delivered in approximately 60 minutes. The presentation will be submitted for review to the SAMEA Board representative. The consultant would be required to incorporate suggestions and comments from the Board representatives and submit a final copy of the presentation to SAMEA in electronic format. It is anticipated that the presentation and the comments during the seminars will be made available on the SAMEA website after the process.

Delivering the presentation

The consultant would be required to travel to the event venues in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Western Cape to deliver the seminar and contribute to the discussion that follows.

The programme for the events will be as follow:

• Word of welcome and introductions (possibly a local chapter / SAMEA representative or host) (10 Minutes)
• Presentation on the State of M&E institutionalization in Government as reflected in the reports (60 Minutes)
• Discussant to summarize key points and invite attendees to comment on pertinent points (10 Minutes)
• Open comments and discussion (Guided by the Chair) (50 Minutes)
• Closing

SAMEA will arrange the logistics for three events to be hosted in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape. This includes identifying appropriate dates, venues, discussants and seminar chairs toward the end of April or beginning of May. SAMEA will endeavor to make available a CD or hard copies of all of the documents included in the analysis, as well as the PowerPoint presentation.

Contracting & Logistical Arrangements

SAMEA will prepare a contract with the consultant and appoint a Board member to manage this contract on behalf of SAMEA. SAMEA will retain all intellectual property created in this assignment and will have the right to use the outputs of this assignment as it deems fit. SAMEA will make all logistical arrangements regarding the travel (economy flights, car rental and accommodation).

Experience Required

The consultant must meet the following criteria:

• Appropriate qualifications would be considered
• A proven track record in the institutionalizing M&E in government field either through implementation or critical review
• Demonstrate familiarity with at least some of the publications considered for the presentation
• Experience providing short seminars and facilitating dialogue in the M&E field?
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation from a practical and theoretical perspective
• Fluent English speaker
• Only SAMEA members will be considered for this consultancy (To join, please go to www.samea.org.za )

Time Frame

The following is the anticipated time frame:

• Consultant Appointed 9 April
• Documents Forwarded to Consultant 11 April
• First Draft due 18 April
• Presentation in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape & Gauteng – During the period 23 April to 15 May 2008

Payment Schedule

The consultant would be able to bill for 20% of the contract on signing of the contract, and the remainder will be paid within seven days after the final presentation has been conducted.

Submissions & Deadline

Queries regarding this RFP may be directed to Benita van Wyk at

Qualified consultants are required to submit a short proposal and their CV to info@samea.org.za on or before 4 April 2008. The proposal should contain

• a short motivation as to why the consultant should be considered for the appointment
• a brief description of the consultants experience in working in the field of institutionalization of M&E in government and other requirements as listed above
• Details of two contactable references,
• A budget outlining daily rates and anticipated travel costs to Johannesburg, East London and Cape Town.
• The consultants’ SAMEA reference number

Proposals will be adjudicated based on:

• Relevance of Previous Experience
• Appropriateness of Motivation
• Price