Historique

Although the Government of Albania has been successfully implementing important political, social and economic reforms, Roma and Egyptian face direct and indirect barriers in accessing public services, stemming from some eligibility criteria they cannot comply with, lack of information or understanding of administrative procedures, as well as stigma and frequent discriminatory attitude from the majority population. Long-term exclusion, treatment by the majority population and the relationship with government institutions has affected the living conditions of Roma and Egyptians. Studies show that the level of poverty among Roma is twice as high as the majority population. Regardless of their recognition as minority, Roma are both marginalized and socially excluded communities.

The "Economic and Social Empowerment for Roma and Egyptians- a booster for social inclusion" (ESERE) project is funded by the European Union and aims to further improve the social inclusion of most vulnerable communities consisting of Roma and Egyptians in Albania, with a focus in the regions of Tirana, Durrës, Shkodra and Berat. The project’s purpose is to promote the economic and social empowerment of Roma and Egyptian communities in Albania by standardizing an innovative and integrated new approach at the policy and programming level and to provide integrated social inclusion models at sub-national level focusing in the regions of Tirana, Durrës, Shkodra and Berat.

This will be achieved by facilitating the horizontal and vertical communication and cooperation of the different stakeholders, including the target groups, at the national and sub-national/local level and implementing innovative tools, new models in flagship initiatives for increasing employment and vocational training opportunities, improving access to basic social services, strengthening institutional capacity, and establishing supportive mechanisms for those who live under severe circumstances. In the long term, this aims to lift the Roma and Egyptian families out of poverty and support their sustainable inclusion in the Albanian society and labour market.

The project is composed based on four (4) project objectives formalized in four (4) work packages, introduced below.

Objective 1 – Increased employment and skills development opportunities accessed by Roma and Egyptian women and men reduce the employment gap between R&E communities and the majority of the population.

Objective 2 – Community Led Local Development (CLLD) for R&E inclusion at the local level through integrated, inclusive and sustainable development.

Objective 3 – Procedures, models, tools and guidelines established and made operational based on the Integrated Approach and a Behavioural Change Model to support better access of Roma and Egyptian communities to basic equitable, inclusive and decentralised services and to foster a tolerant and inclusive society in Albania.

Objective 4 – The National Action Plan for Roma and Egyptian Integration in the Republic of Albania, 2015-2020, supported for implementation, monitoring and evaluation at the national, regional and local level.

All of the above will be supported by a comprehensive communication and visibility strategic plan. The methodology selected is based on hands-on support to active participation in community development activities and businesses required and selected by the beneficiaries. Through this methodology it has been calculated that the impact will be stronger and the interest of different stakeholders higher and more sustainable in the long term.

Devoirs et responsabilités

ESERE Project strives to increase the participation of the Roma and Egyptian Communities in the local development agenda and to have strategic community development plans implemented in the municipalities of Tirana, Durres, Shkodra and Berat. Support has been offered to targeted municipalities to draft Local Community Development Action Plans for Roma and Egyptian Inclusion and consequently adopt them. The Plans are expected to facilitate the dialogue of local government with Roma and Egyptian civil society organizations and activists through participatory planning exercises, participatory budget planning and integration of community counselling forums. The object of this evaluation is to analyse the implementation, the impact and challenges occurred in the implementation process.

Now, at the end of the first year of the Action Plan’s implementation, ESERE Project intends to conduct the monitoring and evaluation of its implementation and compile the related report.

The purpose of carrying out such monitoring & evaluation exercise is to: inform the public about the implementation of the Action Plan; take necessary corrective measures while implementation is in progress, and inform policy orientation and allocation of resources; assess the performance of the local institutions, build/strengthen their monitoring and evaluation capacities in the field of social inclusion of Roma and Egyptian persons and promote their accountability; introduce mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of national/local policies and strategies relevant to the social inclusion of Roma and Egyptian.

Hence, this monitoring & evaluation exercise will have to observe, assess and report on:

a) the progress of processes, i.e the status of implementation of activities including achievement of targets, observance of agreed timetable and assessment of assigned resources;

b) the progress of outcomes, i.e the results achieved based on the objectives established for each of the fields covered in the Plan;

c) the progress towards the impact, i.e the achievement of the strategic goals including the attainment of the Plan’s monitoring indicators;

d) the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of measures implemented.

The monitoring & evaluation report will also have to describe difficulties/problems/challenges encountered during the Plan’s implementation, both internal and external, and how these problems were dealt with, as well as draw up any lessons learned and provide recommendations for adaptation of targets and/or measures. Information on gender-based results and stakeholders’ participation should be reported whenever possible and appropriate.

For this purpose, UNDP/ESERE Project is seeking the services of two (2) national consultants, whose scope of work, tasks and responsibilities are described below.

Description of Tasks and Responsibilities

The consultants will work under the direct supervision of UNDP ESERE Project Manager and in close cooperation with the project team based in Tirana, Durres, Shkodra and Berat and, more specifically, will be responsible for the following:

• Become familiar with the Local Community Development Action Plans for Roma and Egyptian Inclusion and the related policy and legal framework;
• Prepare an Inception Report comprising of a detailed description of the proposed methodology (approach, sources, format of the report, suggested stakeholders to meet and consultations to conduct), initial outline of the progress report, suggested work plan and timeline, all to be discussed and agreed with UNDP/ESERE team.?
• Using the sources agreed in the methodology and in cooperation with the staff of targeted municipalities, collect, process and analyze valid, reliable, and comprehensive programmatic and financial data and information related to the implementation of measures stipulated in the Local Community Development Action Plans for Roma and Egyptian Inclusion, with a view to assess the progress and evaluate the impact of its implementation during the first year.
• Compile, in close cooperation with the staff of targeted municipalities, a draft progress report to document in the agreed format all of the above, by paying due attention to the scope and purpose of this undertaking.
• Facilitate the development of 4 (1 in each municipality) participatory and inclusive consultation meetings, to discuss and validate the draft progress report findings, and support the municipality in consolidating and reflecting comments and feedback therein in their workplan.
• Finalize the draft progress report in English and Albanian by reflecting stakeholders’ feedback.
• Check for consistency both the English and the Albanian language versions of the report prior to submission to UNDP/ESERE team.
• Prepare an assignment report in English including a summary of the services delivered, lessons learned and recommendations for follow-up.

Expected deliverables:

The consultants are responsible for submitting the following deliverables:??

• Inception report, including the proposed work methodology, proposed structure of the progress report, initial outline of the main output, and suggested work plan and timeline.
• Initial Draft Progress Report in English, including all the input relevant to the scope and purpose of the assignment.
• Facilitation of the events organized for the consultation and presentation of the draft progress report in each municipality.
• Revised and improved draft progress report reflecting all the feedbacks from participatory consultation meetings.???
• Finalized draft progress report in English and Albanian.
• Assignment Report in English.

All outputs will be agreed with and approved by UNDP/ESERE team.

Compétences

Corporate and Core 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 favoritism.
• Communication - Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
• Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
• Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards

Functional competencies:

• Knowledge, experience and understanding of the minority and human-rights based perspective as well as result-based management techniques;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with EU policies on Roma social inclusion in particular with related good practices and lessons learned in the region and Albania;?
• Proven record in analytical thinking and concise writing and reporting in English language;
• Demonstrated ability to write comprehensive reports;
• Ability to work well with multiple stakeholders;
• Ability to deliver under tight deadlines;
• Creativity skills;

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

• Advanced university degree in public policies, social policies, economics, or closely related field of studies.

Work experience:

• Minimum ten years of professional experience in social policy/public policy monitoring and evaluation functions;
• Experience in research and strategic studies related to socio-economic affairs, preferably with relevance to social inclusion;
• Substantial experience in monitoring and evaluating implementation of policy framework and plans of actions and in drafting documents based on extensive consultations;
• Experience in providing expertise on promoting human rights;
• Knowledge of the national institutional, legal and policy frameworks in social inclusion of Roma and Egyptian communities.

Language requirement:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation of applicants:

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above. UNDP applies the ‘Best value for money’ approach - the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) Responsive, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70

Criteria A: Relevance of specific professional experience in reporting on monitoring and evaluation of policy framework implementation – max points: 30

Criteria B: Relevance of Educational background – max points: 20

Criteria C: Record of experience in working on issues related to Roma and Egyptians inclusion – max points: 20

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30

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.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form... Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.  
• Latest personal CV, including past experience from similar projects or completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
• Financial Proposal in ALL - specifying a total lump sum in Albanian Lek ( The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable -qualitative and quantitative- deliverables . 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-including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).http://www.un.org.al/doc/Financial%20Offer%20template.doc
• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. 

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Merge your CV or P11, Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

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.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process