Final Evaluation Consultant/ Consultancy Firm

“Empowering University Students for Political Modernization: A Path Forward (Modernization G)”

Implementing Organization: Politics and Society Institute (PSI)
Donor: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Amman
Project Duration: 21 months
Geographical Scope: 10 Jordanian universities
Evaluation Duration: 20 working days / 4 weeks
Assignment: Final Evaluation
Contractor: Individual Consultant or Consultancy Firm

Background:

Politics and Society Institute (PSI) implemented the project “Empowering University Students for Political Modernization: A Path Forward (Modernization G)”, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Amman.

The project aimed to contribute to reviving partisan and political activism within Jordanian universities and supporting the meaningful inclusion of university students in Jordan’s political modernization process.

The project targeted student movements and unions in 10 universities across Jordan’s three regions and focused on five main areas:

1. Assessing the current conditions and ecosystem of student movements and unions.
2. Strengthening the leadership, advocacy and political participation capacities of university students.
3. Promoting dialogue between students, political parties, university administrations and decision-makers.
4. Supporting students to conduct research on political participation and reform.
5. Promoting national, regional and international policy dialogue on issues relevant to Jordan.

Key interventions included an analytical study, capacity-building workshops, university open days, student-led initiatives and campaigns, dialogue sessions, a conference, student research activities, and policy dialogue seminars.

Project Theory of Change:

The project was based on the assumption that: If student movements and unions are assessed and their leaders are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to understand political reform and strengthen their movements, then student movements will become stronger actors in political and partisan engagement within universities, because youth and student engagement is important for the development of sustainable political party work.

Purpose of the Evaluation:

The purpose of the final evaluation is to provide an independent assessment of the project’s achievements, outcomes, effectiveness and sustainability, and to identify lessons and recommendations for future PSI programming on youth political participation and political modernization.

The evaluation will assess not only whether activities were implemented, but also what changed as a result of the project, for whom, why, and to what extent the project contributed to these changes.

Objectives of the Evaluation:

The evaluation will:

1. Assess the relevance and appropriateness of the project design and interventions.
2. Assess the achievement of planned outputs and outcomes.
3. Assess changes in students’ knowledge, skills, leadership and political engagement.
4. Assess the extent to which the project strengthened student movements and their engagement with the wider university community.
5. Assess the project’s contribution to dialogue between student movements, political parties, universities and decision-makers.
6. Assess the results of the student research and policy dialogue components.
7. Assess the sustainability of project results and relationships.
8. Examine the validity of the project’s Theory of Change and key assumptions.
9. Identify lessons learned, good practices and recommendations for future programming.

Key Evaluation Questions:

The evaluator should address the following key questions:

Relevance and Design:

• To what extent did the project respond to the needs of university students and student movements?
• Was the project design appropriate to the political and institutional context of Jordanian universities?
• Was the Theory of Change realistic and appropriate?

Effectiveness and Outcomes:

• To what extent were the planned outputs and outcomes achieved?
• What changes occurred in students’ knowledge, leadership, advocacy and political participation capacities?
• To what extent did student movements become more visible and engaged with students?
• Did student-led initiatives contribute to increased political engagement?
• To what extent did the project strengthen relationships and dialogue between students, political parties and university administrations?

Research and Policy Dialogue:

• To what extent did students develop and apply research and policy analysis skills?
• Were student research findings effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders?
• Did project-supported policy dialogues contribute to broader discussions on political reform and issues relevant to Jordan?

Sustainability and Contribution:

• Which project results, capacities and relationships are likely to continue after project completion?
• What evidence exists that the project contributed to longer-term changes in student political engagement?
• Which external factors influenced the achievement of results?
• What unintended positive or negative results emerged?

Learning:

• Which project strategies worked particularly well, and why?
• Which approaches should PSI continue, modify or scale up?
• What recommendations should inform future youth political participation and political modernization programming?

Scope of the Evaluation:

The evaluation will cover the full 21-month implementation period and all five project objectives.

The evaluation should include, as appropriate, the perspectives of:

• students participating in the project;
• student movements and unions;
• students reached through open days and initiatives;
• university administrations and Deans of Student Affairs;
• political party representatives;
• academics and researchers;
• policymakers and decision-makers; and
• PSI project staff and relevant partners.

The evaluator should consider differences among the 10 universities and three geographic regions and identify relevant contextual factors.

The evaluation should assess both intended and unintended results.

Methodology:

The consultant/consultancy firm is expected to propose a mixed-method and participatory evaluation approach.

