Background

In 2019, the UN Country Team in Bangladesh will roll out preparation of the new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), previously known as UNDAF. The next cycle will cover 2021 to 2025, aligned to the national planning cycle of FY2021-2025. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution A/RES/72/279 states that is “the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities at country level in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). The priorities of the UNSDCF are directly derived from an analysis of a country’s priorities and needs, i.e., national planning and budgetary frameworks and from the UN’s Country Analysis.  The UN country analysis (CA) is the UN system’s independent, impartial and collective assessment (a description of what is happening) and analysis of the country situation (a description of why it is happening and its implications). The CA examines the progress, gaps, opportunities and bottlenecks vis-a-vis the member state’s commitment to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, UN norms and standards and the principles of the UN Charter.

The UN Country Team is comprised of 19 members, including the Resident Coordinator. Twenty-three UN agencies have signed the current UNDAF 2017-2020 and have programmes/ projects in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of this assignment is UN Common country analysis (CCA) examines the progress, gaps and opportunities and daft a report.  The Common Country Analysis document will present, within 20–30 pages, key issues to be addressed in the UNSDCF formulation process and will contain an executive summary with a synthesis of the major findings of the analysis. The structure of the document will be developed in consultation with the PMT and finalize the report.

Duties and Responsibilities

DETAILED SCOPE OF WORK:

The UN Common Country Analysis, in line with the UNSDCF’s expanded notion of partnerships, will be a powerful process to engage with relevant stakeholders, through continuous and inclusive dialogue to address amongst others complex issues of inequality and exclusion.

The CCA should draws from and adds to existing data, statistics, analyses, reviews, research, capacities and resources from within the UN System. The CCA will include an analysis of the existing data and data gaps for national SDG indicators and where relevant should go beyond official national statistics to use new sources of data and diagnostic tools, including but not limited to the use of big data, national surveys and assessments, targeted surveys using mobile technology and others. Country-specific findings and recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review and other human rights mechanisms will provide an important basis for the analysis, highlighting relevant gaps and corresponding obligations.[1]

The CCA will identify multidimensional risks that could impact the development trajectory of the country across the development, humanitarian, peacebuilding and human rights spectrum. The CA facilitates a common UN understanding of groups left behind, and underlying drivers of risks, vulnerabilities and needs, be they political, social or related to conflict, disasters, the environment or the economy.

The CCA also will also integrate an analysis of relevant regional, sub-regional and trans-boundary dynamics and their impact on achieving the 2030 Agenda in the country context.

Some parts of the CCA will also examine the country’s financial landscape for sustainable development, analyses financial flows and identifies the greatest opportunities to re-orientate all sources of financing - public and private, domestic and foreign. In so doing the CCA draws data from the World Bank, IMF and other regional and/or international financial institutions.

In order for the UN Common Country Analysis to adequately serve as the analytical foundation to the UNSDCF, it should: (i) demonstrate a broad, holistic and integrated approach that takes into consideration the interlinkages and integrated nature of the SDGs; (ii) reflect the interlinkages among the three dimensions of sustainable development and all spheres of the UN’s work; (iii) build on all sources of data and analysis from a broad range of partners; and (iv) focus on prevention and the interlinkages between sustainable development, human rights, sustaining peace, and the shift away from response to preparedness, needed to meet the challenges of the future.

The Common Country Analysis document will present, within 20–30 pages, key issues to be addressed in the UNSDCF formulation process and will contain an executive summary with a synthesis of the major findings of the analysis. The structure of the document will be developed in consultation with the PMT.

DELIVERABLES:

Under the overall guidance from the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) and general supervision of the Chair and Co-Chair of the Programme Management Team (PMT) the Consultant will report directly to the Head of RCO/Team Leader, RCO.

Based on the above guidance, the CCA consultant should undertake the following:

1. Facilitates gap analysis of the various pieces of the Common Country Analysis, led by one UN agency or a thematic group;
2. Ensure quality of the gap analysis, consistency and uniformity in the approach and alignment to the UNSDCF guidance and vision of the UNCT;
3. Propose targeted surveys and studies in areas identified as gaps in order to generate necessary additional and disaggregated information, and respective findings;
4. Propose interviews and meetings with additional stakeholders as needed in areas where gaps have been identified and where potential groups have been excluded;
5. Facilitate and document a UNCT comparative analysis exercise based on the country analysis;
6. Finally produce a synthesis report of the various pieces of the country analysis, reflecting UNCT comparative advantages in the areas;
7. Debriefing report.

 [1] Relevant findings and recommendations can be found at: https://uhri.ohchr.org/en

SUPERVISION AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION:

Under the overall guidance from the UN Resident Coordinator (UNRC) and general supervision of the Chair and Co-Chair of the Programme Management Team (PMT) the Consultant will report directly to the Head of RCO/Team Leader, RCO.

TIMEFRAME AND DEADLINES:

The duration of the assignment will be 40 Days over a period of 2.5 months (August-Oct. 2019)

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN system’s values and ethical standards (human rights, peace, understanding between peoples and nations, tolerance, integrity, respect, results orientation impartiality.
• Demonstrable experience in assessing the application of the five UN Programming Principles: human rights; gender equality; environmental sustainability; RBM; capacity development
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN system.

Functional Competencies:

• Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to critical feedback in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.
• Builds consensus from across broad range of views.
• Demonstrates ability to maintain strategic focus and achieve strategic decisions from broad range of competing perspectives.

Required Skills and Experience

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required Experience: 

Academic:

• University degree in International Development, International Relations, Economics, Public Administration, Development Programme or any related social science discipline.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of technical expertise in the field of international development, development programming, implementation and evaluation.
• Minimum 5 years of proven experiences in conducting assessment of sectors and/or thematic areas for programming at outcome levels with international organizations.
• Minimum 5 years of experiences in a range of qualitative and quantitative assessment / studies/ researches as a lead or key writer or contributor.
• Experience of UN agency or international development organization

Language:

• Excellent proven written and spoken English and presentation skills.
• Excellent communication and interview skills; interpersonal and teamwork skills;
• Excellent report writing skills

DOCUMENTS:

The Consultant will prepare and submit the above-mentioned documents during the assignment period.

INPUTS:

The Consultant will use his/her own personal equipment. UN RCO will provide office space during the assignment.

OUTPUTS:

The outputs of this assignment will be produced by the consultant according to the table above.

Travel and DSA:

Payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be mentioned clearly in the price offer. The fare will always be “most direct, most economical” and any difference in price with the preferred route will be paid for by the expert.

Duty Station:

• The duty station for this post is one-week home based and rest of the days in Dhaka, Bangladesh

 FINANCIAL PROPOSAL 

Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

EVALUATION

Individual Consultant will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%), and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

* Technical Criteria weight; 70% (Detail break down furnished below)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

There is a possibility for an interview. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be invited for an interview. Candidates shall be called for an interview which will be used to confirm and/or adjust the technical scores awarded based on documentation submitted.

The interview will be given a maximum of 30 points (30%). When combined with the technical review of 70 points (70%), only candidates who pass 70% of technical and interview evaluation will be evaluated further.

For those passing technical and interview evaluation above, offers will be evaluated per the Combined Scoring method:

a) Technical and Interview (70%)

b) Financial evaluation (30%)

Applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score and has accepted UNDP's General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

Interested individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications.

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by 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. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total 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 this at this point and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.
4. Individual Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://trip.dss.un.org

Annexes to be used for IC document sumission

Annex-I-Terms of Reference
Annex-II-GTC of IC
Annex-III-Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
Annex-IV-P11 Template for IC Submission

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. Only COMPLETE submission received through the jobsite link will be accepted.