Background

1. General background information relevant to the assignment

Saudi Arabia has realized and sustained, for the last four decades, a remarkable progress along the socio-economic development path. It has been an epic socio-economic development in which all sectors of the economy contributed and benefited.As a result of this, the Kingdom has been able to move from an underdeveloped status to a high-income country with all the means of a promising and sustainable future. The GDP, for instance, increased from SR156 billion in 1969 to SR2,631 billion in 2018, putting the economy among the top 20 global economies in term of size. This is cogent evidence of the socio-economic advancement taken place in all sectors Based on the annual ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Human Development Report, Saudi Arabia has steady moved from the middle-income category in the 1990s to the very high-income category in 2018 at 0.857 value of HDI .

The Saudi Vision 2030 represents an ambitious resolve with long-term goals and expectations founded on the strengths and capabilities of the Kingdom. It has been addressing the three themes of a vibrant society; a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. A thorough review of the three themes and their underlying issues of national concern would reveal a holistic approach to development that encompasses the three dimensions of sustainable development: the social, the economic and the environmental.

Saudi Arabia has expressed its earnest commitment to achieve the SDGs. It recognizes that such commitment requires rigorous, instant and continuous monitoring for which quality statistics is a must. In this respect, UNDP Country Office, Riyadh, is keen to support the Government by providing professional support to various areas of statistics’ collection, analysis and validation.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. The objectives of the assignment

The Chief Technical Adviser will report to the UNDP Programme Analyst, as the first supervisor; and will simultaneously report to the National Project Manager, as the second supervisor, and through him, will liaise with the concerned Government Ministries and development agencies.

1. The scope of work, which contain a detailed description of deliverables and activities

Provide support to UNDP’s Programme in the following areas:

• The development and implementation of Project Work Plans
• Coordination of monitoring, tracking, reporting progress of Project Work Plans
• Adapt statistical methods to solve programmatic problems relevant to a diverse set of themes in the framework of governance, energy and environment.
• Design research methods that apply to valid scientific techniques and collect and analyze data pertaining to baselines and historical trends.
• Develop and test experimental designs, sampling techniques, and analytical methods.
• Evaluate the statistical methods and procedures used to obtain data in order to ensure validity, applicability, efficiency, and accuracy.
• Examine theories, such as those of probability and inference in order to discover mathematical bases for new or improved methods of obtaining and evaluating statistics.
• Design data collection methods for specific projects and determine types and sizes of sample groups to be used.
• Analyze data for statistical modeling and graphic demonstration, using computers.
• Report results of statistical analyses in graphs, charts, and tables formats
• Supervise and provide instructions for staff members handling data collection and tabulation.
• Verify statistics to ensure consistency system-wide.

1. The duration of the assignment

12 months with possibility of extension.

1. The duty station and expected places of travel, if any

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1. Reporting requirements, frequency, format and deadlines

The CTA will be based at the General Authority for Statistics. As such, he will be working with the NPM on a daily basis. The CTA is to share updates with the UNDP Programme Analyst on a bi-weekly basis. The bi-weekly updates can take the format of a meeting. The CTA is to share a progress report with the UNDP Programme Analyst on a quarterly basis. The progress report has to be prepared in light of the Work Plan. The exact format will be shared by UNDP Programme Analyst  in due course.  

1. The approval process required to certify outputs prior to authorizing payment, and payment milestones if applicable:

The CTA will be shared a certificate of payment where he-she needs to indicate achieved outputs. Then the certificate of payment must be verified by the Supervisor and certified by UNDP top management.

Competencies

1. Competencies:

1. Demonstrates commitment to census principles and values.
2. Shares knowledge and experience

1. Provides helpful feedback and advice
2. Strong statistical and IT skills

1. Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
2. Generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
3. Conceptualizes and analyzes problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate
4. Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence

1. Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
2. Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view

Required Skills and Experience

1. Qualification:

Recognized degree (preferably master’s level) in statistics, economics or other social sciences.

1. Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in the academia or research institutions, focus on analysis of socio-economic data, composite indices and well-being assessment Relevant experience in research and analysis.
• Experience with international organizations is an asset
• Experience of working with government entities is an asset 
• Knowledge of Saudi development context is an asset
  1. Language: 

Proficiency in English, working knowledge of Arabic is desirable

A.Travel Plan

This assignment will be one calendar year. One round trip ticket will be provided.

Any change to the preliminary travel plan/schedule hereunder, in such cases, UNDP will cover travel costs in accordance with corporate regulations and rules.

•Consultant shall provide the Reimbursable Lump Sum of travel cost. UNDP will process the payment upon actual receipts provided for the ticket (should not exceed the unit price provided in the financial offer) and boarding passes/passport stamps (entry and exit) for each travel;

•The unit price for tickets should be provided on most direct economic class (business and first-class airfare are not permitted as per UNDP rules and regulations);

•Payments will be made upon confirmation of UNDP of satisfactory performance;

•Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/.

If unforeseen travel outside the consultant workstation city is requested by UNDP and not required by the Terms of References (ToR), such travel shall be covered by UNDP in line with applicable rules and regulations and upon prior written agreement. In such cases, the consultant shall receive living allowances not exceeding the United Nations (UN) Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rate for such other location(s).

Note: A written approval from UNDP and relevant authorities will be required to facilitate consultant's travel outside Riyadh on official missions where necessary.

A.EVALUATION

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Step I: Screening and desk review/interview:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.

Applications will be first screened and only candidates meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• Recognized degree (preferably master’s level) in statistics, economics or other social sciences.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in the academia or research institutions, with a focus on analysis of data, composite indices and well-being assessments. Experience with international organizations is an asset.

Shortlisted Candidates will be then assessed and scored against the evaluation criteria mention above.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments: (Standard text - do not change)

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

Lump-Sum, which should be inclusive of the professional fee, local communication cost and insurance (inclusive of medical/health insurance).

Travel & Visa: – The contractor shall propose an estimated lump-sum for travel (economy most direct route) and Saudi Arabia visa expenses.

The total professional fee shall be converted into a lump-sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the schedule of payment linked with deliverables.

B.Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Duly accomplished Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);
• 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.