Background

UNDP’s 2022-25 Strategic Plan and accompanying Integrated Results and Resources Framework (IRRF) lays out a clear and compelling roadmap to get developing countries back on track to attain the shared goals set out in Agenda 2030.  

The Plan aims to super charge development results by focusing on six signature solutions: poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, energy, and gender equality. This emphasis will prioritize development interventions where the need is greatest, and help countries pursue three directions of change -- structural transformation, leaving no-one behind and building resilience. To maximize and scale-up development impact, the Plan will be anchored on three enablers: strategic innovation, digitalization and development financing.

While structural transformations are critical to economic and social progress towards the SDGs, they must be underpinned by sustainability, inclusion and equity; plus, capacity to anticipate, respond and recover from shocks.  Therefore, while every context is unique, all are likely to feature some combination of all three directions of change. 

As the development agenda grows in scope and complexity, stakeholders (including government and funding partners) are increasingly required to demonstrate results conveying a transformational change in the lives of the populations they support. Indeed, development organizations are moving away from traditional implementation and output/project focused monitoring toward more robust approaches as the development landscape calls for results at outcome and impact level and embraces the SDGs.

UNDP is seeking to engage a consultant to develop measurements of the Strategic Plan’s three directions of change that provide an indication of systemic, transformational change and performance.

The three directions of change are:

• Structural transformation, particularly green, inclusive and digital transitions;
• Leaving no one behind, a rights-based approach centred on human agency and human development;
• Building resilience to respond to systemic uncertainty and risk. 

Duties and Responsibilities

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

1. Based on UNDP’s 2022-25 Strategic Plan and Integrated Results and Resources Framework (IRRF)the consultant will:
   1. Review and elaborate on the definition and framing of the three directions of change (ie articulate in greater detail how each direction of change might be pursued, eg through policies, actions, behaviours, goals – as a starting point for measurement of change). Based on this, prepare a conceptual framework to serve as the basis for the next step.
   2. Identify measurements for tracking progress towards the three directions of change, both at the global level (ie how far and quickly countries are moving in the three directions) and UNDP’s contribution (ie how much of this progress can be attributed to UNDP)
   3. Advise on approaches for connecting output level results measurement to outcome level changes and impact measurement at the corporate level.

Expected Outputs/Deliverables and Payment Scheme

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will work with the support of the Strategy and Futures Team in UNDP’s Executive Office of the Administrator. The Strategy Lead, Strategy and Futures Team will be the focal person for this consultancy guided by a sounding board. A small team, comprising representatives from stakeholder bureaus, will serve as the sounding board.

Duration of the Work

The deliverables are expected to be complete over a 5-week period as indicated above. The target start date for this assignment is November 14.   Target completion date is December 16.

Competencies

Behavioral competencies:

• Achieve results: Demonstrates focus on achieving quality results and impact; consistently strive to meet or exceed excellence standards; efficiently establish appropriate plans and resources for self and others to accomplish
• Think Innovatively: Look beyond conventional approaches and established methods; propose new ideas, approaches and solutions to problems; seek patterns and clarity outside boxes and categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choice
• Adapt with agility: Be flexible in handling change, and adopt new ideas, approaches and ways of working; Seamlessly adapt to working within new situations or contexts, with new people, and in different ways; Participate in, support, contribute to or drive meaningful change in UNDP; Be comfortable with ambiguity and effectively managing multiple demands
• Act with determination: Pursue everything with motivation and drive; Not give up in the face of adversity and setbacks; demonstrate resilience and composure.
• Engage and partner: Act in a way that demonstrates empathy and emotional intelligence;  Demonstrate and encourage teamwork and co-creation internally and externally to achieve joint objectives and results
• Enable Diversity and respect: Treat all individuals with respect, consider ethical implications and respond sensitively to all differences among people; demonstrate honesty and transparency

Technical competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of development issues
• Digital and innovation: digital literacy, data analysis and communications, data literacy, data strategy and management, agile methodologies and practices, co-creation.
• Development effectiveness: RBM standards and practices for programming,
• SDG Integration
• Strategic Policy Engagement

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• At least a bachelor’s degree in international development, statistics, economics, social science, public administrator, or any elated fields.

Experience:

• Proven experience in designing performance metrics and indicator frameworks for complex, multidimensional international development systems at an organizational level (required).
• Proven experience in promoting innovations in evidence-based results reporting as well as impact measurement approaches (desirable).
• Demonstrated competence and experience in enhancing high-quality programming, results-based management and performance monitoring and evaluation (required).
• Proven experience in having supported international organizations in strengthening their results-based architecture over the last five years (required).
• Experience  and familiarity with UNDP’s results framework (desirable).

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;

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 the experience in designing performance metrics and indicator frameworks for complex, multidimensional international development systems at an organizational level. Weight = 28%; Maximum Points:28;
• Criteria 2. Relevance of the experience in promoting innovations in evidence-based results reporting as well as impact measurement approaches. Weight = 14 %; Maximum Points: 14;
• Criteria 3. Relevance of the experience in enhancing high-quality programming, results-based management and performance monitoring and evaluation. Weight = 7 %; Maximum Points: 7;
• Criteria 4. Relevance of the experience in having supported international organizations in strengthening their results-based architecture over the last five years. Weight = 11 %; Maximum Points: 11
• Criteria 5. Understanding of and familiarity with UNDP’s result framework  Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10.

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 under the guidance and direct supervision of the Strategy Lead (Strategy and Futures Team) 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. 

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.

Additional Questions:

Can you confirm that you have at least bachelor’s degree in international development, statistics, economics, social science, public administrator, or any elated fields?

Annexes to the TOR

UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025: Executive Board Document

UNDP Strategic Plan 2022-2025: Brochure