Assignment Name: Final Evaluation of the Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Project

Assignment Start Date: July 2026

Assignment End Date: November 2026

Country: Bangladesh

Client Name: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Project Description:

The Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme is a nationally significant digital transformation and public-sector innovation initiative implemented by the ICT Division under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, with support from UNDP and other development, UN, academic, philanthropic, and private-sector partners. The current phase began in January 2020 and is scheduled to run until December 2026, with a total budget of approximately USD 28.75 million.

Building on Bangladesh’s Access to Information initiative, a2i functions as a whole-of-government platform to advance citizen-centred service delivery, institutional innovation, digital financial inclusion, and private-sector-enabled social innovation. It aims to reduce time, cost, visits, and complexity in accessing public services while strengthening institutional capacity, accountability, interoperability, and data-driven governance.

The programme operates through five key result areas:

• Digital Public Service Delivery, including service digitization, multiple access channels, grievance redress, interoperability, and service streamlining;
• Institutionalization of Innovation and Integrity, including civil service capacity building, innovation incentives, data-driven policymaking, and accountability;
• Inclusive Digital Financial Ecosystem, including G2P payments, fintech development, regulatory strengthening, and financial inclusion;
• Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, including incubation, youth engagement, and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies; and
• Institutionalization of Innovation Systems, including governance mechanisms, coordination structures, and monitoring and learning systems.

a2i has supported a wide range of digital platforms, service channels, financial systems, innovation labs, and capacity-building initiatives, including digital centres, interoperability systems, G2P payment mechanisms, grievance systems, and citizen feedback tools.

As the programme nears completion, UNDP has engaged DM WATCH LIMITED to conduct its Final Evaluation (2020–2026). The evaluation will provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of performance and progress toward endline targets, including the likelihood of achieving intended results by December 2026.

It will assess the programme against OECD-DAC criteria—relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, early impact, and sustainability—using the Results and Resources Framework, Theory of Change, work plans, MIS data, and other evidence sources. It will verify results and examine improvements in service access, cost, transparency, and responsiveness.

Special focus will be given to policy influence, institutionalization, scalability, sustainability, and transition readiness, including integration of systems and functions into government structures such as the Agency to Innovate.

Specific objectives of the study include:

• Assess the relevance and strategic positioning of the a2i programme in relation to national digital transformation priorities, public sector reform, citizen-centred service delivery, and the strategic priorities of the Government of Bangladesh, UNDP and development partners.
• Assess the extent to which the programme has achieved its intended outputs, outcomes and higher-level results, including contributions to systemic change in digital governance, public sector performance, service delivery and inclusive access to services.
• Evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and coherence of programme implementation, including management arrangements, operational modalities, coordination mechanisms, adaptive management, partnerships, and use of financial, technical and institutional resources.
• Examine the extent to which a2i-supported policies, platforms, processes, innovations and service delivery models have been institutionalized within government systems, including their ownership, functionality, continued use and integration into public administration.
• Assess the integration and results of cross-cutting principles, particularly gender equality, disability inclusion, social inclusion, human rights-based approaches, LNOB and accountability to citizens.
• Assess the quality and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement and partnerships, including the roles and contributions of government institutions, private sector actors, civil society, academia, development partners and UNDP.
• Identify key internal and external factors that influenced programme performance and results, including institutional capacity, governance arrangements, political economy dynamics, technological change, policy shifts and implementation risks.
• Assess the sustainability, scalability and transition readiness of programme results, including institutional ownership, financing arrangements, capacity for continued operation, and areas requiring adaptation, consolidation, scale-up or phased exit.
• Identify UNDP’s specific contribution and value addition across technical assistance, policy advisory support, innovation, institutional strengthening, partnership brokering, systems thinking and inclusive digital transformation.
• Generate evidence-based lessons and forward-looking recommendations to inform future programming, institutionalization, financing pathways, scale-up, transition planning and future collaboration between the Government of Bangladesh, UNDP and relevant partners.

The evaluation will also review governance, partnerships, resource use, and UNDP’s role in technical assistance, policy support, innovation, and partnership facilitation. Cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, disability inclusion, youth engagement, and Leaving No One Behind will be integrated throughout.

A mixed-methods approach will be used, combining quantitative and qualitative data through contribution analysis, case studies, stakeholder consultations, and triangulation.

The final output will provide findings, lessons, and actionable recommendations to support accountability, learning, transition planning, and future digital governance and innovation efforts in Bangladesh.

DM WATCH LIMITED will conduct a structured, theory-based mixed-methods evaluation covering inception, evaluability assessment, evidence collection, analysis, validation, reporting, and learning products.

