To drive in the United States, you must have a valid driver’s license. This is the primary requirement, perhaps the most important. Other requirements depend on the State in which you will drive. Driving is like designing a project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. You must meet specific requirements for you to be effective.
Your M&E System can aim to support management decision making, accountability and learning. However, it can never be effective unless it meets the donor M&E requirements.
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The following is a list of M&E requirements that donors ask implementing Partners to meet for design, monitoring and implementation of the projects they fund:
Donor M&E Requirements at Project/Proposal Design
1. Results Framework: Most donors require you describe the theory of how the proposed project will lead to the desired change. The nature, depth and format used differs across donors:
a. The Global Fund requires you to prepare a performance framework as part of the technical proposal. The performance framework should follow the Global Fund Modular Framework guide. It sets out what the grant intends to achieve, you will measure results and targets to accomplish.
b. USAID Food for Peace (FFP) requires Theory of Change (ToC). This provides a basis for the project design, showing pathways linking outputs/outcomes/preconditions to project goals. FFP requires a ToC diagram and an accompanying narrative. Check USAID Food for Peace (FFP)’s M&E Policy and TOP’s ToC curriculum for ToC guides and templates.
2. Logical Framework (Logframe): This shows what the project will do, key assumptions, and how you will monitor and evaluate outputs/outcomes.
a. USAID Food for Peace (FFP). FFP requires a brief Logframe in the technical narrative section and a detailed Logframe matrix as an annex. The latter includes matrix with four columns and many rows, summarizing the key elements of the project.
The FFP Logframe elements include narrative summary (hierarchy of objectives), assumptions, indicators with targets, and data sources.
b. USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA): OFDA does not require partners to submit a Logframe as part of the project proposal. However, include Logframe items like objectives, indicators and assumptions must in the OFDA proposal’s program description and Sector Table sections.
c. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM): PRM encourages applicants to use any unique logical frameworks that their organization uses to guide project implementation. However, it has a standard objectives and indicator table that the Applicant has complete and submit as part of the proposal.
3. M&E Plan:
a. The Global Fund: Prepare the Global Fund M&E Plan prior to signing the grant agreement by the GF. This plan sets out how Implementers intends to collect, collate, analyze and report on the data resulting from programs.
b. US Department of Labor (DoL): The DoL requires projects to develop a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (CMEP). The CMEP defines the intended project objectives and outcomes and the benchmarks for measuring achievement.
c. USAID/FFP: Prepare an abridged M&E Plan which describes the organization’s approach to M&E. This includes annual monitoring, M&E Staffing, M&E capacity building of the proposed project staff, and a summary budget that includes staffing, monitoring, data quality assurance, participant registration, and a database.
d. The OFDA M&E Plan contains three key components: the Monitoring Table (includes indicators and data collection descriptions); Monitoring Narrative (including Theory of Change); and Evaluation Plan (including Statement of Work (SoW).
Common Donor M&E Requirements at Project Start-Up
At this stage, the donor has awarded your organization the grant. They require the organization to meet the following to get the project M&E to a good start.
4. Detailed M&E Plan: Key M&E Plan items include; revised Theory of Change; updated Logframe; Indicator Tracking Table (ITT); performance indicator reference sheet (PIRS) to describe each indicator; annual monitoring plan including strategy, data quality, staffing and capacity to develop a plan; and evaluation plan. The time requirement to submit the detailed M&E Plan range between 60-90 days from project start date.
For an example of a PIRS, refer to the PEPFAR M&E guide. Some donors may not have specific M&E Plan templates but are clear on what it should address. See MacArthur foundation’s M&E guide.
5. Baseline survey: We undertake a baseline to establish benchmarks upon which to base future project improvements. Specific donor requirements for baselines focus on who does it (internal/external party); type of evaluation required (i.e., performance vs impact); and sampling method, i.e., population-based household survey vs beneficiary registration data. USAID FFP’s guide on baselines presents a good illustrative example.
Other baseline requirements may be more specific. For example, US Government funding agencies require implementing Partners to upload all project monitoring, baseline and evaluation data to the Development Data Library (DDL). They also require the partners to upload all approved final project reports including baselines, evaluations, or research studies conducted in an FY to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC).
