Background
The Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG-F, www.sdgfund.org) is a development cooperation mechanism created in 2014 by UNDP, on behalf of the UN system, with an initial contribution of the Government of Spain, to support sustainable development activities through integrated and multidimensional joint programmes. It builds on the experience, knowledge, lessons learned and best practices of the previous MDG Achievement Fund (2007-2013), while expanding its activities towards sustainable development and a higher attention on public-private partnerships. Gender and women’s empowerment is a cross-cutting priority in all our areas of work. The SDG-F intends to act as a bridge in the transition from MDGs to SDGs, providing concrete experiences on “how” to achieve a sustainable and inclusive world post 2015.
The SDG-F Secretariat is the operational coordination unit for the Fund and services the SDG-F Steering Committee. The Secretariat sits in the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) of UNDP headquarters. The Secretariat is delegated by the Steering Committee to ensure policies and strategies decided by the Steering Committee are implemented and adhered to.
With a vast experience of almost 150 joint programmes around the world, one the SDG Fund’s goals is collecting and disseminating insight for development partners worldwide, sharing lessons learned and good experiences in its current and past development work. Some of these promising experiences can shed light and smooth the transition from MDGs to SDGs. To this end, the SDG Fund is preparing a series of case studies of promising sustainable development practices.
The SDG Fund is looking for two junior consultants (one for Spanish and another for English), ideally recent university graduates, who working under the guidance and supervision of the SDG-F director and in close coordination with the SDG-F Secretariat Team, will be responsible for elaborating cases studies related to JPs already.
This series of best practices aims at creating and disseminating robust evidence base by producing promising practices on what implementing innovative development approaches actually means in practice. The case studies must be concise, engaging, readable and equally appealing to practitioner and non-practitioner audiences.
The consultants will be responsible for researching, writing, fact checking, copy-editing and incorporating feedback from the SDG-F Secretariat and other potential implementing and academic partners. All case studies should be produced on or before October 30, 2014 (please refer to the schedule of deliverables below) and November and December will be used to disseminate them among potential users.
Duties and Responsibilities
Specific Duties
- Select, together with the SDG-F Secretariat team, a list of 20 case studies in each language of promising practices in sustainable development;
- Produce case studies from previous initiatives based on the agreed overall framework and criteria. The consultants will use primary research already produced as part of the previous knowledge management initiatives, but will also update new information from these programmes, especially for these programmes that have been scaled up and expanded'
- Research will involve desk research, internet research, and in some cases phone or email communication with stakeholders engaged in the case study;
- Coordinate editing, graphic design, printing of these case studies. They will also coordinate with web team to create and organize and of best practices online repository in the SDG Fund’s website;
- Coordinate dissemination activities through different media channels to ensure that these best practices reach potential users.
- Other tasks that might be required.
Deliverables and Timelines:
Payments will be made upon certification by UNDP of the satisfactory delivery of the products related to the TOR and the appropriate management of associated processes needed to achieve the above-mentioned tasks and objectives.
Activity/Deliverable/Estimated Target Date/% of Payment
Work plan for the project/ Detailed work plan with timelines and specific steps to be undertaken/By Jul30/17%.
Research and production of 1st round of case studies/1st round of Case Studies/By Aug 30/17%.
Research and production of 2nd round of case studies/2nd round of Case Studies/By Sep 30/17%.
Research and production of 3rd round of case studies and incorporation of changes of previous rounds/3rd round of Case Studies/By Oct 30/17%.
Coordinate editing, proofreading, printing, graphic design and web programming/ Online repository of best practices/By Nov 30/17%.
Dissemination of activities/ Dissemination plan implemented/By Dec 30/15%.
Competencies
Corporate Competences:
- Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
- Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences.
Functional Competencies:
- Strong analytical and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products;
- Demonstrated understanding of local development and community development concepts
- Familiarity and experience of UNDP is an asset;
- Familiarity with global development issues;
- Ability to function in a team environment;
- Productive and efficient worker, highly motivated;
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks;
- Strong initiative and is comfortable to pro-actively reach out to new and existing external partners;
- Performance-oriented and focused on results;
- Persistence and willingness to follow through;
- Strong interpersonal skills and flexibility;
- Ability to take instructions and to learn on the job.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Bachelor degree in social science, social policy, public policy, management, politics, economics, development studies or a related area.
Experience:
- 1-2 years of relevant experience in international relations (internships and volunteering experiences will be assessed positively).
- Knowledge of the SDG Fund, or the MDG Achievement Fund;
- Experience summarizing/producing contents derived from UN joint programmes/activities;
- Experience working with institutions in international development;
- Superior written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations in a clear and persuasive manner that is tailored to a range of audiences;
- Experience working in international environments or in international networks;
- Research and writing experience.
Language:
Consultant Spanish:
- Fluency in Spanish;
- English and French will be an asset.
Consultant English:
- Fluency in English;
- French and Spanish will be an asset.
Application Requirements
All interested applicants should submit the following documents. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.
Documents to be included when submitting the Proposals (Only 1 file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one/1 file):
- Updated P11 or Resume/CV;
- Statement of Interest (cover letter) with a brief narrative addressing the competencies mentioned above;
- Consultants shall specify in their proposal the lump sum all-inclusive* in US dollars for the cost of their services for the total outcome. Payments will follow installments as table above for the duration of the contract, after certification of compliance with the terms and services agreed in the contract;
- Samples of similar pieces summarizing UN work (UN joint programmes summaries, case studies, etc. Those candidates without previous samples, can provide a summary no longer than one page from a joint programme at the SDG Fund’s website: www.sdgfund.org.
- Candidates short-listed for this position will be requested to submit a “Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability” form.
“All-inclusive” implies that all costs (excluding mission travel) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are included in a separate line. Do break down any travel cost already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.
Evaluation: Cumulative analysis
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.
When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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: 60%
Financial Criteria weight: 40%
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (14 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 100% - Max. Point 20)
- Demonstrated knowledge or experience in international relations, assessing positively some development experience: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
- Experience summarizing development initiatives, and particularly from UN joint initiatives: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
- Relevance of academic background and language skills: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5;
- Relevance and quality of the samples submitted: 25% Weight/Max. Point 5.
For the General Conditions of Individual Contracts please visit the following link:
Others
In the event of any official mission/business/travel envisaged for this assignment, the related travel costs will be negotiated and approved before it takes place.