Antecedentes

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy and programme work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office (CO) levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep, local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. Within this context, UNDP invests in a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) is a joint initiative of the OECD and UNDP designed to support developing countries to strengthen national tax administrations through building tax audit capacity and through sharing this knowledge with other countries. Under TIWB, tax audit experts work alongside local officials of developing country tax administrations on tax audit related issues. TIWB aims to strengthen tax administrations by transferring technical know-how and skills to developing countries’ tax auditors, and through the sharing of tax audit practices and dissemination of knowledge products. Apart from tax audits, TIWB is also launching a number of pilots to support countries in tax and crime investigations and effective use of automatically exchanged information. Even as COVID-19 has made assistance more complex, TIWB is stepping up to provide remote assistance as an alternative delivery mechanism of assistance where feasible. This has underscored the importance of TIWB’s potential contributions, as countries the world over struggle to mobilize resources for the recovery.

The core objectives of TIWB are to:

• Transfer knowledge and skills to tax administrations on tax issues;
• Strengthen the institutional capacities of tax administrations
• Support South-South Cooperation;
• Promote best practices and peer learning;
• Help to strengthen tax compliance in developing countries;

TIWB is managed under the Finance Sector Hub (FSH) in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), with resource persons embedded in the SDG finance teams in Pretoria and Bangkok and a back office in Istanbul.?

Deberes y responsabilidades

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

More specifically, for this assignment, UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is seeking a resource person to manage TIWB more actively across developing and transition economies in Asia Pacific, with a particular focus on multi-stakeholder engagement, programme and knowledge engagement, and outreach engagement. Close collaboration with the TIWB Secretariat, the UNDP TIWB Global Project Manager and the UNDP Finance Sector Hub is required. The position will be embedded in and support on a day-to-day basis the Asia Pacific Finance Hub in Bangkok and work as part of the Global Policy Network.

1) Strategic and Multi-stakeholder Engagement:

• Collaborate on strategy for TIWB in Asia Pacific, including promote South-South cooperation
• Lead multi-stakeholder engagement for TIWB in Asia Pacific, including engaging with tax experts in multilateral organisations, donors, governments, alsoidentifying partnership and collaboration where relevant, as well as with the the Regional Bureau for Asia Pacific and UNDP Country offices in the region.
• Respond to demand for TIWB by engaging with UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia Pacific and Country Offices in a coordinated manner.
• Collaborate on funding proposals for mobilizing additional donor resources for TIWB in Asia Pacific and globally, and contribute to relevant donor reporting
• Identify potential synergies for TIWB within UNDP’s Finance Hub in Bangkok and UNDP’s other areas of work in Asia Pacific

2) Policy and Programme Support:

• Engage with UNDP country offices to analyze local context and identify potential synergies with UNDP’s policy and development work in-country initially at national/federal level but also at decentralized/municipal levels where strategic going forward; and map out emerging trends and opportunies for the region
• Supporting UNDP in setting up work in areas of tax policy, institutional strengthening and domestic resource mobilization
• Support UNDP country offices to engage substantively in expert deployments, remote assistance as an alternative delivery mechanism of TIWB assistance in the context of COVID-19 and/or other exigencies, including through providing expert advice, helping to formulate appropriate requests for assistance, assisting with briefing of experts before, during and after deployment and identifying follow-up with regional team
• Work as part of the UNDP Global Policy Network and regional hub and contribute todevelopment of synergistic offers and/or support to selected priority activities with relevant regional programmes and projects and in support of regional fora,
• Work as part of the UNDP Global Policy Network to contribute to policy papers/reports on domestic resource mobilization and other relevant areas
• Develop policy content on domestic resource mobilization, including blogs for the GPN
• Draft internal UNDP briefing notes and talking points for Senior Management on TIWB.

3. Knowledge Management:

• Manage TIWB programmes in Asia Pacific as per developed standard operating procedures, including collaborating on TIWB programme’s terms of reference
• Support setting up of TIWB programmes in country as required
• Manage evaluation and selection of roster tax experts for deployment in Asia Pacific, including overseeing their procurement and contracting as per UNDP standard operating procedures
• Support reporting duties related to TIWB globally and manage reporting in Asia Pacific
• Collaborate on evidence collection and lessons-learned from TIWB country experiences, including promoting best practice sharing and peer learning through case-studies
• Develop concept notes for technical workshops/webinars/side-events for TIWB

4) Outreach Engagement

• Collaborate on communications for TIWB, including annual report, newsletters, videos, twitter engagement, amongst others

Collaborate in organizing TIWB related events, including Governing Board Meetings, Technical Advisory Board Meetings, International Conferences, Side-events, amongst others.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Competencias

Corporate Competencies:

1. Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP; and

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

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

Master's degree in economics, development studies, public administration or related field is required.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in a position directly related to public expenditure management, taxation or financing for development is required
• Experience of working in or with developing countries in Asia and Pacific is required
• Strong record in advising international institutions and/ or governments on public expenditure management, taxation and financing for development in Asia and Pacific is desired
• Excellent knowledge of current trends & debates regarding development financing and taxation issues in Asia and Pacific is desired
• Experience in policy research is desired
• Strong publications and writing record is desired
• Experience of UNDP or UN-system highly desirable
• Fluent in English, and working knowledge of any regional language spoken in Asia and Pacific

Skills required:

1. Excellent analytical skills;
2. Strong writing skills in relevant thematic areas;
3. Good team player and ability to work within tight deadlines and under pressure.

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); travel cost to join duty station/repatriation 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): [ Desk review: (35 points) + Short Written Test: (20) + Interview: (15 points)]

Desk review:

• Strong record in advising international institutions and/ or governments on public expenditure management, taxation and financing for development in Asia and PacificMax – 10:
• Excellent knowledge of current trends & debates regarding development financing and taxation issues in Asia and PacificMax – 5
• Experience in policy research Max – 5
• Strong publications and writing record Max – 5
• Experience of UNDP or UN-system highly desirable Max – 5
• Fluent in English, and working knowledge of any regional language spoken in Asia and Pacific Max – 5:

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite candidates with a minimum of 70% in the desk review for a short technical test

• Short Technical Test: Maximum Points: 20

Having reviewed applications received and technical test, UNDP will invite the top five/ six candidates with a minimum of 70% in the desk review and technical test for interview

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

• Interview: Maximum Points: 15

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be invited to submit financial proposal.

The Financial Proposal is to be submitted through the UNDP eTendering Portal as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates. Only shortlisted candidates will be granted access to the eTendering event during this phase.

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 (30 points)
• 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

1. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Global Project Manager - Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), UNDP with co-reporting to the Regional SDG Finance Advisor, Asia Pacific, UNDP.
2. In the course of performing the work, the Consultant will be expected to liaise with the representative of other agencies, project co-implementers, donors, communities, local government units.
3. The nature of this consultancy may entail duty travel outside of the duty station as required. In case of such travel, travel expenses will be covered by UNDP in accordance with the UNDP rules and regulations.

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 Project 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.