Background

African Union (AU) Conference of African Ministers of Public Service (CAMPS) programme aims to improve the quality of governance and public administration on the continent. To wit, CAMPS developed the AU Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service. The Charter commits member countries to protect fundamental public service values in order to “strengthen and consolidate public service with a view to promoting integration and sustainable development on the continent”.  There is a gap between the Charter vision and the technical and resource capacities of public and civil services to undertake performance, human resource, financial and leadership management reforms, but the extent of this gap is unknown.

In light of this, the African Management Development Institutions Network (AMDIN) was requested by CAMPS at the 8th Conference (2013) in Brazzaville, Congo to lead an initiative through Management Development Institutions (MDIs) to undertake a study to assess the capability and status of African public and civil services to deliver and support development.

The project inception meeting was held in August 2013. The meeting allocated responsibilities including that of coordination and development of research tools. In October 2013, a meeting was held to validate the research tools that had been developed.

A workshop in Maputo, Mozambique in November 2013 enabled MDIs from 18 member states to further refine the research tools and methodology to ensure that the research is feasible, practical and implementable. The instruments discussed at the validation meeting were streamlined and incorporated into a draft manual. This research guide reflects the work of the participants at that workshop and is intended to guide assist MDIs and partners in the implementation of the research.

Context

Africa has, under the leadership of AU, adopted a number of programmes to build sustainable development through effective governance and administration. The adoption of NEPAD and related programmes such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a significant expression of the commitment of African leaders to define and drive development in context.

The vision of development which founds the AU Agenda 2063 is one in which the citizens, governments and institutions of Africa have greater control over their life choices and chances. The programmes emphasise the need to strengthen political governance and public service effectiveness by building administrative capacity, improving regulatory frameworks and political oversight, promoting participatory decision-making, ensuring accountability in the use of public resources and adopting effective economic policy. African public services are critical to the achievement of this vision.

The Ministers adopted a Programme that focused on capacity interventions that would facilitate the emergence of developmental states in Africa 5th Conference of African Ministers of Public Service, held in December 2005, in Addis, Ethiopia. The 2011 Economic Report on Africa details the characteristics of typical developmental states and outlines strategies and instruments for the construction of such states. The report suggests that developmental states are not a matter of choice in Africa. They are essential if the Continent is to experience substantive economic and social transformation.

There is varied progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) across the continent. The 2013 MDG Report indicates that extreme poverty, income less than US$1.25 a day, decreased from 56.5% in 1990 to 48.5% in 2010; primary education enrolment grew from 58% in 2000 to almost 90% in 2013 and is increasingly reflecting gender balances; and under-five mortality rates reduced by 47% between 1990 and 2011.

On the other hand, Africa remains off track in 5 of the 8 goals including eradicating poverty, child mortality, environmental sustainability and maternal health.

We know, therefore, that African states can achieve high rates of socio-economic development and improvement in quality of life indicators. We also know that the AU and Member States are committed to achieve positive socioeconomic transformation through Agenda 2063, Shared Values and related programmes.

What we don’t know is the extent to which African public and civil services are able to drive and implement developmental programmes to achieve their aspirations and commitments to regional and global frameworks such as the Charter and MDGs. African states also do not know what they can learn from the experience of other Member States who have been successful, or have walked the wrong path. The good governance agenda assumes that effective institutions, appropriate economic policy and tight accountability lead to development.

The Charter

The African Charter on the Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration provides a sound framework for ethical government driven by the imperatives of peoples’ needs and service delivery.  The Charter was adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government during the January 2011 Summit. The Charter serves to encourage Member States efforts towards modernising their public and civil services and provides a basis for encouraging the exchange of experiences and best practices. It is anticipated that upon ratification and entry into force, the Charter would provide the legal basis for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the duties, obligations and responsibilities contained in the document and facilitate the harmonisation of public service policies and laws amongst Member States. The Charter provides for periodic reviews and the submission of reports to the Executive Council on implementation.

The Charter is not only a legal instrument, but a framework focused on supporting Member States as they embark on initiatives directed at improving state capacity. In addition to providing for the development of guidelines for implementation, the Charter provides that the African Union should mobilise resources to support implementation and establish the required mechanisms for the implementation of the Charter.
The Charter identifies a number of areas for the improvement of public administration practice and the implementation of public service values. Given that current studies by various institutions on African public services, although valuable, do not provide a comprehensive picture on the capability of African civil and public services in the specific areas identified by the Charter which includes the governance and leadership of the public service, human resources, financial management and performance, the purpose of this research is to use the Charter framework to gather the baseline information which will enable the African Union and Member States to understand what is in place and to provide recommendations on what can be done to improve service delivery.

Aims and Objectives of SOPSA Research

The research study objectives are to:

  • Examine public service capability to effectively deliver key services and contribute to development as per the African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service;
  • Explore citizens’ experience of public service delivery in their countries;
  • Investigate and document effective public service delivery for shared learning towards reform strategies for leadership action;
  • Analyse available options and identify best practices in each respective country and make recommendations for public service reforms with a view to national development.

The results of the research will be used to:

  • Provide public service leaders and other key stakeholders with the information necessary to make more informed decisions about reform and quality of public service in Africa;
  • Provide a framework for data collection and analysis which will facilitate the exchange of basic data and information about public service human resources in Africa;
  • Enhance comparative research on public services through the dissemination of research findings; and
  • Provide basic information against which it will be possible to assess progress and performance over time.

Duties and Responsibilities

The research will be expected to analyse;

  • Historical, current and potential impacts of Constitutional, Legal and Policy Frameworks for Public Service and Administration
  • Impacts, strengths and weaknesses of historical, current and potential Public Service and Administration practices. The gaps between policy and practice in Public Service/Administration. For the purpose of this research, the study shall be restricted to 3 service Sectors; Water, Health and Education;
  • Success and failures of historical, current and potential Public Service and Administration reform initiatives;
  • Recommendations for effective Constitutional, Legal and Policy Frameworks, and practice for Public Service and Administration.

The study should recommend policy and practice changes to effectively manage each of the above.

Under the supervision of UNDP, the national consultant will:

  • Develop an inception report demonstrating in-depth understanding of PAR, the research and expectation of national coordination group;
  • Undertake inclusive consultation of all stakeholders including government, parliamentary committees, politicians, private sector, tax payers, citizens, public officers, planning authorities, finance ministries and local governments among others;
  • Lead planning and implementation of research. This will include identifying and supervising various resource and expert inputs.
  • Review and implement effective methodologies and tools including questionnaires to ensure all necessary information/knowledge is captured;
  • Undertake a comprehensive literature review of history, reports, policies and recommendation of various national experts and specialist institutions, and thereby consolidate existing national knowledge on Public Service vis-à-vis the AU Charter and other international standards;
  • Lead local and national level consultations and training on inception report, methodologies and tools, draft reports and recommendations.

Required outputs

The main outputs expected from the consultant/s are:

  • Inception Report;
  • Minutes and recommendations of meetings/consultations;
  • Literature review report with clear recommendations on existing knowledge gaps;
  • Draft report with analyses of existing policies and practices, recommendations and stakeholders inputs with due consideration of impact on inclusive development, feasibility and sustainability of recommended options;
  • Recommendations for policy and practice options for NRG at national and regional levels for ensuring significant progress towards the principles and goals towards AMV and other international standards;
  • A final report that will incorporate the comments of national and regional stakeholders at respective meetings where the draft report will be presented;
  • Development of a Training Model for Parliamentary Committees based on the study report and best practices on Parliamentary Training;
  • Delivery of a 3-day international standards training of parliamentary committees based on the study report.

Competencies

Values:

  • Demonstrate integrity in accordance with the values and moral standards of the UN;
  • Promote the vision, mission, and develop the strategic goals of UNDP
  • Demonstrate the ability to work in a multicultural environment without discrimination of gender, religion, race, nationality and sensitivity
  • Demonstrate rigor in work, high availability, ability to work in teams and a high sense of initiative.

Professionalism:

  • Ability to perform analysis, to draw relevant conclusions and make constructive proposals; ability to write high quality reports in English and French

Leadership:

  • Ability to work within a multidisciplinary high-level team and inject innovative ideas.

 Planning and Organization:

  • Demonstrate an ability to plan and organize his/her own work

Communication:

  • Ability to write clearly and concisely. Excellent verbal communication.

Information Technology:

  • Proficiency in computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Team working:

  • Ability to interact, establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, supervisor, people from different cultures and other national and international partners.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree in law, political science, international relations, public administration, economic, social sciences or other relevant fields.

Expérience:

  • Substantive and technical expertise of at least 3 years and up-to-date knowledge in one or more of the following areas: Research; Public services.

Langue:

  • Excellent report writing and communication skills in French and English.

Duration of assignment; duty station; expected places of travel

This assignment is expected to be undertaken over a period of 6 months after the recruitment of the consultant. The assignment is expected to be primarily home-based but with occasional travel to the districts all over the country (Togo) for inductions, presentations, consultations and coordination.

The National consultant is expected to travel to major administrative/economic locations in Togo to coordinate stakeholders, validate information and research on the subject area.

Reporting requirements

The consultant will report to UNDP and National Coordinating Group.  All reports will be submitted in the English language in accordance with the contract and schedule of study activities that will be agreed upon at the UNDP meeting that will consider the inception report of the study.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Technical Proposal (Envelope 1/Email N° 1) :

Financial Proposal (Envelope 2/Email N°2)

Lump sum contract

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. UNDP does not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract is made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight; 70%.
Financial Criteria weight; 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 point would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
 
Selection Criteria

Eligibility (Yes/No)

  • Advanced university degree in law, political science, international relations, public administration, economic, social sciences or other relevant fields;
  • Substantive and technical expertise of at least 3 years and up-to-date knowledge in one or more of the following areas: Research; Public services.

Technical proposal (70 points)

  • Experience in research field (lead planning and implementation of research), develop inception reports demonstrating in-depth understanding of PAR (15 points);
  • Experience in Public Service/Administration field. Experience in analyzing gaps between policy and practice in Public Service/Administration and provide recommendations (15 points);
  • Experience in report writing and communication in English language (15 points);
  • Understanding of TOR/Coherence of the proposal with TOR and planning (25 points).

The proposal should be submitted by electronic email at procurement.tg@undp.org, or sent by mail on a seal envelope at UNDP Togo (40, avenue des Nations Unies, à Lomé) ref.: « National Researcher: State of Public Service in Africa (SOPSA) – TOGO » must be written on the envelope or stated on the email subject.

Please address any requests for clarification to the above email.