Antecedentes

Ukraine is a country with a very challenging business environment, especially for Micro- Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). MSMEs provide work for more than 4 million people in Ukraine and generate about 20% of the country’s GDP. The Government of Ukraine has been increasing its efforts to undertake economic reforms and create business enabling environment for enterprises, strengthen the position of MSMEs in the economy. Business membership organizations (BMOs) – an essential component of the business support infrastructure faces several challenges which are due weaknesses of the BMO sector and low capacity, sustainability and maturity of BMOs in terms of service provision strategy alignment and low level of awareness and understanding of existing and/or potential benefits of BMOs among current and potential member businesses.

During the period 2015 – 2018, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and with the financial support from Switzerland, UNDP supported BMOs through the “Strengthening SME Business Membership Organizations” Project. Building on the experience and lessons learned, a key focus of the Project Phase II is to ensure the sustainability and scaling-up of the positive results achieved during the First Phase, in particular enhance growth and competitiveness and strengthen the voice of MSMEs in Ukraine through more professional, demand-driven and client-oriented BMOs. The Project also aims to expand BMO coverage throughout Ukraine and is expected to positively impact on their ability to attract members, promote constructive cooperation with governmental structures and contribute to policy development finally leading to MSMEs sector growth.

The Project Phase II is implemented through four interconnected components dealing with the BMOs’ organizational capacity and governance, improvement and expansion of services provision, advocacy and effective cooperation with the government at all levels. The Project is to design and deliver tailored capacity development support to selected BMOs representing different macro-regions and sectors of Ukraine to help strengthen their institutional/organizational/financial capacities to represent interests of the private sector, and facilitate a more active, responsive, professional and policy-oriented dialogue between public and private sectors.

As a result of a competitive process, the Project has selected 20 BMOs of different profiles and geographic coverage. The group includes National CCI, 5 regional CCIs, 5 regional universal BMOs and 9 industry associations.

In addition, the Project will provide follow-up support to 7 partner BMOs engaged under Project Phase I, which will be additionally trained to serve as hubs or platforms for cooperation of wider BMO community, thus spreading further the experience and knowledge obtained in the Phase I and contributing to MSME sector consolidation. These organizations have undergone the baseline and ex-post capacity assessment during the Phase I, which allowed to identify the dynamics of organizational capacity development due to the Project interventions.

The assessments conducted by the Project during the Phase I relied on an adapted INTRAC-based methodology for organizational capacity assessment. It allowed to evaluate the general capacity of the selected BMOs, identify their strengths and weaknesses, quality and scope of services provided, and advocacy and intermediary capacities and provided detailed insights into nine areas of organizational capacity pertinent to a BMO.  

To ensure the sustainability and comparability of quality results it is proposed to use the same approach in Phase II to all BMOs. The results of this assessment will reveal the actual status and needs of the selected BMOs and will lay down the foundations for planning and provision of further project activities on capacity development to help BMOs establish and maintain good governance principles, optimize internal processes, establish linkages, create networks with other relevant organizations, conduct advocacy campaigns and engage in effective public­private dialogue.

Resulting outcomes of this exercise will allow to establish baseline for Project Phase II activities, monitor the effectiveness of capacity development interventions undertaken, evaluate progress and identify persistent problems, new gaps and strategies to continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the participating BMOs.

Deberes y responsabilidades

2. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of the assignment is to conduct organizational capacity assessment of 27 partner Business Membership Organizations as listed above and to measure the progress in organizational development of 7 partner BMOs engaged under the Phase I.

The main purpose of the assessment is to enable the Project to identify, design and deliver appropriate technical assistance to 20 new selected BMOs, which represent different macro-regions of Ukraine. The pool of BMOs will bring together nationwide, regional and sector-wide organizations. The assessment will be a valuable and insightful exercise to benchmark their organizational, service provision and advocacy capacities and then decide where and what type of assistance in developing those capacities would be most fruitful. The exercise will help establish baseline and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework for measuring BMO development over time.

Furthermore, the outcome of the assessment will be used for design of capacity development plan/road map for each of BMOs assessed, implementation of which will be supported by the Project. The Consultant will emphasize on areas where the organizations assessed have scored the lowest and are thus viewed as high priorities for capacity development interventions.

3. DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES / SCOPE OF WORK

3.1. Methodology

The Consultant will use the original capacity assessment methodology, applied by the Project during the Phase I, review and adapt it to the current needs in order to ensure comparability of Phase I assessments (baseline and ex-post) and baseline Phase II assessment results where it concerns 7 partner BMOs engaged under the Phase I.

As regards to 7 partner BMOs engaged under Phase I, the Project has accumulated significant amount of information on organizational development of the partner organizations including data on membership, financial situation, services and advocacy activities. The information is available from M&E documents as well as narrative reports produced by the Project. Moreover, the partner organizations have been trained in monitoring and evaluation and thus are expected be able to provide additional or missing data through internal data collection and self-assessment techniques.

