Official Title

Mid-Term Evaluation for the Zambia Electric Cooperative Development Program (ZECDP)

Description of the Problem and Context

Since 2008, with the development of the Rural Electrification Master Plan (REMP), the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) established a national electrification target of achieving 90 percent urban and 51 percent rural coverage by 2030. After recognizing the slow pace of electrification expansion, the GRZ initiated a shift in rural electrification policy that previously focused on prioritizing connection of schools, health facilities and government administrative offices to the current emphasis to strive to connect all potential consumers including households, small businesses as well as public facilities. This shift, however, has required significantly more financial resources, to dramatically increase connection rates and consequently increase demand for power supply.

The Rural Electrification Authority (REA) was established in 2003 and is responsible for implementing the REMP, which is currently being updated. REA electrification expansion modalities include grid extension, mini-grid development, and stand-alone energy systems and mandates private sector participation in off-grid service provision to support expansion of service using a newly designed smart subsidy program, community mobilization, and other programs.

NRECA International is a rural development organization with the mission to increase access to reliable electric services in developing countries. Since 1962, NRECA’s programs have focused on improving and expanding electric infrastructure, establishing self-sustaining and well-managed electric utilities, and providing technical assistance to national electrification planners. In October 2021, the Zambia Electric Cooperative Development Program (ZECDP), funded by USAID, and implemented by NRECA International was launched to increase access to electricity in rural areas through the development of sustainable electric cooperative enterprises. The ZECDP is designed to demonstrate that the community-owned electric cooperative business model can play an important role in the expansion of electricity service to rural communities.

The goals of ZECDP include the following:

Increased access to electric service in multiple rural communities.
Demonstration that a sustainable and robust service provider model that is community-based offers potential for increased local investment and for project success that is not solely driven by profitability; and Increased personal income-generating activities for cooperative members through productive uses of energy.
The principal client and counterpart GRZ agency of the ZECDP is the Rural Electrification Authority (REA). The ZECDP team, in the implementation of its activities, has also coordinated closely with the Ministry of Energy (MoE) and the Department of Cooperatives that is organized as part of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

ZECDP intends to demonstrate that the electric cooperative business model can play a complementary role to other electrification initiatives to support the Government of Zambia’s goal of universal energy access for all Zambians. ZECDP can provide a foundation for not only improving electrification access, but catalyzing community collaboration, and supporting agricultural and commercial enterprises. It can also lead to economic growth through income generation, and investment in productive uses of electricity in each electric cooperative utility.

To achieve the above objectives, ZECDP focuses on the following activities:

Activity 1: Site identification and development
Activity 2: Community engagement and mobilization
Activity 3: Supporting cooperatives from the design to operations phase, including formation and legal registration.
Activity 4: Mentoring cooperatives during operations phase with customized technical assistance and the development of productive use of energy programs, where warranted.
Activity 5: Evaluation of the legal and regulatory framework to ensure an enabling environment conducive to electric cooperative development.
Activity 6: Research on the impacts and benefits of cooperative enterprises.
Total Estimated Ceiling (TEC) of the Evaluated Project/Activity: ZMW 6,232,984

Scope of Mid-Term Evaluation.

The objective of this assignment is to conduct a mid-term evaluation of ZECDP to determine whether mid-course adjustments are necessary for achievement of program objective and outcomes. The mid-term evaluation will review the ZECDP design, and assumptions made at the beginning of the programme development process. It will assess whether the program results are on track and if adjustments are needed to achieve program objectives and outcomes. It will also assess whether the program implementation strategy is optimum and recommend areas for improvement and learning. The linkage of results to overall USAID CDP results framework will be analyzed including the relevance of the indicators set.

The ZECDP cooperative agreement also includes two additional programs:

Zambia Gender Equity and Equality Action Program (GEEA): This program started in FY23, with the objective “Increased women’s effective participation in electric cooperatives in Zambia”.

Malawi Clean Energy Cooperative Program (CECP): This program started in FY23, with the objective “Increased self-reliance and local governance through rural electric cooperatives that promote economic productivity and improved health services”.

These two additional programs will not be included in the ZECDP mid-term evaluation since they were started only one year ago.

ZECDP Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan.

The ZECDP MEL Plan describes the indicators and monitoring methodologies that will be used to track progress towards achievement of the ZECDP outcomes, as well as the framework for evaluation and reporting. It also provides guidance for learning and research questions that the ZECDP program team will explore during implementation.

The ZECDP Indicator Summary Table shown in Annex 2, presents the framework for outcome indicators. More details for each indicator are presented in the Performance Indicator Reference Sheets in the MEL Plan.

