Tenders are invited for Evaluation of Danish Red Cross Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Closing Date: 10 Sep 2025 Type: Consultancy Background: Danish Red Cross (DRC) has been a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) partner for the Danish MFA since 2018, with the present agreement (the SPA II) for the period from 2022-2025/6, which is the focus of this evaluation. The overall purpose of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) SPA 2022-2025/6 is to contribute to the new strategy for Danish development cooperation The World We Share through dynamic and mutually reinforcing partnerships with independent Danish CSOs, guided by the strategic priorities set out in the strategy, namely: Democratic values and human rights: Support and strengthen democracy, human rights, independent civil societies and labor market framework conditions. Fragile contexts and displacement: Fight poverty and inequality, and reduce conflict fragility, displacement and irregular migration Climate and green solutions: Fight climate change and strengthen adaptation and resilience, and protect and restore nature, the environment and biodiversity The 20222025 SPA is a key partnership between DRC and the MFA. In 2022, the MFA and DRC entered a second SPA Agreement with an annual budget of DKK 154 million, complemented by top-up grants during the implementation of the SPA. In addition to the SPA, MFA supports both the IFRC and ICRC through the Danish Red Cross. 17 country programmes receive SPA funding, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Lebanon, Niger, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Ukraine, Syria, and Yemen. The SPA is being implemented in accordance with DRCs Strategic Partnership Application, the grant agreement signed between DRC and the MFA and the MFAs Administrative Guidelines. The strategic objectives and results framework of the MFA SPA 2022-2025 grant has been developed to reflect the outcomes and ambitions established in DRCs International Strategy 2022-25. The DRC International Strategy aims to achieve the three global breakthroughs: Healthy Lives: People live healthy lives and access quality essential health services Disasters Damage Fewer Lives: People anticipate, cope with, and recover from crises Included and Safe People: People are included and live safe, dignified, and active lives Purpose The overall purpose of the Evaluation of the SPA agreement between DRC and the Danish MFA is to provide a systematic assessment of DRCs ability to translate the SPA into strategic results and impact in accordance with MFA and DRC priorities and ambitions. The main audience of the strategic evaluation is DRCs management, including the international department management group and country managers. The evaluation will inform future decision-making regarding DRCs engagement with the Danish MFA on the SPA. As part of the overall evaluation purpose, the evaluation should have specific focus on assessing DRCs contribution and performance within i) essential and lifesaving health assistance, ii) epidemic preparedness and response and iii) localization/locally led action. Objectives In particular, the evaluation is expected to pursue the following three objectives: Assess the extent to which there is evidence that the MFA SPA interventions have contributed to delivering on DRC and MFA strategies and strategic ambitions Assess to what extent the use of the MFA SPA has been relevant and effective in achieving the objectives under the DRC SPA, including delivering on the needs of communities Generate in-depth evidence and practical insights on DRCs contributions within i) health in emergencies, ii) epidemic preparedness and response and iii) localisation and locally-led action Generate lessons learned and recommendations to inform future strategic cooperation between the Danish Red Cross and the Danish MFA Scope The scope of the evaluation covers all SPA-funded initiatives implemented or in implementation between the start of the SPA II in January 2022 and until June 2025. In conducting the evaluation, the consultants should take into consideration how the SPA II fit into the DRCs broader engagement which include significant funding from other sources. The evaluation will cover all operational engagements at regional and country level, including regular SPA 2022-2025 interventions, SPA top-up allocations and SPA flexible funding for emergency responses. The geographic scope of the evaluation will be all countries where DRC has had a SPA engagement in the period. Research questions The research questions below are intended to provide the analytical framework for the evaluation to succeed in delivering on the three objectives above. The research questions should be considered as indicative and will be elaborated and explored during the inception phase with the consultants. How well have the overall structure, theory of change, programme logic and operational framework of the SPA enabled DRC to deliver on the strategic objectives of DRC and the Danish MFA (as set out in the SPA and respective strategies)? To what extent is there evidence that DRC has been able to deliver on the strategic objectives? To what extent has the overall structure of the SPA been effectively translated to the country level, and are the theories of change/intervention logics/program designs effective in contributing to the strategic objectives? To what extent is there evidence that DRC has contributed to effectively meeting the needs of affected communities, and in which thematic and geographical areas are there stronger/weaker evidence? To what extent has results data, evidence and learning been used for strategic decision-making and adaptation at the management level throughout the SPA? To what extent has DRC succeeded in delivering on the ambition that people have access to essential and lifesaving health assistance in emergencies, fragile settings and protracted crises? To what extent has DRC succeeded in delivering on the ambition that people and communities are protected from and prepared for epidemics? To what extent has DRC succeeded in cultivating localisation and locally-led action? What lessons can be drawn from the current SPA implementation that can inform the future strategic cooperation between DRC and the Danish MFA? Evaluation Design, Methodology and Approach The evaluation is expected to use contribution analysis to develop a plausible, evidence-based narrative which answers the research questions set out above, with adequate validation process(es). The evidence-base will be collected using a mixed method approach that, for this evaluation, prioritizes extensive primary and secondary data sources as well as semi-structured interviews with key informants across the organisation and DRCs partner Sister National Societies. The consultants will undertake comprehensive reviews of primary and secondary sources relevant to DRCs SPA engagement, including desk review of country strategies, programme documents, thematic documents, monitoring data, evaluations/reviews, learning briefs, and pre-existing survey data if available. Surveys to staff may be considered. In addition, consultants are expected to conduct a significant number of semi-structured key informant interviews with different staff groups. Furthermore, consultations with key stakeholders on emerging findings and recommendations are expected as part of the process. The evaluation is generally expected to have a utilization-focused approach to ensure that the findings are relevant for organisational learning and action. DRC will, together with the consultants, prepare a detailed analysis framework and evaluation matrix which will guide the evaluation. A draft version will be shared with the consultants upon selection. The evaluation should be guided by professional and ethical standards in line with the IFRCs Evaluation Framework which sets out eight standards on: utility, feasibility, ethics and legality, impartiality and independence, transparency, accuracy, participation and accountability. Deliverables and expected timeline Medio September 2025: Selection and meeting with the consultancy team (5 days) Ultimo September to Medio October 2025: Inception report including desk study of background documents (16 days) Medio October to Primo December 2025: Data collection (40 days) Primo December 2025: Presentation of preliminary findings meeting I (5 days) December 2025: Analysis of findings and draft report (15 days) January 2026: QA and comments from DRC (3 days) January 2026: Final report to DRC (4 days) February 2026: Presentation of key findings for organisation (2 days) Total 90 days Evaluation Management The Evaluation will be overseen by an Evaluation Steering Committee. The day-to-day management of the Evaluation will be the responsibility of the DRC Evaluation Management Team. A Technical Advisory Group will support the evaluation process, providing technical guidance, advisory and quality assurance. Qualifications The consultancy team is expected to have the following qualifications: A team that is composed of technical experts with at least 10 years of experience working with strategic research and evaluation Significant experience undertaking evaluations for the Danish MFA or partners to the Danish MFA Extensive experience with evaluations and research studies. Experience with facilitation and stakeholder engagement/consultation. Team competencies: Result oriented, ability to work across cultures, strong analytical skills. Experience and knowledge of the Danish Red Cross and Red Cross Red Crescent movement Ability to deliver on the scope of the evaluation exercise within the timeline provided Tender Link : https://reliefweb.int/job/4172159/evaluation-danish-red-cross-strategic-partnership-agreement-danish-ministry-foreign-affairs
