End Ultra Poverty at The/Nudge

The last date to submit the proposals is 4th December 2023

Background
The Nudge Lifeskills Foundation, hereafter referred to as “The/Nudge Institute,” is seeking proposals from qualified agencies to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the outcomes of the intervention, specifically from gender lens of our livelihood project titled End Ultra Poverty (EUP) program. The EUP program works with ultra-poor rural households, specifically with women, to pull them out of ultra-poverty through the evidence-based graduation approach.

About The/Nudge Institute
The/Nudge is an action institute working towards a poverty-free India within our lifetime. We partner with governments, markets, and civil society to build resilient livelihoods for all. We are a collective of some of India’s best leaders and entrepreneurs across the industry, academia, government, and development sectors.

The/Nudge Institute is seeking proposals from credible evaluation agencies for the evaluation of one of our flagship programs- End Ultra Poverty. This will be a three-year-long evaluation project in Jharkhand where the program outcomes will be evaluated from a gender lens.

Objective of RFP
The primary objective of this RFP is to solicit proposals from agencies with expertise in conducting evaluations of outcomes from a gender lens for livelihood programs similar to EUP. The outputs of the evaluation will be used to create a blueprint to make the implementation of the graduation approach more gender intentional.

Objective of evaluation
The End Ultra-Poverty program aims to pull 1M women from ultra-poor households out of ultra-poverty in the next 5 years by improving social, economic, and gender-based outcomes through the evidence-based graduation approach. The objective of the study is to evaluate the program design and delivery from a lens of gender with a focus on identifying not just the impact of the program on gender but also to recommend what can be redesigned/incorporated to amplify the current program outcomes and improve program sustainability. Furthermore, the learning from evaluation will be used to strengthen the program from gender lens as well as aid in internal implementation to scale the program with the government. Design iteration will be a part of this exercise as we go along so the nature of this evaluation shall be ‘formative’ more than a summative evaluation. The evaluation is planned to begin in a phased manner in Jharkhand from January 2024 to December 2026.

About End Ultra Poverty (EUP)
The program targets women from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), Schedule Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), which are socially and geographically excluded, and are at an annual income of less than $300 from distress migration with no/limited ownership of land or any form of productive asset. The program aims to pull the ultra-poor households out of ultra-poverty through the evidence-based graduation approach

The program is currently directly implemented by us in three districts of Jharkhand, two districts in Karnataka and one in Rajasthan. Following the successful implementation of the program in Jharkhand, we expanded our intervention by partnering with NRLM and respective SRLMs to implement the graduation approach through community-based organisations in the states of Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Assam, and Tripura. However, only Jharkhand will be considered for evaluation where we are implementing the
EUP program directly.

The key interventions of the projects include:

defining, targeting, and selecting ultra-poor women and their households;
a consumption or business stipend to provide ‘breathing space for the household to spend on immediate needs and learn livelihoods activities;
household-level enterprise planning and intense coaching;
a ‘big push’ livelihood grant (for agriculture, livestock, nano-enterprise, or a combination);
access to rights and entitlements;
access to food and nutritional security,
access to other government schemes added contextually depending on the state and
Provide psychological support through intense coaching, small group formations, and eventual integration into SHGs.

The livelihood options and training provided to women vary across states and are determined based on local market demand, supply, potential, willingness of the households, and access to assets. For example, in Jharkhand, the primary livelihoods are goatery, piggery, and vegetable cultivation, while in Karnataka, it includes goatery and nano and micro businesses (SMBs). The specific livelihood options for Rajasthan are yet to be determined, as implementation is scheduled to start in June 2023.

Targeted Outcomes
The 3-year-long carefully sequenced intervention targets the following outcomes at a household level:

Sustainable income increase of at least Rs 15000 per household per year from program-supported livelihood activity at the end of the 3rd year
Cumulative annual savings increase of Rs 1500 at the end of 3rd year
Food security: At least 95% of all households access subsidised food grain through PDS (Public Distribution System)
Access to entitlements: At least 80% of households have access to at least one Government Entitlement/ Scheme (social security pension like old-age pension, widow pension, disability pension, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Job Card, etc.) on top of existing access
Sustainable livelihood: At least 90% of active households have access to at least 1 livelihood/source of income (program supported)
Productive assets: at least 60% of livestock-rearing households’ value of productive assets (livestock) increased by 30% on top of the value of the assets transferred to the households from the project
Financial and social inclusion: at least 95% of individual project participants have an active savings bank account, and at least 70% of households will be Included in self-help groups (in locations where SRLMs have a presence)
Effectiveness of small groups to aid psychological support
Please note that outcomes outside the mentioned outcomes will be arrived at along with the agency as they immerse in the program.

