Background

National Evaluation Consultant

for the NEDA-UNDP Strategic M&E Project

Project Title

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

Background and Description

On July 15, 2015, Joint Circular 2015-01 on the National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF) of the Philippines was issued by the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Budget and Management to provide support for evidence-based decisions and ensure program improvement and accountability. The NEPF aims 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.

In 2017, NEDA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippine country office partnered to strengthen the conduct of evaluations in support of the NEPF. 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 the partnership, UNDP is supporting NEDA in a) commissioning evaluations; b) developing operational guidelines for the NEPF; c) pursuing initiatives to strengthen evaluation capacity; d) facilitating a community of practice on evaluation, and e) leveraging technology and innovation.

The Project requires the services of an Evaluation Consultant who will prepare Evaluation Plans and Terms of References, and review research outputs for evaluation studies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work and Outputs

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Institutions and Partnerships Outcome Lead, and the NEDA Monitoring and Evaluation Staff (MES) Director, and reporting directly and regularly to the Strategic M&E Project Coordinator, the Evaluation Consultant shall submit the following outputs

1. Evaluation Plans for Evaluation Studies. This entails conducting background research on the assigned evaluation study topic/s, drafting the Evaluation Plan, and finalizing the Evaluation Plans based on consultations with key stakeholders.
2. Terms of References (TOR) for Evaluation Studies. Based on the Evaluation Plan on the assigned evaluation study topic, the Evaluation Consultant shall draft Terms of References, revise and finalize the TORs following feedback from key stakeholders.
3. Summary of Agreements from Consultation Meetings. After each consultation with key stakeholders on the Evaluation Plans and Terms of References, the Evaluation Consultant shall put together the summary of agreed revisions to be made to the drafts.
4. Evaluation Matrices. The Evaluation Consultant shall also evaluate bids submitted for the TORs that have been advertised. This entails participation in the procurement process, which includes the evaluation of technical proposals, deliberation by the evaluation panel, and drafting of the risk matrix.
5. Quality Assurance reports. The Evaluation Consultant shall review outputs of Contractors for evaluation studies. These outputs include inception reports, draft reports, final draft reports, as well as peer review reports for evaluation studies.
6. Documentation of lessons learned and recommendations. Prior to the end of the engagement, the Evaluation Consultant shall write up a report documenting lessons learned and recommendations relevant to the commissioning and management of evaluation studies.

Timetable of Deliverables

1. The consultant is expected to perform the abovementioned works according to the following schedule:

Institutional Arrangement

• 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;
• The Consultant shall report progress, provide updates, or raise issues to the Project Coordinator on a regular basis. The Consultant is expected to be accessible to the UNDP Project Coordinator via phone, mobile, or internet, and may be asked to report physically to UNDP on an agreed schedule and when required.
• The Consultant may also be required to coordinate with the Institutions and Partnerships Programme Team? Lead, and other officials and staff of UNDP, the Director and staff of the MES, and other officials and staff of NEDA and other Government Agencies identified as stakeholders for the evaluation studies
• In performing his/her functions, the consultant is expected to coordinate, consult, and/or collaborate with members of the Project Management Team, and other external stakeholders
• The Consultant is expected to have his/her own workspace, computer, and other facilities.

Expected Duration of the Contract

The Consultant will be hired for 90 person-days spread over a period of 10 months from 1 March 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Generally, there is a two-week turn-around time for a review of outputs submitted.

Duty Station

1. The Consultant will be based in Manila.
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. During the quarantine period, the IC shall NOT ENGAGE in any meetings or activities OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES.
3. 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; NO TRAVEL IS REQUIRED for the IC to complete their abovementioned tasks.
4. Similarly, once the community quarantine is lifted, the Consultant may be required to report physically to UNDP when physical participation in activities is necessary.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Professional Qualifications of the Successful Consultants

1. At least a master’s degree in economics, political science, social science, public administration, or other relevant fields. A Ph.D. is advantageous, and specialized training in M&E or capacity development may merit additional points.
2. At least five (5) years of work or consultancy experience in the management of, or in conducting evaluations of development programs and projects. Preference is given to those with work experience in the national government or international development organizations.
3. Has completed at least three (3) Evaluation Plans, or Terms of References, or Evaluation Reports written (as sole author) in the past five years for the evaluation of development programs and projects.
4. Fluency in English and Filipino is required.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Financial proposals must be expressed as a lump sum “all-inclusive” daily fee The term “all-inclusive” implies all costs (professional fees, medical insurance, allowances, etc.). Please follow the UNDP template with a breakdown of costs.

Each person-day of work delivered, according to the equivalent level of effort per output as outlined in part D, may be billed upon submission of a timesheet with the accompanying outputs. The submission of such timesheet may be made immediately after outputs have been submitted and accepted or for each agreed-upon cut-off period.

Recommended Presentation of the 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 P11indicating 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. Portfolio of Prior Research Work and other Relevant Projects. A list with hyperlinks to publicly accessible websites or shared cloud storage for sample research output is required. Include information on contract cost, duration, and key results achieved through the work;
4. A one-page Evaluation Plan for the Evaluation of LGU response to COVID-19 (to be requested for shortlisted applicants)
5. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.? 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.? 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.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The offer will be evaluated based on a Combined Scoring method where the technical proposal will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%.

The technical evaluation will comprise the following:

For the evaluation of the CV and portfolio, the following point system will be used. Only those obtaining a minimum of 28 out of 40 obtainable points will be invited for an interview.

Only candidates that will receive 70 points from the overall evaluation of the technical qualification (CV score + interview score) will be eligible for financial evaluation