Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within the UNDP, the Global Policy Network (GPN) is the engine for thought leadership, UNDP’s programmatic work and a vital delivery mechanism of our integration function. The GPN also draws on expertise globally to provide more effective responses to the complex development challenges countries face in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and responding to crisis in an integrated and coherent manner. The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan, which is aligned with the SDGs.

The SDG Integration Team located with the GPN aims to build a coherent and consolidated menu of services emphasizing direct short-to-medium-term engagements to respond rapidly to requests from country offices for support on national implementation and monitoring of integrated policy solutions, qualitative and evidence-driven analysis for accelerated progress, and knowledge sharing and upscaling of innovative approaches to sustainable development.

This initiative aims to build a diagnostic approach that creates evidence-based policy options and combines with systematic interrogation of feasibility to drive development impact in the decisive decade. This is a cross-UN and multidisciplinary effort, building off previous efforts and responding to ongoing requests for analytics and data-driven options to drive bold development pathways.

The SDG Acceleration Diagnostic will be developed through a stakeholder-centred design approach prioritizing iterative testing and prototyping to create holistic and evidence-based diagnostic roadmap. This process will establish best-in-class approaches to connect analytical capabilities and modeling to assess context and develop options, with qualitative methods to evaluate the options against potential bottlenecks. The roadmaps developed will be country and context specific, building from countries’ current development plans and priorities, serving to identify bold policy choices, needed investments and development pathways that can accelerate the most pressing SDGs in a given country and support a fair, sustainable recovery from COVID-19.

The diagnostic tool outlines a journey for which there are options and considerations specific to the context in which SDG accelerators are being identified. The digital foundation for the SDG acceleration diagnostic makes the entire approach, tools, and country experience available to anyone. We will work with six (6) pilot countries to test the diagnostic during this project through support from leading experts and all analytical insights will be visualized and made available on UNDP’s Data Futures Platform.

The Dialogue Facilitation Experts will design and test qualitative methods for consensus building at national level for the six (6) pilot countries (Indonesia, Iraq, Moldova, Namibia, Peru, South Africa) countries (Indonesia, Iraq, Moldova, Namibia, Peru, South Africa). This includes systemic, structured dialogues with multiple stakeholders to identify optimal acceleration pathways and points of intervention. These dialogues will guide a qualitative, multi-stakeholder process at the national level, tailored to each country’s specific needs. It will harness best-in-class, gender-sensitive approaches to consensus building, combining qualitative and quantitative insights to drive effective engagement with policymakers and local stakeholders on the implications of various acceleration options.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

1. Support the development of a framework for structured dialogues, including design and testing of qualitative methods for consensus building, to define parameters for acceleration options and a bespoke methodology to weigh options and trade-offs to drive the implementation of the SDG acceleration diagnostic tool.
2. Lead on coordination and facilitation of dialogues for each pilot country, tailored for national needs and contexts. Engage actors including governments, national stakeholders and partners in structured dialogues.
3. Report on findings, insights and recommendations identified through stakeholder dialogues in pilot countries
4. Support the development of dialogue resources relevant to the Diagnostic process to be published on the SDG Acceleration Diagnostic website (currently under development).
5. Contribute into SDG Acceleration Compact for each pilot country with approaches identified through dialogue phase.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Institutional Arrangements:

1. The Consultants will work under the guidance and direct supervision of Global Policy Advisor of the SDG Integration, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/Global Policy Network and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.
2. The Consultants hired for this project will work closely together with a Dialogue Sensemaking Consultant to design and implement the dialogues in pilot countries
3. The Consultants will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.
4. The Consultants will engage with relevant UNDP colleagues and national stakeholders, as appropriate.
5. The Consultants will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.
6. The Consultants are expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for consultations with various stakeholders who may be based across different time zones.

Duration of the work:

• The consultancy is expected to span across three (3) months through part-time support to the SDG Acceleration Diagnostic project.

Duty Station:

This assignment will be home-based. 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

• Proven networking skills, demonstrating ability to build strategic partnerships by maintaining a network of contacts for general information sharing and being up-to-date on partnership-related issues.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Strong negotiating skills.

• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Strong initiative-taker.
• Focuses on impact and results for client.

Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Advanced University Degree in social sciences, management, or relevant area, required.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of substantive international experience in designing/facilitating workshops, intergroup processes and implementing team building exercises, required.
• Well-developed skills and at least 4 years’ experience in facilitation, consensus-building, multi-stakeholder dialogue processes, mediation, or negotiation, required.
• Knowledge of the SDGs and their application at the national level, required.
• Understanding of innovative dialogue methodologies, such as sensemaking, desired.
• Experience in event organization, desired.
• Experience in facilitating strategic planning workshops and/or other events for the UN or governments, desired.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment.
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager. 
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel. 
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. 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.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being 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 where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1. Relevance of International experience in designing/facilitating workshops, intergroup processes and implementing team building exercises (minimum 7 years); max. 15 points.
• Criteria 2. Relevance of experience in facilitation, consensus-building, multi-stakeholder dialogue processes, mediation, or negotiation (minimum 5 years); max. 15 points.
• Criteria 3. Experience with innovative dialogue methodologies, such as sensemaking; max. 5 points.
• Criteria 4. Experience in facilitating strategic planning workshops and/or other events for the UN or government; max. 5 points.
• Interview; max 30 points

The top three candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the maximum obtainable points for Criteria 1-4 will be invited for the interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Only those candidates who obtain 21 points or more in the interview will be considered for financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

The candidates obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Payment modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager. 

Language:

• Fluency in English, required
• Knowledge of another UN language, desired.