[Consultancy] Outcome Monitoring Exercise - Iraq

Terms of Reference – Outcome Monitoring Exercise Consultancy

Training And Workplace Advancement Solutions for Opportunities in the Labor Force (TAWASOL) - Iraq

The closing date for submission of the application package is the mid-day of the business day on December 7th, 2025 

Introduction

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors, including Global Affairs Canada; the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO); the MasterCard Foundation; World Bank; the Asian Development Bank; and the African Development Bank.

Background of TAWASOL Project
TAWASOL is a five-year collaborative project (April 2023 - March 2028) that will enhance economic empowerment for female and male youth in Iraq. TAWASOL will work with partners to establish more inclusive employment environments enabling youth to make the transition from training to employment and increasing more equitable participation of male and female youth graduates in the workforce. TAWASOL will be implemented with local partners in four locations in Iraq: Baghdad, Basra, Najaf and Mosul. TAWASOL is funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and its consortium partner Canadian Leaders in International Consulting (CLIC). 
TAWASOL expands on the GAC-funded BRIDGE project, implemented by WUSC and CLIC with national partners in Iraq (2017-2022), which has helped transform the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training sector. The project partners achieved positive results in creating sustainable linkages between vocational training institutes and private-sector employers to bridge the gap between training and employment for youth graduates. TAWASOL will build on and strengthen these results to support graduates’ entry into the labor force. 

Some of the key challenges in Iraq that hinder youth male and female employment, and that TAWASOL aims to address, include: 

• A significant gap between private sector employer needs and skilled youth hinders private sector growth and youth employment, partly originating from a lack of awareness among young people of opportunities outside the public sector “Private sector employment, including self-employment, needs to be seen as a viable alternative by female and male youth
• Vocational training is still undervalued, despite the potential income opportunities.
  The need for employers to demonstrate fair workplace practices to attract female and male youth to their organizations.
• Traditional societal norms, unequal access to education and training, mobility challenges, and limited protection of women’s rights in the workplace, all contribute to particularly high unemployment rates among women. 

2.2 Theory of Change 
TAWASOL aims to enhance economic empowerment of Iraqi youth (female and male) by improving their access to sustainable employment and self-employment opportunities, primarily in the private sector. The project complements national and donor efforts to foster economic growth and stability through stronger linkages between Technical Universities (TUs), Vocational Training Centers (VTCs), and employers in key growth sectors.
Iraq faces a youth unemployment crisis, compounded by:

• Overreliance on the oil and public sectors, limiting private sector growth.
• A skills mismatch between graduates and employer needs.
• Gender inequalities and social norms restricting women’s participation.
• Weak connections between training institutions and the labour market.

Strategic Approach

TAWASOL takes an ecosystem-based approach targeting both supply and demand sides of youth employment:
Strengthening training institutions (TIs) to deliver relevant, gender-responsive, and market-driven programs.
Engaging private sector employers to offer fair and decent employment, internships, and entrepreneurship support.
Promoting entrepreneurship and access to business development and financing opportunities.
Addressing social norms and perceptions that limit youth—especially women—from entering private or non-traditional sectors.

• 
  Key Assumptions
  Private sector actors will engage and sustain partnerships.
  Labour market demand exists within target sectors (digital, construction, energy, agriculture, tourism).
  Youth, especially women, will respond positively to improved training, support systems, and workplace reforms.
  Expected Impact
  A gender-equitable, market-responsive, and interconnected training–employment ecosystem that enables Iraqi youth to:
• Transition effectively from term economic education to employment.
• Access decent private sector work or self-employment opportunities.
• Contribute to Iraq’s long- diversification and stability.

2.1 The project’s Outcomes

Enhanced gender-responsive employment environment enabling youth to make the transition from training to employment in target communities, especially female youth.
 
1.1    Increased commitment of employers supporting fair, equitable and decent
 employment of male and female youth in target communities, through:
Building relationships between training institutes and local employers to co-design and implement internship and on the job training programs for female and male graduates.
Strengthening Industrial Advisory Boards (IABs) at Technical Universities and Employer Councils at VTCs to further engage employers and strengthen programs to provide students with relevant skills for employment.
Designing and delivering an employer-matching grant mechanism to incentivize changes in workplace conditions, systems and technologies that will enhance inclusive and gender-responsive work environments.

