UNDP Jobs - 72426- Consultant for Support to Local Development Strate

Consultant for Support to Local Development Strategies Action Planning and Reporting in Celinac, Novi Grad and Živinice

Location :

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

June 2017– end of May 2018 (maximum 52 working days)

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

Purpose
The purpose of the consultancy is to contribute to setting in function the development management systems in three targeted local governments in BiH – namely Celinac, Novi Grad and Živinice. In this regard, a Consultant for Local Development Strategies Action Planning and Reporting Support (hereinafter the Consultant), will be engaged.

Objective
The consultancy objective is to provide expert support to three local governments in the process of strengthening their development management systems via supporting three-year operational planning and annual reporting. Based on the adopted local government development strategies and their initial implementation plans for 2017-2019, as well as the existing and emerging regulatory frameworks for development planning and reporting, the consultancy is expected to result in a draft procedure for planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting (PPVI) as well as tools/ formats for implementing the procedure. Additionally, the consultancy will provide on-the-job training for operationalization of the PPVI.

Background Information
The consultancy is planned within the Local Integrated Development (LID) Project (2016 – 2018). The project is primarily funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by UNDP BiH. As part of the UNDP BiH’s Rural and Regional Development Sector’s portfolio, the LID Project has an overall objective to raise the standards of living, and improve social cohesion in Bosnia and Herzegovina through inclusive sustainable socio-economic development. LID interventions are streamlined along two main pillars: governance, and economic development and job creation. LID will work with 21 selected local governments, grouped together in 4 geographic clusters in the areas primarily affected by floods and areas with a large percentage of returnees/internally displaced persons. The main beneficiaries of the project are 21 local governments, 30 MSMEs and 300 rural households, 50 civil society organizations and grass-root citizens’ groups in target communities, 5,000 members of socially excluded and vulnerable groups, and 3 relevant higher government level institutions. The main national partners are the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, the RS Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government, the FBiH Ministry of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts and both entity Associations of Municipalities and Cities.
Within its first pillar, LID Project supported partner local governments in development and implementation of integrated local development strategies. Successful implementation of these strategies will require transformation within their administrative organisation, coordination and functioning to ensure effective local development management structure with capacities to ensure overall coordination and implementation of strategic priorities, enable live interaction between various local governments' departments as well as coordination with external stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

The LID support under this consultancy will be process-based aiming to systematically build local governments’ knowledge and skills related to local development management processes and sub-processes, thus enabling their independent replication in future. Local development management cycle consists of several core stages, namely: local strategic planning, strategy operationalisation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and revision.
While targeted local governments received comprehensive technical assistance throughout the local strategic planning process in 2016, the assistance under this consultancy will primarily focus on the next stages – i.e. – strategy operationalisation, including monitoring, reporting and evaluation.
The process-based assistance related to operationalisation and implementation of local development strategies within the 3 targeted local governments needs to take into consideration the specific context of each locality, to be fully aligned with the municipal operational and financial planning processes, as well as in line with the existing legal frameworks at the local level.
In the scope of this process, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:

Task 1: Review and analysis of the existing strategic, operational and institutional frameworks for targeted local governments and development of a Work Plan for each local government
To perform the assignments under this consultancy, the Consultant will need to undertake several preparatory steps.
Firstly, the Consultant is expected to review existing strategic documents (integrated strategies, including, where available, defined implementation modalities), and relevant operational and institutional frameworks and legislative acts for local governments subject to assistance under this consultancy.
All available documents will also be shared by UNDP/LID. Thus, the Consultant will become familiar with the existing relevant materials, templates and concepts providing him/her with an overview of the situation in each local government in terms of development planning and management. After the review of above mentioned documents, the Consultant will prepare the draft procedure for planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting (PPVI) for each partner municipality, to include tools based on templates provided by UNDP/LID. The draft procedures and tools will be reviewed and approved by the LID project.

Secondly, the Consultant will propose a detailed Work Plan for each local government (methodology for the entire process-based assistance, including type, dynamics, sequence and time-flow of activities). More specifically, the Consultant will:

Prepare draft Consultancy Work Plan for each local government;
Present the draft Consultancy Work Plan to the LID Project Team, provide justification, collect recommendations;
Finalize the Consultancy Work Plan and after validation/approval by LID.

