UNDP is building the largest and fastest learning global network of Accelerator Labs (initially setting up 60 labs in 60 countries) embedded within UNDP’s global architecture and country platforms. The new offering builds on the latest thinking from the fields of complexity science, lead user innovation and collective intelligence to accelerate development impact.

The network of Accelerator Labs will surface and reinforce locally sourced solutions at scale while mobilizing a wide and dynamic partnership of actors contributing knowledge, resources and experience. The idea is to transform our collective approach by introducing new protocols, backed by evidence and practice, which accelerate the testing and dissemination of solutions within and across countries. This will enable the global community to collectively learn from local knowledge and ingenuity at a speed and at a scale that our societies and planet require.

The Accelerator Lab will undertake i) external facing interventions addressing priority development challenges, and ii) internally facing experiments to embed new ways of doing development within the existing UNDP portfolio.

The individual consultant will assist the Global Support Team, Accelerator Labs Network in monitoring and documenting the ongoing activities, including experiments, undertaken by Accelerator Labs across the world. 

Under the guidance and supervision of the Team Leader, Accelerator Labs Network:

• Assists the Team Leader in ensuring monitoring of the Accelerator Labs Network by providing with up-to-the minute information, drafts of analyses and presentations for the day-to-day management, meetings and external contacts;
• Supports the Communications Team with inputs for storytelling and data for the generation of communication assets;
• Ensures efficient, rational and strategic use of monitoring activities, including inputs requested from various labs across the network;
• Ensures accurate and coordinated flow of communication and data to and from the Team Leader ;
• Any other duties as required.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

1. Knowledge curation and monitoring

    Expected deliverables:

• Design a workflow for the digestion of 60 lab bogs each month;
• Conduct analysis of a subset of country blogs to summarize patterns;
• Review and verify various learning channels: What’s app, Microsoft Teams and Twitter;
• Create weekly summaries of the direction of content emerging from the lab network;
• Follow up calls with identified Accelerator Labs to document activities and progress.

2. Analytics of project data collected from the Labs

    Expected deliverables:

• Provide an analytical report that summarizes the trends of thematic areas and experimentation plans identified from the 100-Day Action Plan of all Labs;
•  Develop weekly updates that share the latest trends of learning within the network based on feedback collected from all Labs;
• Briefing notes, presentations, and other visualization materials at the request of the Team Leader, Accelerator Labs Network;
• Share updates and feedback through dedicated Teams Channel;
• Provide inputs for one quarterly donor report and one mid-year project briefing based on weekly feedback collected from all Labs.

Corporate:

• 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;

Professionalism:

• Ability to formulate opinions and make conclusions and recommendations.

Planning and organizing:

• Prioritizes and delivers tasks on time.

Teamwork:

• Collaborates the workflow within the team in cooperation with all concerned parties.

Technological Awareness:

• Demonstrates technical knowledge to meet responsibilities.

Communications:

• Possesses strong communication and writing skills.

Academic qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent Advanced Degree in the areas of economics, international development, or related fields required.

Experience:

• A minimum of 1 year of progressive responsible experience in research and/or monitoring is required;
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis required;
• Experience in monitoring, tracking progress towards results indicators required;
• Technical competency such as proficiency in Microsoft Office (MS Teams, MS PowerBi and MS SharePoint); and experience with Stata, Matlab and Python required.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English 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.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including 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):

• Relevance of experience in research and/or monitoring is required (minimum 1 year; 1-2 years: 10 points; 3-4 years: 15 points; more than 4 years: 20 points) – Maximum 20 points;
• Prior work experience with United Nations and/or UNDP is an advantage (up to 1 year: 6 points; 1-2 years: 8 points; more than 2 years: 10 points) – Maximum 10 points;
• Relevant experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis (up to 1 year: 10 points; 1-2 years: 15 points; more than 2 years: 20 points) – Maximum 20 points;
• Relevant experience in monitoring, tracking progress towards results indicators (up to 1 year: 6 points; 1-2 years: 8 points; more than 2 years: 10 points) – Maximum 10 points;
• Knowledge of social innovation, international development, and related fields is an advantage(up to 1 year: 6 points; 1-2 years: 8 points; more than 2 years: 10 points) – Maximum 10 points.

Only those candidates that meet the minimum level of education and relevant years of experience requirements will be considered for the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will include a desk review to select the shortlisted candidates.

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 Team Leader, Accelerator Labs Network, and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

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.

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.