Background

UNDP works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results. 

Inclusive growth, better services, environmental sustainability, good governance, and security are fundamental to development progress. We offer our expertise in development thinking and practice, and our decades of experience at country level, to support countries to meet their development aspirations and to bring the voices of the world’s peoples into deliberations. 

Coming together under the new framework of the Global Policy Network (GPN), UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more inclusive, innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

UNDP helps countries to simultaneously reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development that leads to transformational change, bringing about real improvements in people’s lives. We promote an integrated approach to achieve sustainable development that tackles the connected issues of multidimensional poverty, inequality and exclusion, and sustainability, while enhancing knowledge, skills and production technologies to reduce risks and sustain development gains. UNDP supports countries localize, implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and monitor progress towards the achievement of the SDGs.

Central to UNDP’s New Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021, UNDP aims to better capture the organization’s knowledge, innovation and good practices and lessons learned from country, regional and global experience, drawing from a network of internal and external expertise, in order to address complex problems. To this end, UNDP is re-establishing sustainable Communities of Practice (CoPs), of which UNDP has a rich history, to promote and support knowledge flows within and across the GPN areas of work and enrich UNDP’s global policy and programme functions.

The Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality aims to effectively connect UNDP’s staff across country, regional and global teams working to promote dignity, opportunity and prosperity for all. To this view, UNDP is seeking to recruit a data and analytics research consultant to support its Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality.

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of this procurement exercise is to contract individual consultant who will support the work on eradication of poverty and inequality, and sustainable development, in particular with the facilitation of the Community of Practice on Poverty and Inequality.

Consultant is expected to carry out following analytical duties and responsibilities

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies

• Solid research, analytical, and writing skills 
• Development and operational effectiveness
• Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to results management, including support to design, planning and implementation of programme, managing data, reporting.
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering, implementation of new system, including new IT based systems
• Good knowledge of resultsbased management and performance indicators

Leadership and Self-Management

• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback 
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Shares knowledge and experience 

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in development studies, economics, statistics, international relations, public administration or relevant field is required.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience working in data, research, analytics and other relevant experience working in the international development field is required
• At least 7 years of sound analytical and qualitative skills is required
• Demonstrated experience in writing including evidence of contributing and self-authored published research is required
• Strong knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals are required, including work with data and SDG indicators
• Knowledge management experience in facilitating the management of knowledge platforms and dissemination of information are required.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Fluency in other UN languages is an asset (preferably French and/or Spanish)

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references;
• A two-page methodology on how the Offeror will conduct the work including a Work Plan and approach in delivering the required outputs within the assignment period; and
• Writing Samples in international development setting or any other field.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7-hours working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.

• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should 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.
• If the 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 a 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.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation Process:

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being 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 where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical Evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1: Extent of relevant experience working in international development, with a focus on poverty and inclusive growth in the context of the SDGs Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 2: Prior experience in writing including evidence of contributing and self-authored published works Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 10;
• Criteria 3: Evidence of strong analytical capacity and ability to identify, analyze and articulate complex issues, especially related to poverty and inequality Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 4: Deep knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly, SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 11, and SDG 13: Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 5: Experience in knowledge sharing, dissemination of information, and facilitation of online communities, preferably on poverty eradication and inequality reduction and other relevant areas: Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 15;

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top three - four shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial Evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

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

Contract Award:

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional Arrangement:

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of Thematic Lead on Inclusive Growth, UNDP/ BPPS/SD and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Payment Modality

• Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.
• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7-hours working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.