CIVIL SOCIETY BUDGET ADVOCACY GROUP

Terms Of Reference

End of Project Evaluation and Impact Video Documentation

Strengthening Public Accountability and Investment in Education (SPAIE) Project

1. BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW

1.1 About CSBAG and the Consortium

The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) is a coalition formed in 2004 to bring together civil society organisations (CSOs) at national and district levels to influence Government decisions on resource mobilisation, allocation, and utilisation for equitable and sustainable development. CSBAG’s Vision is ‘a Uganda with a people-centred budget that dignifies humanity’, with a Mission ‘to work towards ensuring that resource mobilisation, allocation, and utilisation is inclusive for a transformed Uganda.

CSBAG (Lead Implementing Partner), together with the Initiative of Social and Economic Rights (ISER) and the Uganda Society for Disabled Children (USDC), is implementing the three-year Strengthening Public Accountability and Investment in Education (SPAIE) Project (January 2024 – December 2026), funded by Education Out Loud (EOL) / Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The project operates at the national level and in three local governments: Namayingo (Eastern Uganda), Yumbe (Northern Uganda), and Sheema (Western Uganda).

1.2 Consortium Partner Roles

Each consortium member brings complementary expertise to the project:

• CSBAG leads education sector budget monitoring and expenditure tracking, policy advocacy to shape education sector budget-making processes, and advocacy for increased financing for the education sector.
• ISER leads on enhancing the capacities of social accountability structures at the local government level to improve governance and accountability, and conducts legal, institutional, and policy audits on school governance and accountability.
• USDC ensures the inclusion of marginalised groups — including girls, children with disabilities, refugees, and children from poor backgrounds — throughout project implementation, and champions community-based approaches to promote enrolment and retention of children with disabilities.

1.3 Project Objectives and Outcomes

The project is structured around four specific objectives and corresponding outcomes:

Objective 1: Citizen and Government Engagement for Equitable Budget Allocation
Outcome 1.1: Improved responsiveness of duty bearers towards citizens’ demands on financing equitable education in Uganda.

Objective 2: Functionality of Social Accountability Mechanisms
Outcome 2.1: By 2026, the capacity of social accountability mechanisms in Namayingo, Yumbe, and Sheema will be built to foster equitable learning for all children.

Objective 3: Citizen-Generated Data for SDG 4 Tracking
Outcome 3.1: Improved generation and use of Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) to complement government data in education planning and policy processes by 2026.

Objective 4: Social Inclusion and Gender Equality in Education
Outcome 4.1: Improved access to an inclusive and equitable education system for all children, especially children with disabilities (CWDs), pregnant girls, and other vulnerable populations.
Outcome 4.2: Capacity and knowledge of stakeholders to advocate for gender equality and social inclusion in education service delivery strengthened.

2. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a comprehensive End of Project Evaluation of the project and produce an Impact Video Documentary that visually captures key results, outcomes, and beneficiary experiences.

This assignment, therefore, combines:

• A rigorous evaluation study to assess project performance, outcomes, and learning; and
• A visual documentation component (impact video) to communicate project results in a compelling and accessible format.

As the SPAIE programme approaches its conclusion in December 2026, CSBAG is commissioning an end-of-project evaluative documentation exercise integrating both narrative and video documentation. The assignment serves the following interlinked purposes:

1. To document and showcase key achievements, outcomes, and transformative changes generated by the SPAIE project in improving equitable access to education, particularly for girls, children with disabilities (CWDs), refugees, pregnant girls, adolescent mothers, and other marginalised learners at national and sub-national levels.
2. To generate credible and evidence-based written and video documentation on the project’s contribution to strengthening education financing, gender-responsive budgeting, governance, accountability, and social inclusion within Uganda’s education sector.
3. To document evidence of behavioural, institutional, policy, and community-level changes resulting from the project interventions, particularly in advancing gender equality, disability inclusion, accountability, and equitable learning outcomes in public primary education in Yumbe, Namayingo, and Sheema districts.
4. To produce compelling impact stories, testimonies, photographs, and visual evidence that amplify the voices and lived experiences of marginalised learners, caregivers, community champions, and other stakeholders, demonstrating the project’s contribution to inclusive and equitable education in Uganda.
5. To enable the SPAIE consortium and the Education Out Loud (EOL) partnership to reflect on programme performance, including key achievements, successes, challenges, lessons learned, and emerging good practices at both national and sub-national levels.
6. To generate strategic, operational, and programmatic recommendations to inform future programming, partnerships, advocacy initiatives, and institutional learning within the consortium and the Education Out Loud partnership.
7. To fulfil donor accountability, learning, and reporting requirements for Education Out Loud (EOL) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The end-of-project Evaluation documentation is designed to include both Evaluation and Impact video documentation.

