UNDP Jobs - 96423- Consultant in Strategic Planning and Development

Consultant in Strategic Planning and Development

Location :

Tbilisi with possible travel to Batumi, GEORGIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Feb-21 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Up to 25 days in the period of March-June 2021

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia is a joint project of the European Union (EU) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project is funded by the EU with contributions from the Parliament of Georgia and Supreme Council of Ajara (SCA). While the main focus of the project is on the Parliament of Georgia, a smaller component entails working with the legislature of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara - the SCA. The support leverages on the development work conducted with the Parliament of Georgia in the previous years and sharing of the tools and capacity building practices between the two institutions. More particularly, the project provides support to the SCA in institutional development and openness reforms.

The SCA is a supreme representative body of the Autonomous Republic of Ajara which exercises the legislative function and oversees the activities of the Government of the Autonomous Republic. It consists of 21 members elected for a four-year term, with 18 members elected through the proportional list and the other three through the majoritarian system. The SCA adopts the Constitution and other laws of Ajara; approves the budget of the Autonomous Republic and exercises financial oversight over the expenditures of the Ajara Government; expresses vote of confidence to the Government of Ajara; under the Constitution of Georgia, has the right of legislative initiative and can file a constitutional complaint at the Constitutional Court of Georgia.

Although the SCA mandate is not as extensive as of the Parliament of Georgia, the Council is an important democratic institution for the region, and needs to improve its performance to be better able to engage in the legislative process at local level, oversee the activities of the Ajara Government and represent the population of Ajara – all of these leading to stronger regional development.

In 2020, the EU-UNDP project conducted in-depth institutional needs assessment of the SCA. Its results, among other, demonstrated the lack of strategic planning approaches in the work of SCA committees, which limits effective implementation of law-making and oversight activities. The same issue has been considered by the Open Governance Council of the SCA, which identified the development of the committee action plans as important tool for promoting open and participatory legislative process. As a result, on 25 December 2020, the SCA adopted the amendments to the RoP (adding article 431), mandating all committees to develop their action plans on annual basis (RoP available here: https://www.matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/4529420?publication=4).

Since there is limited experience of strategic planning activities at the SCA, the EU-UNDP project intends to provide support to the committees to facilitate structured approach in their work, making it more strategic, result-oriented, well-managed, inclusive and participatory. If successfully implemented, the exercise will promote the institutionalization of a culture of short and medium-term policy planning at the SCA. It will also encourage greater civic engagement in legislative work through involving local civil society organizations in consultations and planning processes.

In consultation with the SCA, two committees – Constitutional, Legal and Procedural Issues (Committee information is available here: http://sca.ge/geo/static/221) and Human Rights Issues (Committee information is available here: http://sca.ge/geo/static/217) – were identified to receive the above-mentioned support in 2021. While the given Terms of Reference (ToR) specifically targets the mentioned Committees and is designed to provide guidance during their strategic planning exercise, it also entails a general capacity building component for all six committees of the SCA. In view of this, the project is seeking to recruit a National Consultant in Strategic Planning and Development to provide the mentioned expertise and consultancy to the SCA.

Duties and Responsibilities

At the initial stage, the consultant shall support all six committees of the SCA with capacity building exercise to raise awareness of the members and staff on strategic planning and action plan drafting methodologies, with a particular focus on stakeholder engagement.

At the second stage, the consultant shall engage with the two selected committees to support them in the development of their action plans. Through a consultative and participatory process, input shall be gathered from different stakeholders to define major priorities and activities for the committees in their respective fields. Based on this process a two-year Committee Action Plan (2021-2022) shall be designed with detailed depiction of the timeframes, responsible parties, monitoring and evaluation frameworks included.

The support to the selected Committees shall be provided in a manner which stresses local ownership. This would include building a greater understanding of strategic planning within the committees, facilitating the Members and staff to consider their strategic objectives, tasks and performance targets while preparing the action plans. The process and the resulting plans shall help to form basis for future strategic planning processes at the committee level.

In view of the above, under the overall supervision of the UNDP project, and in close coordination with the SCA, the Consultant shall perform the following tasks and activities:

Activity 1. Provide capacity building support to the SCA committees in strategic planning:

In order to prepare a targeted capacity building training for the staff of six committees of the SCA, the consultant shall review the SCA needs assessment report prepared by the project and where necessary, conduct additional desk research, to get familiarized with the functions, working procedures, existing practices and capacities of the committees;
Conduct a training for members and staff of all six committees of the SCA. (Participants will be divided into two groups and one day (or a total of six hours) training will be delivered for each group. Training shall cover the basic approaches to strategic planning, structuring action plans, setting indicators, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans, reporting and other.

