Evaluation of the Projects PAC08 Climate Finance Access Network & PAC32 Access to Climate Finance in the Pacific

Title : Evaluation of the Projects PAC08 Climate Finance Access Network & PAC32 Access to Climate Finance in the Pacific
Reference : 100014531
Process : RFP
Description : Global Green Growth Institute in Pacific invites eligible firms to submit their bids for consulting opportunity titled “Evaluation of the Projects PAC08 Climate Finance Access Network & PAC32 Access to Climate Finance in the Pacific”

Deadline For Applications : 09 Jan 2026 16:00 (UTC +09:00) Korea Standard Time

INTRODUCTION:
Purpose:
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) seeks a firm to deliver an end project evaluation of the project “Access to Climate Finance in the Pacific” (hereinafter the Project). The Evaluation is being commissioned by the Impact and Evaluation Unit (IEU) in close coordination with the project team and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia (DFAT).
The purpose of the Evaluation is to,
• Assess the performance of Project and the factors contributing to this performance;
• Generate lessons learned from the project’s delivery model; and
• Provide actionable evidence-based recommendations for future support
The intended primary users of the Evaluation include,
• Beneficiary government partners in 8 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) supported by the Project, namely: Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu;
• GGGI
o Pacific Regional Director and Regional MEL Officer;
o Country Representatives for (i) Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu; (ii) Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, and (iii) Polynesia Representative;
o Head of Front Office, Directorate for Green Growth Implementation;
o Director for Development Finance, Directorate for Green Finance and Corporate Services; and
o Director for Thought Leadership, Office of the Executive Director.
• Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) Network Coordinator; and
• DFAT.
o Director, Climate and Nature Diplomacy Section, Climate Diplomacy Branch, Climate Diplomacy and Development Finance Division; Director, Pacific Climate Change, Climate and Communications Branch, Office of the Pacific.
o Senior Policy Officer, Pacific Climate Change, Climate and Communications Branch, Office of the Pacific
The Evaluation is intended to support PIC partner governments in maximizing the benefits of future embedded climate finance advisory services.
The Evaluation is intended to support GGGI in,
• Strengthening in GGGI’s existing Pacific programming, among others,
o ‘Small Island Development States Climate Action Program’ funded by the Grant Duchy of Luxembourg;
o ‘Greening the Pacific Financial Systems” program funded by the French Development Agency;
o ‘Strengthening Institutional Capability to Access, Absorb, and Deliver Impactful Climate Finance in the Pacific’ program funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office; and
• Designing the development of new projects supporting climate finance in the Pacific and elsewhere.
The Evaluation is intended to be utilized by DFAT in,
• Developing its Final Investment Monitoring Report (FIMR) for the Project, expected in April 2026 (based on the preliminary findings);
• Informing decisions regarding future funding to GGGI for CFAN; and
• Shaping future advisory models that are more demand-driven, regionally owned, and responsive to partner government priorities.

Background to the Evaluation:
Project objective
The overall goal of the Project is to build institutional knowledge and capacities necessary for bankable project preparation and accessing of climate finance from a blend of public and private sources in the eight target PIC—Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu—by employing and strategically embedding CFAN advisors or Climate Finance Advisors within the government ministries. Specifically, the Project aims to (1) develop a project pipeline and prepare and submit concept notes and full proposals to funding agencies and investors; and (2) deliver in-country training to increase climate finance expertise in the eight target countries.

Project Theory of Change
The Theory of Change (TOC) that underpins CFAN’s design is that,
• IF central government institutions are strengthened with in-country capacity to (1) mobilize climate and green finance for priority adaptation and mitigation projects, and do so in a manner in which (2) local climate finance expertise among nationals, with support from advisors, is increased to meet (a) climate finance funds’ criteria and requirements; (b) environmental and social safeguards; and (c) gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) design requirements,
• THEN they will be able to access climate finance by donor agencies and investors, including DFAT, to implement those initiatives
(Refer to illustration on Page 4 in detailed TOR document)

Gender equality and social inclusion
The Project was designed to be implemented with the recognition that gender equality, poverty reduction and social inclusion are not achieved through stand-alone green growth investment projects but require deliberate approaches to overcome structural barriers for effective participation of women and marginalized, poor communities in development processes. GGGI is committed to promoting GESDI across all Project activities, to training key stakeholders to incorporate the identification and management of environmental and social risks, and maximizing opportunities for positive GESDI through project selection criteria and project design.

Project governance arrangements
GGGI’s Pacific Regional Director provides oversight of the project, with the Project Manager leading, planning, coordinating and providing day-to-day management of the project. Each CFAN advisor is responsible for data collection and will serve as the main source of data. CFAN Senior Associates for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Island, and Tonga support CFAN advisor in those countries as well. A regional MEL advisor provides guidance, training, and technical assistance to the advisors, while coordinating with the IEU for tools development, MIS management, and data analysis.

Previous reviews, evaluations, and audits
There have been no previous independent reviews, evaluations, or audits of the Project.

SCOPE OF WORK & PROPOSED ACTIVITIES;
Scope of Work:
The scope of the Evaluation:
• GGGI’s support under Phase I (Global Affairs Canada-funded) and Phase II (Australia funded) of the Project.
• All 8 PICs that receive support under the Project, with a more in-depth focus on 2 PICs. In selecting the 2 PICs, GGGI is mindful of the potential for evaluation fatigue among partner governments. Specifically,
o New Zealand’s MFAT is commissioning an evaluation of GGGI’s Low Emission Climate Resilient Development Project, Phase I (PAC02) and Phase II (PAC043) in Q4 2025-Q1 2026 and will include a focus on Fiji and Tonga;
o GGGI is commissioning an impact evaluation of the Projects “Enhancing resilience to climate change through solar power-driven access to water in rural areas of Vanuatu (VU3) and “Scaling-up Climate Resilience through Solar Power-Driven Access to Water in Vanuatu” (VU11) in Q1-Q2 2025; and
o Australia’s DFAT is expected to conduct a mid-term evaluation of Climate FIRST in Papua New Guinea (PG17) during the first half of 2026.
GGGI has developed key evaluation questions (KEQs) as outlined below. These KEQs have been refined based on discussions with several of the key primary intended users in GGGI and DFAT.
KEQ1: To what extent are the Projects’ theory for influencing change responding to the challenges and needs of the partner PICs? (Aligned to OECD DAC evaluation criteria of relevance)
This KEQ seeks to understand how the Projects’ designs have been developed in partnership with beneficiaries as a means to build shared ownership and understanding, including what it intended to achieve, and the appropriateness of the delivery strategy. In doing so, it will explore how the Projects have drawn upon lessons from previous projects delivered by GGGI and others in the Pacific and elsewhere and what factors led to success or failure. Furthermore, it seeks to understand how the Projects have maintained flexibility to adapt to emerging priorities and needs.
KEQ 2: To what extent have the Projects achieved its intended results, including gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) outcomes? (Aligned to OECD DAC evaluation criteria of effectiveness)
This KEQ seeks to understand the extent to which the Projects have effectively delivered their planned outputs and progress made towards the intended outcomes, as well as any results that were not captured in the logframe indicators. It aims to explore the nature and significance of observed changes, the degree to which these can be plausibly linked to the Projects outputs, and the mechanisms and contextual factors that influenced results. The changes may include not just investment commitments secured and the capacity strengthened, but also innovative solutions and technologies to be introduced in the Pacific through the investments secured. It should also explore which outcomes different beneficiaries consider to be the most important.
KEQ 3: How well does the Project align and coordinate with other climate finance initiatives in the Pacific, and what unique value does it add within this landscape? (Aligned to OECD DAC evaluation criteria of coherence)
This KEQ explores the strategic positioning and added value of the intervention in a context where multiple readiness and project preparation facilities operate—such as the GCF Preparatory and Readiness Support Program, the NDC Partnership, the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH), and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP), as well as similar GGGI implement projects funded by France, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. It aims to examine how the Project aligned with and complements this initiative, identifies potential overlaps or synergies, and assesses the extent to which it contributes uniquely to strengthening climate finance readiness and enabling environments in Pacific Island countries.
KEQ 4: To what extent has the intervention contributed to building and sustaining institutional knowledge and capacity among Pacific partners? (Aligned to OECD DAC evaluation criteria of sustainability)
This KEQ focuses on the durability and institutionalization of capacity development outcomes. It considers how effectively the intervention has strengthened skills, systems, and practices within partner institutions, and whether this knowledge and capacity have been sustained or embedded beyond the life of specific activities. It will examine the role and contribution of the embedded CFAN advisor model as the key delivery mechanism for capacity strengthening, assessing how this approach supported institutional learning, ownership, and continuity of results. It will also examine the contextual and organizational factors that have supported or constrained lasting institutional learning and capability in the Pacific region.
KEQ 5: What lessons have emerged regarding effective approaches to climate finance readiness and capacity support in the Pacific, and how can these inform future programming and scale-up?
This KEQ aims to capture practical learning and transferable insights about what has worked, for whom, and under what conditions. These lessons include how GGGI and other development partners could better measure not just the quantity but also the quality of outputs delivered and the outcomes supported. It considers how lessons from the Projects can inform future design and implementation—both for scaling successful approaches and for improving effectiveness and efficiency in subsequent programming.

Proposed Activities:
In undertaking the Evaluation, it is proposed that the selected firm (hereinafter called “Consultant”) conduct the following activities:
Inception
• Participate in a kickoff meeting with the Evaluation Reference Group via MS Teams (or other alternative mode).
• Review the Projects logframe, MEL plan, monitoring data and reporting to assess the coverage and robustness of results data.
• Convene scoping discussions with key stakeholders to understand the Project and inform evaluation approach and methods. It is proposed that a maximum of six scoping discussions take place.
• Formulate the evaluation design matrix addressing each key evaluation question, proposing sub-questions as appropriate, the indicators and data sources, the methods for data collection and analysis to address these inquiries.
• Develop data collection tools and interview protocols with specific attention to ethical considerations when involving human participants (e.g., interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, etc.).
• Present a detailed work plan presenting the evaluation phases (data collection, data analysis, and reporting) with their key activities and deliverables, and factoring in time for discussion and quality assurance by GGGI.
• Prepare and submit an Inception Report following the GGGI’s template. The inception report must be approved by IEU before any formal evaluation interviews, survey distribution, or field visits.
Data collection and analysis
• Conduct interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, surveys, visits to project sites, as appropriate, in accordance with the evaluation approach and methods outlined in the Inception Report.
• Present emerging findings to the Evaluation Reference Group via MS Teams (or other alternative mode) from data collection and analysis, and exploring ways to close remaining data gaps.
• Arrange a workshop with the Evaluation Reference Group to discuss and validate the draft findings, and co-creating recommendations.
Reporting and dissemination
• Prepare and submit the draft evaluation report, following the IEU evaluation report template, for review by the Evaluation Reference Group.
• Finalize and submit the evaluation report, complete with executive summary and PPT presentation, as well as a matrix illustrating how the Evaluation Reference Group’s comments have been addressed.

For more details, please refer to the Terms of Reference (TOR) document attached.

IMPORTANT TIMELINES:
The tender submission deadline is 9th JANUARY, 2026 16:00 HRS KOREAN STANDARD TIME (KST).

If any bidder has any request for clarification on the TOR or any part of the tender documents, GGGI will be happy to clarify if they are received on or before 7 days before the deadline (namely: if the tender submission deadline is 16:00 9th JANUARY 2026 KST, then the due date for submission of request for clarification is 16:00 2nd JANUARY 2026 KST).

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