UNDP Jobs - 63899- National Consultant to conduct Study Analysis of A

National Consultant to conduct Study Analysis of Agrotourism Sector in Albania

Location :

Tirana, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

21-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

35 working days over period March – June 2016

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 Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship is in charge of implementing economic development policies anchored around the Business and Investment Development and Investment Strategy that was approved in October 2014. Its focus on economic governance, SME development, support to competitiveness, foreign direct investment were at the end of 2014 expanded with the tourism that provided the ministry with a particularly important role in support of this increasingly expanding driver of economic growth.

Increasing competitiveness of the Albanian economy remains a present challenge in view of weak law enforcement, concerns with the judiciary and corruption, including in the tax, customs and local administration). While, the integration of the Albanian economy into regional and EU networks and markets is limited, the potential of SMEs notably in the tourism industry is yet to be fully utilized. The link between tourism and preservation of natural and cultural heritage and urban requalification are considered to be an important source for economic growth and development. The Ministry through the Albanian Investment Development Agency (AIDA) implements several different 'funds', e.g. a credit line and SME credit guarantee fund, an 'export guarantee fund', a 'creative economy fund', an 'innovation fund', a 'competitiveness fund'.

The performance of these funds highlights the need for continuous program monitoring and evaluation to see the impact of these programs on SME sector competitiveness. A well-designed financial support program needs to be able to quantify and measure impact on the sector competitiveness and must avoid wasteful strategies (ineffectiveness, inefficiency, opportunity costs and deadweight loss). AIDA, being a dual agency that promotes both FDI and domestic SME sector, has a unique opportunity to get engaged in supporting sourcing of multinational companies in Albania (and in the region) from domestic companies. Building export readiness services are meant for new exporters/successful intenders that need to strengthen their export skills and/or build new export competencies. They should lead to development of a practical export plan that can, in turn, pre-qualify the exporter for subsequent assistance programs (e.g. financial grants).

UNDP has supported AIDA especially in terms of increasing its capacities with regard to both FDI policies and SME development through UN Coherence fund financing, Czech Trust Fund as well as Developing Results Together Fund. In technical terms, UNDP and AIDA have agreed to work together on increasing the capacities of sectors considered key for the competitiveness support as well as reaching out to local businesses for a transparent disbursement of its funds.

Scope of Work:

The Albanian Investment Development Agency in the framework of its mission to support Albanian enterprises is would like to develop a study on the agritourism sector as a potentially growing sector of the Albanian economy.

Currently in Albania, the development of agritourism is in its infancy since businesses have no conditions to welcome tourists and the local products are still too poor to be put in the tourism service. The establishment of structures for agritourism requires big investments not only from the private sector, but also from agro-industry.

The purpose of undertaking this study is to identify through an evaluation and a technical and economic analysis the actual needs for the creation of opportunities for a sustainable development of this sector in the Republic of Albania, specifically in the regions of Tirana, Korca, Shkodra, Gjirokastra, Berat and Diber in order to achieve efficiency in terms of activities in the farm and non-farms. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out studies to increase the services provided to tourists by promoting local products via enterprises that already deal with the welcoming and provision of tourism services (hotels and restaurants) and, secondly, to develop of the added value in terms of local products.

The analysis of agritourism will serve as a guide for foreign investors to become acquainted with the potentials offered by our country and it intends preparation of technical – commercial offers for promotion and stirring of investors’ interest for investments in the utilization of these assets with the intention to enhance the value of natural resources, increase exports, employment rate and also contribution to GDP.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP is looking to hire an expert that will perform the following tasks:

Identify current farms that provide agritourisem in the 6 targeted regions and their needs for improvement to convert them into tourist destinations;
Prepare specific questionnaires to better understand the needs of the current farms and those with the potential for the development of agritourism;
Identify the regional areas, local institutions and households with potential for agritourism; Subsequently, guides with data on these areas, their biodiversity and tradition will be developed as well as fairs with agricultural and handicraft products should be organized;
Organize meetings with local businesses and establishing contacts with the selected entities/ locations;
Organize trainings in order to improve the current conditions of the farms;
Identify the agricultural potentials of our country for the development of this sector;
Draft a map (tourist guide) for the sector with data on the areas, biodiversity and tradition, agricultural and handicraft products etc;

Timeframe and Deliverables:

The expected deliverables for this individual consultancy – spread out as support over the period of March – June 2016 will be as follows:

Draft plan for the development and promotion of agritourism by the Albanian Government in the targeted regions;
Report on agricultural potentials and submission of a draft map for the sector (data on the areas, biodiversity and tradition, agricultural and handicraft products etc.)
Information brochure on agro-processing potentials;

Supervision/Performance Evaluation :

The consultant will be under the immediate supervision of the UNDP Programme Specialist/ Advisor and the performance will also be validated by the Director of AIDA.

Competencies

Core competencies and values:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;
Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Display cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional competencies:

Good knowledge of Albania’s economic development context;
Drafting and reporting skills, team player and capacity to deliver as per deadlines;
Strong interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills, efficiency in a multi-tasking and multi-cultural environment;
Results-orientation and ability to perform under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University degree, preferably in Business Administration, Tourism, Marketing and/or other relevant fields;

Experience:

Minimum 10 years of professional experience in the areas of Tourism industry, Agritourism and Ecotourism, Hospitality Services, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, etc.
Proven records of previous analytical and research work/experience;

Language requirement:

Full working knowledge of English, including excellent report writing skills;

Evaluation of applicants:

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above.

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points

Relevance of education in the relevant fields – 15 points;
Relevance of specific professional experience in the relevant fields - max. 35 points;
Record of experiences in analytical/research work and drafting policy papers and high quality products – max. 15 points;
Familiarity with UNDP mandate and/or approach relevant to the area; experience working with other international organizations or in public sector; experience with public policy or capacity development – max. 5 points;

Financial Criteria – 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

UNDP applies the ‘Best value for money’ approach - the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

Application Procedure:

Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply by 21 February, 2016. Please submit the following to demonstrate your interest and qualifications by explaining why you are the most suitable for the work:

Completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
Financial Proposal - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily consultancy fee and any other costs such as per diems, travel and incidental expenditures in project sites).

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs) - Download here
Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.