UNDP Jobs - 61657- International Consultant for a Forward-Looking Fin

International Consultant for a Forward-Looking Final Evaluation

Location :

Kyiv, UKRAINE

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Dec-2015

Application Deadline :

24-Nov-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

up to 30 December 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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 Government of Ukraine - United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPF) 2012 – 2016 is an official document that stipulates the cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the United Nations Country Team. The framework provides strategic guidance for country programme documents of UN agencies and based on these country programme documents, agency country programme action plans are designed and implemented.

The UNPF identified four areas of focus including:

Sustained Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction;
Social Development;
Governance;
Environment and Climate Change.

Given competing priorities and challenges facing both the Government of Ukraine and the UNCT due to the current conflict in Eastern Ukraine, a one-year extension of the current UNPF until December 2017 was requested and subsequently granted. In the meantime, UNCT has been focusing its limited capacity on life-saving/humanitarian response and on the recovery and peacebuilding assessment (RPA) which was jointly undertaken with the World Bank and the European Union.

The UNCT at its mid-year retreat in August 2015 endorsed the roadmap of the development of the upcoming United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) (the duration of the upcoming UNDAF cycle is to be determined). While the final evaluation of the current framework is part of the roadmap, the UNCT agrees that it will benefit from a forward-looking final evaluation that strikes a balance between a critical review/evaluation and an informed indication for future planning and prioritization. The evaluation will provide an overall assessment and lessons learned from the design and implementation of the current UNDAF, taking into account the challenges facing the UNCT during the cycle due to the fact that while the Government co-signed with the UNCT the UNDAF narrative, it did not endorse the associated Results and Resources Framework. Emphasis will be put on initial discussions and consultations on potential development priorities that the UNCT may consider focusing on during the next UNDAF cycle. A light mapping exercise of capacity of UN system as a whole will provide an idea for realistic planning or adjustment/investment in capacity to ensure effective implementation of the new UNDAF.

Duties and Responsibilities

Main objectives of the assignment are:

To assess the relevance of the UNPF as a development strategy for the UN during its cycle; the achievements and progress made against planned objectives; draw lessons learned from its implementation, and identify opportunities and areas for strengthening.
To undertake a complementary country analysis and advise the UNCT on priority areas that the UN should focus on in the next cycle. Recommendations should be guided by the Post-2015/SDGs agenda; the humanitarian situation; the recovery needs and the national priorities;
To identify the comparative advantage of the UN system in the country; provide a snapshot of current capacity of the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes and recommend change/adjustment if any. This is to ensure that the UNCT as a whole is fit and well equipped to respond to the new framework.

Description of responsibilities / Scope of work:

Following the UNDG methodologies and Guidelines and using a standard set of evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact):

Assess the effectiveness of the UNPF in terms of progress towards agreed outcomes and outputs; identify factors that influence the achievement of results, the UN system’s contribution to national priorities, and impact, including how the UNPF interacted with humanitarian, recovery and peacebuilding objectives during this period;
Assess the relevance of the 2012-2016 UNPF, and the adequacy of UN response, based on the comparative advantages of UN agencies, including the NRAs, to the changing context, both in planning and in implementation;
Assess how the UNPF has worked as a framework for coordination, monitoring progress, accountability and mobilisation of resources for UN Agencies;
Determine to what extent the five programming principles (human rights based approach, gender equality, environmental sustainability, results-based management, and capacity development) were systematically pursued in the UNPF implementation and reporting;
Identify best practices and lessons learned from UNPF implementation that could benefit the implementation of the new UNDAF.
Undertake a complementary country analysis that highlights critical development challenges and their root causes; national development and reform priorities; and identify where the UN System can make significant contributions during the next UNDAF;
Assess the relevance of the Post-2015 and SDGs agenda in the Ukraine context and identify development priorities for the UNCT, taking into account national priorities and UN comparative advantage;
Map current capacity of UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes and recommend adjustment that enables the UN to effectively respond to needs and in a coordinated manner.

Main activities:

Home-based desk review of documents and available data sources, and submission of inception report of 3-5 pages with detailed plan for on-the-ground work in Ukraine;
Consultations and meetings with key stakeholders;
Structured interviews with UNCT/HCT/RPA members, Government partners, civil societies, NGOs, private sector and donors;
Assessment of impact through reviewing reports, direct interaction with UNPF beneficiaries and stakeholders, including through field visits;
Mapping of current capacity of the UN system and making recommendations for adjustment if any.

Deliverables:

Draft report of 25-30 pages (excluding annexes), following the suggested structure below;
A mapping of current substantive/functional capacity of UN agencies including recommendations for change/adjustment if any;
A PowerPoint Presentation to the UNCT via VTC;
Final report.

Methodology and report requirements

The evaluation is expected to be conducted over a period of 4 -6 weeks including home-based desk review and report finalisation and must be completed by the end of 2015. It is envisaged that the evaluation team will consist of one international consultant (lead consultant) and one national consultant (assistant).

The evaluation will be guided by the UNDG guidelines for UNDAF Final Evaluations. Data collection methods and process shall consider all programming and other cross-cutting issues as appropriate. The analyses should be evidence based to the furthest extent possible and build on available data sources, statistics and other primary sources.

A part of the evaluation work will take place as desk-work outside Ukraine, some interviews can be conducted through phone, skype or video conferences, while other work will require travel to Ukraine, both in Kiev and in other regions as required.

Methods of data collection should include but not necessarily be limited to:

Document review, focusing on UNPF planning documents, Humanitarian Response Plans, Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment (RPA), UN agencies strategies, annual reports, reviews and evaluation reports, strategy papers, national strategic documents, plans and policies, Ukraine Reform Package, as well as available data and statistics by UNCT members and from other sources;
Interviews/consultations with key stakeholders including key government counterparts (national and local levels), donor representatives, UNCT members, implementing partners, civil society organisations, mention national trade unions and employers’ organizations, and non-UN members of the Humanitarian Country Team;
Discussions with UNPF beneficiaries.

A 1-2 page outline of proposed evaluation methodology will be required as part of the selection and contracting process for the evaluation and can be further negotiated with the successful lead consultant team, after which it will serve as the basis for organization of data collection and the evaluation work. Based on the desk review, the lead consultant will submit an inception report with a detailed plan for data collection.

The data collection methodology will depend on availability of existing evidence, including statistics and administrative data, and secondary sources such as evaluations and reviews by UNCT members, and other considerations such as [limited] access to and availability of relevant stakeholder and beneficiary groups e.g. in the Donbas region.

The evaluation process should build on gender sensitivity and gender specific data, as well as other UN programming principles, including capacity development, environmental sustainability, Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) and Result-Based Management (RBM).

Structure of the Evaluation Report:

Executive Summary;
Chapter 1: Introduction (objectives, scope and methodology, limitations);
Chapter 2: Country Analysis;
Chapter 3: Evaluation Findings (corresponding to the UNDAF outcomes with each analysed by evaluation criteria);
Chapter 4: Recommendations on key development priorities for the next UNDAF;
Chapter 5: UN System Comparative Advantage and Capacity Mapping;
Chapter 6: Conclusions.

Reporting and Quality Control for the Assignment

The consultant will work jointly with national consultants and in close collaboration with the UNRCO and under the overall guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator. The UNRCO will provide liaison support in identifying institutions and individuals that the consultants are expected to engage with in the course of the assessment, and will help identify and provide existing data sources for the desk review. The UNRCO will also provide support at each stage of the assignment in terms of availing documents and facilitating meetings relevant to the assessment.

Competencies

Strong analytical and organizational skills, ability to meet deadlines and to manage multiple tasks effectively;
Excellent knowledge of the UN system and UN joint country programming processes;
Strong knowledge and experience with national development frameworks in conflict and post-conflict situations, including Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals;
Specialised technical knowledge, including in data collection and analytical skills, and evaluation principles, methodologies and approaches;
Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork and adept at working with people of diverse cultural and social backgrounds;
An understanding of and ability to abide by the core values of the United Nations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s/Specialist degree or equivalent in Economics, Development Studies, Peace Studies, Social Studies, International Relations or other related field.

Experience:

At least 7 years of experience in drafting of the UN reports on development issues and/or carrying out analysis and assessment of UN programmes.

Languages:

Proven excellent command in spoken and written English;
Knowledge of Russian/Ukrainian would be an asset.

Documents to be included in when submitting the proposals

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

Brief explanation (300 words) why the consultant is the most suitable for the job;
Proposed timing and availability to conduct the evaluation;
1-2 page description of proposed methodology, including for data collection;
Personal CV and P11 form for the lead consultant (P11 form can be downloaded from this website: http://www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc)
Financial proposal including a total and all inclusive lump sum amount, and payment terms, around specific and measurable deliverables. The financial proposal must include a breakdown of a round trip international travel (homebased location – Kiev – homebased location), insurance, visa, per diems, and number of all anticipated consultant working days by the consultant team).

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation criteria:

The cumulative analysis will be applied for the evaluation of proposals. Under the cumulative analysis scheme, a total score is obtained upon the combination of weighted technical (70) and financial attributes (30).

A) Technical

Educational background - 20 points max:

20 pts – PhD in Economics, International Relations, Development and other relevant social science field;
10 pts - Master’s / Specialist’s degree in in Economics, International Relations, Development and other relevant social science field.

Relevant professional experience - 40 points max:

40 pts – over 10 years of experience in drafting of the UN reports on development issues and/or carrying out analysis and assessment of UN programmes, including in ECA region;
30 pts – between 8 and 10 years;
20 pts – at least 7 years of experience.

Language Skills - 10 points max:

10 pts – fluent English; Ukrainian, Russian – basic knowledge and understanding;
5 pts - fluent English language.

Maximum available technical score - 70 points.

Total score obtainable for Technical evaluation - 70 points max.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points under Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

B) Financial

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal (A+B) will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.