Background
Officially launched in 2005, UNDP’s ART Initiative evolved from a handful of programmes focused on the local level in support of Sustainable Human Development (SHD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into a mainstreamed global UNDP initiative that tackles multiple sectors and operates at multiple levels, making a difference in the territories while influencing and contributing to global development policy discussions. For over a decade now, UNDP ART and its multiple partners have been developing, fine-tuning and applying contextualizing innovative cooperation modalities that have proven instrumental in bringing different development actors together to deliver results at the local level work for common goals and visions.
The Initiative aims at advancing Sustainable Human Development (SHD) at the local level in its economic, social and environmental dimensions. To do so, it implements a territorial development approach that promotes innovative Decentralized, South-South and Triangular cooperation partnerships, and offers specific instruments for reinforcing development cooperation impact and sustainability, thereby addressing the challenge of having multiple actors working under a common strategy. All initiatives are carried out under a territorial perspective that is aligned to national development strategies and local priorities, therefore promoting linkages between the local, national and international levels. Through this “territorial lens”, the territory is the starting point of all interventions; its endogenous potential, identity and priorities are considered through inclusive and participatory processes that result in integrated interventions.
UNDP launched the ART Initiative in 2005 to support countries to accelerate progress on the MDGs at local level. In 2010 the Initiative was formalized as a global UNDP programme (2011 to 2014) under BDP and BERA’s joint management. Since then, ART’s integrated approach (its methodology and tools) has been progressively mainstreamed within UNDP’s local governance and local development (LGLD) strategies and programmes, at corporate as well as country level. ART initially launched four Framework Programmes in 2005; since then the Initiative has worked in about 25 countries. With its unparalleled network of over 600 Decentralized Cooperation (DC) partners ART has also broadened UNDP’s partner base and positioned UNDP as the entry point for Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) and DC actors to the multilateral system. Specific emphasize was laid on developing a more structured relationship with LRGs and associations thereof.
2015 marked the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the new universal and more complex 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, defining a new plan of action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and achieve sustainable prosperity for all. To guide its implementation, the Agenda sets 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs – and 169 related targets to be reached by 2030. 2015 was also characterized by the launch of the new programme phase of the ART Initiative, which, building on the successful experiences, strategies and mechanisms developed over the last 10 years, aspired to link territories’ development paths to international policies and actors, and vice versa, in view of advancing towards the implementation of the SDGs at the local level.
Over the years, important progress has been made in systematizing and disseminating the experiences accumulated across the international, national and local levels and in improving access to strategic issues. To further build and capitalize on the past decade of experience, a publication on the experiences and the programmes implemented in the various countries shall be produced.
Duties and Responsibilities
Overall objective:
Elaborate a publication on the 12 years of experience of the UNDP ART Initiative. The text is expected to present through the voice of the protagonists both “what" has been done but also "how"; it should outline the results, emphasizing the analogies and differences between the problems and the needs expressed by local stakeholders and the mechanisms found to promote and implement innovative solutions from the territories to tackle complex challenges. The new development agenda and its related changes in cooperation frameworks and paradigms shall be used as crosscutting reference.
Expected outputs and deliverables:
Based on the contributions of the ART Initiative team, the contractor will produce the publication on 12 years ART Initiative. The document’s content and presentation will be defined in close coordination with the ART Initiative team.
The consultant will – in close cooperation with the Art initiative team - identify key elements that marked the implementation of the initiative, interview key stakeholders, analyze documents that have been produced and through these resources, construct a systematized view of the ART Initiative, which can be of relevance for the future of the initiative and for the attainment of the new development objectives (the Sustainable Development Goals) at local level.
The document will provide an overview of the ART Initiative’s work on selected thematic areas such as the concept of territorial approach; territorial partnerships; local economic development; effective policy instruments; qualitative and quantitative impact measures; capacity building for a paradigm shift in sustainable development pathways; ownership versus substitutive cooperation, but also the importance of a coordinated and integrated approach, among others. The publication should include specific examples of activities and results achieved by the ART Initiative and its country programmes.
Key dates of expected deliverables:
- Review ART Initiative related documents and other publication materials that have been produced by the initiative or relevant partners over the years.
- Draft outline of the publication (content, structure, etc.) - by the end of June
- Interviews/phone calls with key stakeholders (with a possible participation in a major event gathering key stakeholders) - by the end of July
- Elaboration of a first draft of text to be submitted for comments and suggestions - by mid-August
- Final text (not more than 30 pages) - by the end of September
Estimated working days: up to 40 days over a period of around six months.
Final deliverables:
12 Years of the ART Initiative in English.
Competencies
Corporate competences:
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Functional competences:
- Ability to structure a task in terms of the analytic/investigative process and to produce a well-structured output;
- Ability to work in a team;
- In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues including gender equality and empowerment issues, as well as a good knowledge of the inter linkages between the social, economic, environmental and cultural dimensions of sustainable development;
- Openness to change and ability to receive / integrate feedback;
- Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
- Excellent communication and writing skills;
- Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP;
- Good knowledge of UNDP programming modalities;
- Good understanding of local development challenges of developing countries and the decentralize cooperation actors;
- Ability to compile information from a variety of sources and synthesize it in a coherent structure;
- Ability to conceptualize issues and analyze data;
- Knowledge of the ART methodology;
- Demonstrates strong IT skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced Degree (or equivalent degree/experience) in Communications, Development or International Relations, or a related field.
Experience:
- Minimum five (5) years of experience in drafting professional communication.
Language:
- Excellent spoken and writing skills in English and Spanish; knowledge of French an asset.
Application Submission Process:
The application submission is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications:
Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all documents in a single file).
- Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience of similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional referees (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc
- An updated curriculum vitae.
- Sample of a report or similar product drafted by the candidate.
Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal
Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals in US Dollars for this consultancy to procurement.be@undp.org using the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780. The proposals should be sent via email with the following subject heading: “Financial Proposal/ART Initiative knowledge products-deadline 29th May 2017. Proposals received after the deadline will be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal. No travel expenses will be involved as this is a home-based assignment.
Application Evaluation Process:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where 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 technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
Technical Criteria weight: [70%]
Financial Criteria weight: [30%]
Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) on the Technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:
- Candidate demonstrates full understanding of ToR - 20 points
- Candidate has relevant experience in textbooks and articles writing – 30 points
- Candidate has relevant experience in communicating for development – 20 points
- Candidate’s portfolio and samples of chapters delivered for similar reports/producs/books / - 30 points
Financial Criteria – 30% of total evaluation – maximum 30 points:
The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:
p = y (µ/z), where
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
z = price of the proposal being evaluated
UNDP will apply a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their price proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. Please go the following link for the General Conditions of Individual Contracts:
UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.
Payments will be made only upon confirmation by UNDP that contract obligations have been delivered 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.
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.