Background

Project Title                                                                                                                                                                                       

Public Environment Expenditure Review

Background                                                                                                                                                                                           

Mauritius has been promoting sustainable development as a way to address its unique vulnerabilities and opportunities as a SIDS. One of the major opportunities for action to make possible the transition of Mauritius to a green economy is buildup resilience and the increase in adaptive capacity of the country.

The UNEP-supported Green Economy Assessment Report for Mauritius using a quantitative simulation model suggests that green economy investments of around 0.9% GDP per year between 2014 and 2035 are projected to result in general annual savings in the range of 3% of GDP by avoiding future costs such as the landfilling of waste and fossil fuel imports. Under the green economy investment scenario, GDP is projected to be about 6% higher relative to the Business As Usual scenario, by 2035, enabling the use of available resources to create a more resilient and equitable economy. An ILO-supported input-output modelling of green jobs assessment also suggests that economy-wide changes towards greener growth will have large net employment effects in Mauritius.

As one of the specific areas of interest and capacity-building needs for technical and financial support from PAGE in 2014 and 2015, it is proposed to strengthen the planning and budgeting capacities of national stakeholders through a public environmental expenditure and institutional review, with a view to assess expenditure levels and strengthen the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of public expenditure and institutional mechanisms on environmental management, of the following two programmes of the Government of Mauritius Budget:

Environmental Conservation and Protection

Sustainable Development and Climate Change

Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) will lead this exercise.
A number of relevant ministries, and the Rodrigues Regional Assembly will be involved in the exercise, through a focal point designated by the respective ministry.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective and Scope
Objective

The objectives of this Public Expenditure Environment Review are as follows:

• Evaluate public expenditure in environmental management as the current fragmentation of funding and public institutions makes it difficult to provide a consolidated view;
• Examine the processes whereby policy is developed (as sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation are cross-cutting. This will provide an insight into the likely take-up of policy decisions and subsequent funding allocations, as well as give an insight into institutional capacity and coordination mechanisms;
• Analyse the effectiveness of expenditure allocation, disbursement and execution;
• Develop a climate budget code so that expenditure on climate change mitigation and adaptation can be tracked;
• Assess the outputs delivered and outcomes achieved through public expenditure on environment.  Comparison of public expenditures of Mauritius environment with those of other countries, with similar level of development, and facing similar environmental challenges, will provide benchmarks to assess the efficiency of environmental finance in Mauritius;
• Provide concrete recommendations to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure and institutional mechanisms for environmental management;
• Identify resources and strengthen capacity to effectively tap into international funds which are being made available to address environmental issues.

The review period for the public environment expenditure will be from 2011 to 2014. It will include expenditure under ‘Environmental Protection and Conservation’, and ‘Sustainable Development and Climate Change’. Even though both these programmes appear only in expenditure of the Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, Disaster and Beach Management, a number of other ministries are involved in implementing projects and undertaking a number of activities that aim to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development.

Methodology and Approach

The analysis will draw on Public Environment Expenditure and Review (PEER) based on the Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR)  methodology designed by UNDP and Overseas Development Institute (ODI), but with adaptations in light of past and current environmental finance advancements in Mauritius.

The methodology will review how environment related expenditures are integrated into national medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) and sector budgetary processes. This analysis has to be set within the context of the national policy and institutional arrangements that exist to manage the response to environmental impacts in the Republic of Mauritius.

Hence, the analysis needs to take account three key spheres of policy development, institutional structures and financial management:

• An assessment of current policy priorities and strategies as these relate to environment;
• A review of institutional arrangements for promoting the integration of environmental priorities into budgeting and expenditure management;
• A review of the integration of environmental objectives within the budgeting process, including the part of budget planning, implementation, expenditure management and financing.

The consultancy assignment will also address the following issues:

Review the institutional arrangements and coordination mechanisms for environmental finance, budgeting and planning   

The consultancy team will examine the current institutional arrangements to identify where improvements could be made including extent to which these arrangements are coherent with national development and inclusive green economic growth strategies and policies. This will also lead to recommendations to improve the coordination of international flow of incoming climate finance for better integration and prioritization as well as donor coordination on actions related to the environment in Mauritius.

