Background

NOTE: Signed Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability - https://www.ba.undp.org/content/dam/bosnia_and_herzegovina/docs/Operations/Jobs/Offerors%20Letter%20to%20UNDP%20Confirming%20Interest%20and%20Availability.docx - Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.docx - to be sent to e-mail ba.shared.hr@undp.org with Subject: Job ID 94074

The joint initiative by the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Government of Switzerland, in partnership with UNDP and IOM, the Diaspora for Development (D4D) is a 4-year project in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its overall goal is to increase socio-economic opportunities and perspectives for women and men in BiH, and to improve their livelihoods through increased diaspora engagement.
This will be attained through achieving three specific outcomes, as follows:

• Outcome 1: BiH Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees and BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with government institutions at different levels, use and further develop their instruments to actively connect, exchange, and engage with diaspora members and organizations.
• Outcome 2: Local governments align their development strategies to the diaspora policy framework at higher government levels, provide more and better services to diaspora members, and encourage community initiatives to attract diaspora know-how and investment.
• Outcome 3: Diaspora partners transfer know-how and skills and make joint investments with private sector actors in BiH, thus creating new jobs.

This consultancy will take place within the project’s third Outcome focused on supporting the partnering of diaspora and private sector actors in BiH via transferring know-how, joint investments at local level and job creation. In this context, the Project facilitated business support scheme for 32 private sector beneficiaries in terms of transfer of skills and know-how from diaspora/diaspora businesses to companies in BiH, with focus on most competitive industries (e.g. ICT, metal/automotive, wood/furniture). This business support scheme was implemented via a competitive call for proposals launched in August 2017 and open until February 2018.
The total of 21 projects/applicants were supported, within which 32 beneficiaries and 311 individuals benefited from new skills and management or production know-how. The projects were implemented in the following municipalities/cities: Tuzla, Sanski Most, Prijedor, Sarajevo, Široki Brijeg, Banja Luka, Olovo, Jajce, Posušje, Zenica, Novi Travnik, Srebrenik, Cazin and Tešanj. This scheme facilitated the creation or strengthening of productive business connections with diaspora, which contributed to the introduction of new technologies, improving of competitiveness, market growth, business expansion and new jobs. Activities within implementing projects included specialized training, mentoring, on-the-job-coaching and professional advice, knowledge exchange covering technical and management issues and networking events, study and know-how exchange visits, mentoring/knowledge exchange tools and platforms, improvement of product design to meet new market requirements, introduction of quality control systems and international standards, sector specific export promotion exchange, etc.
The purpose of this consultancy is to evaluate effects of the knowledge and skills transfer assistance in order to capture economic effects for beneficiaries and positive developments following the interaction with diaspora businesses/professionals.
The evaluation will assess the overall performance and impact of the activity with focus on diaspora role in it. The Consultant will assess the benefits of the participating companies/organizations and their beneficiaries when it comes to the performance indicators and compare it with the baseline indicators as per the D4D Project log frame, but more importantly the Consultant shell determine the scheme’s relevance, performance, results, effectiveness, efficiency, and support scheme’s benefits sustainability, including lessons learned and forward-looking recommendations. The evaluation will also include assessment of the impact on the companies (e.g. employee  fluctuation, profitability, etc.) in a counterfactual framework, i.e. by identifying what would have happened if there was no such a support. Finally, the evaluation will look at the effects and opportunities of establishing and nurturing long-term/continued partnerships with professionals from diaspora and local beneficiaries.
 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will propose an evaluation methodology and agree on a detailed plan for the assignment with representatives of the D4D Project team. The proposed methodology may employ any relevant and appropriate quantitative, qualitative or combined methods to conduct the evaluation, exploring specific, gender sensitive data collecting and analytical methods and tools applicable in the concrete case. The Consultant is expected to creatively combine the standard and other evaluation tools and technics to ensure maximum reliability of data and validity of the evaluation findings. The consultant should propose a methodology for counterfactual impact evaluation as part of the Task 1. Finally, the findings are to be interpreted in the overall context of diaspora engagement, including references to relevant parts of the Policy on Cooperation with Diaspora (April 2017).
The proposed methodology should include: 

1. Review and analysis of relevant documentation including D4D Project Document and reports, the public call, profiles of the companies/organizations who implemented the activity and baseline indicators for which evaluation is to be performed, other available and relevant data gathered through desk review. Based on this analysis, evaluation methodology will be developed including corresponding questionnaires and proposed qualitative and quantitative assessment tools and set-up;
2. Methodology should include the Analysis of performance (for the selected beneficiaries) and the Analysis of impact (for the selected companies that were not approved for the support).  The Methodology should include explanations of the tools to be used in order to clearly measure the effects between supported and not supported projects.
3. Conducting both qualitative and quantitative assessment, including the review of creation of long-term/continued diaspora partnerships, relying on multiple communication channels (including on-line survey, telephone inquiries, field visits etc.);
4. The Evaluation Report write-up in line with data collected and analyzed, including lessons learned/recommendations for improvement. The main content and the structure of the Report should include the following: Executive summary, Introduction, Description of the evaluation methodology, Analysis with regard to the outcome including the Analysis of performance and Analysis of impact; Analysis of opportunities for future schemes, Key findings, including best practices and lessons learned, Conclusions and recommendations, Appendices: charts, field visits information, people interviewed, documents reviewed.

The proposed methodology and structure of the Evaluation Report will be discussed and agreed upon with D4D Project team.
More specifically, the Consultant will have the following tasks: 
Task 1 – Desk review and development of evaluation methodology
Following the initial meetings with the D4D Project Team, the Consultant will submit the proposed work-plan, evaluation methodology containing evaluation questions to be covered showing how each question will be answered by proposing methods, sources of data and data collection procedures and the proposed structure of the evaluation report for review and approval.
It is envisaged that this task will be delivered by October 10, 2020 and the level of effort will not exceed 5 expert days. 
Task 2 – Implementation of assessment, including field visits
Upon the approval of the work-plan, evaluation methodology and the structure of the performance and impact evaluation report by the D4D Project Team, the Consultant is expected to carry out the evaluation – both quantitative and qualitative assessment, including to what extent the results foreseen by the Project/specific call for proposals have been accomplished. The questionnaire will be disbursed to all participating beneficiaries and qualitative assessment that includes the field visits will be carried out for minimum 8 projects and their beneficiary companies based on the approved work-plan. S/he will also explore in the impact analysis how many of the companies that applied for support but managed to carry forward their projects without UNDP’ support and assess the final results. The Consultant will gather all the responses (the response rate acceptable is minimum 60% of the total number of questionnaires disbursed). The D4D Project Team will provide support to the Consultant in organization of the meetings and collection of the relevant means of verification. Depending on the availability, the Consultant may be accompanied by the Project Team in the field visits. The field visits will enable collection of the required set of the relevant means of verification and hence facilitate timely and successful completion of the Evaluation Report.
It is envisaged that this task will be delivered by November 30, 2020 and the level of effort will not exceed 35 expert days. 
Task 3 –Evaluation Report 
The Evaluation Report prepared by the Consultant will be submitted to the Project Team for initial review. Based on the approved structure of the Evaluation Report, and inputs received from the D4D Project Team, the Consultant will finalize and submit the overall Evaluation Report. The report will include comparative analysis of the results attained through supported projects and projects that applied for support but were not selected for co-financing and are implemented without UNDP’ support, in order to assess to what extent the support provided ensured value-added.
It is envisaged that this task will be delivered by December 15, 2020 and the level of effort will not exceed 5 expert days.
Deliverables/outputs

Competencies

a. Corporate Responsibility and Teamwork:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Plans, prioritizes and delivers tasks on time.
• Strives for and promotes excellence in performance continually;
• Participates effectively in a team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others.

b. People Skills:

• Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others;
• Ensures others’ understanding of, involvement in, and adaptation to a change process.

c. Results-Orientation:

• Plans and procedures quality results to meet established goals.

d. Communication:

• Formulates written information clearly and persuasively;
• Shares information openly with co-workers and partners while using discretion to protect confidences;
• Presents information in a clear and articulate manner.

e. Job Knowledge and Expertise:

• Sound knowledge of the M&E;
• Proven expertise in results-based management systems;
• Proven expertise in results-based management systems evaluation methodologies in the area of economic development;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Strong presentation skills;
• Strong leadership skills;
• Advanced writing skills;
• Strong facilitation and coordination skills;
• Executes day-to-day tasks systematically and efficiently;
• Initiative and sound judgment;
• General understanding and strong familiarity with the BiH private sector businesses;
• Understanding of budget, finance and strategic economic development terminology will be considered an asset. 

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education

• Advanced university degree in economics, social science, policy, public administration or related field.

Experience

• At least three years of participatory evaluation expertise and experience, where evaluations in the area of economic development in BiH are considered to be an asset;
• Proven experience in report creation and critical assessment;
• Previous experience in development projects evaluation will be considered as an asset;
• Previous experience with log frame methodologies will be considered as an asset.
   

Languages Requirements

• Fluency in English and official Bosnia and Herzegovina languages.

Longlisting/Shortlisting Criteria

Qualifications as stated in the ToR

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation

Individual  will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• * Technical Criteria weight-70%
• * Financial Criteria weight- 30%

Interested candidated must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal:

• Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Cover letter
• Personal CV, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.
• Provide a brief approach to the assignment with timeline, potential challenges and needs to fulfill given described tasks (up to 1 page).

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.