Background

Background: 

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. The UN Women Pacific sub-region has four main thematic areas:

• Ending Violence against Women (EVAW);
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) which includes the Markets for Change project (M4C);
• Humanitarian Response and Disaster Risk Reduction; and
• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership and Human Rights.

Women’s Resilience to Disasters / WRD

Disaster risks converge with critical socio-economic vulnerabilities, environmental degradation and climate change making the Pacific a disaster hotspot.  Disasters and climate change are widening inequalities and undermining poverty reduction in the region.  Threats such as COVID-19 are further exacerbating the inequalities and hardships faced by women and girls including those with disabilities.  Women and girls face greater vulnerability and exposure to disasters, yet women remain largely ignored and their capacities unleveraged in conventional resilience building processes. As a result, women are generally absent in the development of resilience strategies and decision-making processes for prevention, preparedness, and recovery.

This is compounded by significant gaps at the global, regional and country level in relation to the availability and use of sex, age and disability disaggregated data (SADDD), knowledge sharing on women’s resilience; an enabling environment for building women’s resilience (including capacities, leadership and funding); translation of commitments into action; coordination and private sector partnership; and a need for transformative change to tackle the underlying drivers of disproportionate risk.

UN Women’s WRD programme proposes a comprehensive package for building women’s resilience to disasters, climate change and threats.   The aim of the WRD Programme is to render women’s and girls’ lives and livelihoods disaster-resilient, contributing to sustainable and secure communities, by promoting gender responsive prevention, preparedness, and recovery systems, plans and tools; and by enabling targeted action to help women and girls withstand hazards and threats, recover fully from disasters, and increase their resilience to future risks.  The expected end-of-programme outcomes (EOPOs) are:

1. Prevention, preparedness and recovery systems, plans and tools are gender-responsive through women’s leadership and enhanced influence in DRR and climate change decision-making, enhanced gender capacity of DRR and climate resilience stakeholders, increased access to knowledge, guidance, and expertise on gender-responsive disaster resilience, and strategic partnerships and networks for women’s agency and leadership in DRR; and
2. Women and girls are prepared to withstand natural hazards, climate change and COVID-19, recover from disasters and increase their resilience to future risks, through gender-responsive early warning systems, gender targeted and mainstreamed services for women’s resilience, women’s informal and formal climate and disaster resilient businesses, women’s increased access to climate and disaster resilient livelihoods and strategic partnerships for resilient livelihoods.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

The WRD Programme has a full monitoring framework covering global, regional, and country components. The framework is adapted to nationally owned monitoring frameworks. A related framework helps track progress toward programme outcomes and outputs and to collect regular information on programme achievements and learning. In some countries’ context, some baseline data still needs to be collected and updated considering the country specific workplans.

Therefore, the monitoring data and information will need to be collected and analysed on an ongoing basis at all levels (outcome, output, and activity) and components (global, regional, national) to inform decision making. In addition, quarterly virtual M&E meetings bringing together the national, regional, and global components should be organized to take stock and identify and resolve bottlenecks. This data and information will feed into the WRD annual results-based reports prepared throughout the programme duration for submission to both the Donor as well as internally for UN Women.  

Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities

The incumbent will work as part of the WRD Programme team to support the implementation in the four countries (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati) compile M&E results for national, regional, and global planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (PMER).  This includes developing and coordinating monitoring frameworks, evaluation (M&E) & review systems for WRD programme components for its partners, building the capacity of WRD team in M&E, and promoting PMER knowledge transfer both internal and external to the UNW WRD team. The position should ensure that PMER systems and capacity building initiatives effectively serve the WRD team, adhering to the UNW’s guidelines and policies and the donor expectations.

Based in the Pacific, the Consultant will lead and support the M & E needs for the entire WRD programme covering the national, regional, and global components of the programme, under the guidance and direct supervision of the Global Programme Coordinator, the Regional Programme Manager and in close collaboration with the Fiji MCO Communications Specialist for compliance.

Primary responsibilities for this position include:

• Design and develop M&E framework for the WRD programme components in accordance with the guideline of both UN Women and the donor agency.

• Serve as the WRD team’s focal point for M&E, coordinating reporting for both donor and UN Women internal mechanism, build capacity of relevant programme staff on a regular basis, ensure quality input on programme implementation. 

• Prepare the annual WRD progress report between September and November each year, coordinating inputs from all team members and ensuring a high-quality product submitted on time (end Nov).

• From July-October 2023, co-lead the WRD mid-term review processes, ensuring that the WRD review consultant receives high quality and comprehensive input and that all conditions are set for a smooth review process.

• Coordinate within WRD team to ensure accurate, thorough, and useful monitoring and reporting of project activities and impacts, both internally and externally. This includes establishing close collaboration with the programme coordinators and the PMER department focal points for quality assurance in collecting data and analysing the same for reporting on progress made.

• Spearhead the review and implementation of WRD M&E systems with standard procedures and processes to ensure credible, reliable, timely and cost-effective monitoring data to inform ongoing management decisions, strategic planning and uphold accountability.

• Coordinate and oversee the workplan’s evaluations, ensuring that they are timely, useful, and ethical, upholding the criteria and standards.  This includes ToR preparation for, and the management of, programme surveys (e.g. baselines), real-time evaluations (RTEs), midterm and end-of-project evaluations, special studies, and other components of the M&E system as and when the technical assistance needs arise; use of a range of quantitative and qualitative methods and various participatory methodologies to monitor performance.

• Lead the adaptation or development of specific planning, assessment, monitoring and evaluation and reporting tools for consistent and quality data collection.  

• Provide technical guidance to programme staff in incorporating appropriate M&E systems into partnerships based on needs, resources, and capacities. This includes: 1) adequate needs assessment to inform relevant programming, 2) the use of project and programme log frames 3) the development of SMART indicators that are supported by clear and concise indicator guidelines that define the indicators, data sources, data collection methods, frequency, and audience.

• Prepare and train programme staff, primary stakeholders and implementing partners, as necessary, on design, monitoring and reporting skills and tools.

• Establish an inventory of reliable, secondary data sources of key statistics to contribute to M&E, and to reduce the use of time and resources in primary data collection, as well as the negative impact (assessment fatigue) among the target populations.

• Routinely perform quality control checks of M&E work, overseeing the recording and reporting of progress and performance of the operation compared to targets. Ensure that lessons learned from programme M&E to improve future programme selection, design, and implementation. This includes liaison with external organizations to identify and distribute good M&E practices contributing to knowledge sharing. 

Duration of the Assignment

The duration of this assignment will be up to 220 working days over 12 months work assignment as per the schedule of deliverables.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 12 months, not exceeding 220 working days, with the National Consultant being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

1. Monthly reports on major tasks performed and the results from July 2023- July 2024, including related to support provided to the WRD partners, inputs collection and other as per above description of tasks.
2. Mid-year and annual reports of MCO’s gender and resilience work under the WRD programme.
3. Final report on carried out activities, achievements, and challenges.

All the deliverables should be agreed with the UN Women’s WRD Team provided in English hard and electronic copy.  Note that all materials, including any video footage and images, will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women at least within 10 business days of submission.

All the documents and materials utilized need to be returned to UN Women in electronic format. Any printed materials utilized to be referenced and returned.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials.
• UN Women will cover Consultant’s travel outside of Suva only should the need arise and upon prior approval by UN Women.
• Access to UN Women Office for printing of relevant documents or provide facilities for the Consultant to work on-site for a brief period should the need arise at any point during the assignment.

Travel

Some travel may be required for the implementation of the current assignment which will need to have prior approval from UN Women MCO.  Any approved travel will follow the existing UN Travel Rules and Guidelines.

Performance evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payments will be disbursed to the consultant upon submission and approval of deliverables set forth in the section “Expected Outputs and Deliverables” above, and certification by the UN Women Gender & Resilience Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills

Required Skills and Experience

Required experience and qualifications.

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education and Certifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Development, Disaster Risk and Climate Change, Environment, Programme Management, Data Analysis, or other related areas is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience related to capacity building, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience or other closely related fields.
• Minimum of 2 years’ relevant national/regional/international experience both in the field and headquarters in disaster response, recovery, or development work.
• Good understanding of gender equality in disaster risk reduction initiatives.
• Experience on logframe based project design, designing, developing, and implementing M&E framework within development sectors, preferably with experience in participatory processes, promoting women’s leadership and gender equality issues.
• Familiarity with supervising or conducting needs assessments and surveys, and quantitative data analysis, social research methodologies, including highly developed analytical and communication skills and the ability to assimilate and process information for wide-ranging audiences.
• Experience in coaching programme staff, in facilitating training various M&E aspects and self-motivated, with good judgment and initiative, and the ability to work with and manage others.
• Experience in handling complex tasks independently, multitask and prioritize, and meet multiple deadlines on time.
• Familiarity with the Pacific region.

Language and Requirements:

• Fluency in English including excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Development, Disaster Risk and Climate Change, Environment, Programme Management, Data Analysis, or other related areas is required.  
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least 2 years (with Master’s degree) or 4 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience related to capacity building, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience or other closely related fields.

The shortlisted individual consultants will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.  Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

Technical evaluation will be done through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site. 

Submission Package:

1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of consultant including records of past experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference.  The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate and number of anticipate working days and any other possible costs).
4. Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal.

Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.  UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

UN Women Statement on Diversity and Inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.  

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.  

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United  Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.  All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).

Deadline of all Submission: 31th July 2023

Annex I

Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Contractor should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1.Lump Sum Amount

The price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Individual Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

Contract price is fixed to activities/deliverables indicated in the ToR, regardless of the changes in the cost components (such as days invested for completion of the deliverables).

2.Travel costs

Some travel may be required for the implementation of the current assignment but may not be necessary to be included in this financial proposal submission, as this requires prior approval from UN Women Fiji MCO.

Any approved travel will follow the existing UN Travel Rules and Guidelines.

3.Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4.Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in FJD.  

In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into FJD using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II

Price Proposal Submission Form

[ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]

To:          United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref:         Individual IC/SSA Consultant – Women’s Resilience to Disasters / WRD Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E),

UN Women Fiji MCO

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment.  Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Estimated Costs (in FJD$)

*** Please be informed that for shorter assignments than a full day, the daily rate will be pro-rated into hourly rate.

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged.  I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 60 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.