Independent Application Evaluator Announcement for the Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management Project

Project Title: Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management

Position Title: Independent Evaluator for the “Sub-Grant Program for Reducing Disaster Risk for CSOs” within the Project Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management

Contract Number: IPA III/2023/442-877 / Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Disaster Risk Management

Background and Purpose

The project, Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management, is a grant project implemented by the Civil Society Development Center (STGM) with the support of the European Commission. The project was developed and implemented in line with the goals and priorities of the European Union's call, "Civil Society Instrument and Media 2021-2023: Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society in Disaster Risk Management in Turkey." This call specifically aims to support CSOs working in disaster risk management and improve the capacity of all CSOs in this field.

In line with these goals, the project aims to enhance the capacity of CSOs in Turkey to prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters. As a result of the support provided through project activities, the project aims to help CSOs adopt international standards in disaster risk management, incorporate disaster risk management into their institutional policies, increase cooperation in this field, and, therefore, respond to future disasters more effectively, in a coordinated and principled manner.

STGM will act as the Contracting Authority for the Project Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management (ARY) and will be responsible for the administrative, financial, and technical implementation of the program. The evaluation process of the applications submitted to the program will also be managed by STGM. To ensure that the most suitable applications are selected according to the program's predetermined evaluation criteria and that the evaluation process is carried out in a quality, accurate, and consistent manner, independent evaluators will be hired to support the Contracting Authority.

Required Qualifications for Evaluators:

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree,
• At least 10 years of professional work experience,
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in civil society and/or in the field of social/political sciences,
• At least 3 years of experience in EU grant projects and technical assistance projects,

The following qualifications are preferred:

• Having participated as an evaluator in at least two previous grant programs aimed at civil society,
• Experience in the administrative and financial management and/or institutional development of associations, foundations, or cooperatives,
• Experience in the evaluation processes of grant programs aimed at rights-based civil society organizations,
• Experience in Disaster Risk Management and knowledge of related initiatives in Turkey.

Evaluator Commitment

Independent evaluators whose applications are accepted will sign a “Declaration of Impartiality and Confidentiality” in addition to their contract with STGM. In this declaration, the independent evaluators will confirm that they will act impartially during the evaluation and selection stages of the applications, that they are not directly or indirectly connected with any civil society organization submitting an application, and that they have not participated in or supported the preparation of any application. If there is any development that may compromise their impartiality, evaluators must immediately inform STGM. Furthermore, independent evaluators must declare that they will keep all information and documents obtained during the evaluation process confidential and will not share them with third parties.

Duties and Responsibilities of the Evaluator

During various stages of the evaluation process, the responsibilities of the evaluator are outlined as follows: 

Evaluation Phase 2 (Evaluation of applications and shortlisting): Independent evaluators will evaluate and report on the technical and financial aspects of the applications submitted within the framework of “Supporting the Capacity of Civil Society Organizations in Disaster Risk Management Project (ARY) Component 2 ‘Sub-Grant Program for Reducing Disaster Risk for CSOs’ according to the evaluation guide to be provided by the Contracting Authority and the evaluation table published in the program application guide.

Each application must be evaluated independently by both an external and an internal evaluator.

The evaluation results and prepared evaluation forms will serve as the primary reference for the Evaluation Committee when selecting the most suitable applications for the shortlist.

Independent evaluators may be required to consult with the Evaluation Committee and provide information about the evaluation process when necessary.

Detailed information about the steps in the evaluation process, the fundamental principles, and the method to be used will be included in the Evaluation Guide and its annexes, which will be provided to the evaluators.

Timeline and Location of the Evaluation

The evaluation of written applications will be conducted online using digital tools. Independent evaluators are expected to work remotely during this stage. However, evaluators may be invited to attend in-person meetings at the STGM office on dates determined by the Contracting Authority and/or the Evaluation Committee.

Payment and Reports Submitted by Evaluators

Evaluators are required to prepare a digital evaluation report for each application they assess.

After the completion of the designated work, the evaluator must submit a time sheet to STGM for approval. Once the time sheet is approved, payments will be processed within one week. To report one full working day on the time sheet, at least three evaluations must be completed. The specific working conditions and mutual legal obligations between STGM and the evaluator will be outlined in the contract attached to the job description.