UNDP Jobs - 104164- Consultant – SDG 16 Research and Policy Engagement

Consultant – SDG 16 Research and Policy Engagement

Location :

Homebased

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Feb-2022

Application Deadline :

25-Jan-22 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

est. 30 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

1 February - 31 March 2022

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 UNDP Oslo Governance Centre (OGC) is Global Policy Center in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. It is an applied research and policy hub which advances global dialogue and knowledge on inclusive and transformative governance for peaceful, just and inclusive societies. The Centre contributes to UNDP’s signature solutions on strengthening effective, accountable and inclusive governance, as well as enhancing national prevention and recovery capacities for resilient societies. OGC supports UNDP and other development actors to better understand through research, policy dialogue and by drawing on learning from UNDPs network of country offices how to advance SDG 16 implementation and monitoring for inclusive, peaceful and just societies, as well how inclusive and transformative governance can support progress towards all SDGs.

UNDP OGC focuses on generating lessons from applied research and strengthening the evidence base on governance themes to inform policy development. This includes identifying and sharing innovative practices on inclusive governance and SDG 16; producing analytic reports on trends, challenges, and opportunities for achieving peaceful, just and inclusive societies; and conducting research on how effective and responsive governance can help to address inequalities and facilitate sustainable development.

In order to support progress on Goal 16 at global, national and local levels, to facilitate knowledge exchange on SDG 16, develop tools for policy making and foster collaborative multi-stakeholder partnerships, UNDP OGC is looking for a consultant to support the lessons learned on implementation of SDG 16 including on stakeholder engagement and interlinkages of SDG 16 with the 2030 Agenda.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT / REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Oslo Governance Center, and the day-to-day supervision of the SDG 16 Research and Policy Advisor, the consultant will work closely with the OGC overall and with Governance and Peacebuilding Cluster colleagues in New York.

TRAVEL

None.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications.

Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop. Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded, therefore, please include all documents in one file:

Personal History Form (P11), 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, www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc).
Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment. Please indicate available start date.

Step 2: Financial Proposal.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

The financial proposal should state the all-inclusive lump sum offer in USD, supported by a breakdown of costs (Table A1). The term ‘all inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, travel as per ToR etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. The form can be found here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780

The financial proposal should be sent separately to this email address: oslo.governance.centre@undp.org, with subject line: “Financial proposal – SDG 16 Research and Policy Engagement consultant”.
If an 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 Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the offeror must indicate this at in the Financial Proposal, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. The consultant will be paid only after approving authority confirms the successful completion of each deliverable as stipulated under chapter 3.

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

Criteria for selection of individual consultant for award of contract:

Only those candidates who meet the minimum level of education and relevant years of experience requirements will be considered for the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will include a desk review and interviews with shortlisted candidates. With weight of 50% desk review and 50% interview of the total technical score.

The combine scoring method will be used to evaluate proposals:

Combined scoring method – the qualifications will be weighted a maximum of 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%.

Technical criteria weight: 70 (70% of total obtainable scores). Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 (70%) points on technical part will be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial criteria weight: 30 (30% of total obtainable scores)

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:

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 Evaluation (70 Points) 70% weight

Technical evaluations will be conducted based on the following criteria:

Proven expertise of SDG 16 and the 2030 agenda (10 points).
Experience in organizing and hosting policy dialogues and discussions (20 points).
External relations management experience, including experience building consensus and managing multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging with government in the context of policy dialogue and policy advocacy efforts (20 points).
Experience working with UNDP or within the UN system, particularly on governance, partnerships, coordination and intergovernmental relations (10 points).
Track record of academic and/or policy-oriented publications and/or research management is an advantage (10 points).

Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 of the obtainable points of 70 points (70%) in technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Evaluation. 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

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Oslo Governance Center, and the day-to-day supervision of the SDG 16 Research and Policy Advisor, the Consultant will provide dedicated capacity at the OGC to synthesize and share lesson learning across UNDP at global regional and country level on innovative and practical implementation of SDG 16. The focus areas of the consultancy will include but are not limited to the following:

Lessons on SDG 16 interlinkages with other SDGs, including research on the role of SDG 16 in accelerating progress on other parts of the 2030 Agenda;
Applying SDG 16 principles to promote stakeholder engagement at national levels in different development processes.

Specifically, the consultant will:

Support the launch of the research study on SDG 16 interlinkages with poverty and inequality, including to host a policy dialogue and promote the study at global and regional forums;
Develop blogs, articles and briefs on SDG 16 interlinkages to assist with policy development and programming and to disseminate through other relevant platforms;
Engage with relevant research and other partners on learning on SDG16;
Contribute to other workstreams at OGC if required.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Policy Dialogue on SDG 16 interlinkages with Poverty and Inequality, 28 Feb / 30%
Lessons learned roundtable on stakeholder engagement, 31 Mar / 30%
Brief/blog/article on stakeholder engagement and SDG 16 interlinkages, 31 Mar / 40%

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrated ability to organise and structure information and make accessible to a range of stakeholders;
Experience with governance and peacebuilding programming in transition and conflict countries;
Expert knowledge on the SDGs;
Demonstrated ability to write analytical papers; in a clear and concise manner;
Demonstrated ability to develop new areas of work and activity, trouble-shooting problems and ensuring delivery of results.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP, and partner organizations:
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Excellent understanding of international development issues and knowledge of the UN system.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, Human Rights, Development Studies, Political Science, International Relations or related other related disciplines.

Professional Experience:

Minimum of 10 years international development experience;
Demonstrated knowledge of SDG 16 and the 2030 Agenda is required;
Track record of academic and/or policy-oriented publications and/or research management is an advantage;
Experience in organizing and hosting policy dialogues and discussions;
External relations management experience, including experience building consensus and managing multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging with government in the context of policy dialogue and policy advocacy efforts;
Experience working with UNDP or within the UN system, particularly on governance, partnerships, coordination and intergovernmental relations.

Language:

Fluency in English, both written and oral;
Working knowledge of a second UN language is an asset.