Planning and budgeting for environment-related actions                                                                                                      

The consultancy team will review actions related to the environment, targets and performance indicators proposed in PBB and sectoral and national plans to obtain a clear picture of what has been planned and implemented.  This will enable key Ministries and MOFED to estimate financial resources that are required to implement actions related to the environment and how much budgetary resources should be allocated to finance environmental expenditures and investments. This will also identify whether more detailed costing exercises are needed within and/or across sector and across-cutting policy priorities and targets.

Budgetary allocation and tracking actual expenditure

The consultancy team will review the financial management systems for allocating and spending environment-related expenditures with an aim to attempt to understand a trends analysis on both budgeted and actual expenditure.

Define environment-related expenditures

The absence of a definition on environment-related expenditure constrains stakeholders in tracking resources allocated for financing associated actions. Building on from support provided by UN Statistics Division, the consultancy team will propose an inclusive methodology and coding system to define and track environment-related expenditure that is appropriate in the Mauritian context.

Establish a monitoring and evaluation mechanism as well as a tracking system

The consultancy team will review the budget and environment frameworks with a view to recommend associated finance related indicators for inclusion.

Refer to detailed TOR as posted on http://www.mu.undp.org/content/mauritius_and_seychelles/en/home/operations/procurement/ .

Institutional arrangements

The consultancy team will be composed of two experts: one Team Leader/Expert in Public Finance Management and Public Expenditure Review and one Expert in Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.

The consultancy team will receive strong and continuous support from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, which will fully brief the consultants on budget information available in Mauritius.

A national team of analysts from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (particularly of the Sector Ministry Support Team on Environment) and officers from line ministries will participate in the public expenditure review exercise, thus enabling build national capacity in this area.

A briefing session will be held with MOFED, Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development, Disaster and Beach Management and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) at the start of the assignment.

A Steering Committee, chaired by MOFED, and comprising UNRCO and representatives from line ministries and  other relevant stakeholders will be set up to guide and oversee the review.

Team Composition:

• The team will be composed from 2 consultants- the Team Leader/ Expert in Public Finance Management and Public Expenditure Review and the Expert in Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The work of the team of consultants will be guided by the Norms and Standards established by the United Nations Evaluation Group. Team members will be requested to sign the Code of Conduct prior to engaging in the review exercise;
• The overall responsibility of the Team Leader / Expert in Public Finance Management and Public Expenditure Review will be to produce inception, draft and final reports. S/he will lead and coordinate the work of the Public Environment Expenditure Review team and be responsible for the quality assurance of all deliverables. The Team Leader should have a good knowledge and experience in one or more of the UNDP thematic areas especially Public Finance. The Team Leader will provide guidance, technical support and oversight to the team members throughout the period, especially in ensuring agreed upon methodologies, and writing of assigned sections of the report before the deadline;
• The Team Leader in Public Finance Management and Public Expenditure Review and Expert in Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development will report to the Steering Committee set up by MOFED.
• During the part of the assignment that is to be spent in Mauritius the team will be based at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.

Deliverables

During the Assignment, the consultants will deliver:

• Inception report after five (5) days;
• Work sessions/workshops related to the assignment, and make presentations on the methodology, findings and recommendations.
• Guidance Notes (short format - 3 to 5 pages each) to inform MTEF sector working groups on planning, budgeting and tracking national environmental priorities in MTEF process;
• Draft Report;
• Final  Report, including an Executive Summary at the end of the assignment, in which the comments received on the draft report are incorporated.

The Final Report should include the following (indicative table of contents):

• Title;
• Table of contents;
• Acronyms and abbreviations.

Executive summary:

• A part from a comprehensive consultancy report will constitute the major output of the consultancy; the Consultant is requested to produce a clear and well written two to three page summary bringing out the main findings and recommendations from the report. This will guide the presentation for stakeholders workshop to validate the findings of the report;
• Introduction and background;
• Defining the scope of the assignment;
• Methodology and Data acquired;
• Macro-economic context and public financial management in Mauritius;
• Policy analysis;
• Institutional analysis;
• Expenditure Review;
• Conclusion and Recommendations;
• Annexes.

The main report should not be more than 40 pages, excluding annexes.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UNs values and ethical standards;
• Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Functional Competencies:

• Proven understanding in budgetary and public expenditure review processes and proven record in informing and influencing such processes;
• Proven understanding of ongoing processes such as national development strategies, public budgeting processes;
• Excellent writing and good analyzing aptitude. Proven experience in writing of analytical reports;
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner;
• Good organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in multi-cultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• At least a Master’s degree in Economics, Public Finance, or a related field from a recognised university.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of relevant experience in public financial management, economics or a related field;
• Demonstrated experience in Public Expenditure Reviews;
• Proven understanding of ongoing processes such as national development strategies, public budgeting process;
• Experience in supporting and analyzing institutional and public sector reform process;
• Experience in environmental analysis and programming an advantage;
• Previous work experience in Mauritius will be an asset.

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English is required.  Knowledge of French will be an added advantage.

Duration of contract:

• This assignment is for a duration of 25 working days, starting from 8 September to no later than 11 December 2015. The Team Leader and the Expert in Environment will spend 15 field days in Mauritius for consultations with stakeholders and presentation of findings.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:
Price Proposal

• The financial offer should be quoted as a lump sum amount, ‘all-inclusive ‘. The term “All inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal;
• The contract price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components. Payments will be effected based on deliverables.

Payment Schedule:

• 20% payable upon submission of proposed work plan and Inception Report 21 September 2015;
• 30% upon submission of First Draft Public Expenditure Review Report (11 November 2015);
• 50% upon satisfactory completion of assignment and endorsement of the review by the steering committee no later than 7 December 2015 .

Proposed Work Plan and Indicative Timeline:

• It is planned that the consultancy starts on 8 September 2015, and shall expire on the satisfactory completion of the services of the services described above by 11 December 2015;
• The following schedule of activities is only illustrative, and a final timeline will need to be refined and presented by the Team Leader to the Steering Committee:

Timeline: 8 September 2015 – 21 September 2015
Activity: Contract Signature and Desk Review

Timeline: 21September 2015
Activity: Submission of Inception report

Timeline: 15 September 2015-7 October 2015
Activity: In country mission (15 working days, including presentation of findings)

Timeline: 22 September 2015-7 October September 2015
Activity: 1-day Workshop for presentation of findings

Timeline: 12 October 2015
Activity: Submission of guidance notes to MTEF

Timeline: 11 November 2015
Activity: Submission of Draft report

Timeline: 12 November 2015 – 20 November 2015
Activity: Comments from stakeholders

Timeline: 25 November 2015
Activity: Final Submission of Report

Criteria for selection of best offer

The award of the contract will be made to the Individual Consultant whose offer has been evaluated using the “Combined Scoring Method” and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specified below (Technical Criteria weight (0.7), Financial Criteria weight (0.3).

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 marks out of 100 would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Mauritian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.  Qualified women and members of social minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Educational Qualifications:  

• Higher Degree in Economics, Public Finance or related fields: 15 marks.

Content Knowledge:

• Must have at least 15 years’ experience in Public Finance Management: 30 marks.

Evaluation Experience:

• Must have prior evaluation experience with UN or similar agencies: 25 marks.

Background:

• Public finance background is preferred with demonstrated ability to work in a diverse environment: 20 marks.

Report writing Skills:

• Report writing skills: 5 marks.

Proficiency in English:

• Fluency in English is required. French would be an advantage: 5 marks.

Total: 100  marks.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

Applicants are requested to apply online http://jobs.undp.org . Individual consultants are invited to submit applications & below requirements.

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV and P11 (both), 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. Candidates not submitting P11 will not be considered;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete 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.

Important Note:

• Interested offeror is strongly advised to view the detailed Terms of Reference on the UNDP Mauritius website, general terms and conditions of IC and  templates to be included when submitting offer from the CO website at http://www.mu.undp.org/content/mauritius_and_seychelles/en/home/operations/procurement/
• Interested offerors above the age of 62: UNDP regulations require, at their own cost, to undergo a full medical examination including x-rays. Medical evaluation documentation does not need to be submitted with the other requested documents listed above, but will be requested should the candidate be chosen;
• Interested offeror is required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system, because the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system;
• Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only ONE uploading of application document ie at the time of the request to upload CV, so please make sure that you merge all your documents - CV, Covering Letter, P11, Technical and Financial submission -  into ONE single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary.