Background

A. Project Title: Mitigating Integrity Risks in Public Procurement in The Philippines

B. Project Description

Successive Philippine Administrations have consistently pursued programs to reduce poverty and inequality. The amount of government spending has increased significantly over the period 2011-2015 largely because of improved revenue collection and fiscal reforms. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has accelerated this spending program, particularly through the mantra “build, build, build”. However, absorptive capacity of government agencies has been affected by bottlenecks in the planning, design, pre-execution, procurement, and execution phases of projects with problems in coordination within and between national government agencies and issues also with local government capacity. A critical issue, therefore, is the effective management of public procurement that underpins the Administration’s Development Agenda.

The legal framework for public procurement in the Philippines is notably strong: the passage of the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA) or RA 9184 in 2003 ended the era of fragmented procurement regulation which had enabled leakages. Still, public procurement continues to suffer from frequent delays (e.g., bid failures) as well as corruption scandals (e.g., bid riggings), both of which hamper the timely and effective delivery of public services. Systemic reform and capacity building are needed to support government plans to boost public spending to meet its development goals. 

A Rapid Assessment has been pursued on the last quarter of 2017 to help inform the process of strengthening institutions for public procurement. The Rapid Assessment conducted diagnosed the integrity risks in public procurement and the management of public finances in order to develop a collective agenda for improving public service delivery.  It provided relevant information emanating from the series of dialogues conducted among key stakeholders on these integrity risks and broader Public Financial Management (PFM) and service delivery issues; and likewise provided recommendations for a capacity development action plan for improving service delivery. 

The engagement of an International consultant as Procurement Internal Control Specialist is needed to contribute to the initiative of UNDP to strengthen the public procurement system of the Philippines and deepen integrity and effective delivery of service.

Duties and Responsibilities

C. Scope of Work

Under the guidance and daily supervision of the UNDP Project Manager in coordination with UNDP Senior Management, the Consultant shall review the existing control mechanisms in the public procurement of three pilot agencies of the Government of Philippines and one Local Government unit (LGU) and provide a framework for control and management of procurement related risks and audit findings:

• Conduct an assessment of existing procurement control systems (focusing on its strengths and weaknesses) in the three pilot agenciesand one LGU and provide recommendations;
• Develop a framework for internal control and oversight for the procurement function and conduct a testing to the pilot agencies and LGU;
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the developed Framework;
• Study the weaknesses and suggest improvements on the current system of budgeting that leads to the lack of procurement planning 
• Study the current staffing structure responsible and accountable for procurement in the pilot agencies/LGU and suggest an appropriate structure, positions and qualifications / job description for the resources related to procurement function.  The proposed resource and accountability structure should be in resonance with the proposed control framework. t;
• Closely coordinate with other consultants engaged in this project and duly submit the needed reports as agreed upon during the whole duration of the engagement.

D. Expected Output and Deliverables

The Individual consultant  is expected to accomplish the following activities with corresponding deliverables:

E. Institutional Arrangements

• The UNDP project manager will provide overall guidance on the direction of this assignment and specific requirements ;
• UNDP will be responsible to organize meetings with the all relevant stakeholders and provide logistical support, as needed.
• UNDP Philippines shall be entitled to intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have direct relation to the project. 

F. Duration of Work

The Contractor will be engaged from 01 July to 30 September 2019 unless revised in a mutually agreed upon timetable by UNDP and the Contractor.

G. Duty Station

The consultant will be required to visit the agencies and LGU to understand the current system and practices and then to present proposed control framework.

H. Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The financial proposals from possible candidates should be expressed in lump sum amount inclusive of all financial costs, related to this engagement (i.e, communications and internet, etc). Transportation and travel expenses from residence to Philippines shall be shouldered by UNDP Philippine Country Office.

Payments will be made when specific outputs have been submitted, as outlined below:

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN mission, vision, values and ethical standards
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in meetings

Other Competencies

• Ability to work in close collaboration with a group of national and international experts, to meet strict deadlines and plan the work according to priorities
• Initiative, good analytical skills, mature judgment and ability to work under tight schedule while respecting deadlines achievement, ethics and honesty
• Strong initiative and desire to succeed, accountable and willingness to be pro-active in identifying suitable companies and engaging in appropriate business opportunities
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Builds strong relationships with internal and external clients
• Demonstrates capacity to plan, organize and execute effectively
• Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation
• Demonstrated ability to function in a multicultural team environment & to deal with complex multi-stakeholder environment
• Good ability to use information and communication technologies as tools and resources
• Excellent written communication and presentation/public speaking skills, focus on results, ability to interact productively in a teamwork environment
• Proven experience in dialoguing with senior level government and private sector executives

Required Skills and Experience

I. Qualifications Of The Successful Individual Contractor

Education:

• University degree in Business Administration, Social Sciences, Law, Financial Management and procurement related courses.

Experience

• Minimum of 20 years relevant experience in public procurement management and reforms, performance management, capacity assessment, internal control system, and other related work experience
• Previous engagement with any UN agencies

Language

• Fluency in spoken and written English

J. Criteria for Evaluation of Offers

Offers will be evaluated based on combined scoring method – where the Technical Proposal will be evaluated based on qualifications in the CV (40%) and brief description of previous work (60%). The Technical evaluation is weighted a max. of 70%.

The Financial Proposal that will be evaluated through submission of the Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Insterest and Availability for the IC including Financial Proposal Template and combined with the price offer will be weighted a max of 30%;

For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based in the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points):

Applicants who will only receive 700 points from the assessment of the CV and Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment will be qualified for the assessment of the Financial Proposal.

K. Recommended Presentation of Offer

Offerors must upload in one (1) file the documents below:

1. Duly accomplished Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Insterest and Availability for the IC 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. Financial Proposal (Annex 2 of Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Insterest and Availability)
3. 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;
4. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment and how they will approach and complete the assignment

You may download the editable version of the Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Insterest and Availability for the IC by clicking on this link: http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU

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