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External Review of the Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN)

Expressions of Interest are invited for an Evaluation Specialist to carry out an external review of the Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN).

Background to PILN:

The Pacific Invasives Learning Network (PILN) was established in 2005 by eight partners: The Nature Conservancy, the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group, Conservation International, the Palau Office of Environmental Response and Coordination, University of the South Pacific, US Forest Service, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Three close collaborators are also recognised: BirdLife International, the National Park of American Samoa, and the Pacific Invasives Initiative. A full time coordinator was appointed in November 2005 and the network formally launched in May 2006 by the Honorable Elias Camsek Chin, Vice President of the Republic of Palau. Six initial founding teams were recruited at the launch, and this has now expanded to 13 active multi-sector PILN teams.

The mission of the PILN is “to empower effective invasive species management through a participant driven network that meets priority needs, rapidly shares skills and resources, provides links to technical expertise, increases information exchange and accelerates on-the-ground action.” 

Purpose of the Assignment:

The external review is the first part of a two-step process: it will examine what the network has achieved during the pilot programme, and its results will contribute to the next step, discussions among the partners on how the network should move ahead post-pilot.

PILN is in the second year of a 2-year pilot programme, during which the main activity has been to build the network. PILN is at a critical point in its development and it is an appropriate time to examine the networks successes and failures, in order to:

• Determine whether PILN has been successful and outline what aspects of PILN should be replicated in establishing other learning networks in the Pacific region;

• Define the role of PILN in relation to that of SPREP, SPC and the PII partnership within the framework of the Regional Invasive Species Strategy;

• Source funding for the post-pilot phase, where the network is expected to focus on expansion and consolidation.

Review Objective:

• Determine if PILN is fulfilling its mission for the participants, for the partners and for close collaborators.
• Determine if the PILN structure is a good model
• Determine what elements of PILN are replicable for other capacity building activities

Tasks:

Recommendations for the functioning of the PILN network and partnership will be presented, based on the following 5 thematic areas:

1. Assess the effectiveness of the networks strategies in terms of the goals

• Progress against PILN goals & milestones
• Were the goals & objectives of the pilot phase appropriate?
• Were the goals & objectives of the pilot phase achieved?
• What was the level of satisfaction of key stakeholders?
  • PILN team members
  • Other stakeholders in-country (eg, members of national invasive species committees)
  • Partners and donors
  • How did this differ for members of the initial founding teams and the new teams?
  • Do participants feel that they drive the network?
• Did the PILN help accelerate conservation?
  • Peer learning (learning exchanges)
  • Bringing the right people together periodically (annual meetings)
  • Workshops
  • Coordinator activities
• Relationship with other institutions and groups:
  • How has PILN progressed invasive species action in the region along with other institutions and groups working on invasive species?
  • Is the current relationship appropriate and productive and how could it be improved?
  • Does the PILN network adequately transfer skills between these groups and PILN teams?
• Have lessons learned in invasive species management been successfully applied at a wider scale or to new areas (outscaling)?
• Have lessons learned been successfully transferred from field level to decision-making level (upscaling)?
• Did the activities lead to the outcomes expected?
• What are the strengths & weaknesses of PILN?

2. Has PILN had “leverage”?

• What follow-on activities, projects or programs have resulted from PILN?
• What influence has PILN had on the use of peer learning networks for conservation?
  • In the Pacific
  • Elsewhere

3. Assess the adequacy of the PILN secretariat

• The coordinators role
• Staffing
• The partners roles
  • Are the right partners present?
  • Are the right representatives of the partners involved?
• Institutional structure
• Effectiveness of the location of the coordinator at SPREP, and role there.
• Effectiveness of the steering committee

4. Continuity & Expansion strategy

• What should be the criteria for PILN membership? – individuals, teams, organizations, geographic extent
• What should be the expectations/commitments of PILN members? (e.g. frequency of retreats, progress on self-identified goals, self-assessments, exchanges, site monitoring, other?)
• What priority issues has PILN helped with in the past?
• What are the priority issues that PILN should help with in the future (can be more of the same or different)?
• What priority issues is PILN not well-placed to help with, and what issues should it pass to other invasive species initiatives?

5. Identify specific lessons that can be learned from this project

• What worked well and PILN should do again?
• What should PILN do differently?

The consultant will also be expected to determine what elements of PILN are replicable for other similar capacity building initiatives.

Timeline and Deliverables:

The following milestones and deliverables will be used to track progress on this contract.

By Early May 2008

• Background literature and familiarisation complete.
• Programme of work agreed with supervisory team, including 3 country visits and telephone and email consultations with PILN partners and teams.
• Consultations with PILN Partners completed
• Consultations with PILN teams completed
• Country visits initiated
• Final consultations
• Country visits completed
• Draft report presented to supervisory team
• Final report completed.

Skills and Experience Needed:

• Proven track record in project evaluation and reviews
• Professional experience in the Pacific islands region
• Demonstrated ability to analyse information and write concise, meaningful reports
• Understanding of invasive species issues in relation to biodiversity conservation and livelihoods
• Familiarity with networks and capacity building initiatives
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively and in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment
• Excellent organizational skills
• Demonstrated strategic ability
• Consistent drive for tangible results.

Quote:

Applicants must submit a quote for the work in its entirety to SPREP as part of this application. One third of the payment will be paid on initial engagement, with installment payments upon completion of milestones throughout the consultancy.

Application:

Application letters should be accompanied by the consultancy quotation, a detailed curriculum vitae summarizing your experience and qualifications relevant for this consultation, including an outline of approach to meet tender requirements, personal details, address and full contact information of three professional referees who are prepared to provide testimonials. Applicants should be able to start as soon as possible if successful.

The application must be addressed to:

                        The Director

                        SPREP                                             Telephone: (685) 21 929

                        PO Box 240                                      Fax:   (685) 20 231

                        Apia, Samoa                                    E-mail: SPREP@sprep.org

Closing Date: Wednesday, 2nd April 2008.