Terms of Reference

Climate Resilient Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Livelihoods (C-REAL) in Bokeo Province, Laos

Consultancy

Endline Study/Final Evaluation

 

1. Background Plan International Laos

Plan, one of the world’s largest children’s INGOs, is mandated to work for child right and gender equality. Plan International Laos (Plan Laos) started operations in Laos in 2007 and today maintains . a field presence in Bokeo, Champasak, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, Salavan, and Vientiane provinces; and Vientiane Capital. We actively engage in coordination, policy and technical discussions with the Government of Laos, Lao civil society (not-for-profit/NPAs or CSOs) and development partners at local and national levels.

Under the 2021-2027 Country Strategic Plan, Plan Laos implements four major sector programs – 1) Public Health & Nutrition ii) Education & Skills iii) Adolescent Development and Participation and iv) Skills & Opportunities for Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship (SOYEE).

The areas of Child Protection, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, and Climate Change are cross cutting across all the programs, projects and internal policies. Gender transformative programming and influencing is the global approach used in every country office, including Plan Laos, to apply to their work that helps achieve its ambitions of gender equality and girl’s rights.

2. Background of C-REAL

2.1. Project Background

In line with the Lao PDR’s Agricultural Development Strategy to 2025 and Vision to 2030, the project addresses the key challenges affecting rural communities in Bokeo Province, including climate change, limited livelihood opportunities, weak government service delivery, and social vulnerability among ethnic minority households.

To address these challenges, Plan Laos, has been implementing the Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Enhanced Livelihoods (C-REAL) Project (2024-2026). The project builds on the achievements of the Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Livelihoods (REAL) Project (2020–2024) and expands climate-resilient agricultural interventions across five districts in Bokeo Province.

The overall goal of the project is to improve the quality of life of ethnic minority communities through increased household income, strengthened climate resilience, enhanced market participation, youth economic empowerment, and improved local government capacity to deliver sustainable services.

The project is implemented under two outcomes:

Outcome 1: Ethnic farmers improve their livelihoods through climate-resilient agricultural production and increased engagement in market systems.

Supporting outputs include:

• Output 1.1: Households understand market opportunities for climate-resilient products and production techniques.
• Output 1.2: Farmer Organizations (FOs) are established and strengthened to support the sustainable expansion of climate-resilient agriculture and market participation.
• Output 1.3: Youth-led micro-enterprises are established to strengthen value chains for climate-resilient agricultural production.

Outcome 2: Local government institutions provide services that improve climate-resilient livelihoods and the social well-being of rural households.

Supporting outputs include:

• Output 2.1: District Agriculture and Forestry Offices (DAFOs) strengthen their capacity to plan, manage, and deliver annual extension services for climate-resilient agricultural production.
• Output 2.2: Local government institutions improve the delivery of services that promote community resilience, gender equality, social inclusion, safe migration, legal awareness, and overall social well-being.

As the project approaches completion, an independent Final Evaluation will be conducted to assess the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability, and the extent to which the intended outcomes and outputs have been achieved. The evaluation will also identify lessons learned, good practices, and recommendations to inform future programming and support the sustainability of project interventions beyond the project period.

3. Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct an independent Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation (FEE) of the Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Enhanced Livelihoods (C-REAL) Project. The consultancy will generate credible evidence on the project’s achievements, effectiveness, and sustainability, while measuring progress against the project baseline, logframe, and expected results.

The evaluation will determine the extent to which the project has achieved its intended outcomes and contributed to improved livelihoods, climate resilience, market participation, and institutional capacity among target communities in Bokeo Province. It will also assess the effectiveness of the project’s implementation strategies, identify factors influencing project performance, and document lessons learned and good practices.

As C-REAL represents the second phase of the REAL Project, the evaluation should assess not only the achievements of the current project but also the sustainability, institutionalization, and scaling of interventions initiated under the REAL Project. Particular attention should be given to whether successful approaches have been embedded within local government systems, adopted by farming communities, and strengthened through C-REAL implementation.

The findings will provide evidence for accountability to KOICA, Plan International, implementing partners, and project stakeholders, while informing future programming, policy dialogue, and the design of similar climate-resilient livelihood initiatives. Additionally, key results and recommendations will be shared with the Government of Lao PDR as part of Plan’s ongoing influencing actions, to promote strengthened legislation and implementation standards.

4. Objectives of the Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation

This consultancy comprises two complementary components: (i) an Endline Survey (ELS) and (ii) a Final External Evaluation (FEE). While the Endline Survey is intended to collect and validate endline data for indicators not fully captured through the project’s MERL system, the Final External Evaluation will use this evidence, together with project monitoring data, document review, and qualitative inquiry, to assess the overall performance of the project.

