CALL FOR PROPOSALS PLAN/ FY27/11/002
TERMS OFREFERENCE FOR THE FINAL EVALUATION OF THE “BIKE FOR FUTURE” PROJECT
1. About Plan International
1.1 Plan International
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. Working with children, young people, communities and partners in more than 75 countries, it addresses the causes of exclusion, discrimination and child poverty, supports children from birth to adulthood, and promotes changes in policy and practice.
1.2 Plan International Rwanda
Plan International has worked in Rwanda since 2007, including in Bugesera, Gatsibo and Nyaruguru Districts and through projects in other 10 districts. Its 2026–2030 Country Strategy comprises two interconnected programmes: Skills, Employability, Wellness, and Resilience, integrating Skills and Opportunities for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (SOYEE), Disaster Risk Management and Resilience (DRMR), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); and Foundations for Safe and Brighter Futures, focusing on protection from violence and Early Childhood Development (ECD). Both programmes apply a child-centred, rights-based and gender-transformative approach.
2. Project Background
With support from Belgian cycling partners and sponsors, Plan International Rwanda and Plan International Belgium launched the four-year Bike for Future project in February 2023 in Gatsibo and Bugesera Districts. Additional support was provided for January–December 2025 by Kigali Water Limited and Sport for Education and Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa (SESLA), through Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The project drew on the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda to promote young women’s access to cycling and career opportunities, including traditionally male-dominated occupations. Africa New Life Ministries (ANLM) took over implementation from LWD in April 2026.
The project’s intended impact is that young people, especially young women, pursue decent wage or self-employment of their choosing. Its four outcomes and main interventions are:
Outcome 1: Skills for employment and entrepreneurship: Young people, especially young women in their diversity, build on and develop their skills for wage or self-employment opportunities through TVET scholarships, materials and start-up kits; mechanics, bicycle-industry and other technical training; entrepreneurship and business development; and environmental awareness.
Outcome 2: Agency, rights and inclusion: Young people increase their foundational capabilities to act as effective drivers of change in line with human rights, gender equality and inclusion through sports and cycling teams, coaching, GBV-prevention training, dialogues with role models, youth forums and public events, including advocacy for environmentally responsible cycling.
Outcome 3: Supportive families and communities: Families adopt positive norms and practices supporting young people, especially young women in their diversity, to participate in SOYEE training and activities and pursue wage or self-employment of their choosing, through tournaments, community forums, dialogues, radio messages and exchanges challenging stereotypes about girls in sport and mechanics.
Outcome 4: Private-sector commitment: Private sector companies commit to employing young people, especially young women in their diversity, through workplace GBV prevention, engagement on internships and apprenticeships in mechanics and sport, and dialogue with TVET institutions on decent working conditions.
The project has so far reached 2,885 direct participants (1,360 females and 1,525 males) and 1,464 indirect participants, of whom 1,024 are female and 440 are male.
Among the direct participants, 170 adolescents and young people (148 females and 22 males) were enrolled in TVET training and subsequently supported to establish and strengthen their income-generating activities. These include opening bicycle repair workshops, tailoring businesses, welding small enterprises, and other small businesses. In addition, participants received various socio-economic empowerment opportunities, including life and vocational skills training, access to sports activities, particularly cycling, and linkages to relevant networks and support structures to enhance their livelihoods and social inclusion.
3.Purpose of the Final Evaluation Survey
3.1 Objective
The final evaluation will assess the project’s implementation, results and contribution to change against its four outcomes, baseline values and indicators in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework. It will examine relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability; document lessons, challenges and good practices; and assess gender equality and social inclusion using Plan International’s Gender, Age and Inclusion Analytical Framework and the six elements of its Gender Transformative Approach: gender norms, girls’ and young women’s agency, positive masculinities, their condition and position, inclusion in all their diversity, and a supportive enabling environment. Particular attention will be given to gender stereotypes, GBV prevention and environmental protection.
3.2 Scope of Work
The evaluation will cover project interventions in Bugesera and Gatsibo from project start to the time of fieldwork, including activities implemented by LWD and ANLM and the additional 2025-funded components. The consultant will measure endline indicator values and compare them with baseline and target values where comparable evidence exists; analyse progress under each outcome, factors influencing results, differential experiences of young women and men, and the likelihood of sustainability; and provide outcome-specific, feasible recommendations for future programming. Conclusions on contribution or impact must reflect the evaluation design and available evidence rather than imply unsupported causality.
Indicator to be Measured
| Impact | SOYI1.1 Young people, especially young women, pursue decent work opportunities of their choosing, whether wage employment or self-employed. |
| SOYI1.1.1: % of young people in wage employment within 6 months after SOYEE training or activity | |
| SOYI1.1.2: % of young people engaged in self-employment within 6 months after SOYEE training or activity | |
| Outcome 1 | SOYO1.1 Young people, especially young women in their diversity, build on and develop their skills for wage or self-employment opportunities |
| SOYO1.1.2: % of young people who demonstrate entrepreneurship competencies at the end of the training | |
| SOYO1.1.3: % of young people who demonstrate vocational competencies at the end of the training | |
| RWA-LDR-Op-001: Vulnerable young people, especially young women, are equipped with relevant skills to access and pursue STEM careers and employment opportunities that best suit them, including in the bike industry | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.001: # of young people enrolled in TVET Schools and provided with school fees, hygiene kits and scholastic materials | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.002: # of young people trained on financial literacy, life skills and entrepreneurship skills | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.003: # of young people supported to start Income Generating Activities (eg: opening a bicycle shop, a repair store, etc.) | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.004: Number of trained participants who started bike industry related businesses. | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.005: # of young women who followed the professional path and employment opportunities of their choice | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-001.006: Number of young girls enrolled in STEM domain and other male dominated trades/ subjects | |
| Outcome 2 | LEAO1.1 Young people increase their foundational capabilities needed to act as effective drivers of change in line with human rights, gender equality and inclusion. |
| LEAO1.1.1: % of young people who demonstrate knowledge empowerment | |
| RWA-LDR-Op-002: Adolescent, especially girls, demonstrate strengthened social and life capabilities to advocate for their rights and the prevention of SGBV, through sports practices, including cycling | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-002.001: # of adolescents especially girls who demonstrate relevant social and life skills capacities on child rights, Gender Equality, SRHR, and SGBV through sports practices. | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-002.002: Number young people(participants) benefited of bikes and other sports equipment provided | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-002.003: Number of LWD Staff trained as master trainers on Safeguarding, Planting equality 2.0 action learning | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-002.004 Number of classes/team members equipped with knowledge on gender equality, GBV prevention, safeguarding, SRHR and information about existing support services for them (Health centres, civil registration, ISANGE OSC, ...) | |
| Outcome 3 | SOYO2.1 Families adopt positive norms and practices supporting young people, especially young women in their diversity, to participate in SOYEE training and activities and pursuing wage or self-employment opportunities of their choosing |
| SOYO 2.1.2. % of parents and caregivers who have positive attitudes towards young women’s participation in SOYEE trainings and in wage or self-employment opportunities of their choosing | |
| RWA-LDR-Op-003 Parents, caregivers and community leaders strengthen their knowledge to challenge gender stereotypes, and to support their children to access vocational training, including in the STEM sector, bike industry, and sport practices of their choice. | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-003.001 Number of parents participated in community awareness to challenge gender stereotypes around female participation in sports | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-003.002 Number of youths testifying that parents have been supportive to take part in sport practices of their choosing. | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-003.003 Number of awarded parents’ champions who supported children, especially girls and the benefits of accessing TVET and sport practices | |
| Outcome 4 | SOYO4.2 Private sector companies are committed to employ young people, especially young women in their diversity |
| SOYO4.2.3 % of targeted employers who hire and retain young people, especially young women, as employees | |
| SOYO4.2.4 % of targeted private or public sector companies that have active partnerships with youth-led businesses | |
| RWA-LDR-Op-004 Private sector companies demonstrate commitment to support young people, especially young women to access economic opportunities, including in sports, mechanics and other broader sectors of the economy | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-004.001 Number of employers from Private Sector committed to place and monitor youth on the job-training for apprenticeships and internship in sports, mechanics and other sectors of the economy. | |
| RWA-LDI-Op-004.002 Number of private sector organizations/Federation and TVET Institutions participated in the dialogue sessions to advocate for provision of relevant skills that are needed to the Market labour demand that create working conditions/ opportunity that are decent to young women |
3.4 Users of the Final Evaluation Survey findings
The findings will inform Plan International Rwanda and Belgium, the implementing partner, sponsors, government institutions, civil society organisations and participating communities. They will support accountability, adaptive programming, learning, future project design, resource mobilization and decisions on sustaining or scaling successful approaches. Results will be shared through appropriate project dissemination mechanisms.