Scope of work
The partner is expected to work closely with The/Nudge in designing and conducting a robust evaluation from the gender lens of the EUP program in Jharkhand to measure targeted outcomes as mentioned under 3.2. The activities under the same include:

Literature review: The partner is expected to conduct an exhaustive literature review to design a robust evaluation framework and tools.
Field immersion and understanding of program participants: The partner is expected to spend some time visiting the field of work and understanding our program, program participants, and outcomes outside the above-mentioned mandatory outcomes. This is an essential step in designing an evaluation framework and survey questionnaire according to the program context.
Designing evaluation framework: Based on the literature and learnings from the field, the partner is expected to develop an evaluation design outlining key constructs, themes, and research questions to be evaluated for the evaluation.
Sampling and tool design: The partner is expected to arrive at a statistically robust sampling design for the evaluation. Evaluation tools are to be developed based on the evaluation design.
Training: The partner must hire enumerators experienced in livelihood-based data collection, preferably from similar geography, and train them efficiently.
Pilot testing of the tool on the ground: It is expected that the tool be tested on the field along with the enumerators to familiarise them with the field.
Data collection: Clean and robust data must be collected per the timelines. Quality assurance measures such as spot checks, back-checks, on-field monitoring, etc. are expected to be undertaken throughout data collection. Regular debriefs will be held with the The/Nudge team.
Analysis and reporting: The partner is expected to conduct thorough data analysis and produce a report of publishable quality.
Research briefs: Besides the analysis report, the evaluation partner is also expected to produce research briefs on relevant themes from the evaluation. T/NI and partners can use the research to evangelise potential partners in the
ecosystem.
Presentation of findings: The partner is expected to present findings to key stakeholders whenever required.

Methodology

The following guidelines the evaluation partner is required to keep in mind for the evaluation study:

Mixed methods (qualitative + quantitative) should be used for evaluation
The partner is expected to demonstrate expertise in building measurement frameworks & instruments with a gender lens
The partner should have gender experts as part of the evaluation team
The partner should take the local context into account in designing the survey tool (definitions such as income, savings, well-being) and so on.
Greater attention would be given to data quality checks & monitoring systems during the data collection phase
The data has to be collected in person by the enumerators
The partner is expected to work closely with The/Nudge team at all stages of evaluation

Expected deliverables:

A detailed work plan will include the dates and activities for the evaluation.
Literature review: A document on literature review highlighting themes and constructs of the evaluation.
Evaluation design and framework: An evaluation design based on literature and observations from the field.
Methodology Plan: A written methodology plan including sampling, data collection, and analysis methods per evaluation question.
Debriefing with the Impact team at The/Nudge: The debriefing will include a discussion of achievements and issues and any recommendations for possible modifications to project approaches, activities, or results.
Debriefing with partners (if required): The debriefing with our external consultants or donors may be expected by the evaluation partner. This includes discussion on activities only, with recommendations for possible modifications to evaluation approaches, activities, or results.
Datasets: Masked datasets and transcripts are required to be shared
Draft evaluation report: A draft report of the findings and recommendations should be submitted to The/Nudge. The report should clearly describe findings around targeted outcomes from a gender lens, conclusions, and recommendations. The/Nudge will provide comments on the draft report, after which the final report will be prepared.
Final evaluation report: A complete digital report in a well-designed, publishable format incorporating suggestions from The/Nudge must be submitted as the final evaluation deliverable.
Research briefs on relevant and important themes to be shared from the evaluation that can be shared with the ecosystem.
Recommendations: As an output (interim and end), the evaluation must give us clarity around program delivery from gender lens and sustainability perspective beyond the graduation approach – illustratively (and not limited to)

We may carry out some experiments with an added focus on gender (and otherwise), understanding the differential impact created and the underlying determinants would be important for us, we may need exclusive discussions and evaluations of such experiments.
As a gender expert, we would like to understand from the evaluation organisation what more can we do within the scope of our intervention upfront (during the baseline itself) and implement those changes
Design iteration will be a part of this exercise as we go along so the nature of this evaluation shall be ‘formative’ in addition to a summative evaluation.
We would like to understand the leading indicators for sustainability – this may involve studying the graduated cohort and applying that learning to designing the future program

Required Expertise
The/Nudge is seeking a firm with substantial experience performing livelihood evaluation from a gender lens. More specifically, the lead consultant should have a proven track record in gender and livelihood space, conducting surveys and evaluations of complex projects, and experience of local context and situations similar to that of EUP or similar projects, especially those related to sustainable livelihood. The consultant team should have expertise in gender analysis, local economic and enterprise development, value chain development in agriculture and livestock sectors, excellent analytical skills, and report writing skills in English.

The required expertise, skills, and knowledge of the partner are as follows:

At least 10 years of work experience in conducting sound and thorough technical surveys of similar projects
Evidence of success in completing similar surveys in terms of size, design, and rigour
Proven expertise, knowledge, and skills in applying a gender lens in the evaluation of programs
Strong qualitative and quantitative research and analytical skills
Proven track record of collecting data with excellent quality control measures
Proven record of excellent management, leadership, decision-making, and interpersonal skills
Excellent and clear technical writing and oral presentation skills in English
Proven ability to prepare high-quality technical reports on time
Well-versed with the location context and language of the project states
A strong recommendation from organisations the partner has worked on earlier.

Evaluation Criteria

The proposals are to be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Expertise in gender-focused evaluations (25%)
Proposed methodology (30%)
Agency qualifications and experience in a similar context (20%)
Budget and cost-effectiveness (15%)
Compliance with RFP requirements (10%)

Proposal Format

The proposal must include:

Partner profile: An overview of the agency’s qualifications, experience, and relevant past projects
Technical proposal: Detailed description of the proposed approach and methodology. The proposal must include the profile and selection process of hiring enumerators and mention quality control protocols followed by the organization.
Financial proposal: A detailed cost breakdown and pricing structure
Previous evaluation reports on livelihood context from gender lens

Budget

The budget will depend on the sample size and quality of the study proposed.

Date of submission

The proposal should be submitted 4th December, 2023 at shefali@thenudge.org and pranjali.hardikar@thenudge.org.

In case of queries, please contact pranjali.hardikar@thenudge.org