Background

1. Background

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in about 170 countries and territories, working with national counterparts on solutions to global and national development challenges. In the programme countries, UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in in partnership with the host governments, the United Nations system, the development partners and other partners to help the country to achieve sustainable development by eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, accelerating structural transformations for sustainable development and building resilience to crises and shock.

UNDP has been a trusted development partner of the Maldives for more than 40 years, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, reduction of inequalities and exclusion in areas such governance, environment protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation. In each of its thematic areas of work, UNDP at the request of its national partners provides relevant policy advisory support, technical assistance, advocacy, and knowledge to help Maldives achieve its global commitment on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). With Maldives’s transition to Middle Income Country Status, Official Development Assistance from traditional donor sources has been on the continuous decline. UNDP is therefore working with its national partners to identify and tap into alternative and innovative financing mechanisms for development. This process involves broadening outreach and forging wide-ranging partnerships with stakeholders - including other UN agencies, the government, the private sector, philanthropic Foundations, multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors and International Finance Institutions to advance the country’s development strategies and objectives.

The “Reimagining Tourism in the Maldives” project aims to transform tourism in the Maldives, by focusing on diversification of the tourism offer, actors involved and target market of the guesthouse segment. Diversifying the tourism offer through the leveraging of community-led conservation of natural ecosystems and cultural heritage as a novel tourism product will facilitate a bigger role for local councils in tourism planning and enable the establishment of cross-sector value-chain linkages of the tourism sector with women entrepreneurs and informal livelihoods. Additionally, the focus on using sustainability performance as a marketing tool will facilitate pathways and provide incentives for small and medium enterprises (i.e., guesthouses and other complementary enterprises) to pursue and maximize social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Duties and Responsibilities

2. Duties and responsibilities

a. Scope of Work

The consultant will be required to develop all programme material required for a Certificate level 3 program in Sustainable Tourism Management for the Maldives Polytechnic. The scope of work for the assignment will include the development of programme modules for a Certificate 3 in Sustainable Tourism Development, in line with the needs identified by the Ministry of Tourism and the Maldives Polytechnic, as well as the requirements set forth by the Maldives Qualification Authority. The consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

1. Consult with the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Polytechnic as well as other relevant stakeholders to gauge an understanding of the requirements that should be incorporated into the development of the Sustainable Tourism Management programme.
2. Perform a desk review of existing regulatory instruments related to tourism such as the Tourism Act, and other relevant regulations and reports with the aim of informing content that should be included in the programme.
3. Develop the programme outline:
   1. Goals and outcomes of the programme
   2. Learning outcomes and level descriptors
   3. Module Outlines
      1. Module details
      2. Credits, learning hours and contact hours
      3. Mode(s) of delivery
      4. Minimum qualification and experience of instructors/lecturers
      5. Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
      6. Expected learning outcomes
      7. Curricula content
      8. Specific assessment methods and grading criteria
      9. List of reference materials
   4. Materials and content for the programme modules
4. Develop programme material and content. This should include:
   1. Teacher’s handbook (including teaching material)
   2. Student’s handbook
   3. Assessment material

b. Expected Outputs and Deliverables

*Expected start date: 19th October 2021

3. Institutional Arrangement

• The consultant will report directly to the Programme Associate, Reimagining Tourism project.
• The consultant will work closely with the Maldives Polytechnic on implementation of the assignment.
• All deliverables need to be:
  • Accepted by the Ministry of Tourism and Maldives Polytechnic.
  • Approved by the Assistant Resident Representative - RCC, UNDP.

• The consultant will provide updates as need. The updates should:
  • Identify any challenges towards timely submission of deliverables.
  • Request support to overcome any identified challenges.

4. Duration of the Assignment

• The consultant will be required to work for 44 days within the span of 03 months, expected start date is 19th October 2021.

5. Duty Station and Expected Places of Travel

• The consultant will be home-based.
• The consultant may be required to attend physical meetings/workshop depending on improvement of the Covid-19 situation.

6. Payment terms

The payment is issued based on the payment breakdown of a lump-sum amount proposed by the consultant. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive lump sum and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be fixed regardless of extension of the herein specified duration.

The payments shall be released upon submitting the required deliverables/outputs with satisfactory approvals as identified in the institutional arrangement, in accordance with a set time schedule to be agreed upon in the contract.

Note: Payments will be based on invoices on achievement of agreed milestones i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR and certification of acceptance by the UNDP. The applicant must factor in all possible costs in his/her “All Inclusive Lump Sum Fee” including his/her consultancy and professional fee, travel, honorarium, board and lodging, and any other foreseeable costs in this exercise. No costs other than what has been indicated in the financial proposal will be paid or reimbursed to the consultant. UNDP will only pay for any unplanned travel outside of this TOR and Duty Station on actual basis and on submission of original bills/invoices and on prior agreement with UNDP officials. Daily perdiums and costs for accommodation/meals/incidental expenses for such travel shall not exceed established local UNDP DSA rates.

For an Individual Contractor who is 62 years of age or older, and on an assignment requiring travel, be it for the purpose of arriving at the duty station or as an integral duty required travel under the TOR, a full medical examination and statement of fitness to work must be provided.  Such medical examination costs must be factored into the financial proposal above. Medical examination is not a requirement for individuals on RLA contracts.

Competencies

7. Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to conduct research and analysis and strong synthesis skills
• Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result for the stakeholders and responds positively to critical feedback; consensus-oriented
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Regional and National Knowledge is highly desirable
• Ability to write reports particularly for International Funded project
• Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution

Required Skills and Experience

8. Required skills and experience

a. Education:

• Master/ Bachelor's Degree in Sustainable Tourism Management, Hospitality & Tourism, Travel & Tourism, Tourism Studies, Tourism Administration or any other related field.

b. Experience:

• 2 years of experience in professional experience in sustainable tourism planning and management with hands-on experiences in developing and strengthening human capacities in a multi stakeholder context
• 2 years of experience in education curriculum development (teaching/learning materials development, design course structure and content, quality assurance process)

Language Requirements: English and Dhivehi.

9. Evaluation method and criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

a. Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

b. Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) during the desk review/interview are acceptable would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.