LRPS-2022- 9175911 to conduct Evaluation of Mothers@ Work Programme in the RMG Sector

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INSTITUTIONAL CONTRACT

 

Title of the assignment

Evaluation of Mothers@Work Programme in the RMG Sector

Purpose

To evaluate the progress to-date and course correct where needed, as outlined in the EU-funded DEVCO contract

Location

Selected RMG factories implementing Mothers@Work located in Gazipur, Narayanganj (Dhaka), Valuka (Mymensingh), Chattogram

Estimated Duration

Tentatively July 2022 – February 2023 (8 months)

Reporting to Technical Supervisor of this assignment

Research and Evaluation Specialist

 

1. Background

 

Introduction

 

Mothers@Work programme is a national programme, developed in 2016 to address the challenges faced by working mothers to be able to continue breastfeeding in the workplace. It is currently implemented in the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector, in partnership with public, private and civil society organizations.  About 2.1 million of RMG sector employees are female. Many of these females are of reproductive age, and many are mothers who are responsible for nurturing the next generation of Bangladeshi citizens.

 

Guided by the national and global policy framework and regulations on maternity protection and breastfeeding support in the workplace, Mothers@Work programme was developed through a national consultation in 2016 with technical lead of UNICEF. The consultation was done under the leadership of the National Nutrition Service-Institute of Public Health and Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The consultation was a joint effort with Ministry of Labour and Employment and support from nutrition stakeholders such as ILO, WHO, Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation (BBF), BRAC, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Actions (WABA), Centre for Women & Children’s Health (CWCH) and other NGO/INGOs working to promote breastfeeding in Bangladesh.

 

Since its launch by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Labour and Employment in August 2017, the programme has been expanded from five pilot RMG factories to 113 RMG factories through partnership with ILO-Better Work and BRAC.

 

Context in the Ready-Made-Garment (RMG) Sector

 

The readymade garments industry acts as a catalyst for the development of Bangladesh. This sector creates about 4.2 million employment opportunities and contributes significantly to the GDP. The sector is powered by about 2.1 million women, where most of them are women of reproductive age (https://garmentsmerchandising.com/readymade-garments-industry-of-bangladesh/ accessed 18 May 2022).

The country with its limited resources has been maintaining a 6% annual average GDP growth rate and has brought about remarkable social and human development. The industry that has been making crucial contribution to rebuilding the country and its economy is none other than the readymade garment (RMG) industry which is now the single biggest export earner for Bangladesh. The sector accounts for 83% of total export earnings of the country (https://www.bgmea.com.bd/page/AboutGarmentsIndustry, accessed 18 May 2022).

Despite significant contribution of women workers in the RMG sector for the country economic development, there are challenges faced by them. For example, many of working women have limited access to maternity rights, such as paid maternity leave, workplace breastfeeding support, daycare, flexible working hours and other family friendly policies. Most RMG factories also lack basic services, such as clean water, sanitation and hygiene, health and welfare services adequate facilities for early childhood development.

While labour laws in Bangladesh grant relatively comprehensive maternity right, legal standards are inconsistently practiced. For example, labour laws require employers to provide women with 16 weeks of paid maternity leave – weight weeks prior and eight weeks post-delivery. However, many of women workers are pressured to take a significant shorter maternity leave. Additionally, there is often limited knowledge among women workers on their entitlements and policies in place to protect and support breastfeeding. Many of women workers are unaware of protective legislation such as the national Breast-Milk Substitute Act 2013. These gaps knowledge and weak implementation of policies contribute to poor breastfeeding practice[1].

Programmatic Design and Response

 

Mothers@Work programme was designed to create enabling environment for RMG factories to support working women to realize their maternity rights and support breastfeeding in the workplace. The programme recommends 7 minimum standards guided by the national policies, laws/acts, regulation and documented global best practice on maternity protection and breastfeeding support in the workplace, including ILO Conventions 2000 on Maternity Protection 183, ILO Recommendations on Maternity Protection 191, National Nutrition Policy 201, the 2nd National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025, Bangladesh Labour Law 2006, and Breast Milk Substitute Act 2013.

 

The 7 minimum standards of Mothers@Work are:

1. Breastfeeding spaces. All organizations shall provide a private space for mothers to breastfeed and/or express and store breastmilk.
2. Breastfeeding breaks. Nursing mothers shall be allowed to reduce their working hours or take breaks to breastfeed their babies or express their breastmilk. All nursing mothers should be given the option of flexible working arrangements.
3. Child care provision. Child care facilities shall be provided in all private organizations with more than 40 women employees of reproductive age.
4. Paid maternity leave. Paid maternity leave as per national law shall be provided to women employees.
5. Cash and medical benefits. Cash and medical benefits shall be provided to women on maternity leave to support the health and well-being of both mother and child.
6. Employment protection and non-discrimination. All women shall have the right to return to a job of the same grade or an equivalent pay after maternity leave and shall not be subject to discrimination in accessing employment.
7. Safe-work provision. Women who are pregnant or nursing shall not perform work that is potentially dangerous to their health or to the health of their foetus or young children.

 

Key Interventions of Mothers@Work are:

1. Orient Company’s Senior Management or owner on the 7 minimum standards and resources required to implement the programme.
2. Support the company to develop a workplace policy to upholding exclusive breastfeeding, especially among working mothers
3. Support company to establish and maintain breastfeeding space
4. Capacity building of company’s staff including HR manager/officer, Health Workers and Social Welfare Officers.
5. Establish mothers support group among the employees, mentored by the experienced working mothers.
6. Monitor and track the implementation of 7 minimum standards
7. Integrating ECCD interventions under standard of Child Care provision
8. Communications and PR for advocacy

 

To support RMG factories to implement Mothers@Work programme, a toolkit/package has been designed that provides guidance on the step-by-step for rolling out of the programme and implement the 7 minimum standards. The toolkit includes Resource Guide, capacity building materials, communication materials, and example of templates and forms required to implement Mothers@Work.

 

The Resource Guide contains four chapters, each of which refers to key action to be performed by M@W implementers:

1. Prepare: provides essential information for implementers to prepare for Mothers@Work and addresses some critical steps needed to create enabling environment in the workplace.
2. Implement: guides implementers – the Mothers@Work focal person, as well as important gatekeepers – including HR, health care and social welfare officers through the ‘Mothers@Work Journey’ and defines what activities should happen
3. Communicate: presents communication resources that support the programme and create demand for Mothers@Work and cultivate a mother- and baby-friendly workplace environment.
4. Track: provides an overview of how the implementation of Mothers@Work will be monitored and features a section on self-monitoring which describes internal monitoring activities to be undertaken by the companies.

 

Details on the Resource Guide and communication materials will be provided to the winning agency for the evaluation.

Evidence, Key Achievements and Long-Term Vision of the Programme

 

Mothers@Work pilot implementation in two companies with five RMG factories implemented in 2017-2018 showed improvement of the following.

1. enabling environment to support working women, following the 7 minimum standards
2. knowledge on benefits breastfeeding among pregnant working mothers
3. breastfeeding practices among working mothers
4. productivity among lactating women

 

The evidence drawn from the first phase among five factories continue growing stronger with the establishment of a monitoring framework and tools to track the programme implementation. In addition, the information on the estimated return on investment from the implementation of the programme helped strengthening advocacy to scale the programme.  Till date, Mothers@Work programme has expanded to 113 factories, reaching around 200,000 workers and their young children through partnership with ILO-BetterWork and CSOs (BRAC and Phulki). UNICEF has established partnership with Ministry of Labour and Employment and its Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) in 2019 toward systemized Mothers@Work programme. List of 113 RMG factories implementing M@W is in the Annex.

 

The results framework of M@W, based on the partnership with ILO-BetterWork, from 2017-2021 can be found in the Annex. A new results framework for 2022-2023 has been drafted and will be provided to the bidding agency once finalized (Annex).

 

The long-term vision is to mainstream Mothers@Work in the RMG sector, to reach all female workers (2.1 million) in the sector by 2030. Key strategy to achieve this vision is to expand partnership with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). BGMEA has over 3500 garment factory members and BKMEA has about 2000 knitwear members, both represent the largest export earning sector of the country.

 

Current Partners and Their Roles

 

Partners

Roles

National Nutrition Services, Institute of Public Health Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

 

1. Lead the national programme for breastfeeding and developed M@W programme
2. Advocate for improving maternity protection, paid maternity leave in the public and private sector
3. Collaborate with other government ministries and non-government organizations for scaling up Mothers@Work programme.
4. In coordination with Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), monitor the implementation of Mothers@Work programme through joint monitoring and programme review.

Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) and Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments of MoLE

1. Collaborate with MoHFW in scaling up Mothers@Work programme
2. Develop capacity of Labour inspectors to monitor Mothers@Work programme
3. Adapt M@W monitoring checklist into the labour inspector’s monitoring checklist
4. Advocacy to RMG factories to implement M@W programme.
5. In coordination with MoHFW, monitor the implementation of Mothers@Work programme through joint monitoring and programme review.
6. Organize Joint advocacy at the national level with MoHFW

ILO and BetterWork Bangladesh

1. In close coordination with UNICEF, support expansion of Mothers@Work programme in the RMG factories implementing BWB programme, including hold enrollment seminars as well as advocacy meetings and workshops with international brands.
2. Support the communication and synthesize all BWB RMG factories implementing Mothers@Work programme.
3. Lead Mothers@Work advisory visits (AV) to monitor the implementation of 7 minimum standards and provide technical support to other members of consortium to conduct Advisory Visit
4. Communicate and share key monitoring to inform improvement implementation of standards.

BRAC and Phulki

(CSO partners)

1. Technical support for capacity building of stakeholders of RMG factories at factories implementing the BWB-ILO programme (Senior and mid-level management; HR officers and managers; health care providers and welfare officers; working women and all other employees and workers)
2. Conduct supportive supervision and mentoring to key stakeholders to implement 7 minimum standards of Mothers@Work and breastfeeding support and counseling
3. Conduct trouble shooting as required by the RMG factories
4. Support implementation for the model for integrated ECCD and Nutrition in selected M@W factories
5. Support strengthening maternal, infant and young child health and nutrition in selected M@W factories

UNICEF

1. Technical lead for Mothers@Work for all steps from programme development, implementation, and scaling up
2. Technical lead for capacity building of government partners and development partners
3. Lead and coordinate among consortium of Mothers@Work. Current members are ILO, BWB, BRAC, Phulki.
4. Lead advocacy and communication with likeminded organizations towards further scale up
5. Advocate for scale up and sustain M@W through partnerships with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA)
6. Support government on advocacy to strengthen paid maternity leave in the private sector
7. Advocacy with global buyers/International brands.

 

Key Milestones (Month/Year)

 

 

2. Evaluation Purpose, Objectives and Scope

 

Purpose

The overall purpose of this evaluation is to assess the Mothers@Work Programme in the Ready-Made-Garment (RMG) Sector in order to understand document the programme’s implementation and learnings and determine proof of model and scalability. 

 

As there is no documented theory of change, this evaluation, will begin with the reconstruction of one   and validate the pathways of change and assumptions in the course of the exercise. The evaluators will extract discrepancies between expected results of the activities and perceived and actual achievements within the programme, including presenting the main causes behind any identified discrepancies in order to minimize any gaps in future implementation. Along with focusing on efficiencies and impact analysis, the various stakeholders’ perspectives and needs will be considered to best assess the programme. The design and “how” of the programme will be important in order to understand how well the programme has embodied both gender-transformative and human rights-based approaches. The learnings and challenges will provide a realistic picture of the implementation and monitoring of the programme as well as for solutioning to optimize the impacts on pregnant and lactating women working in the sector.

 

Moreover, the evaluation will provide learnings to UNICEF, ILO, Better Work Bangladesh, working women and other stakeholders of the RMG Sector (HR, health service providers, social welfare officers, male employees/workers, garment and knitwear association), BRAC, Phulki and Government of Bangladesh, particularly the National Nutrition Services, Institute of Public Health Nutrition of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) and its Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), who are the primary audiences of the evaluation, around the implementation and monitoring of the seven standards, and how the effects of the programme could be changed and/or scaled. Other stakeholders working on maternity protection and breastfeeding promotion such as Alive&Thrive, Bangladesh Breastfeeding Foundation, Technical Assistant for Health and Nutrition (TAHN), GAIN, NI, Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, donors as well as private businesses working in the sector are the secondary audiences of the evaluation findings as the further actions resulting these findings will benefit them overall.

 

Objectives

The specific objectives of the evaluation are as follows:

• Assess the relevance and coherence of this programme to the country’s and primary stakeholder’s priorities and context, including a gender-transformative and a human rights lens
• Assess the quality and fidelity of implementation of the programme’s seven standards, including an analysis of compliance monitoring
• Assess the efficiency of the programme, including the development of a costing analysis based on stakeholder needs
• Assess the effectiveness of the programme from the perspective of both beneficiaries and RMG sector, including women’s perception of and response to the standards
• Identify the impact of the programme on beneficiaries, in accordance with a reconstructed theory of change, as well as unintended positive or negative outcomes, identifying the enabling factors and opportunities
• Assess the sustainability of the programme and any systemic change among the sector or within the targeted community which would enable or threaten scalability and a more shock-responsive sector

 

The evaluation will draw lessons learned and recommendations for further improvement of the programme immediately and in future scale-up phases, as well as for applicability in other factory settings.