In overall, the Consultant will use a sound combination of desk review (where the information is already available or collected by the project and/or BMO and will need to be assessed by the Consultant) as well as other methods if necessary (interviews and discussion with Project staff, interviews with BMOs, facilitated self-assessment of the BMOs etc.) to conduct capacity development assessment, identify the baseline for 20 new organizations and measure the progress/trends for 7 BMOs engaged under Phase I. The Consultant will consolidate information from all available sources to inform the findings.

The baseline assessment will be made, and progress will be measured across the following key areas of BMO organizational capacity elements (hereinafter 9 key areas):

• Mission and strategic planning
• Leadership and management
• Membership
• Ability to adapt
• Representation, advocacy activities and public private dialogue
• Role in the sector
• Service provision
• Financial viability and resource mobilization
• Financial management

3.2 Specific tasks

Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and in close collaboration with the Project team, the Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

1. Conduct desk review of the background documents related to the Project design and implementation and develop capacity assessment work plan.

Documents that will be made available by UNDP to the Consultant include the following:

• Project Document with log frames and key indicators regarding BMO performance;
• Baseline Organizational Capacity Assessment Report and Ex-post Assessment Report of 7 BMOs;
• Project reports;
• Other materials available in the Project describing self-assessments, developments and progress of partner organizations.

2. Review and adapt the original capacity assessment methodology, including specific tools (such as self-assessment short questionnaires) to the needs of current exercise with due consideration to the vast availability of data and limited time frame.

3. Deliver one (1) webinar for the leaders of 27 BMOs regarding the self-assessment tools, provide guidance on data collection and interpretation.

4. Establish the current level of organizational development of 27 BMOs by:

• Reviewing the available internal documents of 27 BMOs;
• Conducting short interviews with the leaders of BMOs where necessary (depending on completeness of data provided by BMOs);
• Facilitating self-assessment of the BMOs and analyzing the findings;
• Establishing the baseline of current level of organizational development of 20 new BMOs.
• Establishing the progress on 7 BMOs development by comparing the results with the Phase I data.

5. Analyze and consolidate the data obtained during the assessment exercise to produce the report covering each participating BMO as well as groups of BMOs that will demonstrate a baseline of current level of organizational development of 20 new BMOs, dynamics of capacity development progress of 7 BMOs engaged under Phase I, as well as identify high priorities and remaining challenges for capacity development interventions across nine (9) key areas.

6. Draft Organizational Capacity Assessment Report. The Report will be produced in Ukrainian, comprise not more than 100 pages in total, and include the following tentative sections:

• Executive summary
• Assessment scope and objectives
• Assessment approach and methods
• Individual assessment reports per each new BMO (2 pages per each organization, 40 pages in total)
• Individual assessment reports per each BMO engaged under Phase I (2 pages per each organization, 14 pages in total).
• Key findings and conclusions per groups of BMOs (up to 12 pages).
• Lessons learned and recommendations
• Annexes

Individual assessment reports per each new BMO should not exceed 2 pages A-4 per each organization and will include: i) brief outline of the organization; ii) integral organizational capacity scores as per nine key elements, iii) integral graphical charts of capacity development; iv) conclusions emphasizing priorities for capacity development interventions.

Individual assessment reports per each BMO engaged under Phase I should not exceed 2 pages A-4 per each organization and will include: i) brief outline of the organization; ii) integral organizational capacity scores as per nine key elements, iii) integral graphical charts of capacity development; iv) capacity development dynamics comparing to ex-post assessment conducted at the end of the Project Phase I; v) conclusions emphasizing remaining challenges for capacity development interventions.

Key findings and conclusions per groups of BMOs should not exceed 2 pages A-4 per each group and will include i) integral organizational capacity scores for nine key elements, ii) integral graphical charts of capacity development; iii) conclusions emphasizing priorities for capacity development interventions. The following groups will be assessed:

1. 5 regional CCIs (up to 2 pages)
2. universal BMOs committed to work at the national level (up to 2 pages)
3. universal BMOs working at the local level (up to 2 pages)
4. industry associations committed to work at the national level (up to 2 pages)
5. industry associations working at the local level (up to 2 pages)
6. general findings and conclusions for all 27 organizations (up to 2 pages)

NOTE: All materials relating to this assignment, including all Information collected from various meetings/documents shall be kept confidential and shall not be shared with the third parties beyond UNDP and the assessed organizations (BMOs).

To ensure the delivery of the above tasks, the Consultant will:

• Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with UNDP project team regarding all aspects of the assignment;
• Submit all the deliverable for review, comments and approval to UNDP project team;
• Hold consultations with UNDP project team as requested.

4. DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAME

The timeframe and deliverables of the assignment are as follows:

Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in this Terms of Reference as follows: 

• 30% of contract total value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverables 1-3 as per TOR; 
• 50% of contract total value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverables 4-5 as per TOR;
• 20% of contract total value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverable 6 as per TOR

The payments will be processed upon the full completion and acceptance of contractual obligations/deliverables whereupon the Project Manager signs the certification of acceptance.

5. MONITORING/REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The consultant will interact with UNDP Project and CO staff to receive any clarifications and guidance that may be needed. S/he will also receive all necessary informational and logistical support from UNDP country office and the Project. On a day-to-day basis, consultant’s work will be coordinated with MSME BMO Project Manager. Each deliverable will be delivered in draft for comments and feedback before finalization.

The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf formats as appropriate). The language of the reports is Ukrainian.

Competencias

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision, and values
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues and ability to apply it to strategic and/or practical situations, e.g. integrating into the project/programme cycle, including design, planning, and implementation 

Competencies:

• Demonstrates high level of professionalism and ethics
• Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Demonstrates excellent planning and organizational skills and able to produce high-quality products on tight deadlines
• Able to work on location without any other supervision except for liaison with UNDP
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to present information logically, clearly, and concisely
• Able to think creatively, to develop and implement innovative solutions in a challenging environment

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

6. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant should possess the following qualifications, experience and skills:

Educational background:

• At least Master’s/Specialist’s degree in Economics, Finance, International Relations, Management, Law, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science or other relevant area

Professional Experience:

• At least 10 years of working experience in organizational capacity development consulting, strategic planning, auditing, economic and social development analysis related to non-profit organizations, CSOs, BMOs, and other relevant;
• At least 5 years of experience in designing and providing trainings on organizational capacity development, auditing, strategic planning, financial management, and other relevant related to non-profit organizations, CSOs, BMOs, etc.
• Excellent writing skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize inputs and relevant findings (proven with at least 3 analytical papers, similar assessment in the area of non-profit organizations/CSOs/BMOs capacity development and/or MSME/private sector development, or similar);
• Specific international certificates in the area related to the assignment would be an asset.
• Working experience with UN funded programmes or other international technical assistance projects would be an asset;

Language Skills:

• Fluency in Ukrainian and working knowledge of English are essential. Fluent English is an asset.

7. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS:

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

UNDP documents templates can be downloaded from the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/297e72t7i3v2969/AADDRyUo2uoNrYjuD8NLmdl0a?dl=0

Please combine your CV, financial proposal and other necessary information in one PDF file and upload the document. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

8. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

 Lump sum contract

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including professional fees, travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).  

Administrative arrangements

Assignment is home-based and the IC will be responsible for his/her own office facilities, any equipment and materials needed for work.

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs, including those to join duty station, must be included in the financial proposal. 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.

As assignment is home based, travel is not envisaged, but if the need arises it will be by mutual agreement. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Logistics arrangements for the events, where participation of the Consultant is requested by UNDP as per this TOR, to be provided by UNDP and shall not be included in the financial proposal. 

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Technical evaluation – Total 70% (max 70 points)

Criteria A: Education - 4 points max

At least Master’s/Specialist’s degree in Economics, Finance, International Relations, Management, Law, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration, Political Science or other relevant area

{3 pts – Specialist/Master’s degree in the relevant field; 4 pts – PhD degree in the relevant field};

Criteria B: Work Experience – 33 points max

1. At least ten (10) years of working experience in organizational capacity development consulting, strategic planning, auditing, economic and social development analysis, related to non-profit organizations, CSOs, BMOs, and other relevant – 15 points max

{10 pts – 10 years; 12 pts – 11 years; 15 pts – 12 years and more);

1. At least 5 years of experience in designing and providing trainings on organizational capacity development, auditing, strategic planning, financial management, and other relevant services related to non-profit organizations, CSOs, BMOs, etc– 15 points max

{10 pts – 5-7 years; 12 pts – 8-9 years; 15 pts – 10 years and more);

1. Specific international certificates in the area related to the assignment as an asset.

{0 pts – no, 1 pts – yes}

1. Working experience with UN funded programmes or other international technical assistance projects as an asset:

{0 pts – no, 2 pts – yes}

Criteria C: Technical Skills – 23 points max

Writing skills - 10 points max:

Excellent writing skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize inputs and relevant findings (proven with at least 3 analytical papers, similar assessment in the area of non-profit organizations/CSOs/BMOs capacity development and/or MSME/private sector development, or similar)

{8 pts – 3 analytical papers, 10 pts – 4 and more analytical papers provided};

Language Skills – 3 points max:

Fluency in Ukrainian and working knowledge of English are essential. Fluent English is an asset

{2 pts – fluent Ukrainian and working English, 3 pts – fluent Ukrainian and English}

Brief description of approach to the assignment – 10 points max:

Methodology (document which contains explanation on approach to conduct the work)

{Basic methodology developed with an understanding of the nature and scope of tasks, the approach logically describes a sequence of works and addresses the important aspects of tasks in sufficient detail – up to 6 points;
Advanced methodology developed which includes additional thorough criteria and demonstrates that the chosen approach will ensure effective implementation of tasks – up to 10 points}.

Criteria D: Interview – 10 points max

Only those obtaining minimum 39 points for Criteria A-C will be invited to the interview. During the interview the applicant will be requested to provide the relevant practical and well-elaborated examples proving their experience.

Maximum available technical score - 70 points.

10. EVALUATION METHOD

 Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative 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%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Additional requirements for recommended contractor:

Recommended contractors aged 62 and older shall undergo a full medical examination including x-ray, and obtain medical clearance from the UN-approved doctor prior to taking up their assignment. The medical examination shall be paid by the consultant.

The BSAFE online security training course must be successfully completed prior to commencement of contract.