6. Indicator Tracking Table: Provide a detailed listing of the indicators to support tracking project performance including: a) baseline (actual values) and evaluation targets, showing expected percentage point change; b) Values for annual performance monitoring targets (baseline and target). For Donor ITT templates, refer USAID FFP’s provide in #2a above.
The ITT should include all donors required (measured by all projects) and ‘required if applicable’ (measure by specific projects/interventions) indicators. Some Donors may have additional indicator categorizations such as: custom indicators (developed by the organization to measure specific results as per theory of change), statutory, environment indicators, among others.
Remember to subscribe to this blog, and checkout Mande Boost PODCAST, https://www.buzzsprout.com/1588120, for additional M&E Tips. You can also access this Podcast via your phone podcast apps such as Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, Overcast, among several.
Common Donor M&E Requirements During and End of Project Implementation
As you implement the project M&E Plan, ensure you meet specific annual reporting requirements for the Donor, if any. See examples below:
7. Project Management Reports: A management report provides a record of performance of a project in a period. The USAID’s Program Operational Cycle Policy (ADS Chapter 201) provides the overall guide on reporting by US government grants recipients. However, the various US Government Donors/Fund differ in nature, content and format. PEPFAR requires all funded projects to submit data (site level, e.g., facility, community) in the Data for Accountability, Transparency and Impact Monitoring (DATIM), quarterly.
Similarly,USAID FFP require implementing partners to submit a quarterly report (first 3 quarters), and an Annual Results Report (ARR) at end of the Fiscal Year (October 1–September 30), by first Monday in November. The ARR, submitted in the FFP Partner Reporting Tool (FFP PRT), highlights progress and results, direct participants, challenges, successes and lessons learned.
8. Mid Term requirements: A donor may require a mid-term evaluation. The purpose is to review project implementation mechanism, progress on targets, project participant’s acceptance of methods used, any changes based on project interventions, and any evidence on feasibility of the theory of change. Some donors will be specific on whether the project team or external party completes the mid-term evaluation.
In addition, some donors have specific likes on the following: qualitative vs quantitative methods; and attention to processes vs results. In the absence of a formal mid-term evaluation, a donor may require a structure joint annual monitoring including a selection of Donor and Implementing organization technical staff. The exercise may replicate the objectives of the mid-term evaluation but is less robust.
9. Final evaluation: Donors require the final evaluation at/toward the end of the project life to determine the extent to which project has met its objectives. Donor requirements focus on purpose; who does it, method, comparison to baseline (pre-post; and including indicators measured and timing); and stakeholders involved. See USAID’s Evaluation Policy and United Kingdom’s Green Book for insights on donor perspectives on project evaluations.
10. M&E System support requirements: Some Donor specific requirements to support organizations to implement strong M&E systems. For example, Donor sponsored training or workshops; key M&E positions, and technical branding of project M&E knowledge products, Other Donors require they take part in specific M&E activities like evaluation, data quality assessments, and joint monitoring reviews.
Again, driving and designing an M&E system seem similar. The more we understand and meet the driving requirements, the less it becomes a bottleneck. You should invest in understanding the donor requirements for a project before attempting to design its M&E system. If you do this, there is a higher chance of designing an effective project M&E system – a goal that donor M&E requirements ultimately target.
Which donor M&E requirements are you most familiar with or want to learn in more detail? Share your comment in the box below or send me an email at info@mandeboost.com. Subscribe to this blog, and checkout Mande Boost PODCAST, https://www.buzzsprout.com/1588120, for additional M&E Tips. You can also access this Podcast via your phone podcast apps such as Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple podcasts, Overcast, among several.
This is helpful for us wanting to be M&E guru in an organization Thanks Mr. Senkaba for your undivided sharing of knowledge which will impact and stregnthen our skills and build our capacity in the field of monitoring and evaluation.
This is really good info that one can’t just get anywhere easily for us who are very much interested in M&E. May the almighty God bless you soo much Godfrey.
Thank you Sir for sharing and lightning up on what is most desirable information and knowledge around M&E.God bless you and give you strength to give us more .