UNICEF ECA Regional Office: “Short-Term National / International Institutional Consultancy to conduct a developmental evaluation of the of UNICEF ECD response to COVID-19”

Responses to the queries: With reference to the mentioned tender, there have been some queries from the bidders. Please find below the queries and their responses: 1. Could you confirm our understanding that the scope of the evaluation (both at the stage of desk research/mapping for all ECA countries and data collection for the 4 in-depth countries) entails only UNICEF-supported interventions, and not ECD interventions in these countries more broadly? That is correct. 2. If the scope of the study pertains to UNICEF-supported interventions only, we have some concerns whether seeking the contact details to the frontline workers to be surveys from the country governments is the most feasible and effective way to obtain these contact details. If the interventions to be studied and evaluated are UNICEF-supported, will UNICEF be able to support obtaining of the frontline workers’ contact details for the survey? UNICEF will be obtaining the contact information and supporting the coordination of the survey. 3. Do we understand correctly that primary data collection (including the surveys) meant to take place only in the four in-depth selected countries? If so, is there any specific purpose and scope that UNICEF envisages for the desk research to entail all 21 ECA countries, or is this something that should be proposed by the offerors? The desk review of the 21 ECA countries is for the regional synthesis. This analysis will be complemented by the in-depth country studies. The purpose remains the same. 4. Could you confirm our understanding that the cited ”inclusion criterion for the countries…” such as interest of COs to participate laid out in point 4 “Object and Scope of the evaluation” refers to the 4 in-depth countries already selected, and not to all ECA countries to be included in desk research? That is correct. Additionally, there is a possibility that of the 21 countries in the region, a few countries may have no UNICEF-support ECD interventions in response to COVID. In which case, that country will be excluded from the desk review. -Please be informed that UNICEF did not set a financial threshold in USD or TL to evaluate your company’s financial capability. Therefore, the nominal size of your balance sheet, either in USD or TL, will not be considered as a parameter for your financial evaluation. Please just make sure to submit your financial documents as certified by your company's financial advisor / external auditor, in the way described in the RFP document.

Closing date of this tender has been extended till 14th September 2020, Monday, 11:00 a.m. (Ankara time).