Background

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, as envisaged by 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are on the ground in more than 170 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.

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan and help countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and mental ill-health, are the world’s leading source of premature death, disease and disability. Responding to NCDs requires the significant engagement of sectors beyond health, which can address underlying drivers that shape people’s exposure to risk factors for NCDs – tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and pollution – as well as access to prevention, treatment and management services in line with universal health coverage.

UNDP, WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control are responding to Member State demand to support increased investments in NCD prevention and control and tobacco control, and to facilitate stronger planning and coordination for these issues across government sectors. Core components of this work include supporting countries to develop national investment cases for action and developing audience-specific messages and capacity building materials to engage sectors outside of the health sector as well as parliamentarians. These support countries to strengthen planning, national coordination, and implementation of the WHO ‘Best Buys’ on NCDs as well as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases

The COVID-19 pandemic is being exacerbated by NCDs and their behavioural, environmental and metabolic risk factors. At the same time, COVID-19 and its impacts is disrupting life-saving diagnostic and treatment services for people living with or at risk of NCDs while threatening to stall broader action on NCDs, particularly prevention approaches, at global, regional and country levels. UNDP is working with WHO and other partners to ensure NCDs are an essential element of COVID-19 response and recovery. The programmic and policy focus of these efforts is on the integration of and alignment between COVID-19 and NCDs, recognizing both require whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. Key UN plans include the Socio-economic Response Framework for COVID-19, for which UNDP is the UN system technical lead and is supporting countries to develop and roll out national COVID-19 response and recovery plans. UNDP and WHO’s large programme portfolio on NCDs includes support to countries to develop NCD investment cases and to strengthen multisectoral governance for NCDs, and UNDP’s broader work on health and development to advance universal health coverage and Agenda 2030.

Objective of the assignment: The consultant will provide research and drafting support for UNDP’s work with partners on NCDs and tobacco control.

DURATION OF THE WORK

• The duration of this assignment is expected be a maximum of 231 working days from 28 January 2021 – 31 December 2021.

DUTY STATION

• This is a home-based assignment.

TRAVEL PLAN

• No travel is envisaged to deliver this work. If the need arises, travel will be arranged according to the UNDP travel policy for consultants.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

• The consultants will report directly to Programme Specialist, HIV, Health and Development through regular (at least weekly) e-mails. Outputs will be approved by Programme Specialist in conjunction with the Team Manager. The consultant will use his or her own equipment (e.g. lap top) to perform the work

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

The Consultants will report to the Programme Specialist, HIV, Health and Development. Each consultant will be responsible for achieving the below deliverables for specific countries (other than any global-level products included under Deliverable 2). The specific countries will be selected from UNDP’s large projects on NCDs and tobacco control and flexibly determined by UNDP in line with country demand and partner preference.

S/he will each deliver the following deliverables:

Competencies

Corporate

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional

• Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
• Strong organizational skills; 
• Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences;
• Strong analytical, research and writing skills;

Required Skills and Experience

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR

Academic Qualification:

• University degree (Bachelor’s) with a major in Social Science, Public Health, Public Administration, Law, International Development or another relevant field

Experience

• At least 1 years’ experience research, writing and advocating for health/development inclusive of experience on multisectoral action for NCDs and/or tobacco control. on NCDs 
• Experience researching and writing investment cases for health. ( (NCD’s, tobacco control, air pollution, mental health)
• Experience supporting multisectoral planning and coordination to implement WHO best buys and/or WHO FCTC measures.
• Experience researching and writing on COVID-19 interactions (focus on interactions with NCDs and/or tobacco preferred).

Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English, including the ability to write concisely and professionally, is required.
• Fluency in another UN language desirable.

SCOPE OF PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

All proposals must be expressed based on an all-inclusive daily rate. Please note that the terms “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.

The contractor will be paid based on an all-inclusive daily rate subject to the submission of  a time sheet, Certification of Payment (CoP) duly certified and confirmation of satisfactory performance of achieved work by the supervisor.

RECOMMENDED PRESENTATION OF OFFER

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Candidates that fail to submit the required information will not be considered. (Note: the system does not allow multiple uploads of documents. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP; https://procurement-notices.undp.org/ Job ID 74294
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 total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  The terms “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. 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. - available at http://procurement-notices-admin.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=74294

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF THE BEST OFFERS

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the combined weighted  method, where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
• Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) on the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
•  where the qualifications will be weighted a max. of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%; using the following evaluation criteria:

applications will be first screened and only candidates meeting the following minimum requirements will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• University degree (Bachelor’s) with a major in Social Science, Public Health, Public Administration, Law, International Development or another relevant field.
• Fluency in English; 
• At least 1 years’ experience research, writing and advocating for health/development inclusive of experience on multisectoral action for NCDs and/or tobacco control.

Step 2

Candidates will then be assessed and scored using the below evaluation

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation

Financial Evaluation Criteria (maximum 30 points): 

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 

Link to UNDP General terms and conditions for Individual Cintractors

https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=144535