Background

The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme is a €13.1 million capacity building program that aims to build the profile, and improve the management, of Development Minerals (industrial minerals; construction materials; dimension stones; and semi-precious stones). The program is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, financed by the European Union and UNDP, and implemented by UNDP. The mining of Development Minerals has important implications for sustainable development, however, they have not to date received adequate attention for their potential to impact livelihoods and few development programmes have provided support for this mining sector.

Development Minerals are minerals and materials that are mined, processed, manufactured and consumed domestically in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and agriculture. Development Minerals are economically important close to the location where the commodity is mined. Development Minerals include, industrial minerals, such as gypsum and talc, construction materials, such as sand and gravel, dimension stones, such as marble and granite, and semi-precious stones, such as garnet and amethyst. Development minerals are locally mined materials used in local and domestic infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, agriculture and craftsmanship and have the potential to be high value in terms of domestic development.

Programme implementation and management

The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme is building the capacity of key stakeholders in the sector, including public stakeholders such as regulatory agencies and local governments; private stakeholders such as small-scale mining enterprises, intermediaries, transportation and logistics service providers, construction companies; business development stakeholders such as mining and quarrying associations, chambers of mines, training centres, universities, consulting companies; and social stakeholders such as civil society organizations and community groups.

The programme is under implementation at both regional and country levels. Regional level activities such as training involve forty (40) countries from the 6 ACP regions; while in-depth support at country level is being provided for 6 countries namely: Cameroon, Fiji, Guinea (Conakry), Jamaica, Uganda and Zambia. Training and support is being provided in the following thematic areas of importance to the sector: 1) mine and quarry management; 2) environment, health and safety; 3) entrepreneurship skills; 4) market analysis and investment promotion; 5) geo-data and maps design; 6) community relations and addressing grievances.

Scope of tasks for International Conference Organizer

The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme and a range of international partners, including the World Bank, African Union, Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development, ICGLR, OECD and the Global Mercury Programme are planning the International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying (ASM18), to be held in Livingstone, Zambia, 11-13 September, 2018 (http://www.asmconference.org).

ASM18 will bring together between 300 and 450 people. The following groups of people are expected to attend:

• Artisanal and small scale miners; quarry workers; mineral processors and users; traders; equipment manufacturers; end-product producers and others involved in the minerals supply chain.
• Representatives of mining and quarry associations, including women’s mining associations.
• Representatives of government ministries, agencies and geological surveys with the responsibility for oversight, regulation, monitoring, technical support and promotion of the sector.
• Academics and researchers.
• Civil society and non-government organisations.
• Multi-lateral and bilateral development actors, including inter-governmental organisations.

The programme is seeking an experienced International Conference Organizer to take a leading role in the planning, coordination and execution of all technical and logistical aspects of  ASM18.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities of the International Conference Organizer

The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme requires a consultant – International Conference Organizer - to lead the planning, coordination and execution of the technical and logistical aspects of  ASM18.

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Manager, and working closely with the Events Coordiantor, the International Conference Organizer will carry out the following functions:

Functions/key results expected:

Summary of key functions:

The consultant - International Conference Organizer - will undertake the following functions:

1. Lead, systematize and implement coordination with the four committees and two secretariats of ASM18, namely:

• The Executive Secretariat (ES) - the main directive body of the ASM 2018 Conference. The Secretariat oversees the definition of the programmatic, strategic and working lines to be implemented in the organization of the event;
• The International Coordination Committee (ICC) which will provide advice to the ES on the strategic lines and program of the conference. The ICC is composed of the supporting partners of the event;
• The Organisational Secretariat (OS) which is the operational arm for the organization of the event. The secretariat is responsible for implementing the local logistical arrangements for the event;
• The Local Coordination Committee (LCC) which provides advice to the OS on the technical organization of the sessions and all logistical and organizational details;
• Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying Committee that shall provide inputs on the themes and issues that should be addressed at the conference and provide the perspective of the ASM sector on all matters;
• The Academic Committee which will function as the principal scientific body of the conference, providing advice and suggestions to the EC on the content of the conference sessions.

2. Lead the pre-conference, in-conference and post-conference planning activities as follows;

Pre-conference:

• Initiate an online conference registration and payment process;
• Liase with the LCC and OS to support the organization of the venue, accommodation, visas, airport transfers, local transport, conference delegate bags, high-level representation and protocol, catering, security, interpretation equipment and booths and other aspects of the event.
• Support the drafting of the Conference Programme and Agenda in liaison with the Programme Manager and the Executive Secretariat (ES) and its design, printing and distribution;
• Liase with the conference partners to ensure effective accommodation and logistical support for participants.
• Support the pre-conference country-level consultations that will be held to generate key issues and perspectives to seed the Outcome Declaration. The consultations will be remotely supported (including suggested agenda and structure, invitees and process);
• Coordinate the pre-conference field trip for the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme and liaise with the other conference partners on the planning and organizing of their pre-conference field trips; 
• Liase with the Executive Secretariat, International Coordination Committee, the Organisational Secretariat and the Local Coordination Committee to provide guidance on administrative, substantive and logistical requirements in preparation for and during the workshop;
• Design and lead the implementation of the student volunteer programme envisaged for the conference;
• Liaise with the Communications and Visibility consultant as well as the graphic designer in designing and implementing the communications strategy as well as the social media strategy for the ASM18.