Activity 2. Support the development of a two-year (2021-2022) action plans for (a) Constitutional, Legal and Procedural Issues Committee and (b) Human Rights Issues Committee:

The action plans shall give a detailed account of all legislative, oversight and public outreach activities that would need to be implemented by the Committees in the upcoming years. The plans shall define roles and responsibilities and set timeframes for accomplishing each of the action. They shall cover existing set of needs and external resources/support for concrete actions and set targets and indicators for monitoring the progress of implementation of the action plan. In addition, the plans shall cover the risk assessment of concrete actions.

While developing the action plans for the selected two committees, a participatory process shall be promoted. This shall be achieved through a series of discussions, workshops and consultations with various stakeholders. Apart from regular coordination meetings with the Committee leadership, the Consultant shall, as a minimum, facilitate:

One inception workshop with each of the two committees (members and staff) to discuss their needs and challenges in law-making and oversight, build an understanding of the basics of strategic planning and agree on the overall framework for facilitating strategic planning exercise in the committees;
At least one strategic planning workshop (for each committee) with the participation of committee members and staff, Government representatives, civil society, independent experts, and other target groups (if relevant) to discuss existing challenges and exchange views on needed reforms in the respective fields;
A concluding meeting to present the finalized action plans to different stakeholders.

Throughout the process the Consultant shall ensure that the Committee drives the strategic planning process and has an ownership of its outcomes.

Deliverable and Payment Modality:

The Consultant shall produce the following deliverables:

A two-day training (a total of 12 hours; one day/six hours per group) for the members and staff of all six committees of the SCA in strategic planning;
One inception workshop for the Constitutional, Legal and Procedural Issues Committee;
One inception workshop for the Human Rights Committee;
One strategic planning workshop for the Constitutional, Legal and Procedural Issues Committee with the participation of committee members and staff, Government representatives, civil society, independent experts, and other target groups (if relevant) to discuss existing challenges and exchange views on needed reforms in the respective fields;
One strategic planning workshop for the Human Rights Committee with the participation of committee members and staff, Government representatives, civil society, independent experts, and other target groups (if relevant) to discuss existing challenges and exchange views on needed reforms in the respective fields;
One concluding presentation with the committees and other stakeholders.
Two-year action plan for the Constitutional, Legal and Procedural Issues Committee;
Two-year action plan for the Human Rights Committee;
Final Report on performed activities. The report shall be prepared for UNDP in English and include: summary of performed activities, overview of meetings, trainings and workshops with the SCA representatives and other stakeholders, and be complemented with presentation materials, and any other relevant documentation.

The Consultant will be paid a lump sum in three installments upon successful completion of the deliverables according to the below schedule:

Training of committees, inception and strategic planning workshops: due by April 2021, 40% of the total fee
Committee action plans: due by May 2021, 55% of the total fee
Summary report on performed activities: due by June 2021, 5% of the total fee

Note: UNDP Project will provide logistics for the consultancy (printing, etc.) and cover costs for in-country travel and accommodation (if required). SCA Committees will be responsible for background materials, setting up the Consultant’s meetings with relevant stakeholders.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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 favoritism

Functional Competencies:

Excellent intercultural, moderation, facilitation and negotiation skills;
Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
Proven networking, team building, organizational and communication skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in law, public policy, public administration or related fields (minimum requirement: 8 points).

Experience:

At least 5 years of working experience in the public law or public administration field at the public service institution, non-governmental and/or international organization (minimum requirement: 5 years - 10 points; more than 5 years - additional 7 points);
Demonstrated experience in managing strategic planning exercises and developing strategic planning documents (strategies, action plans) (minimum requirement: one similar assignment - 10 points; more than one – additional 5 points);
Strong knowledge of the main trends, challenges and gaps in the law-making process;
Good understanding of the role, functions and responsibilities of the regional state institutions;
Good awareness of the constitutional role and functions of the Supreme Council of Ajara.

Language Requirements:

Excellent Georgian language skills (both written and verbal).

Evaluation:

Offerors will be evaluated against a combination of technical and financial criteria provided in the below table. Technical criteria consist of a desk review and an interview. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals to 70 points (70%) and for financial criteria 30 (30%). Technical criteria compose of desk review (40 points) and interview (30 points). Offerors not meeting any of minimum technical qualification requirements will be automatically excluded from the list of candidates for further technical evaluation. Offerors obtaining minimum 28 points as a result of the desk review (criteria 1, 2 and 3) will be short listed and invited for an interview. Offerors obtaining minimum of 21 points as a result of the interview (i.e. minimum of 49 points in the technical criteria) will be considered qualified and requested to provide financial proposal for the assignment.

Financial Proposal

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 installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.