EVALUTION SCOPE OF WORKImpact Evaluation of the mSTAR/Bangladesh ActivityFHI 360 seeks an evaluation consultant(s) or firm to conduct an impact evaluation of its Mobile Solutions Technical Assistance and Research (mSTAR) project’s activities in Bangladesh (mSTAR/Bangladesh). The evaluation shall provide an independent assessment of the mSTAR/Bangladesh activity’s impact on the acceleration and adoption of digital payments, including mobile money and electronic payments, among the USAID/Bangladesh programs and the populations that they serve. The evaluation is scheduled to be completed by the end of April 2017 (see timeframe below).BackgroundWithin Bangladesh, mobile networks already cover 99% of the country, and mobile phone ownership exceeding 70% in urban areas and almost 60% in rural communities.1 Since its start in 2011, the mobile money market in Bangladesh has seen fantastic growth. By the end of 2015, Bangladesh accounted for 8% of the total number of registered mobile money accounts globally and more than 10% of the number of global transactions. Roughly, one in eight Bangladeshi adults now actively uses a mobile money account, and double that number have opened accounts. Given Bangladesh’s high population density, mobile coverage, demographics, low levels of financial inclusion, and permissive regulatory environment, it is in many ways an ideal market for scaling up digital financial services, particularly via mobile.In Bangladesh, mSTAR supports the acceleration and adoption of digital financial services (DFS), including mobile money and electronic payments, within the USAID Mission’s programs and the populations that they serve. Implementation of this activity began in September 2013 and it is anticipated to run until May 31, 2017. The project’s primary objectives are: (1) Increase the use of digital payments in USAID programs—especially those in the Economic Growth portfolio (Global Climate Change and Feed the Future)—resulting in efficiency and productivity gains across USAID/Bangladesh’s sector portfolios resulting in strengthened programs and greater attainment of development outcomes; and (2) Promote improvements in the overall digital finance sector within Bangladesh that will be beneficial to improving uptake within USAID projects and by USAID beneficiaries, which in the case of the latter will also help to promote financial inclusion.To date, mSTAR/Bangladesh has served 8 USAID projects through formal technical assistance and 3 projects through small grants to transition from cash to digital payments. The project has also facilitated 7 mobile money consultative group meetings, which have had participation from about 20 organizations, and provided technical training to over 80 individuals from USAIDs implementing partners (IPs). Evaluation Objectives and Research Questions

Objective 1: Assess the program’s progress toward the goal of integrating digital payments (including mobile money and electronic payments) in the programs and operations of implementing partners.

Has the demand for technical assistance for digital financial services from USAID/Bangladesh implementers increased over the period of the project?

What has been the impact of mSTAR’s technical assistance on recipients? What have been the greatest challenges and benefits to implementers from

adopting digital payments into their programs? Why are implementers who are aware of DFS, but not adopting it? What are

the remaining critical barriers?

Objective 2: Assess the program’s progress toward the goal of supporting expansion of the digital payments industry in ways that are beneficial to USAID programs and USAID’s broader development objectives at an ecosystem level.

How has the market changed for adoption of digital financial services? (E.g. Farmers at the beginning of the project were not able to receive DFS directly but are now being piloted as direct recipients)

What has been the impact of any of the product interventions that mSTAR has helped to support?

Have any of the interventions been scaled up?

Objective 3: Assess the impact of the grants program

What was the impact of the grants program? Would adoption of DFS had occurred without the intervention from mSTAR/B?

Are any of the grantees now discontinuing DFS? Is it due to project closure? If it is not due to project closure, what are the reasons behind not continuing DFS?

Other Areas of Investigation What were the critical assumptions of the project’s success? Have these been

impacted by a change in the social, political, environmental factors within the project’s operating environment? (such as political conflict and terrorist attacks)

Evaluation Methodology

The evaluator will determine the evaluation design and methodologies per their capacity in order to meet the evaluation’s goal and objectives.

Sampling guidance

Along with all learning and technical documents, the selected evaluator will be expected to reach at least 5 technical assistance recipients, all three grants recipients, at least eight IPs who have had staff attended mSTAR technical workshops, at least five DFS providers and at least six MMCG members to evaluate mSTAR’s activities. The vast majority of these organization are located in Dhaka.

Sources of Information

All relevant documents for the evaluation will be made available for review including programmatic reports, project publications, site visit reports and related documents. The Evaluator(s) or firm will have access to project staff, partners, and beneficiaries. In the meantime, many of mSTAR/Bangladesh’s publications and reports can be found online at: http://www.microlinks.org/library/mstar-mobile-solutions-technical-assistance-and-research-activity-profile-bangladesh

Intended Use of the Evaluation

FHI 360 expects that the following organizations will also utilize the evaluation findings, conclusions, and recommendations:

USAID Global Development Lab and USAID/Bangladesh Implementers directly or indirectly engaged in the projects and/or activities

related to digital financial services

Timeframe and Reporting Requirements

The evaluation consultant(s) is expected to produce the following deliverables:1. Work plan for evaluation activities and data collection instruments, February

28, 20172. First draft report, April 10, 20173. Summary of findings in PPT form, April 17, 2017 4. Final report and PPT summary, April 30, 2017

The draft report shall include the following sections:1. Description of evaluation goals and objectives;2. Description of research methodology including data collection strategy,

possible limitations and data analysis process;3. Presentation of the main findings and conclusions of the assessment;4. Lessons learned;5. Redesign recommendations for mSTAR/Bangladesh.

The final report shall include the following sections:1. Executive summary in English and Bengali (max. 2 pages in English);2. Description of evaluation goals and objectives;3. Description of the research methodology;4. Presentation of the main findings and conclusions of the assessment;5. Lessons learned;6. Redesign recommendations for mSTAR/Bangladesh;7. Annexes, including all data collection instruments, list of interviewees, etc.

The draft and final report will be submitted in English in MS Word format and should be no less than 20 pages and not exceed 30 pages, excluding Annexes. The document will be the sole property of USAID and FHI 360, which will retain the right to use it for internal and external purposes.

Budget

The budget for the evaluation is up to $25,000 USD for evaluation services, including expenses fortransportation to and within the regions, accommodation, and per diem. Price competitiveness willbe a consideration during the selection process, and all proposals exceeding the maximum will bedeclined.

Request for BidsFHI 360 seeks bids from individuals or organizations to conduct this evaluation. Applicants should submit a proposal in English that includes:

Detailed description of the evaluator(s)’ or firm’s qualifications; Description and justification of proposed evaluation methodology including

sampling strategy, description of tools and techniques that will be used to collect and analyze information;

Draft work plan; Budget

All expenses must comply with USAID’s cost and travel procedures.

Selection CriteriaFHI 360 will select the winning candidate among the companies or individuals submitting a complete bid by the proposal deadline. The selection criteria will include the following:

Degree to which proposal adheres to evaluation questions listed above; Quality of the proposed methodology; Qualifications of the bidding organization and the personnel involved in the

project, including past experience in evaluation of similar program Cost-effectiveness of the proposal; Feasibility of proposed methodology and work plan; Ability to adhere to the time constraints of the proposed activities.

Review ProcessInterested persons who have questions about this RFP should email their inquiries to Ataur Rahman Team Lead, mSTAR/Bangladesh, at arahman@fhi360.org. The deadline for questions is December 14, 2016, 5:00 PM Bangladesh time. Responses will be shared with all parties who have previously expressed an interest in this RFP by December 20, 2016.

The deadline for applications is January 6, 2016, 5:00 PM Bangladesh time.

mSTAR/Bangladesh senior management and program and evaluation staff will review the proposals. The decision on the selection of the winning evaluation team will be announced no later than January 30, 2017.