Background

Anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and committed to the principles of universality, equality and leaving no one behind, SDG Impact is a UNDP flagship initiative focused on supporting mobilization of private sector capital and investments in support of the SDGs. The vision of SDG Impact is “to contribute to a world where all private sector capital flows contribute to the SDGs”.  It will do so by providing investors, businesses and others with clarity, insights, tools and capacities required to authenticate their contributions to achieving the SDGs and to identify SDG investment opportunities in emerging economies and developing countries.

SDG Impact is a “start-up” which aims to develop and demonstrate a viable approach for UNDP to support countries to mobilize significant volumes of private sector investments for SDG achievement. The initiative emphasizes experimentation, innovation and partnerships as it focuses on developing prototype products and services that will be tested, refined and brought to the market in a relatively short time frame.

The Consultant will be directly responsible to the Senior Specialist of SDG Impact and will work in close collaboration with the SDG Impact team.  Progress reporting will be made monthly and focus on achievement of the outputs noted below, opportunities that have arisen and other pertinent matters.  Outputs will be certified by the Senior Specialist of SDG Impact.   

The overall purpose of this assignment is to upload all data from investor maps that are in excel format to the SDG investment Platform, to maintain SDG Investment Platform on a daily basis, ensuring all links are working at all times, to check the message board functionality every day and alert SDG Impact team when/if there are queries.

About UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 176 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners that can bring about results. UNDP, as an integral part of its mission to fight poverty and improve the lives of people around the world, is committed to being open, transparent and accountable.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

  • Uploading data from excel investor maps to the Platform, ideally using Phyton programmatically.
  • Running forecasts based on data and also historical deals/data that are identified from credible sources and presenting these on the Platform
  • Maintaining the SDG Investment Platform as needed
  • Working closely with developer and informing developer immediately when/if there is a glitch
  • Checking the message board functionality every day and alert SDG Impact team when/if there are queries.
  • Creating canonical graph/description for how data is handled and transformed before ultimately ending up in the web platform.
  • Creating pivot tables and charting to summarize data for useful and attractive presentation
  • Interacting with the data when it’s in the database to ensure/audit that the data from the spreadsheets has made it into the database properly. 
  • Storing the raw spreadsheets for future audits using GitHub, “S3 buckets” on Amazon Web Services (AWS), or an equivalent service. 
  • Checking information on the web interface regularly, detecting issues that doesn’t seem right and verifying/correcting information.

Expected deliverables:

  • Data Dictionaries are reference documents that outline data field names, the types of data in each field, and a description of what the data is
  • Well-functioning, credible SDG investment Platform, without glitches and with correct information/data at all times
  • Well-functioning message board where investors, governments and other users can reach out to UNDP to ask questions or to be connected with the businesses or other stakeholders on the ground.

Output Description

Projected completion date

Projected No. of working days

Review and Approvals Required

% of payment

Output No.1:

Create one Data Dictionary and upload investor maps to the Platform

April 2021

30 working days

Uploaded data from maps to be certified by UNDP designated Technical Manager.

20%

Output No. 2

Successful launch of functioning, credible SDG investment Platform, without glitches and with correct information/data at all times

June 2021

45 working days

Platform is launched without glitches

30%

Output No. 3

Well-functioning Platform with high quality content.

On-going

105 days (on-call)

Continuous maintenance of the Platform

10% per month for five months.

Competencies

Required Technical/Functional competencies:

  • Ability to write an ETL procedure (ETL = Extract, Transform, Load).
  • Experience creating “Data Dictionaries.” (reference documents that outline data field names, the types of data in each field, and a description of what the data is.)
  • Excel experience, specifically using pivot tables and charting capabilities to summarize data.
  • Python experience especially related to cleaning data and other ETL-related activities.
  • Knowledge of mySQL database, including how to write queries.
  • Basic knowledge of investment ecosystem and investment instruments.

Additional Technical/Functional competencies an asset:

  • Basic knowledge of statistics, GIS and familiarity with “PostGIS” is preferred (which would allow for linking investor map data to precise locations on a map).
  • Knowledge of how to use GitHub, “S3 buckets” on Amazon Web Services (AWS), or an equivalent service to store the raw spreadsheets for future audits is desirable. 

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

  • At least Bachelor’s degree or similar in digital technology, or related field is required.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience working with large databases is required.
  • UN system experience is preferable.
  • Minimum of 2 years of private sector experience and understanding of investment landscape is a must.

Language:

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

  • A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment.
  • Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references; and
  • Financial Proposal using template provided.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

  • Lumpsum: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager. 
  • The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
  • This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel. 
  • In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. 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.
  • If the 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 a 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.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

  • Criteria 1. Ability to write an ETL procedure (ETL = Extract, Transform, Load) and knowledgeable of ETL procedures; Maximum Points: 25.
  • Criteria 2. Experience creating “Data Dictionaries; Maximum Points: 20.
  • Criteria 3. Knowledge of mySQL database, including how to write queries; Maximum Points: 15.
  • Criteria 4. Excel experience, specifically using pivot tables and charting capabilities to summarize data; Maximum Points: 10.

Only those candidates that meet the minimum level of education (Bachelor’s Degree), language (fluency in English) and relevant years of experience (at least 5 years) requirements will be considered for the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will include a desk review to select the shortlisted candidates.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

  • 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

Framework Agreement

UNDP plans to enter into the Long-Term Agreement (LTA) with the TOP ranked successful Individual Contractor to assure resources availability at the required time frame and/or increased demand for services requested. The service of the Individual Contactor will be used on an intermittent and repetitive basis when needed and based on the fixed unit price.  Other prospective applicants that are not contracted, at the UNDP’s discretion, may be placed in the roster of consultants to be used based on an on-call basis for similar services.

Please note that the LTA does not form a financial obligation or commitment from UNDP at the time the LTA contract is signed, and that such an agreement is non-exclusive. When a specific need arises, the successful Individual Contractor/s will be approached and be provided with a specific TOR and deliverables (and time frame) but still within the scope of the responsibilities stated in the LTA. The successful Individual Contractor(s) is expected to provide Confirmation of Interest on the specific services required at the agreed LTA Daily Rate Consultancy Fee. Financial commitments will only be established each time a Purchase Order for the specific services/TOR for Individual Contractor is committed.

This LTA has a cumulative ceiling amount that may accrue to the individual contractor during the life of the LTA, but said amount shall remain as an upper limit, and must not and cannot be interpreted nor understood as neither a financial commitment nor guarantee of business volume.

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

  • The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Senior Specialist, SDG Impact/ Finance Sector Hub and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.
  • The consultant will engage with other relevant UNDP staff, SDG Impact experts and UNDP CO staff. Detailed work plans, including timeline, external organizations and individuals to engage and consult with will be developed at the beginning of the assignment.
  • The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Payment modality

  • Lumpsum: Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager. 
  • The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.