UNDP Jobs - 68484- National Consultant for Strengthening Capacities f

National Consultant for Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Building Terminal Evaluation

Location :

Kampala, UGANDA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

07-Oct-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

25 Working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

25 Working 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

Uganda is susceptible to highly devastating disasters, including hydrological, geological, climatic and human-induced that exert a significant toll on its population and impose a significant socio-economic cost and which, to an extent, affect the country’s ability to maximize the benefits from its economic growth and social development. Over the past decades, the incidence of devastating disasters has increased in frequency, intensity and geographical spread.

With impacts of climate variability and change become more pronounced leading to increasing incidence of climate-induced disasters and wide-ranging impacts on the lives and livelihoods of people, the need to mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into the development planning process and to build capacities for reducing and mitigating their impacts has been recognized by the Government of Uganda (GoU) in the National Development Plan (NDP) and other policy pronouncements.

To address this situation, the GoU led the development of and passed the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management with the purpose of creating and promoting a disaster preparedness and management system that safeguards the country against disasters and ensures continued productive capacity of the people.

Based on the UNDAF and the UNDP CPD (2010-2014) and founded on the goals, objectives, principles and strategies of the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management, the project, ‘Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Risk Management and Resilience Building’, was established in 2013 to support the Office of the Prime Minister strengthen its capacity for disaster risk reduction, preparedness and humanitarian response, including mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change and building capacity for risk reduction, response and recovery among communities affected by disasters and climate-induced risks.

The project focused on strengthening the capacity of institutions to enhance disaster risk reduction and establishing systems and mechanisms for disaster risk management. The project followed the strategic objectives and priority areas outlined in the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters.

Project Summary:

Output 1: Strengthened national disaster risk reduction institutions, enhanced sectoral coordination and disaster risk reduction mainstreamed into national and sector-specific development policies and projects.
Output 2: Evidence base for disaster risk reduction generated and post-disaster recovery strengthened.
Output 3: Enhanced community resilience to disaster.
Output 4: Training and capacity building for comprehensive disaster risk reduction.

Development context of the project:

Following the adoption of the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management in 2013, that shifts the focus and orientation of programmes and initiatives in the country from being reactive and response oriented to being proactive and focused on the management of risks, the Government initiated the process of setting-up the institutional mechanisms required for holistic disaster risk management at national and district levels. Efforts to develop national legislation also began in earnest.

Purpose of the evaluation:

The purpose of an independent terminal evaluation is to assess the project’s achievements against the set objectives, identify and document lessons learnt (including design issues, lessons and best practices that can be up-scaled or replicated), and quantify the project’s contribution to the Government of Uganda’s efforts vis-à-vis national and international commitments to disaster and climate risk reduction and the implementation of the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management.

As an integral part of the project cycle, the evaluation will analyze effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact and potential for sustainability of the project. It will also identify factors that have affected project implementation and facilitated or impeded the achievement of the objectives and attainment of results. Findings from the evaluation are expected to be used by UNDP, the Office of the Prime Minister, district local governments and local communities who are the main beneficiaries of the project.

Objective and scope of the evaluatiion:

The main objective of the evaluation is to assess project implementation, including how the design of the project has impacted on implementation, results, relevancy, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, unexpected effects, and lessons.

The subject of the evaluation is the project outcomes and outputs as well as the project processes by highlighting the results, challenges faced, lessons learnt, recommendations, and the impact on the targeted beneficiaries. The evaluation coverage will include the logic and underlying assumptions upon which the strategy was originally developed, and the implementation strategy that has actually been adopted.

The findings from this evaluation will be used where necessary to improve on design, implementation and management of future projects and interventions. The evaluation will cover:

Project beneficiaries: Office of the Prime Minister (Department for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Management); district local governments; and UN agencies;
Geographical coverage: all 112 districts
Donor contributions: Sweden (Integrated Climate Risk Management Programme) and Japan (Enhancing Food Security, Livelihoods and Resilience Building in Karamoja Region)

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will have overall responsibility for the work and operation of the evaluation. The consultant is responsible and accountable for the production of the agreed products including the following:

Review of documentation to be provided by the project (implementation/evaluation reports);
Conducting fieldwork and interviewing of stakeholders, national and local government officials, and the beneficiary communities to generate authentic information and opinions;
Writing and compilation of the information and reports as needed;
Presentation of key findings highlighting achievements and constraints, and making practical recommendations to decision makers and stakeholders;
Finalization of the terminal evaluation report.

