Engagement of a Strategic Planning Consultant for the Evaluation Roadmap

Project Title

Using Strategic Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) to Accelerate the Implementation of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022 (Strategic M&E Project; 00103908 / 00105719)

Background and Rationale

In 2015, NEDA and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued the National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) “to provide a framework for the purposive conduct of evaluations in the public sector in support of good governance, transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision making (NEDA and DBM, 2015).” To support the implementation of the NEPF, the NEDA was provided with an annual M&E Fund to conduct evaluation studies on national and regional programs and implement capacity building activities. The government, through DBM, also promoted public expenditure policies that require government agencies to develop M&E plans with new programs they propose. Various capacity building activities were also undertaken by NEDA, DBM, and line agencies, whether with the support of various development partners or using their own resources.  

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippine country office partnered in 2017 to strengthen the conduct of evaluations. 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 evidence-based decision making. 

Through the Project, a working draft of an Evaluation Roadmap has been crafted to plot results and the trajectory of evaluation efforts in Government. The working draft of the Evaluation Roadmap has informed the Strategic M&E Project’s Theory of Change and Results Matrix.

A series of consultations and review activities are necessary to craft an updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap and Theory of Change.

Objectives of the Engagement

The objectives of the engagement are to

1. Produce an updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap for the next six years (2022-2028).
2. Produce a Theory of Change and Results Matrix aligned with the said updated Roadmap.

Scope of Services and Methodology 

Under the overall guidance of the Outcome Lead for Institutions and SDG Partnerships and Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst of UNDP, and reporting regularly to the Strategic M&E Project Coordinator, the Consultant shall undertake the following:

1. Strategize towards crafting an updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap. The Consultant is expected strategize towards producing an updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap, Theory of Change and Results Matrix. The strategy should identify (1) the necessary inputs for the crafting the updated draft, and (2) the required validation activities. The updated draft should include, but should not be limited to the following inputs: (a) policy considerations, and (b) feedback from necessary stakeholders that will have to be consulted, and (c) a review of the working draft Roadmap The planned review of the working draft of the Evaluation Roadmap should be able to take stock of progress towards milestones in the Roadmap: which will include, to the extent possible, assessing how well the Roadmap translates the policy mandate per the NEPF, the alignment of the Roadmap with the Theory of Change and Results Framework, the fit of activities with these targets,  the extent to which utilization of resources were optimized in terms of realizing the objectives, and sustainability of gains.
2. Implement the strategy and lead activities for crafting the updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap.  The consultant shall lead and facilitate all consultations with identified stakeholders, conduct inquiries necessary to review the working draft of the Evaluation Roadmap, lead validation activities, and refine the Roadmap accordingly.
3. Facilitate the preparation of a Theory of Change and Results Matrix aligned with the updated draft of the Evaluation Roadmap. To operationalize the updated Evaluation Roadmap, the Consultant shall also facilitate the preparation of a Theory of Change and the identification of key indicators.

Expected Outputs and Timetable of Deliverables

The consultant is expected to perform the abovementioned works and deliver expected outputs employing offsite/online methodologies according to the following schedule:

Institutional Arrangement

1. The Consultant 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.
2. The Consultant will be required to coordinate with the Outcome Lead for Institutions and SDG Partnerships, and with the Director of the Monitoring and Evaluation Staff (MES) and other officials of the NEDA and other relevant stakeholders.
3. The Consultant shall report progress, provide updates, or raise issues to the Project Coordinator on at least a weekly basis.

Expected Duration of Contract

1. The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 100 days spread over six (6) months.
2. The target start of work date is May 3, 2021 ad the maximum end date is November 3, 2021.
3. Submitted reports and outputs are generally reviewed and accepted by UNDP, in consultation with relevant NEDA and UNDP officials, within two weeks after submission.

Duty Station

1. The duty station is in Manila. The Consultant is not expected to report on a daily basis to the UNDP Office.
2. 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.
3. During the quarantine period, the Consultant 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.
4. The engagement does not require any fieldwork, and NO TRAVEL IS REQUIRED from the Consultant to complete their abovementioned tasks;
5. The Consultant is expected to have his/her own workspace, computers/laptops, software, and other facilities and equipment.
6. The Consultant is expected to be accessible to the UNDP Project Coordinator via phone, mobile, or internet.

Professional Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

For the evaluation of the CV, the following point system will be used. Only those who score a minimum of 70 of 100 points will be shortlisted and invited for an interview.

Those who have been selected for an interview will be asked to prepare a presentation which they will present to the interview panel members.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

1. 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 include professional fees, production costs, living allowances, and similar costs. 
2. Financial proposals must be expressed as a per person-day rate which includes professional fees, allowances, income tax, communications expenses, etc. The price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components.  Please follow the UNDP template with a breakdown of costs.
3. 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.

Recommended Presentation of 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 experiences 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.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The offer will be evaluated based on a Combined Scoring method where the qualifications will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

The breakdown of percentage for the entire technical evaluation is as follows:

Offerors must upload in one (1) file the aforementioned documents.

Templates for a) P11 Personal History Form and b)  Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal (Annex 2) are available through the link below. UNDP General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contractors  are also available:

http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU

Incomplete submission of required documents may result in disqualification.

Please see the deadline of submissions above.

In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.