Micro- small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) provide work for more than 4 million people in Ukraine and generate about 20% of the country’s GDP. The Government of Ukraine has been increasing its efforts to undertake economic reforms and create business enabling environment for enterprises, strengthen the position of MSMEs in the economy. Business membership organizations (BMOs) – an essential component of the business support infrastructure faces several challenges which are due weaknesses of the BMO sector and low capacity, sustainability and maturity of BMOs in terms of service provision strategy alignment and low level of awareness and understanding of existing and/or potential benefits of BMOs among current and potential member businesses.

During the period 2015 – 2018, in cooperation with Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and with the financial support from Switzerland, UNDP supported BMOs through the “Strengthening SME Business Membership Organizations” project.

Building on the experience and lessons learned, a key focus of the Project Phase II is to ensure the sustainability and scaling-up of the positive results achieved during the First Phase, in particular enhance growth and competitiveness and strengthen the voice of MSMEs in Ukraine through more professional, demand-driven and client-oriented Business Membership Organizations. The Project aims to expand BMO coverage throughout Ukraine and is expected to positively impact on their ability to attract members, promote constructive cooperation with governmental structures and to contribute to policy development leading to MSMEs sector growth.

20 Partner BMOs have been selected as a result of a competitive process based on clear and transparent criteria and will be delivered tailored support to improve their institutional, organizational, financial, as well as communication capacities to represent the interests of the private sector.

All the BMOs are the established organizations that have been on the market for a considerable period and have accumulated valuable experience but currently face a variety of challenges and barriers to growth and operation. One of the key issues, shared by all BMOs, is the need to retain and increase membership base given that all the organizations either have faced negative trends in membership over the past years or have encountered bottlenecks in increasing and managing the membership.

The experience obtained during the implementation of the I and II Phases of the Project made it possible to develop short recommendations on the development of a modern multi-level membership model which will allow partner BMOs to extend their influence over a much larger number of entrepreneurs and make its membership more engaging.

At the moment, BMOs are experiencing an urgent need to develop Individual Membership Policy that will take into account their unique specifics, historical experience, and organizational development strategy.

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of the assignment is to provide high-quality Membership Policy advisory support to partner BMOs and increase the awareness of BMOs on the need for Membership policy, assist in the development and adoption of modern Membership policy as well as effective professional tools and approaches to members recruitment and management applicable in non-profit organizations.   

The objectives of the assignment are to ensure that:

• BMOs fully understand the importance of Membership policy and commit to adopt and implement one; 
• BMOs increase their stability in terms of Membership and mitigate risks of members turnover by introducing motivational tools and incentives;
• The participants from among the selected BMOs learn and start applying professional tools and approaches to members recruitment, motivation and evaluation.

List of 19 partner BMOs the National consultant will be closely cooperating with:

1. National Chamber of commerce and industry
2. Ivano-Frankivsk Chamber of commerce and industry
3. Kharkiv Chamber of commerce and industry
4. Odesa Chamber of commerce and industry
5. Sumy Chamber of commerce and industry
6. Zaporizhzhia Chamber of commerce and industry
7. Donetsk Chamber of commerce and industry
8. Association of Milk Producers
9. Association of Industrial Automation Enterprises of Ukraine
10. Civic Union “Karpatsky Smak”
11. Civic Union “Organic Ukraine”
12. Ukrainian Association of Visual Industry (UAVI)
13. Ukrainian Door Association
14. Western Ukrainian Fashion Industry Cluster, Civic Union
15. Poltava Business Association, Civic Union
16. Private Employers Association, Kharkiv regional CSO
17. Vzaimodiya-Plus, CSO
18. Civic Union “Interregional Union of Poultry Breeders and Fodder Producers of Ukraine
19. Entrepreneurs’ Union “Stina” (Vinnytsia),

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES / SCOPE OF WORK

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the Consultant will closely work with 19 partner BMOs and perform the below activities focusing on the achievement of the following objectives:

1. Review the documents provided by UNDP to obtain better understanding of the project goals, context and profiles of the targeted BMOs in Ukraine, as well as any available assessments in order to tailor the consultancy to BMO priorities.
2. Develop a workplan covering main activities and key stages of the assignment implementation;
3. Develop the Membership assessment toolkit, approve it with UNDP. Compile Membership Assessment Report outlining existing practices and approach to members recruitment, membership management (in Ukrainian, 14 000 characters in total);
4. Develop Individual Membership Policies for each of the BMOs (16000 characters each) that at least should include the following sections:

• Obtaining membership in the organization;      
• Types of membership in the organization;
• Framework and procedure for payment of membership fees;
• Rights and responsibilities of members of the organization;       
• Member record-keeping in the organization;    
• Termination of membership in the organization.                             

To ensure the delivery of the above tasks, the Consultant will:

• Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with UNDP project team regarding all aspects of the assignment;
• Submit all the deliverables for review, comments and approval to UNDP project team;
• Hold consultations with UNDP project team as requested.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAME

The expected duration of the assignment is up to 120 working days within 9 months.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

UNDP will pay the negotiated amount in three tranches according to the following payment schedule:

• first payment (20% of the contract amount) upon successful completion of the Deliverable 1 and approval of the Interim Report #1;
• second payment (40% of the contract amount) upon successful completion of the Deliverable 2 and approval of the Interim Report #2;
• final payment (40% of the contract amount) upon successful completion of the Deliverable 3 and approval of the Final Report and indicated tasks.

The payments will be processed upon the full completion and acceptance of contractual obligations whereupon the Project Manager (Supervisor) signs the certification of acceptance.

MONITORING/REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Project Manager and in close cooperation with the Expert and Project staff.