Task Inputs:

The local development strategy;
Written report on functional assessment of the existing institutional and operational capacities in local government;
Newly adopted rulebooks on internal organisation and systematisation (where available);
Relevant policies and operational framework including local government’s internal regulations;
Calendar of local development management activities (JURA calendar) - template;
Guidelines for PPVI procedure for local government annual planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting cycle;
Example of PPVI procedure from other local government in BiH,
Examples of annual work plan for entire local government and annual departmental plans ;
Sectoral and Macro Indicators (SMI) excel table - template;
Excel table for monitoring of project implementation;
Example and template of the report on the implementation of local strategy.

Outputs (responsibility of the Consultant):

The Consultancy Work Plan for each local government;
Draft of JURA calendar for each local government;
Draft of PPVI procedure for each local government.

It is envisaged that this task will be delivered by mid of June 2017 and the level of effort will not exceed 9 expert days.

Task 2: Support the establishment and strengthening of the framework for the local development management process
Once the outputs from task 1 are approved by the LID project, the Consultant will ensure that the draft documents are presented to each local government. It is of key importance that the JURA calendar and PPVI procedure are considered and endorsed by local governments’ leadership, therefore the Consultant will organize (with support of LID project) a visit to each local government for presentation of a document and procedure.
After the presentation of the draft documents, local development team from each local government will start working on the final procedure, tools and plans that will be applied in their local governments. The Consultant will ensure regular e-mail and telephone communication and collection of feedback after the visits.
Final procedure, tools and plans will be sent to the Consultant for review/improvement. It is expected that the Consultant will provide technical and expert assistance (incl. guidance, expert inputs, facilitation and quality assurance of products) to local governments throughout this process.
Inputs:

Draft of JURA calendar for each local government;
Draft of PPVI procedure for each local government.

Outputs (responsibility of the Consultant):

Organized workshop/consultative meeting in each local government;
Finalized JURA calendar for each local government;
Finalized PPVI procedure for each local government;

It is envisaged that the task will be delivered by the beginning of July 2017 and the level of effort will not exceed 6 expert days.

Task 3: Review of 2017 annual work plan and its alignment with the local government budget
Each integrated local development strategy calls for 3-year implementation and financial plans. In order to ensure sound operational grounds for effective operationalisation and follow-up implementation of the strategy, these need to be i) reviewed, discussed, revised (if needed) and agreed by the local leadership and teams for the period 2017– 2019; ii) the financial framework of the 3-year implementation plan needs to be aligned with the local government budget 2017 – 2019; and iii) the list of priorities and projects identified for 2017 need to be assigned as direct responsibility to all relevant local government departments/public institutions (and, where necessary – external socio-economic partners) and transformed into concrete departmental annual work plans. This process needs to be framed by procedural guidelines tailored and gradually anchored within local administrations, allowing for cyclical annual departmental planning, monitoring and implementation of both projects, as well as regular functional responsibility of municipal/city departments. In that light, the Consultant is expected to provide technical and expert assistance (incl. guidance, expert inputs, facilitation, on-the-job coaching and quality assurance of products) to local administrations to effectively go through these steps.
Inputs:

The local development strategy (to be provided by local governments).
Draft 2017 – 2019 implementation and financial plans (to be provided by local governments);
2017 local governments` budgets;
List of priorities and projects identified for 2017 after the initial 2017-2019 implementation and financial plan was prepared;
Relevant departmental planning documents and reports (to screen the practice from previous years);
PPVI procedure including the templates for the annual departmental work plans, prepared under tasks 1 and 2.

Outputs (responsibility of the Consultant):

Finalized 2017 – 2019 implementation plans agreed by each local development team and leadership, outlining annual 2017 priorities and projects.
The financial framework of the 2017 implementation plan aligned with the 2017 local government budget (including realistic forecast of anticipated funding from other external sources).
The 2017 annual implementation plan is transformed into concrete departmental work plans, thus ensuring administrative responsibility for realisation of identified priorities.

The Consultant is expected to organise a minimum of two coaching sessions (up to 3 hours) in each local government; it is envisaged that this will be delivered in July 2017.
The level of effort for Task 3 will not exceed 11 expert days.

Task 4: Preparation of 2018 annual work plan aligned with the local government budget
The fourth task will focus on formulation of following year`s operational and financial framework (originating from the already existing strategic priorities) and in that regard the Consultant is expected to:
i) support the preparation of a draft 2018 – 2020 implementation plan comprising both priorities from all development sectors, as well as their financial outlook; ii) ensure linkage between the draft 2018-2020 implementation plan and its financial outlook and the local government budget for 2018 (including indicative financial outlook 2019 and 2020, as well as a realistic projection of the scope of external sources funding); iii) assign priorities and projects identified for 2018 to relevant local government departments/public institutions (and, where necessary – external socio-economic partners) and transform them into draft departmental annual work plans for 2018.
Inputs:

The local development strategy (to be provided by local governments).
Draft 2017 – 2019 implementation and financial plans (to be provided by local governments);
Framework budgetary document (DOB ) for 2018-2020
Reports and monitoring data on projects that have been implemented since the adoption of local development strategy (to be provided by local governments);
2017 departmental work plans;

Outputs (responsibility of the Consultant):

The draft 2018– 2020 implementation plan comprising priorities from all development sectors, as well as their financial outlook is designed, validated by local leadership and serves as an entry-point for preparation of the local government budget for 2018.
The draft local government budget for 2018 is aligned with the defined strategic priorities for the same period
The 2018 annual implementation plan is transformed into concrete departmental work plans, thus ensuring administrative responsibility for realisation of identified priorities.
2018 (annual) local government and its departmental plans for all relevant departments/units within local administrations, (originating from the 2018 – 2020 implementation plan) developed, while this process is based on a standard PPVI procedure for annual planning, monitoring and reporting within local administrations.

For task 4, the Consultant is expected to organise a minimum of two coaching sessions (up to 3 hours) in each local government.
Task 4 will be delivered from beginning of September until late December 2017. The level of effort will not exceed 11 expert days.

Task 5: Improving knowledge and skills for strategy monitoring, annual reporting and operational and financial planning
Review of annual progress and level of implementation of the strategy in 2017 is paramount to the success of local development management. Current monitoring and evaluation regimes are rudimentary and are restricted to a simple comparison between the number of projects planned versus the number of projects implemented. No reference is made to the identified strategy sectoral indicators, or broader development impact. Therefore, local governments need to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for effective monitoring and evaluation to enable an accurate assessment of local governments` achievements against their development objectives.
The Consultant is thus expected to support local governments in i) formulating a clear and concise report on the implementation of the local development strategy since its adoption, particularly for 2017; ii) drafting a clear and concise report on the implementation of the local government work plan for 2017 (based on the information from departmental annual plans for 2017). iii) providing capacity development of relevant local government staff in monitoring. To this end, the envisaged type of assistance includes: expert advice, on-the-job-coaching, facilitation and training, as well as quality assurance of the products and processes.
Inputs:

Local development strategies 2017 -2026 and its 2017 - 2019 implementation plans, including clearly set indicators (to be provided by local governments);
The 2017 local governments work plan and departmental work plans;
Set of key baseline indicators (SMI table) originating from the situation analysis and sectoral and operational plan of local strategies (to be prepared and provided by local governments);
A general template for strategy implementation annual report (to be provided by the LID);
Local governments PPVI procedure that include formats for annual work plans and reports (to be provided by local governments).

Outputs: (responsibility of the consultant):

A clear, concise and user-friendly report on the implementation of the strategy in each target local government is designed and presented to local leadership and community stakeholders, with focus on realisation of 2017 priorities (based on prepared simple monitoring tools and populated implementation data);
A clear, concise and user-friendly report on the implementation of local government departmental unit annual work plans for 2017 in each target local government.

For task 5, the Consultant is expected to organise a minimum of two coaching sessions (up to 3 hours) in each local government.
It is envisaged that this task will be delivered from February to end of May 2018 and the level of effort will not exceed 15 expert days.
The entire service will be delivered in the languages of peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES
UNDP LID Project team will closely oversee service provision, work in close and continuous cooperation and coordination with the Consultant.
The service deliverables, including papers and all relevant materials, will be available for future use within the LID Project and by the relevant stakeholders, as well as by UNDP and other projects in the field of local governance.
The expected timeframe for the service is from June 2017 to end of May 2018.

