Background

Within a rapidly changing environment, UNDP's Strategic Plan 2018-2021 sets an ambitious course to catalyze and facilitate positive change for countries in their efforts to achieve the SDGs. UNDP has embarked upon a series of transformational efforts across its policy and programme, operational, and external relations areas under the auspices of a '#NextGenUNDP' effort. The organization is aiming to digitally transform itself in order to catalyze action for the achievement of the Strategic Plan.

UNDP's digital transformation focuses on developing the organization's capability to leverage existing, emerging and future digital technologies and the opportunities they offer to profoundly improve the way UNDP creates and delivers value and benefits for those we serve; UNDP's recently finalized Digital Strategy 2019-2021 guides these efforts and builds off UNDP's extensive range of digital initiatives spanning the country, regional, and global levels. One of these efforts, Digital Lighthouse Initiative (DLI) sits within UNDPs Global Policy Network (GPN), SDG Integration Team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Develop a launch strategy

1. Develop a launch strategy outlining goals, actions and timelines
2. Develop a 2 min video on the new platform (SparkBlue) – with voices from the field
3. Draft a launch message from UNDP Administrator
4. Draft a follow up message from Global Policy Network management

Develop and implement a communication strategy for the new platform (SparkBlue) internally and externally

• Communication plan for second QTR
• Communication plan for QTR 3-4
• Develop a One-pager on the key messages of the platform (SparkBlue)
• Develop a Senior manager PowerPoint slide deck
• Create 3 success stories on how CoPs has been used to come up with a solution to challenges in the Country office
• Create 3 success stories on how External Engagements has been used to come up with a solution to a country office/regional and global challenge.
• Develop a newsletter template
• Develop a management monthly newsletter template

Develop a short training video that could show:

• The value of Online Engagement
• The current state of engagement in the UN system
• Our Success Stories
• How to go about using the various tools and services
• Call to Action to get in touch

Develop a training package for Team leaders using the SparkBlue playbook

• Provide input to the development of the SparkBlue digital playbook

• How to best engage on SparkBlue
• How to use SparkBlue to source solutions to a challenge
• How to engage across networks and regions
• How to use a structured discussion
• How to use
• Incentives of engaging on SparkBlue

Development of highly visual social material for UNDP, UN partners, management and other influencer handles to push out

Development of a Longer term strategy:

Work with the content and web designers to ensure consistency of messaging across all products and platforms;(ongoing)

Competencies

Corporate 

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s vision, mission and values; 
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; 
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Technical 

• Ability to provide guidance on communications strategies;
• Knowledge of methodologies, tools, and platforms to plan, monitor, and evaluate communications products;
• Ability to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge;
• Ability to plan, organize, motivate, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals; 
• Knowledge of energy and climate change mitigation issues.

Functional 

Client Orientation, Professionalism, and Communications

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work;
• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction;
• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade, and transform;
• Ability to productively share UNDP knowledge and activities (at UN and other venues);
• Capable of working in a high-pressure environment with sharp deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;

Exercise the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, media, environmental sciences, engineering, public policy, business or other relevant field. Master’s degree in communications, journalism or other relevant field an advantage.

Experience:

Required:

• At least 3 years of professional experience working on different aspects of communications such as media relations, content production, and social media management is required.
• Experience in digital communications
• Demonstrated experience in developing, producing, and editing videos
• Demonstrated experience in social media management platforms;
• Demonstrated success in producing communication products. Please attach or provide links to 2 samples of previous work that shows either an article, story or booklet in English to your application

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset

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 or P11, 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;
• Sample as mentioned above

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 hour 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. Technical expertise (required experience and knowledge for assignment) especially in the following areas:
•                Internal communication/change management
•                Campaigning/Marketing
•                Experience in writing communication and launch Strategy
•                Sample of communication materials
•           Weight = 40%; Maximum Points: 40;
• Criteria 2. Relevant experience working in UNDP or other UN agencies Weight = 20 %; Maximum Points: 20;
• Criteria 3. Availability to start soon Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10;

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 The Policy Specialist, digital Strategist, SDG Integration/BPPS 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 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs
• Annex 2 - IC Contract Template
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.