Title: External Evaluation Consultant

Project: 549 KOS 4000, Revitalization of / Novobërdë Fortresse

Reporting to: Regional Bureau for Sceince and Culture in Europe , Antenna Office in Sarajevo ( Head of Antenna Office )

Contract Type: Individual Consultant Contract (IC)

Duration: 20 days (September 2017).

BACKGROUND

During and after armed conflict, cultural monuments of outstanding historical significance are the target of hatred and revenge. While some are destroyed or seriously damaged, others are under threat and require protective intervention. For UNESCO, the protection of cultural heritage is a value in itself but it also serves other positive purposes. In particular, having once been the focus of intense bitterness, cultural heritage may play a useful role in the reconciliation and maintenance of peaceful relations between different communities. The protection of cultural heritage is a domain where increased trust and understanding between communities may be constructed and where different parties may exchange signals of respect and responsibility that can help to build a sense of mutual trust. The protection of cultural heritage helps to overcome the painful divisions caused by past events, and may create openings for local, regional and international cooperation through UNESCO. Situated in a mountainous region southeast of , the remains of a medieval town, Novobërdë /Novo Brdo, lies on a hill top with an altitude of 1,100 m above sea level. Though there are archaeological indications that the area may have been inhabited in antiquity, the present visible remains are exclusively medieval. Novobërdë/Novo Brdo was one of the most important late medieval cities in the central . Its growth was based on the rich lead, silver and gold mines in the vicinity of which the extensive exploitation began in the first decades of the fourteenth century. Miners, as well as inhabitants of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo constituted a multi-ethnic and religious mix. Citizens of Dubrovnik had their privileged colony in Novobërdë/Novo Brdo. Important registers that survived provide a clear idea of the city’s urban profile. Historical sources and coins minted at Novobërdë/Novo Brdo attest to the city’s claim to fame in the 14th and 15th centuries. According to Bertrandon de la Broquière, in the 1440s, the Serbian ruler Djuradj Brankovic collected an annual income of 200,000 gold coins from the production of the mines. Mining and casting of coins continued after the Ottoman conquest of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo in 1455, but gradually declined until all the activities ceased in the 17th century. The town of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo consisted of a large unfortified settlement on the eastern slope of the hill, a fortified upper town, and a heavily fortified with six massive towers at the apex of the hill. The survive in a ruinous state, while the remains of the residential and other buildings have been only partially studied through archaeological excavations. The complex unquestionably requires a careful inspection and assessment of conservation needs. Settlements of this kind that survive in partially ruined state are particularly vulnerable to further decay even under normal conditions. In addition to urgent conservation needs, that will undoubtedly be identified, further archaeological exploration of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo would yield extraordinary insights into the life of a typical medieval Balkan fortified city. Uninhabited since the seventeenth century, the site has most certainly preserved unique information that has disappeared elsewhere. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the sustainable and inclusive development of the targeted area through the enhancement of local cultural heritage and of related income-generating activities, as well as the social and economic inclusion of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo inhabitants. In line with the above, the following objectives were set: 1. Improve the conservation/restoration of local cultural heritage by implementing the revitalization of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo fortress; 2. Support sustainable territorial development through the better management of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo fortress as the most important cultural heritage asset of the municipality, ensuring the implementation of the relevant international standards; 3. Foster the promotion and increase of cultural heritage-related tourism in the area of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo by supporting the preparation of a management plan for Novobërdë/Novo Brdo fortress.

The project has been aligned with UNESCO mandate and particular case with the Major Programme IV of the 38 C/5.

The European Union has partnered with UNESCO in this joint management project aimed at revitalizing the Novobërdë /Novo Brdo through conservation and restoration efforts and managing and valorizing the municipality’s cultural heritage asset through socio-economic development initiatives. The project “Revitalization of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo fortress”, financed by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO/UNMIK, has been developed in line with, and as part of, the European Union umbrella mission “Balanced Regional Development”. Expected results are: the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage asset and archeological explorations yielding in key insights on medieval Balkans; local sustainable development through the strategic management of cultural heritage asset, yielding enhanced tourism capacities and socio-economic conditions; and, public (regional/global) and educational (local) awareness of the value of cultural heritage preservation. The total budget of the project is 1,0 M Euro, and it has been entirely ensured by the European Union.

