Contract Notice 2016/S xxx-xxxxx: Restricted Procedure: Evaluation of Danish-Nepalese cooperation (1991-2016)

Description:
Danish-Nepalese development cooperation dates back to the 1960s. In 1989 Nepal was selected as a priority country for Danish development aid and an Embassy was opened in Kathmandu in 1991. For over 25 years Denmark has been a partner in Nepal’s development efforts, providing financial and technical assistance. With the reduction in Danish development assistance and the decisions to focus on fewer countries, the Danish-Nepalese development cooperation is coming to an end. The Embassy in Kathmandu will be closed at the end of 2017 and the aid programmes funded by Danida will all have been concluded by the end of 2018. In this context it has been agreed to carry out an evaluation of the major development cooperation programmes carried out between 1991 and 2016.
In the mid-1990s and in accordance with the overall development strategy, further assistance was provided through a series of sector programmes. These included the first phase of an education sector programme as well as an energy sector assistance programme (ESAP) and an environment sector programme (ESPS). There was also a major natural resource management sector assistance programme (NARMSAP) which included soil and water conservation as well as community forestry components. In 1998 a programme and a programme implementation unit (PIU) called Danida HUGOU were set up, through which grants were given to civil society organisations and institutions concerned with human rights, justice and governance. By the end of the armed conflict Danish development assistance to Nepal was re-organised. It was decided to focus on fewer sectors and to seek closer collaboration with other partners (donors). In this context the joint funding arrangement with the Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF) was an important step. Thus, between 2006 and 2013 a re-design was undertaken, culminating in the strategy defined in the 2013 country policy paper, together with new funding agreements for the period to 2018.
The objectives of the evaluation are threefold:
• to document the changes and results achieved through cooperation from 1991 to 2016;
• to assess the specific value added of the Danish approach to supporting sustainable, rights-based development, including the ability to adapt assistance to changing contexts and the effectiveness of the partnership;
• to provide lessons learned that are relevant with respect to promoting sustainable, rights-based development.
The main purpose of the evaluation is to provide a record of the longer-term changes and concrete results achieved through the Danish-Nepalese partnership. Documenting results is an important means of accounting for public expenditure to key stakeholders, both in Denmark and Nepal. But it is also expected that the evaluation will illustrate highlights in the story of Denmark in Nepal over the past 25 years. As far as lessons learned are concerned, the evaluation will show how a bilateral cooperation programme has contributed to the success (or otherwise) of efforts to promote human rights, education, economic growth and sustainable resource management. 
The maximum budget for the assignment is 1.4 million DKK.
Expected start date for the assignment is 01.03.2017.

Deadline for applicants: 08 November 2016 at 14:00. Danish time.