Background

Project Title

Using Strategic Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) to Accelerate the Implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 (Strategic M&E Project).

Background and Description

In 2017, NEDA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippine country office partnered to strengthen the conduct of evaluations in support of the NEPF. The Strategic Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Project, which is financed by NEDA and implemented with full UNDP country office support, aims to build the capacity of NEDA and select government agencies to conduct evaluations of priority programs, in turn supporting the achievement of the Philippine Development Program (PDP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the partnership, UNDP is supporting NEDA in a) commissioning evaluations; b) developing operational guidelines for the NEPF; c) pursuing initiatives to strengthen evaluation capacity; d) facilitating a community of practice on evaluation and e) leveraging technology and innovation.

In partnership with UNDP and other development partners, NEDA has developed the National Evaluation Portal, the primary repository of all evaluation studies conducted by Philippine National Government Agencies and development partners. ?The portal is intended to promote a more informed public, provide an online platform for the exchange of ideas, and promote the use of evaluations for evidence-based decision-making in the design and implementation of the Philippine Development.

As the portal is being populated with content, the Project requires the services of an Individual Consultant who will subject the Evaluation Studies to the recommended quality assurance process.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work and Outputs

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Institutions and Partnerships Outcome Lead, and the NEDA Monitoring and Evaluation Staff (MES) Director, and reporting directly to the Strategic M&E Project Coordinator, the Consultant will be responsible for the following:

1. Assessing the quality of selected evaluation studies
2. Providing recommendations to the quality assurance tool used

In doing so, the Consultant shall undertake the review of fourteen (14) evaluation studies, following the recommended quality assurance tool, and rate them accordingly using the said tool. At the end of the engagement, the Consultant is expected to provide recommendations on how to enhance the quality assurance tool and the overall process.

Timetable of Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to perform the abovementioned works according to the following schedule

Institutional Arrangements

1. The Consultant and shall be directly supervised by the Project Coordinator of the NEDA-UNDP Strategic M&E Project, with whom all outputs shall be submitted and through whom all communications shall be coursed or copied. S/he will also be working with the other Project Team members, including the Project Officer for Evaluation Studies and the Project Officer for PPMS;
2. The Consultant shall report progress, provide updates, or raise issues to the Project Coordinator on a regular basis.

Expected Duration of the Contract

• The Consultant will be hired for forty-six (46) person-days spread out for three months 

Duty Station

• The duty station is in Manila. The Consultant is not expected to report on a daily basis to the UNDP Office. They shall be notified within a reasonable period of time of pertinent meetings where presence is necessary. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government;
• During the quarantine period, the IC shall NOT ENGAGE in any meetings or activities OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES. Coordination/meetings shall be done through phone or online communication until such time that the quarantine is lifted, during which this will be STRICTLY a HOME-BASED assignment; NO TRAVEL IS REQUIRED for the IC to complete their abovementioned tasks;
• The Consultant will be based in Manila;
• The Consultant is expected to have his/her own workspace, computer, and other facilities. 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN mission, vision, values, and ethical standards
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in meetings

Other Competencies

• Ability to work in close collaboration with a group of national and international experts, to meet strict deadlines and plan the work according to priorities;
• Demonstrates capacity to plan, organize, and execute effectively;
• The initiative, good analytical skills, mature judgment, and ability to work under tight schedule while respecting deadlines achievement, ethics, and honesty;
• Ability to establish effective working relations in a diverse environment
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Builds strong relationships with internal and external clients;
• Demonstrated ability to function in a team environment and to deal with the complex multi-stakeholder environment
• Good ability to use information and communication technologies as tools and resources;
• Excellent written communication and presentation/public speaking skills focus on results, ability to interact productively in a teamwork environment

Required Skills and Experience

Professional Qualifications of the Successful Consultants

The successful Individual Contractor should meet the following minimum qualification

Education:

• A master’s degree in economics, development studies, political science, or any relevant discipline

Experience

• At least five (5) years of experience in monitoring and evaluation
• At least three (3) years working with development organizations, national government agencies or UN agencies
• At least two (2) research outputs, written individually or as part of a team relevant to monitoring and evaluation of economic or social development initiatives

Language

• Proficient in English

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Payment to the Consultant shall be fixed and output-based regardless of extension of the specific duration herein. Cost components of the Proposer’s computation of the contract price shall be an all-inclusive lump sum amount and shall include costs such as professional fees X number of person-days, communications expenses, etc.

Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.  

The Consultant will be paid following the schedule:

Recommended Presentation of the Offer

Interested bidders must submit the following:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. 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 at least three (3) professional references;
3. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. 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 UNDP 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 UNDP. 
4. Quality Assurance strategy. Shortlisted applicants will be requested to present in 3 slideshows they intend to quality assure the evaluation studies.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The offer will be evaluated based on a Combined Scoring method where the technical proposal (Qualifications and Presentation during Interview) will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%. In the combined scoring, the Financial Proposal will be computed as a ratio of the Proposal’s offer to the lowest price among the proposals received by UNDP.

The breakdown of percentage for the evaluation is as follows:

The CV / P11 shall be evaluated based on the criteria below. Only offerors who will obtain a minimum of 21 out of 30 points will be shortlisted and invited for an interview and presentation.