PURPOSE

The main purpose of the evaluation is to provide an independent in-depth assessment of the achievements of project results and outcomes against the planned results of the EU Funded Project, Revitalization of Novo Brdo Fortress. Apart from assessing the achievements of the project, the evaluation will also address future steps to be taken and opportunities that arise from implemented activities, therefore the purpose of the evaluation is both to assess the accountability and to provide a learning opportunity. In essence, the evaluation will have both summative and formative focus. Revitalization of Novo Brdo Fortress project is heading towards the end of the project implementation period. Initially set for 36 months, with projected end date June 26, 2016, the project was granted a no-cost extension until September 30, 2017. Thus the Final Evaluation is mandatory to take place two months before the project closure.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Antenna Office in Sarajevo the Consultant is going to provide evaluation service ensuring high quality, accuracy and consistency of work. The Evaluation Consultant will demonstrate a client- oriented approach and should meet the standards outlined in the Monitoring and Evaluation. The evaluation will also be based on a stakeholder approach, where all groups and individuals, who affect and/or are affected by the achievement of the project results and outcomes, are involved in the analysis. Moreover, the evaluation will take into consideration the institutional, political and economic context, which affected the project during its implementation. Evaluation Consultant will work in close collaboration with the Head of Antenna Office in Sarajevo, project staff and key project stakeholders, partners and beneficiaries. The unit of analysis or object of study for this final evaluation is the Project Revitalization of Novo Brdo Fortress, understood to be the set of components, outcomes, outputs, activities that were detailed in the Project documents. The approach of the evaluation shall be participatory, that is, be flexible in design and implementation, ensuring stakeholder participation and ownership, and facilitating learning and feedback. The final evaluation will be conducted using methodologies and techniques as determined by the specific needs for information the availability of resources and the priorities of stakeholders. In all cases, consultant is expected to use all available information sources that will provide evidence on which to base evaluation conclusions and recommendations. Anticipated approaches to be used for data collection and analysis by the evaluator are desk review, interviews with key stakeholders, questionnaires and participatory techniques.

SCOPE

Objectives of the final evaluation are:

 Assessment of design and relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project and the level of achievement of envisaged project results and outcomes (thorough assessment of all project components is required);  Assessment of efficiency, results and impact of project interventions implemented in the Municipality Novo Brdo;  Assessment of the project’s quality and internal coherence (needs and problems it aimed to solve) and its external coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level;  Assessment on how the project operated and what is the efficiency of its management model in planning, coordinating, managing and executing resources allocated for its implementation, through an analysis of its procedures and operational and institutional mechanisms. This analysis will seek to uncover the factors for success and limitations, and will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the project modality and make recommendations to guide future programme/project development;  Sustainability of archived results  Identification of key recommendations and lessons learned through the evaluation process of the Project.  Recommendations for the phase II of the Project.

The project was focused on the intervention within an important cultural heritage asses of Novo Brdo Municipality, and is to cover entire period of the project implementation, as of June 2013 until Sep 2017. In between June 2013 and August 2017, UNESCO produced and submitted three Yearly Reports and in addition a verification mission to the project was carried by an external company as per regular praxis of the European Commission.

METHODOLOGY

The Evaluation Consultant will bear primary responsibility for conducting the final evaluation. This entails among other responsibilities designing the evaluation process according to this terms of reference; gathering data from different sources of information; analyzing, organizing and triangulating the information (project document, annual reports, surveys, etc); identifying patterns and causal linkages that explain project performance and impact; drafting evaluation reports at different stages (inception, draft, final); responding to comments and factual corrections from stakeholders and incorporating them, as appropriate, in subsequent versions; and making briefs and presentations ensuring the evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are communicated in a coherent, clear and understandable manner once the report is completed. The evaluation process is expected to contain three phases: inception, data collection and field visit; and analysis and reporting.

