Background

Since signing a Memorandum of Agreement with UNDP in 2012, the State of Kuwait has supported the UNDP JPO Programme with the deployment of 20 Kuwaiti JPOs (10 recruited in 2013, 10 in 2014). Kuwait’s participation in the JPO programme is motivated in considerable part by its desire to promote national development in accordance with the National Mid-Range Development Plan and the State Vision: Kuwait 2035 of HH the Amir, which highlights the importance of empowering youth to fulfil their potential as members of the Kuwaiti society. In this manner, the JPO programme can support national efforts to build the capacity of institutions to implement the development agenda. The posts selected by the GSSCPD for support have reflected the requirements of the development priorities.

In signing the MOA, Kuwait became the only country in the Middle East region actively supporting the UNDP JPO Programme.  Kuwait is also only the second UN Member State providing JPOs while receiving development assistance from UNDP. These circumstances, combined with the motivations of the country in supporting the JPO programme, entail that development of new strategic approaches would be appropriate to meet the reasonable expectations of the donor country in participating in the programme and to maximize the impact of the programme for the benefit of Kuwait youth and the nation.

Purpose of the evaluation

As the first group of 10 Kuwaiti JPOs reaches the end of their two-year assignment, it is opportune to evaluate the status and achievements of the Kuwait JPO programme to date, to identify lessons learned and to consider new methodologies and initiatives that would maximize the impact of the JPO programme on Kuwait’s development by tailoring the programme to suit Kuwait’s development and policy priorities.

The purpose of this evaluation will be:

  • To provide a qualitative assessment as to how participation in the JPO Programme has proven beneficial to the State of Kuwait, its national development agenda and the JPOs themselves;
  • To consider how responsive the current modalities of the JPO Programme are to the development goals of Kuwait as an emerging donor (and NCC member State); and
  • To make strategic and comprehensive recommendations that will be included in a future initiative for the Kuwait JPO Programme in accordance with the UNDP Kuwait Country Programme Document and Country Programme Action Plan 2015 – 2018.

Scope of work,responsibilities and discription of the propsaed analytical work

In assessing how participation in the JPO Programme has been of benefit to the State of Kuwait (including its institutions and individual JPOs), the evaluation will cover the following areas:

Supporting capacity-building of the GSSCPD:

  • To what extent GSSCPD personnel were involved in the implementation of the recruitment process;
  • To what extent this participation may have contributed to achieving the overall goals of the UNDP Kuwait project in support of the GSSCPD under the previous Country Programme Action Plan (“Umbrella project”);
  • Potential role of GSSCPD and the Kuwait CO in the implementation of the JPO project in the future and possible modalities.

Enhancing the Kuwait JPO Programme recruitment process:

  • How effective the recruitment procedures (including advertisement, longlisting, shortlisting etc.) were in attracting the widest possible pool of qualified applicants and subsequently identifying the best candidates;
  • What challenges and constraints were encountered in attracting applicants, including those related to the meeting point between the global UNDP recruitment process with the national labour market and perspective;
  • To what extent the support provided by the JPOSC and UNDP Kuwait Country Office has facilitated the recruitment and deployment of the JPOs and provided ongoing support during the assignment, including the mentoring arrangements;
  • What challenges were faced by the JPOs on their deployments and how these were addressed; and
  • To what extent both women and men were able to participate in the JPO Programme.

Building the capacity of Kuwaiti young professionals:

  • To what extent the recruited JPOs understood the purpose of their assignment and the goals of the JPO programme (including as they relate to Kuwait’s development and foreign policy) prior to deployment;
  • How the individual JPOs have benefitted from skills development and professional exposure in their respective workplaces and through the orientations etc. provided by JPOSC;
  • What other benefits the JPOs acquired from their participation in the programme;
  • How effective was the support offered by the JPO mentoring arrangements;
  • To what extent the Duty-Related Training and Travel Allocation (DTTA) has been effective in supporting skills development of each JPO;
  • How well the JPOs have performed in their role as staff members and how many of them have successfully completed the two-year deployment; and
  • Any additional matters of interest to the Kuwaiti JPOs.

Promotion of national development:

  • To what extent the JPO programme as it was implemented in 2013 – 2014 supported the achievement of the goals of the National Mid-Range Development Plan, particularly relating to the empowerment of youth and building national capacity in priority areas;
  • Whether the posts selected by the GSSCPD were relevant to the national development priorities;
  • To what extent the JPO Programme recruitment process supported inclusive and equitable development, in accordance with UNDP’s core principles;
  • The career aspirations of the JPOs (particularly those of the first batch, nearing the end of their assignment), particularly whether they prefer to return to Kuwait or will seek further international employment;
  • Whether there is potential for continuation / expansion of the programme, including in partnership with other relevant Ministries;
  • Whether selection of posts in other UN funds and programmes supported by the UNDP JPO Programme (eg UNWomen) would be of benefit to the State of Kuwait; and
  • Potential benefit to the State of Kuwait in extending the deployment to a third year.

Highlighting the role of Kuwait as a UN member State and an international donor:

  • Whether participation has helped to increase Kuwait’s profile within the UN secretariat and as a donor in support of international development efforts;
  • To what extent the JPO Programme has increased public awareness in Kuwait of the State’s relationship with and support to the UN and international development;
  • How the JPO Programme has complemented Kuwait’s South-South Cooperation activities;
  • Potential benefits for the State of Kuwait in participating in the Mid-Level Professional Officer (MPO) and Special Assistant to the Resident Coordinator (SARC) Programmes;
  • To what extent MOFA staff in the Permanent Mission of Kuwait to the UN in New York and in Embassies in other duty stations where JPOs are /were present are aware of the JPO’s presence and professional contribution to UN operations with a view to promoting information-sharing; and
  • Whether there were other benefits that accrued to the State of Kuwait from their support to the JPO Programme.

Impact on Beneficiary Institutions:

  • Whether the JPOs fielded by the programme have created positive effects or impacts on the institutions where they were deployed; and
  • How the beneficiary institutions view the JPO Programme, in terms of its value-added or comparative advantage (if any) vis-à-vis regular recruitment modalities, internships or consultancies.

Duties and Responsibilities

The evaluation will be undertaken over a period no longer than two months, commencing 7th June 2015, in accordance with the below activities and timeframes:

  • 7th of June: initial briefing by UNDP Kuwait (distance) and commencement of desk review/ stakeholder interviews (by distance)
  • 1 week after the commence date inception report (detailed scope and methodology) due TBC: possible mission to Kuwait for stakeholder interviews (distance interviews conducted concurrently with, prior to and following this mission);
  • Four weeks after the inception report - submission of draft report to UNDP Kuwait, and remaining deliverables i.e. results of the survey of JPOs, JPOs career database and concept notes for two proposed interventions;
  • Two weeks after the draft report: submission of final report to UNDP Kuwait (for translation and sharing with national partners ahead of the presentation of the report to the national partners);
  • TBC: presentation of the report to national partners (possibly by distance);
  • As part of the Inception Report, the consultant will design the detailed evaluation scope and methodology (including the methods for data collection and analysis) for the report, to be shared with UNDP Kuwait for feedback. The consultant will then conduct the evaluation, including via desk review of relevant documents and interviews with representatives of GSSCPD and other government partners, as well as UNDP Kuwait, the JPOSC and former and current JPOs. Other interviews may be conducted as interlocutors are identified by the consultant. The evaluation may include a one-week mission to Kuwait to meet with national stakeholders;
  • The consultant will draft the report in accordance with UNDP standards and procedures. While the final report will be due on 8 July, the consultancy will not be considered concluded until the presentation of the evaluation report to the national stakeholders, within one month of the report’s submission.

Applicants are asked to submit their financial proposal within their CV (as a single document).

The consultancy will be under the direct supervision of UNDP Kuwait, which will facilitate contacts with Kuwaiti JPOs, JPOSC, UNDP and other recruiting units and national stakeholders. In addition to telephone interviews with the consultant, JPOSC will provide relevant documentation for the desk review (eg, yearly evaluation reports by JPOs and supervisors, training feedback forms).

The report should conform to UNDP evaluation standards and therefore UNDP will be responsible for quality assurance.

To ensure the credibility and integrity of the evaluation process and following United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Ethical Guidelines, the Consultant will be required to comply with the following standards:

Independence:

  • Evaluators shall ensure that independence of judgment is maintained and that evaluation findings and recommendations are independently presented.

Impartiality:

  • Evaluators shall operate in an impartial and unbiased manner and give a balanced presentation of strengths and weaknesses of the policy, program, project or organizational unit being evaluated.

Conflict of Interest:

  • Evaluators are required to disclose in writing any past experience, which may give rise to a potential conflict of interest, and to deal honestly in resolving any conflict of interest which may arise.

Honesty and Integrity:

  • Evaluators shall show honesty and integrity in their own behavior, negotiating honestly the evaluation costs, tasks, limitations, scope of results likely to be obtained, while accurately presenting their procedures, data and findings and highlighting any limitations or uncertainties of interpretation within the evaluation.

Competence:

  • Evaluators shall accurately represent their level of skills and knowledge and work only within the limits of their professional training and abilities in evaluation, declining assignments for which they do not have the skills and experience to complete successfully.

Accountability:

  • Evaluators are accountable for the completion of the agreed evaluation deliverables within the timeframe and budget agreed, while operating in a cost effective manner.

Obligations to Participants:

  • Evaluators shall respect and protect the rights and welfare of human subjects and communities, in accordance with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights conventions. Evaluators shall respect differences in culture, local customs, religious beliefs and practices, personal interaction, gender roles, disability, age and ethnicity, while using evaluation instruments appropriate to the cultural setting. Evaluators shall ensure prospective participants are treated as autonomous agents, free to choose whether to participate in the evaluation, while ensuring that the relatively powerless are represented.

Confidentiality:

  • Evaluators shall respect people’s right to provide information in confidence and make participants aware of the scope and limits of confidentiality, while ensuring that sensitive information cannot be traced to its source;
  • Avoidance of Harm: Evaluators shall act to minimize risks and harms to, and burdens on, those participating in the evaluation, without compromising the integrity of the evaluation findings.

Accuracy, Completeness and Reliability:

  • Evaluators have an obligation to ensure that evaluation reports and presentations are accurate, complete and reliable. Evaluators shall explicitly justify judgments, findings and conclusions and show their underlying rationale, so that stakeholders are in a position to assess them.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Deliverables/ Outputs:

  • Inception report (detailed scope and methodology)  Estimated Duration to Complete : One week Target Due Dates: One week after commencement;

Draft evaluation report, including: a comprehensive series of recommendations that can form the basis of a Kuwait JPO programme document under the 2015 – 2018 CPD/CPAP;Outputs and measurable indicators, according to the identified goals of the national partner; and recommended implementation arrangements, including the role of GSSCPD and Kuwait UNDP.

Estimated Duration to Complete:

  • Four week Target Due Dates - five week after commencement;
  • Final evaluation report (content as above) Estimated Duration to Complete  - Two weeks Target Due Dates: seven week after commencement;
  • A survey of former and current Kuwaiti JPOs Estimated Duration to Complete  - Two weeks Target Due Dates: seven week after commencement;
  • A database of former and current Kuwaiti JPOs’ career information Estimated Duration to Complete  - Two weeks Target Due Dates - seven week after commencement;
  • Concept notes for two proposed initiatives under the programme, to be identified following discussion with GSSCPD and UNDP Estimated Duration to Complete  - Two weeks Target Due Dates - seven week after commencement;
  • Presentation of the report to national partners (possibly by distance) Estimated Duration to Complete  - To Be confirmed  Target Due Dates - To Be Confirmed.

Evaluation

Option B -  Cumulative analysis

Methodology and 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:

  • Relevant Education: 30%;
  • Relevant Work Experience:30%;
  • Phone interview:40%.

Combined Scoring Method’ is used, where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted 70%, and it will be combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%.

Competencies

  • Knowledge in research, consultation, analysis and development of frameworks and programming;
  • Demonstrated commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; and
  • Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty;
  • Ability to undertake complex tasks under deadlines;
  • Ability to provide information and analysis in an organized manner;
  • Interpersonal skills to elicit relevant information and honest views from various types of stakeholders;
  • Demonstrated strong verbal and written communication skills in English and Arabic;
  • Proficiency in common office programmes such as Word or Excel;
  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills;
  • A positive and constructive attitude to work;
  • Cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree in the field of governance, rule of law, development, planning or a related field.

Experience:

  • At least eight years of work experience in the field of governance and rule of law, human rights, participatory planning for sustainable development, including participatory monitoring and evaluation.

Language:

  • Fluency in Arabic and English languages.

Note:

Duration of the Work:

  • Two months.

Duty Station:

  • This consultancy will be largely home-based but may include travel to Kuwait to undertake stakeholder interviews and/ or present the final report to national counterparts.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Lump Sum Amount

Applicants are asked to submit their cost proposal and schedule of payments in accordance with the above deliverables and timeframe. The payments are “”all-inclusive” ie no additional payments will be made for costs incurred in the development and submission of these deliverables.

In case it is confirmed that the consultant should travel to Kuwait as part of the consultancy, UNDP Kuwait will cover the cost of travel in accordance with UNDP rules regarding the cheapest and most
direct fare for an economy class ticket. DSA rates for time spent in Kuwait should be included by the applicant within the price proposal.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

  • Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
  • Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
  • Financial Proposal – that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP;
  • Please ensure to email financial proposals to procurement.kw@undp.org separately.

Links for the documents to be submitted: