Antecedentes

The UN Capital Development Fund makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: (1) inclusive digital economies, which connects individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; (2) local development finance, which capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and (3) investment finance, which provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization.

UNCDF is a technical collaboration partner in a United Nations Development Account Project on Building Urban Economic Resilience during and after COVID-19. This is a joint UN project executed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe and Economic Commission for Africa, with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean as the implementing partners and UN-Habitat and UNCDF as the technical collaboration partners.

The project focuses on strengthening the capacities of local governments in 16 cities globally to design, implement and monitor sustainable, resilient and inclusive COVID-19 economic and financial responses, recovery and rebuilding plans. It is implemented in 16 partner cities around the world: Albania (Tirana), Cameroon (Yaoundé), Ecuador (Guayaquil), Egypt (Alexandra), Fiji (Suva), Ghana (Accra), India (Pune), Kuwait (Kuwait), Kyrgystan (Bishkek), Lebanon (Beirut), Malaysia (Subang Jaya), Perú (Lima), República Dominicana (Santo Domingo), Viet Nam (Hoi An), Zimbabwe (Harare). The cities are distributed per region as follows:

• 3 cities in Europe and CIS: Kharkiv (Ukraine), Tirana (Albania), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
• 3 cities in Africa: Yaoundé (Cameroon), Ghana (Accra), Zimbabwe (Harare).
• 3 cities in Western Asia: Alexandria (Egypt), Kuwait (Kuwait), Lebanon (Beirut).
• 4 cities in Asia and the Pacific: Suva (Fiji), Pune (India), Hoi An (Viet Nam), Subang Jaya (Malaysia).
• 3 cities in Latin America and the Caribbean: Guayaquil (Ecuador), Perú (Lima), Santo Domingo (República Dominicana). 

The immediate impact of the project will be the provision of good global practices from other cities which will inform the pilot cities in their activities to develop and implement their economic response and recovery plans to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, the project will contribute to planning for more resilience cities and local governments better able to withstand shocks such as COVID-19 and urban systems’ stresses likely to reoccur in a predominantly urban world. Implementation will consider linkages with other dimensions of urban resilience of specific relevance to the different social, spatial and governance contexts of each region.

This Consultancy is designed to support implementation of programme activities assigned to UNCDF under Phase III of the project (April – December 2021). This phase builds on an in-depth diagnostic of COVID-19 impacts, strengthening knowledge and skills for economic recovery planning completed during Phase II and focuses on supporting partner cities in the development of their economic recovery and resilience strategies, economic and financial recovery and rebuilding plans including associated financing strategies.

The specific activity assigned to UNCDF includes a) building the capacities of partner cities to analyse and identify financing options suitable for the nature of specific interventions and (b) providing technical directions and recommendations towards appropriate sources and strategies for financing city economic and financial recovery and resilience plans. This activity will build on the conceptual framework for urban economic resilience and the findings and recommendations of the city urban resilience diagnostic reports (https://urbanresiliencehub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Resilience-Diagnostic-Planning-Tool-Feb2021.pdf), be aligned with the regional policy briefs produced during Phase II and customized to the city economic and financial recovery and resilience building plans.

Objective/s of the Assignment

The Consultant will support UNCDF in producing a number of deliverables specified below, in particular the financing information briefs and strategies for city economic recovery and resilience building planning using the concept note and approach developed by UNCDF for the 3-4 cities assigned in each of the regions.

The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UNCDF Advisor for Local Government Finance based in Kampala (Uganda) with secondary guidance from the Global Programme Manager, Municipal Investment Finance based in New York. The Consultant will interact regularly with the Executing Agencies (UNECA and UNECE) and with the other UN Economic Commissions and relevant partners identified during the inception phase of this assignment. S/he will work closely with the other Consultants supporting resilience performance diagnostic and recovery and resilience building planning in the partner cities in the respective region as well as with the city focal points for this project. The Consultant will be introduced to the relevant contacts at the Commission/city level to facilitate interaction and collaboration. Two (2) consultants will be engaged under the selection process: one who can speak English and Spanish (for Latin America and the Caribbean), and English and Russian (for Europe and CIS)

Deberes y responsabilidades

Key Tasks:

1. Development of information briefs on sources for financial support to cities for each city

The financing brief is designed to advise the participating city how their economic recovery and resilience building plans can be financed, given the existing financial ecosystem and the city financial capacity. The financing brief will explain the general principles of financial planning depending on the type of activities, suggest the most appropriate type of finance (public or private), financial institutions (national and international, development and commercial) and mechanisms/vehicles depending on the type of activities. The advice should be built on the review of the urban economic resilience performance reports and the city economic recovery and resilience building strategies and plans (ERRP) (if available) tailor financial options to the needs/priorities set for each city. In the latter case, the information package will serve as an introduction to the financing strategies (Deliverable 3), which will offer financial options tailored to the needs/priorities set for each city.

The brief will not provide a detailed analysis (which will be provided in the financing strategy as described below) but will offer general advice based on the type of intervention. Based on a quick analysis of draft economic recovery and resilience strategies for each city and information about the funding opportunities in the respective region, the brief will guide the cities about the most relevant and perspective sources for financing their recovery and resilience strategies in general. These sources may include multilateral and bilateral DFIs and IFIs, development agencies, foundations and other providers of affordable capital.

2. Validation of the financing briefs

The packages will be validated and refined through consultations with the relevant stakeholders in the participating cities. These consultations are envisaged as a capacity building measure designed to enhance the capacities of partner cities to analyse and identify financing options suitable for the nature of specific interventions. 

3. Delivery of recovery financing strategies

Once the validation and refinement process are completed, more specific financing strategies will be developed to identify financial institutions and investment vehicles adjusted to the city capacity, the regional context and the activities specified in the ERRPs. The consultants will review, along with local and other international consultants, the strategies and programmes devised by cities for resilience and recovery to take into account the specific priorities and preferred financing options of the cities.

The financing strategies are designed as both a financing blueprint and a tool for raising additional finance for critical investments in city recovery and resilience building plans. The strategies should identify specific sources of financing depending on the type of actions included in the city recovery and resilience building plans, the cost and tenors of capital and conditions of access in line with the actual fiscal and financial positions of the cities, applicable legal and regulatory frameworks and the presence of capital providers in specific regions. The Consultant will present the strategies to the city stakeholders and will clarify and specifics of their practical application based on a more in depth understanding of the prevailing financing trends, conditions and prospects for the city.

The final product may be delivered as one document where the financing information package and the financing strategies are two consecutive sections.

Outputs/Deliverables and Payment of Terms

Monitoring and Progress Controls

A schedule of days worked, outputs produced, and costs incurred will be monitored by the UNCDF Global Advisor for Local Government Finance.

Payment will be made against key deliverables and will be authorized by the UNCDF Global Manager for the Municipal Investment Finance Programme.

Competencias

Corporate Competencies:

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant local public financial management, decentralization processes and sustainable development issues;
• Strong analytical skills, particularly applied to environment profiling;

• Experience in providing technical support on local development finance and governance at the national/international level;

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to identify needs and interventions for capacity enhancement of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
• Ability to take responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education;

A minimum qualification of Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration or related field. A PhD degree is an advantage.

Skills and Experiences

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience;
• Experience in analytical and policy development work in the field of urban economics, development and ifnance and city-level financial management
• In-depth understanding of local government finance and the development finance landscape in the respective region;
• Experience in the design of local government financing strategies, particularly in the urban context.

This assignment requires the services of senior expert who can demonstrate adequate analytical capacity and who can provide expertise relevant to the terms of reference; and who can demonstrate experiences in providing technical inputs to local development programmes, particularly on public financial planning and investment finance. 

Evaluation Process

Cumulative analysis: A two-stage procedure is followed in assessing the technical compliance of the applicant prior to the consideration of any financial proposal.

The following selection method will be used: highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100 points, where weight distribution shall be 70% technical and 30% financial.

Step 1: Longlisting - Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria (listed under education and experience) will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• Master's degree in areas related to Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration or other relevant disciplines;
• A minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in urban economics, development and finance;
• Relevant experience in the respective geographic area;

Step 2: Shortlisting/Desk Review (70 points) - UNCDF will conduct a desk review process to shortlist and technically evaluate candidates as per the following criteria:

Professional Experience (25 points)

• At least 10 years of proven relevant work experience in city-level financial management and public budgeting and planning;
• Substantial experience in analytical and policy development work in the field of urban economics, development and finance;
• Evidence of previous engagements with UNCDF or other UN agencies will be an advantage

Competencies, Past work related to the assignment (25 points)

• Demonstrated adequate technical experience and know-how to undertake financial planning for city-level action plans and strategies;  
• Profound understanding of the financing ecosystem for cities in the respective region.

Description of approach/methodology to the assignment (15 points)

• Understanding of the assignment and compliance with the key tasks and objectives
• Overall conceptual approach
• Methods and instruments to be used for data collection and analysis
• Types of analyses to be applied
• Identification of target groups and stakeholders
• Description of the process and steps/activities to be undertaken 

Academic qualification (5 points)

• Master’s degree in areas related to Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration or other relevant disciplines 

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) on the total of Desk Review will be considered as technically qualified and will move forward to financial evaluation. 

Step 3: Financial Evaluation

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

The Price proposal must be submitted as an inclusive daily fee in USD

Award Criteria

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose profile has been assessed and determined as: 

1. Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and 
2. Having received the highest score out of the set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%).

APPLICATION PROCESS 

The application must contain the following:

(a) Personal Profile: 

• Approach/Methodology on how the assignment will be executed (1 page). 
• Confirmation indicating availability to take up assignment for the whole period.  
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or P.11 Personal History Form (available at http://sas.undp.org/documents/p11_personal_history_form.doc), stipulating applicant’s official name the qualifications and professional experiences (with similar projects) relevant to the assignment/TOR and the contact details (email address, telephone numbers) of 3 professional references. 

(b) Financial proposal: The financial proposal shall specify a lump sum amount that is inclusive of professional fees and other incidentals that the consultant expects to incur during the performance of the work. For this purpose, please complete and submit the Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (Please click here for document) and Financial Proposal (do not upload your financial proposal online, please send it separately to the email address  financial.proposal@uncdf.org  with the subject line: 102326 - Consultancy (UNCDF) for financing strategies for city economic and financial recovery and resilience.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org   If the consultant is over 65 years old, UNCDF reserves the right to require full medical certification and clearance from the consultant’s physician prior to commencing the travel.

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