 

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The interventions focus on creating enabling environment for RMG factories to strengthen maternity protection and breastfeeding support in the workplace. The ultimate beneficiaries are pregnant and or lactating working women in the RMG sector and their young children under two years of age. The interventions are implemented in the RMG premises and progress is monitored at the factory level. The evaluation will cover the full life of the Mothers@Work programme from 2016 to present day, including all 113 RMG factories, and specifically any woman who has been pregnant, given birth, or breastfeed while working at one of the factories during the programme lifecyle.

 

3. Evaluation Questions

The evaluation will be informed by the OECD-DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and gender and human rights. The evaluation will seek to answer, but not limited to, the following questions corresponding to the criteria. See the evaluability assessment matrix in Annex B on how each question relates to the criteria and the specific objectives of the evaluation. The bidding team can suggest changes to the evaluability scoring and evaluation questions, as long as the original question is captured and reasoning behind changes is included. The contracted evaluation team will finalize the matrix during the inception phase, including outlining benchmarks, indicators, and any limitations.

 

Relevance

• Were the planned activities informed by need assessments or analyses (including a gender analysis) as well as logical, relevant and strategically optimal for the various stakeholders’ needs (including women workers and the RMG factory owners)? Has the programme meaningfully involved these relevant stakeholders during the preparation phase through consultations or information sharing? 

• Have the programme’s results remained valid and relevant regarding beneficiary needs and government/partner priorities during the life of the programme? How well has the programme adapted to the shocks experienced since the programme began (natural disasters, COVID-19, any global crisis affecting the industry, etc.), including help to reduce the impact of these on pregnant and lactating women?

 

Coherence

• Do the main programme activities/components contribute to the main outputs and outcomes of the programme and logically interlink and align with the reconstructed Theory of Change and results framework?
• How is the programme aligned with the current priorities outlined in the National Nutrition Services Operational Plan and the 2nd National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025, as well as the 8th Five Year Plan (2021-2025) and the UN Planning and Results Frameworks (UNSDCF, CPD) at country level? How consistent is the programme with UNICEF’s Global and Regional Strategies on Family Friendly Policies? What changes are recommended for the programme to be in alignment with these national and international initiatives and frameworks?

 

Efficiency

• Was there clear distribution of roles and responsibilities of key actors involved, including for programme governance mechanisms, and compliance monitoring, toward the achievement of results?
• To what extent has UNICEF made good use of the human, financial and technical resources, and made appropriate use of tools (programme and financial management) and approaches to pursue the achievement of programme results in a cost-effective way?
• What is the estimated cost-benefit of the beneficiary outcomes/impact and inputs vs. the implementation and monitoring of the standards?

Effectiveness

• How effectively have the standards been implemented and their expected results been achieved, and to what level of quality (analysed by expected results and outputs)? Were there any obstacles/bottlenecks/issues on any stakeholders’ side that limited the successful implementation and results achievement of the programme? 
• What are the RMG sectors’ and beneficiaries’ views on standards? Is the programme implemented in a way to regularly collect these views and adapt the programme to meet them? Are pregnant and lactating women using the interventions and protections availed through the implementation of the standards?
• Were the implementation and monitoring strategies for the standards appropriate, on track, and effective to achieve the planned protections and impact? What, if any, alternative strategies would have been more effective in achieving its objectives?

 

Gender and Human Rights

• How well has the programme integrated a gender-transformative approach and a human rights lens into the design and implementation? What has been the current effects of that integration?
• Have current achievements or progress been equitably achieved (according to geographic area, age of mother, vulnerability factor, ethnicity, etc.)?

 

Impact

• What has been the impact of the programme, from the beneficiary perspective: 1) higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months, improved maternal nutrition, and improved maternal rights protection; and from the sector’s perspective: 2) decreased absenteeism, increased retention of women workers, and increased/maintained productivity during pregnancy and after birth? Consider any differences in geographic location, ethnicity or age of beneficiary, etc.
• What evidence shows achievement of outcomes? Consider direct and indirect contributions and positive and negative intended and unintended outcomes. To what extent has the programme enabled opportunities for other nutrition or rights-based interventions within Mothers@Work factories?
• Are there any external factors (including sector-specific obstacles) to the programme that have affected successful implementation of the standards and results achievement, and be prospect for policy impact? How could the identified positive or negative external factors be mitigated or exploited further in future interventions?

 

Sustainability

• Is the programme linked well and in line with broader development efforts to address systemic changes for improving women worker’s rights in Bangladesh, as well as complement and strengthen existing local development efforts?
• To what degree, if any, was the programme designed and implemented with sustainability in mind? What is the likelihood that any changes observed would be systemic and sustained long-term?
• What are the possible sustainability models (financial and programmatic), including maintaining the quality of standards implementation? Given the goal of scaling this model of programming, have any programmatic approaches or results emerged that indicate promising signs for replication and scale up by the relevant actors? Analyse and comment on any emerging vision, strategy and measures proposed (and being implemented) for the planned next phase of programming.

 

4. Evaluation Methodology

 

A mixed method approach will be followed for this evaluation by combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The evaluation will employ a post-intervention impact analysis design to determine achievement of impact indicators.

 

The evaluation team will first conduct a desk review of programme documents (proposal, results framework – Annex A, pilot evaluation report, monitoring data and tools, resource guide, communication materials, findings from advisory visits with focus on the progress implementation of the minimum standards workplans, etc.) and country context-specific documents (such as the National Nutrition Services (NNS) Operational Plan, 2nd National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025, 8th Five Year Plan (2021-2025), UNSDCF, UNICEF Country Programme Document 2022-2026, and Nutrition Section Programme Strategy Note (PSN) 2022-2026). This data will be verified and further elaborated with in-depth interviews with 1) factory owners, management, and human resources, 2) representative from NNS, MoLE, ILO, BetterWork, BRAC, Phulki, and mother support group leads; a quantitative survey with pregnant and lactating mothers working in the targeted RMG factories; key informant interviews with RMG sector, Government of Bangladesh officials, and representative from other stakeholders listed under the secondary audience; focus group discussions with working women, social welfare officers, male workers, other family members of beneficiaries; and field visits for workplace observation.

 

The survey should assess results (including knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour change and assessment of standards implementation), There will be an observation checklist which will supplement the survey with mothers. The qualitative methods will provide more nuanced and free-form data on the “how” and the “why” behind any changes observed in the factories, well as the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact (unintended outcomes and external factors) and sustainability of the Mothers@Work programme from the different stakeholder groups. The analysis and synthesis of findings will be built on triangulating the information from different stakeholders (RMG sector, government, and programme staff and beneficiaries). Further safeguarding measures can be proposed to ensure ethical and safe data collection for both the evaluation participants and data collectors. The evaluability matrix template found in Annex B outlines how the evaluation objectives to questions to methods and data sources. The bidding team is expected to complete this matrix in their proposal with more information to demonstrate understanding of and strong capacity for the evaluation execution.

 

The evaluation team is expected to propose a robust methodology, including sampling plan for each method, the framework and methods to be used for the costing analysis, tools that will enable collection of relevant information for conclusive judgment on all evaluation questions and actionable, specific recommendations; quality assurance and analysis methods for both the quantitative and qualitative collections; and assessment of risks and identification of limitations. The results should be able to determine with some confidence the impact of the programme and therefore should include the provision of a control group of factories by which to compare (if possible). UNICEF will work with each selected factory for this evaluation to ensure strong cooperation on the data collection. 

 

To guide the sampling plans development, UNICEF will provide the winning team the following: 1) Name and GPS location of each factory with overall demographics of all workers; 2) A list of phone numbers for pregnant and lactating mothers in each factory; 3) Potential lists of control factories (for exploration of matches); 4) Contact information and names of key owners and managers in each selected factory. Numbers 2 and 4 will be provided after the sampling frame is finalized.  There are 113 RMG factories engage in Mothers@Work. There are about 341,129 workers where 190,401 are female workers. About 8,357 of them are pregnant women and lactating mothers. The primary data collection will be conducted in-person, while still putting in place precautions against COVID-19 infection. The evaluation process should be participatory, engaging local government officials, donor partners, RMG sector management, other key stakeholders and a wide cross-section of UNICEF and ILO staff, CSO partners (BRAC and Phulki) and programme beneficiaries, incorporating gender equity in the selection process for evaluation stakeholder participation (as much as possible). The contracted agency should include in their proposal how programme beneficiaries will be involved in the design and implementation of the evaluation, as well as the formulation of the conclusions and recommendations.

 

To terms of the quality assurance and analysis methods, the agency is required to present a quality assurance plan around each methodology, including design, data collection, storage, entry, analysis, and synthesis. The agency will also propose a detailed Data Analysis Plan for the evaluation findings, including how varying perspectives on each evaluation question will be brought to a conclusion.

 

In terms of assessment of risks and identification of limitations, the agency will need to take into consideration and/or provide workable mitigation strategies or solutions to any identified risks or limitations including the following: COVID-19 conditions which may persist, ethical and non-biased data collection from various stakeholders and beneficiaries, etc. Most importantly, we want to uphold the “do no harm” principle throughout this evaluation. To this end, the evaluation team will be required to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for fieldwork, which will need to be approved by UNICEF and the relevant government and local authorities.

 

5. Norms and Standards Guiding the Evaluation

This evaluation will be held to the highest standards employed by UNICEF for the conduct of evaluations and research. In all duties carried out under this assignment, it is expected that the winning evaluation team will uphold their obligation toward independence, impartiality, credibility, conflicts of interest, and accountability. This means the winning evaluation will abide by the following:

< >United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation in the UN System, 2016Ethical Guidelines for UN EvaluationsUNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and AnalysisUNICEF Procedures for Ethical Research Involving ChildrenUNICEF’s Global Evaluation Reports Oversight System (GEROS). The final deliverable’s approval will be dependent on the sufficient adherence to these standards. 

 

 

It is expected that the proposal will include a section on the expected ethical challenges and issues that the evaluation will need to overcome, as well as a description of ethical safeguards for participants. The institution/consultant will also be responsible for getting IRB ethical clearance. IRB ethical clearance is needed before quantitative and qualitative data collection, and the proposal should include a clause on how to deal with interviewing vulnerable women within the sector as well as how continued precautions against COVID-19 infection will be put in place and monitored. The IRB approval letter will need to be attached in the annexure of the final report. The proposal will need to spell out how the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis as well as the UNICEF Procedures for Ethical Research Involving Children will be followed/met, rather than only mentioning that the evaluation will abide by them.

 

One of this programme’s main intended impacts is improved maternal rights protection. It is critical that the evaluation approach and data collection and analysis methods be human rights based, including gender sensitive. In the proposal, the bidding team should elaborate the framework which will be used for assessing a gender-transformative and human rights-based approach to the evaluation (separately). The agency/institution/consultant is expected to abide by the UNEG Guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation and the UN-SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicator. Additionally, all data will be disaggregated by ethnicity, age, disability status, and home of origin.

 

6. Management and Reporting

The study will be managed by the Research & Evaluation Specialist, SPEAR team in Dhaka. SPEAR Section will provide technical support while UNICEF Nutrition Section will provide coordination support, such as engagement with the RMG sector to identify stakeholders and additional design inputs, coordination and introduction for the data collection, and updates to the primary audiences to facilitate the development, validation and dissemination of results and recommendations. A designated focal point from the Nutrition Section will be responsible for convening, coordinating and supporting the evaluation.

 

A Reference Group comprised of key stakeholders from the government, RMG sector, and other primary and secondary user/audience groups will be set up from the onset of the evaluation to provide quality assurance to the deliverables. The Reference Group will be consulted on each key milestone of the evaluation (i.e., inception report and draft report) and will give feedback on the deliverables of the evaluation. Evaluation results will also be presented and validated by the Reference Group. Chief of SPEAR will have the accountability of accepting each deliverable.

 

Communication rhythms, including how updates will be shared, will be decided at inception stage between the contracted agency and UNICEF.

 

7. Evaluation Schedule and Deliverables

 

Schedule

A proposed timeframe for the evaluation is provided below. The entire assignment is expected to be completed within seven months. This might be subject to change depending on the situation on ground at the time of the evaluation implementation (including disruption by severe weather events, potential resurge of COVID-19 strain, or other restriction), as per mutual agreement between the contracted agency and evaluation manager. However, the technical proposal should reflect this seven-month overall implementation period. The bidding team should include a more detailed timeline in the proposal, including two draft reports and review rounds and a (3rd) final report submission. The number of drafts however will be based on the quality of the report and may need additional time if the standard does not meet GEROS requirements.

