UNV Jobs - 74933- 84211_UNV Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Handbook

84211_UNV Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Handbook Consultant

Advertised on behalf of

UNV

Location :

Home-Based with visits to UNV Headquarters Bonn, Germany

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Nov-2017

Application Deadline :

13-Oct-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 working days over the period November 2017 to December 2017

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 United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has been in existence since 1971 and contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. UNV works with UN agencies and other partners to integrate qualified, highly motivated and well supported UN Volunteers into development programming and promote the value and global recognition of volunteerism. UNV is active in around 130 countries every year with field presences in over 80 countries. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and reports to the UNDP Executive Board.

Since its establishment more than 40 years ago, UNV has evolved greatly with increasing recognition of the role of volunteerism to contribute to peace and development. The organization has expanded from an initial mandate focused on individual volunteer service to providing support for the achievement of results and outcomes through all forms of volunteerism. UNV pursues global recognition of volunteers for peace and development, encourages the integration of volunteerism into development programmes, and promotes the mobilization of increasing numbers of volunteers with greater diversity who contribute to peace and development. UNV helps countries to foster and develop volunteerism as a force for sustainable development. This is in part achieved by providing strategic advice on the role and contribution of volunteerism and options for civic engagement in development programmes and peacekeeping missions. Additionally, UNV helps countries to improve public inclusion and participation in social, economic and political development, and support the growth of volunteerism within communities as a form of civic engagement.

The contribution of volunteers and volunteerism to development and peace building has been specifically identified in relation to the contributions volunteerism has made to the MDGs and can make towards achieving Agenda 2030. The important role of volunteerism was supported by UN General Assembly resolution 67/138 adopted in December 2012. This resolution acknowledged the contribution of UNV as well as volunteerism in general and resulted in the development of the Secretary General report “Integrating Volunteering in the Next Decade: The 10 Year Plan of Action 2016-2025" http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/integrating-volunteering-in-the.html

In 2013, UNV initiated the creation of the first UNV Strategic Framework 2014-2017 (SF) with the goal of aligning UNV strategies and planning with the UNDP strategic plan and clearly articulating the expected results of UNV’s work. The SF and associated results were expected to better position UNV within the UN system and prepare UNV to be “fit for purpose” in the post-2015 agenda. In parallel, UNV began strengthening Results Based Management (RBM) efforts within the organization. These efforts were solidified with the development and implementation of the Project Strengthened Results Based Management at UNV, which began in 2015. The RBM project was integrated into the results of the UNV Strategic Framework with the expected outcome of strengthened institutional capacities to ensure the ability of UNV to report on programmatic and volunteer contributions to development and peace results. Since the beginning of the project, an assessment of RBM in UNV has been undertaken, a corporate level integrated RBM framework has been created and an improved volunteer reporting mechanism (VRM) is under development. Tools and resources to guide the organization in the tasks required to carry out the framework will further support the roll-out of an overall RBM system. The implementation of the UNV SF 2014-2017, the RBM project and the recent evaluation of the UNV SF and associated programmes and strategies has provided UNV the opportunity to further reflect on the organizational monitoring, reporting and evaluation needs. In line with this reflection and to support an improved evidence base for UNV’s work, UNV is commissioning practical guidance in the form of a Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook. A review of current processes and policies of UNV and UNDP as well as good practice examples and an evaluability assessment of the next UNV SF 2018-2021 should inform the development of the handbook.

UNV aims to provide tools and systems to fulfil basic RBM tasks and enable oversight and quality assurance of monitoring, reporting and evaluation. As such, the organization will need to supplement the current RBM framework with practical guidance and tools.

To continue progress in the implementation of a robust RBM system, UNV is seeking an expert to develop tools and resources to support monitoring, reporting and evaluation in the organization.

Organisational setting

Responsibility for RBM in UNV currently sits within the Results Management Support Section (RMSS). The work of this consultancy will be managed by the RMSS which is responsible for corporate UNV results based management, including policies, procedures, results frameworks, and reporting tools. The RMSS collaborates with and provides support to all teams in the Peace and Programming Sections and works closely with other sections in the Volunteer Mobilisation and Programme (VMP) and Management Services (MS) to guide strategic programme planning, quality assurance of programme activities and resource management, and UNV’s volunteer management practices.

RMSS has three functional teams:

Volunteer Management Support

This team supports the rest of the organization regarding the Volunteer Management prescriptive content, compliance and client oriented support. In general, the team acts as the one-stop-shop for the entire organization on the management of the Volunteer Management Cycle (VMC), providing the operational guidance and support to all users, preparing and maintaining policies, procedures and guidance materials and supporting the Results Based Management.

Corporate Planning, Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation Support

The pillar concentrates on the RBM and Business Support functions pertaining to the corporate stream, including the development and implementation of RBM framework in UNV, the management and implementation of the evaluation plan and the corporate planning, monitoring and reporting cycle. The team has two functions within it, namely, corporate planning, monitoring and reporting, and evaluation.

This team is responsible for the management and accountability for the Strategic Framework and Integrated Results and Resources Matrix (IRRM) – as well as how this is translated into the organization in terms of the annual business plan and work planning processes. The team acts as a one-stop-shop for the entire UNV on the definition of units’ annual work plans and its consolidation. This team also manages the development and implementation of the UNV evaluation plan and acts as the one-stop shop for UNV on questions related to the evaluation function. This includes providing corporate guidance on both HQ and decentralized evaluations.

Programme and Project Management Support

The team focuses on the support to all UNV on the programmes and projects cycle and the guidance for results-oriented planning and reporting on them. The team supports the interpretation of the UNDP Policies and Procedures on PPM into corporate guidance and subsidiary prescriptive content for the UNV programme management. This team defines the reporting and evaluation requirement for projects within the corporate guidance with the specific UNV requirements regarding the corporate RBM model to be defined. The team also acts as the one-stop-shop for all matters related to PPM in UNV, providing helpdesk and support to the entire organization.

Duties and Responsibilities

MAIN OBJECTIVES, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK.

The objective of this consultancy is to further implement RBM in UNV and to fully incorporate RBM into the next UNV Strategic Framework 2018-2021. The work of this consultancy will continue the work of the UNV RBM Assessment and UNV RBM Framework.

The two specific objectives of the consultancy project are:

Undertake an evaluability assessment of the UNV Strategic Framework 2018-2021:

Assess the relevance, clarity and coherence of the SF’s design, including the integrity of the Theory of Change, linking inputs and activities with expected outputs, outcomes and potential impact;
Assess the adequacy and validity of the indicators, tools and systems for monitoring, measuring and verifying results; including identification of any significant gaps in coverage;
Assess data and systems to determine the degree to which human and financial resources can be evaluated against the expected results;
Provide guidance on approaches to the development of an evaluation work plan to support the SF;
Provide guidance for any enhancements or adjustments that may be required regarding the design of the Strategic Framework.

Develop a UNV specific monitoring, reporting and evaluation handbook, including guidance, processes and tools:

Identify processes and associated tools to be documented in the handbook;
Develop a handbook including chapters covering preparing/planning for monitoring, reporting and evaluation, Monitoring, Evaluation, Quality Assurance and Utilization of M & E data and results;
Review UNV Assessing the Contribution of Volunteering to Development Handbook (V-methodology) for potential inclusion in M & E Handbook processes and guidance;
Design of required tools including templates and checklists.

The specific deliverables and timeline are outlined below. UNV is a programme of UNDP and as such follows UNDP’s Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures (POPP). This consultancy will require a review of UNDP POPP to determine those policies and procedures that are applicable to UNV and should be incorporated as well as areas which need to be supplemented to meet the RBM needs of UNV.

The two objectives should be based on the results, good practices and lessons learned from RBM implementation in UNV so far as well as the mid-term review and final evaluation of the UNV Strategic Framework 2014-2017.

The consultancy project will cover the monitoring, reporting and evaluation processes and tools required to implement the RBM in UNV. It will follow from and support both the UNV RBM Assessment as well as the RBM Framework. This should include applicable UNDP processes and policies, supplemental UNV processes and policies required by the RBM framework and inclusion of any good practices identified through review of RBM practices and guidance of other organizations (UNDP, UNICEF, IFAD, ILO, etc). The scope covers the full work programme of UNV as included in the RBM framework, specifically volunteer mobilization, volunteer knowledge and advocacy and projects and programmes. The desk review and inception report should identify any additional areas to be covered; e.g. UNV service lines and volunteer solutions. Finally, the M & E Handbook should complement other UNV reporting requirements including to the Executive Board, Donors, and internal reporting such as annual business plan reporting.

Description of Responsibilities (scope of the work)

Deliverable 1 _ Inception report, including identified gaps in guidance

The inception report should be developed following a thorough desk review to identify current guidance and processes at UNV, including V-Methodology, as well as UNDP policies and processes which are applicable/can be used by UNV.
The inception report and desk review should be based on the UNV RBM Assessment
Best practices within monitoring and evaluation should also be considered as part of the desk review.
The desk review should support result in identified gaps in guidance, processes and tools to be developed as part of the handbook.
Consultations with identified stakeholder groups, including but not limited to UNV staff at HQ, Regional Offices (ROs) and Field Units (FUs) should be part of this phase.
The resulting inception report should support the deliverables and outcomes of the Results Based Management (RBM) project
The inception report should clearly identify how the gaps identified in the desk review will be addressed in the development of the M & E handbook.

The inception report should be circulated among identified stakeholders for comment/feedback.

Estimated Working Days and Travel : Home-based with one visit to Bonn HQ for kick-off meetings and initial consultations ; Five working days total with three days in Bonn

Due date: 17 November 2017

Payment amount: 15%

Deliverable 2 _ Evaluability Assessment of UNV Strategic Framework 2018-2021

Estimated Working Days and Travel : Home based, 5 working days

Due date: 17 November 2017

Payment amount: 15%

Deliverable 3_ Draft Monitoring & Evaluation Handbook, including tools, templates and checklists, circulated for stakeholder comments and feedback (a minimum of one week should be allowed for the comment and feedback period)

Using the RBM framework as well as the results of desk review and evaluability assessment develop a monitoring and evaluation handbook
The handbook should clearly identify processes to support monitoring, reporting and evaluation of UNV’s work
The handbook should include practical templates, forms, checklists and other tools required to support processes outlined in the RBM Framework
The handbook should address monitoring, reporting and evaluation at all levels of the organizational operations (Corporate/Headquarters, Regional and Country/Field Unit)

Estimated Working Days and Travel : Home based ; 14 working days

Due date: 4 December 2017

Payment amount: 40%

Deliverable 4 _ Final Monitoring & Evaluation Handbook

The final evaluation report should include an issue log identifying how stakeholder feedback was addressed

Estimated Working Days and Travel : Home based with one visit to Bonn for presentation and launching of final product; Six working days total with two days in Bonn

Due date: 29 December 2017

Payment amount: 30%

Expected duration of the consultancy

The consultancy work is expected to be completed within 30 working days over two months from the date of contract signature. The consultant is required to prepare and submit the entire plan in a way that allows the achievements of all deliverables to be completed within two months.

Duty station

The selected consultant be home based. However, the consultant will be required to make 2 travel missions to UNV HQ in Bonn, Germany for a total of 5 days. Dates and duration to be agreed once the contract is signed.

Competencies

Substantive knowledge of RBM, monitoring, reporting and evaluation, technical cooperation assistance and demonstrated ability to provide effective advice on RBM concepts and approaches relevant to programme and project monitoring and reporting. Experience within the UN/ UNDP/ UNV context is a distinct asset.
Knowledge and good understanding of volunteer involving organizations’ RBM concepts and approaches relevant to peace and development
Strong analytical capacity and experience in programme evaluation/assessment and business needs assessment
Experience in the business intelligence/IT based design and evaluation of monitoring, reporting and information management solutions
Evaluation process management: Masters the skills of evaluation management, including developing a plan and schedule, assigning tasks, ensuring milestones are met on a timely basis, ensuring project costs are within and approved budget and ensuring evaluation objectives are adequately addressed. Is able to independently assume responsibility for managing complex evaluation projects and to supervise evaluation team members. Has skills to negotiate outside the agency on issues related to evaluations and conflict resolution skills.
Oral and written communication skills: Has the required competencies to articulate relevant subject matter in a clear and concise way; pose basic questions and contribute information appropriately in formal settings; effectively use appropriate support items, including charts, graphs, audio-visual techniques, and hand-outs; conceptualize ideas and issues; and use critical thinking to formulate reports, documents and communications in a clear, concise and compelling manner.
Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnership and working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender
Ethics: Acts according to the standards of ethical conduct for evaluators, including policies on receiving and giving gifts, conflicting financial interests, outside employment and activities, misuse of position, impartiality in performing official duties and related statutory authorities. Acts with integrity and honesty in relationships with all stakeholders.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

Education:

Minimum of advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the field of social sciences, business or public administration, development studies, monitoring and evaluation, international relations or related field.

Experience

Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible working experience in development or technical cooperation, in an international organization, or related field with a focus on results-based planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation;
Experience in assessing and reviewing programme results and institutional performance in complex organizations;
Experience and knowledge of evaluation culture and implementation of results reporting, specifically results based management;
Experience in capacity development, specifically in the design of guidance and/or training materials;
Experience in results-based management, monitoring and evaluation and experience in volunteer-involving or volunteer-sending organizations is highly desirable.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English

Knowledge of other official UN languages is an asset

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via the UNDP website. Interested candidates are advised to carefully review this ToR and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above. The application should contain the below documents that should be scanned and attached in one pdf format document.

Motivation/Cover Letter: Explaining why they are the most suitable candidate for the work

A technical proposal: Describing the methodology and the approach how to fulfill the required deliverables as well as outline the major components of its implementation

A work sample: Proof of any previous relevant work carried out, ideally please provide links to past work if publicly available. If not publicly available, and not restricted or confidential, please provide at least one work sample specifically related to the topic of RBM/M&E and/or guidance materials.

Personal History (P11): Applicants are required to fill out and sign a P11 Form and submit it together with the online application; the P11 should include contact details of 3 references; (the P11 form can be downloaded at www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc ) Please also include your CV.

A Financial Proposal: Applicants are requested to submit a financial proposal. The financial proposal shall consist of all-inclusive lump sum in USD for the whole duration of the contract period, which shall include the consultancy fee, cost of travel and per diems to and from the duty station. The financial proposal should indicate clearly a breakdown of cost. This should be done through the Offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming Interest and Availability. The form can be downloaded at: https://popp.undp.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/UNDP_POPP_DOCUMENT_LIBRARY/Public/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Letter%20to%20UNDP%20Confirming%20Interest%20and%20Availability.docx&action=default&DefaultItemOpen=1

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you provide all requested documents. Any queries should be sent in a separate e-mail and addressed to: procurement@unv.org clearly referencing 84211_UNV Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Handbook Consultant in the subject line.

Criteria for Selection of the Best offer:

The selection of the best offer will be based on the combined scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted – 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%.

Key selection criteria are

Knowledge of and working experience in the field of Results-Based Management, including planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of Peace and Development Programmes preferably within United Nations Agencies (25%)
Specific demonstrable experience in the development of training materials and/or guidance (15%)
Previous experience with internationally accepted standards for monitoring and evaluation of international peace and development (i.e. UNEG guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation) (15%);
Proven analytical and strategic thinking skills; excellent writing, editing, reporting skills (15%)

Interested candidates are advised to carefully review this ToR and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described above.