1. Who is the H2H Network?
H2H stands for ‘humanitarian to humanitarian.’ The concept refers to humanitarian organisations who provide technical services and resources to other humanitarian actors rather than directly to crisis-affected populations. The range of specialized services that H2H actors provide is broad, encompassing data, information and analysis; community engagement and accountability; security, logistics and programme support as well as quality and professionalisation.

The H2H Network brings together high-quality, independent humanitarian service providers who bring cross-cutting technical expertise in service of the broader humanitarian community. Services and resources produced by H2H organizations are free and accessible to all humanitarian actors, thus serving as common goods for the aid sector. The network emerged following the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in 2016 and is now a growing network of over 60 member organisations.

The H2H Network is hosted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

2. Background
In June 2022, the H2H Network received an award from the US Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Department for the intervention sector on Humanitarian Coordination, Information Management and Assessment (HCIMA). The award was subsequently extended multiple times, first through a no-cost extension in November 2022 and then through a cost extension in September 2023. Through this process, the project end-date has been extended to March 2025, reaching a total project duration of 2 years and 9 months. Given that the project period exceeds 18 months, and as per BHA’s requirements, the H2H Network is launching an evaluation of its performance under this grant.

3. Objective of the consultancy
The evaluation will be a performance evaluation, not an impact evaluation. Impact evaluations aim to measure changes in outcomes that can be attributed with certainty to a specific intervention, program or policy. To this end, they use a cause/effect model of analysis which requires a rigorous counterfactual to control for factors other than the intervention itself. In contrast, performance evaluations encompass a broad range of methods, including before/after comparisons, or a more descriptive analysis of causes and effects. However, they do not contain a rigorously defined counterfactual and therefore cannot determine with certainty how change can be attributed to a given intervention as opposed to other factors. It is widely recognized that impact evaluations are complex exercises to undertake in any context, and that the challenges inherent to humanitarian action make it even more difficult to implement in such environments. This evaluation will therefore aim to measure performance, not impact (noting that we evaluated impact through two specific case studies).

Project and activities to be evaluated
The scope of the evaluation will encompass all the objectives and activities under the BHA-funded project “H2H Network – Driving collective action in the humanitarian system”.
The vision behind this intervention is a humanitarian system which is able to continuously improve and is equipped to address cross-cutting issues of quality, effectiveness and accountability in the delivery of assistance to communities affected by crises.
The project’s objective is to support and enable this improvement towards higher quality, more effective and larger scale humanitarian action by leveraging the expertise, services and initiatives developed by H2H Members, who enable the wider the humanitarian system to function.
The project’s activities are categorized in three distinct but complementary workstreams.
1.1. H2H Fund
First, the H2H Network utilizes its Fund to rapidly transfer funding to its members, to enhance the capacity of the humanitarian system to respond effectively to specific, geographically defined humanitarian crises. In new crises and acute phases of protracted crises, capacity for data management and analysis, community engagement, logistics and security are often extremely constrained and underfunded. By resourcing its members to intervene in such contexts, the H2H Network brings their technical expertise and capabilities to the wider humanitarian community of actors. Under this workstream, the evaluation will measure the performance of the H2H Network in relation to the following activity:
• Support for the humanitarian response to the drought in the Horn of Africa. The H2H Fund was activated in September 2022 to enable H2H Members to address diverse needs, gaps and priorities for an effective response to the humanitarian consequences of the drought that affected the Horn of Africa. Given the regional dimension of the disaster, the Fund allowed its members to intervene in multiple countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. This particular Fund activation was co-funded by BHA and FCDO. As a result, out of the seven projects implemented by H2H Members, three were funded by BHA and four were funded by FCDO. While the evaluation will focus on the BHA funded projects, other projects will also be taken into account, to ensure a holistic view of the overall intervention. It should also be noted that a case study about the H2H Fund activation for the Horn of Africa has already been produced by an independent MEAL consultant. To avoid duplication, it is expected that the evaluation will primarily rely on the findings from the case study, although additional learning and measurement exercises may take place if deemed necessary.
Second, the H2H Network is supporting the development of ideas, resources and capabilities, as well as improving current practice. Developing new initiatives and ways of working influences the approaches and methods of other humanitarian actors, thus contributing to growth and improvements in how the humanitarian system operates. Promising ideas for mobilizing additional capabilities and resources into the humanitarian sector struggle to become reality due to the challenges around building an organization to take them forward. H2H Members have the technical expertise capacities to develop new initiatives that can benefit the wider humanitarian system, and the H2H Network can provide them with the dedicated resources and organization support they need to do so. Under this workstream, the evaluation will measure the performance of the H2H Network in relation to the following activities:
• Development of new services, tools and approaches that have the potential to unlock change and lead to improvements in the humanitarian system. In August 2022, the H2H Fund was used to launch an Accelerator for Innovation, to enable H2H Members to implement pilot projects which aimed to test, develop and scale-up new initiatives. As part of this program, and with support from a team of external consultants, the H2H Network provided a combination of financial resources, strategic consulting and partnership development to three of its members.
• Development of resources, services and approaches on Anticipatory Action. As the sector is making a strategic shift towards better anticipating and responding to crises and disasters before rather than after they occur, the H2H Network is supporting the development of tools and services needed to support the growth and development of Anticipatory Action. In January 2024, the H2H Fund was used to launch an Accelerator for Anticipatory Action, to enable its members to implement pilot projects aiming to improve data, information management tools and services to support the design and management of Anticipatory Action. As part of this program, and with support from a team of external consultants, the H2H Network is providing a combination of financial resources, strategic consulting and partnership development to five of its members. The H2H Network is also conducting research on gaps and priorities in the field of Anticipatory Action that H2H Members can address to support its evolution and scale-up, to inform the network’s strategy.

1.2. H2H Network
The H2H Network brings together a large number of diverse organizations who offer a wide range of technical expertise and services to other humanitarian actors. However, beyond this diversity, H2H Members all have in common to strive for the continuous improvement of humanitarian action. H2H Members also face similar challenges due to, first, their unique position as specialized service providers and enablers within the wider humanitarian system and, second, their relatively small size as organisations who often lack visibility and recognition. The H2H Network therefore aims to facilitate collaboration among its members and help them connect with key stakeholders. Under this workstream, the evaluation will measure the performance of the H2H Network in relation to the following activities:
• Meetings, workshops, webinars and other events that aim to share information within the network, facilitate collaboration among members and develop communities of practice around fund activations and other events.
• Meetings, webinars and public events that help H2H Members be connected with and integrated into the wider ecosystem of humanitarian actors.

1.3. Impact and learning
The H2H concept of specialized service providers who enable other humanitarian actors to operate is still relatively new in the humanitarian system. As a result, it lacks the visibility and recognition necessary for both the network and its members to gain legitimacy and access resources. To address this challenge, the H2H Network strategically invest in documenting, measuring impact and promoting learning. Under this workstream, the evaluation will measure the performance of the H2H Network in relation to the following activities:
• Production of research and learning resources that demonstrate the value and relevance of the service provided by H2H Members, including case studies about specific H2H Fund activations

4. Scope of work and Methodology
The evaluation will aim to answer the following questions:
• Was the Fund activation for the HoA at the appropriate scale, timing and scope to improve the humanitarian response to the drought?
• Does the intervention model of Accelerators effectively enable H2H Members to develop practice that improve the humanitarian system?
• Did the more targeted focus on Anticipatory Action lead to better outcomes compared to previous, broader efforts?
• Did the outreach and engagement activities effectively contribute to creating a sense of community among H2H Members and integrate them into the humanitarian system?
• Do learning resources produced by the H2H Network help its members demonstrate the effects of their services on humanitarian action and therefore gain visibility and recognition?
The evaluation methodology will be entirely qualitative and will notably rely on the following methods:
• Desk review of project documents including: project proposal, indicator tracking table, intermediary reports, research reports, case studies etc.
• Interviews with key informants including: H2H Team, H2H Members, humanitarian actors, coordination bodies, consultants, donors etc.
• Other qualitative approaches deemed appropriate by the evaluator.

5. Deliverables
The Consultant will submit the following deliverables:
• An initial presentation of the method and revised questions.
• One final report (two iterations included plus final approval of the edited documents), including a strong executive summary. The report will have to follow H2H editing guidelines that will be shared during the consultancy kick off meeting.
Audience: this will be a public report, but mainly addressed to our BHA team and our members.

6. Duration and timeline
The consultancy will start in December/January and will end on 28th of February 2025 – no extension possible.

7. Experience and qualifications
In order to ensure the required level of technical expertise as well as objectivity in the assessment, this evaluation will be conducted externally and independently by a third party. To this end, the H2H Network will launch a procurement process to commission an external evaluator – either an individual consultant or a contracting company – to lead the evaluation.
The evaluator(s) will be required to have the following knowledge, skills and experience:
• In-depth knowledge of humanitarian action, including programmatic issues and operational challenges faced by humanitarian actors at the country level as well as cross-cutting issues and opportunities faced by the humanitarian system at the global level.
• Familiarity with the H2H Network and its members, as well as with the concept of specialized service providers.
• Technical expertise in the conduct of evaluations in the context of humanitarian action, with a particular focus on qualitative methodology
• Proven experience in evaluating projects implemented by a wide range of organizations, including evaluation of BHA-funded projects.
• Excellent research and writing skills.

8. Technical supervision
The selected consultant will work under the supervision of the H2H Head of Finance and operations.
9. Location and support
The consultant will be based remotely and use their own IT equipment and computer.
10. Travel
No travel is required for this consultancy.

11. Submission process
Interested individuals or teams should submit the following documents to tender@drc.ngo:
• Resume(s)
• Cover letter
• 2 relevant work samples (qualitative research, previous publications etc.).
• A cost offer (RFQ document) consisting of an inclusive daily fee for the proposed number of working days.
• Estimation of length of report – without annexes.
• Completed DRC Supplier Profile Registration Form
12. Payment plan
A down payment of 20% will be made and the remaining will be paid upon reception of deliverables.

13. Evaluation of bids
The evaluation is made on a technical and financial basis.

14. Contact person
For any inquiries related to this RFP, kindly contact Alice Darcq, H2H Network Head of Finance and Operations, alice@h2hnetwork.org