Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

BPPS supports UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, focusing on 7 outcomes including strengthening institutions to progressively deliver universal access to basic services (outcome 3). The HIV, Health, and Sustainable Development Team, within BPPS, is helping to contribute towards this outcome.

HIV, Health and Development Approach

UNDP is a founding co-sponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the ‘Global Fund’), and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organization’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development.

First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Millennium Development Goals. For example, UNDP works with countries to understand the social and economic factors that play a crucial role in driving health and disease, and to respond to such dynamics with appropriate policies and programmes outside the health sector. UNDP also promotes specific action on the needs and rights of women and girls as they relate to HIV.

Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Sometimes this is done through focused or specialized programmes, such as promoting attention to the role of legal environments (law and access to justice) in facilitating stronger HIV responses, including the use of flexibilities in intellectual property and human rights law to lower the cost of drugs and diagnostics and to increase access to HIV-related treatment. UNDP also works to empower and include people living with HIV and marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV - also known as key populations - such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender people. Beyond these focused efforts, UNDP plays a key role in ensuring attention to HIV and health within broader governance and rights initiatives, including support to district and municipal action on MDGs, strengthening of national human rights institutions and increasing access to justice for marginalized populations.

Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multisectoral health projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. The UNDP/Global Fund partnership is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on MDG 6 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient (PR) in these settings, working with national partners and the Global Fund to improve management, implementation and oversight of Global Fund grants, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the Principal Recipient role over time.

As of December 2014, UNDP is the Principal Recipient in 25 countries and one regional programme and was managing 50 Global Fund grants totaling $1.84 billion. In the role of Principal Recipient (PR), UNDP implements in countries facing exceptional development challenges and/or complex emergencies. UNDP is responsible for the financial and programme management of Global Fund grants as well as procurement of pharmaceutical, non-health items and required services.
Given the importance of the partnership with the Global Fund, UNDP continues to strive towards providing high value-added services to governments and the Global Fund, both in its role as the PR, and, increasingly, as a significant technical partner to governments implementing Global Fund grants. In all areas of implementation, UNDP provides capacity development services to relevant institutions, sub-recipients and implementing partners.

Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to provide research, analytical and writing support to the HIV, Health and Development Group across several areas of work, including: human rights and the law in the context of HIV, with particular reference to advancing the recommendations of the Commission on HIV and the Law; success factors/lessons learned from implementation support and capacity development in several countries where UNDP acts as PR of Global Fund grants; and the revision of the corporate strategy on HIV, Health and Development in line with the 2014-2017 Strategic Plan.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Practice Director, and working closely with the Cluster Leader, Partnership with the Global Fund and the Cluster Leader, Human Rights and Governance as required, the Consultant will be responsible for:

Deliverables and Activities

• Review recent and ongoing experience of Syria and Iraq with the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, identifying main achievements in terms of contribution to the broader national HIV and TB  response, development of national capacities, role and value-added of UNDP, policy linkages beyond the health sector, factors of success and lessons learnt, and remaining areas for improvement;
• Review the experience of UNDP’s engagement in  Ebola affected countries identifying main achievements in terms of contribution to the broader national HIV and TB response, and development of national capacities, as well as the role and value-added of UNDP, policy linkages beyond the health sector, factors of success and lessons learnt, and remaining areas for improvement;
• Support the startup of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Intellectual Property and Pharmaceutical Products, in line with recommendation 6.1 of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law;
• Provide support for the revision of the corporate strategy on HIV, Health and Development, in line with UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, and develop related communication products.

Expected Outputs

• 1 case study on Syria’s recent experience with the Global Fund (5-10 pages): Envisaged deadline: July 2015;
• 1 case study each on Iraq’s recent experiences with the Global Fund (5-10 pages); and 1 case study each on the respective experiences of Ebola affected countries with the Global Fund (5-10 pages): Envisaged Deadline: September 2015;
• 1 draft of revised Corporate Strategy on HIV, Health and Development and related FAQ and Key ?Messages documents. Envisaged Deadline: October 2015;
• Materials and documents related to supporting start up of the SG’s HLP on IP and Pharmaceutical Products; Envisaged Deadline: Ongoing;
• Ad-hoc work to document results related to the Partnership with the Global Fund and UNDP’s Human Rights and governance work on HIV and AIDS, as requested by the respective Cluster Leaders, Envisaged Deadline: Ongoing.

