UNICEF Thailand is seeking a qualified institutional contractor to conduct an Evaluability Assessment and Formative Evaluation (EAFE) to generate timely evidence to strengthen the NEET model effectiveness prior to and during scale-up. Background Thailand has piloted an integrated service delivery model for Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) aimed at identifying, engaging, supporting and reintegrating vulnerable adolescents and youth into education, training, or employment pathways. The pilot was adapted from the EU Youth Guarantee scheme. Two pilot modalities have been implemented: Udon Thani (UT) Pilot (April 2023–May 2024), initiated in Na Phu Sub-district of Phen District and later expanded to 11 sub-districts, led by the Phen District Office, with coordination support by Udon Thani Rajabhat University which has strong community outreach.[1] Southern Border Provinces (SBP) Pilot (from April 2024), implemented across Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and selected districts in Songkhla, coordinated by the Ministry of Labour with distinct governance and outreach arrangements. Both pilots emphasize mentorship and individualized support as critical mechanisms for youth retention and successful transitions. Building on early implementation experience, the Government of Thailand is currently scaling up the NEET model in ten (10) additional provinces, bringing the total number of provinces that are currently implementing the pilot to twelve (12), as Yala and Songkhla were dropped in 2026. The scale-up has started in Q1-2026 and expects initial results in Q2-2026. The scale-up draws primarily on existing public systems and volunteer outreach workers. UNICEF’s role is increasingly focused on evidence generation, policy advocacy, lessons learned documentation, and system strengthening – including capacity building of service providers – rather than financing or direct implementation. Key differences between the SBP pilot and the scale-up provinces relate to both implementation modalities and context. In the SBP pilot, outreach workers/youth mentors are Labour Graduates who are government employees. In contrast, the 10 new scale-up provinces engage Labour Volunteers, who typically have lower educational qualifications and receive minimal compensation. Additional differences arise from contextual factors, including governance arrangements and geographical conditions. Despite the existence of monitoring data, current M&E systems are insufficiently used and not yet adequate to inform programme improvement, scale-up decisions, or future summative evaluation. A feasibility assessment is currently underway to assess the pilot for future institutionalisation and scale up of integrated services for youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) situations, with the goal of facilitating its nationwide scale-up and supporting its adoption as a national policy instrument by the relevant Government authorities. In this context, UNICEF seeks to commission an Evaluability Assessment and Formative Evaluation (EAFE) to generate timely evidence to strengthen the NEET model prior to and during scale-up. Objectives, Purpose & Expected results The overall purpose of this EAFE is to strengthen the effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and evaluability of Thailand’s NEET integrated service model as it moves toward scale-up. Specifically, the evaluation has two complementary purposes: Formative: To identify what is working, for whom, and under what conditions—particularly with respect to youth mentorship and outreach functions—and to inform adaptive improvements to the model. Evaluability: To assess the readiness of the programme for a future summative evaluation by examining the clarity of its theory of change, outcome pathways, indicators, data systems, and use of evidence. Key evaluation users and intended use The primary user of the evaluation is the UNICEF Thailand Country Office (TCO) Adolescent Development and Participation section. Other users include TCO’s government counterparts leading and scaling NEET initiatives (NESDC, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Interior, and relevant sub-national authorities), other TCO sections and management, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), implementing partners and coordinating institutions (including universities and community-level actors), and the duty bearers and rights holders (particularly youth NEET). Description of the assignment Scope of evaluation Geographically, the EAFE will cover: The Southern Border Provinces pilots; The scale-up Provinces. Thematically, the evaluation will focus on: Mentorship and outreach functions and their role in youth engagement, retention, and outcomes; Efficiency and sustainability of delivery models, including human resource configurations; Outcome pathways for youth, including education, training, employment, and related social outcomes; Governance and coordination arrangements at national and sub-national levels; Monitoring, data quality, and evidence use. The EAFE will not assess the Udon Thani pilot, since the model followed there, including reliance on university partnerships and focus in just one sub-district, would not be feasible to scale and replicate nationally. The EAFE will also not assess long-term impacts, which is expected to be addressed in a future summative evaluation. Evaluation Questions This evaluation prioritizes the following OECD/DAC evaluation criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. The preliminary key evaluation questions are listed below, which can be commented on and adjusted by the bidders in their technical proposal. Programme Logic and Assumptions: To what extent is the programme’s theory of change clearly articulated, plausible, and shared among stakeholders? How well are the intended outcomes for youth defined and tracked? Mentorship and Outreach: What characteristics of the mentors and outreach workers best support youth engagement and retention? Which mentor practices and functions are most critical to positive youth outcomes, and conversely which could be simplified or adapted without significantly compromising effectiveness? What skills, capacities, and support structures do mentors require to perform effectively? Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Sustainability: How do different contexts (social, political, economic, geographical) influence programme functioning and results? How efficient is the current model in terms of time, human resources, and costs? How do different human resource configurations (e.g. labour graduates vs. volunteers) compare in terms of cost structures, coverage, and intensity of support? What are the key risks and enablers for sustaining and scaling the model using existing government systems and volunteers? Monitoring, Evidence, and Evaluability: To what extent are current M&E systems adequate to support learning, decision-making, and accountability? What improvements are required to make the programme evaluable[2] at scale? During the inception phase, the evaluation team must develop an evaluation matrix linking the key evaluation criteria and questions/sub-questions with appropriate indicators for assessment, the proposed methods of data collection and analysis as well as any data sources for answering each evaluation question and sub-question. In consultation with the Evaluation Reference Group, and in agreement with the evaluation manager, the questions can be refined by the evaluation team during the inception phase. Deliverables and Timeline PHASE ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE 1. Inception Activities • Kickoff meeting • Initial desk review and discussion with key UNICEF focal points • Preparation of draft inception report and data collection tools • Final inception report submitted to ERG, addressing all comments received on the draft • Ethical review Deliverable 1 • Final Inception Report • Ethical approval for the evaluation from an accredited ethics review board, as necessary Within 3 weeks after contract signed 2. Data collection and validation Activities • Logistical arrangements for country visit • Pilot tools, conduct data collection • Prepare, present, and validate emerging findings and reflect on conclusions and learnings with the ERG in a workshop Deliverable 2 • PowerPoint presentation of validation workshop and meeting report Within 6 weeks after the completion of inception report and ethical clearance 3. Data analysis, recommendations, and reporting Activities • Further processing and analysis of evidence • Draft evaluation report • Present the final report to key stakeholders and co-create recommendations in a workshop • Revise draft final report based on stakeholder feedback • Document all comments raised and how they have been addressed in a comments matrix Deliverable 3 • Draft evaluation report Deliverable 4 • final evaluation report • Comments matrix addressing all comments Within 6 weeks of data validation meeting Estimated time to complete the assignment 15 weeks Location and Duration The assignment is expected to be completed within 7 months after the signing of the contract, tentatively from April 2026 to November 2026, including time for review of deliverables by the Evaluation Manager and the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG). A detailed workplan and work allocation will be agreed between UNICEF and the contractor. The assignment will be completed at the contractor’s premises. The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for its completion, including any travel arrangements. Regular virtual or in-person meetings are expected. Travel is expected for this assignment (please refer to guidance under section 9). For full details, please refer to the attached Annex B - Terms of Reference. This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM). By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html . In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission. Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering. Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated. All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender. Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to
[email protected] - no later than 14 April 2026 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline. The closing date of e-submission on UNGM is 21 April 2026 at 10.00 AM Bangkok time. We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline. Best regards, UNICEF Supply team
