Service Provider to Conduct the Final Outcome Assessment for the Safe Food for Growth (SAFEGRO) Project

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Calling for a Service Provider to Conduct the Final Outcome Assessment for the Safe Food for Growth (SAFEGRO) Project

1. Introduction

The SAFEGRO is a Canadian-funded technical assistance project designed to strengthen Vietnam’s food safety management system. Implemented by Alinea International in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), and the Ministry of Health (MOH), the project aims to improve regulatory enforcement, support safer agri-food value chains, and increase consumer awareness of safe food.

SAFEGRO is structured around three component outcomes:

Component 1 – Enabling Environment: Improved performance of national and sub-national governments in food safety regulation enforcement along the selected value chains in Vietnam to meet international standards.
Component 2 – Supply side: Increased competitiveness of poor farmers and other actors—particularly women in Vietnam —supplying safe agri-food products to domestic and international markets (in selected value chains).
Component 3 – Demand side: Increased consumer demand for safe and affordable agri-food in Vietnam.

As the project approaches completion, SAFEGRO seeks a qualified service provider to conduct an end-project outcome assessment. The assessment will evaluate the extent to which the project achieved its intended outcomes, identify factors influencing results, assess sustainability and scalability, and generate lessons to inform future initiatives in food safety governance, value chain development, and consumer protection.

2. Objective of the Assignment

The primary objective of this assignment is to assess the outcomes achieved by the SAFEGRO Project across its three components, providing evidence of the project’s contributions to improved food safety systems in Vietnam. The assessment will:

Measure the extent to which SAFEGRO achieved its intended outcomes in regulatory enforcement, value chain competitiveness, and consumer demand.
Examine factors facilitating or constraining outcomes, including institutional, regulation, technical, social, and gender-related aspects.
Evaluate the sustainability and potential scalability of key results, such as strengthened regulatory practices, improved farmer competitiveness, and food safety behavior change among consumers.
Identify lessons learned, innovative practices, and challenges to inform future programming.
Provide actionable recommendations for government partners, development actors, and other stakeholders on sustaining and building upon SAFEGRO achievements.

3. Methodology

The assessment should use a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure comprehensive and reliable results. The methodology should include:

Document Review: Examine project documents, reports, PMF and monitoring data, policy documents, and technical studies.
Quantitative Methods: Conduct survey and analyze data from the survey and other sources to assess extent of outcomes achievement.
Qualitative Methods: Conduct key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and case studies with stakeholders across the value chains and government agencies to obtain evidence of outcomes and explain for changes. Determine SAFEGRO’s contribution to observed changes while acknowledging other influencing factors.
Gender and Inclusion Lens: Assess impacts of project interventions on gender equality, especially on women and marginalized groups. Identify barriers to participation or benefit for these groups.
Data Triangulation and Validation: Cross-check findings and recommendations from multiple sources to ensure accuracy.

4. Responsibilities

The service provider will conduct following tasks to assess Final Outcome Assessment:

Document Review: Review project documents including implementation plans (PIP), project document, logic model, PMF indicators and data, progress reports, technical and policy studies, communication materials, and other relevant documents to map intended outcomes and indicators.
Field Survey: Design and conduct a field survey to collect and analyze quantitative data to assess extent of achievement for relevant project outcome indicators (immediate and intermediate outcomes).
Stakeholder Consultations: Use qualitative methods to discuss with relevant project benefiting agencies including national and sub-national government agencies, value chain actors, women-led enterprises, consumer groups, SAFEGRO staff, and other stakeholders to identify outcomes and impact resulted from project interventions as well as factors affecting the project results. Examine gender equality and social inclusion impacts and environment cross-cutting issues.
Sustainability and Scalability Assessment: Evaluate whether project-supported interventions are likely to continue and identify opportunities for replication or scaling.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations: Identify good practices, innovative approaches, areas for improvement and lesson learned. Provide actionable recommendations for stakeholders to enhance future food safety initiatives.
Outcome assessment report: Draft the outcome assessment report for discussion with project staff, then finalize this based on their comments and suggestions.

5. Deliverables

The service provider will produce the following deliverables:

Inception Report: Submit a detailed inception report finalizing methodology, tools, sampling, and work plan for approval before fieldwork begins.
Draft Outcome Assessment Report: Comprehensive findings and analysis for the project outcomes, sustainability, lessons learned and preliminary recommendations covering all project components.
Validation Presentation: Present key findings and recommendations to SAFEGRO and stakeholders for feedback.
Outcome Assessment Report: Incorporate feedback from SAFEGRO and stakeholders to produce Final Outcome Assessment Report. The report should include executive summary, outcome component-wise findings, lessons learned, sustainability, actionable recommendations and appendices.
Data Files and Annexes: Cleaned datasets, updated PMF results, interview notes, survey instruments, and other supporting documentation.

6. Timeline

The assignment is expected to be completed within 30 consultancy days over an estimated period from end December 2025 to mid-February in accordance with SAFEGRO’s project reporting deadlines. The proposed schedule is outlined below:

Activity	Tentative Period	Notes
Desk study/document review	Final week of December 2025	Review project documents, reports, PMF, and finalize work plan.
Field assessment/data collection	1st–14th January 2026	Conduct survey, interviews, focus group discussions, and on-site observations with stakeholders.
Data analysis and draft report preparation	15th–31st January 2026	Analyze quantitative and qualitative data and prepare a Draft Outcome Assessment Report.
Finalize Outcome Assessment Report	6 February 2026	Incorporate comments and inputs from the project staff to finalize the Outcome Assessment Report

Notes:

The consultant should submit an inception plan and finalize data collection tools before fieldwork begins.
Deadlines are indicative and may be adjusted slightly in coordination with SAFEGRO and stakeholders.
All deliverables must be submitted in English.

7. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Implementation Approach (20%):
Study design
Implementation Plan (20%):
Clarity and feasibility of the plan.
Strategies for ensuring data quality and ethical standards.
Expertise and Experience of the consultant (30%):
Relevant experience in conducting similar assignment, especially in the agri-food or development sectors.
Qualifications of proposed individual consultant.
Cost-Effectiveness and Financial Proposal (20%):
Reasonableness and justification of the budget.
Value for money relative to deliverables.
Timeline and Work Plan (10%):
Realism and detail of the proposed timeline.
Clear milestones and deliverables.

8. Details of Submission and Point of Contact

Interested Applicant(s) are invited to send an electronic application package by 5 pm, 19^th Dec 2025 (HN time zone with email subject “SAFEGRO-Outcome Survey” to [email protected] and copy it to [email protected]

The package should be written in English, including:

Technical proposal (around 3-5 pages)
CVs of individual consultant or consultant team with short and relevant experiences
Vendors’ portfolio/Company profile listing products that are similar to the requirements.
The cost estimate.

Interested applicants are encouraged to visit SAFEGRO’s website https://safegroproject.com/ to access for relevant project documents to prepare for the proposal. Only qualified applicants will be notified for interviews. Selected candidates will be informed via email within 5 working days after the deadline for the application.