Background

Since early 2000s UNDP’s partnership with the Slovak Republic has been the largest initiative with an emerging donor in the region, supporting ODA delivery, capacity building and public finance management reforms in partner countries.  In 2014, the parties  launched a new project “Slovak Republic – UNDP Partnership for Results in the International Development Cooperation”, which  is a continuation of UNDP’s partnership with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic (MFEA SR) and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic (MF  SR) in support of the Slovak ODA priorities, specifically leading to two key outputs: a) Effective development cooperation tools and mechanisms enhanced and strengthened; b) National capacities in partner countries enhanced and strengthened through effective provision of the Slovak transition knowledge and experience.

Since 2003, the Slovak Republic has undergone a full transformation to development assistance provider. The key landmarks have included the accession to the EU in 2004, creation of the Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation (based on the 2007 Act on Official Development Assistance), and, finally, accession to OECD-DAC in September 2013. In the past decade, development assistance has become an effective tool and an integral part of the Slovak foreign policy. Institutional and legislative framework was built and political and operational mechanisms were set up. The country had also started introducing a more programmatic and systematic approach to aid, including by adoption of three medium-term ODA strategies (2003-2008, 2009-2013, 2014-2018) and strategies for development  cooperation  with  the  three  programme countries – Afghanistan, Kenya  and  Moldova.

Initial base for development of systematic Monitoring and Evaluation of Slovak ODA was created with help of several activities supported by the preceding joint project “Slovak–UNDP Trust Fund: Promotion of the Slovak Transitional Experience and Human Capital in ODA”. In order to strengthen monitoring and evaluation skills of public officials and other stakeholders involved in Slovak ODA activities, Development Evaluation Training was organized 2010 and in following years, participation of public officials in similar trainings was systematically supported.

Between 2011 and 2013, the Slovak-UNDP Trust Fund supported Slovak efforts to improve development results through evaluation by managing independent project evaluations in selected sectors using UNDP and OECD/DAC evaluation standards. All together 6 evaluations of Slovak ODA projects were conducted in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya, South Sudan, Serbia and Moldova. Evaluation reports’ conclusions supported the decision-making and served as platform for preparation of respective Country Strategy Papers. Evaluation reports are published on the SlovakAid webpage administered by SAIDC http://slovakaid.sk/sk/novinky-informacie/evaluacie-projektov. In 2014, responsibility for evaluations’ management has been taken over by the Development and Humanitarian Aid Department of the MFEA SR.

To strengthen the evaluation system in providing evidence on results for learning and decision making, the Slovak – UNDP Partnership project aims to assist the Slovak counterparts with development of Evaluation Guidelines of the Slovak Official Development Assistance complementing the existing Strategy for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Bilateral Development Cooperation of the Slovak Republic approved in September 2014. The Strategy describes role and purpose of monitoring and evaluation, their positioning within the ODA management system and provides general guidance on standards and procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work in close cooperation with representatives of the Development and Humanitarian Aid Department of the Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation to prepare SlovakAid Evaluation Guidelines.

The key product expected from the assignment is a comprehensive manual in English that should complement the Strategy providing guidance on evaluation process and product and defining the minimum requirements for conducting evaluations and reporting.

It should draw on the OECD/DAC norms and standards for evaluating development co-operation and best practices of experienced development cooperation providers, and suit the Slovak ODA programme. The terminology is supposed to be coherent with the one used in Slovak ODA programmatic documents.

The Evaluation Guidelines should include at least following: 

  • Definition of core concepts (evaluation definition, use of evaluation/evaluation purpose, evaluation principles and criteria, evaluation stakeholders);
  • Purpose of evaluation;
  • Evaluation planning (evaluation plans, purpose and scope, evaluation budget, roles and responsibilities);
  • Principles of managing independent evaluation (schedule an evaluation, documentation collection, evaluation terms of reference, evaluation team, recruitment and logistics);
  • Principles of conducting evaluation (desk review, evaluation team briefing, inception report, field mission, presentation of preliminary findings and follow up interviews, evaluation report, management response);
  • Using evaluation (evaluation users, dissemination of evaluation reports, evaluation follow-up plan, dissemination of lessons learned);
  • Annexed template/form of Evaluation Terms of Reference, Inception Report, Evaluation Report, Evaluation consultant code of conduct agreement and Management Response.

The guidelines are supposed to communicate expectations on the quality of evaluations to partners and consultants and to guide evaluation managers in steering evaluations. At the same time they are not intended as manual for external evaluation consultants. It is anticipated that they have all relevant competencies expected of evaluation professionals

The guidelines together with its annexes shall be presented in electronic form in MS Word format.

The assignment will take place in consultant’s home office. No travel is expected. The consultant will be responsible for all personal administrative expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copies incurred in this assignment.

The consultant will be supervised by and report to the project manager of the Slovak-UNDP Partnership project.

Specific tasks under this assignment include:

Review all relevant sources of information and conduct consultations with key stakeholders.  The review will take place in consultant’s home office, using phone or e-mail for consultations with key stakeholders.

Relevant resources include:

Evaluating Development Co-operation:

Propose detailed structure and content of the guidelines and prepare an outline (approx. 10 pages) based on review and consultations. 

Drafting the text of the guidelines (approx. 60 pages) incorporating revisions and comments to the outline provided by SAIDC and MFEA SR employees and UNDP project manager.

Finalizing the text of the evaluation guidelines (approx. 60 pages)  incorporating revisions and comments to the draft provided by SAIDC and MFEA SR employees and  UNDP project manager.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following: 

  • Outline - proposal of structure and content incl. main starting points (approx. 10 pages) within 3 weeks after contract signature;
  • Draft of SlovakAid Evaluation Guidelines - full evaluation guidelines including annexes (approx. 60 pages) within 3 weeks after receiving comments on outline;
  • SlovakAid Evaluation Guidelines - revised evaluation guidelines including annexes (approx. 60 pages) within 2 weeks after receiving comments on draft.

Payment Schedule

Payment will be made in one installment only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong  client orientation and government advisory skills;
  • Excellent communication skills and drafting/writing skills in English (Familiarity with MS Office is required);
  • Strong organizational awareness;
  • Ability to meet deadlines and work  under  pressure;
  • Strong interpersonal skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced (MA) university degree (or equivalent) in the area of evaluation, international relations, international development, social sciences, public administration, economy or other relevant field;
  • Additional education/trainings in Results-Based Management and Monitoring & Evaluation will be an asset.

Experience:

  • At least 5 years of experience in development cooperation, RBM, M&E, advisory support to governments or donor agencies in the area of evaluating development cooperation or similar consultancy assignments preferably in OECD/DAC member and/or associate countries;
  • Previous experience in working with international organizations/working with UN agencies is an asset.
  • Familiarity with the Slovak ODA system is an asset;
  • Demonstrated experience in writing of handbooks/guidelines/evaluation reports or similar documents in English (proven by 2 writing samples);
  • Demonstrated experience in applying evaluation methods, designing and leading evaluations and/or designing and reviewing complex M&E systems (proven track record of at least 3 similar assignments);
  • Experience in preparation of evaluation guidelines/M&E handbooks of larger development cooperation programmes and/or managing evaluations is a considerable asset (track record of at least 3 similar assignments).

Languages:

  • Proficiency (verbal and written) in English. Knowledge of Slovak is an asset.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable and b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria: 70% of total evaluation – max 35 points:

  • Criteria A (Education and language skills as specified in the announcement) – max 5 points;
  • Criteria B (At least 5 years of experience in development cooperation, RBM, M&E, advisory support to governments or donor agencies in the area of evaluating development cooperation or similar consultancy assignments preferably in OECD/DAC member and/or associate countries + Experience in working with international organizations) -  max 10 points;
  • Criteria C (Demonstrated experience in writing of handbooks/guidelines/evaluation reports or similar documents in English + Familiarity with the Slovak ODA system) – max 5 points;
  • Criteria D (Demonstrated experience in applying evaluation methods, designing and leading evaluations and/or designing and reviewing complex M&E systems) – max 10 points;
  • Criteria E (Experience in preparation of evaluation guidelines/M&E handbooks of larger development cooperation programmes and/or managing evaluations) – max 5 points.

Financial Criteria: 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website.

The application should contain:

  • Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
  • 2 writing samples of handbooks/guidelines/evaluation reports or similar documents in English;
  • Please make sure to provide sufficient info on similar assignments / demonstrate experience in the required areas in the “Resume and Motivation” section;
  • Filled and duly signed P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
  • Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (fee and number of anticipated working days, translation costs if any, and any other possible costs);
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive, shall be submitted in USD and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (fee and number of anticipated working days, translation costs if any, and any other possible costs).

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.