Closing date

07 March 2025

Terms of Reference (ToR) for final internal evaluation of the project: Promoting Decent Work through Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health Management in Kosovo

Project Duration: 22 April 2022 – 31 March 2025

1. Background and Context 

The project "Promoting Decent Work through Strengthening Occupational Safety and Health Management" is funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by the International Labour Organization, Decent Work Team – Country Office Budapest. The project focuses on legislative development, capacity building for the Labour Inspectorate, and promoting gender-sensitive OSH policies in Kosovo. The project is part of the ILO Flagship programme Safety+Health for All. Specific activities of the project were implemented by UN Women under an UN-to-UN Agreement. The final evaluation will examine the project's effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.

2. Objectives of the Evaluation 

The final evaluation will:

  • Assess the relevance, coherence, and effectiveness of project interventions.
  • Evaluate the efficiency and impact of project activities.
  • Determine the sustainability of results beyond project completion.
  • Provide recommendations for future OSH and Labour Inspection initiatives.
  • Identify and elaborate lessons learned and good practices, using the guidance from ILO’s Evaluation Office (EVAL)

3. Evaluation Scope

  • Timeframe: April 2021 – March 2025
  • Thematic Focus: OSH legislation alignment, labour inspection system enhancement, OSH knowledge management, and awareness-raising.

 

4. Evaluation Criteria 

The evaluation will apply the OECD-DAC criteria. A tentative list of questions is outlined below that will be refined and finalized at the inception phase by the evaluator

Relevance: 

  1. To what extent has the project addressed OSH challenges?
  2. To what extent was the project relevant to the existing gaps in OSH management?
  3. Was the project relevant to the OSH mandate of the government and other constituent partners?

Coherence and project design: 

  1. How well did the project align with national policies and international standards?
  2. To what extent is the project coherent with other similar ongoing initiatives (by ILO and other relevant agencies)?
  3. Are the project design and results framework logically connected to achieve the overall objective and intended outcomes and to the broader strategy of the OSH Flagship programme?

Effectiveness:

  1. To what extent did the project achieve its intended outcomes?
  2. Is there a notable difference in effectiveness across the project outcome areas? If so, what factors can explain the differential level of success?
  3. Is the project management structure (including the regional technical backstopping and operational backstopping from the OPS team at HQ) effective in delivering the project?

Efficiency: 

  1. Were resources (financial and human) used optimally? 
  2. Did the project use or leverage upon other available resources to enhance its efficiency?

Impact:

  1. What are the short- and long-term effects of the project?
  2. Has the project been able to introduce changes that has a log term impact on institutional practices towards improved conditions at work?

Sustainability:

  1. Are their elements/components of the project that are likely to continue beyond project completion?
  2. What measures are required by the project and its stakeholders to sustain the gains made through the project in terms of improving institutional processes and practices?

5. Evaluation Methodology 

The evaluator will apply qualitative and quantitative methods, including:

  • Desk review of project documents, reports, and legal frameworks.
  • Key informant interviews (in-person) with government officials, employers, workers, and implementing partners. The evaluator should plan a trip to Prishtina to conduct in-person interviews. 
  • Focus group discussions with beneficiaries.
  • Other relevant sources of information, as deemed necessary by the evaluator. 

6. Deliverables and Timeline

  1. Inception Report (1 week after contract signing) – outlining methodology, work plan, and data collection tools.
  2. Draft Evaluation Report (4 weeks after inception) – including preliminary findings and recommendations.
  3. Evaluation workshop: 1 week after data collection: The purpose will be to share the preliminary findings with key stakeholders for validating the findings. The meeting will be organized online, with logistical support from the project team.
  4. Final Evaluation Report (2 weeks after evaluation workshop) – incorporating feedback from stakeholders and presenting key conclusions.
  5. Standalone evaluation summary in EVAL recommended template

Note: The timeline will be firmed up during the inception phase

7. Required Qualifications and Experience

  • Advanced degree in social sciences, public policy, or a related field.
  • At least 7 years of experience in evaluating development projects, preferably in OSH, labour rights, or governance.
  • Knowledge of EU OSH directives, ILO Conventions, and labour policies.
  • Proven experience in using mixed-method evaluations.
  • Excellent analytical and report-writing skills.
  • Fluency in English; knowledge of Albanian is an asset.

8. Application Process 

Interested candidates should submit:

  • A technical proposal detailing methodology and approach.
  • A financial proposal, clearly indicating the per day fee in USD. In case of a team, distribution of days and role and responsibility, along with daily fee of each member should be provided.
  • CV(s) of the evaluator(s) highlighting relevant experience.
  • Sample of 2 previous evaluation reports.
  • A statement declaring availability for the period mentioned in this ToR.

Deadline for Applications: 7 March 2025, 16:00h CET. The applications should be submitted online to kosovoproject@ilo.org.

The subject line of the submission mail should be: EoI for final internal evaluation

Essential documents for conducting ILO evaluations

Evaluators are expected to familiarize themselves and seek guidance from the following documentation: