UNDP Jobs - 72024- International consultant for development of data-c

International consultant for development of data-collection framework for collecting data on violence against women and domestic violence

Location :

Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

17-May-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Estimated 17 days (4 days for two in-country missions, and 13 days home based)

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

UNDP is in the initial phase of the implementation of the project Preparing for the ratification of the “Istanbul Convention”: Adopting better policies and practices to eliminate violence against women. The purpose of the project is to assist the country’s institutions to prepare for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and to provide national authorities with a sequenced assessment of the revisions in law, policy and practice that are needed to ensure fully compliant implementation.

This project focuses on several key areas and envisages the following interventions:

Creation of data collection methodology needed to monitor gender-based violence in line with the concepts and standards of the Istanbul Convention;
Development of pilot sexual violence referral centres and exploring of alternative modes of operation of shelters for victims of domestic violence, and, improvement of, and access to a coordinated set of essential multi-sectoral services in a gender-sensitive and rights-based fashion;
Implementation of a sustained campaign of both public and targeted advocacy with the aim of building momentum for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and, more broadly, to engage the public in efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women; and
Drawing on the project outcomes, provide a more strategic and coordinated response to violence against women, through preparation of a situation analysis and action plan aimed at presenting, in sequence (step by step), the legal changes, policy revisions and practical improvements needed to implement the Convention, together with an informed estimate of the costs.

Article11 of the Istanbul Convention obligates the CoE member states to set adequate data collection systems that will ensure collection, analysis and publication of the following data: disaggregated relevant statistical data collected at regular intervals on cases of all forms of violence against women and domestic violence ( VAW and DV), conduct research in the field of all forms of VAW and DV in order to study its root causes and effects, incidences and conviction rates, as well as the efficacy of the preventive measures, population-based surveys at regular intervals to assess the prevalence of and trends in all forms of VAW and DV.

Therefore, Output 1 of the project is focusing on organizing a series of workshops that will assist the country in defining a data-collection framework including a set of minimum common data categories required for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV country. Consequently, the framework will define the required data systems that need to be set-up by public authorities such as the judiciary, the police and social welfare services that go beyond the internal procedures requirements of the agency. The minimum requirement is to record data on victims and perpetrators disaggregated by sex, age, type of violence as well as the relationship of the perpetrator to the victim, geographical location, as well as other factors deemed relevant by country such as disability. Recorded data should also contain information on conviction rates of perpetrators of all forms of violence covered by the scope of this Convention, including the number of protection orders issued.
The country has already been supported by UNFPA and other UN agencies in setting up data-collection framework on domestic violence in cooperation with Institute for social affairs across other agencies. This framework needs to be updated in line with the newly developed Law on Prevention and Protection of Domestic Violence 2015 and the Istanbul Convention standards.
The framework will also provide guidelines for establishing effective communication channels for information and data sharing between different services and creation of observatories on violence against women which has already proven to be able to collect a vast variety of data. Modes of sharing these data with other countries to stimulate international co-operation and enable international benchmarking will also be identified. Representatives from various ministries, centers for Social Affairs, the State Statistical Office, women’s NGOs and other relevant stakeholders will be invited to take active part in the workshops.
In that context, UNDP wishes to identify an international consultant that will work on development of data-collection framework including a set of minimum common data categories required for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV in the country in line with the concepts and standards of the Istanbul Convention. The international consultant will be supported by a national consultant during the assignment, will report to the Project Manager and the project Gender Specialist and will work under the overall guidance of the Programme Analyst of the UNDP Democratic Governance Unit.

Objectives

The overall objective of the assignment is to support development of data-collection framework including a set of minimum common data categories required for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV in the country in line with the standards of the Istanbul Convention.
The purpose of data collection including both, administrative and survey data including research, is to build the knowledge base necessary to combat VAW and DV in a more coordinated information-based manner.

Duties and Responsibilities

The international consultant is expected to complete the following tasks within 17 working days in the period from 20 May 2017 until 30 November 2017:

Desk review of comparative practices and models of data collection and research on violence against women and domestic violence (to be carried out in May 2017, estimated 4 days in total)

The home-based desk work shall include comparative review of the legislative and institutional frameworks in relevant institutions (centre for social work, police, health institutions and legally authorised civil society organizations) of different countries, with focus on CEDAW and Istanbul Convention standards (special focus on Article 11), related to data collection and research on VAW and DV. More specifically, the consultant shall provide advice and guidance on the measurement framework and data collection tools needed for generating, storing and analysing relevant administrative and survey data pertinent to VAW and DV. The analysis shall focus on all forms of violence against women coved by the IC and defined in Article 3, including all nine forms of this type of violence separately defined in Articles 33 – 40 as substantive law.

Attention shall be given on the models and methods of work in at least 3 countries (EU member states and developing countries from the region) that have undergone the same or similar process.

Guidance and advice shall be provided by UNDP in a coordinated fashion. Background materials and lessons learned will also be provided by the project team and developed by UNDP, UNFPA and UN Women Country Offices. The international consultant will be in constant coordination with the national consultant and with relevant representatives from different stakeholders involved in this activity.

First in-country mission (estimated 2 days in total, to be carried out in June 2017)

During the first in-country mission, the consultant shall work closely with UNDP, national consultant and representatives from relevant institutions and ministries (State Statistical Office, Institute for Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and social Policy, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Women’s NGOs etc.) towards finalising the situation analysis and the suggested model of data collection on VAW and DV. Bilateral meetings with relevant institutions will be organized if needed.

During the mission, the consultant shall assist UNDP and the relevant stakeholders in better understanding and defining the essential aspects of the international standards pertinent to data collection on VAW and DV with the diversity of models and normative and institutional solutions. She/he, in close cooperation with the national consultant, will present the international minimum standards before the national relevant institutions and stakeholders. The international consultant will closely work with the national consultant and with the relevant institutions.

Online consultation and support (during the entire period of the assignment, not exceeding 1 day)

Based on her/his previous assessment and knowledge gained from the in-country mission the consultant shall work on assessing and developing the best model of data collection framework on VAW and DV in cooperation with the national consultant, UNDP and representatives from relevant institutions and ministries. The consultant will provide technical guidance on formulation, design, planning and implementation of the best practice model of data collection framework for VAW and DV. Main consultations will be focused on provision of solutions based on international good practices and standards and their adaptation to the local context.

Second in-country mission (estimated 2 days in total, to be realized in September 2017)

During the second in-country mission the consultant will discuss the draft framework on data collection and research on VAW and DV focusing on, but not limited to: defining the categories of data for collection, frequency of data collection and availability of the data to the public. She/he will give technical guidance on formulation, design, planning and way of future country interventions in the area of data collection and research on VAW and DV. Bilateral meetings with relevant institutions will be organized if needed.

Preparation of data-collection framework for collecting comprehensive public data on violence against women and domestic violence in the country; and Preparation of final report of the assignment (end of October 2017, not exceeding 8 days)

The international consultant is expected to lead, in coordination with the national consultant and representatives from relevant institutions (in-country missions and online), the entire process of development of the data-collection framework including a set of minimum common data categories required for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV in the country. In more detail the data collection framework shall include analysis/answers but not limit to the following questions:

Is data collected by all publicly funded agencies which assist victims and prevent violence?
Is data collected using surveys?
Is data collected using the same categories?
Is data collected regularly?
Are there any funded programmes of research on the root causes and effects of violence against women?
Are data and analyses made available to the public?
Is there an official body (or bodies) responsible for co-ordinating the collection, analysis and dissemination of data?

At the end of the assignment, the international consultant is expected to submit Final Report ( with recommendations and lessons learned) and data collection framework for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV in the country.

The consultant is expected to be familiar with the following: Council of Europe (2011a), Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention); Council of Europe (2011b), Istanbul Convention Explanatory Report; EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) (2014a), Questionnaire on legislative and other measures giving effect to the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) - GREVIO, Administrative data sources on gender-based violence against women in the EU: Current status and potential for the collection of comparable data; EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) (2014b), Mapping the current status and potential of administrative data sources on gender-based violence in the EU; EIGE (European Institute for Gender Equality) (2014c), Gender Equality Index; FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights) (2014), Violence Against Women: An EU-wide Survey; UNDAW (United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women) (2010); Handbook for Legislation on Violence Against Women; United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (2014), Guidelines for Producing Statistics on Violence Against Women: Statistical Surveys, UN; UNODC (United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime) (2015), International Classification of Crimes for Statistical Purposes).

Deliverables

The following deliverables shall be produced by the consultant:

Desk Review Report which will be used for preparation of the Final Report and for the key findings on the data-collection framework for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV (two weeks prior to first country visit)
First in-country mission report (within two weeks after the country visit)
Second in-country mission report (within two weeks after the country visit)
Data-Collection Framework for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV (end of October 2017)
Final Report of the assignment (end of October 2017)

The final assignment report and data collection framework should be focused, concise and results-oriented.

Reporting

Throughout the assignment, the consultant shall report to the Project Manager and Gender Specialist of the Preparing for the ratification of the “Istanbul Convention”: Adopting better policies and practices to eliminate violence against women project and work under the overall guidance of the Programme Analyst of the Democratic Governance Unit UNDP.

UNDP, in coordination with UNFPA and UN Women, shall provide to the consultant electronic copies of all relevant documents for the country, such as legislation, statistics and other materials/studies/reports (whenever available – In English), as well as answer to all assignment-related expert’ questions prior to the in-country mission.

UNDP will prepare and organize the missions of the consultant.

Duration of assignment

The assignment shall be completed in the period from 20 May 2017 to 30 November 2017.

The overall duration of the assignment covered by this ToR has been estimated not to exceed 17 days, including first (2 days) and second (2 days) mission in the country and 13 days related desk-work and online consultation to review documentation and finalize final report and data-collection framework for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV.

Payment schedule

The payment of consultants on this project will be done in three instalments – one payment after submission of the Desk Review Report, a second upon completion of both in country mission reports and a final payment upon submission of the data collection framework and the final report as indicated in the ToR, including certification of actual days worked.

The payment will be based on a daily rate (one-day consisting of eight working hours) indicated in the Individual Contract.

First payment: Payment of 4 working days of the total contract amount will be made within two weeks upon successful submission of the Desk Review Report (Deliverable 1)
Second payment: Payment of 2 working days and travel related expenses will be made within two weeks upon successful submission of the First in country mission report (Deliverable 2)
Third payment: Payment of 2 working days and travel related expenses will be made within two weeks upon successful submission of the Second in country mission report (Deliverables 3)
Final payment: Payment of the remaining 9 days of the contract amount will be made upon successful submission of the final report on the assignment and final data-collection framework for collecting comprehensive public data on VAW and DV (Deliverables 4 and 5). This payment includes the online consultations component.

Competencies

Shows strong analytical skills;
Applies the GBV Guiding Principles (safety, confidentiality, respect, non-discrimination);
Applies, promotes, and integrates gender analysis and intersectionality in humanitarian programmes;
Demonstrates excellent organizational skills and proven ability to deliver consultancy products within deadlines;
Writes clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences;
Speaks clearly and convincingly, demonstrating strong presentation skills in meetings;
Listens actively, acknowledging and responding constructively to other points of view.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

Advanced degree in Social Sciences, Statistical Studies, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Human Rights, Sociology or related field.

Professional Experience:

At least 10 years of experience in research, baseline surveys, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis in the area of VAW and DV;
At least 5 years of practical working experience as a consultant and advisor in international context and/or 7 years as a management-level official in data collection on VAW and DV;
Experience in conducting at least two similar assessments/drafting documents related to data-collection in the area of VAW and DV;
Knowledge of, and experience in using and adjusting relevant international standards, to a specific context, to prevent and respond to violence against women and domestic violence is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

Excellent writing, editing and oral communication skills in English.

Application procedure

Step 1:

Click on the "Apply now" button
Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation; You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box;
Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload other required documents listed in the step 2.

Step 2:

The system will allow only one attachment. Therefore, please upload all documents listed below as one file.
The Consultant is expected to provide the following:

A short summary (up to 1000 words maximum) of their expertise relevant to this assignment, the reasons why they consider themselves the best candidates for this consultancy;
Personal CV or P11, indicating experience from similar projects and contact details of the clients;
Financial offer all inclusive– specifying a total lump sum in USD for the assignment specified in the TOR.
List of at least two similar assessments/drafting documents related to data-collection in the area of VAW and DV.

In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of the offers, the financial offer shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount:

number of working days per task
daily fee in USD
costs of travel from home base to Skopje (two return airplane tickets) by most direct and economical route.
Living allowance. Living allowance is recognized only for overnight stay in the duty station. Living allowance cannot exceed UN official DSA rate for Skopje of 167 USD

The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Consultant are already factored in the financial proposal.
Failing to submit any of these documents may result in disqualification of the application.

Expected local travel

For the purposes of the implementation of the assignment, the Consultant is expected to travel to individual and working group meetings. Please note that UNDP will be responsible for organising the local travel.

Evaluation of offers

Consultants will be evaluated based on Combined Scoring Method, taking into account a combination of the applicants’ qualification and financial proposal (70% technical and 30% financial offer). When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the supplier whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

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.

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

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation (max. 70 points)

Advanced degree in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Development Studies, Human Rights, Sociology or related field. Maximum points obtainable: 10
At least 10 years of experience in research, baseline surveys, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis in the area of VAW and DV. Maximum points obtainable: 20
At least 5 years of practical working experience as a consultant and advisor in international context and/or 7 years as a management-level official in data collection on VAW and DV. Maximum points obtainable: 20
Experience in conducting at least two similar assessments/drafting documents related to data-collection in the area of VAW and DV. Maximum points obtainable:15
Knowledge of, and experience in using and adjusting relevant international standards, to a specific context, to prevent and respond to VAW and DV is an advantage. Maximum points obtainable:5

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and it equals to 30. All other financial offers will be evaluated and will have points assigned, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded the contract.

Please note that shortlisted candidates might be interviewed