Trade and Competitiveness Activity (TCA) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan

The plan is designed to inform and improve project and task design over the course of TCA implementation, employing a rigorous adaptive management approach. Resonance, the implementing partner, will work in consultation and coordination with USAID's Bureau for Democracy, Development, and Innovation (DDI) and the Center for Economics and Market Development (EMD) to operationalize the MELP. The TCA Senior M&E Advisor will be responsible for establishing procedures and protocols related to the collection, validation, safeguarding, processing, and use of performance data. The TCA M&E system will have two primary roles: to provide reliable, timely, and accurate data used to measure project performance and impact against targets, and to provide additional opportunities for insight and improvement through routine solicitation of client feedback, periodic data reviews, and interactive analysis. Activity performance will be regularly monitored by tracking progress against selected indicators and their corresponding targets, as well as through information collected to populate the indicators themselves. Output-level indicators will measure the volume and frequency of TCA tasks performed, such as the number of short-term technical assistance assignments fulfilled or the number of technical briefs created. These indicators will also be used to measure the clients that use TCA services, which will be made available to operating units, such as USAID Missions, USAID/Washington, and other USG Agencies, as well as external stakeholder units, such as host country institutions, regional organizations, and private sector organizations or associations. Outcome-level indicators will measure "next level" responses following provision of assistance by an Activity, tracking the use or impact of information or services provided by TCA, such as the application of training content or the improvement of programmatic results. These indicators will provide critical insight into the utility, ease of application, and sustainability of services provided. The TCA M&E system will use a combination of output-level and outcome-level indicators to provide a comprehensive understanding of project performance and impact. The TCA M&E system will also include a Performance Management Plan (PMP) Matrix and an Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT) to track progress against indicators and targets. The system will be designed to be adaptive, allowing for changes in indicators, targets, and data collection methods as needed. The TCA Senior M&E Advisor will be responsible for ensuring that the M&E system is functioning effectively and that data is being used to inform project decisions and improve programming.