2.1 Evaluation Objectives

The evaluation will:

• Assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of the project
• Examine progress against planned outputs and outcomes
• Generate lessons learned and recommendations to inform future programming
• Respond to the End of Project Learning (EOL) questions

2.2 Impact Video Documentation Objectives

The video documentation will:

• Capture key project achievements and change stories
• Highlight beneficiary voices and experiences
• Visually communicate impact to stakeholders and partners
• Complement the evaluation findings with real-life narratives

3. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

3.1 Geographic Scope

The assignment will cover both the national level and three sub-national districts of project implementation:

Level	Target Entities / Locations
National Level	Parliament Education Committee Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) National Council for Disabled Persons (NCPD) Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Technical Working Groups/Sector Working Groups engaged in. Like-minded CSOs engaged with Alliance members are implementing the project.
Namayingo District (Eastern Uganda)	Mutumba Sub-County: Lugaga Primary School, Buchimo Primary School Buswale Sub-County: Namihinya Primary School, Namayuge Primary School School Governance – SMC, Two Sub-County Chiefs DEO, District planner, District Chairperson, District Planning Unit District Disability Council
Sheema District (Western Uganda)	Shuuku Town Council: Shuuku Primary School, Nyamabare Primary School Kigarama Sub-County: Nshongi Primary School, Kamurinda Primary School School Governance – SMC, Two Sub-County Chiefs DEO, District planner, Inspector of schools, District Planning Unit District Disability Council
Yumbe District (Northern Uganda)	Kei Sub-County: Kei Primary School, Kanabu Primary School Odravo Sub-County: Abiriamajo Primary School, Kumina Primary School School Governance – SMC, Two Sub-County Chiefs, LC III chairpersons, Senior District Education Officer, District planner, District Planning Unit, District Disability Council

3.2 Thematic Scope

The assignment shall cover all four project objectives and outcomes as defined in the approved project logical framework, with emphasis on:

• Performance against the Project Indicator Monitoring Report (IMR) targets as of the end of the project.
• Education financing and budgeting, including citizen participation, budget monitoring, influence on resource allocation, and responsiveness of government to citizen demands on education service delivery at both the national and sub-national levels.
• Effectiveness and Impact of social accountability mechanisms (SMCs, NCPD structures, PBCs, Child Rights Clubs).
• Functionality of Citizen-Generated Data hub.
• Gender equality and social inclusion outcomes for girls, children with disabilities, refugees, and other marginalised groups.
• The role and added value of the consortium model in achieving project results.

The Impact video documentation should specifically demonstrate:

• Improvements in citizen participation in education planning, budgeting, and accountability processes;
• Influence on equitable education financing, budget prioritisation, and resource allocation;
• Progress in implementation of gender and equity commitments within education sector budgeting and service delivery;
• Functionality and effectiveness of social accountability structures, including School Management Committees (SMCs), Participatory Budget Clubs (PBCs), NCPD structures, and Child Rights Clubs;
• Increased responsiveness of duty bearers towards girls, children with disabilities, and other vulnerable learners;
• Use of citizen-generated data and evidence to influence education policy, planning, budgeting, and accountability processes at both local and national levels.

4. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND QUESTIONS

The documentation will apply the OECD DAC evaluation criteria as a framework for assessing project performance. The evaluation questions below guide the scope of inquiry.

DAC Criterion	Key Evaluation Guiding Questions
Relevance	To what extent did the project Theory of Change align with key education financing and accountability issues at national and local levels? To what extent did the programme design respond to the needs of targeted communities and country-level policy and budgeting processes?
Effectiveness	To what extent have the project results addressed the pressing needs of citizens or contributed to the desired policy change or addressed the identified policy gaps? To what extent were the programme strategies and activities effective in producing the desired results? How did citizens using Project SPAIE’s alliance and PBC approaches engage in and influence budget processes?
Coherence & Partnership	To what extent has collaboration between the consortium partners (CSBAG, ISER, USDC) created added value?
Impact	What have been the main outcome results achieved at end-line in relation to the project Theory of Change? Did the programme contribute to its planned development impact? In what ways? What long-term changes have resulted, including positive or negative unintended effects? Government responsiveness to the demands of citizens. What unintended outcomes (positive and negative) emerged from project implementation?
Sustainability	What steps were taken to build local capacity and ownership to sustain and/or scale outcomes? What mechanisms have been put in place by local authorities and the community to sustain the project’s impact beyond project scope?
Efficiency	Were the resources (financial, human, time) used in the most cost-effective way to achieve the outputs and outcomes? What implementation challenges affected efficient delivery, and how were they overcome?

4.1 Education Out Loud Learning Questions

In addition to the DAC criteria, the evaluation documentation shall integrate the following three EOL-specific learning questions as an integral part of the final report:

Learning Question 1: Civil Society Reach

What was the extent of civil society’s reach under the OC2 project?

• How many civil society organisations/groups did the OC2 project reach? (Specify type: CSO members, formal CSOs/CBOs, CSO networks, youth networks, etc.)
• To what extent were these organisations represented primarily as beneficiaries, or as actors in social accountability processes?

Learning Question 2: Alliance Contribution to Outcomes

How has the alliance of organisations implementing the OC2 project contributed to the outcomes of the project?

• Did the alliance members already have an established working relationship, or was the alliance formed to apply for the OC2 grant?
• Has the composition of the alliance had any significance in achieving the project results?
• Has the composition of the alliance made a difference in reaching the marginalised groups that the project set out to reach?
• Is there anything you would do differently in terms of the alliance composition if seeking similar funding in the future?

Learning Question 3: EOL Learning Initiatives

Have EOL learning efforts made any difference to the OC2 alliance organisations?

• Are there any changed practices, approaches, behaviours, or systems in the organisations that can be attributed to participation in EOL learning initiatives (learning collaboratives, training, action research, learning events)?
• Which learning initiative was most effective for the organisation(s) and why?
• Has the organisation been able to institutionalise learning and reflective practice? At what level and how?

5. SPECIFIC TASKS FOR THE CONSULTANT

The successful consultant/firm is required to undertake the following specific tasks:

1. Conduct a comprehensive performance assessment to determine the level of achievement of the set indicators as per the project logical framework (Outputs, Outcomes, Specific Objective, and Overall Outcomes) in comparison with the baseline report and the approved Project Indicator Monitoring Report (IMR) targets.
2. Document at least 10 impact stories and stories of change, aligned to the four project outcomes. These must be accompanied by high-quality, high-resolution, action-oriented photographs.
3. Document any unintended outcomes of the project, both positive and negative, for learning and to inform future programming.
4. Provide a clear analysis and documentation of the political and social context, and its possible impact on programme implementation.
5. Coordinate an inclusive, participatory, and learning process that allows SPAIE project members, stakeholders, and staff to reflect on what has worked well, what has not worked, and what should be scaled up.
6. Assess the extent to which citizens beyond CSO structures feel they are influencing the budgeting and planning processes in Uganda.
7. Produce a professional video documentary (not more than 10 minutes) capturing project highlights, beneficiary voices, field evidence, and key achievements. The video must be of broadcast quality and suitable for donor reporting and public communication.
8. Integrate the three EOL learning questions as an integral part of the narrative report (not as a separate annex), with a summary of reflections included in the executive summary.

6. DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

The assignment is expected to be completed within an agreed timeline of 25 working days.

The consultant is expected to provide a detailed work plan clearly outlining the proposed methodology, key interventions, deliverables, outputs, timelines, and responsibilities for both the evaluation and video documentation components of the assignment.

7. METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

The consultant is expected to employ a mixed-method, participatory approach that promotes inclusiveness, learning, and evidence-based analysis engagement with different stakeholders.

