Background
UNDP Support on Development Finance in Asia-Pacific
Despite innovations in financing, countries are facing challenges in terms of the volume of financing needed to achieve the SDGs. Governments are also recognizing the need for effective engagement across a variety of actors and addressing systemic issues for the way finance is prioritized, mobilized and managed for national development priorities.
Countries are calling for support in taking a more holistic approach to ensure public finance is spent effectively and with catalytic effect to leverage other sources and create an environment that supports private capital alignment behind the SDGs.
UNDP’s portfolio of global and national initiatives on finance and private sector is very diverse in scope and topics and anchored at the global, regional and country levels. To support government and the private sector in scaling-up approaches to finance the SDGs, Country Offices are offering an integrated and systematic package of support to assist countries in more comprehensively engaging with private and public partners and maximizing the use of sources of development finance. UNDP’s support to countries on financing is centered around strengthening the effective governance of financing for the SDGs with a focus on institutional reforms, public private collaboration and ensuring transparency and accountability. UNDP seeks to use engagements to advocate and support the types of policy and regulatory reforms and institutional strengthening that enable finance to be aligned with the SDGs at scale. Country level support seeks to connect the dots across partners to strengthen the momentum for systemic reforms, working together with the entirety of the UN System, International Financial Institutions as well as development banks and other global and regional and financing institutions to this end.
UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub has established the Financing SDGs Team to support countries in the Asia-Pacific region to build integrated approaches to mobilising and managing financing for national priorities. To this end, UNDP through the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility (AP-DEF) have developed the Development Finance Assessment (DFA), a tool to respond to the growing demand from countries in the region to establish evidence and analysis, and introduce policy and institutional reforms for managing the increasing complexity of domestic and international sources of finance for development. DFAs serve as a step toward establishing integrated national financing frameworks. DFAs were introduced as the very first development finance studies of their kind, seeking to bring together fragmented approaches on the use of the different sources of funds that may not all be primarily dedicated to address development challenges.
UNDP Development Finance work in the Pacific
The UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji leads UNDP’s work in 10 Pacific Island Countries (Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) and is the sub-regional hub for support to other countries and territories supported by UNDP in the Pacific (Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tokelau).
Within the Pacific, 5 DFAs have been completed or are underway (Fiji, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands). There are important national differences in the development finance landscape of the countries covered, but there are also common patterns and challenges across the sub-region. The public sector, including state-owned enterprises, tends to play a much larger role in development finance and the economy in general- despite broad acknowledgement of the importance of private sector-led growth. Development assistance, from both OECD DAC members and non-traditional development partners, plays a much larger role than it does in most other regions. Accessing climate finance has taken on huge economic significance, particularly in the smaller Pacific countries. Countries typically have clear national development strategies, generally well-integrated with the SDGs, but in practice there is often a substantial disjoint between these plans, what resources are available, and how available resources are allocated.
The DFAs, produced in close collaboration with respective governments, provide a solid foundation for identification of practical steps that can be taken to improve financing of Pacific countries’ development plans. UNDP is now recruiting a specialist to support Pacific countries on securing and making the most effective use of development finance. This work will build on the DFAs and is expected to include substantive work to take forward DFA recommendations but would not be limited to DFA recommendations or to those countries that have already undertaken DFAs.
In particular, the Specialist (consultant) will provide technical support to countries, draft guidance for Ministries of Finance and Planning, facilitate dialogue and evidence building at country level on integrated approaches to financing, and support the UNDP regional teams on financing SDGs in their design of services for Pacific governments.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
Under the overall guidance of the Development Economist at the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, the specialist will:
Provide substantive capacity to support UNDP and partner governments in DFA follow-up and taking forward priority DFA recommendations, including:
Developing practical development finance roadmaps and strategies (including integrated financing frameworks where appropriate), overall or sector-specific, in partnership with governments (primarily MOFs) and other relevant development partners; includes advising on dialogue mechanisms for financing development which support strategy design and implementation;
Support improved alignment between planning and budgeting processes. Specific activities would be in response to partner government demand, but could include supporting development of strategic planning guidelines for ministries and provincial governments, developing approaches for review of draft budgets for alignment with national plans, or supporting development of budget proposals by sub-national governments;
Support national and, as appropriate, regional mechanisms to track implementation and financing of national and regional development strategies;
Developing new frameworks and policies around different types of finance (e.g., remittances, SDG bonds, etc.) at country level;
Supporting capacity development in partner governments to better address development financing needs.
Identifying and pursuing opportunities within UNDP’s existing portfolio in the Pacific to take forward thinking and service offers in SDG financing, potentially including:
Integrating DFA findings and analysis into the Pacific Floating Budget Office initiative to support improved scrutiny of government budgets;
Working with the Pacific Risk Governance Programme to integrate adequate consideration of risk into development financing strategies and processes;
Working with UNDP’s private sector engagement initiatives to develop approaches for greater private sector engagement in the SDGs.
Support development of initiatives to address identified development finance needs, including:
Initiatives to more efficiently mobilize private sector engagement in the sustainable development agenda and improve alignment of investment decisions;
Initiatives to make the most effective use of emerging opportunities to engage with non-traditional partners, including South-South Cooperation and private philanthropy;
Initiatives to improve collection and collection of data to provide decision makers with a more comprehensive understanding of development finance flows and support more evidence-based policymaking;
Supporting thematic analyses of public sector spending, for example through a gender lens;
Supporting the development of dialogue platforms as a space for evidence-based decision making across ministries, and with non-government stakeholders (private sector, CSOs) on SDG financing;
Supporting linkages and knowledge exchange with the Bangkok Regional Hub to facilitate South-South learning and knowledge exchange.
Contribute to regional UNDP work to strengthen SDG implementation and financing strategies at country level, with specific attention to country monitoring of development effectiveness principles and interaction of flows both domestic and international, public and private; specifically linking the work on effective development cooperation and aid effectiveness to wider financing for development discussions.
The Specialist (consultant) will function as an integral part of the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji team, and is expected to flexibly respond to demands and opportunities to support countries’ development finance needs over the course of the consultancy.
Institutional Arrangement
The specialist will work under the supervision of the UNDP Development Economist, with guidance from the Development Finance Advisor and Team in the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.
The specialist will work in close collaboration with the Inclusive Growth Team at the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, the UNDP Multi-Country Office in Samoa, and the UNDP Country Office in the Solomon Islands.
The specialist will work in partnership with Pacific Island Country governments and regional organizations on an on-demand basis.
Supervision/Reporting
On a day-to-day basis, the consultant would report to the UNDP Development Economist at the Pacific Office in Fiji.
Outputs produced by the consultant would also require certification by the Project Manager for the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness project, based at the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub.
Duration of Work
The consultancy will be for a period of 12 months after signing contract. The consultancy is expected to commence from 15 August 2019 for a total of 261 days.
Duty Station
The Specialist (consultant) will be based in the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji (Suva, Fiji) for the duration of the assignment and would be required to work within the normal working hours of the Office.
The Specialist (consultant) will be expected to travel to provide in-country support and advice to governments within the Pacific sub-region on an on-demand basis.
Competencies
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
Demonstrate integrity and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
Promote the vision, mission and strategic goal of UN
Functional Competencies:
Effective team player, with good communication, diplomatic and inter-personal skills;
Has ability to communicate clearly and present coherent and well-founded arguments;
Demonstrates openness to change, responds positively to feedback and different point of view;
Excellent communication skills including presentations, networking and interpersonal skills;
Has ability to synthesize large amounts of information into succinct written reports;
Proven experience in writing, editing and proof reading; Strong analytical skills.
Language requirements
Fluency in written and spoken English.
Required Skills and Experience
Required Skills and Experience
Education
Relevant degree or advanced degree in economics, public finance, public policy and administration, international relations, development studies or related field.
Experience
Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional work experience with track record of research analysis;
Research experience in the areas of development finance, budget review and public expenditure review are required;
Previous work on Development Finance issues in the Pacific sub-region an advantage;
Proven knowledge of the concept of Integrated National Finance Frameworks (INFF) and their adaptation at the country level will be considered a significant asset;
Familiarity with UNDP’s DFA methodology and Financing Solutions toolkit as well as wider financing services considered an asset;
Experience in country-level work rooted in public policy reforms in close collaboration with government;
Excellent writing skills required, as demonstrated by previous research/analytical reports on relevant topics;
Ability to lead consultations with senior Government officials required;
Sound grasp of substantive policy issues in the public finance field;
Excellent knowledge of data collection, analysis and statistics tool are essential;
Advanced quantitative and econometric skills and experience with related data analysis tools are an advantage.
Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments
The consultant must send a financial proposal based on an all-inclusive Daily Fee in USD for the contract period. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the consultant in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal. If applicable, travel or daily allowance cost (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) should be identified separately. Payments shall be done based on actual days worked, upon verification of completion of deliverables with satisfactory by or before the due dates agreed with the Governance of Climate Change Finance team.
Travel for in-country support (ticket and allowance) shall be arranged by UNDP Pacific Office; payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel. In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. Travel cost from home country to duty station in Fiji and return shall not be covered by UNDP.
The financial proposal shall be submitted in the following format:
Daily fees for 261 days
Living Allowance for 12 months (Propose monthly living allowance)
Travel cost to join duty station (inclusive of ticket cost, visa etc)
Evaluation
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:
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% - Comprising of 30% scores of desk review, 35% written test, and 35% scores of interview) and financial criteria (30%). The proposals that achieves a minimum of 70% in the technical desk review shall be further considered for interviews and written tests. The 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 Score (70%) |
Financial Score (30%) |
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Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 100 points)
- Criteria 1: Relevance of education – Max 5 points
- Criteria 2: 5 years of relevant work experience on development finance with expertise in research analysis– Max 10 Points
- Criteria 3: Experience with conducting country and regional level analysis on development finance issues with a focus on policy reform– Max 10 points
- Criteria 4: Experience with DFAs or UNDP’s approach to financing advisory services – Max 5 points
- Criteria 5: Written Test – Max 35 points
- Criteria 5: Interview-Max 35 Points
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points (70% of the total technical points) will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications.
Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
Cover letter, including a) a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
Personal CV 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.
Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II.
Annexes
Incomplete proposals may not be considered.
Complete proposals should be submitted via UNDP Jobs website (note UNDP Jobs only supports single document upload hence ensure that CV and financial proposal is submitted as one single document) by 31st July 2019 (11.59 pm Fiji Time). For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to ronald.kumar@undp.org.