Background
The REACH Activity expands on USAID’s investments in higher education in the region from its previous Advance (Avanza) Activity, which sought to build the capacity of higher education institutions in the LAC region. REACH is the first time that the USAID LAC Bureau is investing in scholarships for local HEIs in the region. As such, learning what works through this activity to increase access to affordable education for marginalized populations is critical not only for informing learning and adaptation for the current REACH Activity but also in considering whether this type of investment is worth USAID’s continued investment.
It is for this reason that DevTech is seeking to subcontract a firm to conduct an independent evaluation of the REACH activity to contribute to learning about how to better increase higher education outcomes (access, retention, and completion) for students from marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Objectives
Through this evaluation, DevTech hopes to contribute to the wider evidence base in the sector and respond to USAID’s thematic inquiry:
1) The USAID Higher Education Learning Agenda questions:
- How can financing of HE systems and institutions become more sustainable?
- How can HEIs collaborate most effectively with the private sector to enhance the relevance and quality of teaching and learning, and research and innovation?
- How can HE access, retention, and completion rates be improved for underrepresented populations (e.g., women, indigenous and marginalized populations, and people with disabilities)?
- What institutional and behavioral changes are needed to improve gender awareness and gender equity?
2) Learning related to USAID’s designated sub-questions for HE LA Q9, elaborated in its Guidance on MEL in USAID Scholarship Activities:
- How can scholarships improve access for underrepresented populations? (HE LA Q9)
- How can extracurricular interventions embedded in scholarship programming increase retention and completion rates for underrepresented populations? (HE LA Q9)
Tasks
The following is a list of the anticipated tasks the data collection subcontractor will be responsible for:
- Evaluation design
- Data collection
- Evaluation reports
- Work in consortium with a local firm to conduct qualitative data collection in Paraguay.
For more details about this request for proposal (RFP), please refer to the terms of reference.
All technical questions regarding this RFP should be sent to Maria Palafox, and all contracts-related questions should be sent to Michelle Samson by no later than August 16, 2024.
The final proposal should be submitted to Michelle Samson by no later than August 23, 2024.
Annexes