8. RESEARCH ETHICS

The evaluation consultant and documentation team must adhere to the following ethical principles throughout the assignment:

• Informed consent must be obtained from all participants, including parents or guardians for children.
• Participation is entirely voluntary; participants may withdraw at any time without consequence.
• Confidentiality and anonymity of respondents will be maintained throughout data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• No personally identifiable information shall be shared without the explicit consent of the participant.
• Child safeguarding standards must be strictly observed during all interactions involving children and young people; any child protection concerns must be reported immediately to the CSBAG project team.
• Data storage and management must comply with CSBAG’s data protection policy and applicable Ugandan law.
• Photographs and video footage of participants, especially children and persons with disabilities, require a signed consent form, which should be made available to parents whose children are under 18 years. (A separate form from CSBAG signed by the respondents or their representative, which shall be made available to the consultants for this purpose).
• The assignment must be conducted with respect for cultural norms, gender sensitivity, and inclusion of the most marginalised voices.

9. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONSULTANT / CONSULTANCY FIRM

9.1 Qualifications and Experience

The team should consist of a lead consultant supported by data collectors with relevant experience. The lead consultant must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• A master’s degree in education, Economics, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Monitoring and Evaluation, or a related field.
• A minimum of 15 years of demonstrated experience working in the field of policy advocacy, civil society strengthening, or education governance.
• Proven track record in designing and implementing qualitative evaluation or documentation studies across multiple districts in Uganda.
• Good understanding of Gender and Disability inclusion programming.
• Strong experience with participatory research methods, including KIIs, FGDs, outcome harvesting, and community-level engagement.
• Demonstrated expertise in education sector budget analysis, public finance management, or social accountability, or a team member with this expertise.
• Considerable experience with CSO capacity strengthening and civic engagement programmes is an added advantage.
• Strong analytical skills with qualitative data.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and report-writing skills; fluency in English required; knowledge of local languages spoken in Yumbe, Namayingo, and Sheema is an added advantage.
• Ability to produce high-quality work under tight timeframes and work collaboratively with multiple individuals and groups.

9.2 Video Production Requirements

The team must include or engage a professional videographer with:

• Demonstrated experience in documentary or development communication video production.
• A portfolio of previous work in the development or NGO sector.
• Professional-grade equipment capable of capturing broadcast-quality footage.

10. MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISION

The SPAIE End of Project Documentation will be managed as follows:

• The consultant/firm will report directly to the Executive Director of CSBAG for this assignment.
• The consultant will maintain a close technical working relationship with the CSBAG MEAL Specialist.
• A Consortium End of Project Documentation Management Technical Team — comprising representatives from CSBAG, ISER, and USDC — will provide overall input and quality assurance during the process.
• The consulting team is entitled to consult all stakeholders relevant to the assignment but is not permitted to make any commitments on behalf of the SPAIE consortium.

11. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

• Only financial proposals quoted in Uganda Shillings (UGX) will be accepted.
• The financial proposal must include a detailed budget breakdown covering professional fees (daily rates for all team members), travel costs, accommodation, research assistant fees, data collection costs, video production costs, and any other relevant expenses.
• Payment will be linked to the submission and approval of deliverables as specified in this TOR.

12. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR THE PROPOSALS

Technical quality is evaluated based on the following grid:

Criteria	Maximum
Understanding of ToR and the aim of the services to be provided	20
Technical approach and methodology	35
Consultant qualifications and competences – Experience in executing similar assignments	20
Work breakdown, including specific timelines	10
Budget	15
OVERALL TOTAL SCORE	100

13. HOW TO APPLY

CSBAG invites proposals from qualified individual consultants and consultancy firms. Interested applicants must submit a complete application comprising both technical and financial proposals.

The technical proposal should include a cover letter demonstrating understanding of the assignment, a detailed methodology outlining how narrative and video documentation will be integrated, a proposed work plan and timeline, CVs of all proposed team members (including the lead consultant, Data collectors, and videographer), and evidence from at least two previous clients for similar assignments with references.

The financial proposal should include an itemised budget in UGX covering all costs associated with the assignment, as well as a proposed payment schedule linked to deliverables.

Submission Details

Applications should be submitted via email to hr@csbag.org, addressed to the Executive Director of the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG). The submission must include an application letter, updated CVs, technical and financial proposals (provided as separate PDF documents), and references for similar work previously undertaken. The email subject line should clearly state “End of Project Evaluation and Impact Video Documentation.”

The deadline for submission is 15th June 2026 at 5:00 PM East Africa Time; late submissions will not be considered.

CSBAG is located at Plot 11 Vubya Close, Ntinda-Stretcher Road, Kampala, Uganda (P.O. Box 660, Ntinda, Kampala). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.