 

 

 

Table 3: Evaluation Schedule

INCEPTION PHASE:

Tasks

End Product

Time Frame

Tentative Deadline

Participation in Inception Meetings

Inception meetings with UNICEF and key stakeholders on assignment and expected results (including what is expected in the Inception Report)

1 week after signing contract

28 July 2022

Preparation of an Inception Report

Should include:

• A review of literature and reports and studies;
• Initial consultations with UNICEF and programme staff
• A draft, reconstructed theory of change
• A methodology including: sampling, key analytical questions, list of data to be collected and their sources (data framework and data list), technical approach, methods of data analysis (and plans), possible data collection challenges and methods of overcoming data challenges, work plan detailing activities and timelines
• Revised (final) evaluability assessment matrix

1 month after signing contract

18 August 2022

EVALUATION IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD:

Tasks

End Product

Time Frame

Tentative Deadline

Develop Tools for data collection

Development of data collection tools and protocols, testing and revision of the tools, data collection training manuals and pretesting, as required; version of theory of change to be assessed/validated through the evaluation

1.75 months after signing contract 

8 September 2022

Ethical Clearance

Necessary ethical clearance to be obtained prior to initiation of the data collection as well as any additional permissions to undertake data collection in the factories

2.25 months after signing contract 

22 September 2022

Field teams and training

Selection of teams. Training and orientation of interviewers and supervisors, including on child protection principles and on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

2 weeks

22 September 2022

Data Collection Field work

Data collection (survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews) and supervision and submission of brief field work report outlining any changes in methodology and any challenges experienced

5 weeks

(no data collection on Friday)

27 October 2022

Data analysis, preliminary results report and submission of first draft

1. Ongoing data analysis, write up and interpretation of key results and findings 
2. Submission of preliminary report (including Exe Sum, draft costing analysis and draft recommendations)
3. Prepare and present preliminary findings to UNICEF and other stakeholders (may be moved to after 2nd draft)
4. Submit First Draft (adhering to the GEROS reporting standards)

1 month

24 November 2022

Review of first draft and incorporation of comments into a 2nd draft submission

• Review of the first draft by UNICEF, including presentation to ERG
• Conduct stakeholder consultation/validation workshop
• Incorporation of comments and production of the second draft.
• Development of related infographics.

2 weeks for review; 2 weeks for revised draft

8 December 2022; 22 December 2022

Review of 2nd draft and incorporation of comments into a 3rd (final) draft submission

• Review of second draft by UNICEF
• Incorporation of comments and production of the Final Report (fully aligned with GEROS reporting standards)

2 weeks for review; 2 weeks for final draft

5 January 2022; 19 January2023

Submission of all other materials

• Submission of all final data collection tools (English and Bangla) and raw and analyzed data (quant and qual)
• Submission of evaluation policy briefs (for GoB and for RMG sector at min), finalized infographic and dissemination Powerpoint presentation

10 days

29 January 2023

 

The inception report and draft evaluation report will be shared with the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) for feedback. The draft evaluation report will also be presented to relevant stakeholders at a consultation/validation workshop for feedback. The UNICEF Regional Office will provide quality assurance across the entirety of the evaluation milestones. All draft and final reports submitted need to show a clear flow from objectives and purpose of the evaluation, evaluation questions, methods and tools used to collect and gather information, analytical approach, findings, conclusions and recommendations. The reports should aim for conciseness, readability, and visual appeal. Additionally, all data files, data completed tools must be submitted to UNICEF at the end of the evaluation.

 

UNICEF Bangladesh reserves the right to ensure the quality of products submitted by the external evaluation agency and will request revisions until the product meets the quality standards as expressed by the ERG.

 

Evaluation Dissemination Plan/Communication Plan

The final report will be followed by a participatory dissemination workshop, where the key stakeholders will take part in providing inputs to the potential management response on the recommendations of the report. This presentation will include maximum 10 slides in the key findings, followed by the initial recommendations that will be presented for discussion.

 

Reader-friendly evaluation briefs that summarize the key findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation needs to be produced. At least two briefs will be developed, one for a GoB audience and one for the RMG sector. Others will be agreed by the end of the inception phase. The agency can choose the format, but it is expected that innovative formats will be used for enhanced readability. UNICEF withholds the right to alter this evaluation brief upon dissemination.

 

8. Payment Schedule

Payment to the evaluation team will be as follows, unless stipulated differently by the bidding team and agreed by UNICEF:

< >20% of total fee upon approval of the inception report, including reconstructed theory of change and draft data collection tools;20% of total fee upon completion of all data collection and approval of field work report;30% of total fee on submission and approval of first draft report, including costing analysis;30% of total fee on submission and approval of final report, briefs, and final short presentation for official dissemination, and all raw data and finalized tools. 

 

9. Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience for the Evaluation

The reputable agency conducting this evaluation should have:

< >No less than 10 years of experience in designing, planning, organizing, managing and conducting complex and nutrition-related evaluations No less than 10 years of experience in programming and evaluation in South Asian countries, with an in-depth understanding of maternal and worker rights protectionsDemonstrated expertise in large-scale research design, methodologies, data validation and data quality assurance Technical expertise and experience in gender equality, gender analysis, human rights-based approaches, including child rights programming, monitoring and evaluation. A technical team strong in quantitative and qualitative design, analysis, and synthesis, led by a social scientist / expert having at least 10 years of relevant working experience in evaluation A least 1 technical expert in costing models and analysisPrevious experience with UN agencies, RMG sector, and Government of BangladeshField level data collection resource pool who have at least 5 years of experienceVery strong communication and presentation skills of team members with government and community membersDemonstrated experience of collecting data in the field on tablets using online platforms, telephonically, and other non-face-to-face modalitiesAbility to work/operate in Bangladesh legally (legal documentation must be submitted)Fluency in written and spoken English and Bangla is required Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of relevant policies and action plans of the Government of Bangladesh is an assetBe able to communicate about data collection and data analyses in clear and simple termsAble to write clear, brief, analytical reports;Boost a track record of undertaking such evaluations or research with reputed organizations, governments, and private sector. Submit details of projects undertaken and completed, name of the organizations with their contact numbers, year of undertaking and completion, coverage of survey work, etc.

 

ANNEXES

Annex A: Mothers@Work Results Framework (partnership with ILO-BetterWork), 2017-2021

 

Results

 

Key Activities

Indicator

Baseline

Target

MoV

By the end of 2018, capacity of stakeholders of RMG and other stakeholders to support to strengthen maternity protection and breastfeeding in the workplace developed

 

Conduct enrolment Seminars among RMG factories opted in to enroll in M@W programme

 

Conduct orientation of key stakeholders of RMG factories on 7 minimum standards

 

Training of health care providers and social welfare officers to provide interventions under 7 minimum standards for working women and their young children

 

# CSO members and other NGO received ToT to provide technical support to the RMG companies to implement M@W

 

# of orientation among the workplace owners and senior management conducted

 

# of training among workplace staff (HR, Health workers, Social welfare officers) conducted

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

25

 

 

 

 

 

 

80

 

 

 

 

80

Enrolment Seminar Report

 

 

 

 

 

Orientation report

 

 

 

 

Training Report

By the end of 2019, Mothers@Work programme implemented in selected Ready Made Garment (RMG) factories of BetterWork and Phulki

 

Conduct Supportive Supervision and on-job training for health care providers and social welfare officers

 

Conduct Advisory Visits to monitor the implementation of 7 minimum standards

 

Develop monitoring tools and supportive supervision checklist

 

Conduct quarterly review meeting with stakeholders of M@W

 

Develop case studies and document lessons learned

# RMG factories participated Mothera@Work

 

# of RMG factories completed at least 2 Advisory visits (implement programme at least 6 months)

 

% of requested trouble shooting from the workplace companies addressed with recommendations from the consortium

 

% health workers and social welfare provide breastfeeding support with skill

 

% health workers and social welfare can state five key messages on breastfeeding.

 

# quarterly review held

 

 

# of case studies developed

0

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

0%

 

 

 

 

0%

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

0

88

 

 

 

50

 

 

 

 

 

80%

 

 

 

 

 

 

80%

 

 

 

 

80%

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

8

LoE documents

 

 

 

AV Report

 

 

 

 

 

Monthly programme report

 

 

 

 

 

Supportive Supervision Report

 

 

 

Supportive Supervision Report

 

 

 

Quarterly review meeting report

 

Case Study Documents

By the end of 2021, Mothers@Work progamme expanded to an additional 25 factories of BetterWork

Conduct Orientation Seminars

 

Develop capacity of selected RMG stakeholders to implement 7 minimum standards

# of RMG stakeholders (HR, Health care providers, social welfare officers, Senior Management) oriented on M@W programme

 

# of selected RMG factories completed first Advisory Visit

88

 

 

 

 

 

 

88

 

 

113

 

 

 

 

 

 

113

LoE Documents

 

 

 

 

 

 

AV/Monitoring Report

 

 

 

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