Reporting

The Consultant will regularly evaluate progress in meeting the specific deliverables with, and present the final outputs to the respective Cluster Leaders.

Travel

The consultant is expected to undertake the following travels during the assignment:
Travel 1: One mission to Geneva;
Travel 2: One mission to West Central Africa.

Applicants should quote all-inclusive lump sum cost for each of the travel in their applications below in the payment section. In case of additional/unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP HHD Team and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be covered and paid by UNDP. The fare will always be “most direct, most economical” and any difference in price with the preferred route will be paid for by the expert.

Time-frame

The consultancy will be home-based for up to 160 days covering the period 18 May 2015 through 31 December 2015.

Payment

Payment to be made upon submitted regular progress report against deliverables, and approved certificate of payment.

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; and
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional:

• Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products; and
• Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of the Development or knowledge management field.

Project and Resource Management

• Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
• Ability to focus on impact and results for the client, promoting and demonstrating an ethic of client service;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs; and
• Sound judgment, strategic thinking and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Communications and Advocacy

• Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences and speak clearly and convincingly;
• Strong presentation skills in meetings with the ability to adapt for different audiences;
• Strong analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically;
• Strong capacity to communicate clearly and quickly; and
• Strong inter-personal, negotiation and liaison skills.

Required Skills and Experience

 Education:

• Advanced Degree (at least honors level) in Social Science, Public Health, Law, Economic, International Development.

Experience:

• Minimum of 15 years of national/international professional experience in the HIV policy practice area;
• Good experience with programme management;
• Excellent writing, research, analysis skills; good presentation skills;
• Knowledge of UN and/or UNDP procedures, grant applications and program implementation is ?desirable;
• Knowledge or expertise in the following areas (please be specific): Global or national HIV policy responses; HIV programming; Global Fund processes; and/or knowledge dissemination for HIV affected populations.

Language Requirement:

• English Required;
• Spanish desirable.

Evaluation:

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and competencies specified below through a desk review and/or an interview process. Those selected for the next stage of the selection process will be reviewed based on a cumulative analysis method that combines the results of technical and financial evaluation results. Specifically, the award of the contract will be 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 points; Financial Criteria weight: 30 points.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) out of a maximum 70 points on the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria for Technical Evaluation (70 points maximum)

• Advanced Degree (at least honors level) in Social Science, Public Health, Law, Economic, International Development or other related field, or equivalent professional experience (maximum 20 points);
• Minimum of 15 years of national/international professional experience in the practice area with policy or programme management experience (maximum 20 points);
• Knowledge or expertise in the following areas: Global or national HIV policy responses; HIV programming; Global Fund processes; and/or Knowledge dissemination for HIV affected populations (maximum 15 points);
• Excellent writing, research, analysis and presentation skills (maximum 15 points);
• Criteria for Financial Evaluation (30 points maximum).

The following formula will be used to evaluate the financial proposal:

• p = y (µ/z), where;
• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Guidelines for Application:

UNDP Personal History Form.  Applicants will be requested to fill and sign a P 11 Form and submit it together with Curriculum Vitae on the online application portal.  To note, a completed P 11 Form will be required at the time a consultant signs an Individual Contract (IC). The UNDP P 11 form can be downloaded from: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc.

Duly complete and signed UNDP P 11 form indicating past experience in similar projects. Please indicate the full name, title, email address and telephone numbers of your 3 references.

The financial proposal is an all-inclusive daily professional fee and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. rent of dwelling, fee, health insurance, vaccination, visa costs and any other relevant expenses related to the assignment travel, if applicable). All envisaged costs (except of the travel costs for missions) must be included in the financial proposal. Unforeseen travel costs for missions, if any, will be paid separately according to UNDP rules and regulations.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the shortlisted candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

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.

Annex 1: Individual Consultant General Terms and Conditions is provided here:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.

Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file.