Project Impact Evaluation - Endline for UKPact - Accelerating County Cooking Transitions (A2CT) Project

Company Description ABOUT SNV SNV is a global development partner rooted in the African and Asian countries where we operate. With 60 years of experience and a team of approximately 1,600 people, it is our mission to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems to enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT The UKPact funded Accelerating County Cooking Transitions (A2CT) Project is implemented by a consortium comprising SNV as the lead implementing partner, Gamos East Africa and the Clean Cooking Association of Kenya (CCAK). The project aims to accelerate the transition to clean cooking in Kakamega, Meru and Taita Taveta counties by addressing policy, institutional, capacity, market and inclusion barriers affecting the uptake of clean cooking solutions. It supports county governments to develop County Clean Cooking Transition Policies and implementation guidelines and strengthens the capacity of county officials to plan, coordinate, implement and monitor clean cooking interventions. The project also strengthens the wider clean cooking ecosystem by building the technical, business and financial capacities of artisans, entrepreneurs, community-based organisations and other value-chain actors through training, mentorship and linkages to markets and finance. These interventions are informed by baseline assessments and other evidence generated through the project and promote the meaningful participation of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups. Together, they provide an evidence-based and inclusive approach to strengthening the enabling environment for county-led clean cooking transitions. The project’s Theory of Change (ToC) recognises that improved availability and use of evidence, strengthened institutional and stakeholder capacity, inclusive policy frameworks and stronger market linkages are necessary to create an enabling environment for county clean cooking transitions. Through these interventions, A2CT seeks to strengthen evidence-based planning and decision-making, institutionalise county clean cooking policies, enhance stakeholder participation and market linkages, and improve opportunities for women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups within the clean cooking ecosystem. These changes are expected to contribute to equitable and sustained uptake of clean cooking solutions, with longer-term benefits for health, reduced emissions and inclusive economic empowerment. As the project approaches completion, SNV intends to undertake a final impact evaluation to assess changes achieved since the baseline and determine the extent to which the project has contributed to its intended results. The assessment will compare relevant baseline and endline findings and assess progress against the project’s ToC, results framework, indicators and targets, including changes in clean cooking access and practices, institutional capacity, evidence use, policy development and institutionalisation, market participation and linkages, access to finance, and GEDSI-related outcomes. The overall objective of the assignment is therefore to assess the changes achieved over the A2CT implementation period and the project’s contribution to its intended outputs, intermediate outcomes and outcomes, as well as progress towards longer-term impact. The evaluation will also identify key enabling and limiting factors, assess the sustainability of results, document lessons and good practices, and provide practical recommendations to inform future project implementation, programming and scale-up. Job Description SCOPE OF WORK The assignment will cover the A2CT project in Kakamega, Meru and Taita Taveta counties and assess the changes achieved over the project implementation period against the baseline, ToC, results framework, indicators and targets. Using a mixed-method approach, the consultant will combine quantitative and qualitative evidence to measure change, assess the project's contribution to observed results, understand the factors influencing those results, and generate evidence and learning to inform future clean cooking programming. The assessment will cover the following areas: • Measure and analyse changes from baseline to endline across relevant project indicators, including clean cooking access and practices, awareness, institutional capacity, market participation and other intended project results. The analysis should examine differences across the three counties and relevant target groups. • Assess progress across the project's results chain, from outputs to intermediate outcomes and outcomes, and determine the extent to which the project's interventions contributed to observed changes. The evaluation will examine whether the assumptions and pathways underpinning the ToC remain valid and identify factors that enabled or hindered achievement of results. • Assess the project's contribution to strengthening county capacity to plan, coordinate, implement and monitor clean cooking transitions, including the use of evidence in decision-making and progress towards the development, adoption, institutionalisation and implementation of County Clean Cooking Transition Policies and implementation guidelines. • Assess the effectiveness and outcomes of capacity-building interventions targeting county officials, artisans, entrepreneurs and other clean cooking actors, including changes in knowledge, technical and business skills, application of acquired capacities, market participation, market and financial linkages, and economic opportunities. • Assess the extent to which GEDSI has been integrated across project interventions and contributed to improved access, participation, agency, voice and opportunities for women, youth, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups. • Assess whether training translated into application and sustained behaviour/business practice change, not only knowledge gained. Examine barriers to applying skills and whether market/finance linkages were actually utilised. • Assess the likelihood that key project results will be sustained beyond project completion, including institutional ownership, continued use of evidence and strengthened capacities, implementation of county clean cooking policies, stakeholder coordination and market linkages. The evaluation will also identify approaches with potential for replication and scale-up within and beyond the three target counties. • Systematically document key lessons learned, good practices, innovations, challenges and intended and unintended outcomes from project implementation. The assessment should identify what worked, what did not, for whom, under what conditions and why, and translate these lessons into practical recommendations for strengthening future county-led clean cooking transitions. • Provide clear, evidence-based and actionable recommendations for SNV, UK PACT, consortium partners, county governments and other relevant stakeholders, including recommendations for sustaining project results, strengthening implementation and informing future clean cooking programming, replication and scale-up. METHODOLOGY As part of the application process, the consultant will propose a robust methodology for undertaking the A2CT Final Impact Evaluation. The methodology should enable measurement of changes achieved over the project implementation period and assessment of the extent to which A2CT contributed to the observed results. The evaluation will be guided by the project's baseline, ToC, results framework, indicators and targets. The consultant will propose the detailed evaluation questions, sampling strategy, data collection methods and analytical approach, which will be reviewed and refined with SNV during the inception phase and documented in the inception report. The evaluation will apply a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Where appropriate, the endline assessment should maintain comparability with the baseline methodology, indicators, respondent groups and data collection tools to enable meaningful measurement of change. At minimum, the methodology should include: • Desk Review: Review key project documents, including the project proposal, ToC, results framework, baseline studies and datasets, monitoring and progress reports, capacity-building documentation, policy outputs, GEDSI assessments and other relevant project evidence. This will inform the evaluation framework, key evaluation questions and indicators against which project results and impact will be assessed. • Primary data collection and stakeholder engagement: Collect quantitative and qualitative data across Kakamega, Meru and Taita Taveta counties through surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and other appropriate participatory methods. The assessment will engage relevant project stakeholders and beneficiaries, including county government officials, artisans, entrepreneurs, community-based organisations and other clean cooking actors. The sampling approach should ensure appropriate representation of women, youth, persons with disabilities and other relevant groups. • Impact analysis, triangulation and learning: Compare baseline and endline findings to determine the magnitude and direction of change across relevant indicators and assess progress against the project's ToC and intended results. Quantitative findings will be triangulated with qualitative evidence, project monitoring data and stakeholder perspectives to assess the project's contribution to observed changes and identify other factors that may have influenced results. The analysis will also assess GEDSI outcomes, sustainability and emerging longer-term impacts, and document lessons learned, good practices, challenges, intended and unintended outcomes, and opportunities for replication and scale-up. Throughout the evaluation, the consultant will apply appropriate quality assurance, ethical research, informed consent, confidentiality and data protection measures. Preliminary findings will be validated with SNV, consortium partners and relevant stakeholders before finalisation of the Impact Evaluation Report. DELIVERABLES The consultant will be expected to deliver the following: • Inception report: Following a review of key project documents, baseline study and datasets, ToC, results framework and initial consultations with SNV, the consultant will prepare an inception report detailing the final scope, methodology, sampling strategy, work plan, milestones, and data collection and analysis approach. The report will include final quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and demonstrate how comparability with the baseline will be maintained. The inception report and tools will be subject to approval by SNV before commencement of data collection. • Draft Impact evaluation report: Prepare a comprehensive draft report presenting the impact survey findings, including baseline–endline comparisons, changes against relevant project indicators and targets, and progress along the project's ToC. The report will analyse changes across the project's key intervention areas and document lessons learned, good practices, challenges and intended and unintended changes. • Stories of change / impact stories: Develop a selection of evidence-based stories of change that illustrate significant changes experienced by project stakeholders and beneficiaries as a result of, or with contribution from, A2CT interventions. The stories should reflect different project intervention areas, counties and stakeholder groups, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, county officials, artisans and entrepreneurs, where relevant. The stories should complement the quantitative findings and clearly demonstrate the change observed, the project's contribution, and why the change matters. • Validation of findings: Present preliminary impact survey findings, conclusions and recommendations to SNV and relevant stakeholders for validation. Feedback and additional evidence generated through the validation process will be documented and incorporated, where appropriate, into the final report. • Final impact survey report: Submit a final report incorporating feedback from SNV and relevant stakeholders. The report will present the final baseline–endline analysis, key findings, progress against project indicators and the ToC, conclusions, lessons learned and clear, practical recommendations for sustaining results and informing future clean cooking programming, replication and scale-up. The final report will be subject to formal approval by SNV. • PowerPoint presentation: Prepare a concise and visually engaging presentation summarising the key impact survey findings, observed changes, stories of change, lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations. • Survey data and supporting documentation: Submit final data collection tools, list of stakeholders consulted, field documentation, list of documents reviewed, and complete quantitative datasets in raw and cleaned formats, together with relevant qualitative data and supporting analysis ASSIGNMENT DURATION This assignment is expected to take 8 weeks with all deliverables including the final invoice must be delivered within this timeline. Qualifications APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA Technical evaluation will precede financial considerations. Interested consultants are requested to submit their proposals which should contain the following: • Technical Evaluation (70%) • Interpretation and understanding of the terms of reference, • Capability statement demonstrating qualifications (academic and professional) and relevant experience including profile/s of the consultant/team members that will be involved (CVs to be provided as an attachment to the proposal). • The proposed methodology and approach to this assignment, including the sampling strategy, evaluation matrix (criteria, questions, and data sources), data collection, analysis and reporting methods and tools, and quality control practices. • At least three references of other clients for which similar review assignments were undertaken with contact information for each. • Workplan outlining the major activities, key milestones, and time schedule, • Proposed outline of the final report. • Financial proposal (30%) Must include all costs and applicable taxes. The proposed budget should be in Kenya Shillings and should have sufficient detail to allow a detailed review of the proposed costs. Therefore, the financial proposal should at least contain: • Professional fees - Budget lines for each proposed expert with the estimated time/days input and daily rates. • Indirect activity costs - Line items and unit rates for meetings, field travel transport, and accommodation, etc. • Proposed milestone-based schedule of payments. REQUIREMENTS FOR CONSULTANT(S) The consultant/s will have the responsibility for conducting the evaluation and writing the evaluation report. Therefore, the consultant(s) must meet the following conditions: • Applicants must be able to legally operate in Kenya. The selected consultant(s) will be subject to a brief due diligence process including tax compliance. • This assignment is to be executed by a team of qualified experts with the requisite knowledge, skills, and experience including the use of quantitative and qualitative methods and participatory tools. • Proven track record and experience in similar assignments (minimum 5 years of experience) • Knowledge and/or experience in the energy and clean cooking sector will be an added advantage. • Experience working with development projects and programmes including a track record of assignments undertaken in Kenya. • Good knowledge of GEDSI approaches/methodologies/tools. • Excellent analytical and report-writing skills. • A demonstrated high level of professionalism and ability to work independently and in compliance with deadlines. • Strong interpersonal and communication skills. • Excellent spoken and written English. In addition, the consultant(s) will agree to (a) comply with SNV’s Code of Conduct, (b) comply with data protection policies, (c) declare availability during the entire implementation period, (d) ensure the overall quality and timely delivery of the assignment, and (e.) declare any links to the project team or management or any other conflict of interest that would interfere with the independence of the evaluation. Additional Information How to apply Interested consultants (firm/individual) are required to submit separate technical and financial proposals to kenyaprocurement@snv.org and should be submitted by Close of Business 30th September 2026 with the subject line “Proposals for the A2CT Impact Evaluation Consultancy Assignment” FULL TOR HERE!