In-conference:

• In liaison with the relevant committees and secretariats, ensure that all the requirements and needs of the speakers, panelists, resource persons and participants are met;
• Ensure that all the technical, adminstrative and logistical requirements for the conference are met;
• Ensure that the student volunteer programme is running smoothly according to the agreed upon timings and parameters for the student engagement agreed upon;
• Coordinate and lead the dissemination of the daily conference summaries/briefs;
• Ensure that the exhibitions space for the small-scale miners is well set up and running as envisaged;
• Ensure that the modalities for the issuance of sale/purchase permits for the Development Minerals on sale at the exhibition are in place and operating seamlessly;
• Ensure that the rota for business-business engagements is up-to-date, and functioning efficiently;
• As required, provide coordination support for the drafting of the Outcome Declaration of the ASM18.

Post-confnerence:

• Lead and coordinate the drafting of the ASM18 Conference Report;
• Lead and coordinate the systematization and archiving of all conference presentations;
• Support the dissemination of the Outcome Declaration of ASM18;
• Support the monitoring of the results and impacts of the communication/visibility activities undertaken;  
• Support the implementation of the post-conference communications and social media strategy/activities;
• Liaise with and support the organization of post-conference field trips of the conference partners.

 Any other relevant duties assigned by the Programme Manager.

Expected Outputs:

• Develop a Conference Planning matrix of all administrative, technical and logistical activities that will be undertaken in the organization of ASM18 clearly delineating priority status (the matrix will be developed from the existing conference coordination plan;
• Develop,  maintain and update checklists of all the planning aspects for the conference;
• Preparation of weekly reports on evolution of conference planning activities in order to inform the efficient planning and execution of the conference;
• Preparation of the ASM18 Conference Report.

The timeline for delivering the above outputs will de discussed and documented in contractual documents.

Intellectual Property:

All information pertaining to this programme as well as outputs produced under this contract shall remain the property of the UNDP who shall have exclusive rights over their use. Except for purposes of this assignment, the products shall not be disclosed to the public nor used in whatever format without written permission of UNDP in line with the national and International Copyright Laws applicable.

Competencies

Core  Competencies:

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.
• Act as a team player while also taking individual initiative to complete outlined tasks;
• Sharing knowledge - across the programme in particular and the organization in general -through supporting the building of a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
• Building programme staff competence through creating an environment of creativity and innovation.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to create and nurture networks and partnerships;
• Excellent planning and organization skills;
• Strong knowledge of and experience in conference planning and management;
• Ability to negotiate and to influence others to reach agreement;
• Ability to work under extreme pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Bachelors’ degree (or higher) in Business administration, Management, Economics, Public administration, International Relations or related discipline.

Experience

• At least 5 years experience in organizing international and national meetings and conferences for a wide range of clients (corporate, UN, NGOs);
• Excellent planning/organisation skills and a solution-oriented attitude;
• A strong sense of client orientation and a strong drive for results;
• Demonstrated ability to work well both independently and within a multicultural team;
• Excellent verbal and communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently;

Language

• Fluency in English and French (both oral and written) is required;
• Knowledge of Spanish 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 docs in one file):

• Personal History Form (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 (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc
• An updated Curriculum Vitae.
• A proposed work plan prepared by the candidate that details their consultancy plan

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal

Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals in US Dollars or in EUR 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/LVMM- International Conference Organizer consultant" latest by March 19th, 2018. Proposals to be 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 (monthly professional fees, travel related expenses if applicable, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal. 

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 70% on the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:

• Bachelors’ degree (or higher) in Business administration, Management, Economics, Public administration, International Relations or related discipline; – 5 points;
• Candidate has at least 5 years experience in organizing international and national meetings and conferences for a wide range of clients (corporate, UN, NGOs) – 20 points;
• Excellent planning/organisation skills and a solution-oriented attitude;– 10 points;
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and work independently and within a multicultural team; - 10 points;
• Excellent verbal and communication skills; - 10 points;
• Interview inclusive of written sample of previous conference planning materials developed by the candidate; – 20 points;
• Proposed work plan prepared by the candidate that details their consultancy plan; - 15 points;
• English and French language proficiency (with Spanish proficiency an asset) – 10 points.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation

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 is applying fair and transparent selection process that would 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: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf

UNDP retains the right to contact references directly.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations 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.