Background
UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2014-2017 (SP) emphasizes the need to identify, explore, test, evaluate and scale up innovative approaches across priority subject areas, in programme development, management and review, through established and new knowledge and collaboration partnerships, and as a key part of our own institutional innovation. The SP identifies a specific result in the Integrated Results and Resources Framework related to innovation: “innovations enabled for development solutions, partnerships and other collaborative arrangement”). To achieve these results, UNDP will focus on the following two areas: (1) Innovative methodologies and tools for scanning the horizon, collecting and analysing data, ideation and reflection, and prototyping and testing development solutions; and (2) Innovative methodologies and tools for co-designing and scaling up demonstration projects identified/developed and ready for application. Collaboration across sectors (public, private, civil) with traditional partners and as well as those actors less historically engaged is a key element in this strategy.
The UNDP Innovation Facility will support initiatives that a) strengthen UNDP’s position as a leading advisor on innovation for development; b) enable national development actors to co-create value; c) increase understanding of the role and value of innovation for development; d) support social innovators both within the organization and from the broader development community; and finally, e) enhance UNDP’s own performance efficiency through innovative practices.
The Development Impact Group coordinates the allocation of funding and the substantive support to Country Offices with Regional Portfolio Teams consisting of BPPS staff and Regional Bureaux representatives.
Under the overall guidance of the Policy Specialist Innovation, the primary function of the Consultant is to provide programmatic support to Regional Portfolio Teams and Country Offices and support the team’s work on innovation.
The consultant will provide programme and project support to the innovation regional portfolio teams and Country Offices.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will work closely with the Policy Specialist on Innovation to provide substantive support in the areas of project management, including project fund allocation and expenditure monitoring, results monitoring and tracking, liaison with regional innovation advisers as regards project funds management. In addition, the consultant will oversee the management, maintenance, and curation of the UNDP roster of social innovation experts.
These deliverables are described in detail below:
Project Management Support (Innovation Facility)
- Provide guidance on financial management of UNDP’s Innovation Facility to Regional Advisors, support the financial management of the global project through regular (monthly and in Q4 weekly) update reports on global and regional delivery;
- Support the review process of internal challenges through delivering the scoring of proposals and the provision of substantive feedback on innovation approaches to Country Offices and HQ units;
- Lead the management of project monitoring, reporting and indicators through delivering 2016 Innovation Facility reporting indicator framework and analysis of 2015 report data;
- Support the management of Project Board meetings through developing background documentation and project status updates;
- Contribute to the strategy development towards donor relations and resource mobilization for the project’s activities; prepare and deliver presentations on UNDP’s innovation work and prepare speeches for senior management per request;
- Co-lead the strengthening of partnerships with project partners, particularly private sector partners, donors and all other partners on all matters concerning the implementation of the project through delivering outreach and follow-up message to partners;
- Develop specific donor fund-raising strategies and prepare proposals for mobilization of human, technical or financial resources from private sector partners and donors;
- Support the Development Impact Group with results reporting and tracking for the purpose of the IRRF, as relevant;
- Undertake background research on emerging trends in social innovation, as required.
Management of UNDP roster of social innovation experts:
- Lead the management of the roster including monitoring of uptake and engagements in quarterly status updates;
- Provide expert referral services to the UNDP Country Offices and other units;
- Solicit feedback from UNDP Country Offices on roster and develop proposals for management modifications and consolidate in final 2016 analysis with recommendations for 2017.
Institutional Arrangement:
- The consultant will work under the direct supervision and guidance of the Policy Specialist on Innovation, Knowledge Management and Innovation Team, Development Impact Team, BPPS;
- The Supervisor and Consultant will agree on the frequency of progress reporting, as required;
- The Consultant will be expected to liaise /interact/collaborate/meet with relevant UNDP corporate units (e.g. BPPS, BERA BMS, CRU, Regional Hubs and COs) as well as external partners (donors, private sector partners, civil society);
- The Project will make adequate work space available to the consultant, co-located within the DIG Office space.
Competencies
- Prior expertise in the field of innovation for development, preferably in the context of UNDP’s engagement through the Innovation Facility;
- Proven ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals;
- Ability to engage with other agencies, donors, and other development stakeholders and forge productive working relationships;
- Proven ability to create new and relevant business opportunities;
- Substantive knowledge of project management related procedures as they pertain to UNDP – including Atlas related processes in the area of procurement and budget management - to ensure that quality requirements and goals are fulfilled.
- Excellent presentation, research, and synthesis skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s Degree or equivalent Advanced Degree in economics, with specific focus on development, communications, and innovation.
Experience:
- A minimum of 8 years of professional working experience in a relevant field, of which at least 1 with UNDP;
- Proven expertise in project management support including budget management monitoring, preferably in Atlas;
- Experience in building networks and relationship management including resource mobilization;
- Strong knowledge of social innovation trends; experience with UNDP’s emerging innovation framework an asset;
- Experience in roster management.
Language:
- Fluency in English;
- Working knowledge of other languages is an advantage.
Application Procedure
The application is a two-step process; failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications:
Submission of Technical Proposals
Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting their applications in UNDP Job Shop online. (Only one file can be uploaded; therefore, please include all docs in one PDF file):
- A cover letter briefly describing why the applicant thinks he/she is the best person for the job;
- CV and/or Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (e-mail and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references (the P11 template can be downloaded from this link: http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc N.B.: Submission of a signed P11 is mandatory for issuance of a contract.
Submission of Financial Proposals
Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals indicating daily fee in US Dollars for this consultancy by e-mail to bpps.procurement@undp.org, using the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780. The e-mail submitting the financial proposal should be sent with the following subject heading: “Financial Proposal - Support to Innovation Regional Portfolio Teams and COs” by the deadline for this vacancy. 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 an all-inclusive daily fee based on deliverables and include a detailed breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive’ implies that all costs (professional fees, 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.
Payment Schedule
Payments will be made on a monthly basis according to the number of actual days worked. An IC Time Sheet must be submitted by the Individual Contractor, duly approved by the Individual Contractor’s supervisor, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees.
Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer and Award of Contract:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicant's qualifications and financial proposal as follows:
- Technical Criteria weight - 70%;
- Financial Criteria weight - 30%.
The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
- Compliant/acceptable; and
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
Breakdown of the evaluation process is as follows:
Technical Evaluation: 70% of total evaluation (maximum 100 points) based on desk review (UNDP reserves the right to have an interview as well which will carry equal weight and passing requirements as the desk review).
All applicants will be initially screened against the minimum requirements as specified in the Terms of Reference and long-listed. Long-listed candidates will then be further evaluated against the following criteria as evident in the submitted CV by desk review: Only applicants who have scored a minimum of 70% in the desk review will be considered for an interview (if one is held) and only applicants who score minimum of 70% on the interview will considered for evaluation of financial proposal.
- A minimum of 8 years of professional working experience in a relevant field, of which at least 1 with UNDP (25 points);
- Proven expertise in project management support including budget management monitoring, preferably in Atlas (25 points);
- Experience in building networks and relationship management including resource mobilization (15 points);
- Strong knowledge of social innovation trends; experience with UNDP’s emerging innovation framework an asset. (25 Points)
- Experience in roster management. (10 points);
- 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)
Interviews (if held) will be conducted in line with the criteria above with a weighting of 50 % desk review / 50% interview.
Financial Evaluation: 30% of total evaluation (maximum 30 points).
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 (30 points);
- µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
- z = price of the proposal being evaluate;
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)