Planning, monitoring and evaluation will be carried out at three levels. At National level emphasis will be on poverty monitoring. At Divisional level monitoring will measure three aspects of the programme, and be reviewed on an annual basis, as follows;

1. Project monitoring with an emphasis on progress made against divisional logframes which will focus on results and activity level indicators, concentrating on quantity to measure the efficiency of project implementation against the project and community implementation cycle. (This will be monitored by the LGA and TAC with the assistance of the divisional M&E programme support officer assigned to each LGA.)
1. Capacity-building monitoring with an emphasis on the process of change which will focus on the capacity of village and ward level committees to achieve self-set standards, and on the capacity of the multidisciplinary extension teams (MDFTs) to train VDCs and WDCs (village and ward development committees), and help communities set up participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation systems. (Monitored by the facilitation unit and Community Development Office with the assistance of the divisional M&E officer)
2. Impact monitoring with an emphasis on the economic and social effects of project and capacity-building activities within the division. (Monitored by MDFTs and communities with the assistance of the divisional M&E officer)

At community level the MDFTs will facilitate the creation of participatory P, M&E systems with an emphasis on qualitative data which will measure both capacity and impact, i.e. the distribution of benefits and efficiency of community organisation in the implementation and maintenance of their own projects, and the impact these activities have had on poverty and the capacity of the community to organise itself.

The P, M&E consultant will be assisting the EC unit specialists in the following tasks:

• The development of a common understanding of the role and function of a planning, monitoring and evaluation system, with other programme partners.
• An analysis of the EC and programme partners information requirements and actors to assist in the design of a reporting/management system which will effectively support P, M&E procedures.
• The development of a framework and schedule which will strengthen divisional and community capacity for planning, monitoring and evaluation.

The consultant will carry out a series of workshops at national, divisional and inter-divisional levels to; introduce the concepts of a P, M&E system; assess the type of information required for the establishment of a comprehensive P,M&E system with which the five year programme can be measured, and identify the responsible actors through which monitoring reporting will occur.

The consultancy will cover 24 days in total, with 15 days at divisional level, two days in national workshops and six days briefing and report writing. The consultancy may be phased over a period of time for divisional institutions to plan and put in place complimentary activities to those required during the development of the P, M&E system.

• Three four day workshops in three divisions to orientate partners to the purpose and scope of a P, M&E system and determine the main reporting requirements needed to assess the progress, process and impact of VDC and WDC institutional capacity-building, MDFT activities and capacity, and project implementation.
• One two day National level workshop involving national stakeholders, to review the SDRD programme design, logical framework, and proposed P, M&E system and to identify and assess the various P, M&E systems currently operating within the country in the first stage of the drive towards harmonising and co-ordinating information flows.

The consultant will prepare a report presenting of the workshop results and making recommendations towards developing P, M&E systems serving divisional, inter-divisional and national level information requirements. This report should be finalised within two weeks of the end of the Gambia-based activities.