Background

COVID-19 is an unprecedented health and development crisis that jeopardizes India’s tremendous gains in reducing poverty. The epidemic is overloading vulnerable health systems and overtaxing frontline health workers. At the same time, the efforts required to contain its spread have severely impacted lives and livelihoods and stalled economic activity. As a consequence, informal workers, people who are on the fringes, and those living in poverty are highly vulnerable to falling into poverty or facing deepening poverty, hunger, illness, homelessness and social stigma.

The COVID-19 crisis impacts the India’s poorest the most vulnerable, hardest, with significant intergenerational implications for poor families. The lockdown, in addition to upending the lives and livelihoods of millions of migrant workers – mostly daily wage workers with no social security, the implications on the rural poor and marginalized sections with inadequate economic and social safety nets is severe and will have long term consequences on their lives and livelihood. State Governments are coping with the crisis by ensuring that rural economy remains resilient by opening public works under the MGNREGA programme.

There is a need to contain this situation for the workers and vulnerable households to ensure that they have access to services to maintain bare minimum to survive in current crisis. The uptake of social protection will become a critical part of this strategy. The World Bank and IMF have pointed out that social protection will play a critical role in curtailing this situation. While the Central and State governments have enacted proactive measures by announcing welfare schemes/programmes and safety measures but there are human resource and capacity constraints along with limited outreach capacity to remote areas. Though, the Government systems have been successful in their outreach to eligible citizens, many people remain without access to social safety nets and social protection schemes and programmes.

UNDP’s COVID-19 crisis response is designed to strengthen access to social protection to mitigate impacts of the crisis. In collaboration with State Governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and UN agencies, this approach is prioritizing vulnerable communities including the urban poor, tribal communities, marginalized women and youth, disadvantaged castes and groups, waste collectors, construction workers and migrants and returnees. This support includes expanding reach of social protection schemes and entitlements to marginalized individuals and families, facilitating access to local skilling and job opportunities for vulnerable women and youth and generating awareness on COVID through community outreach and digital media, addressing stigma and discrimination and gender-based violence.

Duties and Responsibilities

As a part of the social protection interventions, UNDP plans to prepare a ‘Training Manual on Social Protection for Practitioners’. The training manual will serve as an educational tool that various stakeholders and practitioners can use to build understanding and capacities on various dimension of social protection. It encourages stakeholders and practitioners working or planning to work on social protection to look at conceptual framework of social protection from the point of view of various international definitions as well as by examining it in the context of multi-dimensional poverty and human development indicators. It is expected to contribute in building awareness and capacities to advocate for effective implementation of social protection programmes.

The Consultant will:

Prepare ‘training manual on social protection for practitioners ‘covering but not limited to the following:

Training session plan for 3-day programme

Guidelines for conduct of training programme and provide tips for facilitators in preparing and conducting of training programme.

Global definitions and conceptual framework on social protection

UNDP definition and positioning on social protection, poverty and inequality

Social protection as enabler for achievement of SDGs

Rights and entitlements under India’s Constitution from social protection perspective

Exclusion and inclusion criteria from the perspective of leaving no one behind, understanding of deprivations and Government of India’s methodology to identify deprived households

Key Government of India schemes and programmes around social protection in select sectors

Role of local governance bodies delivery and uptake of social protection

Few good case studies – 10 case studies from partners (to be provided by UNDP).

Group work sessions to make the training interactive

1. Incorporate the inputs received from the UNDP and partnering NGOs/CSOs and finalize the training manual.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Overall understanding of social protection, international and Indian Constitutional definitions
• Overall understanding of COVID 19 strategy and challenges across India and abroad with specific focus on delivery of basic services and entitlements
• Experience of working with the International and Central and/or State Government will be an added advantage
• Self-motivated and ability to work with minimal supervision

Communication skills

• Good communication, interpersonal skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates/safeguards ethics and integrity
• Works as a team member

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualification:  

Professional Experience:

• Atleast 10 years of years of experience in development sector with specific focus on governance issues
• Experience of working on rights and entitlements for vulnerable communities
• Demonstrated experience of writing training manuals, documents, policy papers
• Experience in providing consultancy services of similar nature preferably in externally aided projects like World Bank, UN organizations, etc.

Deliverables

• Training Manual on Social Protection for Practitioners

Payment Schedule:

• 1st instalment: Upon submission of outline of the training manual and timesheet (20% of the agreed consultancy amount)
• 2nd instalment: Upon submission of draft training manual on social protection for practitioners and timesheet (40 % of the agreed consultancy amount)

3rd instalment: Upon submission of final training manual on social protection for practitioners and timesheet (40% of the agreed consultancy amount) 

Language Requirements:  

• Fluency in English is essential. Knowledge of Hindi would be an asset.

Evaluation Criteria

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as Responsive to the requirement. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation;

• Technical Criteria weight - 70%;
• Financial Criteria weight – 30 %

Technical Criteria (70% of the total evaluation)

1. At least 10 years of experience of experience in development sector with specific focus on governance issues: 30%
2. Demonstrated experience of writing training manuals, policy papers, reports on development issues, with specific focus on governance issues: - 30 %
3. Experience of working on the right and entitlement for vulnerable communities: 10%

Financial Criteria: (30% of the total evaluation) based on the total all-inclusive lump sum amount for the professional fee for tasks specified in this announcement

Financial Proposal:

Technically qualified consultants will be requested to submit their lumpsum fee for completion of the assignment i.e. consultants who score more than 70% i.e. 49 marks with respect to the above-mentioned evaluation criteria. Consultant should not specify their consultancy fee on their CV or with the submission. The CV will not be evaluated further in case the consultant submits the same.

Documents to be submitted by Consultants

1. Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual Contractor Assignment
2. Updated and signed P-11 form for ICs
3. No Financials to be submitted at this stage

Note:

1. Any kind of miscellaneous charges i.e. internet, phone, relocation charges etc. would not be reimbursed.
2. Travel, lodging and boarding as per UNDP rules subject to prior approval
3. Individuals working with institutions may also apply, contract would be issued in the name of institution for the specific services of individul.