4. Survey Methodology, Data Collection and Analysis
4.1 Methodology
An independent external consultant will propose a rigorous, feasible mixed-methods evaluation, combining quantitative endline measurement, qualitative enquiry and review of relevant secondary evidence. The design must align each outcome indicator and evaluation question with data sources, collection tools and analytical methods, referring to the project M&E Framework/Data Flow and existing Area of Global Distinctiveness (AOGD) research questions where applicable. Participatory and age-appropriate methods, including separate or appropriately organized discussions with diverse young people, should be used. The consultant will adapt and translate tools into appropriate local languages, pilot them, document limitations, and agree the final methodology and work plan with Plan International Rwanda and the Belgian National Office. Desk review sources include project and partner reports, baseline and other studies, relevant Plan policies and SOYEE guidance.
4.2 Sampling
The technical proposal must justify the quantitative sample size and sampling design using the participant population, available sampling frames, required precision and feasible disaggregation. The design should cover both districts and key intervention streams, distinguish probability-based selection for quantitative estimates from purposive selection for qualitative enquiry, and address potential non-response and selection bias. It must specify sampling units, frames, respondent categories, sample allocation and selection procedures, including how girls and young women, boys and young men, participants with disabilities and other marginalized groups will be included. Disaggregation should cover sex, age, disability, location and participation category where feasible. Plan International Rwanda will approve the final sample before fieldwork.
4.3 Participant Selection and Recruitment
Respondents will include direct and indirect young participants, TVET graduates, cycling and sports participants, parents/caregivers, coaches, teachers and training providers, community and local leaders, employers, private-sector representatives, government actors and implementing partner staff. Relevant national actors may include the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), Ministry of Youth (MINIYOUTH), Ministry of Sports (MINISPORTS), Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY) and National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). Plan International Rwanda and ANLM will provide available participant and stakeholder lists, which the consultant will verify and supplement through screening or stakeholder mapping as needed.
4.4 Data collection methods
Proposed methods may include structured participant and caregiver surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and selected in-depth interviews (IDIs); recruitment must be independent, appropriate to each respondent group and sensitive to privacy and power relations. Plan International standard indicators are measured using defined questions and answers. The consultants should make sure to receive these and align with the indicators’ specifications. The consultants will also develop additional tools. All tools should be digitalized and tested.
4.5 Ethics and Safeguarding commitments
The consultant must comply with Plan International’s MERL Standards, Global Policy on Safeguarding Children and Young People, Code of Conduct and other applicable data-protection requirements. Before fieldwork, an ethical and safeguarding risk assessment, consent procedures, referral pathways and secure data-management plan must be agreed. Mitigation measures are to be implemented by PIR and the evaluation team. Participation shall be voluntary and confidential, with documented informed consent from adults and parental/legal guardian consent plus child assent for participants under 18, as applicable. All researchers and enumerators must receive safeguarding training and sign the required acknowledgement and Code of Conduct. Interviews must be age-appropriate, inclusive and conducted safely and privately; disclosures or distress must be managed through agreed referral procedures. Personal identifiers and consent forms must be stored separately from analysis datasets, with restricted access.
5. Key Deliverables
Deliverables must meet Plan International’s MERL and reporting standards, be written in clear English and be approved by the MERL Manager in consultation with relevant project staff and Plan International Belgium. Tables, charts and other visuals should be used where they clarify evidence.
