Background

Efficient, resilient, and well-planned road networks ensure that no one is left behind in the drive for inclusive growth. This is why roads are considered as an important foundation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and a prerequisite for bringing communities together.

At present, only 24.6% of all provincial roads in the Philippines are of acceptable quality. Of the 12,726km of provincial core roads, 57.2% are unpaved and in need of upgrading, while 20.2% are in poor condition and in need of rehabilitation. The situation is similarly dire for the 19,098 km of non-core roads, with 67% needing upgrading and 7% in need of rehabilitation.

To address this situation, the Department for the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has launched the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces (CMGP) initiative to improve the quality of the local road network across the country, by providing both financial investment for capital outlay, as well as strengthening the governance processes so that provincial governments are themselves able to effectively plan, design, implement and maintain their road networks. The Program addresses the underinvestment in local roads, and improvement of national-local roads connectivity to increase economic activity, and improve public access to facilities and services in the provinces. 

For FY 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the Program has a total budget of P18.03 Billion under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF). Aside from this, the DILG budget also has an allocation of P564.256 Million for FY 2017 intended to support the governance reform, quality assurance, and monitoring of road projects of the PLGUs.

The Program, however, is not only a road engineering intervention; it is also a governance reform program in local roads management (LRM) and public financial management (PFM). Thus, in partnership with DILG, UNDP has launched a project “Paving the Roads to SDGs through Good Governance (Roads2SDGs)” which aims to provide support to the governance reform and quality assurance components of CMGP through the ‘Road to SDGs’ framework. This framework will anchor the prioritization, planning, design, implementation, and maintenance of infrastructure projects to the achievement of the SDGs, incorporating the elements of partnership building, climate change and disaster risk reduction, gender mainstreaming, and citizen participation for transparency and accountability.

There are two governance reform areas of DILG-CMGP namely, Local Road Management and Public Financial Management. An integral component of the latter concerns Procurement. There are issues and concerns surrounding the compliance of provincial local governments with Republic Act 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act).

In this light, Roads2SDGs is tasked to capacitate the provincial local governments towards compliance with RA 9184, and help deliver an integrated system for procurement tracking with an overall goal of upholding good governance. Towards this end, the Roads2SDGs project proposes the hiring of a Procurement Specialist, who will be in-charge of identifying gaps, and planning and implementing interventions along knowledge and skills in relation to procurement policies, processes, systems and practices. It will be a short-term engagement with possibility for extension depending on the results of the interventions.

Outcome

It is desired that at the end of six (6) months, provincial local governments shall have increased capacities in public financial management, specifically through knowledge and tools to improve their procurement processes, systems and practices towards compliance with RA 9184 and good local governance.

Objectives

To achieve the foregoing, the engagement of a UNDP Procurement Specialist seeks to achieve the following:

1. Identify the capacity gaps of provincial local governments in line with compliance to RA 9184 and mainstreaming the use of the LGU Procurement Manual;

2. Address knowledge and skill gaps of provincial local governments related to procurement, including in the preparation and implementation of Project Management Procurement Plan through training, coaching and other capacity development interventions;

3. Harmonize, through a framework, the capacity development and other interventions in coordination with the Government Procurement Policy Board - TSO; and,

4. Provide assistance to the provincial local governments in making their procurement system more effective and efficient trough the development of the Procurement Guide (cum manual) and Monitoring/Tracking System based on the updated IRR of the RA 9184.

Expected Outputs

1. Capacity Needs Assessment of provincial local governments on procurement-related processes, systems and practices, guided by an Assessment Framework to identify knowledge and skill gaps in Procurement Planning (Preparation of PPMP, Specification and TOR writing, Bid/Quotation/Proposal preparation), actual procurement and post-procurement or Contract Management; complying with RA 9184 and mainstreaming the use of the LGU Procurement Manual

2. Capacity Development Plan, which detail training, coaching and other interventions to address the gaps identified from the needs assessment.

3. Procurement Guide and Monitoring/Tracking System for provincial local governments

4. Written report on the accomplishment and results of the capacity development interventions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Roads2SDGs Project Manager through the Roads Sector Manager shall have direct supervision of the Procurement Review Specialist.  They may assign a focal person who shall coordinate with the Vendor.  The Vendor shall undertake the following:

1. Conduct technical meetings and focus group discussions among UNDP, DILG-CMGP Project Management Office and other relevant government institutions such as the Government Procurement Policy Board

2. Review policies, programs, system and other documents related to Procurement such as references from the Government Procurement Policy Board - TSO, among others and cull out those relevant to provincial local governments

3. Develop a framework for assessing the capacity needs of provincial local governments related to procurement

4. Conduct needs assessment among provincial local governments using the framework

5. Develop and lead the implementation of the capacity development plan/design which includes coaching and training activities

6. Development of the Procurement Guide(cum Manual) and Monitoring/Tracking System

7. Pilot test the Procurement Guide and Monitoring/Tracking System to select provincial local governments;

8. Submit written reports on the activities conducted and other necessary documentation

9. When necessary, engage in fieldwork to identify capacity development needs of provincial local governments related to procurement

Competencies

• 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;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Expertise in data collection and analysis
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Strong analytical and research skills; and
• Excellent organizational, and communication skills;

Required Skills and Experience

Application Requirements:

Applicants are requested to upload the following documents in one file:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability that indicates the all-inclusive lumpsum 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.
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.

Complete and detailed TOR along with the application requirements can be accessed thru this link:http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=51799

Kinldy submit your application to: procurement.ph@undp.org

“In view of the volume of applications UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.”