UNDP Jobs - 94049- Capacity building of State Ministries of Finance i

Capacity building of State Ministries of Finance in revenue mobilization and management in six states of Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap and Western Equatoria states

Location :

Juba, with field Trips to States outside Juba, SOUTH SUDAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Nov-2020

Application Deadline :

30-Sep-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

23 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

23 working days

UNDP 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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

South Sudan is emerging from an era of armed conflict. The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed in September 2018 and the formation of the Revitalised Transitional government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) in February 2020, provides opportunities to strengthen governance systems, management of public funds, optimise service delivery, and stabilise the economy.

The Support to Public Financial Management (PFM) project has been implemented since 2015 by UNDP in partnership with South Sudanese government counterparts, the Government of Japan and African Development Bank. Recent funding obtained by UNDP and UNICEF from the Joint SDG Fund is adding to UNDP’s efforts in the PFM domain in South Sudan. The project aims at strengthening the overall governance and public financial management systems at the state level.

The Public Financial Management project built on UNDP’s past achievements in providing technical assistance to national and state governments. This support centered on budgetary planning, public finance management, and harmonized tax management system through the provision of Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, capacity building, tax management system, dissemination of knowledge products such as manuals, and improved public finance governance at the state levels. The emphasis was placed on the establishment of transparent and accountable non-oil revenue-generating systems in these states, and in strengthening the institutional and human resource capacities of the State Legislative Assemblies (SLA) towards efficient oversight responsibilities for safeguarding the public welfare.

Increased non-oil revenue on the states level has resulted in some examples of increased service delivery. However, there is a need for more capacity strengthening in the State Ministry of Finance to ensure that these increased revenues are budgeted in line with existing development plans, and that all expenditures are accounted for. It has been reiterated by project partners, including in the State Legislative Assemblies, that the State Ministry of Finance is the crucial link in the PFM system that needs attention from development partners.

Before the formation of the RTGoNU, a political compromise was reached on the question on the number of states in South Sudan. The country in February returned to 10 states and 3 administrative areas, from the previous 32 (+ 1) states. The reconstituted, larger states have recently been appointed Governors. However, the State MoFP officials will be reappointed to reflect the new state boundaries.

The global coronavirus pandemic has reached South Sudan. To limit the spread of the virus, a range of restrictions have been placed on travel and business activities, and the restrictions are quickly changing as the pandemic picture in South Sudan is shifting.

In light of all these developments, UNDP is contracting an international consultant to train State Ministry of Finance members in the above-listed six states of South Sudan, who will be ready to travel to the states once the key officials to be trained are appointed. UNDP will monitor the development of the coronavirus pandemic and the political situation, which will determine when the consultancy can begin.

South Sudan is emerging from an era of armed conflict. The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed in September 2018 and the formation of the Revitalized Transitional government of National Unity (R-TGoNU) in February 2020, provides opportunities to strengthen governance systems, management of public funds, optimize service delivery, and stabilize the economy.

The global corona virus pandemic has reached South Sudan. To limit the spread of the virus, a range of restrictions have been placed on travel and business activities, and the restrictions are quickly changing as the pandemic picture in South Sudan is shifting.

In light of all these developments, UNDP is contracting an international consultant to train State Ministry of Finance members in the above-listed six states of South Sudan, who will be ready to travel to the states once the key officials to be trained are appointed. UNDP will monitor the development of the corona virus pandemic and the political situation, which will determine when the consultancy can begin.

Duties and Responsibilities

Deliverables

Sn. Activity %breakdown for payment Deliverable Days allocated

1.. Inception report based on desk/document review, draft training material 20 % Draft inception report, training manual 2 days

2.. Inception meeting to present and discuss the inception report and training materials

3.. Present reviewed training materials, methodology and implementation plan Inception report, implementation plan and approved

training manual 1 day

4.. Provide the trainings 50% 2.5/3 - day trainings of members from six State Ministries of

Finance, including travel days 18 days

5.. Training report (including pictures, participant’s lists disaggregated by gender,

evaluation forms) 30% Final Report 2 days

Total number of working days 23 days

The purpose of the consultancy is to enhance the capacity of officials of the State Ministries of Finance in the six states to manage increased non-oil revenue and exercise their role in the public financial management system. The officials will be trained on the planning & budgeting process and allocation of local revenue on the state level.

The consultant will develop a training manual and methodology, and provide the training to State Ministry of Finance officials in Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap and Western Equatoria states.

The consultant is expected to provide a participatory training format which engages Ministry of Finance officials to reflect critically on their role in the PFM system. On-the-job, practical training is also encouraged.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Demonstrates diplomacy and tact in dealing with sensitive and complex situations;

Strong communication, team building, interpersonal, analysis, and planning skills.

Professionalism:

Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
Demonstrates experience with violations mapping exercises;
Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment;
Shows pride in work and in achievements;
Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.

Planning & Organizing:

Organizes and accurately completes multiple tasks by establishing priorities while taking into consideration special assignments, frequent interruptions, deadlines, available resources and multiple reporting relationships;
Plans coordinate and organizes workload while remaining aware of changing priorities and competing deadlines;
Establishes, builds and maintains effective working relationships with staff and partners to achieve the planned results.

Contracts will be output-based, and payment issued only upon delivery of satisfactory outputs.

Functional Competencies:

In-depth knowledge of conflict issues and South Sudan context;
Ability to communicate sensitively across different focal points;
Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills;

Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master's degree in relevant Social Science (preferably related to public financial management PFM, Economics or Accounting);

Experiance:

Practical experience of not less than 5 years working/consulting in PFM or public administration;
Demonstrated practical experience in conducting participatory trainings;
In-depth knowledge of policies, strategies, government fiscal accountability and transparency;
Commitment to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment;
In-depth knowledge of the South Sudanese political system;
Knowledge and experience from working with the UN system

Language:

Fluency in spoken and written English, with strong oral communications skills;?

Note:

Institutional arrangements:

The consultant may make use of the UNDP office and is expected to use his or her own computer/laptop and cell phone.

The consultant will be contracted for 23 full-time working days.

The consultant will report to the Public Financial Management Technical Expert (or his designate), who will review and approve delivery of outputs.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are required to submit the following:

I. Technical proposal comprising of the following:

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
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 three (3) professional references.
Brief description (max. ½ page) of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment.
The proposal containing the methodology (max. 1 page) for how you will approach and complete the assignment;

Financial Proposal: that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per the template provided below.

Financial Proposals:

Please include an all-inclusive total amount, presented in the following template:

Development of training material and delivery of training of State Ministry of Finance Unit cost (USD) No. Total

officials in six states of South Sudan

Total (lump sum):

Evaluation Criteria Weight Max Point

Educational qualification 10% 10
Experience in conducting participatory PFM or related trainings 30% 30
Training facilitation methodology 30% 30

TOTAL 70% 70

Offers received will be evaluated using a Combined Scoring method, where the qualifications and proposed methodology will be weighted 70%, and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30%. Below is the breakdown of the technical proposal on 100% which will be brought to 70%:

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial evaluation (total 30 points):

All technically qualified proposals will be scored out of 70 based on the formula provided below. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals receive points according to the following formula:

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.