Approach and Methodology

The evaluation shall provide evidence based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The lead consultant will identify and/or work with a support team. The support team will be justified in the evaluation approach and methodology to be used. The consultant will ensure the deliverables are realized. The evaluation team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase, the project document, project reports including annual project reviews, project budget revisions, lesson learned /monitoring reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based review.

The evaluation is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach[1] ensuring close engagement with the project team, government counterparts, the UNDP Country Office, technical advisers, and other key stakeholders. Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful evaluation. Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to: executing agencies, senior officials and task team leaders, key experts and consultants in the subject area, project steering committee, project stakeholders, academia, local government and CSOs, etc. Additionally, the evaluation team is expected to conduct field missions to selected project target areas where the evaluation team should be able to meet the project responsible parties and conduct site verification.

The evaluation will specifically assess the following aspects of the project:

Project Concept and Design:

The evaluation will assess the project concept and design, and the relevance of indicators and targets set for the project, insofar as they have impacted on the achievement of project targets. The evaluation will review the problems addressed by the project and the project strategy, encompassing an assessment of the appropriateness of the objectives, planned outputs, activities and inputs as compared to cost-effective alternatives. In the event the evaluators find that there were no clear baseline indicators for the project at the onset, the evaluators are required to estimate the baseline condition so that achievements and results could be established objectively.

Implementation:

The evaluation will be facilitated by UNDP and undertaken in a highly participatory manner using appropriate appraisal techniques. Desk reviews, interview with key informants, focus group discussions with primary and secondary beneficiaries of the project are recommended for validation of results and outcome in the field.

Implementation of the project in terms of quality, timeliness of inputs, efficiency and effectiveness of activities carried out will be evaluated. Also, the effectiveness of management as well as the quality and timeliness of monitoring and backstopping by all parties to the project should be evaluated.

While assessing a project’s results, the final evaluation will seek to determine the extent of achievement and shortcomings in reaching the project’s objectives as stated in the project document and also identify any alterations if any and whether or not those changes were approved and implemented.

Project Outputs and Outcomes:

The evaluation will assess the outputs, outcomes and impact achieved by the project as well as the likely sustainability of project results. This will encompass an assessment of the achievement of the immediate objectives and the contribution to attaining the overall objective of the project. The evaluation will assess the extent to which implementation of the project has been inclusive in delivering to the intended or targeted beneficiaries, as well as examining any significant unexpected outcomes.

The evaluation and its findings are expected to be evidence-based. It is recommended that a ratings matrix be used to rank objectives according to the level of attainment of expected results and outputs, as well as rating of elements of project management.

Evaluation questions:

In order to achieve the purpose/objectives of this evaluation, the evaluation should address the following questions:

Assess the relevance and appropriateness of the project design to the achievement of project results as well as the National Policy for Disaster Preparedness and Management and UNDP’s mandate and UNDAF/Country Programme Document?
To what extent have project key objectives, goal and project specific outputs and outcomes been achieved? What were the unintended consequences of this project?
What relationships and partnerships were most effective in terms of delivering expected results? Specifically assess the strengths and weaknesses of direct and tangential partnership arrangements of the project with stakeholders in delivering project objectives?
To what extent were the project financial resources available and appropriately utilized? Appraise the value for money in the utilization of resources?
Assess the role of the project in contributing to gender concerns/equality and the empowerment of women?
What project sustainability measures were put in place and what factors are likely to affect project sustainability? How well has the project used the information generated by the performance indicators during project implementation to adapt and improve the project?

Overall the evaluation should analyze lessons and propose recommendations on aspects that have contributed or hindered the attainment of project objectives, sustainability of project benefits, innovation, catalytic effect and replication, and project monitoring and evaluation.

The evaluation should provide well formulated lessons to inform future investment in disaster risk management in Uganda. The final evaluation report will include examples of good practices from other projects within the focal area, country and region.

Expected deliverables:

The following deliverables/products are expected from the evaluation team:

Inception report including detailed methodology;
Field work debriefing before draft report writing;
Draft evaluation report;
Presentation to UNDP and stakeholders;
Final evaluation report.

Time-frame for the evaluation:

The evaluation will be carried out within 25 working days, including delivery of products as listed under section VI. above. The assignment will take effect from the date of signing of the contract, as follows:

Submit a detailed inception report and meet UNDP team (2 days);
Undertake field mission; Karamoja sub region; Teso sub region; Rwenzori sub region; Oruchinga (10 days field based);
Undertake Kampala based interviews (5 days Kampala);
Prepare and present draft report (6 days Kampala);
Submit final report (2 days).

Responsibilities and logistics:

The consultant shall work under the supervision of UNDP’s M&E Specialist and closely with UNDP’s Disaster Risk Management Advisor.

The draft evaluation report shall be presented to UNDP and Government stakeholders no later than 23 days after start of the assignment. Comments and feedback from all stakeholders should be incorporated into the final version of the report.

The consultant shall submit the final evaluation report to the UNDP’s M&E Specialist for certification of completion of work. The consultant will have the responsibility for the quality and timely submission of the deliverables to the UNDP Country office.

UNDP will provide logistical support to the consultant in the form of a vehicle for up-country project visits, and an accompanying project officer, if required.

The selected consultant will be expected to adhere to a code of conduct (Statement on Ethics), and conduct him/herself according to the expected ethical standards.

Competencies

Excellent analytical skills and strong commitment to sharing expertise and experience in order to develop capacity of others, and work as a member/advisor of a team;
Strong communication skills; able to communicate effectively with people and able to write concisely and make presentations in a simple non-technical manner;
Excellent analytical, organizational and negotiation skills;
Ability to demonstrate tact and diplomacy

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in development studies or related social science fields.

Experience:

Minimum 8 year experience in project and programme evaluation;
Familiarity with integrated/multi-sectoral development projects in the field of disaster and climate risk management in Uganda, either through managing or evaluating donor-funded projects;
Substantive knowledge of participatory M&E processes is essential;
Demonstrated expertise and experience on terminal evaluation of programmes/ projects and other strategic Programme documents;
Experience in the evaluation of technical assistance projects, if possible with UNDP or other UN development agencies and major donors, is required;
Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations in order to analyze critical issues succinctly and clearly and draw forward-looking conclusions.

Language skills:

Excellent English writing and communication skills.

Application procedure:

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

A lump sum payment, in three tranches, shall be made upon successful completion and certification of work done as indicated in this Terms of Reference.

Upon submission of an Inception report, with detailed work plan for the assignment (20%);
Upon submission of draft report and presentation (30%);
Upon Submission of final report (50%)

Evaluation Method and Criteria:

Cumulative analysis:

The award of the contract shall 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%;
Financial criteria weight; - 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Technical Criteria – Maximum 70 points:

Criteria

Relevant degree: 10;
A minimum of 5 years relevant work experience: 15;
Relevant experience in the evaluation of technical assistance projects: 30;
Familiarity with integrated/multi-sectoral development projects in the field of disaster and climate risk management in Uganda: 15.

The candidate is required to submit an electronic application directly uploaded on the UNDP jobs website with all the requirements as listed here below. Annexes and further information may be downloaded on http://procurement-notices.undp.org/. (Reference #32797 ).

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document to this website - http://jobs.undp.org (Ref no.68484).

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);
Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Technical proposal:

Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
Financial proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided (Annex II);
Annexes 1 and II - may be downloaded from the UNDP Procurement Notices Website - http://procurement-notices.undp.org/ - under reference #32797 . For further clarifications, please contact; janet.anyango@undp.org; and moses.lutwama@undp.org

Interested applicants should submit applications through uploading of all their required documentation in one single pdf document on this website only.