Background

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, in support of households, localities and small enterprises that are underserved, where development needs are greatest and where resources are scarcest.

UNCDF’s support is ultimately designed to promote sustainable and inclusive growth that empowers LDCs to unleash their potential and to graduate from the LDC status. The UNCDF approach to local development finance in LDCs recognizes the need to unlock existing sources of capital for local development and attract new investment capital to the local level. To this end UNCDF applies its seed capital and technical assistance to develop innovative solutions that leverage or mobilize, allocate, and invest resource flows to the local level for local development, thus meeting the capital funding gap.

UNCDF’s Local Development Finance Practice (LDFP) is a centre of excellence and innovative fund for local government finance and local economic development finance in the world’s 47 LDCs. To promote and support transformative investments through local governments and domestic banks in LDCs, LDFP designs, pilots and tests out financing mechanisms and business models in both public and private sectors that support locally designed public investments and revenue generating capital investment projects. 

The investment financing toolboxes of UNCDF’s LDFP include Fiscal Decentralization, Local Development Funds for public capital investment programming, Structured Project Finance, Municipal Finance, SME Finance, and Public-Private Partnerships. UNCDF uses its investment tools through their thematic areas including Decentralization and Citizen Empowerment, Climate Change Adaptation, Food Security, Women’s Economic Empowerment, Local Economic Development, Cross Border Development and some Post-conflict environment.

Objective of the Assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is to provide substantive, independent advice to the Local Development Finance Investment Committee regarding private sector finance for resilience and local economic development; and to support the Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) Facility in outreach and advocacy. 

The Local Development Finance revenue generating investments bridge financial gaps for local development and deliver measurable impact on climate change resilience, clean energy, women’s economic empowerment, food security, land restoration and other themes, thereby contributing to local economic growth and improvement in people’s quality of life at the grassroots level. The revenue generating investments are targeted for domestic banks, concessional funders and impact investors. The purpose of UNCDF support is to unlock these sources of finance by de-risking the investments.

To ensure the selected investments meet both financial and thematic impact requirements, according to measurable indicators, the LD Investment Committee was established in 2017 to provide oversight on the investments and support the decision-making process on seed capital grants, bond purchases, loans and guarantees and other financial support provided to these investments.

The Local Climate Adaptive Living (LoCAL) facility of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) was designed to promote climate change–resilient communities and local economies by establishing a standard, internationally recognized country-based mechanism to channel climate finance to local government authorities in least developed countries (LDCs). It thus aims to contribute through the local level to country achievement of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals – particularly poverty eradication (SDG 1), sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and climate action (SDG 13). LoCAL increases local level climate change awareness and capacities, integrates climate change adaptation into local government planning and budgeting in a participatory and gender-sensitive manner, and increases the financing available to local governments for climate change adaptation. LoCAL combines performance-based climate resilience grants (PBCRGs) – which ensure programming and verification of climate change expenditures at the local level while offering strong incentives for performance improvements in enhanced resilience – with technical and capacity-building support.

The Senior Independent Advisor will work under the overall guidance of the Director of Local Development Finance Practice at UNCDF in Headquarters, New York, and in close collaboration with LDFP Senior Investment Manager and Local Resilience Programme Manager.  

Scope of Work

The scope of work will include:

1. Act as an independent advisor for investment pipelines proposed to the Local Development Finance Investment Committee 
2. Support LoCAL for high level outreach activities including:

• Support regional and country-specific UNCDF-to-Government high level dialogue;
• Support global outreach activities on climate change actions at subnational levels in LDCs and other developing countries, in collaboration with the LoCAL Facility and national governments;

      3.  Any other related duties as may be required.

Key Results Expected

• Substantive Guidance and/or direction to the approval of investment pipeline is provided to the Local Development Finance Investment Committee;
• Increased visibility of the LoCAL mechanism in international fora and support by high level government officials 

Duties and Responsibilities

Senior Independent Advisor will support with the following duties :  

Duration of assignment, Duty Station and Expected Places of Travel 

Maximum number of working days: The Framework Agreement shall be signed for a period of up to 250 days spread over a period of three (3) years. 

Duty Station: Home-based, with potential travel to international conferences related to the assignment.

Travel:  Travel costs associated to the assignment will be paid as reimbursable basis and following the UN rules and regulations which states that consultants shall only be paid the most direct and most economical ticket, as will be quoted by the official UN travel agency.  Any amount in excess of the said quotation, such as class and airline preference of the consultant, shall be borne by the consultant and the daily living allowance will be paid in amounts not exceeding the UN established rate.

Provision of Monitoring and Progress Controls 

• The consultant will work closely with and provide day-to-day report to the assigned staff within the LDFP, under the overall guidance of Director for the Local Development Practice at the UNCDF in Headquarters, New York. The consultant is also expected to liaise/interact/collaborate/meet with government officials, member states, UN entities, Academia, NGOs and other organizations during performing the work with UNCDF.

• For each of the assignment, the consultant will have regular communication during the specific period of the assignment, on a weekly basis or bi-weekly basis, depending on the nature of the assignment, with the designated staff(s) via e-mail and skype for coordination and guidance purposes, ensuring consultants’ output quality and targets.

• The Consultant is responsible for providing his/her own laptop during the course of his/her engagement with UNCDF.

• This contract is under a framework agreement that will work on a call-off mechanism. The consultant will be ‘called’ upon to deliver a specific set of deliverables under a TOR and a purchasing order, indicating the total number of days required to complete the services. The contractor shall submit the invoices specifying the outputs delivered and the Certificate of Payment form for the approval of UNCDF.

• Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

The following supporting documents will serve as conditions for payments to an Individual Contractor: 

1. submission of an Invoice and Certificate of Payment (COP). 
2. submission of all deliverables / workplan / progress report with relevant supporting documentation; and
3. review, approval and written acceptance of each deliverable by the UNCDF’s Director for the Local Development Practice and/or his designate. 

Contract Modality 

The successful individual under this RFP will enter into a non-exclusive Framework Agreement, also known as Long-Term Agreement (LTA) to perform the services as described in the TORs on a need basis. 

LTA is a framework agreement by and between UNCDF and individual where the latter may, at any time within the duration of the LTA, be required to render the agreed services at the agreed and fixed unit prices. An LTA specifies the unit price, scope of work, allowing for a framework agreement to be used when the services are needed.  

An LTA does not imply a financial commitment from UNCDF. LTA does not form a financial obligation nor commitment from UNCDF at the time the LTA contract is signed.  The LTA shall have a cumulative ceiling amount that may accrue to the individual contractor during the life of the LTA, but said amount shall remain as an upper limit, and must not and cannot be interpreted nor understood as neither a financial commitment nor guarantee of business volume.  It is important to note that, under an LTA, UNCDF does not guarantee that any specific quantity of services shall be made during the term of this agreement.  

When a request for service arises, and within the scope of the LTA, UNCDF can engage the individual or company holding an LTA through a “call-off” of the LTA.   Every call-off shall have specific TOR, which includes tasks, scope of services and outputs to be delivered within a specific period of time. For this particular process, the call-off shall be formalized through the issuance of a Purchase Order, attaching thereto the TOR, and any other document relevant to the call-off.  Financial commitments will only be established each time a Purchase Order for the specific services/TOR for Individual Contractor is issued.

As a result, the consultant under this position will be engaged on a needs based consultancy basis, as and when called upon to do so by UNCDF LoCAL Programme Manager (Global a.i) or designate(s) from UNCDF LoCAL Programme Manager (Global a.i), at an agreed upon “daily rate” and “number of days” per an agreed TORs for each call-off.

Technical Competencies

• Analytic capacity and demonstrated ability to process, analyze and synthesize complex, technical information;
• Proven experience in the developing country context and working in different cultural settings.
• Owns a comprehensive knowledge and experience of UNFCCC negotiations and climate strategies
• Strong analytical, assessment capabilities 
• Proven experience writing outcome documents, actions plans and roadmap

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional competencies:

• Speaks confidently and exercises diplomacy in dealing with all partners, demonstrating tact, determination and sensitivity;
• Builds strong relationships, focuses on impact and result and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Ability to lead effectively, facilitation as well as conflict resolution skills;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;

Professionalism

• Expert knowledge with political and development strategies on public finance management in LDCs
• Expert knowledge of or field experience with political and development strategies for building sustainable green economies; understanding of and respect for the interests and perspectives of different stakeholders in at the local and national level; proven ability to uphold, implement, and evaluate programmes.

Planning and organizing

• Demonstrated ability to undertake a diversity of tasks within a demanding, multi-stakeholder environment, to prioritize among these tasks, and to work toward short deadlines.

Communication

• Excellent drafting ability and communication skills, both oral and written, including a proven ability to communicate complex processes or technical information orally and to prepare documents that are clear, concise and meaningful;

Teamwork

• Superior client orientation and inter-personal skills with a proven ability to work cooperatively with multi-disciplinary teams and staff and managers at all levels.

Degree of Expertise and Qualifications 

Education:

• Master’s Degree in international development, economics, business, finance or other relevant disciplines.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant progressive experience related to sustainable development, green economy, climate change, ecosystem services or related areas. 
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in serving as high level representative in the UN or other international development executive functions;
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressive experience related to investment for local development finance;
• Experience working with the UN and governments at a high level is preferred. 
• Experience in designing, monitoring and reporting on programs related to gender equality would be an advantage;
• Proven track record of leading high-level climate negotiations at the international level; 
• Proven experience on the UNFCCC financial mechanism;
• Proven cooperative and senior-level support skills;
• Proven track record of providing advisory service and coordination;
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills;

Languages:

• Proficiency in French and English (Speaking, Listening, Writing) 

Application Procedure

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Proposers who shall not submit below mentioned documents will not be considered for further evaluation. (Note: the system does not allow multiple uploads of documents. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability;
• Personal CV or UN P11 form, - indicating all past experience, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate AND names of at least three (3) professional references (e-mail addresses, telephone numbers);
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, outlining track record and direct relevance for the present assignment; Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
• Signed Financial proposal, for the assignment outlining: All-inclusive fee (including professional fees and other professional expenses, such as housing, insurance, taxes, etc.). Available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916). 

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 UNCDF under 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 UNCDF.  

When applying for this consultancy position, the Offeror must apply with his/her official name as shown in the government issued identification document (e.g. passport and/or driver license). Contract award is subject to this verification;

Failure to submit all the below mentioned documents may result in rejection of the application.

Evaluation

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100 points, where weight distribution shall be 70% technical (30% Desk Review + 40% interview) and 30% financial.

Step I: Screening:

Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria (listed under education and experience) will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• Master’s Degree in international development, economics, business, finance or other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of relevant progressive experience related to sustainable development, green economy, climate change, ecosystem services or related areas. 
• Proficiency in French and English 

Step II: Shortlisting by Desk Review (100 points X 30%)

UNCDF will conduct a desk review process to shortlist and technically evaluate candidates as per the following criteria: 

As applicable, only applicants achieving minimum 70 points shall be invited for an interview.

Step III: Technical interviews (100 points x 40%)

A competency-based Interview shall be conducted with the top three or four candidates who score the highest in Step II (minimum of 70 points). Candidates will be tested on the same key work areas, in greater depth, namely:

• Relevant experience
• Sector Technical Knowledge  
• Programme Development and Management
• Understanding of the mission

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% on the total of Step II: Desk Review and Step III: Interview will be considered as technically qualified and will be reviewed further for financial evaluation.

Step IV: Financial Evaluation:

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

Step V: Award of the Long-term Agreement (LTA):

The award of the LTA will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: 

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable vis-à-vis the requirements of the TOR and the project operating environment; and

• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%) specific to the solicitation.

Both individual consultants and individuals employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply. 

Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a Procurement Notice for IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly).

Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply. 

UNCDF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.  All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org.