Background

UNDP innovation efforts during 2014-2019 were characterized by a widespread and rapid experimentation across the organization. The Innovation Facility (IF) has been instrumental in this effort by catalyzing rapid experimentation and building organizational muscle for innovation. Governments and partners in over 70 countries built up new skills (ethnography, design thinking, foresight), adopted new approaches to complex issues (behavioral insights, new data) and were exposed to a larger network of non-traditional partners. For UNDP, this first phase of the facility brought innovation from the margins into the core of what we do.

However, changes in internal and external contexts during the last 18-24 months necessitate rethinking of the focus from more tactical (rapid prototyping, answering the ‘how’ do we solve a problem) to more strategic efforts (the ‘why of policy design, portfolio approaches).  In its new phase, the premium is on building a new set of core capabilities both within UNDP and government and other partners around system transformation.  One of the critical learnings from UNDP’s experience in innovation to date is that organization’s ability to design and dynamically manage structured portfolio of interventions (as opposed to a focus on a single-point interventions) is likely to become an important capability to bring about change in face of deep systemic issues.  This response is a recognition that development and public policy address complex issues with high degrees of uncertainty and ambiguity and as such requires an entirely new set of decision-making frameworks, capabilities, structures and performance indicators. This is validated through both our own work with Deep Demonstrations but also

collaboration with our many partners - from traditional donor countries to foundations, to innovation outfits.

Assignment

UNDP is currently actively engaged on a number of “deep demonstrations” to explore the different facets of portfolio approaches in the context of development work and gradually define its own way of implementing them.

 What is coming out of this emergent work is that “portfolio” in a UNDP context and from a program development perspective is likely to be quite different from the way the term is traditionally understood in the financial sector or in innovation literature. It also signals a significant departure from “business as usual” when it comes to programming.

Most notably a portfolio approach indicates the need to:

-          Shift from single point solutions to a set of interventions/probes that learn from each other over time, as a way to deal with emergence and as the understanding of a system evolves

-          Move beyond a siloed, projectized logic to embrace system approaches and long-term thinking/investment

-          Replace the “funneling logic” (trying out many things, hoping to get to one solution that will scale) with a layering logic (accumulating learning and insights over time from a set of evolving probes/interventions)

-          Move from a transactional to a relational logic of interaction with partners, so as to build over time a “movement” of different constituents with a stake in system transformation

This programmatic layer in the new “stack” will need to be complemented by a financial and governance/monitoring layer.

If the objective is to bring about systemic change, there is a need to design financial instruments that are coherent with that intent, including a shift towards a long-term investment perspective (whilst delivering results in the short term that can build momentum).

 Governance and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms will also need to be rethought to be consistent with the objective of system transformation. This might entail, for example, the design of financial instruments that allow different organizations to invest in a portfolio on a peer basis, and of monitoring approaches that allow for dynamic management of the portfolio and reporting on its results over time.

This type of financial and institutional innovation will not happen overnight. To accelerate the process, an important task at this stage is to help open up possibilities, create a vivid picture of what are viable

options to do things differently and get both UNDP and partners engaged in a process of reimagining what financing development work through a portfolio logic can look like.

It is in this context that UNDP is looking for a consultant with a financial background that will support the work of designing the financial and monitoring/governing “layer” of the stack described above, and help with communication the principles for financial instruments that facilitate portfolio approaches to system transformation.

Duties and Responsibilities

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

The consultant will design at least 3 options for financial instruments and governance/monitoring mechanisms that are consistent with the purpose of system transformation and the portfolio approach to programming. Each option is meant to achieve 2 purposes:

a. To explain at a high level (but sufficient level of detail) how the financial instrument could work and how it supports a portfolio logic towards system transformation (this will include also a suggested methodology to monitor the progress towards system transformation over time and an indication of the required governance mechanisms);

b. To provoke a discussion and trigger new thinking about what financial instruments could be created to support system transformation. For this reason, each option is expected to consist of a document accompanied by a highly engaging visual mock-up for which the consultant will be expected to work with a designer

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Competencies

Ability to synthesize variety of information about rules and procedures (regarding financial tools) and emerging trends into new forms of (financial) instruments

·                      Ability to translate complex, abstract ideas and concepts into formats that improve decision making

·                      Able to communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

·                      Ability to bring bridges and nurture networks of relationships- developing shared understanding, creating linkages between non-obvious partners, generating appreciation and understanding of the value of the new.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in complexity and systems science, development, international finance, economics, and/or business (Master’s level university degree will be an asset)

Experience:

• 10-15 years of experience in finance for development, financial institutions, private sector investment, system transformation

• Some experience in visual design and use of digital tools for effective communication, distilling complex financial and other concepts and ideas into digestible forms that inform decision making is welcome.However, the team with who the consultant will work will have a visual designer on board to support this work

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken 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;

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.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7-hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• 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.

   

• 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. 2-5 years of experience in working on alternative finance mechanisms and business models in development or public sector Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 2. 5 years of experience in working with financial institutions and/or institutional donors and development partners; Maximum Points: 15
• Criteria 3. At least one-year Experience in using various forms of visual design and new forms of communication   Maximum Points: 15; and
• Interview: Maximum Points: 25.

• 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

  Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top four shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

  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

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 Milica Begovic, global innovation adviser and Patrick Duong, regional governance adviser and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Travel

•         No travel is envisaged for this assignment.

Payment modality

• Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, 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.
• The consultant will be employed for 25 days.

Payments will be made in monthly installments based on the deliverables submitted.

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

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 – RLA Template

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.