Terms of Reference for Partners’ M&E Systems Assessment and Analysis

I. Background Information

Trócaire Rwanda has received funding from Irish Aid under the five-year Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership (ICSP) 2023–2027 funding scheme. The grant runs from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2027 and contributes to the vision of A Better World, while supporting transformation at community level across Trócaire’s country programme.

Through this funding, and in collaboration with its partners, Trócaire Rwanda works to advance climate and environmental justice and women’s empowerment through local action and global advocacy. The programme supports rural communities to build sustainable and resilient livelihoods and strengthen their capacity to withstand disasters. It also promotes the protection, voice, and influence of women and girls, including prevention of and response to gender-based violence, while supporting women’s leadership and participation in decision-making at all levels.

In addition, Trócaire Rwanda is committed to strengthening partnerships with local organizations by advancing meaningful localization, where power and responsibility are increasingly shifted to local and national actors to deliver effective, relevant, timely, and appropriate support to communities.

As part of its partner capacity-strengthening agenda, and in response to identified gaps and partner needs, Trócaire Rwanda seeks to support partners to strengthen project and programme delivery by improving their M&E systems. This support aims to ensure that partners have practical, context-responsive systems that generate reliable evidence for programme management, learning, accountability, and decision-making.

Trócaire Rwanda will engage a professional consultant with expertise in monitoring and evaluation systems to assess and analyse partners’ existing M&E systems. The assessment will determine system availability, functionality, strengths, gaps, and improvement needs, and provide practical, partner-specific recommendations on whether to strengthen existing systems, adapt available digital solutions, or adopt new systems where appropriate.

The assessment will focus on 5 of the 12 ICSP partners, including Caritas Gikongoro, ARCT-Ruhuka, BIOCOOR, The Green Protector, CEJP. The findings will inform partner-specific recommendations and guide future decisions on M&E system strengthening and digitalization support.

II. Overall Objective

To assess each selected partner’s M&E system, identify key strengths and gaps, and recommend the most suitable system-strengthening options to improve monitoring, reporting, data management, learning, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making.

III. Specific Objectives

• Assess the current availability, structure, functionality, and use of M&E systems within each selected partner organization.
• Identify key strengths, gaps, risks, and improvement needs related to data collection, storage, analysis, reporting, documentation, data quality, and evidence use.
• Analyse each partner’s operational context, programme requirements, staff capacity, reporting obligations, data volume, and readiness for system strengthening or digitalization.
• Recommend the most appropriate M&E system option for each partner, including whether to strengthen an existing system, adapt an available solution, or introduce a new system.
• Provide a clear roadmap for partner-specific M&E system strengthening, including priority actions, required resources, estimated costs, and implementation considerations.

IV. Scope of work 

The consultant will assess and analyse the M&E systems of selected Trócaire Rwanda ICSP partners. The assignment will identify each partner’s current system status, gaps, improvement opportunities, and the most suitable system option based on needs, capacity, context, and affordability.

a) Assessment of existing M&E systems and partner needs

The consultant will review each partner’s M&E tools, processes, databases, reporting templates, data flows, documentation practices, and data use mechanisms. The assessment will identify what is available, functional, missing, or requiring improvement to support effective monitoring, reporting, learning, accountability, and decision-making.

b) Analysis of suitable M&E system options and cost considerations

The consultant will compare available system options against agreed criteria, including relevance, affordability, ease of use, adaptability, data security, interoperability, reporting functionality, scalability, maintenance requirements, sustainability, and staff capacity. The analysis should guide Trócaire Rwanda’s decisions on partner-specific M&E system strengthening and investment priorities.

The assignment will include the following key tasks:

1. Partner M&E system assessment

• Assess each partner’s existing M&E system, including data collection, storage, analysis, reporting, documentation, data quality assurance, feedback mechanisms, and evidence use.
• Consult partner organizations to understand business processes, user needs, reporting requirements, capacity gaps, and system expectations.
• Map each partner’s current data flows, tools, data volume, reporting processes, and system-related risks.

2. Gap analysis and system requirements

• Analyse strengths, weaknesses, gaps, duplication, risks, and opportunities for improving each partner’s M&E system.
• Define partner-specific functional, technical, data management, reporting, dashboard, data protection, and user access requirements.

3. System option analysis and recommendations

• Review and compare suitable M&E system options for each partner, including existing systems, adaptable digital solutions, open-source tools, subscription-based platforms, and new system development where necessary.
• Assess each option against relevance, affordability, usability, adaptability, data security, sustainability, scalability, interoperability, maintenance requirements, and partner readiness.
• Recommend the most suitable M&E system option for each partner, with clear justification and practical implementation recommendations.

4. Roadmap and reporting

• Prepare partner-specific assessment profiles summarising current system availability, gaps, priorities, and recommended solutions.
• Develop a consolidated assessment and analysis report outlining M&E system availability, key gaps, practical solutions, and partner-specific recommendations.
• Present findings and recommendations to Trócaire for validation and management decision-making.

V. Methodology

The consultant will use a participatory, analytical, and user-centred approach that reflects partners’ operational realities, M&E practices, reporting requirements, user capacities, and system-strengthening priorities. The assignment will include document review, M&E system mapping, tool review, gap analysis, option appraisal, validation, and reporting.

The methodology should explain how the consultant will engage partner staff, assess existing M&E systems, document current practices, identify gaps, compare system options, and validate findings. It should also outline the assessment roadmap and show how recommendations will be tailored to each partner.

Recommendations should be practical, affordable, sustainable, and aligned with each partner’s staffing capacity, data volume, programme complexity, system infrastructure, and long-term M&E needs.

Applicants must submit a detailed technical methodology and work plan outlining the proposed assessment approach, stakeholder engagement process, analysis framework, system option appraisal criteria, quality assurance measures, risk mitigation strategies, deliverables, and timeline.

VI. Expected outputs and results

• An approved inception report setting out the assessment methodology, work plan, system assessment criteria, and stakeholder engagement approach.
• Partner-specific M&E system assessment profiles showing current system availability, functionality, strengths, gaps, risks, and improvement priorities.
• A consolidated gap analysis report covering key M&E system gaps, practical solutions, and sustainability considerations.
• A comparative analysis of suitable M&E system options for each partner, covering availability, gaps, improvement needs, adaptability, usability, security, scalability, maintenance, and sustainability.
• A final assessment and analysis report with clear recommendations on the most appropriate M&E system solution for each partner, including justification and practical implementation considerations.

VII. Duration of the assignment 

The assignment is expected to be completed within three weeks (21 days). This period will cover partner system review, assessment, analysis, validation, and reporting of findings.

VIII. Reporting and Supervision Arrangements

• The consultant will report to and receive regular support from Trócaire’s Monitoring, Inclusion, and Learning Advisor (MILA), in close consultation with relevant Trócaire staff and partner organizations.
• Regular progress check-ins will be held to review assessment progress, address risks, validate emerging findings, and confirm next steps.
• The consultant will be expected to maintain close coordination with selected partner organizations throughout the assessment, analysis, validation, and reporting process.

IX. Safeguarding 

All consultants working with Trócaire are required to sign and comply with Trócaire’s safeguarding and data protection principles. Any breach of these principles by the consultant or team members may result in immediate contract cancellation.

X. Consultant Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Information Systems, Data Management, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Statistics, Project Management, or a related field.
• Proven experience in assessing, analysing, designing, or strengthening M&E, MIS, PMIS, or digital data management systems for development or humanitarian programmes.
• Strong understanding of monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems, including indicator tracking, reporting workflows, data quality assurance, dashboards, and evidence use.
• Demonstrated experience in systems assessment, gap analysis, business process mapping, requirements analysis, option appraisal, and preparation of practical recommendations.
• Experience facilitating consultations with NGOs, local partners, programme teams, and system users.
• Knowledge of data protection, information security, confidentiality, and responsible data management practices.
• Excellent analytical, facilitation, report-writing, and communication skills; knowledge of Kinyarwanda is an added advantage.

XI. Evaluation Criteria for Selecting the Consultant 

• Relevant academic qualifications and professional experience in M&E systems, information systems, data management, or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience conducting M&E system assessments, gap analyses, requirements analysis, or digital system option appraisals, preferably in NGO or development contexts.
• Quality, clarity, and practicality of the proposed methodology, work plan, assessment tools, and analysis framework.
• Capacity to provide partner-specific, realistic, affordable, and sustainable recommendations for M&E system strengthening.
• Value for money based on the financial proposal and the quality of the technical offer.

XII. Application procedures 

Applicants should su     bmit a technical proposal, financial proposal, CV or company profile, tax clearance certificate, three references, and relevant work completion certificates by 22nd October 2026 to inforwanda@trocaire.org.