At minimum, the methodology should include:

• Desk review of project documents, monitoring data, training reports, analytical study, research outputs, policy papers and other relevant materials.
• Review of project results against the approved objectives, outcomes, outputs and indicators.
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with selected students, student movement leaders, university representatives, political party representatives, academics, policymakers and PSI staff.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with selected project participants, where appropriate.
• Participant survey, where feasible, to assess changes in knowledge, skills, confidence and political engagement.
• Analysis of pre/post assessment data, where available.
• Assessment of the Theory of Change and its underlying assumptions.
• Triangulation of findings across different data sources.

Because political participation is influenced by multiple factors, the evaluator should assess the project’s contribution to observed changes, rather than assume direct attribution.

All data collection should follow appropriate principles of confidentiality, informed consent, voluntary participation and protection of participants, particularly given the politically sensitive nature of the project.

Main Tasks:

The consultant/consultancy firm will be responsible for:

1. Reviewing project documentation and monitoring data.
2. Developing an inception report and evaluation matrix.
3. Developing and finalizing data collection tools.
4. Designing the sampling strategy.
5. Conducting KIIs, FGDs and/or participant surveys.
6. Assessing achievement of outputs and outcomes.
7. Assessing changes in student capacities, political engagement and student movements.
8. Assessing the project’s Theory of Change and contribution to results.
9. Assessing sustainability and unintended results.
10. Identifying lessons learned and good practices.
11. Developing practical and prioritized recommendations.
12. Presenting preliminary findings to PSI.
13. Preparing and submitting the final evaluation report.

Expected Deliverables:

1. Inception Report: Including:
2. evaluation methodology;
3. evaluation matrix;
4. sampling approach;
5. data collection tools;
6. work plan; and
7. key information requirements.
8. Data Collection Tools: Including relevant interview, FGD and survey tools.
9. Preliminary Findings Presentation: A presentation of key findings, conclusions and emerging recommendations.
10. Draft Evaluation Report: The report should include:
11. Executive Summary
12. Project Background
13. Evaluation Methodology and Limitations
14. Findings
15. Achievement of Outputs and Outcomes
16. Theory of Change Assessment
17. Sustainability
18. Lessons Learned
19. Conclusions
20. Recommendations
21. Annexes
22. Final Evaluation Report and Presentation: The final report should incorporate relevant factual feedback from PSI and provide clear, evidence-based conclusions and recommendations.

The evaluation should also include a results summary/scorecard showing the status of each project outcome as Achieved, Partially Achieved, Not Achieved, or Unable to Assess, with supporting evidence.

Indicative Work Plan:

The detailed schedule may be adjusted in consultation with PSI.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

The consultant or consultancy firm should demonstrate:

• Advanced degree in political science, public policy, social sciences, development studies, evaluation or a related field.
• At least 7 years of relevant experience in research, evaluation, governance, youth engagement, political participation or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience conducting evaluations of governance, democracy, youth, civil society or political participation projects.
• Strong experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods.
• Knowledge of the Jordanian political and institutional context.
• Experience working on youth political participation, political modernization, political parties or democratic governance is highly desirable.
• Excellent analytical and report-writing skills in English and Arabic.
• For consultancy firms, the proposal should clearly identify the lead evaluator and proposed team members.

Application Requirements:

Interested consultants/consultancy firms should submit:

1. Technical proposal, including proposed methodology and work plan.
2. Financial proposal.
3. CV(s) of proposed evaluator(s).
4. Relevant experience and examples of similar assignments.
5. References from previous clients.
6. Sample of a relevant previous evaluation/research report, where available.

Management, Confidentiality and Ownership:

The consultant/consultancy firm will report to the designated PSI focal point. PSI will facilitate access to relevant project documentation and stakeholders.

The evaluator shall maintain independence and impartiality throughout the assignment. All information collected during the evaluation shall be treated as confidential and used solely for the purpose of the evaluation.

All deliverables produced under the assignment shall remain the property of PSI unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Expected Use of the Evaluation:

The final evaluation will be used by PSI and its partners to:

• assess the overall performance and results of Modernization G;
• strengthen accountability to the donor and project stakeholders;
• identify successful approaches and lessons learned;
• improve future programming on youth political participation and political modernization; and
• inform the design of future interventions engaging university students, student movements, political parties and universities.

Submission Deadline:

All required documents should be submitted by [October 5^th ,2026] to [email protected] with the subject line: “Final Evaluation Consultant- Modernization G”