Background

Cambodia has the youngest population in Southeast Asia mainly due to a baby-boom generation resulting from the high fertility rate in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge period (from 1980s to 1990s). According to the 2019 Census, 55.8 percent of the total 15.6 million Cambodian population are below 30 years of age.  The population is now beginning to age more rapidly. In 2019, 8.9 percent of the population were aged 60 years and above, which is an increase from 5.25 percent two decades ago; the figure is expected to increase to 21 percent by 2050.  In fact, by 2030, older people will comprise 10 per cent of the population, the point at which societies are usually recognized as ageing.  The rapid growth of the older population is attributable to two main factors – a declining fertility rate and increasing life expectancy. On average, a woman had only 2.51 children in 2019, a twofold decrease from 1990 whereas average life expectancy is now 75.5 years old as opposed to 56 in 1998 from 54 years for males and 58 years for females in 1998, it increased to 74.3 years and 76.8 years respectively 2019.  These trends imply that, over the next few decades, a potentially shrinking working age population will need to support an expanding elderly population. There is a need to develop policies in support of the challenges that will arise due to ageing and an increasing dependency ratio.  

In 2018, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) endorsed the National Ageing Policy 2017-2030 with a vision to expand retirement schemes for workers, improve geriatric care in health centers, promote healthy lifestyles, enforce stricter regulations against elderly abuse, consider free health care for older people, and establish older people associations across district. Recently, the RGC adopted the Action Plan Phase II 2021-2025 for the implementation of the National Ageing Policy. This ambitious plan outlines multiple actions targeting 9 nine priority areas.  It also places particular emphasis on developing the institutions, infrastructure and systemic change necessary for the National Ageing Policy to have a lasting impact.

For these national initiatives to be successfully delivered, adequate capacity is required at a local level. Accordingly, UNDP in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY) has proposed a group of projects to support  and enhance institutional capacity and operationalize Cambodia’s national ageing policy,  including to draw on the resource of older people at local level through establishment of Older People’s Associations (OPA) and Pagoda-based groups, to develop new strategic mechanisms to better integrate local capacity with government services, particularly health care, to identify the best models and develop the resources needed to establish a national OPA program, and to rollout the OPA program in pilot sites and then nationally.

As part of UNDP’s support to the MoSVY in piloting the new model of OPA, UNDP is seeking qualified applicants for one consultancy position as the senior project advisor for the ageing policy pilot project. Successful applicant will be joining UNDP Cambodia roster of experts and engaged based on the arising needs of UNDP Cambodia nature portfolio including policy and research, technical advisory support and capacity development, project design and implementation.

This solicitation is for Long-Term Agreements (LTA) for two years with possibility for extension for up to three years subject to the need and satisfactory performance of the individual consultant. LTA refers to a mutual arrangement whereby the Consultant will provide services as required, over a specific period of time. It specifies the unit price (daily rate), allowing for a framework agreement to be used when the Consultant’s services are needed. The Consultant will be contracted under separate ToRs that will be developed for the specific services needed of output-based within the scope of the LTA.

Duties and Responsibilities

This LTA specifies the role akin to a senior technical adviser to UNDP. This would include various tasks and ad hoc inputs to support the team working on Ageing Policy and Social Protection. Specifically, the LTA holder will serve as a retained lead technical adviser to UNDP on setting up and operationalization of the aging policy institutionalization pilot. Outputs are, but not limited to, the following:

1) Technical assignments to support the set-up of the pilot project: 

• Advising on the design and finalization of aging policy institutionalization pilot project, including site selection and integration framework of OPAs with state and non-state institutions
• Advising on devising detailed delivery arrangements including the integration of health promotion, disaster risk reduction, financial inclusion, skills training and behavior change communication in mainstream project delivery
• Setting up linkages with public service delivery (such as health referral system, elderly abuse support, emergency response, elderly home care) and private sector
• Setting up the Management Information System, with monitoring responsibilities and reporting

2) Technical assignments to support the successful delivery of the pilot  

• Design and delivery of survey instrument – at base-line and end-line.
• Finetuning of management arrangements and institutional structures, with partners/ contractors, and other stakeholders especially at local level
• Advising on the continuous refinement of project delivery through innovative practices and approaches
• Overseeing selection into the programme, advising on management of process and community relations
• Safeguarding an enabling environment for various aspects of gender equity and women’s empowerment
• Documenting lessons learned and mechanisms for speedy course correction as required (as part of MIS) and presentation/diffusion of knowledge products

3) Technical assignment to support the reporting and building adoption case

• Building the policy and optional case, synergizing findings and offering solutions
• Reporting on project lessons, building the case for national government adoption and scale-up,  including costing and funding options
• Preparing an exit plan (in the final year of project implementation)

Specific deliverables of each assignment will be based on an agreed sub-ToR and PO issuance. All property – tangible and intellectual – produced during assignments/ LTA would remain the property of UNDP. The consultant should also ensure confidentiality of all the information received during assignments.

Interested offeror must read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at  https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=94942  for more detail information about term of reference, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.

Competencies

• Strong management skills – planning/ scheduling, delivery, M&E and reporting
• Capacity to engage with senior decision/ policy makers, and to synthesize and present complex arguments in easily understood terms.
• Sound contract management skills and ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders.
• Superior written/ oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations.
• On demand availability during the project.
• Positive and results-oriented attitude, able to meet targets/deadline.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• A minimum of a Master’s degree (preferably PhD) in development studies, public policy, management or social science

Years of experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in aging policy and institutional development. This must include direct experience of managing a major pilot or field programme (at executive, lead adviser or chief of party level).
• Experience of aging policy and social protection assignments in Cambodia and/ or very similar development contexts.
• Superior written/ oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations. (A sample of writing in a similar context is required to be submitted)

Language:

• Fluency in English is required.

Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.

 Interested individual offeror must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal:

• Letter of explaining why they are most suitable for the work
• Sample of superior written skills to be assessed by a sample of work

1. Financial proposal (Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP)
2. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email chanpisey.ky@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org . While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice