Background
The UNDP Bangladesh Country Programme Document 2017–2020 sets the strategic programme and operational priorities for the country office. The country programme is aligned with the national development plan, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2017–2020, the UNDP strategic plan 2014–2017, and supports Bangladesh’s implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Strengthening Women’s Ability for Productive New Opportunities, also known as SWAPNO, is a project under UNDP Bangladesh aimed at ensuring sustainable livelihood and food security for extreme poor and vulnerable rural women. Three major interventions of the project include: i) fixed wage contract for 18 months under public asset maintenance component ii) compulsory fixed formal savings and participation in informal saving groups, and iii) need-based life skills and livelihoods trainings.
The first intervention facilitates the employment and wage transfer of beneficiaries in community identified public assets, part of Social Safety Net Programs (SSNP) for a fixed tenure of 18 months. The second and third interventions, while following global best practices, complements public works with mandatory savings; participation in ROSCA (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations); training on need based life skills and livelihoods; and establishing linkages with private sector to facilitate formal sector employment.
Description of the Assignment:
The Consultant will deliver outputs to support UNDP Project, Strengthening Women’s Ability for Productive New Opportunities (SWAPNO), in relation to research, monitoring and evaluation studies.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work:
Roles Related to SWAPNO and Bank Asia Rural Digital Financial Inclusion Project
- Design and run survey to test the market potential and sustainability of women owned SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Kurigram and write up recommendations for integration in supply chains,
- Conduct a survey and write up an evaluation study on the behavior and attitude change related to saving and spending as an impact of financial literacy training
- Conduct a survey and evaluation to test the efficiency of a new Bank Asia funded Financial Inclusion Model piloted in the previous year.
- Conduct a market survey in 4 districts to identify opportunities for private sector actors and financial institutions to collaborate with micro-merchants and open new and more efficient distribution channels.
- Develop knowledge pieces for publications and presentation at conferences
- Identify and liase with relevant researchers and institutions and receive from them comment, advise, and information
- Initiate and oversee key strategic partnerships
- Develop project documents as related to monitoring and evaluation
Institutional Arrangement:
The Consultant will directly report to Programme Manager, SWAPNO project, UNDP Bangladesh, who will also carry out a performance evaluation at the end of the assignment.
Duration of the Work and Duty Station:
The duration of the assignment will be maximum 6 months (February to July 2018). Estimated start date is 1st week of February.
The National consultant will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh with necessary field travels for about 15 days to 5 districts (Kurigram, Sathkhira, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha).
Final Products/Services:
The awarded consultant will deliver the following:
- Evaluation report on financial literacy training
- Evaluation report on efficiency of Bank Asia’s Financial Inclusion Model
- Four market survey reports for four districts
- Market survey report on market potential of women owned SMEs
- Data collection and analysis plan and design for the six surveys
Deliverables
Deliverables | Days |
Inception plan and survey designs of the six surveys. | 21 days |
After conducting survey to connect women owned SMEs to value chains in Kurigram
| 21 days |
After conducting survey on efficiency of new Financial Inclusion Model and impact of financial literacy training in Satkhira | 21 days |
After conducting market survey in Lalmonirhat, Jamalpur and Gaibandha | 21 days |
Submission of reports on four market surveys
| 21 days |
Publication on financial literacy training and lessons learnt for scale up of Bank Asia Financial Inclusion Model | 21 days |
Competencies
- Demonstrable analytical skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Knowledge management and learning. Constantly build and apply thematic expertise
- Integrity and modelling of UN corporate values. Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
- Good team player who has ability to maintain good relationships.
Language:
- Highly proficient in English language, with ability to articulate complex issues verbally and in writing;
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Minimum Master’s degree in development studies and public policy/ social science from any reputed university.
Experience:
- At least six years of relevant professional experience;
- At least two years in strategic programme development and/ or programme quality assurance, preferably with UN organization;
- Experience in designing and carrying out research;
- At least two publications in the field of financial inclusion;
- Expertise and experience in SPSS and/or Stata.
Cumulative analysis-
The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant up on Cumulative Analysis/evaluation and determined as:
- 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;
- Technical Criteria weight; 70 marks.Only candidates obtaining a minimum 49% mark in technical evaluation will be considered eligible for financial evaluation.
Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks):
- Relevance of Education – 10 points
- Specific experience in the provision with similar service- 20 Points
- Experience & working with Govt. & United Nations or other international organizations or donor funded project- 20 points
- Specific experience in partnership development and/or resource mobilization-20 points
Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks)
All technical qualified proposals will be scored out 30 based on the formula provided below.
The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals received points according to the following formula:
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.
Financial Milestone:
- 1st Installment: Inception plan and survey designs of the six surveys - 20%
- 2nd Installment: After conducting survey to connect women owned SMEs to value chains in Kurigram - 20%
- 3rd Installment: After conducting survey on efficiency of new Financial Inclusion Model and impact of financial literacy training in Satkhira - 15%
- 4th Installment: After conducting market survey in Lalmonirhat, Jamalpur and Gaibandha - 15%
- 5th Installment: Submission of reports on four market surveys - 15%
- Final Installment: Publication on financial literacy training and lessons learnt for scale up of Bank Asia Financial Inclusion Model - 15%
DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Proposers who shall not submit below mentioned documents will not be considered for further evaluation.
- Technical proposal, including
- a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
- a brief methodology, on how you will approach and complete the assignment, including a tentative table of contents for the final report; and
- a list of similar assignment with topic/name of the assignment, duration, role of consultant and organization/project.
- Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
- 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; P11 can be downloaded from the link below: http://www.bd.undp.org/content/bangladesh/en/home/operations/jobs/
- Financial Proposal: Financial Proposal has to be submitted through a standard interest and availability template which can be downloaded from the link below:
Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.