Background:
Forest Foundation Philippines (also known as Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF), Inc.) is a non-stock, non-profit, non-government organization established in 2002 under two bilateral agreements between the governments of the Philippines and the United States of America. The Foundation provides grants and technical assistance to organizations that empower the people to protect the forests.
The Philippines-Canada Partnership on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Climate Adaptation (PCP4NbS), a program led by Forest Foundation Philippines and funded by the Government of Canada, supports gender-responsive and community-based NbS to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen community and ecosystem resilience to climate change impacts in priority areas in the Philippines. PCP4NbS advances biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and gender equality in natural resource management by promoting gender-responsive, high-integrity NbS through grants, knowledge and capacity building, partnerships, and policy advocacy.
Target Outcomes and Key Activities:
PCP4NbS aims to achieve two medium-term outcomes:
- Improve decision-making for gender-responsive adaptation planning, practices, and governance of community- and nature-based solutions in the target project sites in the Philippines; and
- Enhance the adoption of gender-responsive nature-based solutions with biodiversity co-benefits for climate adaptation of women and communities in the target project sites in the Philippines
The Program is currently at its midterm implementation phase. To inform course correction and strengthen results achievement for the remaining period, the Foundation will engage a team of consultants (“consultant”) to conduct an external midterm evaluation of the PCP4NbS Program.
Objectives:
The objective of this consultancy is to support Forest Foundation Philippines in assessing the PCP4NbS Program’s (“Program”) progress toward its intended outcomes, with a particular focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of current implementation strategies and approaches. The consultant will review relevant Program documents and performance data and will collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative information from key stakeholders.
The consultant will synthesize findings to identify key achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and emerging risks, and develop practical, evidence-based recommendations for Forest Foundation Philippines, particularly to inform the Program’s strategy and approaches for its subsequent Program planning to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of implementation.
The consultant will validate findings with the program team and produce a clear, well-structured midterm evaluation report in line with agreed standards and timelines.
Scope and Location of Work:
The external midterm evaluation will cover the contributions and progress of the Program in achieving its target results (e.g., outputs, outcomes). The evaluation will cover Program implementation from January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026.
The process and methodology to be used for the midterm evaluation must be discussed and agreed by both parties.
Upon commencement of engagement, the consultant shall:
- Prepare a work plan and inception report;
- Conduct the external midterm evaluation based on the agreed and approved methodology; and
- Submit the final external evaluation report to Forest Foundation Philippines.
The consultant may work at the Forest Foundation office or at any location deemed conducive to execute tasks. The consultant is expected to consult and coordinate closely with Foundation staff in the conduct of the consultancy.
Timelines, Deliverables and Payment Schedule:
The proposed consultancy shall commence upon signing of the Consultancy Agreement and be completed on or before August 15, 2026.
Forest Foundation will provide support for the identification and coordination with (e.g., to introduce them, provide contact info) stakeholders to be consulted and the conduct of relevant meetings.
The consultancy fee shall be inclusive of professional fees, all applicable Government taxes and charges, and other incidental and administrative costs (i.e., logistical expenses for field work, printing and reproduction costs, cost of conduct of meetings [including, food, venue, and equipment rental], and other expenses deemed necessary for the project).
The schedule of payment shall be as follows:
| Tasks and Deliverables | Timeline | Payment Tranche |
| Presentation and acceptance of the consultancy work plan and framework/method for analysis | Within two weeks after signing the Agreement | 40% |
| Submission of the first draft report (following Annex A as a draft Outline) | On or before July 15, 2026 | 30% |
| Submission of the final report | On or before August 15, 2026 | 20% |
| Acceptance of the final report by Forest Foundation | September 2026 | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
No additional payments and reimbursements shall be provided beyond the agreed consultancy fee.
For proper monitoring of the engagement, the consultant is also expected to provide a monthly update on the progress of the evaluation.
Forest Foundation Philippines shall have the sole ownership of the final outputs.
Qualifications, Experience, and Competency:
Required Skills, Experience and Education:
- Lead Consultant: At least Masters Level Degree in Sustainable Development, Development Studies, Development Policy, Environmental or Natural Resource Management, or any related discipline; Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience on program/project evaluation, project management, monitoring and evaluation, and technical operations in areas of sustainable development, environment, and natural resources;
- Team expertise: specialized training on evaluation, project management, social statistics, advanced statistical research and analysis;
- Having Team members located in the Program priority areas, focal landscapes (and/or project sites) will be an advantage;
- Relevant professional experience in design and management of evaluation processes with multiple stakeholders, survey design and implementation, and project planning, monitoring and management;
- Demonstrated methodological knowledge of evaluations, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for midterm and/or end-of-cycle project evaluations; and
- Good knowledge of and experience in environmental and forest-related issues;a specific knowledge on gender-responsive Nature-based Solutions (NbS) will be an advantage.
Core Competencies:
- Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
- Ability to work independently and, produce high quality outputs;
- APossess a solid understanding of the institutional arrangements and resources required to carry out the scope of works;
- Sound judgment, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage competing priorities; and
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, disability, and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional Competencies:
- Strong capability to analyze policies, regulatory frameworks, barriers and the like, related to sectoral sustainable development approaches;
- Ability to research and write at a high level;
- Ability to research and conduct interviews with key informants; and
- Flexibility in the event adjustments are required based on the findings, both at the organizational and technical levels, for successful implementation of the consultancy.
Application Procedure:
Interested applicants are requested to send an application addressed to Atty. Jose Andres A. Canivel, Executive Director, through pcp4nbs@forestfoundation.ph on or before 28 February 2026. Indicate “PCP4NbS Consultant for External Midterm Evaluation” as the subject of the email.
Applicants shall submit the following:
- Comprehensive CV of the consultant or members of the team of consultants, indicating all experience from similar projects, contact details (email and phone number), and at least two professional references;
- Letter of intent (not more than one page) briefly describing the suitability of the applicant;
- Technical proposal (not more than three pages) briefly describing the methodology/approach to complete the consultancy; and
- Financial proposal (not more than one page) indicating the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs.
ANNEX 1. Draft Outline of Report:
At the minimum, the external evaluation report should comprise the following:
- Executive Summary
- Introduction and Program Overview
- Evaluation Approach and Methodology
- Evaluation Framework and Key Evaluation Questions
- Data sources and methods
- Limitations
- Results of the Evaluation
- Progress toward intended outcomes
- Effectiveness of implementation strategies
- Lessons Learned and Emerging Issues
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Annexes