5.1 Inception Report
Within five days of contract signature, submit an inception report of no more than 12 pages setting out the evaluation matrix and questions; design and limitations; sample size, sampling frame and selection procedures; draft data collection tools (with the exception of the existing tools developed to measure standard indicators) and translations; analysis, quality assurance and safeguarding arrangements; staffing and supervision; district coverage; risks and mitigations; Gantt chart, communication arrangements and detailed implementation budget. Fieldwork will start only after approval of the design and tools.
5.2 Draft Final Evaluation Report
Submit a draft report (maximum 40 pages, excluding annexes) within ten days after field data collection (together with the Excel files used to make the calculation). It must answer the approved evaluation questions; present evidence by outcome and evaluation criterion; compare endline indicator values (share percentage + numerator and denominator) with available baseline and target values through an indicator performance matrix; include relevant sex-, age-, disability- and location-disaggregated findings; explain methods and limitations; and provide substantiated conclusions, lessons and prioritized, practical recommendations. The draft report does not need to include an executive summary, as this will be drafted based on the final version.
5.3 Validation workshop
The consultant will organize and facilitate a validation workshop with PIR and key project stakeholders to review, discuss, and validate the preliminary findings of the assessment. The consultant will prepare and deliver a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the preliminary findings and key recommendations, facilitate discussions to gather Plan International Rwanda and stakeholders feedback and achieve consensus on the findings, and document all comments, recommendations, and agreed actions. A workshop report, including the presentation materials and detailed meeting minutes capturing stakeholder inputs and validation outcomes, shall be submitted as a clearly identifiable deliverable.
5.4 Final Evaluation Report
After gathering consolidated feedback and conducting a validation workshop, please submit the final English report in both editable electronic format and the required hard-copy format. This submission should include all agreed-upon corrections and annexes, and must be completed within two days of the validation workshop, ensuring adherence to the overall contract deadline. Additionally, a response-to-comments matrix should be provided to demonstrate how substantive feedback has been addressed. A three-page factsheet summarizing the key findings and their implications is also to be submitted.
5.5 Supporting Evaluation Documents and Datasets
Provide the approved sampling protocol and frame description, final questionnaires and interview guides, enumerator training materials, cleaned and de-identified quantitative and qualitative datasets in accessible formats (such as Excel/SPSS/KoBo), qualitative transcripts or notes, analysis syntax, codebooks/data dictionaries, tables, consent/assent documentation held securely, and presentation slides for validation and dissemination. The files must permit verification and responsible reuse of findings while protecting participant identities.
Suggested Report Structure
Cover page; executive summary; project background; purpose and evaluation questions; methodology, sampling, ethics and limitations; findings and interpretation by outcome and evaluation criterion; conclusions; lessons learned; recommendations; and annexes.
Annexes (Not Limited To)
List of persons and organisations consulted (reported without unnecessary personal identifiers); documents reviewed; final KII/FGD guides, observation checklists and questionnaires; consent/assent templates and scripts; enumerator training agenda; indicator performance matrix; statistical outputs and analysis code; dissemination slides; and a concise factsheet of key findings. A publication-ready summary may be requested where applicable.
6. Roles and Responsibilities
An internal coordination team led by the MERL Manager and Bike for Future Project Manager will provide technical oversight, coordinate partners, review deliverables and assure quality without compromising the consultant’s independence in methods, analysis and conclusions.
6.1 Responsibilities of Plan International Rwanda
Plan International Rwanda will provide project documents, monitoring and baseline data, available participant lists and introductions to partners and authorities; coordinate access to stakeholders; review deliverables and provide consolidated feedback within agreed periods; support safeguarding orientation and compliance monitoring; and organise or facilitate validation and dissemination with Plan International Belgium and relevant stakeholders.
6.2 Responsibilities of the Consultant
The consultant will independently design and conduct the evaluation; recruit, train and supervise the field team; pre-test and administer tools; ensure data quality, integrity, confidentiality and safeguarding; perform quantitative and qualitative analyses; deliver all reports and source files on time; present and validate findings; and address consolidated comments. The consultancy fee must cover field staff, transport, accommodation, meals and all other operational costs (including snacks for FGD and interviews). Serious non-compliance with safeguarding requirements may lead to contract termination.
7. Timeline
The assignment must be completed within 60 working days during November 2026 - January 2027, with the final report submitted no later than 29th January 2027. Consultants shall propose a detailed Gantt chart that respects the deliverable deadlines, including fieldwork in both districts. An indicative allocation of days is provided below; reasonable sequencing may be refined during inception without exceeding the contract period.
| Activity | Days |
| Inception meeting, desk review, inception report and tools | 15 |
| Recruitment/orientation and training of enumerators | 4 |
| Piloting and finalization of data collection tools | 1 |
| Field data collection in Bugesera and Gatsibo | 9 |
| Data cleaning, analysis and draft report | 15 |
| Consolidated feedback, stakeholder review and revisions | 10 |
| Validation workshop | 1 |
| Final report, 3-page factsheet and annexes after validation | 5 |
| Total | 60 |
8. Expected Qualifications and expertise
Interested bidders are required to clearly indicate the person who will lead the Final Evaluation Survey (hereafter referred to as the Lead Consultant) and provide details of the roles and responsibilities of any additional team members they propose to engage in the assignment.
The Lead Consultant should possess the following qualifications and competencies:
- A Master's degree or PhD in Social Sciences, Economics, Sociology, International Development, Development Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation, or another related field from a recognised university.
- Strong technical monitoring and evaluation skills, including demonstrated experience in conducting baseline, midline, and endline evaluations.
- Proven understanding and experience in household economic security, youth livelihoods, employment, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment programming, preferably targeting adolescents and young people.
- Advanced data management, tabulation, and analysis skills, including proficiency in statistical software such as SPSS, CSPro, Epi Info, STATA, or equivalent data analysis tools.
- Excellent analytical, report writing, and data interpretation skills.
- At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, research, or related fields.
- Demonstrated knowledge of adolescent and youth development issues, particularly those affecting young women and girls in Rwanda.
- Familiarity with youth employment, entrepreneurship, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and gender-transformative programming.
- Proven experience in conducting evaluations for donor-funded development projects is an added advantage.
- Excellent communication skills and fluency in English; knowledge of Kinyarwanda will be an added advantage.
The consulting firm/individual consultant should also demonstrate the capacity to manage field data collection, quality assurance, data analysis, and timely delivery of high-quality evaluation reports.
Enumerators hired should include male and female, as FGD and interviews with female participants are led by female facilitators/note takers/enumerators.
9. Submission of proposal
Interested firms or individual consultants shall submit separate administrative, technical and financial proposals containing the following information.
a) Administrative Documents
RDB Certificate, VAT Registration Certificate, valid Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Tax Clearance Certificate and valid Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) Compliance Certificate, as applicable to the bidder.
b) Technical Proposal
A one-page understanding of the ToR; a methodology section of up to two pages explaining design, evaluation matrix, sample-size approach, inclusion, tools, analysis, quality assurance and ethics; a proposed activity schedule/Gantt chart; organizational profile and contact details; CVs of the lead consultant and team; and at least three examples of comparable assignments completed for recognized organisations or NGOs. The proposal should demonstrate how all four outcomes and required disaggregation’s will be addressed.
c) Financial Proposal
An itemized budget covering professional fees, field data collection and operations, administration and applicable taxes; the quotation validity period; and a proposed payment schedule and method. All anticipated consultancy expenses must be included.
10. Applications
Interested and qualified consultants should submit their offers in a sealed and closed envelope, clearly marked“Final Evaluation Survey for the Bike for Future Project”in two hard copies (one original and 1 copy) at the reception of Plan International Rwanda – Kigali Country Office (Kacyiru), not later than 17th November 2026 at 2:00pm.
Submissions should be addressed to:
The Chairperson -Tender Panel
Plan International Inc. Rwanda
Golden Plaza Building, Floor # 4, KG 456 St
P.O. Box 6211, Kigali, Rwanda.
Done At Kigali, on 4th November 2026.