Request for Proposal: Evaluation of Project funded by the Office to Monitor & Combat Trafficking in Persons in the US Department of State

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) is the global leader in protecting vulnerable people from violence around the world. Our team of over 1,200 professionals are at work worldwide in over 30 offices. Together we are on a mission to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice unstoppable.

We are a global community that cares for one another. We believe that the way we work is as important as the results we achieve. We provide professional excellence with joy and celebration to all those we serve.

IJM Ghana partners with Ghanaian government agencies to tackle human trafficking by rescuing victims, ensuring perpetrator accountability, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and supporting public justice actors to strengthen systems that protect the vulnerable.

The Need

For 25 years, IJM has pioneered the work to protect vulnerable people from violence. As we grow to expand our impact to protect 500 million people from violence by 2030, IJM Ghana, in 2019, partnered with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotic and Law-Enforcement Affairs (INL) Democracy, to implement a two-year project (2019-2021) called Strengthening the Criminal Justice System Through Law Enforcement Development in Ghana. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other related challenges, the project was extended for another 2 years to end in September 2023. The response of Ghanaian justice actors (police, prosecutors, social workers, and related entities, such as the immigration service) to human trafficking does not reflect investigative and prosecutorial best practices. Findings reveal that there’s lack of multi-disciplinary coordination, survivor-focus, and accurate data on the human trafficking statistics.

The project under evaluation pursued the following objectives:

• Justice sector actors have greater technical capacity to identify instances of Human Trafficking (HT), secure survivors, and prosecute perpetrators, providing a multi-disciplinary, survivor-centered response.
• Caritas Ghana, a local Civil Service Organization (CSO), continues to build the capacity of relevant justice sector actors within their geographical areas to robustly address trafficking issues.
• Justice sector actors and airport officials have increased knowledge and skills to address Human Trafficking (HT), particularly in investigations, prosecutions, and survivor care.
• Highlighting the survivor's experience, Ghanaian media leverage their influence to increase public awareness and pressure government to address Human Trafficking (HT) in Ghana.
• Ghanaian government allocates increased financial and personnel resources to justice sector institutions to address Human Trafficking (HT).

1.1 Purpose of the End of Project Evaluation

The end of Project Evaluation is intended to assess the extent to which the INL project achieved its objectives and to provide insights on what needs to be improved post the evaluation, by similar interventions. The evaluation will also be documenting the lessons learnt and provide information on the nature, extent and where possible, the potential impact and sustainability INL project. Furthermore, the evaluation aims to assess whether the project contributed to the improvement of the government’s capacity to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases. The INL projects focused on building the technical capacity of justice system actors to identify instances of trafficking, secure survivors, and prosecute perpetrators. The project also aimed at ensuring that civil societies are empowered and fully equipped to provide multi-disciplinary & survivor-centered response address issues of human trafficking.

1.2 Review Scope and Criteria

The evaluation will explore the geographical area transformations as demonstrated by sustainable improvement of Ghana’s government’s capacity to investigate and prosecute human trafficking through strengthening the justice sector actors’ technical capacity to identify instances of trafficking, secure survivors, and prosecute perpetrators. Additionally, the evaluation will explore how the civil society actors are empowered and equipped to provide technical capacity to justice actors so that they can provide a multi-disciplinary, survivor-centered response within the Volta Lake and their geographical areas to robustly address trafficking issues.

Key stakeholders in project included: State Attorneys, Police, Prosecutors, court officials, consulate officials, Department of Social Welfare officers (social workers/DSW), the Judicial Training Institute, Judiciary, Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Ghana Police Service, Ministry of Finance, Human Trafficking Secretariate of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, INGOs, and members of the Coalition of NGOs Against Child Trafficking (CNACT), survivors of human trafficking, Members of Parliament (MPs). The evaluation of this project should be structured alongside the OECD DAC criteria, which include Efficiency, Effectiveness, Relevance, Coherence, Impact and Sustainability.

1.3 Project Evaluation Questions

The project evaluation will be aligned with aspects of relevance/coverage, efficiency, effectiveness, engagement of stakeholders and sustainability. The consultant(s) will draft the final Evaluation Questions in consultation with IJM project team and include the selected questions from the Evaluation Questions provided in the Table (1).

Table 1: Evaluation Questions

2.0 Evaluation Methodology

This evaluation will adopt a mixed method approach including both quantitative and qualitative data collection including other appropriate data triangulation methods and review of project reports. Recommended data collection methods could include but not limited to; docket and case file reviews from the courts and police stations, review of monitoring data, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focused Group Discussions (FGDs), among other viable data collection methods. Some of the key stakeholders to be involved in the evaluation include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, state attorneys, police investigators, judges, airport officials, the media, parliament, DSW (Department of Social Welfare), CSOs (CARITAS) and survivors, or survivor networks.

The detailed description of the evaluation methodology to be provided by the consultant(s) should be coherent and comprehensive, highlighting data collection methods/approaches, detailed evaluation questions, data collection tools, sample population, sampling criteria and sampling frames, data analysis plans, mobile data collection and management plans, data collection team-training plan, data collection schedule, ethical considerations, and quality assurance measures.

Selected consultants will be expected to develop a detailed methodological framework and work schedule, and to ensure an objective, transparent and impartial assessment of the program. IJM will make documents available for desk review, including the project’s design documents (narrative concept note, logic model, project timeline, etc.), the project’s monitoring and evaluation plan, complete monitoring data, project monitoring tools, and project deliverables (e.g., developed curricula, reference guides, written reports, etc.).

2.1 Key Deliverables

Key deliverables under this consultancy will include:

2.1.1 Inception phase

• A kick-off meeting with the IJM project team to understand the project to receive the relevant project documents including Theory of Change (TOC), project proposal, results framework, quarterly reports, and any other relevant documentation.
• A Comprehensive Evaluation Plan workshop organized by IJM Project team.
• An electronic copy of the draft inception report to IJM Project team as stated in the agreement. Before preparing inception report, the consultant shall engage with relevant project team to come to a consensus on the evaluation assessment methodology, field visit plan, sampling and so on. Consultant shall review progress markers, indicators and do the required changes with the consent of IJM Project team. Other than the indicators, the consultant required to engage the IJM Project team to understand the Evaluation situation of the areas that are going to have an impact through the project intervention. The draft inception report framework shall include a detailed methodology including tools, evaluation framework along with tools to be used to gather data or information, quality assurance mechanisms of data or information collection, sampling, pilot testing, roles and responsibilities of team members, key milestones, and detailed work- plan.
• Oral presentation of the draft inception report.
• Training the evaluation enumerators on data collection and ethics.
• Conduct a pilot test and review the evaluation tools.
• Final inception report including final evaluation tools with key words translated into local languages.
• Approval of the inception report from IJM before data collection.

Data collection phase

• The consultant(s) will work with the project team to conduct field visits to interview relevant stakeholders.
• The consultant(s) shall identify and train the evaluation enumerators to ensure that the data collection is completed as per schedule. The consultant(s) shall also recruit, train, assign, field, equip, supervise, and compensate all evaluation enumerators she/he needs to carry out the data collection.
• The consultant(s) shall be responsible for all field operations, including logistical arrangements for data collection and obtaining the consent of respondents.
• The consultant(s) shall contact local officials and community leaders to explain the project and obtain community and Public Justice Sector’s administrative approvals for the data collection.
• The consultant(s) shall obtain maps, list of stakeholders’ contacts and other relevant records as required.

Project Evaluation report

• Presentation: the consultant(s) shall present the preliminary data, results, and findings of the evaluation with the IJM Project team after completion of data or information analysis for validation.
• First draft of the Evaluation Report: The first draft of the report shall be shared after incorporating feedback which is received during the presentation. After receiving the draft final Evaluation Report, IJM Project team shall further review the report and provide feedback to the consultant(s).
• Final Evaluation Report: The final report should be 30-50 pages, formatted in APA style. The final report format shall be agreed on during the inception phase and included in the inception report. The final report shall include the completed analytical framework of the Evaluation Report. The review and revision process from the draft report stage to the final report shall not exceed 6 weeks. The consultant(s) shall hand over to the IJM project the soft copy of the completed dataset (interview document) and the final report.

Ethics, Norms and Standards

The evaluation will be conducted in line with human subjects’ research guidelines in Ghana. The consultant(s)will follow established protocols for gathering informed consent, protecting anonymity, and identifying information, and ensuring ethical data collection—including from vulnerable populations.

2.2.1 Research Authorization

To ensure compliance with the required ethical standards, all must pass through formal Institutional Review Board (IRB) review prior to data collection. Subsequently, the evaluation will obtain ethical approval from the Ghanaian Ethical Review Board prior to the start of fieldwork.

2.2.2 Informed consent

Interviewers will read (verbatim) a written consent statement, which will include detailed information about the study, objectives, risks, and benefits, and will emphasize voluntary participation. Respondents will be allowed to ask questions and will be assured of confidentiality before the interview continues. Respondents will indicate consent by appending a signature or a thumbprint on the consent form if they agreed to take part in the interview. Interviewers will then continue with the interview if the respondent provided consent.

2.2.3 Trauma Management

Safety of respondents and research assistants during data collection will be given utmost priority. To reduce traumatization of survivors, the evaluation team will be trained on trauma informed care by IJM’s casework team and Department of Social Welfare officers and if possible, the counsellor from local implementing partners/organizations who serve survivors to provide familiar faces during introductions, reduce tension and provide appropriate psycho-social support interventions in case of post-interview trauma. The counselors will also be present (within view or in a nearby room), but out of earshot. This will ensure that survivors feel safe and able to ask for help, while avoiding them biasing their responses (which may be more likely if counselors are in ear shot). IJM social workers will also be present to ensure trauma informed standards are upheld.

2.2.4 IJM safeguarding and data security policies

The entire evaluation team including data collectors and consulting team will sign the IJM safeguarding and data security policies. Prior to signing, they will be taken through the policies to understand their contents. No children will be interviewed as part of the evaluation. Only survivors aged 18 years and above will be allowed to participate in the In-depth interview or FGDs.

Evaluation Timeframe

The project evaluation is expected to be conducted between May 2023 to end of August 2023.

Reporting and Supervision

The successful consultant(s)/Evaluator will work under the supervision of the IJM-Ghana’s Grants and partnership-Monitoring, Evaluation, Research Lead, with close consultations with the Director of the Justice Project.

3.0 Qualification and Experience

The consultant(s) or Evaluator must have the following expertise and qualification:

• Minimum 5 years of hands- on experience in conducting mixed methods research evaluation, data, gender analysis, and evaluations for development project or programs in Ghana’s context;
• Excellent understanding of Ghana’s public justice system;
• Proven track record in children victimized by trafficking and labor on the Volta Lake and improve the functioning of the public justice system in Ghana;
• Proven track record in quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and analysis and use of participatory approaches;
• Experience in using theory of change, Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-depth Discussion Interviews (IDIs) in development projects;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to work with people from different backgrounds to deliver quality products within a short timeframe;
• Experience and/or know-how of project evaluation at the ground level;
• Excellent team management capacity, including appropriately qualified staff;
• At least a master’s degree in relevant discipline such as law, public policy, governance, human rights, or any other relevant field (Social Science); and
• Excellent report writing, analytical, communication skills and fluency in both English and other Ghanaian languages (Ewe and Twi) are essential.

3.1 Application & Proposal Requirements.

Interested consultant(s) and consultancy firms are encouraged to send their bids, which should include the following:

• A letter of interest;

• A technical proposal (maximum of 10 pages) that summarizes the consultant’s interpretation of the RFP. The proposal should also have detailed timeline and activity schedule of implementation of the assignment. If a team is being proposed, the technical proposal should summarize the team composition and responsibilities of each member;

• A copy of curriculum vitae (CV) of the lead consultant (and core team members, particularly the lead Subject Matter Expert and M&E Subject Matter Expert) which should outline their qualifications and relevant experience with respect to this assignment;

• A financial proposal with a detailed breakdown of budget lines and costs (in Ghanaian cedis) for conducting the review, including:

• Itemized Consultancy fees/costs

• Itemized field related and overhead expenses

• Two sample reports from similar assignments and links to previous reports conducted in the last 3 years: with 3 clear referees (names and contacts) from those assignments; and

• Up to date Certificate of Registration & Certificate of Tax compliance.

Application Process and Schedule

RFP Schedule

These dates are subject to change at IJM’s discretion.

Payment Schedule

This is the proposed payment schedule aligned with the key deliverables and tasks.

Application Process:

Interested consultant(s) are advised to send their applications via email to: ghanarecruiting@ijm.org, copy cdordoye@ijm.org, roppong@ijm.org with the subject line entitled “INL End of Project Evaluation, 2023”. The applications must be received by COB, 28th May 2023, GMT. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Any form of canvassing will lead to disqualification from the bid.

Interested applicants may submit questions about the intent or content of this RFP in writing by e-mail to both email addresses by COB, 23rd May 2023, GMT.

Each respondent should provide an email for ease of communication during the process. All communications and enquiries will be done via the emails provided.

IJM is an equal opportunity employer.

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy and Code of Conduct.

Annex 1: Proposal Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation committee appointed by IJM management shall assess Technical and Financial proposals based on their responsiveness to the Terms of Reference, applying an analysis criterion as follows: