VIEW FULL REPORT

Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE)
Performance Evaluation

Statement of Work

The United States Agency for International Development/Philippines (USAID/PH) will commission a third-party performance evaluation of the Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Activity. Through this evaluation, USAID/PH will assess SURGE’s implementation progress and achievement of its project objectives, improving governmental operations in selected second-tier cities deemed as important drivers of inclusive economic growth. SURGE is guided by USAID’s strategies on sustainable urban services, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and other cross-cutting policies such as gender inclusion and private sector engagement. It is central to the Cities Development Initiative (CDI), a key element of the U.S.-Philippines  Partnership for Growth (PFG), and a core component of the Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS). Specifically, SURGE contributes to USAID/PH’s Development Objectives of “Broad-based and Inclusive Growth Accelerated and Sustained” and “Environmental Resilience Improved” of the previous CDCS (2013-2019) as well as the Development Objectives of the current CDCS (2020-2024) of “Inclusive, Market-Driven Growth Expanded” and “Environmental and Community Resilience Enhanced.”

The evaluation will cover the original duration of SURGE and part of its extension (six years from July 27, 2015 to the present), across nine cities, covering both the three pilot sites (Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, and Iloilo) and the six expansion-cities (Legazpi, Tagbilaran, General Santos, Puerto Princesa, Zamboanga, and Marawi). SURGE supports the Philippine government’s Journey to Self-Reliance (J2SR) and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022. The PDP is anchored on the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) that guides public investments and catalyzes private investments to maximize agglomeration efficiencies, enhance connectivity, and build up resilience against natural hazards. Aside from evaluation for accountability and learning, the evaluation also will inform the ongoing formulation of the USAID-wide policy on local capacity development. Results of the evaluation will inform the co-creation of next-generation activities in accordance with the USAID policy on urban resiliency, particularly on improving delivery of essential services in urban areas and strengthening interconnections between urban and rural areas, as well as USAID’s strategy on water and development.

Download Final Report

The intended audiences of this evaluation are USAID/PH program officers, other USAID staff worldwide who are interested in local governance, and those responsible for, and interested in, urban resiliency, WASH, and local capacity development programs and activities. Philippine stakeholders, including those in the Government of the Philippines, second-tier cities, and other researchers, are also a primary audience for this evaluation.

Download Statement of Work Here

About CLAimDev

CLAimDev Project Briefing

Download PDF

The purpose of CLAimDev is to bolster the capacity of USAID/Philippines to effectively lead and practice collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA), which has the broader goal of enhancing USAID’s development effectiveness. Panagora Group, the implementing partner, will closely work with USAID/Philippines to integrate CLA principles into the Mission’s work. ClaimDev covers an implementation period of five years, 2020-2024.

CLAimDev embeds a measure that will steer collaboration between internal and external stakeholders to adopt a culture of continuous learning and adaptive management to achieve greater development impact. It will play a key role in measuring and monitoring progress in the U.S. -Philippines development partnership. Through collaboration with the Program Office and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) champions, CLAimDev will facilitate knowledge sharing processes in implementing the 2019-2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS); disseminating key development results and best practices to the Philippine government and other development partners; and recommending opportunities for programmatic adaptation so that USAID can strategically support the Philippines in its journey to self-reliance.

CLAimDev aims to:

  • Enhance and expand the leadership capacity of USAID/Philippines staff to facilitate strategic internal collaboration—between offices and across projects and activities, development partners and external stakeholders.
  • Strengthen USAID/Philippines’ evidence base to strategically guide USAID’s programmatic decision-making and adapting, namely in the implementation of the 2019-2024 Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and related projects and activities.
  • Integrate intentional learning into USAID/Philippines’ culture, systems, and processes, including rigorous meta-analysis and dissemination of lessons learned and good practices inside and outside of USAID—particularly those that shed light on the U.S.-Philippines’ partnership in the journey to self-reliance.

CLAimDev organizes program management cycle-oriented tasks under the CLA Framework to achieve its three objectives. Many of the tasks will be mission-wide and cross-cutting in nature, serving the Mission’s high level monitoring, evaluation, collaborating, learning and adapting needs.

All tasks delivered will be conducted in close coordination with the USAID/Philippine Mission. CLAimDev will undertake programming and managing development assistance, particularly in geographic areas considered non-permissive (NPE) to normal U.S. Government operations. It will provide on-the-job coaching to USAID staff to enable them to take on increasing leadership responsibilities throughout the period of the project performance.

    • Core Task
    • On-Demand Task

  • OBJECTIVE 1

    • Core Task Provide logistics and support for CLA events

    • On-Demand Task Provide large leadership enhancing opportunities such as staff retreats and team building exercises

    • Core Task Provide on-the-job coaching and mentoring for USAID staff on CLA

    • On-Demand Task Procure and administer leadership development curriculum and coaching materials

    • Core Task Deliver training and coaching for USAID on collaborative leadership approaches

    • Core Task Support USAID in managing communities of practice

  • OBJECTIVE 2

    • Core Task
      Support USAID Performance Management Plan (PMP) revisions and updating

    • On-Demand Task
      Conduct external assessments, evaluations and other research

    • Core Task
      Help refine the Mission’s Learning Agenda

    • On-Demand Task
      Monitoring and evaluation activities in NPEs

    • Core Task
      Assist in development and refinement of cross-cutting indicators and contextual indicators

    • Core Task
      Identify and utilize a secure, web-based Portfolio Management solution

    • Core Task
      Contribute to Scope of Work development for evaluation and research activities

    • Core Task
      Provide technical inputs to internal evaluations led by USAID staff

  • OBJECTIVE 3

    • Core Task
      Design and/or refine a targeted mission CLA capacity-building approach

    • On-Demand Task
      Support the documentation of lessons learned and good practices

    • Core Task
      Coach and support USAID to infuse CLA practices into existing mission processes

    • On-Demand Task
      Support mid-course and end-line 2019-2024 CDCS stock-taking

    • Core Task
      Analyze trends of high- level PMP indicators.

    • On-Demand Task
      Coordinate, facilitate, and arrange logistics for meetings

    • Core Task
      Conduct meta-analyses of evaluations and research inside and outside of USAID

    • On-Demand Task
      Coordinate, manage, and facilitate periodic evidence-sharing summits

    • Core Task
      Communicate findings and recommendations from analyses

    • On-Demand Task
      Organize logistics for project and activity co-design workshops

    • Core Task
      Recommend possible opportunities for adaptive management to USAID

    • Core Task
      Facilitate annual reviews of project theories of change

    • Core Task
      Facilitate discussions with USAID and implementing partners to inform adaptive management based on NPE findings

    • Core Task
      Support the documentation and dissemination of lessons learned and good practices

    • Core Task
      Share best practices with Health CLA and Local Works activities

    • Core Task
      Develop GIS maps.

Albert Perez Aquino, PhD

CLAimDev Contracting Officer’s Representative
Office of Program Resources Management
US Agency for International Development
(USAID)/Philippines
Email: aaquino@usaid.gov

Susan Minushkin, PhD

CLAimDev Chief of Party
Email
susanminushkin@panagoraphilippines.net
www.panagoragroup.net

SURGE Evaluation Team

Dr. Nicasio Angelo J. Agustin

Team Leader

Dr. Maria Andrea L. Santiago

MSME Expert

Engr. Senen Dizon

WASH Expert

Engr. Rudini Baoy

Governance Expert

Dr. Nicasio Angelo J. Agustin

Evaluation Team Leader

Dr. Nic Agustin has an extensive experience in planning and policy formulation, as well as project development and investment programming in the public sector. Nic was with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) from 1983 to 2008. Afterward, he worked with several corporate institutions and international development agencies as a resource person, program and policy monitoring and evaluation specialist, project team leader and manager, and project proposal writer. Nic has been a part-time Professional Lecturer since 1998 in various universities, including the University of the Philippines Diliman – School of Urban and Regional Planning and the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School – Program on Economics and Development Studies. Dr. Agustin holds a doctoral and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, a master’s degree in public management (MPM), and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. His fields of study include planning and policy development, knowledge-based development and organizational management, project development, and program monitoring and evaluation. Dr. Agustin is the Chairman of the Board at Global Hub for Growth, Inc. and Senior Planning Advisor/Team Leader, Coaching and Mentoring in Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Reporting Systems in a Ministry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

Dr. Maria Andrea L. Santiago

Evaluation Team Member, Expert in Research on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises

Dr. Ginny Santiago is an academician and consultant to government, academia, and industry institutions. She worked at the Office of the President of the Philippines and was exposed to the energy sector. Dr. Santiago was a board member of the Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines, the Investment Coordinating Committee of the National Economic Development Authority, and the Government Corporate Monitoring and Coordinating Committee of the Department of Finance. Ginny holds a doctorate in Business Management from De La Salle University, a master’s degree in Business Management from the Asian Institute of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from De La Salle University. Dr. Santiago was a full professor, teaching and doing research and serving as a consultant at the Strategic Management Department of the Asian Institute of Management and the Management and Organization Department at De La Salle University. Dr. Santiago is currently a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and Advocates for Good Governance.

Engr. Senen Dizon

Evaluation Team Member, Expert in Water Supply and Sanitation

Engr. Senen Dizon is a specialist in engineering planning and studies on water supply and sanitation improvement and development projects. He was the Head, Technical Assistant to the Administrator of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS). He served as a project engineer/operation manager of the privatized government water operators. As a consultant, he assisted local and international private proponents for water supply improvement and development projects under Public-Private Partnership programs with water districts and local government units. He served as Consultant to MWSS-Regulatory Office for the evaluation of the technical performance of the MWSS’ Water Conseccuonairs. Engr. Dizon is affiliated with several organizations, including the Philippine Waterworks Association and the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (Major in Water Resources). He took up some units for a Masters in Business Administration at the International Academy of Management and Economics.

Engr. Rudini Baoy

Evaluation Team Member, Expert in M&E on Local Governance

Engr. Rudini “Nick” Baoy is a development management specialist with more than 15 years of experience in planning, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E) of large development projects in the Philippines and selected countries in Asia. Nick has extensive experience in theory-based design and results-oriented M&E of projects funded by international aid agencies and government and non-profit organizations. He has supported critical Philippine government agencies in institutionalizing results-based M&E in projects designed to strengthen the capacity to foster a business-enabling environment, simplify local regulatory processes and promote community-driven development. His professional experience includes project-based consulting work on issues related to agriculture, education, environment, governance, health, and urban development for Asian Development Bank, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade-Australia, World Bank, United States Agency for International Development, and Japan International Cooperation Agency. Nick earned his degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of the Philippines at Los Banos and his Certificate in Development Evaluation from the International Program on Development Evaluation of the World Bank and Carleton University of Canada.

DISCLAIMER

This report is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Panagora Group and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or of the United States government.