UNDP Jobs - 80859- National Technical Consultant

National Technical Consultant - Concession Management – (Two Positions)

Location :

Monrovia, LIBERIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Sep-2018

Application Deadline :

14-Sep-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

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

Liberia’s natural resources continues to be a major source of hope for inclusive economic growth and development, as well as social transformation. The management of these natural resources however has come under scrutiny through the role of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) concessionaires, whose operations were meant to generate employment and stimulate local economy. The sobering reality however is that concessions have not lived up to the expectations of the key stakeholders – the Government of Liberia, the investors, and the Project Affected Communities (PACs). While the decline in global commodity prices since 2011 has undermined revenues, progress in developing some of the concessions has been slow, particularly in the agriculture sector. Expected contributions to tax revenue and royalties from the investments have not been realized and local/community development spin-offs have not been delivered. Alongside these challenges, land concession conflicts and labour disputes associated with concessions continue to be a key driver of conflict.

The perennial inability of the Government to not only award concessions, but also to negotiate contracts that are beneficial to the country and then ensure implementation has come under criticism. Despite measures to enhance public contracting, including the enactment of the Public Procurement and Concession Act that established the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission, the establishment of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the National Bureau of Concessions, application of the legal and regulatory framework for the granting and management of concessions and implementation of this framework remains uneven, including performance monitoring to ensure full compliance.

With the election of George Weah as President, human development and a Pro-Poor agenda has assumed significance. Among his top priorities over the first 150 days is the review of all existing concessions agreements/contracts to establish the extent of legal compliance and enforcement of the terms and conditions, subject to the requirements of Liberian Law, and if not, to propose recommendations to address the default, and second, advise on prospective contracts to be signed. In this respect, the President has set up a Presidential Special Review Committee (the Committee) which has commenced work. The Minister of State for Presidential Affairs (Office of the President) has requested UNDP technical support for the work of the Committee.

Toward this end and to support Government’s effort aimed at accelerating economic development, and in cognizance of the new government’s pro-poor governance agenda, UNDP is seeking the services of two technicians through a six-month consultancy to support the imperatives of the Committee.

Duties and Responsibilities

The role of Technicians assigned to the SPRC is expected to work alongside the Committee and other relevant government entities such as the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI), National Bureau of Concessions, National Investment Commission, Ministry of Mines and Energy, and other stakeholders as required. Additionally, technicians will perform other tasks approved by the Committee including:

To assist the Committee in the design, analysis, review and negotiation of concession agreements in the natural resource sectors, such as agriculture, mining, forestry, and/or petroleum;
To provide assistance in conducting a financial and economic analysis of concession contracts and agreements;
To assist in designing the legality and other matrix of the processes to be followed in reviewing concessions and other agreements;
To coordinate activities of the Committee’s secretariat by performing several functions including drafting, disseminating and following up documents; preparing for meetings; reminding Committee members on assignments and providing technical computing and technological assistance;
To ensure effective dissemination of and access to information on review activities and results, including providing regular update;
Researched relevant laws needed for the Committee’s action and assist in reviewing documents forwarded to the Committee by making suggestions or recommendations;
Support the Special Presidential Review Committee in overall general coordination, evaluation and management
Ensure proper and professional handling of documents entering and/or leaving the Office of the Committee;
Perform other related tasks as may be assigned by the Chairman of the Committee from time to time.

Competencies

Corporate Comptencies:

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP´s mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Functional Competencies:

Excellent communication and presentation skills;
Excellent negotiation and advocacy skills and experience in coordinating and maintaining synergy with development partners and the UN system;
Usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems;
Possesses proven ability to analyze from a global perspective, with the ability to offer practical policy advice on economic issues based on local realities;
Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced Graduate Degree (preferably in economics, accounting), Advance Post Graduate Diploma or Law Degree with specialization Technical Administration Management.

Experience:

At least 10 years of professional experience in the design, analysis, review and negotiation of concession agreements and at least 5 of which in natural resource sectors, preferably agriculture, mining, forestry, or infrastructure;
Previous transactional experience in concessions monitoring, previous regulatory and assessment experience in conducting concession and assessments;
Familiarity with the Liberian context is desired.

Language requirements:

Fluency in the English Language (both written and spoken).

The selection of consultant will be aimed at maximizing the overall qualities in the following areas:

Criteria A: Advanced Graduate Degree (preferably in economics, accounting), Advance Post Graduate Diploma or Law Degree with specialization Technical Administration Management -Maximum 15;
Criteria B: Professional experience in the design, analysis, review and negotiation of concession agreements in natural resource sectors, preferably agriculture, mining, forestry, or infrastructure – max points: 20;
Criteria C: Previous transactional experience in concessions monitoring, previous regulatory and assessment experience in conducting concession and assessments – max points: 15;
Criteria D: Excellent negotiation and advocacy skills and experience in coordinating and maintaining synergy with development partners and the UN system– max points: 15;
Criteria E: Familiarity with the Liberian context is desired – max points: 10;
Criteria F: Excellent negotiation and advocacy skills and experience in coordinating and maintaining synergy with development partners and the UN system– max points: 10;
Criteria G: Possesses proven ability to analyze from a global perspective, with the ability to offer practical policy advice on economic issues based on local realities – max points: 15;

Application process
Recommended Presentation of Proposal:

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability.
CV and or Personal History Form (P11 form11);
Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment;

Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template. If an applicant 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 applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.