Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines and Tool

Article 16 of the Grant Agreement requires the PR to monitor and evaluate the progress of the funded program against its objective, including the activities implemented by the Sub-Recipients, in accordance with the monitoring and evaluation plan approved by the Global Fund. Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is an integral element of Performance-Based Funding (PBF) as the focus on performance by linking ongoing disbursements to the achievement of clear and measurable programmatic results requires sound measurement systems. The document Guidelines for Submission of an M&E Plan for Global Fund Grants provides general principles underlying the approach required.

To support those involved in the preparation of grant proposals and in the management of a grant to better understand the processes involved in M&E relevant to the Global Fund, a range of policies, guidelines and resources are available on the Global Fund website. In particular, the Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit, the purpose of which is to provide in one place the "essentials" of agreed upon best practice as well as references to key materials and resources. It includes descriptions of the major indicators, how they fit into general monitoring and evaluation, and frequently asked questions and answers. The toolkit has been updated in a Second Edition of January 2006. This may be downloaded in full at:

http://www.theglobalfund.org/documents/me/M_E_Toolkit.pdf 

Alternatively, a lower resolution version may be accessed at:

http://www.theglobalfund.org/documents/me/M_E_Toolkit_lores_en.pdf

An Addendum to the Toolkit (March 2008) is also available.

The Global Fund has provided the Top Ten Service and Impact Indicators used in M&E plans.

Additionally, to assist the process of selecting indicators for grant proposals, applicants are encouraged to review WHO's Six Building Blocks for Health Systems, published in the document Everybody’s Business : Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes (WHO 2007) and work with other in-country partners to consider country specific needs.

The indicators approved for monitoring the performance of the grant are included in Annex A of the Grant Agreement.

A four module Monitoring and Evaluation Manual has been produced which provides a comprehensive set of guidelines on M&E standards and practice throughout the life cycle of Global Fund grants. The modules cover:

1.     Performance-Based Funding and M&E in Practice

2.     Completing the Performance Framework template

3.     Developing an M&E plan

4.     Carrying out an M&E self-assessment

The M&E Systems Strengthening Tool  has been designed by The Global Fund and Partners to guide allocation of investment in M&E before Grant Signature (within the recommended range of 5%-10% of the overall Budget). The aim is to strategically address identified weaknesses and respective strengthening measures in the existing M&E systems through a country driven M&E assessment in particular for:

a.     Strengthening of National and/or component-specific M&E plans, and

b.     Improving of the quality of programmatic data reported.

Additional benefits from the implementation of the M&E Systems Strengthening Tool - either at national program or project level – should include as follows:

a.     Contribution to harmonization of M&E at the country level: With the multiplication of in-country partners and Global Fund grants, it is increasingly necessary to ensure that M&E systems are not fragmented or developed in parallel at the country level.

b.     Identifying areas which need short or long-term technical support.

The M&E Systems Strengthening Tool is a self-assessment tool and should be completed for each disease through a workshop at country-level with all PRs and relevant stakeholders including the National Program and major in-country partners. With minor exceptions, it must be completed in each country and for each component for which the Global Fund has awarded a grant before Grant implementation.

The M&E Systems Strengthening Tool  comprises three assessment areas:

·        M&E Plan: Assessment of the strength of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan.

·        Data-management Capacities of the Management Units (e.g. PRs): Assessment of the capabilities of the Management Unit(s) to manage and report data related to the implementation of the Grant(s).

·        Data Reporting Systems per Program Area (e.g. ARVs, PMTCT): Assessment of the strengths of the data-collection and reporting systems per Program Area; including the ability to report valid, accurate and high quality data related to implementation.

The M&E Systems Strengthening Tool contains:

·        a checklist of questions to perform the diagnosis;  and

·        a template for developing a costed action plan for strengthening M&E systems.

The Implementation Guidelines for the M&E Systems Strengthening Tool provides a proposed agenda for a stakeholder workshop and the set of tasks and inputs necessary as well as the expected outputs. This is available on the M&E webpage from the Global Fund website, along with a summary report template and feedback form on implementation of the M&E Systems Strengthening Tool.