End-of-Project Evaluation of the Institutional Support and Strengthening Program (ISSP)

This is a report on the mid-term evaluation of the Institutional Support and Strengthening Program (ISSP) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Jordan. ISSP is being implemented by the International Resources Group (IRG).

The evaluation of ISSP was conducted during the period of October – November, 2013, by a team assembled by Mendez England & Associates with headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the success of the ISSP “in identifying and then implementing a range of institutional reforms to address key institutional constraints to more effective and efficient management of the water sector to enable Jordan to better manage demands on its water resources.” The main goal of evaluating ISSP was “to assess the impact of investments in improving governance and decision-making in the water sector, and help inform USAID management and stakeholders about similar future investments.”

The main thrust of the evaluation was to: review ISSP’s implementation methodology in order to summarize the results achieved; identify lessons learned and what factors contributed the most to success and failure; assess strengths and weaknesses of program management and administration, and approaches and methods used in engagement with the Government of Jordan (GOJ); and provide recommendations to USAID on how best to improve impact, sustainability, and costeffectiveness of similar projects in the future.

The evaluation covered the period November 2010 – 2013. The information uncovered will help assess the impact of investments in improving governance and decision-making in the water sector, and inform USAID management and stakeholders about similar future interventions. Since the ISSP has been granted a one-year extension, with the possibility of a further year’s extension, it is expected that the results of this evaluation will also inform the actions of the ISSP going forward.