Background

Project Description

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is a UN organization with a capital mandate (unique in the UN System) focused on reducing poverty and inequality first and foremost in the least developed countries (“LDC”s).  

UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in  the local economy and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization.

The UNITLIFE programme is an innovative financing instrument hosted by the UNCDF dedicated to the fight against chronic childhood malnutrition in two priority areas: (a) reducing child stunting and other immediate effects of malnutrition; and (b) closing the gender gap in climate-smart agriculture. UNITLIFE has an innovative financing approach and instruments. The funds raised through these instruments will be directly channelled to funding in high impact projects addressing the immediate effects and root causes of chronic malnutrition. 

UNITLIFE funds interventions at different points of the food value chain that (i) position improved nutrition as a primary outcome; (ii) promote nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart agriculture; and (iii) place women at the center. Priority is given to (i) projects that are integrated and/or collocated with complementary interventions addressing other determinants of chronic malnutrition based on the context such as access to health services and adequate water, sanitation and hygiene; (ii) projects that demonstrate a strong sustainability approach to maximize long-term impact; and (iii) projects that include an innovation component.

To date, the portfolio of projects is focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest prevalence of chronically malnourished children.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work 

The UNITLIFE Secretariat is seeking the services of an Individual Consultant with experience in field projects implementation, management and monitoring.

The Consultant will be requested to engage in specific tasks associated with the UNITLIFE projects portfolio. He or she will work under the supervision of UNITLIFE Programme Manager. The Consultant will work closely with UNITLIFE implementing partners, and UNITLIFE fund administrator, namely UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) office.

In order to perform the tasks, the Consultant will have full access to UNITLIFE’s Standard Operating Procedures, as well as the MPTF processes and templates and all strategy documents developed, as well as in general,  all available literature.

Institutional Arrangements

The Consultant is expected to work under the supervision of UNITLIFE Programme Manager (UNCDF), in close collaboration with UNITLIFE Partnerships Specialist and the MPTF team in charge of disbursement and administration of funds.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables and Payment Terms

The deliverables for this assignment have been set-up as follows, with tentative target dates of completion:

Deliverable 1 (27 May 2022): Submission to and approval by UNCDF of an agreed-upon disbursement schedule of funding to 4 implementing organizations in close collaboration with the Multi-Partner Trust Fund and taking into account the needs on the fields and the donors’ expectations. (5% of total payment)

Deliverable 2 (27 May 2022): Submission to and approval by UNCDF of two completed due diligence procedures following the MPTF rules (of two UNITLIFE implementing partmers) (5% of total payment)

Deliverable 3 (June 2022): For an on-going project and in close collaboration with the implementing partner, submission to and approval by UNCDF of one Board approved Project Document,  budget and logframe, together with a signed fund Transfer Request to the MPTF. (10% of total payment)

Deliverable 4 (July 2022): For a new project and in close collaboration with the implementing partner, submission to and approval by UNCDF of one Board approved Project Document, budget and logframe, together with a signed Fund Transfer Request to the MPTF. (10% of total payment)

Deliverable 5 (August 2022): For a new project and in close collaboration with the implementing partner, submission to and approval by UNCDF of one Board approved Project Document, budget and logframe, together with a signed Fund Transfer Request to the MPTF. (10% of total payment)

Deliverable 6 (September 2022): For a new project and in close collaboration with the implementing partner, submission to and approval by UNCDF of one Board approved Project Document, budget and logframe, together with a signed Fund Transfer Request to the MPTF. (10% of total payment)

Deliverable 7 (October 2022): Coordination of a field visit (monitoring visit) of an on-going project, with documentation. Deliverable also includes submission of draft Terms Of Reference for the assignment, leading the visit on the field, and submission of the final report, to be approved by UNCDF. (25% of total payment)

Deliverable 8 (November 2022): Coordination of the audit of one project. This includes drafting the Terms Of Reference for the audit and ensure cooperation of the project’s main implementing partner. At the end of the audit, the Consultant is expected to validate the auditors report. (25% of total payment)

Competencies

1. Leadership: ability to work in an autonomous way and take the lead on the assignment
2. Communication: ability to listen, adapt, challenge information and identify solution
3. Delivery: ability to get things done in a timely manner

Required Skills and Experience

Skills, Education, and Experience

1. Candidates must have worked in United Nations or similar international organizations, or in International NGO projects, with demonstrated experience in the field, coordinating implementation, evaluation,  monitoring and audit.
2. Candidates with thematic experience (5 years minimum) on nutrition-sensitive, climate-smart investments, and women economic empowerment.
3. Candidates must have at least 3 years of demonstrated technical expertise in nutrition.
4. The minimum level of education acceptable for this assignment is Master’s degree. Fields acceptable are in international development, international finance, social sciences, law or economics.
5. Experience living or working in Sub-Saharan Africa is required.
6. English and French required

Application Process and Recommended Presentation of Offer

Interested Candidates should submit an offer by providing the following documents:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability. The Confirmation Letter can be downloaded from: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780
2. Personal CV or 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;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.
4. Financial Proposal (This is the same as No. 1). Price proposal should be in a Lump Sum Amount covering all cost elements to complete the work and deliver the outputs.The contract price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components and timelines to complete the deliverables. Hence it shall be an all-inclusive, fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  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 at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

1. Evaluation Process

Step I: Screening: Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the mandatory criteria  elaborated on section G(ii) will progress to the pool for shortlisting.

Step II: Desk review (70 %).

A desk review will be conducted to produce a shortlist of applicants according to the criteria below. Only applicants obtaining 70% of the points shall be considered for financial evaluation.

Evaluation Criteria for Desk Review

Step III: Financial Evaluation (30 %).

Only applicants who obtain a minimum of 70% at the desk review will be considered as technically qualified and will be reviewed further for financial evaluation.

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: (lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated) x 30%.

2. Award Criteria

1. The contact shall be awarded to the applicant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

2. Responsive/compliant/ acceptable;
3. Having received the highest combined weight (technical scores) 70% + financial 30%

4. Both individual consultants and individual employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply. 

   Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a Procurement Notice for IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly).

   Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.