UNDP Jobs - 57862- Consultant for Final Project Evaluation

Consultant for Final Project Evaluation

Location :

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

31-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 working days (Aug - Sep 2015)

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

The second phase of the Municipal Training System Project is aimed at contributing to professional and competent BiH local governments, able to effectively manage development processes and deliver quality services to their citizens. The MTS II focuses on further strengthening of the functional and policy capacity of the Training System for Local Self-Government Employees in BiH and supports its affirmation as an effective public mechanism for carrying out the local governments` capacity development agenda country-wide, as defined within the entity Training Strategies 2011 - 2015. The Project also supports the design and delivery of priority and demand-driven training programmes for both local government elected officials and employees.

The MTS II project is an integral pillar of the UNDP Local Governance Programme, which aims to contribute to improvement of governance, focusing on advancing local government know-how so as to better position local authorities to tackle and overcome development challenges, whilst improving citizens services. The project is funded primarily by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and implemented in partnership with the BiH Ministry of Justice, the FBiH Ministry of Justice, the RS Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government, the entity civil service agencies and entity associations of cities and municipalities.

The purpose of the Final Project Evaluation (FPE) is to provide an impartial view of the second phase of the Municipal Training System Project (MTS II) relevance, quality performance, management and achievements. In this regard, an International Final Project Evaluation Consultant (hereinafter: the Consultant) will be recruited.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

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 (70%) and financial (30%) criteria specific to the solicitation.

Applicants are required to submit an application including:

Completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form (downloadable from http://www.ba.undp.org/content/bosnia_and_herzegovina/en/home/operations/jobs.html) detailing past experience in similar projects and actual contact details (e-mail addresses) of three referees that are reachable and willing to provide at short notice their view on applicant;
Financial proposal indicating lump sum fee for the assignment. The lump fee should contain travel and accommodation costs based on the number of days required in country.

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 62 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.

Duties and Responsibilities

To determine the project’s relevance, performance, results, impact and sustainability of achievements, the main questions to be answered in the FPE are:

Were the project’s objectives and outputs appropriate and relevant to the needs of the country?
Were the project’s actions to achieve the outputs quality, effective and efficient?
To what extent has the project created local ownership over the training system and its functions?
To what extent are the results sustainable? Will the outputs lead to benefits beyond the lifespan of the project?
What are the positive or negative, intended or unintended, changes brought about by the project interventions?
How could project results be further sustainably projected and expanded, having in mind the broader local government agenda of BiH?
What are, if relevant, after-project possible priority interventions and general recommendations, which could further ensure sustainability of project’s achievements and contribute to development of local governance in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The consultancy will take a broad overview of the project area by gathering perceptions, aspirations, feedback and data from relevant partners and stakeholders for objective analysis and conduct of the evaluation.
The evaluation will look to underline the key factors that have either facilitated or impeded project implementation; the appropriateness of skill sets among project participants and the continued need for knowledge transfer and skills to maintain the momentum of activities already set in motion. To this end, the evaluation will examine the overall performance and impact of project components.

Proposed methodology

The proposed methodology consists of a preliminary desk review of project materials and deliverables and review of existing information relevant to the project context, followed by field visits and final evaluation report write-up.
The Consultant is required to evaluate the UNDP MTS II Project Document, progress, annual and mid-term evaluation reports, key project deliverables and other relevant documents. The briefing kit will be prepared by the UNDP/MTS II. The Consultant is expected to meet the UNDP Country Office management for an initial briefing and the debriefing at the end of the assignment. S/he is expected to interview the MTS II project team, partners as well as other stakeholders as needed. To assess project performance, approach and modalities, the Consultant will meet representatives of the FBiH Ministry of Justice, the RS Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government, entity Civil Service Agencies, both Associations of Municipalities and Cities, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and training beneficiaries. S/he will also meet with representatives of other agencies active in the field of local governance to assess their cooperation and level of synergies with the MTS II, if needed. During these meetings, it would be important to record and accumulate inputs necessary not only for the project evaluation, but for potential follow-up interventions in the field of local governance as well.

The Consultant will propose a work plan to be approved by the MTS II project team. The Consultant is expected to prepare a report highlighting in particular recommendations.
The expected duration of the assignment is up to 20 days (11 days in Bosnia and Herzegovina), with the consultancy period to take place in September 2015.

The final evaluation report will capture the feedback by key project partners and stakeholders as well as observations and conclusions by the Consultant. The report will also contain a concept note on the possible follow-up direction and interventions in the field of local governance, which would meaningfully build on the current project achievements, to ensure full sustainability of the project’s results, but also contribute to further development of local governance in BiH.