• 1.2     Increased equitable access to quality entrepreneurship support for female and male
  youth in targeted institutes, through:
  Providing technical assistance to training institutes and Technical University Career Development Centers to strengthen entrepreneurship programs for male and female youth 
  Co-designing, testing and scaling-up referral programs for potential start-ups to sources of business development services (BDS) and financial support. 
  Co-designing an awareness raising campaign to promote youth entrepreneurship and related support services 
    
  2. Increased participation in the workforce by male and female youth graduates of the targeted training partner institutes
   
  2.1     Improved market-relevant and gender-responsive vocational training programs in
  targeted institutes.
• Providing technical assistance to engage employers in making market-driven updates to selected programs
• Supporting training institutes to collaborate with employers on the enhancement of  soft marketable skills (e.g. critical thinking, problem-solving, design thinking, negotiation, self-improvement, communication, teamwork, adaptability) and digital skills (e.g. information search, video conferencing, word processing, spreadsheets, digital marketing, social media, graphic design, business intelligence, project management software, design of mobile application, and other non-programming digital skills).
• Working with the Baghdad Blended Learning Center of Excellence and training institutes to test and adopt blended learning approaches. 

         2.2    Increased youth knowledge of employment opportunities in the targeted communities

• Training and coaching for training institute leaders and career guidance staff to improve career guidance services and support.
• Working with partners, women's rights organization/s, and aspiring youth social media entrepreneurs to co-design and deliver a social marketing campaign to promote the participation of women in growth or non-traditional sectors and self-employment
• Co-designing and launching a youth-led social media and campus-based campaign to raise awareness among youth on opportunities, rights and benefits of private -sector employment
• Co-designing and launching an online awareness-raising program about workplace rights with MOLSA.

3. Objectives of the Outcome Monitoring Exercise 

The purpose of TAWASOL project’s outcome monitoring exercise is to assess progress towards the project’s targets and the realization of its theory of change, focusing on identifying and documenting early signs of transformative change to date, as well as changes in context and key assumptions. Aligned with this purpose, the outcome monitoring exercise will focus on the specific objectives below:

1. Assess and measure progress at outcome level: 
   Determining the value of outcome indicators at Y3 of the project implementation, as possible, reporting on all their relevant disaggregation and recommending adjustments in their formulation if the need emerges, in order to generate clear evidence to feed into the annual workplan for Y4 and to be included in the annual report for Y3.
   Finalize the baseline value in those cases in which it is determined on a rolling basis (as actors are engaged in the project’s activities) and supporting the identification of their end-of-project targets, as appropriate.
   Calculate the value of the empowerment index, on the basis of the methodological approach developed during the baseline assessment conducted in Y2.
2. Provide evidence to validate (or challenge) the assumptions in the project’s Theory of Change (ToC) and to support a shared understanding of changes in the context, to revise and update the program design and/or set targets as appropriate 
   Document early signs of changes in the system,
   Gather insights on any unintended outcomes that may be emerging.
3. Gather and analyse quantitative and qualitative data on gender and power dynamics to inform updates to the program gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) strategy.
4. Provide recommendations for the update of the results-based monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) plan for the project, including (but not limited to) methodological adjustments for future data collection exercises. 

4.Outcome indicators and learning questions

A preliminary list of TAWASOL outcome indicators as well as learning questions can be found below. Please note that the final list will be discussed with the selected consultant/s and finalized during the inception phase.

Quantitative and Qualitative Indicators 
1000 - Enhanced economic empowerment for female and male youth in Iraq

1. % of female and male youth in target communities who report being able to participate in household (financial and family) decision-making (disaggregated by sex and age)

2.  Level of self-confidence of female and male youth to advocate for themselves in the workplace (disaggregated by sex and age)
3.Youth Empowerment Progression Index

Intermediate Outcome 1100: Enhanced gender-responsive and inclusive employment environment enabling youth to make the transition from training to employment in target communities, especially female youth

3.  # and % of engaged employers with new established opportunities for internship, apprenticeship, and/or on-the-job-training (disaggregated by sex and age)
4. # and % of engaged TIs with updated support services for youth making the transition to employment (disaggregated by type)
5. Perception of safety, trust, and respect in the workplace among employees (disaggregated by sex and age)
Intermediate Outcome 1200: Increased and more equitable participation in the workforce by male and female youth graduates of the targeted training institutes

6. % of female and male youth in target communities securing employment and self-employment 1 year after graduation (disaggregated by sex and age)
7. Degree to which female and male youth in targeted communities actively pursue private sector employment or self-employment opportunities (disaggregated by sex and age))
Immediate Outcome 1110: Increased commitment of employers supporting fair, equitable, inclusive and decent private sector employment of female and male youth in target communities

8. # and % of engaged employers reporting plans to adopt inclusive and gender responsive HR policies (disaggregated by sex and age).
9. # and % of engaged employers reporting plans to adopt ECC-related training, policies, practices.
10. Level of satisfaction among the employees about the changes in HR policies (disaggregated by sex and age)

Immediate Outcome 1120: Increased equitable access to quality, sustainable and relevant entrepreneurship support for female and male youth in targeted institutes

11. % of female and male youth trainees reporting having accessed the entrepreneurship support services, including loans (disaggregated by sex and age)
12. % of female and male youth trainees reporting satisfaction with the entrepreneurship support available to them (disaggregated by sex and age)
Immediate Outcome 1210: Improved gender-responsive, inclusive market-driven and ECC mainstreaming in  relevant vocational training programs for the  targeted institutes
13. # and % of engaged employers who are satisfied with the relevance and quality of the curricula of selected training institutes (disaggregated by sex and age)
14. % of female and male youth trainees who are satisfied with the quality, accessibility, gender sensitivity and market relevancy of training curricula in selected institutes (disaggregated by sex and age)
Immediate Outcome 1220 Increased knowledge of employment opportunities among female and male youth in target communities.
15. Level of awareness of female and male youth on employment opportunities (disaggregated by sex and age)
16. % of female and male trainees reporting satisfaction with the career guidance and support received in their training institute (disaggregated by sex and age)

Learning Questions Linked ToC Level / Indicators

How have TAWASOL’s skills development and entrepreneurship interventions improved youth’s ability to make or influence financial decisions within their households? 

Impact (1000) – Youth empowerment and decision-making

To what extent has participation in TAWASOL’s training, mentoring, and job linkage activities increased youth self-confidence to advocate for themselves in workplaces or business settings?
Impact (1000) – Youth self-confidence and advocacy

How have IAB and PAC mechanisms facilitated partnerships that expand internship or on-the-job training (OJT) opportunities for youth?
Intermediate Outcome (1100) – Enabling employment environment

To what extent are private sector employers sustaining co-designed internship and OJT programs with TIs without TAWASOL's direct incentive or matching grant support?
Intermediate Outcome (1100) – Enabling employment environment

How does the adoption of inclusive HR practices and ECC policies provide a measurable competitive advantage (e.g., lower turnover, higher productivity) for engaged employers compared to their peers?
Intermediate Outcome (1100) – Enabling employment environment

How effective have TAWASOL’s employability and entrepreneurship training been in helping youth secure sustainable jobs or start businesses?
Intermediate Outcome (1200) – Workforce participation and employability

How have TAWASOL’s interventions influenced the market viability of entrepreneurship support services (BDS/Financial) so that they proactively seek out and profitably serve female and male youth start-ups?
Intermediate Outcome (1200) – Workforce participation and employability

How have TAWASOL’s employer engagement and capacity-building sessions influenced employers’ willingness to adopt inclusive HR or ECC policies?
Immediate Outcome (1210) – Private sector engagement and inclusion

Which specific soft and digital skills demanded by private sector employers have been formally integrated and funded by Technical Institutes (TIs) after the initial TAWASOL technical assistance ends?
Immediate Outcome (1220) – Career guidance and institutional support

How have Career Development Centers (CDCs) and career fairs improved youth awareness and access to job opportunities?
Immediate Outcome (1220) – Career guidance and institutional support

How has the perception of vocational training and private sector employment shifted among unengaged youth and their households as a result of the project's social marketing campaigns?
Immediate Outcome (1220) – Career guidance and institutional support

Approach and methodology

The proposal should include a preliminary draft of the methodology for conducting the Outcome Monitoring Exercise. The selected consultant or firm is expected to propose an approach and methodological framework that effectively meets the objectives of this assignment, while allowing room for refinement during the inception phase. Adjustments may be introduced at that stage to ensure full alignment with the methodology used during the baseline assessment and to maintain comparability of indicator values over time.
The proposed methodology should integrate both quantitative and qualitative approaches, providing a comprehensive and context-sensitive analysis of progress against outcome indicators, as well as insights into the enabling and constraining factors influencing results. The design of the methodology should be guided by the following key considerations:

• Gender- and youth-responsive design: The study should systematically apply mixed research methods that are gender- and youth-sensitive and adopt participatory and feminist approaches wherever feasible. Stakeholders and participants—especially youth, employers, and institutional partners—should be engaged throughout all phases of the study, from methodological design to data interpretation and dissemination of findings. The inclusion of adaptive learning-oriented approaches such as Outcome Harvesting will be considered a strong asset.
• Geographic alignment: The geographic scope of data collection will correspond to the areas targeted by TAWASOL interventions (Baghdad ,Najaf ,Mosul and Basra), including partner Technical Universities (TUs), Vocational Training Centers (VTCs), and collaborating employers within the identified economic growth sectors.
• Consistency with baseline: The methodology should build upon and remain consistent with the baseline approach to ensure comparability of results over time, while allowing methodological refinements where necessary to reflect programmatic evolution and contextual shifts.
• Data disaggregation and inclusion: Data must be collected and analyzed disaggregated by sex, age, geographic location, and other relevant socio-economic variables to facilitate gender, equity, and inclusion analysis across project outcomes.

Additionally, the methodology should clearly articulate:

• The criteria for respondent selection in qualitative data collection (e.g., representation of youth, employers, institutional staff, and local stakeholders).
• The sampling strategy for quantitative data collection, ensuring statistical validity and representativeness across targeted areas; and
• The approach for addressing ethical considerations related to informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, and the safe and respectful participation of youth and other vulnerable groups throughout the data collection, analysis, and dissemination processes.

5. Key Activities and deliverables 

The selected consultant/firm will have overall responsibility for the design of the methodology and implementation of the assignment in accordance with the conducted baseline, and for ensuring quality and timeliness of all deliverables. The Consultant/ firm will be tasked with designing the methodological details of the assignment, including the choice of the appropriate sampling/selection strategy, as well as with the revision/update of the data collection tools; the enumerators’ recruitment, training and supervision; data entry and analysis; report writing and dissemination of findings for validation with stakeholders and participants.  

The key activities and deliverables expected from the Consultant/firm for this assignment are as follows:

• Review all project relevant documents, baseline study, existing monitoring data, and available secondary data sources regarding women employment and ECCD sector in Jordan and related to the research questions as well as to the performance indicators included in the project PMF.
• Participate in an inception meeting with relevant project staff and key stakeholders (if necessary) to clarify expectations of the mandate and provide contextual information necessary to finalise the inception report, timeline and work plan.
• Submit a detailed inception report and work plan, including (but not limited to) the following elements: 

              - Detailed methodology to respond to each outcome indicators’ measurement as well as to the identified learning questions. 
               - Sampling strategy and proposed sample size for quantitative data collection tools.
               - Selection criteria for qualitative data collection tools.
               - Detailed work plan that includes all tasks by the Consultant/firm and team members and incorporating the overall assignment timelines.
              - Revised level of effort of each team member and detailed budget including professional fees, expected reimbursable, etc.
              - Revised/ updated quantitative and qualitative data collection tools and protocols.

• Review/update all data collection tools. These tools will be reviewed during the inception phase and must be included in the inception report/work plan.
• Develop Enumerator Guidelines and Protocols for Data Collection and Conduct Enumerators Training following a detailed agenda and outlining study protocols (this agenda should be included in the inception report).
• Coordinate/conduct/supervise data collection, as per the agreed methodology.
• Ensure Data Quality by supervising data collection and reviewing data entry, where applicable.
• Analyze all primary data collected, also triangulating with secondary data whenever available and appropriate.
• Draft the assignment Report (to be submitted in both Word and PDF versions with all annexes, data collection tools and raw data files included). The Table of Contents will be provided during the inception phase.

Expected key deliverables are listed below:

• Inception report, containing detailed methodology and timeline, data collection tools and protocols, enumerators training tools, data analysis plan, informed consent forms,
• Research approvals, if applicable.
• Final report with key findings and recommendations.
• PMF with updated indicator values.
• All raw data, recordings and notes from both the quantitative and qualitative data collection processes.

6. Timeframe 
The period of the contract is expected to be from. The consultant is expected to carry out all the preparation required to roll out the assignment as per the suggested time frame below.

Task/Output Expected Time Frame
Deadline proposals submission 7/12/2025 
Proposals evaluation committee  7-12/12/2025
Agreement signing 14/12/2025
Inception Meeting 15/12/2025
Submission of draft Inception Report and Work Plan  22/12/2025
Integration of feedback and submission of Final Inception Report
 (WUSC will provide any feedback within five working days of receipt of the complete draft report)
Up to 30/12/2025
Data Collection 1/1/2026-31/1/2026 
Analysis and report writing “preliminary analysis sharing 8-12/2/2026
Submission of draft outcome monitoring exercise Report (following report structure outline provided) 17/2/2026 
Presentation of indicators actuals, progress and key findings at a validation workshop with TAWASOL team and key stakeholders 22/2/2026 
Integration of feedback and submission of the Final Report
(WUSC will provide any feedback within 5 working days of receipt of the complete draft report) 25-26/2/2026
Submission of final outcome monitoring exercise Report 1/3/2026

The expected level of effort for each of the above listed tasks should be included in the submitted proposal.

The final timeline will be discussed and agreed upon during the inception meeting.

Qualifications of Consultant(s) 

• Lead researcher must demonstrate a minimum of 10 years of experience in designing and conducting similar studies and researches, collecting data and producing quality outcome results oriented reports, for international non-profit organizations or multilateral agencies;
• Demonstrated experience in executing similar assignments including proven experience in participatory research methods and approaches, outcome harvesting and similar methods, management of large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of sources.
• Excellent facilitation skills and ability to recruit and manage facilitators for consultation with key stakeholders as well as for the collection of relevant qualitative data.
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative and qualitative data analysis.
• Ability to produce high quality work under tight timeframes.
• Excellent writing proficiency and strong analytical abilities
• Fluency in Arabic and English is required.

8. Application Packages and Procedures
Qualified and interested parties are asked to submit the following: 

1. Letter of interest
2. Detailed technical proposal (8 to 9 pages maximum) clearly demonstrating a thorough understanding of this ToR and including the following: 
      - Description of the Capacity and qualifications of the consulting/consulting firm, including previous relevant experience (1.5 to 2 pages).
      - Description of the proposed approach and methodology for the measurement of all mentioned indicators as well as the strategy to address the listed learning questions; this section will include details on data collection, sampling strategy, data analysis, integration of gender considerations and ethical standards, quality assurance (3.5 to 4 pages).
      - A proposed timeframe detailing activities and a schedule/work plan (including a Gantt chart) (1 page)
   Team composition, qualifications and level of effort of each proposed team member. 

Note that each proposal will be assessed based on a list of criteria, including but not limited to the following elements:

           - Years of experience in the sector and the geographic context of the project, as well as with the key stakeholder groups participating in the project’s activities.
          - Documented experience with participatory research methods, qualitative methods (like outcome harvesting), in the assessment of empowerment and in facilitation of consultations with different stakeholders’ groups.
          - Team composition that includes local experts in key roles, from the design to the execution of the study. 
          - Methodological choices centered around inclusive participatory and consultative approaches, right from the design of the proposal.

    3. A financial proposal (in USD) with a detailed breakdown of costs for the assignment:

• Itemized consultancy fees/costs, detailing the level of effort of each team member
• Itemized field data collection expenses
• Itemized administrative expenses
• Validity period of quotations
• Expected payment plan and method

    4. Curriculum Vitae(s) of all proposed team members outlining relevant experience (max 3 pages per CV)
    5. Names and contact information of three references who can be contacted regarding recent relevant experience
    6. A copy of  previous reports of similar recent work undertaken
    7. A Consulting Firm profile (if applicable). 

Complete applications should be submitted electronically to: [email protected] with the subject line of with the subject line of: “Outcome Monitoring Exercise Consultancy”

The closing date for submission of the application package is the mid-day of the business day on December 7th, 2025 

11. Pre-bid Clarification (Q&A)
All inquiries, questions & clarification requests should be directed to the email address [email protected]. The Deadline for the Pre-bid Clarification (Q&A).

12. Price and payment 

Quoted price would be open to negotiations, WUSC reserves the right to choose certain items from the itemized budget submitted. 

Key Milestones & Payment Percentages
Contract Signing 20%
Finalize the data collection phase, sharing necessary M&E tools alongside of raw data (All field work as agreed during the inception phase) 40%
Outcome Monitoring Exercise -Final Report Submission 40%