Background

The local government system in Albania has been substantially restructured since the last two years. This change began at end of 2013 with the launch of the administrative and territorial reform, which led to the reduction of Albanian local governments from 373 to 61. Several policy developments of key relevance to strengthening the local government institution and local governance in general have also followed suit in the last couple of years. Among those, of direct relevance are the national Public Administration Reform Strategy, the Decentralization and Local Governance Strategy and the new Organic Law on Local Government.

The Public Administration Strategy states, as part of its aims, the 'development of public administration, which provides high-quality services for citizens and businesses in a transparent, effective, and efficient way…'.

The Crosscutting Strategy on Decentralization and Local Governance 2015-2020 carries the ambition to create an efficient system of local self-government where the latter is empowered and able to provide quality services and manage the territorial development sustainably. The Strategy reiterates the aim for the consolidation of local human resources and their skills: 'empowering the local administration [through] the establishment of a non-bureaucratized, professional and transparent public administration … able to respond to the expectation of the business and the community for public services [and the development of] a special 'performance monitoring system' for the LGUs … to guarantee the accountability of the public administration and ensure efficient delivery of services at the local level'.

In a further articulation of the above strategic objectives, the new Law on the Organization and Functioning of Local Government introduces several novelties, including on requirements on service provision and the necessity to apply service standards and obligations for enhancing local democracy and good governance through improved transparency, accountability and participation.

In this context, in partnership with the Minister of State for Local Government, UNDP is managing a donor pooled fund named STAR2, to support the post-territorial reform consolidation of the newly established local government units and thus assist in the further consolidation of the local governance system. STAR2 project has a national coverage and supports all 61 LGUs, with its assistance designed to unfold along three main components:

1. Strengthening institutional and administrative capacities of LGUs
2. Improving service delivery at LGUs level
3. Increasing good governance through citizen oriented and meaningful participatory decision-making.

One of the main undertakings of STAR2 project is the design, development and deployment of a one-stop-shop system for service delivery at the municipal and sub-municipal levels.

The establishment of one-stop-shops for delivering administrative services and addressing other citizens’ concerns through a single window is also one of the major objectives of the Decentralization and Local Governance Strategy. Service delivery is one of the core functions of the local government and its preservation and improvement is critical for an effective local governance.  

Municipal one-stop-shop models have been rather at a piloting stage in Albania in the last couple of years. From out of 61 municipalities, 12 municipalities have been subject to piloting of four specific models based on different systems and approaches though serving a common purpose. Switzerland (5), USAID (4) and UNDP (2) have authored the first three models while the fourth one is found in one small municipality and is a result of that municipality direct engagement with a local private sector entrepreneur. 

STAR2 has assumed the challenge to support the scaling up of the one-stop-shop approach in the remaining municipalities, that is about 50 ones. And for the sake of coherence and easiness in operation, maintenance and capacity building, it is aimed to support the development of a unique model for all the remaining municipalities. In late 2016, the Government has made a choice to support and develop a model that is based on open source. This choice was based on a joint review of the three models in operation, which took place in early 2016. It should be noted that the fourth model is still in a development phase and apparently highly expensive. A very quick comparison of the three earlier models is the following:  

STAR2 project was officially launched in July 2016 and after bringing on board the necessary key project staff, made the formulation of the OSSh’s TOR a priority. TORs were developed along the requirement for being based on an open source platform and are in advanced stage since mid-March 2017.

However, recently the Government has opened another round of brainstorming around the proposed model, taking into account the experiences and problems of models that are in operation and considering other possible ways for hosing the OSSh system, but without calling into question the principle of a system based on open source. This brainstorming round is timely as this precedes the finalization of the technical package for procuring the services through international competition.

In this context, UNDP Albania, upon consultation and request from the Minister of State for Local Government, is seeking to hire ASAP a short term highly qualified international expert to advise the above brainstorming process and help finalize the OSSh Terms of Reference.

Duties and Responsibilities

Institutional arrangements 

The Consultant will work under the close supervision and coordination of UNDP and the Minister of State for Local Government.

In terms of support, the UNDP and its STAR2 Project Management Unit will facilitate the Consultant’s meetings with relevant stakeholders as well as field visits in targeted municipalities.  

Duties and Responsibilities of the Consultant

The key result expected from the Consultant is the successful finalization of the OSSh Terms of Reference, through a proper process of consultations, analysis and consensus making. The Consultant will work under the supervision of UNDP & STAR2 Project as well as closely with the Minister of State for Local Government.

Within this framework, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following tasks / activities:

• Review of the national legal and institutional framework for public service delivery and service standards; (consultations with staff at Ministry of Innovation and Public Administration and its Agency for the Delivery of Integrated Services Albania (ADISA)
• Review of functionality of existing OSS models and experiences (3 LGU models and standards applied in ADISA’s OSSh model for central government service provision);
• Consultations with various stakeholders at central and local levels (Central: Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Innovation and Public Administration, National Agency for Information Society, Agency for the Delivery of Integrated Services and other relevant institutions; Local: at least three municipalities operating the existing prototypes;
• Advise on international best practices / models of LGU OSSh and the appropriate criteria and approach to take in the Albanian context;
• Based on the above consultations, propose and develop a final version of the TOR, including all the necessary narrative and technical details, for the package to be ready for tendering.

Expected deliverables:

• A Work Plan with a proposed methodology on consultations with relevant stakeholders;

• Delivery in electronic format of the finalized Terms of Reference.

Price and schedule of payments

UNDP shall effect payments to the Consultant after acceptance by UNDP of the deliverables (with a prior clearance from the Minister of State for Local Government), submission of the corresponding invoices submitted by the Consultant, and in accordance with the following schedule of payments corresponding to the achievement of the indicated milestones and deliverables

Schedule of Payments

Duration of the assignment 

The assignment will consist of 15 working days, out of which preferably 10 days in Albania. The assignment should start as soon as possible with the initial aim to produce the desired results by the end of May 2017. 

Competencies

Core values:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

Core Competencies:

• Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to pose questions, listen, evaluate and capture opinions, suggestions and comments, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different stakeholders;
• Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions;
• Demonstrated analytical skills on issues related to limited awareness of the existence of this phenomenon, gender, trafficking, gender based violence, domestic violence, discrimination, internal migration, international migration, exploitation, victim stigmatization, media related dynamics, media power.

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to facilitate carrying out of analytical work and presentation of consolidated conclusions/recommendations
• Ability to generate creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations
• Strong technical and practical knowledge in issues related to local governance and its multi-level assessment for effectiveness and responsiveness
• Ability to work well in multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to write in a clear and concise manner
• Excellent interpersonal skills and objectivity

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Post Graduate in IT/Computer Science, Engineering, or other relevant fields;

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in managing IT projects up to successful completion
• Prior experience with consultancy and requirements analysis of one-stop-shop systems for LGUs
• Relevant professional working experience level in the area of technical support to local governance is an advantage
• Prior experience of similar development work in the region or countries in transition would be an asset

Language Requirements:

• Excellent command of written and spoken English;

Evaluation Procedure

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

• Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications / candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)
• And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

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

Criteria A:     Relevance of work experience in the area of local governance and especially if exposed to/experienced in local governance assessments in local and/or international environments – max points: 40

Criteria B:     Educational background– max points: 10

Criteria C:     Adequacy of brief proposed methodology – max points: 20

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30

Application Procedure

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• Completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability - please complete the attached form...
• Financial Proposal - specifying a total lump sum amount (working days, travel, per diems, and any other possible costs) for the tasks specified in this announcement. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of service, etc.). All envisaged international travel costs should be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.

* Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs);
• Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Due to a 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.