Background

Project Description 

Based on an established framework of considerations for mainstreaming of South-South cooperation in project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, this assignment will support the documentation of case studies from the UNOSSC South-South trust fund portfolio, that are good practices in the application of respective South-South cooperation principles or approaches; or that present innovative perspectives in addressing the South-South programming consideration.

Background

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) aims to be a robust knowledge hub providing advisory and consulting services to member states, UN entities, IGOs, NGOs and other stakeholders on South-South and triangular cooperation (SSTC). It enables developing countries to effectively face their development challenges and harness opportunities to address them, while monitoring progress on the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, New Directions Strategy, the Nairobi Outcome and the Buenos Aires outcome document of the second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation.

Toward implementation of its Strategic Framework 2022–2025 (DP/CF/SSC/7), UNOSSC engages with Member States globally, regionally, as well as within the UN system to facilitate practical expressions of Southern solidarity towards the achievement of internationally agreed development goals. UNOSSC ensures that our southern constituencies have timely access to high quality analytical planning, mapping, programming, and reporting on data, trends and opportunities that will propel South-South and triangular cooperation in ways that ensure success.

Among its various functions, UNOSSC acts as Fund Manager and provides support to implementation across four South-South cooperation trust funds, namely:

• The India-UN Development Partnership Fund (India-UN Fund) is a dedicated facility established in 2017 as a $150 million financing mechanism to support Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing states.

• The India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund), which became operational in 2006, to support developing countries on a demand-driven basis address their development challenges. The IBSA Fund implements, through partnerships, replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of best practices in the fight against poverty and hunger.

• The United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation (UNFSSC), which was established in 1996, to promote, support and implement South-South cooperation. It constitutes a core element of the United Nations system support to Member States in their strategy to engage partners and mobilize resource for the joint implementation of innovative and transformative South-South Cooperation activities. In recent years approx.

• The Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation (PGTF), which was established in 1983 and is managed by UNOSSC on behalf of the Group of 77 and China (G77). PGTF provides catalytic financial support for cooperative projects carried out by three or more developing-country members of the G-77.

The current assignment supports the documentation of South-South mainstreaming approaches and successes, through the drafting of cases studies on remarkable examples across the South-South Trust Funds managed by UNOSSC. The objective is twofold: to enable greater peer-learning within the portfolio for enhanced South-South cooperation sustainable development impact; and to contribute to UNOSSC’s production of capacity building tools to support the United Nations System on management of South-South cooperation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Chief, Programme Support Unit, the consultant is the lead writer of case studies co-produced by South-South Trust Funds project teams and UNOSSC. S/he provides drafting support to consolidate information, perspective and analysis shared by multiple stakeholders -- as respective co-producer of each case study. S/he reviews available documentation, faciliates consultations and guides interviews, word processes initial drafts or inputs to drafts, and consolidates comments and enhancements towards the finalization of a jointly-owned product.

More specifically, the consultant will undertake the following activities:

• Familiarize her/himself with the proposed analytical framework for South-South mainstreaming;
• Familiarize her/himself with relevant projects in the South-South Trust Fund portfolio, in particular the South-South mainstreaming effort or approach of each project that has proven most meaningful to document;
• Based on simple mapping of the portfolio, presents a selection of case studies that reflects the diversity of the portfolio: geographical, thematic, SDG, UN Agency diversity, etc.; as well as covers the various segments and focuses of the analytical framework for South-South cooperation mainstreaming.
• Facilitate the written articulation of the case studies, based on the key narrative elements and answers to South-South programming consolidations as presented by respective project teams and overall project stakeholders, and available documentation.
• Support rounds of consultations and revisions toward the finalization of co-produced studies.

Expected Outputs/Deliverables, Duration of the Work and Payment Scheme

The consultant(s) will provide the following deliverables:

• 8 detailed case studies:  Extensive pieces that present elaborate analytical reviews of the specificities of South-South cooperation and the singularity of the application of South-South cooperation principles in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects.
• 4 synoptic case studies: Shorter pieces that summarize an innovative South-South mainstreaming approach and its success elements.
• Cross-portfolio summary conclusions: One page highligths and observations on the application of South-South mainstreaming considerations on the South-South Trust Fund portfolio.

UNOSSC will guide the work of the consultant and will review and approve the deliverables.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion, and loyalty.

Functional and technical competencies:

• Strong analytical skills and ability to present complex information in a clear succinct manner.
• Familiarity with the various development contexts and a solid institutional and political understanding of SSTC at global, regional, and country levels.
• Strong communication skills and ability to communicate.
• Ability to work from remote, with personal IT resources such as laptop and internet connection.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Masters’ Degree in international relations, international development, public policy, economics, journalism or related fields or its equivalent. (Required)

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in the development field including policy development, analysis, research, planning, coordination, monitoring, knowledge management or communications. (Required)
• Demonstrated experience/knowledge of development cooperation, and the Sustainable Development Agenda. (Preferably)
• Experience working with one of the United Nations entities or another international organization, national governments, or other relevant stakeholders is an added advantage. (Advantage)
• Proven authoritative expertise in South-South cooperation. (Required)
• Proven ability to write clear and effective case studies, stories, communications or knowledge management style pieces. (Advantage)
• Knowledge and experience in the use of standard office software (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets).
• Can work independently and has a track record of delivering quality work on time.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset

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; and
• Writing sample of previous work on South-South cooperation, or on cooperation for sustainable development (max 5 pages).Required

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):

Desk Review

• Criteria 1. Demonstrated experience/knowledge of development cooperation, and the Sustainable Development Agenda. Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 10;
• Criteria 2. Experience working with one of the United Nations entities or another international organization, national governments, or other relevant stakeholders . Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10;
• Criteria 3. Proven ability to write clear and effective case studies, stories, communications or knowledge management style pieces (based on the sample) Weight =20%; Maximum Points: 20; and

Interview

• Interview: Weight = 30 %; Maximum Points: 30.

Having reviewed applications received UNDP will invite the top three shortlisted candidates, who obtaining a minimum of 70% (28 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the desk review (40 points),  for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Candidates should obtain a minimum 21 (70% of total 30 points obtainable during the interview) to pass the interview stage.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the 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

Candidate 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.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work The consultant will directly report to, on a weekly basis, the Chief, Programme Support Unit and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

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. 
• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.