The overall objective of this assignment will be to develop a comprehensive M&E system for Small Enterprise Development Organization (SEDO) that will be endorsed by SEDO stakeholders and staff at both the central and regional levels. In the process, the Consultant will evaluate the effectiveness of the current M &E system in terms of its impact on monitoring progress, comparing actual to target, measuring efficiency, measuring input-output relationship, and input utilization.

A set of performance measures will be developed for monitoring objectives including how performance will be tracked using milestones and work schedules, and what impact SEDO programs should have on its beneficiaries. In this context, the two key characteristics that will be integrated in the updated M&E System that the Consultant will provide are:

the M&E system should ensure it is linked to and is an integral part of SEDO’s Project Cycle Management approach and.

the M&E system should be geared at measuring impact of SFD and SEDO interventions at the impact, outcome and output levels.

Type of services provided:

• Establish the purpose and scope of monitoring and evaluation by reviewing the existing M&E system and selected studies in SFD. Projected activities will include a kick-off meeting key staff and stakeholders, individual and group meetings, semi-structured interviews, and a review and discussion of sample M&E reports.

• Conduct a Situational analysis and a M&E Needs Assessment. The revision will include data collection methods, data analysis and reporting findings. Also, SEDO’s log frames; revising and identifying key performance indicators for M&E at all project levels;

• Revising and assessing information needs and interests of key stakeholders will be addressed under this section of the work plan.

• Develop a comprehensive M&E plan for SFD/SEDO

• Design a Capacity Development Plan

• Develop an appropriate SFD/SEDO MIS reporting system

• Conducting Research

• Focus group discussions

• Face to face interviews

• Observation

• Use of secondary information provided by SEDO

Sep. 06 - Apr. 07

UNDP

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are demand-oriented fellowship programmes designed to support organizational development. The NFP are funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budget for development cooperation. The overall aim of the NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled manpower and to do so within the framework of sustainable capacity-building directed towards reducing poverty in developing countries.

To maximize the fellowships’ impact on capacity-building, NFP-funded training must be linked to the development of organizations.

Under this program, NSCE has been commissioned two Training Needs Assessments assignments, one for the Desert Development Center (DDC) and the other one for the River Transport Authority (RTA).

The Desert Development Center is a non-profit, applied research institution established by the American University in Cairo in 1979.

The consultants provided the following:

• A description of the methodology used for carrying out the TNA.

• Developed TNA approach (in-depth interview questions, questionnaires, sampling etc.) applying proposed methodology

•  A comprehensive report

• Daily reports on fieldwork. These daily reports described the process (daily activities, problems faced, suggestions for improvement).

July – August 2006

NUFFIC

The Skills Development Project (SDP) is partially financed by a World Bank loan.  The SDP is carried out by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) over a four-year period (2004 – June 2008). The SDP is a pilot operation designed to stimulate and test a new mechanism for the financing of demand-driven and competitively provided training to Private Sector SMEs.  The project targets initially SMEs that employ between 10 – 500 employees (Textiles Sector SMEs employing up to 2,000 employees are exceptionally covered by the project) in any of the three targeted sectors of the economy; Construction, Manufacturing, and Tourism. 

The objective of NSCE assignment is to provide technical assistance to the Project Intermediaries to analyze the technical/vocational training needs of those eligible SMEs..

19 May 07 - 19 May 08

WB

Jan.- July 2005

Social Fund for Development (SFD)

NSCE in partnership with COSPE will implement and provide technical assistance and training activities to Wadi el Rayan Sustainable Rural Development Project – Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MOALR) as follows:

•  Institutional building for governorate officials, protected area representatives and agricultural cooperatives staff

• Capacity building for project staff and agricultural extension officers, CDAs members and individual farmers

• Credit facilities policies and procedures

• Marketing and fair trade

• Animal production and organic agriculture

•  Environment research and training

• In addition to technical assistance

Jan. – Dec. 2005

COSPE

This project comes under the umbrella of an Institutional Strengthening Program for the Ministry of Plan and Economic Development of Equatorial Guinea. NSCE has been contracted to identify the organizational requirements and training needs of the key human resources of the Ministry, and to develop a tailored training program so that the overall performance of the institution is enhanced. The final objective is to improve its capacity in managing the national development process throughout the key sectors of the Guinean economy and thus contribute to poverty alleviation. The project will focus on two main components. On the one hand, NSCE will conduct an institutional assessment in order to update and streamline the organizational structure and working procedures within the Ministry. On the other, NSCE will define a human resource development program for the key departments identified.

Feb. 2004-Jul. 2004

Specific tasks carried out  by NSCE: Regional evaluation services, Creation of a project to support the development of SMEs

February 2003

EU (The Commission of the European Union)

The project aims to develop commercially viable production of high quality cattle feed in Egypt, as well as to strengthen the Egyptian cattle-farming sector through the introduction of new technology and enhanced feeding programs. It also seeks to improve the transfer of knowledge and technology to the Egyptian cattle sector.

To achieve these objectives, the project aims to develop and introduce a commercially feasible production of high quality cattle feed through a sustainable and marketing network that effectively services both large and small-scale farmers.  The project is planning to install ten units of village feed mixing in the Western Delta region, to establish a specialized unit of “Extension and Marketing” and to improve a cattle feed production unit.

The main role of NSCE is to provide general project management and to assure the success and the smooth operation of the project activities.  NSCE also provides consultancy services and specific technical inputs in institutional development support, delivering specific training courses on business planning, marketing and management skills.    

October 2001 – April 2003

The Netherlands Embassy

NSCE is a member of a multi-disciplinary team in charge of the preparation of the national strategy for the eradication of poverty and exclusion, assigned the responsibility of reviewing the dimension, coverage of the poverty, the effectiveness of the national anti poverty program in term of gender, age and geographical location; analyzing the mechanism leading to exclusion and poverty and identifying the related institutional constraints; contributing to the preparation of the background documents and the national strategy for poverty reduction in general and more specifically in the development of an outreach capacity of the current institutional to reach the target group, mainstream gender and poverty in the national program, ensure an effective economic empowerment process through introduction of life skills,  entrepreneurship development and delivery of financial services to the marginalized and excluded groups.

Jul –Nov 2000

UNDP/World Bank

NSCE, on behalf of USAID and the Institute for International Education (IIE), has developed and implemented a three years training program, based on participatory workshops and forums, for the staff of nine small and micro enterprise organizations in Egypt. The Program responds to the need of increased learning and performance of the small and microenterprise organizations staff, both at organizational and at work unit level. The comprehensive training course aimed at assisting  SME support institutions to identify potential solutions for management and policy issues constraining SME development providers. The training concentrated on marketing, negotiation & communication skills to expand the outreach of the programs to women and marginalized groups. To provide the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) for the participants, NSCE developed a comprehensive participatory training program, addressing the needs of the target groups and their expected performance improvement results (PIRs). Transfer of knowledge and exchange of information on SME best practices were one of the objectives of the training sessions developed by NSCE.

1999 – 2000

IIE/ DT2 – USAID