Evaluation Questions.

The following key questions will guide the mid-term program evaluation:

How effective has ZECDP’s approach been to meet the performance indicators of the ZECDP Cooperative Agreement? What should be improved in the second half of the program implementation?
To what extent are the intended outcomes and outputs for the ZECDP on track? What factors have contributed to achieving or hindering achievement of the intended outputs and outcomes?
Have capacity development and technical assistance activities meet the needs and priorities of program beneficiaries and other stakeholders? What positive and negative effects do program beneficiaries and other stakeholders associate with ZECDP program activities?
Considering the current market trends and power supply shortfall in Zambia, what adjustments can be made to ZECDP’s vision and interventions to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability?
To what extent are the activities or interventions likely to be sustained after the completion of the ZECDP? What key factors will require attention to ensure sustainability of the program outcome and the potential for replication of the approach?

Evaluation Design and Methodology.

The consultant should propose a methodology designed to address the key issues and questions listed above to perform the review that employs consultative and participatory approach. The methodology should address the key issues related to program efficacy, describing how the consultant will explore key issues and describe methods of data collection and analysis that will be undertaken.

The ZECDP mid-term evaluation should encompass both qualitative and quantitative approaches and techniques that will be used to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, adherence to plan, challenges, adjustment, and unintended effects of program implementation activities. The qualitative and quantitative approach should provide a systematic framework for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to determine if any mid-course corrections are required to ensure that the ZECDP objective and outcomes will be achieved at the end of the program implementation period.

The mid-term review should include but not be limited to the following:

The qualitative approach will involve key informant interviews with program staff, program community members and other stakeholders to collect information on their experiences, perspectives, and perceptions. Key informant interviews will provide detailed primary information on the effectiveness, challenges, adjustment, and unintended effects of program implementation activities.

The quantitative approach will focus on collection, analysis, and interpretation of both primary and secondary data. Secondary data will focus on a document review. The consultant will collect, review, and analyze program documents, such as mid-year and annual reports, annual work plans, project identification and analyses, training events, and other documentation as result of the monitoring, evaluation and learning process. This quantitative approach will also involve collecting primary data using a standardized questionnaire.

Data collection and survey tools shall be developed by the consultant and discussed with NRECA for approval. Key informants will be drawn from the key program target audiences across Zambia, including community members, implementing partners, donors, NRECA and ZECDP team members.

Evaluation Team Composition.

The evaluation team will be comprised of at least two experts, with one being a locally recruited expert. All team members will contribute to day-to-day problem solving, technical questions, and overall deliverables and reporting requirements. The Team Leader will provide general guidance to the evaluation team. In addition to providing guidance and details about the members of the evaluation team, such as curriculum vitae, the contractor must also justify how each member satisfies the evaluation Term of Reference (TOR).

Desired qualification for the key personnel

The Evaluation Team Leader is responsible for clarifying the scope of work and timeline with NRECA, team management and coordination, writing assignments, making transportation and coordination arrangements, field work preparation/scheduling, and briefings/debriefings. Working with other team members, s/he will be responsible for data analysis, evaluation reports, and submission of other evaluation deliverables.

The Evaluation Team Leader must have the following skills and qualifications:

Experience in evaluation design, methods, management, and implementation.
Technical subject matter expertise.
Background in USAID’s cross-cutting program priorities, such cooperative development.
Experience working Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Zambia; and
Fluency in written and spoken English.

Application Process.

Qualified and interested contractors are hereby requested to submit:

A cover letter, identifying their firm and their prior experience of relevance to this assignment.
A technical proposal including:
An understanding of the issues at stake in the Mid-term Evaluation and the ToR and how they will approach and complete the assignment.
Updated CVs (including contact details: email and telephone number and at least three (3) professional references.
Financial proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, with a detailed breakdown of fees/costs.

A proposal for this consultancy should be sent by email to NRECA.Lusaka@nreca-intl.org by October 31, 2024, clearly indicating on the subject line ‘ZECDP MID TERM EVALUATION’. After this day and time, no bids will be considered. Any requests for clarification must be directed to NRECA.Lusaka@nreca-intl.org using regular electronic mail. NRECA International will reply to all consultants via regular email, including an explanation of the question without disclosing the source of the inquiry.

Only bids for which there is additional interest will be contacted; incomplete, late, and joint offers will not be taken into consideration. Your application will be deemed incomplete and will not be taken into consideration if it is not submitted in the manner specified by the application submission guidance mentioned above.