Work-progress reporting/monitoring meetings will be held with the Consultant on a regular basis.

The consultant will interact with UNDP to receive any clarifications and guidance that may be needed. He/she will also receive all necessary informational and logistical support from the Project. The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

UNDP will be the final authority to control the quality and evaluate the work. The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to the endorsement of the Project Manager. Each deliverable will be delivered in a draft for comments and feedback before finalization. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without the approval of UNDP.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP). The intermediate and Final reports should be submitted in English.

Core Competencies:

•     Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision, and values

•     Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

•     Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues and ability to apply it to strategic and/or practical situations, e.g. integrating into the project/program cycle, including design, planning, and implementation 

Competencies:

•     Demonstrates high level of professionalism and ethics

•     Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback

•     Demonstrates excellent planning and organizational skills and able to produce high-quality products on tight deadlines

•     Able to work on location without any other supervision except for liaison with UNDP

•     Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to present information logically, clearly, and concisely

•     Able to think creatively, to develop and implement innovative solutions in a challenging environment

The Consultant should possess the following qualifications, experience and skills:

Educational background:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in HR Management, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science or other relevant area;

Professional Experience:

• At least 10 years of working experience in HR management and\or development of internal regulations for commercial or non-profit organizations.
• At least 2 samples of internal regulations for commercial or non-profit organizations prepared: HR-policy; Membership policy; Organizational Structure Policy or Organizational Ethics Policy (Code of Ethics and policies related to financial and economic activities, such as accounting, financial, procurement policies etc. will not be considered as relevant);
• Previous work experience with Business Membership Organizations would be considered as a strong asset.
• Previous work experience with UN funded programmes or other international organizations would be an asset.

Language Skills:

Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian, and working level of English is required. Fluency in English would be an asset.

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

Personal CV or P11, including information about past experience in similar projects / assignments and contact details for referees.

Samples of at least 2 previously prepared or co-authored documents such as Internal regulations for commercial or non-profit organizations: HR-policy; Membership policy; Organizational Structure Policy or Organizational Ethics Policy (Code of Ethics and policies related to financial and economic activities, such as accounting, financial, procurement policies etc. will not be considered as relevant);

Financial proposal

Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP

UNDP documents templates can be downloaded from the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/297e72t7i3v2969/AADDRyUo2uoNrYjuD8NLmdl0a?dl=0  

Please combine your CV, financial proposal and other necessary information in one PDF file and upload the document. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Lump sum contract

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).  

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.  In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Logistics arrangements for the events, where participation of the Consultant is requested by UNDP as per this TOR, to be provided by UNDP and shall not be included in the financial proposal.  

Evaluation criteria

Technical evaluation – Total 70% (max 70 points)

Criteria A:

Education - 5 points max

Master’s degree or equivalent in HR Management, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science or other relevant area {5 pts – PhD degree in the relevant field; 4 pts – Specialist/Master’s degree in the relevant field}

Criteria B:

Work Experience – 50 points max

1. At least 10 years of working experience in HR management and\or development of internal regulations for commercial or non-profit organizations – 25 pts max

25 pts – 11 years and more; 20 pts – 10 years};

1. At least 2 examples of internal regulations for commercial or non-profit organizations prepared: HR-policy; Membership policy; Organizational Structure Policy or Organizational Ethics Policy – 20 pts max

20 pts – samples/documents are concise but rich in content, demonstrates the expertise of the candidate; proposed presentation of the material is relevant and shows Expert’s understanding of the ultimate need of the exercise;

15 pts – samples/documents contain irrelevant or inapplicable pieces of information, and show a general understanding of the subject. The text requires acceptable level of adjustment and clarification;

0 pts – provided samples are not relevant and do not demonstrate understanding of the subject and expertise of the applicant. The text requires considerable adjustment}

1. Previous work experience with Business Membership Organizations would be considered as a strong asset.

3 pts – YES; 0 pts – No};

1. Previous work experience with UN funded programmes or other international organizations as an asset:

2 pts – YES; 0 pts – No};

Criteria C:

Language Skills – 5 points max:

Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian, and working level of English is required. Fluency in English would be an asset.

{5 pts – fluent Ukrainian, Russian and English, 3 pts – fluent Ukrainian, Russian and working English}

Interview – 10 points max

Only those candidates obtaining a minimum of 42 points for Criteria A-C will be shortlisted and invited to the interview. During the interview, the applicant will be requested to provide the relevant practical and well-elaborated examples proving their experience as per the below criteria:

Criteria 1 – max 3 points:

Relevant examples confirming the candidate's previous experience in performing similar tasks, including all relevant steps, for example, an example on developing a methodology - 1 point, developing an organizational structure - 1 point, developing a policy - 1 point, as well as associated risks and measures to reduce them, stages used in general.

Criteria 2 – max 4 points:

Relevant theoretical experience and the correct vision of its application in the framework of the current assignment (including the approach to developing a methodology - 1 point, implementation stages - 1 point, understanding of the multilevel membership model - 2 points).

Criteria 3 – max 3 points:

Relevant professional skills for the development of internal regulations for commercial and non-profit organizations a) data collection - 1 point, b) facilitating discussion with BOs - 1 point, c) formalization of the membership model - 1 point, as well as their application to the needs of the current task.

Evaluation method

 Lowest price and technically compliant offer

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as both:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable (fully meeting the TOR provided), and

b) offering the lowest price/cost.

Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative 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 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Additional requirements for recommended contractor:

Recommended contractors aged 62 and older shall undergo a full medical examination including x-ray, and obtain medical clearance from the UN-approved doctor prior to taking up their assignment. The medical examination shall be paid by the consultant.

The BSAFE online security training course must be successfully completed prior to commencement of contract.