Antecedentes

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

 

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) supports UNDP’s 2018-2021 Strategic Plan.  The HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2016-2021: ‘Connecting the Dots’ elaborates UNDP's work on HIV and health in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNDP has an important role in supporting health outcomes by supporting countries to address the social, cultural and economic determinants of HIV and health, in partnership with UN entities and other organizations. This is done through UNDP’s core work in reducing inequalities and social exclusion that drive HIV and poor health, promoting effective and inclusive governance for health, and building resilient and sustainable systems for health. UNDP also contributes through its coordinating and convening role in bringing together multiple partners and resources at national and local levels.

 

UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Sometimes this is done through focused or specialized programmes, such as promoting attention to the role of legal environments (law and access to justice) in facilitating stronger HIV responses, including the use of flexibilities in intellectual property and human rights law to lower the cost of drugs and diagnostics and to increase access to HIV-related treatment. UNDP also works to empower and include people living with HIV and marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV - also known as key populations - such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender people.  Beyond these focused efforts, UNDP plays a key role in ensuring attention to HIV and health within broader governance and rights initiatives, strengthening of national human rights institutions and increasing access to justice for marginalized populations.

 

As a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health programs while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient (PR) in these settings, working with national partners and The Global Fund to improve management, implementation and oversight, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the PR role over time. Within the HHD Group the Global Fund – Health Implementation Support Team (GF-HIST) is a dedicated team providing support to UNDP Country Offices throughout the grant lifecycle. The support includes, programme management, monitoring and evaluation, financial management, capacity development and/or transition and sustainability planning and support to strategic policies and plans and funding proposals.

 

In addition, as a Cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and a member of the UNAIDS delegation to The Global Fund Board, UNDP also engages with The Global Fund on important substantive policy and programmatic issues. UNDP, in line with its core mandates, promotes the incorporation of good governance, human rights and gender initiatives into The Global Fund grants. UNDP also ensures that financing reaches key populations affected by HIV such as sex workers, men who have sex with men and people who use drugs. UNDP promotes alignment of grants with national development plans and poverty reduction strategies; and contributes to the further enhancement of the country-level governance of The Global Fund programmes that respects principles of national ownership and aid effectiveness.

 

UNDP also plays an important role in the response to other health emergencies. This includes assisting countries affected by the Zika outbreak to respond to the broader health and development threat posed by the virus, by ensuring a coherent UN system response at country level, procurement and supply management for prevention activities, communication and community engagement, and analysis of the socio-economic, gender-related, and human rights aspects of the Zika response. In coordination with other partners, UNDP also provided important support to Angola in its response to the outbreak of Yellow Fever that is still affecting the country. Finally, UNDP played an important role in responding to the Ebola crisis by deploying staff to affected countries to support the response.

 

UNDP’s work in HIV and other areas of health is undertaken by an integrated team working at and across global, regional and country levels. At the global level, the work is led by the HHD Group, focusing on global level advocacy, policy, strategy and partnerships, and provides support for adaptation and implementation of policies and programmes across and by regional hubs and country offices. UNDP also has HHD Group staff working in its Regional Hubs and Country Offices in Africa (Addis Ababa), Asia Pacific (Bangkok and Suva), Latin America and the Caribbean (Panama), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Istanbul) and the Arab States (Amman).

 

Context

 

To promote compliance with environmental and social standards, the Sustainable Procurement in the Health Sector initiative (SPHS) was officially established in May 2012 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The initiative aims to promote sustainable procurement of health commodities and to contribute to sustainable health systems and inclusive green and ethical economies. This initiative is implemented by an informal Interagency Task Team led by UNDP, which coordinates the Secretariat. It convenes ten members—seven are UN Agencies (UNDP, UNEP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOPS, WHO) and three are Multilateral Health Financing Institutions (GAVI, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNITAID). Together, these ten SPHS members command a cumulative purchasing power in the global health sector of around US $5 billion annually, representing a sizeable portion of the global market in pharmaceuticals and other health products. SPHS members leverage this purchasing power to actively promote sustainable procurement within their respective organizations to improve human health and reduce greenhouse gases, emissions, and chemical pollution.

 

SPHS Member Agencies’ engagement is based on a voluntary basis and is guided by the fundamental principles from the High-Level Statement and the SPHS engagement strategy on sustainable procurement with suppliers and manufacturers, which is based on the vision and route map of the SPHS and refers to the UN Supplier Code of Conduct.

 

Since its start, the SPHS initiative has been supported and coordinated by a Secretariat administered by UNDP. Within UNDP, the Secretariat is linked with the Bureau of Management Services (BMS) (procurement team, New York), the Nordic Liaison Office (UN procurement hub, Copenhagen), the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) (HIV, Health and Development team, New York) and the Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS (RBEC, New York/Istanbul). The SPHS initiative has demonstrated how sustainable health procurement can play a significant role in reducing the environmental and social impact of the health sector. It also has great potential to contribute to inclusive green and ethical economies in the context of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Hence, starting in January 2018, UNDP HIV, Health and Development (HHD) Team at the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH), as a host to the SPHS Secretariat, will in collaboration with Healthcare Without Harm (HCWH) roll-out a 4-year project ‘Strengthening Sustainability in the Health Sector in Developing Countries.’ The project aims to reduce harm to people and the environment caused by the manufacture and disposal of medical products and by the implementation of health programmes in developing countries. The proposed initiative addresses the intersection between health, human rights and the environment in developing countries. It will promote procurement practices that consider environmental and social impacts, as well as cost-efficiency and affordability when defining how processes will be sustainable and it will mainstream human rights. The initiative also aims to aggregate demand for sustainable manufacturing and waste management in a critical number of project countries and to slowly but surely move the supply chain towards greater sustainability.

 

Objective of the assignment: UNDP is seeking services of an experienced International Consultant to conduct a baseline assessment in selected programming countries of the project.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the overall supervision of the HIV Health and Development (HHD) Regional Team Leader for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), the Consultant will be responsible for conducting a baseline assessment of the following activities in at least 5 programming countries:

 

  1. Review and analyze national and regional legislation, regulation and policy on general procurement and sustainable procurement in the health sector including identification of gaps that exist and recommend areas for improvement.
  2. Status of national commitment to phasing out hazardous chemicals and GHGs- Status of ratification of environmental conventions- BRS, Minamata, Montreal Protocol, ILO conventions, (conventions related to OHS, chemicals,) Commitment to Paris agreement and status of National Implementation Plans for the conventions.
  3. Levels of sustainable procurement in SPHS members’ health spending- top 10 spent by volume and expense and spending on sustainable health products.
    • The extent to which National Chemicals policy if exists contain language requiring hazard evaluation prior to market approval; and   policy on Adaption of Globally Harmonized System (GHS) labeling and its reference to action on Endocrine disrupting chemicals?
  4. Gaps in the capacity of procurers in health procurement and in the capacity of manufacturers in sustainable manufacturing for the health sector
  5. Number of manufactures who are LEED accredited, ISO certified- for environmental and sustainable production of health commodities
  6. Number of countries with indicators on sustainable public procurement
  7. Number of countries with indicators on sustainable health procurement in national plans
  8. Assess feasibility of all the indicators that project will be reporting on, including recommending number of alternative sustainable health products accessible all project countries especially the developing countries, e.g list of available non-mercury devices required and recommended by Minamata Convention, recommend measurement for assessing increased capacity for sustainable procurement and manufacturing in the health sector.

 

Results of the baseline assessment will help strengthen the understanding and application of appropriate indicators for monitoring and evaluation processes to promote accountability for sustainable procurement in the health sector.

 

Expected Deliverables:
 

  1. Detailed work-plan and proposed methodology for the baseline assessment;
  2. Implemented baseline assessment exercise in up to 5 selected programming countries working with relevant partners and stakeholders – this will also entail travel for in-country face to face consultations;
  3. Draft Baseline Assessment Report;
  4. Presented main preliminary findings of the Baseline Assessment Report at Project;
  5. Inception Meeting, 17-19 April 2018, Istanbul, Turkey;
  6. Final Baseline Assessment Report and contributed to dissemination efforts and country level; and
  7. Submit an end-of-consultancy report (10-15 pages plus slide deck).

 

Reporting: The Consultant will report to the Regional HHD Team Leader, and work closely with designated HCWH representatives and other global, regional and country level UNDP and HCWH personnel.

 

Travel:  There is significant travel anticipated for this assignment. The consultant is envisaged to travel to at least 5 programming countries including to be determined with the project management team. Payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses will be agreed upon, between UNDP HHD Team and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be covered and paid by UNDP as per UNDP rules and regulations.

 

Payment Method: All-inclusive daily fee

 

Consultant will be paid in as per below mentioned schedule and upon acceptance of supervisor:

1st Installment – upon completion of deliverable 1 – 30%

2nd installment – upon completion of deliverables 2-3 – 50%

3rd installment – upon completion of all tasks related to the consultancy – 20%

 

Evaluation:

 

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant 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 (P11 desk reviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

 

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

 

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

 

Criteria A: Minimum of five years of professional experience in conducting research, assessments and evaluations in the field of sustainable procurement in the health sector - 20 points

 

Criteria B: Profound knowledge and experience with policy or programme management in the field of health, environment and development – 10 points

 

Criteria C: Experience working with various partners including government, private sector (manufacturers and suppliers), civil society organizations in the field of sustainable procurement – 15 points
 

Criteria D: Work experience in developing countries highly desirable – 10 points
 

Criteria E: Experience working with UN, UNDP or similar international organizations – 5 points
 

Criteria F: Working proficiency in English (knowledge of other UN language is consideration an asset) – 10 points


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

Competencias

Organizational Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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.

 

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products,
  • Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of the Development or knowledge management field.

 

Project and Resource Management:

  • Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs.
  • Strong organizational skills.
  • Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs.
  • Sound judgment, strategic thinking and the ability to manage competing priorities.

 

Partnership building and team work:

  • Demonstrated well developed people management skills.
  • Demonstrated flexibility to excel in a multi-cultural environment.

 

Communications and Advocacy:

  • Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences and speak clearly and convincingly.
  • Strong analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically.
  • Strong capacity to communicate clearly and quickly.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

  • Master’s Degree in Economics, Health Economics, Environmental Sciences, Public Health or other field relevant for health and environment; possession of PhD is an advantage.

 

Experience:

  • Minimum of five years of professional experience in conducting research, assessments and evaluations in the field of sustainable procurement in the health sector
  • Profound knowledge and experience with policy or programme management in the field of health, environment and development
  • Experience working with various partners including government, private sector (manufacturers and suppliers), civil society organizations in the field of sustainable procurement
  • Work experience in developing countries is highly desirable.
  • Experience working with UN, UNDP or similar international organizations

 

Language skills:

  • Fluency in English is required

Proficiency in another official UN language is considered an asset.

Guidelines for Applications:

 

Interested applicants are advised to carefully review this advertisement and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described.

 

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

 

Please note that our system only takes one attachment. Therefore, kindly scan all your documents into ONE single PDF file to upload.

 

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. rent of dwelling, fee, health insurance, vaccination, visa costs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged costs (except of the unforeseen travel costs for missions, if any) must be included in the financial proposal. Unforeseen travel costs for missions, if any, will be paid separately according to UNDP rules and regulations. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. Per diems cannot exceed UN DSA rates (http://icsc.un.org/rootindex.asp).

 

Security: Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://trip.dss.un.org

 

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

 

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

 

ANNEX 1- INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS is provided here: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf