Terms of Reference (TORs) – End of Project Evaluation

Hiring a consultant/Firm to perform a End of Project Evaluation of the Promoting Social Cohesion in Punjab (PSCP) Project to thoroughly evaluate the project's implementation, outcomes and its impact, assessing the evidence in relation to the set goals and objectives.

1.     Background

Project’s Thematic Context: Pakistan remains vulnerable to national instabilities and sub-regional conflicts. South Punjab, comprising 11 districts, continues to face deep-rooted socio-economic challenges, making it particularly vulnerable to violent extremism (VE). Persistent poverty limited educational and employment opportunities, and social exclusion provide fertile ground for extremist groups to target marginalized communities and disillusioned youth.

According to Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) data in 2024, Pakistan faced one of its most difficult years in nearly a decade, with 2,526 fatalities reported, including both security personnel and civilians. The frequency of violent incidents rose sharply, more than doubling from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024. In response, the Government of Pakistan approved the National Prevention of Violent Extremism (NPVE) Policy 2024 in December, marking an important milestone in tackling the root causes of extreme behaviors leading towards violence, advancing human rights, and fostering social cohesion.

The National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) has also undertaken a series of initiatives under the National Counter Extremism Policy Guidelines and in line with the National Internal Security Policy (2018). In collaboration with civil society organizations and academic institutions, the government has implemented diverse projects aimed at countering extremist narratives and behaviors. These initiatives have yielded encouraging results, particularly by engaging community leaders, youth (including those from madrassas and other non-traditional educational settings), civil society actors, and local government representatives—demonstrating that localized, inclusive approaches are among the most effective interventions for P/CVE. Nevertheless, sustaining these efforts and further addressing the socio-political environment and narratives that continue to fuel violent extremism remain critical challenges for long-term peace and stability.

Project Details:   TAF, in partnership with project partners, is implementing the "Promoting Social Cohesion in Punjab (PSCP) Project" across five districts: Lahore, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Jhang, and Bahawalpur. The project's overall goal is to strengthen the support system against violent extremism by engaging at-risk youth, communities, and women in South Punjab. The specific objectives are:

1. Strengthen the capacity of local communities to implement locally driven P/CVE (Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism) actions effectively.
2. Enhance policy reform and dialogue on countering violent extremism.
3. Improve strategic mechanisms among government and civil society actors to promote counter-narratives to violent extremism in educational institutions.

The project aimed at a collaborative and sustainable community-driven P/CVE advocacy campaign in at-risk communities by fostering support and cooperation among local stakeholders—such as formal and informal educational and policy institutions, local madrassas, government officials, academia, and civil society—and training community members to become agents of change.

2.     Summary of the Project

3.     Purpose and Scope of End-Term Evaluation

The evaluation provides an excellent opportunity to comprehensively assess the achievements of the PSCP, including its overall contribution to preventing violent extremism and promoting peacebuilding in the project districts. It will not only offer insights into the project’s progress against its intended results but also help determine the effectiveness of its initiatives and guide the direction of future programming.

Specific objectives of the evaluation are:

• Examine the effectiveness of interventions conducted under objective 01,02 and 03 in achieving the goal and objectives of the project.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Vulnerability Analysis conducted on identified youth, and reapply the tool on sample basis to measure the impact of PSCP interventions
• Evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and practices of youth and community members regarding peacebuilding, tolerance, and resilience.
• Engage with project beneficiaries to evaluate the impact of the project interventions on at-risk youth, women, communities, and institutions in targeted districts.
• Assess the sustainability of the results, including the likelihood that interventions will continue beyond the life of the project.
• Review and evaluate the effectiveness of project partnerships with district-level departments, NACTA, FIA, and the Social Welfare Department.
• Document good practices, innovations and lesson learnt. Provide concrete and actionable recommendations for future programming.
• Review and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the NACTA media campaign under project specifically reviewing and assessing the following factors:

-        Reach and coverage

-        Message relevance and engagement

-        Knowledge Attitude and Behavioral Change

-        Effectiveness of different channels used in media campaign

-        Lesson learned and recommendations.

• Document programmatic challenges, lessons learnt and key recommendations for scaling and replication of similar P/CVE programs.

4.     Methodology

The consultant/firm will propose a rigorous methodology, ensuring triangulation of data sources. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be applied. A series of broad evaluation questions, along with relevant sub-questions, will be developed to assess the extent to which the project’s objectives and results have been achieved under the project. The firm or consultant will propose a rigorous methodology to provide the project management team with comprehensive and reliable information aligned with the project's objectives.  Principal tools will include:

Expected methods include:

• Re-administer the Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT) on a sample of at-risk youth who participated in the project’s training and other interventions.
• A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches should be employed, incorporating social network analysis of the target groups
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with stakeholders including government officials, civil society representatives, madrassa and university leaders, PAC members, media actors, and community leaders,
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with youth, women, and other project beneficiaries,
• Most significant change technique, challenges and innovation
• Surveys or Structured Questionnaires (where applicable) to measure project results.

5.     Key lessons learned and recommendations

The evaluation should present a clear overview of key lessons learned and recommendations derived from the assessment of the PSCP Project. These lessons, recommendations, and best practices must be articulated in a way that can inform the design and implementation of future P/CVE programs. The evaluation report should specifically address the following aspects:

• Key programming factors contributing to success
• Major programming challenges encountered
• Implementation and administrative factors contributing to success
• Key implementation and administrative challenges
• Major challenges overall and strategies to address them

6.     Key Outputs

1. Inception Report: The consultant/firm will provide an inception report that includes the methodology, proposed sampling strategy, data collection tools/instruments, quality assurance measures, data validation approach, and a detailed field plan/workplan. within one week of contract signing, for approval by the TAF Program Implementation Lead.
2. Data Collection Tools: Develop and have the data collection tools approved by the project team before proceeding with data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
3. Draft Evaluation Report: The firm or consultant will prepare a draft evaluation report with all essential components for review by the project team.
4. Validation Meeting: Hold a validation meeting with the project team.
5. Final Evaluation Report: The firm or consultant will provide a final evaluation report, incorporating feedback from the PSCP project team. This will be delivered in both electronic and hard copy formats (MS Word document and PowerPoint slides).
6. Data Sets: The firm or consultant will provide TAF with all data sets and materials related to the research.

7.     Eligibility Criteria

The consultant/firm engaged to undertake the assignment must fulfill the following requirements:

-        Strong background and experience in data collection and analysis.

-        Proven experience in undertaking evaluation/research or leading evaluation/research teams, with outstanding skills in qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis using relevant software.

-        Technical expertise in evaluating CVE projects, conflict related programming; and ability to draw strong and valid conclusions.

-        Strong communication skills

8.     Award of Contract

The contract would be signed for a period of up to two months with the consultant/ firm.

9.     Responsibilities of the Foundation

The Foundation will monitor and supervise the work and review progress of the work, provide regular technical support, and feedback and provide support when required.

10.  Intellectual Property

All information about this project reports, policy recommendations, and data, etc.) belonging to the client, which the service provider may come into contact within the performance of his/her duties under this partnership shall remain the property of The Asia Foundation-Pakistan who shall have exclusive rights over their use. Except for this assignment's purposes, the information shall not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever form without the Foundation's written permission.

11.  Payment Modality

The awarded contract will be paid in Pakistani rupees (PKR) against the deliverables and upon submission of the agreed deliverables as per the foundation's financial rules and payment conditions stipulated in the Service for Contract.

12.  How to Apply and Submission Deadline

Interested consultants/ firms are invited to submit their Sealed proposals, including the following information:

• Detailed profile and relevant experience
• Technical proposal
• Financial proposal with a breakdown of costs

Sealed proposals should be sent to the TAF office at the following address:

Country Representative: The Asia Foundation Pakistan Office

EOBI House, 3rd Floor, Block 32-34, Mauve Area
I&T Center, G-10/4, Islamabad.

Tel # 051-8434707

The deadline for submission of Sealed proposals is Monday, October 20, 2025. Sealed Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered.