RFP for external mid-term evaluation of Geneva Call’s Strategic Plan 2024–2027

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL1. RFP ObjectiveThe objective of this RFP is to commission a consulting firm to conduct an external mid-term evaluation of Geneva Call’s Strategic Plan 2024–2027 and provide recommendations to strengthen implementation during the remaining period.The evaluation is expected to be conducted primarily remotely with possible field visits subject to security conditions and to be agreed with Geneva Call.2. RFP CalendarThe timeline for the RFP process is below. While we do not anticipate any changes to this timeline, Geneva Call reserves the right to adjust the timeline as needed.Action* RFP Issue Date: 12 March 2026 * Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: 10 April 2026 * Vendor Selection Anticipated Date: 16-24 April 2026Start date of operational services: Late April – early of July 20263. Proposal Submission AddressPlease divide the offer into two separate proposals, being the financial proposal and the technical proposal to the address below no later than 10 April 2026.Geneva Call47 chemin de la Chevillarde, CH-1224 Chêne-Bougeries Geneva – SwitzerlandAnd/or to the following email address:* The financial proposal can be sent to: [email protected]. * The technical proposal can be sent to: [email protected]. Bid ValidityProposals are expected to be binding for a period of ninety (90) days from the published response date. Please see RFP attached for more details.5. RFP Terms & Conditions1. The Request for Proposals is not and shall not be considered an offer by Geneva Call. 2. All responses must be received on or before the date and time indicated on the RFP. 3. All proposals will be considered binding offers. Prices proposed must be valid for entire period provided by the respondent. 4. All awards will be subject to Geneva Call’s contractual terms and conditions and contingent on the availability of donor funding. 5. Geneva Call reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal or cancel the solicitation process at any time and shall have no liability to the proposing organisations submitting proposals for such rejection or cancellation of the request for proposals. 6. Geneva Call reserves the right to accept all or part of the proposal when award is provided. 7. All information provided by Geneva Call in this RFP is offered in good faith. Individual items are subject to change at any time, and all bidders will be provided with notification of any changes. Geneva Call is not responsible or liable for any use of the information submitted by bidders or for any claims asserted therefrom. 8. Geneva Call reserves the right to require any bidder to enter into a non-disclosure agreement. 9. The bidders are solely obligated to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by bidder or any third parties, in connection with the Response. All responses and supporting documentation shall become the property of Geneva Call, subject to claims of confidentiality in respect of the response and supporting documentation, which have been clearly marked confidential by the bidder.6. Attachments* Annex I Request for Proposal minimum requirementsANNEX IREQUEST FOR PROPOSAL1. Scope and requirementsLocation: Remote with possible field visits subject to security conditions and to be agreed with Geneva Call.Type: Consultancy contractDuration: The evaluation will be conducted over a maximum of 45 working days.Estimated start date: late April 2026Estimated date for final report submission: No later than 15 July 2026INTRODUCTION: Geneva Call’s mission is to improve the protection of civilians in armed conflict by promoting respect among armed groups and de facto (AGDAs) or provisional authorities for international humanitarian norms and principles. To achieve this, we engage with AGDAs or provisional authorities to raise their awareness of international humanitarian norms and principles and encourage them to comply with these standards by signing Deeds of Commitment and implementing tools to ensure compliance with humanitarian norms and principles.Since its establishment more than two decades ago, Geneva Call has developed a distinct engagement model based on dialogue, context-sensitive methodologies, and support for internal accountability and monitoring mechanisms within AGDAs. The organisation’s strategy is grounded in the assumption that durable behavioural change can be achieved through sustained engagement and the institutionalisation of humanitarian norms. This approach is intended to contribute to improved protection outcomes for civilians, particularly women, children, and marginalised groups most at risk in contemporary armed conflicts.Geneva Call’s four-year strategy for 2024–2027 is designed to keep the organisation nimble, agile, and responsive to the increasingly complex humanitarian challenges of today’s world. The strategy is currently being implemented through four general strategic objectives that aim to 1) champion the application of international humanitarian law; 2) prioritise the protection of civilians in armed conflict, particularly women, children, and marginalised groups most at risk; 3) cultivate the universality of humanitarian norms and principles; and 4) respond to growing operational imperatives with a balanced, strategic approach and secured resources.OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THE MID-TERM EVALUATION: After two years of implementation, and within the framework of its current agreement with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Geneva Call plans to conduct an external mid-term evaluation of its Strategic Plan 2024–2027. The evaluation will assess progress to date and identify any adjustments required for the remaining implementation period.It will also examine the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of Geneva Call’s interventions in line with the OECD DAC evaluation criteria. The evaluation will place particular emphasis on generating forward-looking and practical recommendations to strengthen performance during the remaining implementation period.2. Scope of Work:KEY EVALUATION CRITERIA AND QUESTIONSThe evaluation criteria and key evaluation questions outlined below are indicative and may be refined through discussions between Geneva Call and the external evaluator(s).Effectiveness:* To what extent is the Strategic Plan on track to achieve its intended strategic objectives and outcomes at mid-point? * How effectively is the organization adapting implementation to achieve results in changing contexts?Relevance:* To what extent are the Strategic Plan’s priorities responsive to the evolving protection needs and risks faced by affected populations, particularly women, children, and marginalised groups?Efficiency:* How efficiently are financial, human, and operational resources allocated and utilised in alignment with strategic priorities and in relation to the achievement of intended results? * To what extent do implementation modalities and internal processes enable the timely and cost-effective delivery of results?Impact:* What significant changes in practices, policies, or internal systems among AGDAs can be identified at mid-point of implementation? * What evidence exists to estimate the scale of populations directly or indirectly benefiting from these changes?Coherence:* How coherent is the Strategic Plan with global protection approaches and peer interventions in the humanitarian sector? * To what extent are strategic objectives, priorities, and approaches consistently reflected in country level strategies and operations?Sustainability:* To what extent are Geneva Call’s interventions contributing to sustainable protection outcomes, including through the strengthening of local actors’ and partners’ capacity to maintain and advance protection efforts beyond Geneva Call’s direct engagement?Cross-Cutting:* What strategic adjustments are required for the remaining implementation period to maximize results by the end of the Strategic Plan?SPECIFIC TASKS OF THE EVALUATION TEAMThe evaluation team will undertake the following tasks, which may be refined during the inception phase:* Prepare an inception report detailing the evaluation methodology, including the evaluation matrix and analytical framework aligned with the OECD DAC criteria, as well as the approach to assessing and, where feasible, estimating the scale of populations benefiting from observed changes to which Geneva Call has contributed. The inception report will also specify whether any field visits are proposed, subject to security conditions and agreement with Geneva Call. * Conduct a desk review of relevant internal documentation and secondary data sources and collect qualitative and quantitative data at global and country levels, using appropriate methods to ensure triangulation of findings. * Where feasible and agreed with Geneva Call, undertake in country data collection through field visits, subject to security and access considerations. * Assess the Strategic Plan against the evaluation criteria and key questions outlined in Section 3, including: * Progress towards intended objectives and the organisation’s ability to adapt to changing contexts. * The relevance of strategic priorities to protection risks and affected populations. * The efficiency of resource allocation, implementation modalities, and internal processes. * Evidence of behavioural, institutional, or policy changes among AGDAs and the estimated scale of populations benefiting. * Coherence with global protection approaches and alignment between Geneva Call’s global strategy and country level operations. * The sustainability of results, including partnerships with local actors and the strengthening of their capacities. * Provide clear and actionable recommendations to inform adjustments during the remaining implementation period. * Submit draft and final evaluation reports and present findings for validation with Geneva Call.METHODOLOGYThe evaluation will be conducted primarily remotely and will adopt a mixed methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative data. Subject to security conditions and agreement with Geneva Call, selected field visits may be undertaken to complement remote data collection. The detailed design, tools, evaluation matrix, and sampling strategy will be presented in the inception report and agreed with Geneva Call prior to data collection.Evaluation DesignThe evaluation will be grounded in the Strategic Plan 2024–2027 results framework and its underlying theory of change (ToC), particularly the assumptions related to changes in practices, policies, and internal systems among AGDAs. As a mid-term evaluation, it will assess progress to date against intended objectives and outcomes and identify areas requiring adjustment during the remaining implementation period.The analysis will be structured around the OECD DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.In addition to serving as a reference framework, the Geneva Call’s ToC will be applied as an analytical tool. The evaluation will test the logical coherence of the causal pathways linking Geneva Call’s engagement with AGDAs to intended behavioural and policy changes. It will assess the validity of key assumptions across different conflict environments and operational contexts.Recognizing that changes in the practices, policies, and internal systems of AGDAs are shaped by broader political, conflict, and operational dynamics beyond Geneva Call’s direct control, a contribution-oriented approach will be applied to the assessment of effectiveness and impact. The evaluator(s) will assess the plausibility of Geneva Call’s contribution to observed changes, examine alternative explanations and analyse relevant contextual factors.The analysis will further examine whether the current ToC adequately captures all major dimensions of Geneva Call’s work, including advocacy at international and regional levels, engagement with influential actors, and the linkages between advocacy efforts and field level change. It will assess whether the four conflict phases, high intensity conflict, active armed conflict, protracted low intensity conflict, and transition toward stabilisation, are sufficiently reflected in the change pathways. Findings will inform recommendations to refine and strengthen the current ToC.The evaluator(s) will assess the adequacy, coherence, and reliability of the organisational results framework, strategic KPIs, and monitoring systems, and consistency of reporting to determine the robustness of reported progress and the extent to which monitoring informs adaptive management.The evaluation will also assess the alignment between the ToC, the Strategic Plan results framework, Geneva Call’s advocacy efforts, and operational programming, to determine whether strategic intent is consistently translated into measurable outcomes.Data Collection MethodsData collection will be conducted fully remotely and will draw on multiple sources to ensure triangulation and analytical robustness. Where field visits are agreed and feasible, in person interviews, site visits, and direct observation may complement remote methods. The specific methods and sampling approach will be further discussed and agreed upon between the evaluator(s) and Geneva Call during the inception phase.Indicative methods may include:* A comprehensive desk review of strategic documents, quarterly and annual KPI progress reports, results frameworks, monitoring data, financial reports, prior evaluations, and relevant policy and guidance documents. This will include specific review of the ToC, advocacy strategy and activities, and any available evidence related to international and regional policy influence. * Secondary analysis of monitoring data, indicator tracking systems, and other available quantitative evidence related to outputs, outcomes, and reach. Where feasible, the evaluator(s) will analyse trends over time and assess the internal consistency and reliability of reported outcome data. * Semi structured virtual interviews with Geneva Call staff at headquarters and country offices, including members of the Directorate, senior management at HQ and country levels, programme staff, and relevant support functions. * Remote consultations with external stakeholders, including selected donors, partners and other relevant interlocutors, where feasible and appropriate. Where relevant, interviews will also explore perceptions of Geneva Call’s advocacy influence and its contribution to AGDAs’ behavioural change. * Application of the Most Significant Change method, either partially or in full depending on feasibility and access. Findings will be triangulated with other data sources.Sampling will be purposive to ensure representation across thematic priorities, geographic contexts, and functional areas.Given the remote modality, the evaluator(s) will apply systematic triangulation across sources and …