Tasks
The consultancy is divided into 3 principle tasks, as follows:

Task 1 – Desk review

The Consultant will conduct a detailed review of all relevant documents produced during the project implementation, produced both, by the project team, as well as by the training system institutions. Documentation includes, but is not limited to: project document; project annual work plans; project reports; decisions and rule-books issued by the training system institutions; annual training plans; data on training programmes delivered during the project; summaries of the reports on training strategies’ evaluation and other documents as decided in consultations with the project team. The Consultant will also check out the web portals of the training system institutions.
Upon review of documentation, the Consultant will submit a detailed work plan for the evaluation process, including: a list of interlocutors; tentative dates and locations of visits planned; interview questions and proposed list of participants and date for the validation session.
During the desk review the Consultant will focus on evaluating the project baseline, indicators and targets, as well as the relevance, quality and adequacy of project approach versus its objectives and the output. Task 1 will not exceed 6 days.

Task 2 – Evaluation

Upon the approval of the work plan by the MTS II project team, the Consultant is expected to carry out the evaluation of the second phase of the MTS project, via direct interviews with stakeholders and beneficiaries from cities/municipalities. Apart from individual interviews, if considered useful in terms of data collection and time management, the Consultant may conduct a focus group meeting with some 10-12 project beneficiaries.

Once the interviews are completed, the Consultant will analyse data and information collected (qualitative and quantitative) and draft evaluation report including main findings and a concept for a possible follow-up direction.
Report shall seek to assess project progress, efficiency and adequacy; process and level of success of partnership building; the quality of project deliverables and the level of training system institutions’ ownership and effectiveness of its principal structures. The evaluation will also capture the efficiency of project organisation and management with respect to its size and composition, organisational structure and personnel management. The draft report will contain the positive or negative, intended or unintended, changes brought about by the project and identify factors which facilitated or impeded the realization of intended objectives. A particular attention will be paid to the sustainability of the project achievements beyond the lifespan of the project.

The draft evaluation report will be submitted to the MTS II project team for initial review. Subsequently, a validation session will be organised with up to 10 stakeholders, to ensure that final report to be produced dully reflects their opinions. The MTS II will provide support to the Consultant in organization of meetings, interviews and validation session.

The minimum structure of the evaluation report is the following:

Executive summary;
Introduction;
Methodological approach;
Evaluation findings;
Conclusions and recommendations;
Concept for possible follow-up direction;
Annexes.

Task 2 will not exceed 10 days.

Task 3 – Submission of the final project evaluation report
Following the validation session, the Consultant is expected to prepare a final project evaluation report, capturing findings and recommendations on both the project approach and performance. Suggestions and comments gathered during the validation session will be taken into consideration. Also, any observations that may arise from the evaluation will be incorporated into the final report.
In addition, the Consultant is expected to particularly focus at the sustainability aspect of the project, analyse the level of training system institutions’ ownership and capacity to fully take over processes established during the project implementation.
Finally, s/he will provide a concept for possible follow-up direction. Task 3 will not exceed 4 days.

Deliverables and timeliness

The implementation of the tasks within this ToR will be supervised and quality assured by the UNDP. The following deliverables are expected:

Task 1: Desk review (Late August 2015):

Evaluation of documentation;
Submission of work-plan for evaluation.

Task 2 – Evaluation (September 2015):

Initial meeting with the project team;
Interviews with stakeholders;
Submission of draft report;
Validation session.

Task 3 – Submission of final project evaluation report (September 2015):

Submission of final report, including recommendations and concept for possible follow-up direction.

Competencies

Core values:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Core competencies:

Demonstrates professional competence to meet responsibilities and post requirements and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;

Results-Orientation:

Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations;
Proven ability to undertake professional research using both quantitative and qualitative methods;
Strong analytical skills and ability to conceptualize complex and multi-faceted aspects of an issue into a concise and clear-cut assessment conclusion.

Communication:

Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
Excellent drafting and presentation skills.

Team work:

Ability to interact, establish and maintain effective working relations with a culturally diverse team;

Client orientation:

Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in economy, social science or related field.

Experience:

At least 10 years of experience in areas of relevance to the consultancy mission, to include extensive project/programme evaluation experience, including evaluation of multi-stakeholder projects in an international setting;
Experience in local government, public administration and local development-related projects (experience with training systems is an asset);
Relevant working experience in BiH and the region, will be considered as advantage.
Evaluation experience with UN donor-funded projects is an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English;
Knowledge of BiH official languages desirable.

Other:

Excellent computer skills (MS Office applications) and ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource.