UNDP Jobs - 67673- Vetted Experts Roster for Area of Public Finance

Vetted Experts Roster for Area of Public Finance

Location :

Home-based with availability to travel within Europe and Central Asia

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

30-Sep-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Various short-term consultancy assignments on capacity building in public financial management

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The Regional Centre for Europe and the CIS (RC) of UNDP supports the development assistance activities of UNDP Country Offices in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (ECIS). Its core responsibilities are to provide high quality policy and advisory services; to offer state-of-the art knowledge to improve UNDP programming; to effectively manage regional governance programs/projects; and to provide useful comparative information and referral of technical experts.

In September 2009, the UNDP Regional Centre and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic launched the regional programme: Public Finance for Development: Strengthening Public Finance Capacities in the Western Balkans and the Commonwealth of Independent States (http://publicfinance.undp.sk).

The objective of the Programme is to strengthen capacities for sound and effective public financial management in selected countries of the region by means of sharing knowledge, experience and lessons learned from the public finance reforms implemented in Slovakia and other developed countries. It aims to: (1) Develop analytical capacity and build skills in the area of public finance reform for poverty reduction, jobs creation and social inclusion; (2) Increase awareness and understanding of public finance concepts for poverty reduction, human development and social inclusion; and (3) Share knowledge, disseminate information, and improve outreach.
UNDP RC invites applications from qualified experts to establish a roster of consultants to work on various consultancy assignments on capacity building in PFM in the region, in the framework of the above-mentioned Programme but not limited thereto. Within the framework of the Programme, assistance will be provided in various areas - from policy advice and legal drafting to programme management and capacity development. The roster will differentiate the consultants/experts in Public Finance related topics including: public sector budgeting, medium-term expenditure framework, debt management, state guarantees and government loans, treasury operations, public sector accounting and reporting, internal and external audit, financial control, EU funds financial management, harmonization with EU standards (acquis), fiscal decentralization, macro-fiscal planning and fiscal forecasting, fiscal rules, tax policy and administration, international taxation, public procurement, technical advisory on IT systems for PFM processes, evaluation, contingent liabilities/fiscal risks, etc. Consultants will perform their duties as home based through e-mail, skype, telephone and/or other online communication media or in combination with the in-country missions and/or project site visits (per request of the UNDP RC or UNDP Country Office).consultants are expected to attend relevant meetings and workshops at the country level, including stakeholder consultations, inception and debriefing meetings.

Interested consultants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToR and ensure that they meet TOR requirements. . Only applicants who pass all screening procedures will be included into the roster.

Consultants who are already part of the RBEC Vetted Roster in the 3 year validity period do not have to re-apply during this call unless they would like to take part in the competitive process for a specific reason e.g. updating their daily fee.

Duties and Responsibilities

Consultants selected for the roster will be working with RC/COs on various consultancy assignments within the framework of the Public Finance for Development Programme and/or other public finance related assignments upon request of RC/COs. Final agreement on operational reporting lines will be made during the contract negotiations. The consultants will be expected to undertake tasks within specific projects implemented with support of the Public Finance for Development Programme with the objective to contribute to increased capacity for sound and effective public finance management. The tasks may include, but are not limited to, the following, and will be finally specified in the terms of reference for consultancy assignments and agreed upon in the contract negotiations:

Provide strategic and operational advice to governments on the formulation and execution of public finance policies and sound public financial management practices;
Contribute to development of analytical capacity and staff skills of government counterparts in public finance related areas;
Support to improving institutional framework for effective and efficient execution of public financial management functions;
Support to improving legislative framework, processes and procedures for effective and efficient public financial management as applied by the government institutions and authorities;
Share knowledge, experience, good practices and lessons learned from public finance reforms implemented in Slovakia and other developed countries;
Conduct needs identification and capacity assessments on country level and in the assigned areas of public financial management. Design countries ’capacity development action plans to enhance public finance policies, strategies and practices of effective public financial management;
Contribute to partnership building and developing capacities of non-government stakeholders (NGOs, research institutes, universities, etc) in the area of public finance;
Support to raising awareness and understanding of public finance concepts among government and non-government partners, stakeholders and general public;
Conduct analyses and research in public finance related areas;
Contribute to design, implementation and evaluation of projects in the area of public finance;
Support to design, planning and implementation of public finance reforms at national and regional level;
Provide quality assurance functions in the assigned areas;
Develop/review strategic policies, legislation, programmes at regional, national and local level;
Develop toolkits, guidelines, publications in the area of public finance;
Help UNDP country offices to design, implement and/or evaluate projects in the assigned areas (considering the impact on poverty reduction and social inclusion) developing capacities of government counterparts and country offices through high-quality trainings or coaching; liaising with other development partners (e.g., other UN agencies, EC, IMF, USAID, OSI, IFIs, but also NGOs), assisting in donor coordination and preparations for donor meetings;
Contribute to partnership building and resource mobilization efforts for regional and country level initiatives;
Provide well-written, concise reports according to the requirements. These will need to address financing options, sustainability, scalability, replicability, and impact of proposed actions to improve PFM policies and processes;
Undertake any other duties that will ensure successful execution of this consultancy.

Some consultants might be asked to directly support high-level government officials in preparing and operationalizing institutional development strategies, and in locally applying best practice principles of Cabinet administration.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Strong reporting and writing abilities;
Ability to work in a team, develop synergies and establish effective working relations with government counterparts, donors, NGOs and other development partners;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to accommodate additional demands on short notice;
Ability to manage heavy workload and solve complex problems with minimum supervision.

Core Competencies:

Adhere to UN’s values and ethical standards;
Understanding of the UNDP’s mission and objectives;
Sensitivity and adaptability to diverse culture, gender, religion, nationality and age.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum Master’s degree at least in one of the following fields: Economics, Public administration, Business Administration, Public Policy, Social Science, Political Science, Development Studies or related fields.

Experience:

At least 5 years of proven work experience in public finance related initiatives (work, research, teaching, consultancy), e.g.: in public sector budgeting, medium-term expenditure framework, debt management, state guarantees and government loans treasury operations, public sector accounting and reporting, internal and external audit, financial control, financial management of EU funds, harmonization with EU standards (acquis), fiscal decentralization, macro-fiscal planning and fiscal forecasting, fiscal rules, tax policy and administration, international taxation, public procurement, technical advisory on IT systems for PFM processes, evaluation, contingent liabilities/fiscal risks, etc.;
Proven experience in at least two of the following areas: policy advice, capacity development, training – in-class and on-the-job training, development of targeted training curricula, peer to peer learning on international level, mapping and sharing knowledge and experience from public finance reforms in Slovakia with other countries, policy development, legislation and methodology drafting, institutional development, research and analytical work in the area of public finance, programming, comparative research, peer review, negotiation with the public/private stakeholders, monitoring and evaluation; at least in 1 area of public financial management, e.g. in public sector budgeting, macro-fiscal planning, accounting, debt management, etc.;
Previous experience with development and implementation of the public finance reform initiatives in Slovakia is required (direct design and implementation of Slovak PFM reforms or post-reform initiatives, or on the job application of Slovak PFM reform knowledge);
Experience with liaising and cooperating with government officials, civil society organisations, universities, research institutes or economic think tanks is an asset;
Proven existence of knowledge products such as books, articles, research papers, toolkits, guides, methodologies, analytical documents, policy papers and notes, project and program documents, baseline studies, desk reviews, comparative studies, reports etc. developed and/or published by the candidate is an asset;
Previous relevant experience of working in/for ECIS countries (Central Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Caucasus, European Union (EU) Accession Countries and Western Balkan) is an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in spoken and written English is a must;
Knowledge of Russian, Serbian, Moldovan or Slovak is an asset.

Computer skills:

Full IT literacy is a must.

Evaluation of Applicants:
All applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies set above. Candidates fully meeting the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below. The inclusion into the Vetted Roster of Experts will be offered to those individual consultants whose offers have been evaluated and determined as (a) responsive / compliant / acceptable, and (b) having received high scores specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria – 70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points:
P11 review: max. 40 points:

Relevance of education – 5 points;
Years of professional experience in public finance initiatives – max. 5 points
Relevance of proven professional experience (skills) in public finance initiatives - max. 10 points;
Relevance of experience with development and implementation of the public finance reform initiatives in Slovakia – max. 5 points;
Relevance of experience with liaising and cooperating with government officials, civil society organisations, universities, research institutes or economic think tanks is an asset – max. 5 points;
Relevant regional knowledge and experience in the ECIS – max. 5 points;
Fluency in English; knowledge of Russian, Serbian, Moldovan or Slovak – max. 5 points;

Interview: max. 25 points:

Previous experience in public financial management - max. 10 points;
Consulting experience – max. 5 points;
knowledge of public financial management concepts and practices - max. 10 points.

Written samples: max. 5 points:

Proven drafting and formulation skills (based on the record of existing publications focused on public finance related areas) – max. 5 points (all candidates will be requested to submit written samples of their work, preferably in English. Publications in the Slovak language will be accepted).

Only candidates who will receive at least 70% of points in each step of the process (desk review, interviews and evaluation of written samples) will be considered for financial evaluation.

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

UNDP applies the “Best value for money approach” – the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants’ qualification and financial proposal.

Contracting Arrangements:
Successful candidates will be included into UNDP RBEC Vetted Experts Roster for Public Finance area for the period of 3 years. Entry into the expert roster system does not necessarily mean that contract with UNDP is guaranteed. This will depend on forthcoming needs. During this period, RC as a roster coordinator can regularly follow up with consultants as well as UNDP offices in ECIS on their assignments. Financial proposal (daily fee in USD) provided by the consultant is the all-inclusive maximum daily fee payable and is bound to the period of 3 years (unless the consultant applies to the roster during its re-opening).

Profiles of roster members will be published at UNDP internal platform and accessible to UNDP RC and COs.

Where a request for services arises, the UNDP office shall directly contact the consultant with the most appropriate experience from the roster without the need for further selection process, although additional selection procedures might be applied (i.e. verification interview or a request for a lump sum price quotation). The regional/international consultant will notify the UNDP unit/office of his/her availability within 3 working days. A specific Terms of Reference outlining the outputs for each assignment shall be provided and an Individual Contract (IC) will be issued to the consultant, detailing the timeframe directly by the contracting unit/office. Conditions of a particular assignment may be negotiable.

Payments:
Payments will be made as specified in the actual contract upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Application procedures:
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter, including applicant's interest and qualifications for the advertised position. The letter should be pasted into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Publications and other written samples of your work focused on public finance related areas preferably in English. Publications in the Slovak language will be accepted.
A current completed P11 form in English (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc). P11 form should, among other things, include names and contacts of at least three references and clearly indicate names of former and current supervisors (if applicable); in case of freelance consultants – list of partner institutions and contact details of projects supervisors. A file (in .doc, .docx or .pdf format) containing the most updated P11 form scanned and uploaded into the system upon completion of the online application.
Financial Proposal – all-inclusive daily fee in USD.

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.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
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.

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.

The website of the Public Finance for Development programme is: http://publicfinance.undp.sk