UNDP Jobs - 60840- Project Development Consultant on Bottom-Up Budget

Project Development Consultant on Bottom-Up Budgeting in Barangay

Location :

Manila, PHILIPPINES

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

21-Oct-2015

Application Deadline :

18-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

1.5 months (approx)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1.5 months (approx)

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 bottom-up budgeting process is a tool to make the budget more participatory, transparent and empowering. It provides a platform for civil society organizations to directly engage with local governments in planning, identifying and prioritizing desired projects in order to get budget support. Through this, the BUB opens the planning and budgeting process to more citizen’s participation and allows the articulation of the needs and concerns of the poor and marginalized.

There are two (2) main stages in implementing the BUB. The first stage constitutes nine main components which includes: a) preparation for poverty reduction planning and budgeting, including the conduct of a local civil society assembly, b) conduct of the LPRAP workshop, c) LPRAP endorsement of CSOs, d) LPRAP adoption of Sangguniang Bayan/Lungsod, e) submission of the list of priority projects to the DILG Regional Office (RO), f) consolidation of the projects by the DILG RO, g) validation of projects by the RPRAT, h) integration of the LGU projects in the budgets of participating agencies, and i) provision of LGU counterpart. The second stage is focused on Project Implementation which may be further disaggregated into procurement, construction, actual delivery of services and monitoring, reporting and evaluation.

There are 13 national agencies involved. Each one providing a menu of services to LGUs to choose from. DA, DAR, DEPED, DOE, DENR, DOH, DILG, DOLE, DSWD, DOT, DTI, TESDA and NEA. For this particular development support, the project will focus on DOH, DSWD and DILG. Under DOH, services will primarily involve the purchase of medicines, and medical equipment; the construction of health centers/clinics; and the mobilization of health personnel. Under DSWD, projects involve the hiring of social workers and the construction of small water systems, and day care centers, among others. Just like DILG, it has some projects that involve the design and construction of public works and buildings.

The BUB started in 2013 with an initial allocation of about 8 billion pesos for 595 municipalities. In 2015, it has a budget of 20.9 billion pesos covering 1,590 cities and municipalities. It has encountered some start-up problems in 2013 and new challenges in 2015. Since it started, BUB has a combined delivery rate of about 24 percent, as of June 2015. DOH managed to have 31 percent of total projects (from 2013 to 2015) completed or on-going while DSWD has 29 percent and DILG has 22 percent. In terms of budget allocation, DOH has seven percent of the combined total budget for BUB from 2013-2015; while DSWD has 10 percent and DILG has 18 percent.

There are, however, several issues relating to BUB.

Capacities and attitudes of LGUs. Some local chief executives do not have the political will to implement BUB or are skeptical about the participatory process involving civil society in the planning and prioritization of projects. A number of LGUs especially those belonging to the 5th and 6th class income categories, are unable to manage competing priorities and have very limited technical capacity to absorb new resources & responsibilities. They have limited number of staff who unfortunately do not have access to opportunities for career development and advancement;
Procurement of goods & services. Poor planning and lack of skilled and number of personnel to manage the procurement process lead to difficulties in handling the process, frequent bidding failures and delays in finalizing specifications and TORs. There are also allegations of fund leakages resulting from bribery and disregard for bidding and other processes;
Coordination. The slow implementation of BUB projects may be partly due to poor NGA feedback at various stages of the BUB process and poor coordination in project implementation between the NGAs/ LGUs, on the one hand, and CSOs, on the other. Fragmentation in the provision of services both at the central and local levels may have aggravated the problem;
Budget execution. The first stage of BUB is quite participatory and extensive. However the second stage which focuses on project implementation requires further elaboration in terms of policies, process, stakeholder roles, institutional accountabilities; and monitoring;
Bureaucratic red tape. Project bottlenecks may be caused by difficulties in securing clearances or permits, coordination problems, right-of-way and other legal issues, delays in billing and approval of suppliers’ claims; and
Participation of CSOs. Although CSOs were given a major role in project identification, they have typically been given a small role in project implementation and monitoring. A number of them have limited technical capacities to effectively engage in governance processes;
Specific Bottleneck Issues by Sector. For DSWD, it has also encountered bottlenecks such as lack of social workers who can be designated on field; lack of technical capacity of LGU staff to deliver goods. And finally DILG which has its own share of challenges especially most of its projects are infrastructure–related. They encounter bottlenecks in the design, site selection, procurement, and construction phases of the projects.

In recognition of these issues, the Philippine government, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have requested UNDP to develop a government cost-sharing proposal that articulates a multi-year assistance programme for the BUB. It is envisaged that an engagement of a specialist or expert who has direct involvement in managing and implementing national and local government programmes, particularly governance or poverty reduction-related programmes at the barangay level, will be very useful for this work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall, the consultant will be required to take the lead in the development of government cost sharing proposal and in providing technical support in terms of research and strategy advice for (i) UNDP’s support to the government’s Bottom-Up Budgeting Initiative and (ii) a local governance framework for service delivery, particularly at the barangay level.

The consultant will be expected to liaise with key government agencies, particularly DBM, DSWD, DILG, and other relevant agencies, as well as civil society organizations, to collect relevant information particularly quantitative data on BUB in terms of delivery, progress, issues/bottlenecks, and challenges.

Specifically, the consultant is expected to develop programme document for UNDP’s support to Bottom-Up Budgeting and UNDP’s local governance framework for service delivery through barangays.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Functional and technical competencies:

Strong knowledge of the latest theories and concepts in urban development and sustainable cities in the Philippines and broader region;
Strong analytical and research skills;
Familiarity with current actors working on urban development challenges in the Philippines;
Strong communication skills and ability to communicate with different stakeholders;
Excellent in oral and written communication; have skills to write independent reports, documents, maintain systems and procedures in administering programs.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree in political science, public administration, social science, development studies, or related development field.

Work Experience:

Have at least 10 years of experience in programme development, particularly in governance-related programme; knowledge and experience on public finance in the Philippines is an advantage;
Ability to communicate with influence the contents of the paper to key decision makers and stakeholders;
Have proven track record in local governance work, particularly in managing community-based programs and solid background in advocating for policy change at the national and local levels;
Have experience in research, particularly social research, and excellent analytical skills;
Demonstrated strong strategy and decision-making skills;
Demonstrated good communications, interpersonal and peoples skills;
Basic computer skills and proficiency in using Microsoft Office Tools (Word, Excel, Power Point);
Able to work independently, arranging travel, appointments, and interviews for himself/herself.

Language:

Fluency in oral and written English and national language of the duty station

For complete details of the Terms of Reference (TOR) and application requirements, pls. visit http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=25927.