Historique

NOTE

Application procedure:

Application with a CV must be submitted online via this website. Please click on “Apply Now” Tab and complete required fields and upload CV. Please note that website accepts only one document therefore, if you would like to upload more than one document, please make sure to combine it into a single one.

Financial offer (for national consultants only in BAM) in a form of completed and Signed Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and availability - https://tinyurl.com/Offeror-Letter - Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.docx - to be sent to e-mail ba.shared.hr@undp.org with Subject: Job ID 109718.

This Consultancy is expected to take place under the auspices of the Project for Improving Performance of Local Services (PIPLS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, financed by Sweden and co-funded and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Project is a 3-year intervention in the domain of local governance. As part of the UNDP BiH’s Good Governance Sector’s portfolio, the PIPLS Project delivers targeted technical assistance to partner local authorities in improving their financial and asset management practices, as well as providing co-financing for the implementation of critical service delivery priorities.

Over the past 15 years, primarily under the external pressure, as part of the overall public administration reform, efforts were made to establish a functional public procurement system in BiH, which would not only contribute to strengthening good governance and reduce corruption but would ultimately result in an increase of the quality of public services and achieving the "value for money". This is especially critical considering that the public sector in BiH annually spends close to 3 billion BAM for the procurement of goods, services and works. However, despite all these interventions, BiH is making little to no progress in instituting a public procurement system free from undue interference and influence, as attested by the most recent EU Country Report and SIGMA monitoring report for 2021. Public procurement, which represents a significant share of public spending and thus plays an important role for the private economy, continues to be managed on the base of overly complex procedures, which facilitate corruption.[1]Understaffing of the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) represents also a source of serious concern given the volume, variety and importance of the PPA functions, while the rising trend in the number of appeals submitted to the Procurement Review Body (PRB) requires strengthening of the PRB capacities.[2]

Given the aforementioned problems in the public procurement system in BiH and the fact that the previous Public Procurement Strategy expired in 2020, the PPA turned to UNDP with the request to provide technical assistance for the development of the new Public Procurement Strategy 2023-2027 (hereinafter: the Strategy), as there is a pressing need to systematically define key priority directions for the establishment of a more effective public procurement system in BiH, in line with the EU requirements within the accession process. The overall objective of the Strategy is to create a strategic framework for the public procurement for the period 2023-2027, focusing on six priority areas aligned with the EU public procurement strategic priorities:

a) professionalization of contracting authorities,

b) introducing green and socially responsible procurement practices into the public procurement system,

c) further digitalisation of the public procurement processes,

d) increasing transparency, integrity and quality of the public procurement processes,

e) increasing joint and centralized procurement,

f) improving the access of local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to procurement markets in BiH and other countries.

The overall purpose of the Consultancy is to provide technical support for the development of the Public Procurement Strategy 2023-2027. In this context, one Lead Expert for the development of the Public Procurement Strategy 2023-2027 (the Lead Expert) will be engaged to provide expert and technical support in the process of development of the Public Procurement Strategy 2023-2027, fully harmonized with the strategic planning cycle and methodology prescribed by the relevant regulatory framework, as well in line with the relevant SIGMA "Toolkit for the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of public administration reform and sector strategies"[3]. For this purpose the PPA appointed the Working group which will closely work with the Lead Expert on the development of the Strategy as well as be responsible for the design and organisation of the consultations processes with all the relevant stakeholders. The Lead Expert will also work with two Senior Experts as part of a team and under the supervision of the UNDP project team and the PPA.General background on the context of the engagement; Brief explanation of the project; References to any documents/materials as appropriate; Objectives of the assignment.

[1] Bosnia and Herzegovina Report 2021 (europa.eu)

[2] Monitoring-Report-2021-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina (sigmaweb.org)

[3]  Toolkit for the preparation, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of public administration reform and sector strategies : Guidance for SIGMA partners | SIGMA Papers | OECD iLibrary (oecd-ilibrary.org)

Devoirs et responsabilités

The Lead Expert is expected to contribute to the design and development of the Strategy via the provision of methodological guidance, overall process facilitation, data analysis, re-drafting and quality assuring of relevant parts of the Strategy, in line with the existing legal and methodological framework. He/she will also be responsible for leading the team and ensuring the consistency of inputs provided by the two Senior Experts, monitoring the work and coordinating all the activities and communication between the experts and the PPA Working Group. Moreover, he/she will be responsible for proposing key actions and suggestions regarding further strengthening of the public procurement system and professionalization of contracting authorities in BiH in all six defined priority areas, as well as for providing strategic guidance on further digitalization of a national public procurement system.

More specifically, the Lead Expert will be expected to perform the following tasks:

Task 1.1. Preparation of a detailed work plan and methodological approach

The Lead Expert will, after the kick-off meeting with the UNDP Project team and the PPA, prepare a  detailed workplan and methodological approach for the implementation of the Assignment, including detailed elaboration on how he/she intends to conduct the meetings/workshops etc.. Based on the introductory discussions with UNDP and the PPA, the Lead Expert will propose any adjustments to the initial ToR that are necessary in order to successfully complete the Assignment. The work plan and methodology  will be shared with UNDP and PPA in an electronic format in English language for approval.

The estimated level of effort for this task is 2 expert days.

Task 1.2. Key stakeholders' mapping

Upon endorsement of the workplan and methodological approach by the UNDP project team, as a first step the Lead Expert is expected, together with the PPA Working Group, to map all the key stakeholders who will be involved in the Strategy development through various consultative events as well as all the relevant institutions that will be in charge of the implementation of Strategy’s measures. The key stakeholders will be mapped for each of the six above defined Strategy pillars. Upon completion of the mapping process, the Lead Expert will share it with the UNDP project team for final review and approval.

The expected level of effort for this task is 1 expert days.

Task 1.3. Development of the situational analysis of the public procurement system in BiH

Within this task, the Lead Expert will, in close collaboration with the PPA Working group and two Senior Experts, lead the development of acomprehensive situational analysis which will serve as a basis for the Strategy development process. In this regard, the Lead Expert will review and take into consideration all the existing relevant monitoring reports and analyses. The situational analysis will, as a minimum, entail a detailed overview of the current legal and institutional framework, including its weaknesses and challenges encountered in the implementation, as well as the organizational capacities of the PPA and Public Procurement Review Body (PRB). Furthermore, it will provide an impartial in-depth assessment of the current situation in relation to each of the defined Strategy pillars, by looking into: current levels of professionalization of contracting authorities at all government levels in BiH; extent to which green and socially responsible procurement practices are introduced and implemented; digitalization of the public procurement processes;  current transparency and integrity mechanisms in public procurement, and the overall quality of the public procurement processes; extent to which centralised procurement practices are institutionalised and challenges in its implementation; access of local SMEs to procurement markets in BiH and wider. For each pillar the situational analysis will identify the key problems/challenges, along with its prioritization, in order to facilitate the next steps in the Strategy development process (setting of the strategic objectives and formulation of strategic programmes). In addition, key risks for the implementation of the Strategy as well as the appropriate mitigation measures will be identified.

Prior to commencement of the task, the Lead Expert will agree with the PPA Working group which quantitative and qualitative tools will be used to conduct this task, as well as agree on the outline for the situational analysis which will need to be endorsed by UNDP and the PPA Working group. Upon completion of the first draft of the situational analysis, the Lead Expert will submit it to UNDP and PPA Working group for review.

Upon endorsement of the draft by UNDP and the PPA, the Lead Expert will oversee the conceptualization of the agenda and participate in the consultations at which the draft situational analysis will be presented with all the relevant stakeholders as previously mapped under Task 1.2. (PPA Working group will be responsible for sending out invitations, keeping record of participants, etc.). Upon received comments from the relevant stakeholders, the Lead Expert will compile the inputs, finalise the situational analysis and submit it to final approval to UNDP and the PPA Working group.

The estimated level of effort for this task is 7 expert days.

Task 1.4. Development of the key strategic objectives and strategic programmes

The Lead Expert will, together with the PPA Working group and two Senior Experts, define the vision statement and the key strategic objectives (general and specific) and strategic programmes for the identified six strategic priority areas, which will be directly linked to problems identified in the situational analysis and their causes, and will strive to address them. Depending on the scope of the Strategy and the complexity of the challenges covered, as well as in accordance with the design of the entire reform intervention logic, objectives will be more aggregated or further disaggregated. Overall, all objectives (specific or general) should be mutually aligned and jointly contribute to reaching the next level of objectives, and ultimately the reform vision.

The identification of the objectives will be done through a series of interactive workshops (at least three) with the PPA Working group, which will be facilitated by the Lead Expert with active involvement of two Senior Experts. The suitability of objectives should be tested against the so-called SMART model.

Furthermore, the Lead Expert,together with the PPA and two Senior Experts, is expected to develop the indicators, their baselines and targets, which will be used to measure the level of success and progress against the agreed strategic objectives and programmes.

Upon internally agreeing on the draft for this section with the PPA Working Group, the Lead Expert will present and discuss the identified key strategic objectives and programmes with respective indicators with the relevant key stakeholders in a consultative event which will be conceptualised and organised by the PPA Working Group with support by two Senior Experts. Upon consultations and received inputs the Lead Expert will finalise the strategic objectives section and send it to final approval to the PPA Working Group and UNDP:

The estimated level of effort for this task is 6 expert days.

Task 1.5. Preparation of the Action plan

Once the strategy objectives have been agreed and indicators and targets set, as the next step the Lead Expert will lead the development of the action plan, namely the specific actions that are to be implemented or executed in order to meet the defined objectives and achieve the set targets.  Actions will be a tangible activity or set of activities and measures which are directly linked to the use of inputs (human, financial or material resources), in order to produce certain pre-defined deliverables or to reach specific policy goals. Furthermore, they will clearly set out the responsible implementing institutions and the timeline for its implementation. Each action should also be supported by resources for its delivery and calculating the costs of the necessary resources will be fundamental to its definition.

The action plan will be prepared in the form of a table reflecting the core policy elements of the Public Procurement strategy (i.e. the various levels of objectives, programmes and their respective indicators) and including all the information needed for efficient implementation, monitoring and reporting, clearly linked to the objectives it is intended to support. This will include as a minimum: · a description of the actions · the deadline(s) for implementation; · the required financial and human resources for implementation and sources of funding · responsibility for implementation in terms of the entities/units in charge and any other institutions contributing to the implementation · output or process-level indicators for each action.

In the development of the action plan, the Lead Expert is expected to facilitate at least two iterative meetings/workshops with the PPA Working group. Particularly, the Lead Expert will propose key actions and suggestions regarding further strengthening of the public procurement system and professionalization of contracting authorities in BiH in all six priority areas defined, as well as to provide guidance on further digitalization of a national public procurement system. Upon compilation of the first draft of the action plan and its validation at the level of the PPA Working group, the Lead Expert will facilitate a two-day consultative event which will be organized by the PPA in order to validate with a wider group of stakeholders the direction being proposed and suggest additional or even more innovative solutions to problems than those originally designed. The Lead Expert will oversee the development of the agenda and the concept for conducting the action plan consultations with all the key stakeholders as defined under Task 1.2.

Upon feedback received through the consultative process, the Lead Expert,  with inputs provided by the PPA Working group and two Senior Experts, will finalise the Action plan and send it to UNDP and PPA Working Group for final approval.

The estimated level of effort for this task is 7 expert days.

Task 1.6. Development of the monitoring and evaluation framework

The Lead Expert is expected to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework which will serve to inform all the relevant stakeholders about the attainment of the commitments in the Strategy and its Action plan and will support the making of the informed strategic policy and budget decisions. The M&E framework will clearly define roles and responsibilities, a report structure, evaluation questions, data collection methods, etc.

The estimated level of effort for this task is 1 expert days.

1.7. Preparation of the draft Strategy and Action plan and submission to SIGMA for comments

Within this task, the Lead Expert is expected to collate all inputs from previous tasks into an integral draft Strategy with the belonging Action plan along with the M&E framework, ensuring full consistency of all experts’ inputs. Upon finalizing the document, the Lead Expert will share it with the PPA Working group for endorsement and submission to SIGMA experts by the PPA Working group. 

The estimated level of effort for this task is 2 expert days.

Task 1.8. Finalization of the draft Strategy and the belonging Action plan upon comments received by SIGMA

Upon obtaining comments on the draft Strategy with the belonging Action plan provided by SIGMA, the Lead Expert will convene a PPA Working group meeting/meetings to jointly discuss the comments, after which the Lead Expert will revise the documents in line with the received inputs. If needed, the Lead Expert will organize a joint meeting with SIGMA and the PPA to discuss or clarify eventual dilemmas or concerns. 

The estimated level of effort for this task is 2 expert days.

Task 1.9. Support to the finalization of the draft Strategy and belonging Action plan upon conducted E-consultations

Under this task, the Lead Expert is expected to provide support to the PPA Working Group in addressing and incorporating comments received through the E-consultations process in the Strategy and the belonging Action plan.

The estimated level of effort for this task is 2 expert days.

Organizational issues

In close cooperation with the PPA Working group and under the overall supervision of the UNDP project team, the Lead Expert will be responsible for the overall coordination and quality assurance of the process and products from the viewpoint of content.  .

The PPA Working group and Senior Experts will facilitate the strategic planning process and ensure adequate quality of specific sectoral segments of the document, while the Lead Expert will be responsible for compiling all the experts' inputs and ensuring overall coherence and quality of the Strategy document.

All management and methodological issues will be closely coordinated and monitored by the UNDP project team. The organization and logistics for the consultations with stakeholders will be carried out by the PPA Working group. UNDP will cover the costs for the organisation of consultative events. Possible locations for the consultative events are Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka.

The Lead Expert is expected to spend at least 9 days in the country.

The entire service will be delivered in the official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period November 2022-July 2023.

Deliverables/outputs

Compétences

Corporate competencies:

• 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 competencies:

• Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills

Qualifications et expériences requises

Academic Qualifications/Education

• Advanced university degree in Law, Economics, Public Administration, or other relevant disciplines

Experience

• Minimum 15 years of work experience in public procurement reform and leading the policy and regulatory work in the public procurement reform processes, aligned with the EU policies, preferably from an EU country;
• Extensive experience as facilitator and moderator of consultative events and provision of consultancy services to public sector institutions,
• Experience in developing strategic documents in the area of public procurement.

Languages Requirements

• Excellent knowledge of English and good working knowledge of official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
   

Longlisting/Shortlisting Criteria

Qualifications as stated in the ToR

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation

Individual  will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the 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%
 

Interested candidated must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work;
• Personal CV/P11, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.