UNDP Jobs - 74225- Consultancy - Evaluation of the UNDP/DPKO-DFS/DPA

Consultancy - Evaluation of the UNDP/DPKO-DFS/DPA Project on UN Transitions in Mission Settings, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, Strategic Policy Unit

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

25-Sep-2017

Application Deadline :

04-Sep-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

40 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

UN transitions are high on the agenda as a number of peacekeeping and special political missions are currently planning for or undergoing drawdown, reconfiguration and withdrawal processes that greatly affect the presence and work of the wider UN. In response to increased requests from UN field presences for transition related support, UNDP, DPA, and DPKO-DFS have initiated a joint project in 2014 that seeks to ensure that UN transition processes are planned and managed in an proactive, gradual and integrated manner, thereby supporting the sustainability of peacebuilding achievements.

To achieve this objective, the project adopted a four-pronged approach: (1) direct support to field presences engaged in a transition processes; (2) capacity building to increase planning skills and other capacities related to transitions; (3) identifying, capturing and sharing lessons and good practices and developing/improving guidance; and (4) engaging in dialogue with Member States on the challenges and experiences encountered in UN transitions.

In its current form, the project will be completed in December 2017. Due to continued demand for integrated support to transition processes, the project partners are in the process of seeking a project extension that entails an evolution of the project’s scope and implementation modalities. This project evaluation is expected to contribute to this process.

Objectives

As the project concludes in December 2017, the project partners seek to hire a consultant to carry out an independent project evaluation. The evaluation should be guided by the OECD evaluation criteria, with particular emphasis being placed on the project’s relevance, efficiency, and effectiveness by focusing on (1) the demand for integrated support to UN transition processes, (2) whether key project deliverables were met, (3) the project infrastructure and how it supported project implementation, and (4) the impact of the project on UN transition processes in priority countries as well as at UNHQ.
Given that UNDP, DPA and DPKO-DFS are seeking to extend the project beyond 2017 and since this process entails developing an improved project proposal that reflects lessons and good practices from project implementation hitherto, the main purpose of the evaluation should be identify how support to UN transition processes can be improved going forward. This includes focusing on the sustainability of the project and identifying suggestions to further mainstream UN transitions into integrated assessment and planning processes, as well as highlighting areas where further support or initiatives are needed

Duties and Responsibilities

Requirements

UNDP requires the services of a consultant for a period of 40 working days to undertake the evaluation and draft the evaluation report. The consultant should have the followings:

Extensive background in designing and carrying out project evaluations
Experience in the areas of peacekeeping and peacebuilding as well as with UN integration
Familiarity with qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection
Capability of independently leading and conducting interviews
Strong drafting and analytical skills

Methodology

The consultant should develop the evaluation methodology - it should include, but not be limited to, a document review as well as key informant interviews. A visit to NY as well as a field visit should be undertaken to one of the project priority countries (Liberia). The consultant should also develop a suggested evaluation approach for the next iteration of the project (i.e. for 2018/19) that can be included in the updated project proposal from the outset.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Activities and Outputs

The Consultant, in close consultation with the Technical Project Team (i.e. the Project Manager and Focal Points) and under the guidance of the Project Steering Committee, will develop the evaluation approach, formulate a data collection and analysis strategy, and conduct an in-depth review of the activities carried out as part of the UN Transition Project over the past three years. The evaluation is expected to arrive at evidence-based findings that will help identify whether the UN Transition Project achieved what it set out to do. Accordingly, this evaluation should contribute to the UN’s understanding of effective practices and areas for further improvement in planning and managing transition processes. Required tasks and outputs include:

a) Develop an inception paper that outlines a project evaluation approach/methodology and a data collection plan (e.g. scope, data collection, timelines) to evaluate the following aspects:

• Project implementation

• Project impact

• Project architecture

b) Undertake an extensive document review of available guidance and lessons learned documents related to transition processes in the project priority countries;

c) Conduct key informant interviews, including senior managers and staff at UN Headquarters and in field missions (Liberia through a field visit and the other project priority countries through remote interviews), as well as other data collection methods and capture findings in writing;

d) Identify key issues, trends, and recurrent problems related to the implementation of the project and articulate suggestions of how to improve the mainstreaming of transition in the UN going forward;

e) Present preliminary findings to project leadership and key stakeholders and conduct a one- to two-day reflection and planning session that will help with the articulation of the updated project proposal and the associated monitoring/evaluation approach;

DELIVERY TIMELINE

The consultancy work required for this evaluation is 40 working days to be undertaken over the period from 25 September to 17 November 2017 (as per approved contract).

Competencies

Substantive and technical expertise in one or more of the following issues:

Experience in designing and carrying out project evaluations in the area of peace, security, or peacebuilding.
Good understanding of UN integration issues, particularly in crisis and post-conflict settings
Experience with UN transition processes an asset.

Interpersonal and communication skills:

Strong communication skills and ability to manage, facilitate, and engage in discussions with multiple stakeholders, seeking to encourage participation in an open and collegial environment
Experienced drafter of project evaluations and project proposals

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

A minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, development studies or other relevant social science is required

Years of experience:

At least three years significant experience in the design and evaluation of peacebuilding programmes is required
Experience with integration issues in UN mission settings is required
Demonstrable analytical skills and strong drafting skills are desirable
Excellent interviewing and facilitation skills are desirable

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
Working knowledge of another UN language, especially French, would be an asset

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

Online application with brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment; and
Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.
Submit two examples of previous evaluation reports produced by the applicant.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7-hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; cost of travel from the home base to the duty station and vice versa, where required; living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation Process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below. Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Being 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 where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

Criteria 1: Significant experience in the design and evaluation of peacebuilding programmes - Maximum 35 points

o From 3-4 years - 12 points

o From 5-7 years - 20 points

o More than 8 years - 35 points

Criteria 2: Proven experience with integration issues in UN mission settings - Maximum 10 points
Criteria 3: Demonstrable analytical skills and strong drafting skills - Maximum 5 points
Criteria 4: Interview - Maximum 20 points

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial Evaluation - Total 30% (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

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision Transition Specialist and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Payment Modality

Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.
The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 - IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 - RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.

Additional Questions:

Can you confirm that you have at least three years of experience with peacebuilding evaluations?
Can you confirm that you have experience with integration issues in UN mission settings?
Are you a former staff of the UN/UNDP? If yes, please clarify the reason of separation.
Are you a UN/UNDP retiree?