Background

The “Empowered Partnership for Sustainable Development” project is funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and implemented by United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine (UNDP). The Project’s overall objective is to contribute to a more efficient public administration, capable to interact and work, in a transparent manner, with the business sector, civil society and local communities in order to promote the sustainable development and Ukraine’s approximation towards European Union.

The Project employs the challenge-driven partnership approach to sustainable local development, which draws from the best international practices while tailored to the local realities of Ukraine. It was piloted successfully and now presents a strong potential for institutionalization and replication.

Overall, the project is developing and testing mechanisms for joint problem-solving, resource pooling and implementation, as well as strengthen organizations capacities to collaborate effectively on selected common sustainable development challenges also to respond COVID-19 crisis on the local level. More specifically, the Project aims to achieve three outputs: 1) functional challenge-driven partnerships in place; 2) sustainable local-development initiatives implemented by challenge-driven partnerships; and 3) local communities benefit from social and economic improvements, realized through successfully piloted multi-stakeholder initiatives in response to COVID-19.

In Ukraine, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented economic crisis as lockdown measures involved temporary closure of most businesses, particularly in the service sector, almost halting economic activity altogether apart from the country’s key sectors (such as transport, food production and sale, agriculture and pharmaceutical production and sale). The devastating disruption of supply chains resulted in a sharp drop of business sales, household incomes and jobs.

Into 2021, the pandemic is unfolding. The risk of further outbreaks caused by new forms the virus that are spreading around the world is evident. As a result, the COVID-19 pandemic adds the established obstacles to inclusive development and socio-economic recovery.

To strengthen capacities of the local development actors, - public administrations, civil society, business and academia, to collaborate effectively on selected common sustainable development challenges also to respond COVID-19 crisis, the sixteen local initiatives have been financially supported by the Projects (in the areas of local economic development (support to MSMEs and securing the jobs); energy efficiency; waste management; sustainable mobility (urban design); community mobilization; education, energy efficiency and others). .

Within the local initiatives the Project is piloting new approaches and development solutions, which can be applied at sub-national and local levels by multi-stakeholder partnerships (including local governments, academia, civil society and business) to address the challenges for sustainable development and find replicable solutions for the commonly faced problems.

In this regard, UNDP seeks a qualified National Consultant to develop Recommendations for public administrations on formation of the cross-sectoral challenge-driven partnerships to promote local socio-economic development addressing COVID-19 impact. The Recommendations is to be based on the assessment, (conducted earlier and if needed during the assignment) of local sustainable development solutions implemented by the project. The document will support capacity building of the local administrations in targeted municipalities/local communities for evidence- based recovery planning engaging the local stakeholders and leaving no one behind. It is to present recommendations for further replication and scaling up of initiatives aimed at gender-equitable crisis response and post-crisis recovery measures and promote dialogue facilitation between the local development actors.

Duties and Responsibilities

OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of the assignment is to: 1) establish a solid analytical background for knowledge-sharing on sustainable local development solutions, partnership building joint implementation and co-financing of local development initiatives; and 2) prepare the analytical basis for further replication and/or scaling up the sustainable local development solutions identified and piloted within the Project in the new development context (taking into consideration the implications of the decentralization reform). The National Consultant will work closely with the project team and under the overall supervision of the Project Manager.

SCOPE OF WORK

The National Consultant will be responsible to accomplish the following tasks: 1) based on the results of the previous assessments develop recommendations for local authorities on a) building challenge-driven partnership for sustainable development; b) to promote local socio-economic development addressing COVID-19 impact (the most applicable to the local context joint problem-solving mechanisms, resource pooling, including government cost-sharing and other available alternative mechanism, the business sector and the new innovative approaches);

2) develop recommendations for replication and scaling up the tested local development solutions; 3) explore the existing mechanism for co-financing of the local initiatives such as local government cost-sharing and other available mechanisms (for example twin city budgets, transborder cooperation, municipal programs etc.)

Given the nature of the assessment, the Consultant will:

1. Based on the experience of the Project and supported challenge-driven partnerships, formulate recommendations for the local authorities on building challenge-driven partnerships for sustainable development considered through the prism of SDGs and addressing the socio-economic impact of COVID-19;
2. Develop recommendations for future replication of similar initiatives in Ukraine; 3). Present the Replication Plan to the Project’s stakeholders.

4) Analyze the most applicable models of co-funding of the local initiatives in the context of ongoing decentralization reform.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

Consultant will be responsible to deliver the following outputs:

Competencies

• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent communication and organization skills;
• Excellent computer skills (including, MS Word);
• Ability to set priorities, meet specific objectives, use political judgment and knowledge;
• Good interpersonal skills, diligence, open mindedness, and dedication;
• Excellent team and networking skills;
• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Required Skills and Experience

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

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. To assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.

TRAVEL COSTS

Expenses for local travels (up to four missions/2 days each, in total 8 days (if required) to be included into the financial proposal. The following locations to be considered, - c. Ternopil, c. Mykolaiv, c. Myrhorod, Poltavska oblast, c. Dunayevtsi, Kmelnytska oblast.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The following criteria will be rated as indicated below:

• Relevant education - 10 points max
  • Specialist/Master’s degree in Economics, Management, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration or other relevant area -5 points;
  • PhD or higher in Economics, Management, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Business Administration or other relevant area - 10 points;
• At least 3 years of relevant practical professional experience in regional/local development, policy development, strategic planning, public administration, and/or public-private partnership development - 20 points max
  • 3 years of relevant experience - 14 points;
  • 4 years of relevant experience - 17 points;
  • 5 or more years of relevant experience - 20 points;
• Proven experience of writing analytical report and/or recommendations for public authorities (samples of at least 3 relevant analytical reports, recommendations for public authorities, policy papers or other relevant documents in Ukrainian to be submitted) - 30 points max
• 3 relevant samples provided – 20 points;
• 4-5 relevant samples provided – 25 points;
• 6 and more relevant samples provided – 30 points.
• Language Skills - 10 points max

-    Fluency in Ukrainian language and working knowledge in English – 10 points.

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].

EVALUATION METHOD

Cumulative analysis

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

1. responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
2. 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 meeting the minimum requirements and obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.