Consultant : Program Midterm External Evaluation (CEE)
Report Type : External Evaluation
Period covered :
* Accelerator Programme : 1 / March / 2021 – 31 / August / 2024
* Refugee Employment Programme : 1 / July / 2022 -31 / October / 2024
* Accelerator Programme : 1 / March / 2025 - 30 / September / 2025
Geography : Poland and Romania
* Access the complete Term of Reference here.
General purpose : to evaluate the performance, including its impact and its learnings, of the NESsT CEE Acceleration Programs implemented in partnership with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship (ISE).
* Context
Program Justification
There is a large gap that currently exists in ecosystems where IKEA and NESsT are present. Social entrepreneurs are often supported to launch their initial business ideas but are left alone to validate and grow their businesses. There is a lack of support during this “missing middle” stage, when entrepreneurs need business services and philanthropic and soft capital support to expand.
NESsT and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship have partnered for a three-year program to support 32 social entrepreneurs in Poland and Romania, helping them grow their enterprises and provide dignified income and employment to vulnerable populations. This partnership aims to demonstrate and share best practices for scaling social impact.
The program offers social entrepreneurs business services and financial capital to expand their markets and increase impact. It supports enterprises that are providing dignified employment to excluded communities and are ready to scale or grow, with proven business models but needing further development of teams, systems, and structures.
NESsT local teams, with expertise in social enterprise development, will deliver these services, leveraging support from IKEA’s coworkers, other corporate partners, and NESsT’s network of advisors and mentors. Whenever possible, NESsT also plans to leverage IKEA’s local value chain support.
The use and intended users of the evaluation :
The primary goal is to help NESsT assess how the accelerator programs contribute to the performance and progress of participating companies. The evaluation will identify key insights and lessons to improve the program’s design and effectiveness.
The findings will be used by NESsT’s leadership and portfolio management to inform decision-making and enhance program delivery. Key funding partners, including IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, will also use the results for impact reporting and strategic alignment.
2. The Consultancy
Deliverable : The consultant will prepare a Program Midterm Evaluation Report.
The evaluation will focus on relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness, providing recommendations to improve design, implementation, and achievement of entrepreneurial and impact goals.
The main objectives of this evaluation are :
* Assess whether the objectives, as defined in proposals, have been achieved to date and the likelihood of achieving them by program completion;
* Identify findings, results, challenges, risks, implementation issues, success factors, lessons learned, and suggest improvements. The report and recommendations could support NESsT, ISE, and other future programs in Europe;
* Summarize evaluation learnings to guide NESsT’s best practices.
Timeline :
* Terms of Reference released : June 12th, 2025
* Deadline for questions : June 22nd, 2025
* Responses to questions : June 30th, 2025
* Proposal submission deadline, including detailed budget : July 15th, 2025
* Assignment of the consultancy : August 2025
Proposals must be submitted through NESsT Bamboo system and should include :
* Detailed budget
* Timeline
* References
* Evaluator team resumes
* Examples of similar projects in the regions involved (upload via provided link)
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