The consultancy therefore seeks to generate robust evidence for accountability, organizational learning, and future program design through one integrated process.

4.1 Endline Survey

The Endline Survey aims to complement the project’s existing MERL data by collecting additional endline information required to complete measurement of project results and selected logframe indicators.

Specifically, the Endline Survey will:

• collect and validate endline data for indicators not fully captured through routine project monitoring;
• verify selected outcome and output indicators against project records and the approved logframe;
• generate quantitative evidence to provide qualitative data to provide additional basis for the Final External Evaluation in making its assessment; and
• provide a reliable evidence base to support the overall assessment of project performance.

Where appropriate, the consultant shall maximize the use of existing MERL data and avoid duplication of data collection efforts.

4.2 Final External Evaluation

The Final External Evaluation aims to provide an independent assessment of the overall performance of the C-REAL Project and the extent to which it has achieved its intended objectives.

Building upon data generated through the Endline Survey, project monitoring data, document review, and qualitative fieldwork, the evaluation will:

• assess the overall performance and achievement of project results;
• assess the effectiveness of the project’s implementation strategies, methodologies, and delivery approaches, identifying key strengths, weaknesses, enabling factors, and constraints;
• generate evidence on the sustainability of project outcomes and the institutionalization of successful approaches;
• assess how C-REAL has built upon, strengthened, and sustained the achievements of the preceding REAL Project;
• identify lessons learned, good practices, and innovations; and
• provide practical, evidence-based recommendations to inform future programming by Plan International Laos, KOICA, government partners, and other stakeholders.

5. Evaluation Focus

In accordance with the Plan International MERL Policy and the OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria (2021), the Final External Evaluation shall assess the project against the following six evaluation criteria.

5.1 Relevance

Assess the extent to which the project design, interventions, and implementation strategies responded to the needs and priorities of target communities and aligned with national, provincial, and district development priorities.

The evaluation should examine:

• relevance of the selected climate-resilient livelihood interventions to beneficiary needs;
• appropriateness of the four priority value chains and agricultural technologies;
• responsiveness to the needs of women, youth, and vulnerable groups;
• alignment with Government of Lao PDR policies and KOICA and Plan International strategic priorities; and
• continued relevance of the project design in the changing socio-economic and climate context.

5.2 Coherence

Assess the extent to which the project complemented and reinforced other initiatives at local, provincial, and national levels.

The evaluation should consider:

• internal coherence among project components;
• coordination with government agencies, private sector actors, and development partners;
• complementarity with other livelihood, climate resilience, and agricultural development programmes; and
• coherence between the REAL and C-REAL projects, including how Phase II built upon Phase I achievements.

5.3 Effectiveness

Assess the extent to which the project achieved its intended outputs and outcomes.

The evaluation should assess both the results achieved and the effectiveness of the strategies and implementation approaches used to achieve those results. The evaluation should clearly distinguish between results achieved during the previous project (REAL) and those achieved in the current intervention. Furthermore, it should identify differences in performance between the 3 OLD and the 2 NEW districts. Particular attention should be given to:

• adoption and continued application of improved agricultural and climate-resilient production practices;
• effective land use and changes in shifting cultivation practices among beneficiary households;
• improvements in household livelihoods, agricultural productivity, and income generation;
• strengthening of Farmer Organizations and market engagement;
• youth economic empowerment and entrepreneurship;
• capacity strengthening of DAFO, PAFO, and other implementing partners;
• effectiveness of extension methodologies, coaching approaches, and capacity development strategies;
• implementation of recommendations arising from the Mid-Term Review; and
• factors that enabled or constrained achievement of project results.

5.4 Efficiency

Assess how efficiently project resources, management arrangements, and implementation mechanisms contributed to project results.

The evaluation should examine:

• efficiency of resource utilization;
• timeliness of implementation;
• adequacy of project management and MERL systems;
• quality of coordination with implementing partners; and
• value for money achieved through project investments.

5.5 Impact

Assess the broader and longer-term changes resulting from the project.

Beyond measuring logframe indicators, the evaluation should examine evidence of wider changes, including:

• improved household resilience and livelihood security;
• increased adoption of climate-resilient agricultural systems;
• changes in land-use practices, including reductions in shifting cultivation where applicable;
• the contribution of land cultivation certificates to livelihood security, sustainable land management, and climate change mitigation;
• strengthened market systems and Farmer Organizations;
• improved local institutional capacity;
• empowerment of women and youth;
• unintended positive or negative impacts.

While the evaluation should primarily focus on achievements under the C-REAL Project, it should also, where appropriate, assess the cumulative contribution of the REAL and C-REAL projects to sustainable rural development in Bokeo Province.

5.6 Sustainability

Assess the likelihood that project outcomes and benefits will continue after external support has ended.

The evaluation should examine:

• continued application of improved agricultural and livelihood practices by beneficiary households;
• sustainability of Farmer Organizations, youth enterprises, and market linkages;
• the extent to which communities, Farmer Organizations, and government partners have the ownership, capacity, and financial, technical, and institutional resources to continue functions that benefit their members;
• the extent to which project implementation approaches, extension methodologies, and institutional arrangements have been adopted and integrated into the regular planning and service delivery of DAFO, PAFO, and other local government institutions; and
• factors likely to enhance or threaten the long-term sustainability of project outcomes.

5.7 Other criteria that are important for Plan International

The evaluation will focus on:

• The extent to which the project applied gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches.
• How explicitly the project aimed for results that strengthen gender equality.
• The effectiveness of measures used to protect project participants, particularly children, young people, and marginalized groups.

6. Scope of Work

The consultant (individual consultant or consulting firm) shall be responsible for planning, designing, conducting, analysing and reporting the Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation of the C-REAL Project.

The scope of work shall include, but not be limited to, the following tasks.

6.1 Desk Review

The consultant shall review all relevant project documentation, including but not limited to:

• Project Proposal and approved Logframe;
• Theory of Change;
• Baseline Study Report;
• Mid-Term Review Report;
• Previous REAL Project Final Evaluation Report;
• Annual reports and project progress reports;
• Monitoring data and indicator tracking tables;
• Relevant project tools, training materials and technical guidelines;
• Relevant Government of Lao PDR policies and strategies; and
• Other documents provided by Plan International Laos.

The consultant shall familiarize themselves with the project design, implementation progress, key assumptions, monitoring framework and recommendations from previous reviews to inform the evaluation design.

6.2 Inception Phase

The consultant shall develop an Inception Report that includes:

• refined evaluation framework;
• evaluation matrix;
• proposed methodology;
• sampling strategy;
• data collection plan;
• work schedule;
• quality assurance measures;
• ethical considerations;
• risk mitigation measures; and
• finalized data collection tools.

The inception report shall be reviewed and approved by Plan International Laos before fieldwork commences.

6.3 Endline Survey

The consultant shall undertake an Endline Survey to complement the project’s existing MERL data and generate additional evidence required for the Final External Evaluation. The consultant shall:

• review the Baseline Study methodology and existing MERL data to ensure consistency and comparability with endline findings;
• identify indicators and data gaps that are not adequately captured through the project’s routine monitoring system;
• develop and implement an appropriate sampling strategy and data collection plan to collect the required endline information;
• collect quantitative and qualitative data for indicators and evaluation questions not fully covered through existing project data;
• ensure data quality through field supervision, spot checks, validation procedures, and data verification;
• implement appropriate quality assurance and data validation procedures; and
• clean, analyze, and validate the endline dataset to support the overall evaluation findings.

6.4 Final External Evaluation

The consultant shall conduct an independent evaluation using the OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria.

The evaluation shall:

• assess project performance against intended outputs, outcomes and impact;
• evaluate implementation strategies and project management approaches;
• assess implementation of recommendations from the Mid-Term Review;
• identify enabling factors, constraints and unintended results;
• assess the sustainability and institutionalization of project interventions;
• examine how C-REAL built upon and strengthened achievements of the previous REAL Project; and
• identify lessons learned and good practices for future programming.

6.5 Field Data Collection

The consultant shall undertake field data collection using a mixed-methods approach to complement existing project monitoring data and address the evaluation questions. Data collection shall include, but not be limited to:

• Targeted household surveys, where required to collect or verify endline indicators not available through the project’s MERL system;
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs);
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs);
• Direct observation of project interventions and demonstration sites;
• case studies of significant outcomes or good practices, where appropriate; and
• Institutional assessments and consultations with DAFO, PAFO, Farmer Organizations, private sector actors, community representatives, and other stakeholders, where required to assess organizational capacity and sustainability.

The consultant shall ensure that fieldwork adequately represents the project’s target districts, beneficiary groups, and key stakeholders. Sampling and data collection methods should be designed to complement existing MERL data while avoiding unnecessary duplication of data collection.

6.6 Data Analysis

The consultant shall:

• analyse quantitative and qualitative data using appropriate analytical methods (descriptive statistic, crosstabulation among  disaggregation group)
• triangulate findings from multiple data sources;
• compare endline findings with baseline results;
• assess project performance against logframe indicators;
• assess performance using the OECD DAC evaluation criteria;
• analyse cross-cutting themes including gender equality, youth inclusion, safeguarding and climate resilience; and
• distinguish between project outputs, outcomes and broader impacts.

6.7 Validation and Reporting

The consultant shall:

• prepare a Draft Endline Survey and Final Evaluation Report;
• present preliminary findings during a validation workshop;
• incorporate comments received from Plan International and key stakeholders;
• submit the Final Report and all supporting documentation.

7. Methodology

The consultant is expected to propose an appropriate methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide robust and credible findings.

The proposed methodology should include, but not be limited to:

• desk review of project documents;
• household endline survey;
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs);
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs);
• direct observation;
• case studies of significant change where appropriate;
• data triangulation;
• comparative analysis between baseline and endline findings; and
• application of OECD DAC evaluation criteria.

The consultant shall ensure that:

• sampling methods are statistically sound and representative;
• baseline methodology is maintained where possible to enable comparison;
• data collection tools are piloted prior to implementation;
• electronic data collection is used where appropriate;
• quality assurance procedures are implemented throughout the assignment; and
• limitations and assumptions are clearly documented.

The methodology should adopt a participatory approach that actively engages project beneficiaries, implementing partners, government stakeholders and other relevant actors throughout the evaluation process.

8. Ethics and Safeguarding

The consultant shall conduct the assignment in accordance with the ethical standards of Plan International and internationally accepted research practices.

The consultant shall:

• obtain informed consent from all participants prior to data collection;
• ensure confidentiality, privacy and secure management of all collected data;
• ensure voluntary participation and the right of participants to withdraw at any stage;
• apply a gender-sensitive, culturally appropriate and inclusive approach throughout the assignment;
• ensure that participation of women, youth and ethnic minority groups is adequately represented;
• comply with Plan International’s Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy, Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, and relevant safeguarding procedures;
• immediately report any safeguarding concerns identified during fieldwork through Plan International’s safeguarding reporting mechanism; and
• ensure that all members of the evaluation team understand and comply with safeguarding and ethical requirements.

The consultant shall ensure that data collection does not expose participants to harm, discrimination or unnecessary risk.

9. Deliverables

The consultant shall submit the following deliverables in English.

No
Deliverable
Indicative Timeline

1
Kick-off meeting with Plan International Laos
0.5 day

2
Inception Report, including evaluation matrix, methodology, work plan, sampling strategy, and draft data collection tools
2 days

3
Finalized survey questionnaires and qualitative data collection tools following Plan’s review
2 days

4
Enumerator training and pilot testing report
2 days

5
Field data collection (quantitative and qualitative)
12 days[+ travel days]

6
Cleaned quantitative dataset, , and full data analysis, qualitative interview summaries
4 days

7
Validation Workshop and Presentation of Preliminary Findings
1 day

9
Draft Integrated Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation Report
8 days

10
Final Integrated Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation Report incorporating comments
4 days

11
Executive Summary (5–10 pages), PowerPoint presentation both Laos and English, Annexes, including questionnaires, interview guides, list of interviewees and photographs (where appropriate)
2 days

 
Total Consultant Work/Days
37.5 days

Final submission package

Upon completion of the assignment, the consultant shall submit:

• One Integrated Endline Survey and Final External Evaluation Report, including:
  • Executive Summary;
  • Background and project context;
  • Evaluation methodology;
  • Endline Survey findings;
  • Assessment against the OECD DAC Evaluation Criteria;
  • Conclusions;
  • Lessons learned;
  • Challenges
  • Actionable recommendations;
  • Limitations of the evaluation.
• Executive Summary (stand-alone version).
• PowerPoint presentation summarizing the evaluation findings and recommendations.
• Cleaned quantitative dataset (Excel, SPSS, Stata, or other agreed format).
• Codebook and data dictionary.
• Qualitative interview summaries and/or transcripts, where applicable.
• Final versions of all data collection tools.
• Completed evaluation matrix.
• List of stakeholders consulted.
• Photographs and other supporting documentation, where appropriate and with participants’ consent.

10. Consultant Qualifications

The team or company must have the following qualifications, skills and experience:

• Experience of at least 5-10 years in management and delivery of development projects in S.E. Asia, with a significant proportion of these in Lao PDR
• Familiarity with Lao customs and Lao government agencies.
• Previous experience in evaluation of development projects in S.E. Asia.
• Strong consultative skills with communities, and experience in representation and consultation with government partners.
• Experience in conducting evaluations in Laos and expertise in design, field experience in data collection, data collation and analysis and good report writing. This includes being able to demonstrate strategic thinking as well as producing practical and realistic recommendations.
• Good understanding and evaluation of social inclusion, gender and disability in programs.
• Professional level English language speaking and writing skills.
• Ability to communicate in Lao language required. Plan and project staff will not provide translation for the consultant. If consultant requires translation, they must provide this themselves within their bid proposal.

11. Contact

Any questions regarding the details for this ToR can be sent to Ms Ahrha CHO, Project Manager at   Ahrha.Cho@plan-international.org by 31 July 2026. She will respond as soon as possible.