UNDP Jobs - 48927- Senior Individual Consultant (Monitoring and Evalu

Senior Individual Consultant (Monitoring and Evaluation) - (Open to Indian Nationals Only)

Location :

Home-Based, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2014

Application Deadline :

27-Aug-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Maximum Twenty working days per month for one year.

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Government of India has launched the “National Rural Livelihood Mission” (NRLM) in June 2011 after restructuring its centrally sponsored flagship Scheme “Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana” (SGSY) on the recommendation of several independent evaluation studies and expert committees. The NRLM functions in a mission mode for target based time bound delivery of outcomes following a demand driven approach which would allow the states to formulate their own poverty alleviation plans on the basis of available allocation, resources and skills. The Mission is designed to facilitate shift of the states from the allocation based strategy to a demand-driven strategy, enabling the states in the process to formulate their own poverty reduction plans. The Mission seeks to transform the role of the MORD into one of an enabler, facilitator and technical assistance provider, with the states being given a great degree of autonomy in the design and implementation of rural poverty reduction strategies. Thus, NRLM constitutes a significant paradigm shift in the implementation of rural poverty alleviation programmes in the country.

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD)-UNDP GOALS project helps strengthen the effectiveness of key Ministry programmes by providing:

Technical assistance to the state government and NGOs in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha to improve sustainable livelihoods with linkages to Panchayati Raj Institutions for governance in left wing extremism affected areas;
Policy advice and technical assistance to the Ministry and the state governments to help improve the efficiency, accountability and inclusiveness of National Rural Livelihoods Mission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme and;
Policy advice and technical assistance to the Ministry and state governments to help “green” select schemes.

With respect to NRLM, UNDP provides technical support for efficient and inclusive implementation through:

Positioning professional managers and domain experts to improve implementation at the state level;
Strengthening the social mobilisation in favour of women from persistently excluded groups; and
Developing and testing of context-specific, market-led, livelihood strategies that will enable institutions of the poor women to secure their role in markets and supply chains and ensure higher and sustained returns.

The central objective of the Mission is to eliminate rural poverty through innovative implementation strategies involving mobilization and organization of the rural poor, especially women, into sustainable community based organizations (CBOs) and their financial and economic inclusion. The community institutional architecture of NRLM comprises of women Self Help Groups (SHGs) from among rural poor households, and their federated institutions at the village and higher levels. In addition, NRLM encourages livelihoods and entitlements based organizations of the poor. The four key components of the Mission are:

Social inclusion;
Building and nurturing strong institutions of the poor - particularly women, through social mobilization and institution and human capacity building;
Financial literacy and inclusion; and
Economic inclusion through livelihood promotion and diversification.

Coverage:

The Mission is designed to cover 70 million poor households scattered over 6 lakh villages, 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, 6,000 blocks and 600 districts across 28 states and 7 UTs, in a phased manner. The Mission is designed to be implemented through a dedicated architecture at the central, state and sub-state levels. At the national level, the Mission is implemented by a National Mission Management Unit (NMMU) comprising several thematic groups and professional experts, under the MORD. As part of transition to NRLM, the state governments are required to establish an autonomous and empowered State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) at the state level. The states are required to set-up dedicated Mission Implementation Units at the State (SMMU), District (DMMU), Block (BMMU) and Sub-Block Units (Cluster Level).

Annual Action Plans (AAPs) and State Perspective and Implementation Plans (SPIPs):

A significant feature of NRLM is that each State Mission is required to prepare an SPIP, clearly indicating the poverty profile of the state in all its dimensions (social, geographic, occupational/ livelihood group etc.,), its pre-Mission social mobilization, financial inclusion and livelihood context and its plan for the medium term. The plan should clearly bring out the component-wise strategies, key activities, phasing, systems required and instituted, and resource availability. The SPIP is then appraised by the NMMU for potential feasibility, viability and effectiveness. On the basis of the approved SPIP, the states prepare Annual Action Plans, which are also subject to appraisal and review by the NMMU. As most of the states do not have the required technical resources to prepare detailed SPIPs and AAPs, the NMMU provides technical support and guides the states through the process of plan preparation.

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME):

Given the innovative nature of the Mission and its scale and diversity, which is geographically dispersed and institutionally decentralized, a comprehensive planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) system has been provided with the following components:

State Perspective and Annual Plans;
MIS Version 1.0;
Web Based MPRs and Analytics;
Process Monitoring;
Community Monitoring;
Impact Evaluation; and
Thematic Studies.

The primary responsibility for operationalizing planning, monitoring and evaluation is vested with the states. However, as most states do not have the required technical resources, the NMMU has the task of providing technical assistance to the states to institute PME system and make it functionally effective.

MIS:

The NRLM provides for a comprehensive MIS system. The MORD is responsible for designing and developing the national web-enabled system through external agencies. As it is a time consuming process, the MORD has designed and developed a transitory MIS (Version 1.0) with the support of NIC which remains to be fully instituted. The MORD is required to upscale and rollout this system and facilitate its adoption by all the states, before the web enabled transaction based system is put in place.

Process Monitoring:

As the Mission activities are process intensive, the NRLM requires the states to commission external process monitoring to assess the quality of processes adopted. The states are expected to hire the services of external agencies to undertake process monitoring. The NMMU is required to provide technical assistance to the states in terms of methodology support, identification of key areas for process monitoring, suitable indicators to capture them and design of reporting templates.

Community Monitoring:

The states are also expected to institute a community monitoring system involving peer review, inter-institutional monitoring, social audit and score card. The NMMU is required to provide technical support to the states for instituting appropriate community monitoring systems as the community institutions are promoted and nurtured.

Impact Evaluation:

The NRLM provides for impact evaluation/assessment at bi-annual intervals to track changes in the livelihoods of the rural poor. The states are expected to commission external studies for this purpose. Some states have already initiated this process. The NMMU is required to provide technical assistance to the states for this purpose in terms of facilitating choice of appropriate methodology, sample design and other key features of the study.

Thematic Studies:

In addition to the standard impact evaluation format, the states are also required to commission thematic studies/pilot studies on select themes of importance. The NMMU has been providing technical assistance to the states to commission thematic studies through external agencies. The technical assistance has been in the form of identifying appropriate themes, sample design, methodology and reporting template.

As part of its support to NRLM, UNDP is looking for a dynamic individual to supplement the role of the M&E Unit of NMMU, MoRD.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of the Mission Director, NRLM and Programme Analyst, UNDP. The assignment would involve work on:

Support for Preparation and Appraisal of SPIPs and AAPs:

Provide technical assistance to the states in the preparation of SPIPs of all Mission states (except Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and Annual Action Plans (AAPs) of all states for FY 2013-14 through: (i) organizing orientation workshops for the states; (ii) design of sample templates and guidance notes for preparation of SPIPs and AAPs; (iii) appraisal of draft SPIPs and AAPs; and (iv) participating in appraisal/support missions to the states.

MIS

MIS Version 1.0:
Support NIC in developing Transaction based MIS and the testing of transitory MIS, preparation of report formats and facilitate;adoption of the systems MIS by the Mission states;
Support to the states in the institution of base registers and reporting systems;
Support capacity building of state staff in MIS version 1.0 through bi-monthly workshops.

Web Based MPR:

Facilitate preparation of Web based application for monthly progress Report and analytics based on it.

Process Monitoring

Facilitate adoption of third party process monitoring by the states by organizing workshops, preparation of sample TORs, design of sampling methodology and provision of onsite support to the states.

Community Monitoring

Support the states in the institution of community monitoring systems (self-monitoring, inter-institutional monitoring, social audit and score card).

Impact Evaluation

Provide support to the states in commissioning external baseline and follow-up studies to assess the changing rural livelihoods situation including support for choice of appropriate evaluation methodology, sample design, design of TOR, procurement of external agencies and conduct of the study.

Thematic Studies

Provide support to states for conduct of thematic studies on quality of SHGs, financial inclusion, livelihoods and such other areas by external agencies in terms of providing support for design of TOR, procurement of agencies and conduct of the study.

Any Other Activity

Any other task assigned by the Mission Director in the areas of planning, appraisal, monitoring and evaluation and Programme Analyst, UNDP.

Deliverables and Timelines

At least 5 AAPs facilitated and appraised;
At least 3 states facilitated to commission baseline studies;
At least 3 states facilitated to position process monitoring agencies;
At least 3 states facilitated to position MIS agencies;
Community Monitoring Systems piloted at least in one state;
MPR Templates for SHG, VO and CLF finalized;
MIS-MPR based national analytics report every quarter;
MIS-M&L workshops with states facilitated every 2-3 months.

A comprehensive workplan will be drawn up in consultation with the Mission Director, NRLM and UNDP.

Report on the work undertaken and accomplished will be submitted at the end of each month.

Back-to-office reports will be submitted at the end of each travel and meetings, giving details of objectives, outcomes and follow-up actions of the travel/meeting.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Excellent writing and oral skills in English. Working knowledge of Hindi and any state language/s would be an advantage;
Good research and analytical skills including skills in data analysis and report writing;
Excellent communication-presentation skills;
Ability to explain the objectives of the assignment in a focused and strategic manner to a varied audience;
Ability to plan and organize work programme;
Consultative and collaborative capacities.

Core Competencies:

Ability to work under supervision as well as with self-initiative & motivation;
Acts as a team player, facilitates team work and shares knowledge with others;
Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Generates new ideas and approaches, researches and documents best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view;
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

M.A. Degree or equivalent in Economics, Social Sciences, Management, Political Sciences or related field;
P.hd in the related field would be preferred.

Professional Experience:

15 years of relevant experience at the national or international level;
Extensive experience in project design, design of M&E systems including MIS;
Wide ranging experience in conducting impact evaluation, process monitoring, and assessments in the areas of rural development, and a range of studies such as thematic studies, poverty studies, studies on financial inclusion & livelihood promotion and studies involving community based institutions.

Language Requirement:

An excellent command over English is required.

Submission of proposal:

Financial Proposal

Consultant shall specify his/her per day consultancy rate;
Any travel with prior UNDP approval will be handled separately as per rules.

CV:

Consultant should submit his/her updated CV with contact details of three references.

Payment Schedule

Payments will be made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of actual days worked.

Evaluation Criteria:

Cumulative analysis

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

Responsive;
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 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Qualification of the Consutlant: 20 Marks;
Experience in Project design of M7 E systems including MIS:25 Marks;
Experience in conducting impact evaluation, process monitoring and assessments in the areas of rural development: 25 Marks

kindly write to sandeep.sharma@undp.org for any clarification.