 Inception Phase (4 days) - the Evaluation Consultant will review documentation, agree on the meetings and field visit locations with the Joint UN Project Coordinator, and produce Evaluation Inception Report (which includes a clear evaluation work plan and tools). The Evaluation Inception Report must be cleared and approved UNESCO.  Data Collection ( 6 days) – the Evaluation Consultant will gather data through group and individual interviews and if required field visit to the site; at the end of the data collection and eventual field visits, debriefing note will be presented to UNESCO/the Head of Antenna Office in Sarajevo.  Analysis and Reporting (6 days) – In this final phase of the evaluation, the Evaluation Consultant will prepare a draft evaluation report based on the analysis of findings and will submit the report to UNESCO for factual review and comments. Upon receiving feedback from UNESCO, the consultant will proceed with production of the final evaluation report.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Final Evaluation will be carried out by the Evaluation Consultant, and supported by the staff of the Antenna Office in Sarajevo of the Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. The Evaluation Consultant – Team Leader will closely cooperate with UNESCO project staff in all aspects of its work to ensure high quality, accuracy and consistency of the services provided.

The Evaluation Consultant will provide all necessary information, updates and reports to UNESCO. The Evaluation Consultant is responsible for providing information on all issues that can influence carrying out the evaluation process in any way. All reports are to be delivered in English language.

The end report of the final evaluation will act as internal UNESCO document and will be reviewed and approved by the relevant UNESCO offices.

UNESCO/ Head of Antenna Office in Sarajevo will be informed and consulted by the Evaluation Consultant about all circumstances that can eventually have a major impact to original and agreed Final Evaluation plan.

The Evaluation Consultant will ensure that research methodologies are designed and delivered in high quality standards. UNESCO/Head of Antenna Office in Sarajevo and project staff will provide the Evaluation Consultant – Team Leader with the project relevant background documentation required for a comprehensive desk review. The Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for arranging meetings with key project partners and counterparts, as well as for organizing consultative meetings, briefing and debriefing sessions. The Evaluation Consultant is expected to work outside of UNESCO premises during the assignment, and is expected to use personal IT equipment. If required, the transportation to designated locations across the country will be organized by the Evaluation consultant directly.

QUALIFICATIONS EVALUATION TEAM

The Evaluation Team will be comprised of Evaluation Consultant.

The required competencies for Evaluation Consultant are listed below:

Competencies: - Shares knowledge and experience and provides helpful feedback and advice; - Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate; - Ability to identify beneficiaries’ needs, and to match them with appropriate solutions; - Excellent communication and interview skills - Excellent report writing skills - Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view; - Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints; - Strong IT skills - Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback; - Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude; - Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.

Minimum Requirements: - Advanced University degree in social sciences or other related fileld. Academic background in specific areas of conflict prevention, culture for development and cultural heritage will be considered as an asset. - A minimum of 7 years of professional experience specifically in the area of evaluation of international development initiatives and development organizations; - Particular experience in monitoring and evaluation of EU funded projects and programmes - Solid experience in the evaluation of programme effectiveness. - Substantial international track record of conducting different types of evaluations, including process, outcome and impact evaluations in different countries and organizations; - Knowledge and experience of the UN System; - Understanding of the development of the local context of concerned region; - Fluency in spoken and written English. - Familiarity with any of the local languages. Will be considered an asset.

DELIVERABLES AND SCHEDULE

The Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for conducting the evaluation. This entails among other responsibilities designing the evaluation according to this terms of reference; gathering data from different sources of information; analyzing, organizing and triangulating the information; identifying patterns and causal linkages that explain programme performance and impact; drafting evaluation reports at different stages (inception, draft, final); responding to comments and factual corrections from stakeholders and incorporating them, as appropriate, in subsequent versions; and making briefs and presentations ensuring the evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are communicated in a coherent, clear and understandable manner once the report is completed.

The evaluation process is expected to contain three phases: inception, data collection and field visit (if required); and analysis and reporting.

The consultants will produce the following:

 Inception Report: based on a desk review of the relevant documentation, including the Project Fact Sheets, a concise inception report will be developed by the evaluation team (max 5 pages). It will outline the proposed evaluation steps and provide a detailed description of the envisaged methodology, its parameters, assumptions and an explanation as to why this is the most appropriate way forward. The report will also include a work plan with associated timetable, site visit if required, and will be presented to UNESCO for comments and approval.  Inception meeting: to discuss the process, methodology and questions/issues to be address in the evaluation  Draft Report: the draft report will be submitted to UNESCO for eventual comments.  Final Report: the final report will be approved by UNESCO after final review and assurances that the comments provided are adequately addressed. The Evaluation Consultant will be in charge to incorporate to the largest extent possible the comments from UNESCO, while preserving his independent views as an evaluator. The report should not exceed 20 – 25 pages, not including appendices or the Executive Summary. It should provide lessons learnt and a clear evidence basis for its conclusions; all recommendations should be actionable. The independent team will have editorial control of the final report.

The outline of the evaluation report must be compliant with the following format, and will need to contain at least the following information:

 Executive Summary of the evaluation findings (max 3 pages; with reference to: Purpose of the evaluation, findings on overall programme relevance and effectiveness, recommendations and lessons learnt);  Background;  Assessment of conflict drivers / causes to be addressed;  Assessment of theory of changes and expected results (for the entire portfolio and per sector intervention);  Key Achievements of the project against OECD/DAC evaluation criteria for the overall portfolio and per PBF supported project. Particular attention will be paid to the project responsiveness to funding gaps, risk taking, catalytic effects and, overall cost effectiveness / value for money);  Challenges and Lessons Learnt;  Recommendations on how to improve programme/project effectiveness;  Annexes (including the list of stakeholders consulted during the evaluation, key documents reviewed, ToR, survey forms and aggregate findings, budgetary analysis, etc.)

 One or two concrete stories or examples of success and/or failure.

For the desk review, the following documents will need to be reviewed:  Project documents (Project Document, PMP, Annual Reports, technical documentation elaborated, relevant local government policy documents).  Relevant other background documentation (e.g. procurement documents, contracts, etc).

BUDGET AND SCHEDULE The Final Evaluation process will be administratively managed by UNESCO. The procurement procedure and the contract arrangement is to be established in accordance to the administrative rules and regulations of UNESCO, whom will be contracting selected expert. The Final Evaluation will take place in the course of the timeline September 2017, and will not exceed 20 workings days, over earmarked period of time

Schedule:

Beginning of the assignment September 10, 2017

Inception phase Expected deadline September 15, 2017

Data Collection and Field Visits ( if required) Expected deadline September 21, 2017

Debriefing Expected deadline September 22, 2017

Delivery of draft report Expected deadline September 28, 2017

Delivery of Final Report Expected deadline September 30, 2017

Disbursement of funds according to following deliverables:

Upon finalization of the Inception Phase Payment of first tranche, upon submission of inception report

Analysis and Reporting Payment of final tranche upon final approval of the evaluation report by UNESCO

INSTRUCTION TO APPLICANTS / PRESENTATION OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal must include an understanding of the Terms of Reference and a description of the general approach to the Final evaluation in accordance with these ToR’s. It should highlight: the proposed methodologies for evaluation of the project aligned with the ToR’s. The proposal should not exceed 10 pages and be accompanied with the CV’s of the expert as well as a financial proposal which shall include the consultancy fee as well as estimation of travel costs. It should be sent via email, by Friday 08, September 2017, until 17.30 (CET), to the attention of Mr Siniša Šešum, Head of Antenna Office Sarajevo, of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, ([email protected]) cc: Ms Maja Nikolic [email protected]; Important note: Application received after the mentioned deadline are not going to be taken into consideration.