Request For Proposals
EU Project: the Local Actors for Change in the Hinterland (LACH)
External Evaluation for the LACH project 2021 - 2024
Conservation
Conservation International Suriname (CIS) is looking for a consultant to conduct an External Evaluation of
the LACH Project (2021 – 2024) for 2 months ideally starting on September 17, 2024, and ending on
November 20, 2024.
1. Background
The Local Actors for Change in the Hinterland (LACH) project, funded by the European Commission andimplemented in Suriname from September 9, 2021, until June 9, 2024, by Conservation International
Suriname (CI-S) and Amazone Conservation Team-Suriname (ACT), aimed to mitigate climate change
through effective, community-managed forests in Suriname’s hinterland. The project was based on thetheory that 1) by sustainably managing these forests and working to prevent illegal exploitation, vast
amounts of CO2 will continue to be sequestered, and 2) that local communities, when organized throughlocal organizations and leadership groups, have greater leverage and incentive to conserve their forests.
Since 2019, CIS has been actively engaged with the community of Brownsweg, and for more than fiveyears, CIS and ACT-S have been working in the Matawai region. The forests and ecosystems in these areas
face significant threats from logging and mining activities, largely driven by a lack of alternative economic
opportunities for men and insufficient income sources for women, who are essential to household
management and local economic growth. To address these challenges, the LACH project focused on
empowering local civil society organizations (CSOs) and conducting critical research to identify the mostprofitable business ventures. Additionally, the project aimed to provide community members with accessto alternative and sustainable livelihoods, leveraging their traditional knowledge of sustainableagriculture and non-timber forest products (NTFPs).
The project outcomes were as follows:
Outcome 1: CSOs and community members have improved technical, management, and advocacy
capacities to support community development and women empowerment.
Outcome 2: A community-driven forest and environmental management program is established.
Outcome 3: Community-driven forest management program is safeguarded through sustainableeconomic development.
1. Objectives of the Review
The objective of the review is to conduct an external evaluation of the project; “Local Actors for Change
in the Hinterland (LACH)”. The evaluation’s main goals are to:i.
ii.

Determine the extent to which the project objectives as defined in the logical framework havebeen met as of the end of the project.
Assess CI-Suriname’s role and performance as an executing agency identifying institutional
strengths and weaknesses and recommendations for improvement.

2. Review Questions
The external evaluation will take into account the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency,
sustainability, coherence, and lessons learned and will provide recommended actions, delivery andperformance for future CIS’s projects. Specifically, the evaluation will examine the following aspects:
Changes in context and review of assumptions (relevance):i.
Was the project’s design adequate to address the problem (s) at hand?
ii.
What internal and external factors have influenced the ability of beneficiary groups and CISuriname to meet project targets?
Results in terms of outputs achieved (efficiency and effectiveness)i.
Has the project reached the expected number of beneficiaries (individuals, CSOs,organizations, firms, industries, etc.) within the expected timeframe?
ii.
Are the beneficiaries satisfied with the quality and delivery of services? If not, in what way
did the services not meet beneficiary expectations and why?
iii.
Were the program’s activities in line with the schedule of activities as defined by the project
team and annual action plans?
iv.
Were the disbursements and project expenditures in line with expected budgetary plans?
Achievement of projected performance indicators and targets (effectiveness):i.
Did the CI-Suriname’s performance indicate the probability of achieving the project purpose(specific objective)? Have there been any unplanned effects?
ii.
Provide information on the difficulties faced by CI-Suriname and actions taken to overcome
them (administrative, operational, financial, political, or macroeconomic, etc.).
Recommendations for improving future project executions should be provided.
Synergies with other interventions (coherence):i.
To what extent did CI-Suriname work with or in coordination with other initiatives within
the project area? What are the learning points?
ii.
To what degree did CI-Suriname seek to create alliances and foster synergies with civilsociety organizations and other partners, national or international, to ensure harmonizationof interventions in the given contexts?
Assessment of outcomes/impact (Effectiveness):i.
Has the project generated any results that could indicate that the assistance has had animpact (intended as unintended) on the project’s target beneficiary groups?
ii.
If there have been changes in relation to enabling conditions, to what extent has theorganization adjusted its approach to meet these?
iii.
To what extent can the project experience be meaningfully replicated and scaled up in asimilar context? If so, what would be the added value? Please elaborate.
European Union priority areas:i.
What are the impacts of the project, positive or negative, on women’s rights andempowerment, including issues such as gender-based violence (GbV)?
ii.
What are the lessons learned?

3. Methodology
3.1. Review of project documentation: Review, as necessary, of archived material related to theoverall project, as well as background material used in project preparation, and implementation
including but not limited to: the project document and logical framework that details the project
design including the targeted results and measurable outputs; the agreement executed by theDelegation of the European Union to Guyana and CI-Suriname; project status reports; annualreports, other progress reports, action plans, and other information available.
3.2. Field visits and interviews: (i) On-site visits in Suriname to Brownsweg, Brownsberg (STINASU),
and Matawai to carry out in-depth interviews; (ii) interviews with CI-Suriname, Amazon
Conservation Team Guianas (ACT), and the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana staff who
participated in the project design and execution; (iii) interviews with local stakeholders and actual
direct beneficiaries; and (iv) interviews with a sample of consultants/and or technical assistanceproviders who were hired by CI-Suriname to provide technical assistance under the project. For
each of these interviews, the consultant should first develop and present their ideas for thecontent and format of the survey/interview forms that will be applied to capture the information
required, as well as the method to be used in administering them and tabulating results.
3.3. Collection of data: Data generated from the CI-Suriname’s project monitoring system should be
another source of information. Information from national statistics institutes could also beconsidered.
Note: The consultant may propose additional methods of conducting the evaluation.
4. Deliverables and Schedule
Tasks
Deliverables Acceptance Criteria
Development of anInception
The inception report must contain theinception report.
reportfollowing:a) A workplan for conducting theassignmentb) An agenda for visits and interviewsc) Timelinesd) Draft travel itineraries if relevante) Persons to be interviewedf) A detailed budget for the assignment
2 Submit draft of
1st draft
The 1st draft evaluation report must containevaluation report toEvaluation
the following:
CI-Suriname forReporta) Methodology used to conduct thereview
assignmentb) A list of interviews conducted with abrief summary of each interview
3 Submit FinalFinal
The final evaluation report should containevaluation report
Evaluation
the following
Reporta) Methods usedb) Findingsc) Lessons learnedd) Recommendationse) Photos of field visits and interviews#1Due dates
September27, 2024

October 25,2024November 12,2024

5. Location of Task
Desk studies and interviews will be primarily conducted in Paramaribo, while field visits will bbe conductedin Brownsweg, Brownsberg, and Matawai. For the Matawai area, the assistance of ACT will be requested
to coordinate the on-site visit
6. Required Skills and Experience
The consultancy will be conducted by an independent consultant with the requisite skill set to conduct
his/her mission. Specifically, the consultant is based in Suriname and has the following expertise:• Project evaluation theory and practice.
• At least 5 years experience in project management• Knowledge of development issues and understanding of Maroon cultures is an asset• Must possess a master’s degree in development studies, Environmental Studies, Natural
Resource Management, Project Management, or related field.
• Knowledge of the operations and typical structure of technical cooperation operations financedby the European Union.
• Dutch and English proficiency, both in speaking and writing.
• Sranang Tongo, Samaaka, and/or local dialects: speaking is a pre.
7. Evaluation Criteria
In evaluating proposals, CI will seek the best value for money considering the merits of the technical andfinancial proposals. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: Proposals will be evaluated
ONLY against the Evaluation Criteria in the RFP (no other evaluation criteria may be considered forselection).
Evaluation Criteria
Is the proposed approach and methodology
appropriate to the assignment and practical in
the prevailing project circumstances?
Is the presentation clear and is the sequence ofactivities and the planning logical, realistic andpromise efficient implementation to the project?
Does the bidder’s past performance demonstrate
recent proven experience doing similar work?
Does the bidder and the proposed personnel
have the specific technical expertise for theassignment?
Cost: Costs proposed are reasonable and realistic,reflect a solid understanding of the assignment.

Score (out of 100)
25

25

25
1510Interested?
Applications must be submitted by September 10, at 11:59 PM to procurementsr@conservation.org inEnglish. Please include "External Evaluation LACH project + Your Name" in the subject line.
Applications should include the following:i.
A cover letter (including the CVs of proposed personnel) with detailed information aligned withthe evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP. Comparable work previously completed by theapplicant will be beneficial for the evaluation process.

ii.
iii.

A technical proposal outlining the approach to achieving the assignment's objectives (including aplan of action, estimated timeline, and potential activities).
A financial proposal (budget) for executing the technical proposal.

Only complete applications that demonstrate all essential skills and competencies will be considered forselection and shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview. Please do not submit any
information that has not been requested. Any questions or requests for clarification regarding theconsultancy can be sent to the procurement email address of CI Suriname via
procurementsr@conservation.org no later than September 6, 2024.