Inception and Evaluation Design

• Kick-off meeting with UNDP, a2i, and government counterparts to confirm scope, purpose, deliverables, and communication.
• Review key documents: Project Document, TAPP, ToC, RRF, work plans, reports, evaluations, risk register, and related materials.
• Conduct evaluability assessment and refine/reconstruct Theory of Change (causal pathways, assumptions, outcomes).
• Develop Evaluation Matrix aligned with OECD-DAC criteria, indicators, data sources, methods, and analysis plan.
• Prepare Inception Report with methodology, sampling, stakeholder map, case selection, work plan, gender/inclusion plan, risk management, and data-collection tools (English/Bangla).

Evidence Inventory and Quantitative Analysis

• Map quantitative data from MIS, dashboards, administrative records, RRF, financial data, G2P payments, TCV studies, IMED reports, etc.
• Assess data quality (completeness, accuracy, consistency, timeliness, disaggregation).
• Develop indicator-performance tables (baseline, targets, achievements, evidence, gaps).
• Conduct trend, comparative, disaggregated, and target-achievement analysis.
• Assess service efficiency (time, cost, visits), utilization, accessibility, and user experience.

Stakeholder Mapping and Primary Data Collection

• Purposive/stratified sampling across institutions, geographies, and user groups.
• ~72 KIIs with government, UNDP, development partners, private sector, fintech, civil society, academia, and ecosystem actors.
• ~12 institutional consultations on governance, coordination, sustainability, and transition.
• ~16 FGDs with women, youth, PWDs, rural/underserved users, CMSMEs, G2P recipients, etc.
• ~12 field observations/system walkthroughs at service points and digital centres.
• Coverage includes Dhaka-based national stakeholders plus selected subnational sites (urban–rural–remote).

Case Studies and Results Verification

• Develop 8 in-depth case studies across components, contexts, and maturity levels.
• Assess design, implementation, outcomes, inclusion, scalability, sustainability, and ownership.
• Use mixed evidence (MIS, financials, TCV, interviews, FGDs, observations).
• Apply outcome harvesting and cross-verification to validate results and identify unintended effects.

Institutionalization, Sustainability, and Transition

• Assess policies, platforms, systems, governance, finance, capacity, interoperability, and maintenance.
• Evaluate institutional integration, ownership, cybersecurity, and recurrent funding.
• Assess readiness for transfer to government institutions.
• Classify interventions: scale-up, adapt, continue support, consolidate, or exit/redesign.

Efficiency, Value for Money, and Risk

• Assess governance, implementation efficiency, coordination, and resource use.
• Apply 4E framework: economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equity.
• Review financing mix (government, UNDP, donors, private sector).
• Analyze risks: institutional, fiduciary, political, technical, cybersecurity, social, environmental, and mitigation systems.

Contribution, Systems, and Cross-Cutting Analysis

• Apply contribution analysis and process tracing for system-level results.
• Assess roles of government, UNDP, private sector, and context.
• Integrate gender, disability, youth, inclusion, human rights, and LNOB.
• Analyze differentiated access, barriers, and outcomes across groups.
• Assess inclusiveness, affordability, safety, and accessibility of digital services.

Data Management, Ethics, and Quality Assurance

• Develop, pre-test, and finalize tools (KIIs, FGDs, observations, case studies).
• Ensure ethical compliance (consent, confidentiality, anonymization, UNEG standards).
• Transcribe, code, and analyze qualitative data using structured codebook.
• Clean and validate quantitative datasets.
• Maintain evidence repository, audit trail, and consultation tracker.
• Apply triangulation and strength-of-evidence assessment.

Analysis, Validation, and Reporting

• Conduct integrated analysis (statistical, thematic, contribution, triangulation).
• Deliver preliminary debriefing after fieldwork.
• Produce Draft Evaluation Report (findings, conclusions, lessons, recommendations).
• Incorporate stakeholder feedback while ensuring independence.
• Finalize Evaluation Report with audit trail and actionable recommendations.

Learning Products and Dissemination

• Prepare presentation for UNDP and stakeholders.
• Produce Internal Learning Note (operational lessons, adaptive management).
• Produce External Learning Brief (policy, replication, scale-up insights).

Key Deliverables

• Inception Report, Evaluation Matrix, tools, sampling strategy, and work plan.
• Evidence inventory, datasets, consultation records, indicator tables, case studies.
• Preliminary findings presentation.
• Draft and Final Evaluation Reports with audit trail.
• Internal Learning Note and External Learning Brief.
• Final cleaned datasets and evidence package.