Background

UNDP and the State of Kuwait, represented by the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council of Planning and Development (GSSCPD), strive to enhance institutional capacities at various government agencies by providing them with necessary technical support to strengthen their capacities and skills to perform their expected duties.

Under the framework of the Institutional Capacity Development for Implementation of the Kuwait National Development Plan (ICDI/KNDP) project, UNDP and GSSCPD are working jointly to ensure an enabling and conducive environment for the implementation of the national development plan; and to ensure optimal use of urbanism guidelines for this purpose.

GSSCPD is responsible for elaborating, coordinating and overseeing the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP) which addresses the challenges of economic development, human and social development, the efficiency of the state institutions and administration and combating corruption, in accordance with H.H. the Amir’s State Vision “Kuwait 2035”.

Within this context, GSSCPD is seeking to recruit a consultant with a background in urban development affairs to work under the overall guidance and supervision of the Secretary General (SG) of the GSSCPD to analyze and review relevant data pertaining to the progress of Kuwait in the area of urban development. The consultant is expected to work closely with various entities whose functions are relevant to data collection and report writing such as the GSSCPD, Kuwait Municipality, relevant government agencies and other external entities to evaluate and recommend required approach for different reports and activities related to urban planning and development.

Purpose

The main purpose of the assignment is to contribute to the integration of the best practices in the relevant field by conducting desk reviews and contact data sources to make sure that the data taken lead on reports that GSSCPD is mandated to handle. The consultants work will ensure the quality of National Urban Planning and Development Reports  and contribute to formulation and review of such reports and other policy documents relevant to urban planning and development. .

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Secretary General of GSSCPD and close coordination with the management of the ICDI Project Management team, the Strategic Urban Planning and  Development Consultant will assume the following tasks:

Provide technical advice to the SG of GSSCPD, relevant departments, and taskforce teams mandated and follow-up on Kuwait Master Plan 4 alignment with the Kuwait National Development Plan 2020:

• Review reports, policy documents and other relevant materials related to urban development, and provide analysis as requested by the SG.
• Recommend best approaches to manage the coordination between Kuwait Master Plan 4 (KMP4)/ Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP) and its key sector priorities; formulate plans and strategies for its effective implementation;
• Contribute to the development of the Kuwait Master Plan 4 for urban development by playing a crucial role in planning, participating and feeding in private sector involvement and job creation recommendation findings into pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, strategic framework and action plan to ensure the achievement of the project objectives and deliverables in a timely manner;
• Follow-up and coordinate with the Kuwait Municipality and concerned authorities to ensure that the outputs of KMP4 are consistent with the development plan of KNDP;
• Review and provide technical advice on the KMP4 reports and suggest recommendations for advancing progress, alternatives to the proposed master plan and final reports of the plan;
• Work closely with GSSCPD committee handling the project of establishment of new premises (Tanmiya Tower) and provide technical support to the tendering process.

To provide technical advice in aspects related to urban planning and development to the SG of GSSCPD and relevant departments, taskforce teams to follow-up on implementation of KNDP to achieve the New Kuwait vision 2035:

• Advise on and provide recommendations on urban planning and development sector specific policies and strategies to GSSCPD Secretary General;
• Support the GSSCPD in disseminating, communicating and promoting urban development policy priorities in both national and international spheres as may be required;
• Draw up effective urban development strategies for direct bilateral engagement and assess avenues to retrieve pending developmental programs;
• Support the formulation of  strategic plans of GSSCPD’s building infrastructure development plans;
• Formulate a training programme based on capacity assessment exercise, and conduct training sessions, in addition to on-the-job training for engineers at GSSCPD and other national relevant counterparts on topics related to urban development;
• Provide recommendations on urban development policies to support transforming Kuwait into a financial and trade center and attracting investors, where the private sector leads the economy, creating competition and promoting production efficiency.

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

Institutional Arrangement

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Secretary General of GSSCPD and closely coordinate with the GSSCPD International Cooperation Department and the ICDI Project Team. The latter will be responsible to provide the existing information and the access to any related information that is essential to complete the assignment. The consultant will closely coordinate with the Project Management team of the ICDI/KNDP project. 

Duration of the Work

The overall duration of this consultancy will be 10 months.

Duty Station

In order to achieve the deliverables of the assignment, the consultant will be required to be present in the State of Kuwait during the entire duration of the assignment.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The financial proposal submitted shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. The financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, living allowance, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel: All envisaged travel and other related costs must be included in the financial proposal.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed

EVALUATION

Cumulative analysis

Total score=Technical Score + Financial Score.

Technical Criteria weight - 70%, 700 scores maximum 

Financial Criteria weight - 30%. 300 scores maximum

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 490 from 700 point in the Technical part of evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The selection of candidates will be done in 3 stages:

1st stage: Prior to detailed evaluation, all applications will be thoroughly screened against eligibility criteria (minimum qualification requirements) as set in the TOR in order to determine whether they are compliant/non-compliant.

2nd  stage: Evaluation of technical proposals

Short-listed candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 490 points (70%) at the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

3rd stage: Financial evaluation

Cumulative analysis will be used based on the following methodology: All the offers of individual consultants who scored 490 (70% from 700) and more points during the desk review are acceptable for financial evaluation. The lowest financial qualified proposal receives 300 points and all the other technically qualified proposals receive points in inverse proportion per the formula:

The candidate achieving the highest cumulative score for both Technical and Financial evaluations will be recommended by the Evaluation Committee for contracting.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services, but may be omitted for support services [Note: this is optional for support services]; 
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  If an 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 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.  

Competencies

The consultant in Strategic Urban Development and Planning should be able to demonstrate the following competencies:

Functional competencies:

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Makes the case for innovative ideas documenting successes and building them into the design of new approaches;
• Works towards creating an enabling environment for a smooth relationship between the clients and service provider. ?
• Solicits feedback on service provision and quality;
• Identifies innovative approaches and strategies that promote the use of tools and mechanisms;
• Develops and/or participates in the development of tools and mechanisms, including identifying new approaches to promote individual and organizational learning and knowledge sharing using formal and informal methodologies.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Understands more advanced aspects of social development as well as the fundamental concepts of related disciplines ?
• Continues to seek new and improved methods and systems for social planning.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in area of public policy development and international organisations and seeks to develop him/herself professionally.

Core Competencies:

• Proven leadership; shares knowledge and experience;
• Provides helpful feedback and advice;
• Strong analytical and strategic planning skills;
• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals;
• Generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations;
• Conceptualizes and analyses problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate;
• Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence;
• Demonstrates strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, urban planning, or any other related field.

II. Years of experience:

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in strategic urban development and planning;
• 2 years of experience in strategic urban development and planning in Middle East or GCC countries;
• 2 years of experience in a senior managerial or advisory position related to urban development and planning.
• 8 years experience in urban development and planning in Kuwait.

III. Languages

• Fluency in Arabic and English is a must.