Background
Background
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, administered by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers to serve in over 130 countries. UNV is a multicultural and multilingual organization.
UNV has developed a Cost Recovery Policy to define the framework for mobilizing and utilizing its financial resources. The Policy incorporates funding of UNV’s operations through the cost recovery for all activities directly related to the delivery of its programmes and the management of non-core resources. The approach, in full alignment line with UNDP policy and practice, is intended to ensure that costs of the organization are correctly attributed to the appropriate funding source in a simple, transparent and harmonized manner.
A major portion of UNV’s programme delivery is related to activities that support the recruitment of volunteers and administration of various aspects of their Conditions of Service. The Cost Recovery Policy refers to these collectively as “volunteer management activities”.
In addition to volunteers working in the field, UNV also has a significant number of volunteers providing their services virtually through Online Volunteering. Online Volunteering is a service provided by UNV that offers tools to facilitate the management of opportunities and online volunteers. UNV is conducting work internally to assess the activities it undertakes in support of Online Volunteering and the costs it incurs. As all these costs are charged directly to a dedicated project, it allows for a relatively straightforward analysis. This analysis will be used to establish and validate the price UNV may charge for its Online Volunteering services in order to fully recover its costs.
Costs associated with volunteer management activities are currently charged to the cost of the volunteer each month as a Volunteer Management Costs (VMC). The funding for these is provided by the UN Agency or Mission that has requested the volunteer or to funds received directly by UNV from donor countries.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultancy has two objectives
Ensure that VMC properly captures all eligible costs associated with volunteer management activities, carried out at the HQ in Bonn or in the Field Units, and UNV allocates these to the cost of all serving volunteers, in line with its Cost Recovery Policy. It would like to build a more refined understanding of these costs and define a model for differentiated cost recovery by volunteer modality (including Online Volunteers), lifecycle of the volunteer assignment, service line, business location, client, etc. that can be adapted to changing business & financial requirements.
Use the deep understanding of UNV’s key processes and major cost drivers acquired, to identify and recommend practical strategies for reduction, rationalization and management of costs.
Through this process, UNV intends to build a cost culture within UNV that consciously focuses on delivering its services in the most cost-effective manner. This approach would allow UNV to demonstrate to its partners (UNDPUN Missions and other UN entities and donors) its commitment to providing most talented volunteers while also ensuring the organization’s financially sustainability through proper cost recovery.
The work conducted through this consultancy will be also be used in discussions on UNV services, future cost recovery and mobilization strategy with UN Partners Workshop scheduled in 2015. The discussions will form the basis for defining UNV’s budget for 2016 and beyond.
Activities to be conducted by the Consultant:
Significant work has been conducted by UNV in the recent past to define processes related to volunteer management, detailed activities undertaken, procedures and methods requiring system changes and/or standardized approaches, etc. Operational data is available from Atlas (UNV’s ERP system) and bespoke UNV systems and database (SIAM) relating to volume of transactions, user, duration between key milestones within the volunteer recruitment process, as well as other activities. As well, UNV’s historic expense related to various units / staff involved in volunteer management is available.
Utilizing the above noted work and data related to the volunteer management activities, and in conjunction with meetings (on-site and via conference calls) with UNV personnel (staff and Programme Officers), the Consultant will conduct the following activities.
Phase 1:
- Review relevant policy documents, agreements and methodologies to understand how UNDP and UNV calculate costs and manage cost recovery for the work they perform on behalf of UN entities and other partners;
- Identify key volunteer management activities, their volume and the underlying resources deployed (personnel time, technology investment, and other expense) in their delivery both at HQ in Bonn and in the field;
- Use appropriate methodology (“work distribution study”, interviews, etc.) to estimate time spent by UNV personnel on these volunteer management activities segregated by UN Agency client, geographic location, volunteer modalities (including Online Volunteers), service lines as well as on other activities (programme delivery, management, etc.);
- Estimate cost of personnel time and other resources used for volunteer management activities;
- Develop options for costing of various services provided on behalf of the volunteers and methods for recovering the costs.
Phase 2:
- Working in close consultation with the team working on VMC issues to identify activities within the VMC process that offer the greatest potential for reduction in cost and recommend ideas for performing these activities in a different manner, including simplifying, consolidating or eliminating while maintaining the level and quality of service;
- Link the impact of potential reduction in costs on future cost recovery options outlined under Phase 1.
For the detailed deliverables, please download the detailed TOR at the following link.
Competencies
- Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills;
- Proficiency in data analysis and financial modelling skills using MS Excel;
- Strong writing and presentation skills in English;
- Proven skills to work in a team and communicate in a multicultural environment.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree in business, finance, accounting, economics.
Experience:
- Background in activity based costing (ABC), cost/price estimation, or financial analysis;
- Minimum 3 years of experience in financial or business analysis.
Language:
- Fluent in English.
The selection of the best offer will be based on the combined scoring method – where the qualifications will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%.
Selection criteria for qualifications:
- Proven expertise in the field of Activity Based Costing, Cost Accounting or Cost/Price Estimating. Membership of relevant associations will be an advantage. (20%);
- Proven work experience in the field of Activity Based Costing, Cost Accounting or Cost/Price Estimating. Experience with the UN or an international organisation will be an advantage. (20%);
- Proven financial and analytical skills demonstrated from previous relevant projects or assignments as demonstrated in the application documents. (20%)
- Proven written skills demonstrated in ;the application documents. (10%).
Application procedure
Qualified candidates must apply online via the UNDP website. Interested candidates are advised to carefully review this ToR and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above.
Interested candidates are advised to carefully review this ToR and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above.
Applications should contain:
- A cover letter highlighling relevant qualifications and experience;
- Current completed and signed P11 form/UN Personal History Form in English. Blank form can be downloaded from www.sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc
- CV including contact details name for 3 client references; organistational name , contact person's name including contact e-mail and telephone number;
- A brief technical proposal not more than 1000 words on the approach and methodology you would apply based on the ToR including key factors to be considered;
- A financial proposal (daily rate & other expenses) in a separate e-mail to: procurement@unv.org clearly marking the title of the Consultancy in the subject line. The financial proposal shall consist of all-inclusive lump sum for the whole duration of the contract period, which shall include the consultancy fee, cost of travel and per diems to and from the duty station. The financial proposal shall contain a breakdown of these costs and indicate the number of off-days the consultant wants to take during the contract period (if any). Use the Annex 2
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you provide all requested materials.
All documents should be scanned and attached in one pdf format document.
Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply. Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are only able to inform the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
Full details of this consultancy can be found here: