Terms of Reference for Ongoing Process Evaluation - Rwanda 

Description (summary): Location: Dates of Assignment: Level of effort:

To conduct an ongoing process evaluation of Nyamagabe government-led graduation pilot The aim is to provide actionable insights, to identify potential (technical, administrative and/or political) bottlenecks and to feed information and learning back to the programme in a timely manner to help to improve the design and implementation and to prepare for scaling the programme. Nyamagabe, Southern Province Initially, July - December 2026, with a likely extension until the end of 2027 (and further), respective to successful collaboration and the government approval of the programme. For 2026, approx. 60-90 person days divided among a team of consultants spread over 6 months.

Consultants must be authorised to work in Rwanda without requiring a work permit or visa sponsorship.

About BRAC’s Ultra Poor Graduation Initiative 

BRAC’s Ultra-Poor Graduation Initiative (UPGI)aims to support governments to scale the Graduation approach for people living in chronic poverty and vulnerable situations. The Graduation approach is a multifaceted set of interventions designed to ensure food security, social inclusion, and sustainable economic livelihoods, enabling the poorest to “graduate” from poverty. The graduation approach includes support for basic needs, assets and training for income generation and (one-to-one and/or group) coaching to support the participants during the process. More information: Graduation Essentials.

Programme Background 

The Gira Wigire graduation programme is implemented in the Nyamagabe district. Since autumn 2025, 12,500 participants have been enrolled in the programme. The total aim is to reach over 35,000 participants. 

BRAC UPGI is providing design and implementation support for the government.

Description of Assignment 

BRAC International is seeking a firm or consultants to conduct an ongoing process evaluation of the government-led graduation programme in the Nyamagabe District.

The primary objective of this ongoing process evaluation is to provide actionable learning and insights that respond to the needs of the programme and the UPGI country team. Ultimately, the aim is to support UPGI, governments and partners in strengthening the effectiveness, scalability, and long-term viability of Graduation programmes. 

Consultant(s) will do this by acting as an external ‘learning partner’. While they will take the role of independent evaluators/researchers, they will do this with the focus on learning and providing timely feedback for the programme. 

The scope of individual tasks and areas of work will be jointly decided (with UPGI country team, UPGI global MEL team and the consultant(s)) on an ongoing basis. However, the work will broadly focus on assessing the design, implementation and contextual drives of the graduation programme, and importantly, the system’s capabilities and preparedness for scaling. In 2026, the key focus will be on exploring what it takes to implement a quality graduation program at the district level (in Nyamagabe). 

The analytical framework that underpins UPGI’s thinking related to scaling is called Effective Policy Triangle.1 According to this framework, for developing a scalable government policy, or programme, attention needs to be paid to three interconnected areas: 1) political supportability, 2) technical ‘correctness’, i.e. having a high-quality intervention, and 3) administrative feasibility. Consultants are given additional information about the analytical framework, but the work under each dimension can explore the following elements: 

1) Political supportability / Political commitment and stakeholder dynamics: Assessing the extent and nature of political support underpinning the Graduation programme, including leadership at various government levels, inter-ministerial collaboration, fiscal commitment, and support from non-state actors. Evaluations can examine how political economy factors shape programme design, implementation, and sustainability. 

2) Technical correctness / high-quality intervention: Assessing the extent to which Graduation programmes are aligned with the graduation Essentials, and being implemented as intended across different settings. The evaluations can examine adaptation to local contexts, variations in delivery, targeting, and participant experience, as well as mechanisms for quality assurance and feedback. 

3) Administrative feasibility/systems integration: Exploring the degree to which Graduation programmes are embedded within national systems, policies, and delivery mechanisms and how processes to build capacity, adjust mandates and KPIs, etc., are taking place. This includes analysis of government ownership, integration into existing social protection or economic inclusion frameworks, cross-sectoral coordination, capacity building, and data management systems. 

The evaluation will use a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative data (e.g., stakeholder interviews, field observations, policy reviews) with quantitative implementation metrics. For gathering participant experiences, interviews and focus group discussions can be used. 

The specific outputs are discussed and decided for each task/area of work, but as a general rule, the consultant(s) are not expected to write long reports; instead, short notes or presentations are preferred. This will ensure that findings and insights feed into decision-making in a more timely manner. 

1 Guerrero et al (2024), Scaling up Development Impact.

Ultimately, the findings and lessons learned from this evaluation will inform the implementation of the programme in subsequent years and phases. 

The country-level learning and insights will also feed into UPGI-wide, cross-country learning that is managed by the UPGI global MEL team. 

Scope of work: 

As mentioned, the focus and scope of work will be jointly decided and can vary over time, responding to the needs of the country team and the programme. The tasks may involve: 

• Looking at particular programme components and how they are designed and implemented (e.g. training, coaching, assets transfer, etc) 
• Conducting an analysis of (technical, administrative, political) factors hindering and supporting the programme implementation 
• Looking at the (government, staff) capabilities at the federal and local levels 
• Interviewing participants, coaches or other members of staff to gather their experiences
• Analyse data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement 
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations in a timely manner 
• Present findings in meetings and workshops 

In 2026, the key focus will be on gathering learnings from the Nyamagabe district. Consultants will lookinto issues such as:

• How are the programmes co-designed and tailored to meet specific local realities?
• What can be said about the district's capacity to finance and sustain programs?
• How are parasocial workers mobilised and trained? 
• What governance arrangements and structures support the program? 

Which of these questions will be (first) addressed in 2026, and how, will be jointly discussed and decided.

Outputs/Deliverables 

Specific outputs and deliverables to address the learning questions above will be jointly decided. They can vary depending on the focus and scope of the specific assignment, as well as on the government’s needs. 

Qualifications: 

The consultant(s) should have: 

• A deep understanding of the context and political economy in the country 
• Research background 
• Masters Degree in a relevant field 
• Experience in conducting similar learning-focused assignments or evaluations
•  Experience and skills in communicating learning and insights in a clear and timely manner.
• Knowledge of the Graduation approach (or similar comprehensive economic inclusion & social protection programmes) is an advantage. 
• Experience in Government , INGO/ development contexts is highly preferred.

Ideally, we are looking for a team that: 

• Has a mix of senior and more junior researchers 
• Where everyone has research experience, some extensive 
• Some may have operational / implementation experience (preferably livelihood, social protection etc) 
• Some should have experience working with or in government. 

Reporting and Coordination 

The consultants will report to the Rwanda country team and the Global MEL team. The primary contact and task manager for the assignment will be Martin Ruzima from the Rwanda Country team. Tiina Pasanen from the global MEL team will provide overarching management across countries. 

Level of effort 

The estimated amount of work for 2026 is approximately 60-90 person days divided among a team of consultants spread over 5 months days. The work will likely involve some travelling, and the costs for that are included in the total budget. Travel plans and budgets will be further discussed with the BRACUPGI team before signing the contract. The workload will likely fluctuate over the months, meaning there can be more intense months (e.g. field visits or data collection), and more quiet periods. 

Duration of the assignment

The assignment will be spread across July - Dec 2026, with a likely extension until the end of 2027 (andfurther), respective to performance, successful collaboration and the government approval of the programme.

Mandatory documentation

The tender is open to both registered and individual qualified consultants in a consortium.

Company /Sole proprietor

• Company profile (registered address, contact person, list of customers, etc.)
• Company registration certificate from RDB with at least 3 years .
• CVs - Submit at least 3 - demonstrating qualifications and professional experience. 
• Valid Tax clearance certificate.
• RSSB certificate
• Signed Vendor Data Consent Form & Service Disclosure Form

Individual consultants

• CVs - Submit at least 3 - demonstrating qualifications and professional experience.
• Academic and Professional Certificates.
• Identification -
• Certificate of completion for similar service in the last two years.
• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
• Signed Vendor Data Consent Form & Service Disclosure Form

Technical proposal

The research process will be jointly developed (with consultants, UPGI’s country team and UPGI’sGlobal MEL team). Instead of a long, detailed research proposal, please provide:

• CVs of the consultants and, if relevant, a firm profile highlighting relevant experience
• A couple of examples of similar/relevant learning-focused assignments. We don’t need to seefinal outputs such as evaluation reports, instead please provide a brief description of the project,and your own reflection on what worked and didn’t work that well in those assignments.
• A short proposal (max. 2 pages) on how the consultants would approach the question of what arethe institutional arrangements and structures that support the implementation of the programme in Nyamagabe (e.g. what needs to be considered, what research methods are appropriate, potentiallimitation, how to share findings with the government and programme staff, etc.).

Financial Proposal

Financial proposals should only include Professional Fees.

The technical and financial proposal should be sent to sbirwa.procurement@brac.net not later than  7 July 2026. A set of applicants will be interviewed online.

Payments

The consultancy fees will be paid in instalments.

10% – Inception Report and Desktop Review

50% – Mid-term delivery

40% – Completion of the consultancy period and submission of agreed-upon deliverables

No additional benefits will be paid. The Consultant will be responsible for obtaining personal healthinsurance at their own cost. The coverage should include all medical expenses, including those resultingfrom illness or injury incurred during the duration of the assignment.

Taxes

The consultant is responsible for all applicable government taxes. The consultant should provide a proposal inclusive of all taxes, as BRAC shall not be responsible for any taxes.

Evaluation Criteria:

The consultants will be evaluated based on the following criteria and an interview:

Consultants will be evaluated based on the technical proposal submission using the following

Relevant Experience and Qualifications / CVs & Team composition	40%
Quality and Relevance of Previous Assignments	30%
Proposed Approach and Methodology	30%
Total	100%

Those scoring highest will be invited for the interview.

Financial Proposal

Financial Proposal (Sf)

Price of the lowest proposal that passed technical evaluation(Fm) /price of the proposal under consideration (F)

Final Ranking

Proposals shall finally be ranked according to their combined technical (St) and financial (Sf) scoresusing the weights (0.8= the weight given to the technical proposal; 0.2 = the weight given to the financial proposal)

F= St x 0.8 + Sf x 0.20

The submission that obtains the highest combined score shall be considered the winning submission andshall be recommended for the award of a contract to carry out this exercise.

Approved by 

Greg Chen