UNDP Jobs - 62288- Consultant: Support UNDP Oslo Governance Centre’s

Consultant: Support UNDP Oslo Governance Centre’s Upcoming Conference on ‘Governance of Diversity - Preventing Violent Extremism by Promoting Inclusive Development and Tolerance’

Location :

Home-based With Some Travel to Oslo, Norway

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

04-Jan-2016

Application Deadline :

22-Dec-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

5 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Maximum of 100 days

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 UNDP Oslo Governance Centre [OGC] was established in 2002 to support the operational work of UNDP in assisting partner countries in developing more democratic and effective forms of governance for sustainable peace and development. Within the framework of a vision to eradicate poverty and significantly reduce inequalities and exclusion within and among societies, the 2014-2017 UNDP Strategic Plan sets out a plan of action with three core work areas; one of these areas is the building and/or strengthening of inclusive and effective democratic governance.

The newly refocused OGC aims to become a global Centre for policy development and applied research with an overarching focus on democratic governance and peacebuilding in crisis, conflict and transitional contexts. It will engage and strengthen ties with Norwegian, Nordic and other partners from the South in undertaking applied research and developing policy options and tools for governance support in post-crisis and post-conflict environments, in order to find practical solutions on the ground which address the following thematic areas:

Governance and democratic challenges in countries that are transitioning out of crisis and conflict towards more inclusive institutions and more peaceful, prosperous equal and resilient societies;
Governance of extractive industries in post-crisis and post-conflict settings and its impact on sustainable development pathways and progress towards more inclusive institutions;
Governance of inclusion, and in particular how societies evolving from crisis and conflict address gender equality and the political and economic empowerment of women in a conflict sensitive manner;
Measuring governance for development results to inform and influence the contributions of UNDP and partners in the discussions on the post-2015 agenda and the measuring and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The Oslo Governance Centre sits within the Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.

The OGC is looking for a short term consultant to provide support to the upcoming global meeting on ‘Governance of Diversity - Preventing Violent Extremism by Promoting Inclusive Development and Tolerance’ in Oslo in March 2016 and the resulting workstream. Violent extremism, whether religious in nature or other, is not just a security problem. Its root causes are directly connected to challenges of co-existence in communities and societies, and the future of humanity is contingent on a future of peaceful, just and inclusive co-existence between different groups.

This Conference will bring together policy-makers, researchers & practitioners from all regions to share experiences and research. It is intended to support a dialogue between UNDP and development partners, governments, think tanks, the media and civil society, from which a framework of research and action can be developed on how best to address the challenges of governing diversity and preventing violent extremism.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will provide overall technical and managerial support on the preparatory work leading up to the UNDP Meeting on the Governance of Diversity - Preventing Violent Extremism by Promoting Inclusive Development and Tolerance in mid-March 2016 in Oslo, Norway, as well as consolidating outputs afterwards. This will include advising staff and consultants working on this conference, under the overall direction of the OGC Director as well as the Director/Chief of Profession, Governance and Peacebuilding.

Tasks will include, but not be limited to:

Provide a literature review scoping out the key areas of literature relevant to the topic;
Consolidate existing UNDP and other material, support the preparation of research and briefing notes, framing papers and conference background documents prior to the meeting;
Identify and liaise with speakers and participants of the meeting;
Oversee the sending of invitations, and background papers and work with senior staff in designing the agenda;
Liaise with other UNDP colleagues in New York, regional centers and country offices, as appropriate on their contribution and participation in the meeting;
Support the Director and other OGC staff, as needed, in preparations for the meeting, including liaising with staff and consultants providing logistical and communications support;
Lead on compiling agreed reports and outcome documents of the meeting.

Deliverables and indicative timelines

A ‘top-level’ literature review (20-30 pages), scoping out the main areas of academic and policy literature relevant to the topic, linking to existing literature reviews and identifying gaps. 31 January 2016;
Summary of recommendations on, compilation and editing of background documents for the global meeting. 29 February 2016.
Draft talking points and speeches for senior UNDP speakers at the meeting, on request. 31 February 2016;
Preparation of a Conference Reports – a 2 pager with key messages, and a longer report 15-20 pages. 15 April 2016;
Document outlining options for the Oslo Governance Centre’s further work in this area, drawing on the literature review, the preparatory documents and the global meeting (5-10 pages). 30 April 2016.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Expert knowledge and understanding of Governance of Diversity and issues related to Preventing Violent Extremism, and a familiarity with the literatures relevant to these areas;
Knowledge and understanding of UN/UNDP’s work and/or other multicultural/bilateral actors’ works and roles related to Governance of Diversity and issues related to Preventing Violent Extremism;
Demonstrated ability to write background papers, briefing papers, talking points and speeches;
Ability to write and communicate in a clear and concise manner;

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP, and partner organizations:
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Excellent understanding of international development issues and knowledge of the UN system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in development economics, political science, peace-studies, social sciences or related disciplines

Professional experience:

Minimum 7 years of professional work experience in the related field;
Specialist knowledge of governance of diversity and preventing violent extremism;
Experience in designing and organising research and policy conferences and workshops.Proven experience in conducting research and writing papers.

Language:

Fluency in English, both written and oral;
Working knowledge of a second UN language is an asset.

Institutional Arrangements:

The Director of the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre will provide overall supervision of the consultancy and approve key outputs. The Consultant will work closely with the Director/Chief of Profession, Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster, BPPS, other BPPS colleagues, and liaise with UNDP Regional hubs and Country Offices, as appropriate. The consultant will not be provided with any IT equipment, but is expected to make use of his/her own computer, internet connection, telephone, etc.

Payment Milestones and Timelines:

Payments will be made upon submission of a detailed time sheet and certification of payment form, and approval and confirmation by the Director of the Oslo Governance Center.

Travel details:

The selected consultant is expected to undertake the following missions in line with the proposed assignment:

Travel to Oslo, Norway: 11-15 January 2016;
Travel to Oslo, Norway: 7-18 March 2016.

NB! The cost of the above missions should be reflected in the financial proposals of the consultants.

The consultant is expected to arrange her/his own travel and be responsible for ticketing, visa and accommodation.

The fare will always be “most direct, most economical” at no additional cost to UNDP and any difference in price with the preferred route will be paid for by the consultant.

Travel costs (fixed and non-negotiable) for above mission travels shall be included in financial proposal of applicants. For more information, please read the below Application procedures.

Application procedure:

The application is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications.

Step 1: Submission of technical proposal. That will include providing application via UNDP Job-shop (jobs.undp.org )

Interested candidates should provide the following documents and information:

Uploading a CV/P11 and a statement of interest indicating all past experience for similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc;
A mandatory, brief description and justification (approx. 300-500 words) of the approach proposed to conduct the tasks required for this assignment, including the literature and stakeholders to be considered; demonstrating how the applicant’s qualifications and experience will enable him/her to successfully deliver against the requirements of this assignment within the required timeframe.

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposals:

Applicants are required to submit their financial proposals in US Dollars for this consultancy to oslo.governance.centre@undp.org, using the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780. The proposals should be sent via email to oslo.governance.centre@undp.org with the following subject heading: “Financial Proposal PVE” by the application deadline (22 December). Proposals received after the deadline may be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive professional daily fee, and include a detailed breakdown of the cost. The term ‘all-inclusive’ implies that all costs (professional fees, assignment- and mission- related travel expenses as provided above, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal. The cost of the assignment shall be linked to the deliverables specified above and reflected in the Section B. of the Financial Proposal template.

Criteria for selection:

Only those candidates who meet the minimum level of education and relevant years of experience requirements will be considered for the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will include a desk review, and may also include interviews with shortlisted candidates.

Combined scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a max of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%.

Method: cumulative analysis method will be used to evaluate proposals.

When using this weighted scoring method, 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 and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria weight: 70 (70% of total obtainable scores).

Financial criteria weight: 30 (30% of total obtainable scores)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 (70%) points on technical part will be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria and scores for technical evaluation (total 70):

Expert knowledge and understanding of Governance of Diversity and issues related to Preventing Violent Extremism, and a familiarity with the literatures relevant to these areas (25 points);
Knowledge and understanding of UN/UNDP’s work and/or other multicultural/bilateral actors’ works and roles related to Governance of Diversity and issues related to Preventing Violent Extremism (10 points);
Demonstrated ability to write background papers, briefing papers, talking points and speeches (12,5 points);
Experience in designing and organising research and policy conferences and workshops (12,5 points);
Brief description and justification (approx. 300-500 words) of the approach proposed to conduct the tasks required for the assignment, including the literature and stakeholders to be considered (10 points).

Criteria for financial evaluation (30 points maximum):

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal:
µ=price of the lowest priced proposal:
z = price of the proposal being evaluated:

The award of contract will be made to the individual consultant who receives the highest combined score out of the weighted technical and financial criteria as specified above.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS_INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT (IC) http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.