The Consultant is responsible for the following deliverables:

Deliverables (outputs) Timelines and level of effort

Task 1: Review and analysis of the existing strategic, operational and institutional frameworks for targeted local governments and development of a Work Plan for each local government

The Consultancy Work Plan for each local government;
Draft of JURA calendar for each local government;
Draft of PPVI procedure for each local government. By mid – June 2017,9 expert days

Task 2: Support the establishment and strengthening of the framework for local development management process

Organized workshop in each local government;
Finalized JURA calendar for each local government;
Finalized PPVI procedure for each local government; Mid-June – beginning of July, 6 expert days

Task 3: Review of 2017 annual work plan and its alignment with the local government budget

Final 2017 – 2019 implementation plans agreed by each local development team and leadership, particularly outlining annual 2017 priorities and projects.
The financial framework of the 2017 implementation plan is aligned with the 2017 local government budget (including realistic forecast of anticipated funding from other external sources).
The 2017 annual implementation plan is transformed into concrete departmental work plans, thus ensuring administrative responsibility for realisation of identified priorities.
At least two brief coaching session in each local government;
On-call demand support for local governments as required. July 2017,11 expert days

Task 4: Preparation of 2018 annual work plan aligned with the local government budget

The draft 2018– 2020 implementation plan comprising priorities from all development sectors, as well as their financial perspective is designed, validated by local leadership and serves as an entry-point for preparation of the local government budget for 2018.
The draft local government budget for 2018 is aligned with the defined strategic priorities for the same period.
The 2018 annual implementation plan is transformed into concrete departmental work plans, thus ensuring administrative responsibility for realisation of identified priorities.
2018 annual local government and its departmental plans for all relevant departments/units within local administrations, (originating from the 2018 – 2020 implementation plan) developed, while this process is based on a standard PPVI procedure for annual planning, monitoring and reporting within local administrations.
At least two brief coaching session in each local government;
On-call demand support for local governments as required. Beginning of September – end of December 2017,11 expert days

Task 5: Improving knowledge and skills for strategy monitoring, and annual reporting

A clear, concise and user-friendly report on the implementation of local strategy in each target local government is designed and presented to local government leadership and community stakeholders, with focus on realisation of 2017 priorities (based on prepared simple monitoring tools and populated implementation data in these monitoring tools);
A clear, concise and user-friendly report on the implementation departmental unit annual work plans for 2017 in each target local government.
At least two brief coaching session in each local government;
On-call demand support for local governments are required. Beginning of February – end of May 2018,15 expert days

Competencies

Core values

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Shares knowledge and experience.

Core competencies

Demonstrates professional competence to meet responsibilities and post requirements and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Results-Orientation: Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations;
Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences;
Team work: Ability to interact, establish and maintain effective working relations with a culturally diverse team;
Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in development management, public administration, economics, law, political sciences, social sciences or related field.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressive experience in providing technical assistance to local governments in strategic and operational planning;
Previous experience in provision of technical assistance and training to local governments in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the area of policy design and delivery, strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of strategies is required;
Proven experience in facilitation and coaching of small groups of participants;
Proven analytical skills and ability to conceptualise and write concisely and clearly in the languages of BiH peoples;
Knowledge and previous experience at the local level within the particular local governments is considered an asset.

Language requirements:

Fluency in English and in the official languages in BiH.

Other:

Excellent computer skills (MS Office applications); ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource.

Award Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis. The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant 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 (70%) and financial (30%) criteria specific to the solicitation.

EVALUATION

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis
When using this weighted scoring method, 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.

Technical Criteria weight-70%
Financial Criteria weight- 30%

Applicants are required to submit an application including:

Completed and signed UNDP Personal History Form (downloadable from http://www.ba.undp.org/content/bosnia_and_herzegovina/en/home/operations/jobs.html);
Financial proposal indicating your consultancy fee as a lump sum (including travel expenses within targeted local governments and all other applicable fees and costs related to the assignment).

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 62 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.;
Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.