UNDP Jobs - 100940- International Consultant on SUT (Supply and Use Ta

International Consultant on SUT (Supply and Use Tables )

Location :

Home-based with missions to ASHGABAT, TURKMENISTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2021

Application Deadline :

17-Aug-21 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

September 2021 – September 2023

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

60 working days (maximum)

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

In 2021, UNDP and the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan initiated the joint project “Strengthening institutional, statistical capacity and IT capacity of the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan”, which is a logical continuation of the previous project and aims at strengthening the institutional, statistical and IT capacity of the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan (Turkmenstat).

Under the second component of the project, it is planned to continue work on the conceptual transition to the 2008 SNA and expanding the scope, degree, detail and quality of national accounts and complementary economic statistics.

As known, basic input-output tables are developed in accordance with international standards set out in the guidelines for compiling input-output tables of the UN[[1]] and Eurostat[2] and taking into account the peculiarities of the national information base. Taking this into account, the whole process of constructing a set of input-output tables is divided into two parts. The first part consists of building Supply and Use tables (SUT). The second part consists of making symmetric Input-Output tables. This approach is generally accepted in world practice.

In Turkmenistan, only SUT are cconstructed. To calculate the indicators of SUT requires the integration of a large amount of heterogeneous information obtained from various sources.

In addition to the data of current statistical surveys, to provide information support for the development of these tables, data from special (one-time) statistical surveys is needed, along with other information sources.

The most complex issue when constructing SUT tables is obtaining information on the structure of costs for production and sales of products, as well as on the structure of gross fixed capital formation and capital in the context of a detailed range of products (goods and services). To obtain these data, it is necessary to conduct a selective statistical survey of the costs of production and (or) sale of goods (works, services), as well as the composition of machines, equipment, vehicles, and inventory put into operation.

Based on this, it is necessary to conduct training for the responsible employees in the institutions that will fill out the survey forms. This training should be carried out first to the staff of the central office of Turkmenstat and to regional offices. In turn, the regional divisions will have to conduct explanatory work and training among the accountants of the surveyed institutions. The objects of selective observation will be the following categories of economic entities:

entrepreneurial legal entities;
non-entrepreneurial legal entities;
budgetary institutions.

In this regard, under the second component of the project, the UNDP is looking for an International Consultant to support the State Statistics Committee in the implementation of the 2008 SNA by providing expertise to conduct a survey on Supply and Use Tables.

[1] Handbook of Input-Output Table Compilation and Analysis, United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs Statistics Division. Studies in Methods, Series F, No.74. (1999). [2] Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables, Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (2008).

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of the assignment is to strengthen the methodological, information and personnel potential in the area of national accounts of Turkmenistan in accordance with the requirements of the SNA 2008. Under the overall supervision of the National Project Coordinator and direct supervision of the Project Manager, the International Consultant will be responsible to carry out the following tasks:

1.Review the existing documents related to the implementation of SNA 2008, as well as conducting earlier sample statistical survey on the costs of production and (or) sale of goods (works, services), and on the number of machines, equipment, vehicles, and inventory put into service (hereinafter – sample survey). The documents need to be provided by the national consultant. Provide overview of international standards and best practices on construction of SUT. Provide recommendations for improvement the construction of SUT and initiation the construction of IOT in Turkmenistan.

Task Deliverables: The desk review report on international standards and best practices on construction of SUT, including recommendations for improvement the construction of SUT and initiation the construction of IOT in Turkmenistan is developed (till the end of September 2021- 6 working days).

2. In cooperation with national consultant hold consultations with representatives of TurkmenStat and the Central Bank of Turkmenistan on the construction of Supply and use tables (SUT) and provide recommendations for further improvement of SUT data.

Task deliverables: within the duration of the contract.

3. With support of the national consultant, develop a detailed plan for conducting sample statistical survey; Develop a methodology for conducting sample statistical survey in accordance with the recommendations of the SNA 2008, including questionnaires, instructions, manuals, and other relevant materials; Discuss and finalize the developed materials with relevant national partners.

Task Deliverables: The detailed plan to conduct a sample survey on SUT, as well as draft of methodology for to conduct a sample survey on SUT in accordance with the SNA 2008 requirements, including questionnaires, instructions, guidelines and other relevant materials are developed and discussed with the national counterparts (till the end of November 2021 – 12 working days);

4. Conduct a two-day training for Turkmenstat in applying a new methodology, questionnaires.

Task Deliverable: The report is developed (till the end of the year 2021 – 6 working days).

5. Coordinate implementation of a survey, including data collection process, compilation, analysis, etc. Prepare ToR for the software, which will be developed for data collection, processing and analysis od survey results.

Task Deliverable: The report is prepared (these need to be done throughout the year 2022 and report will be submitted at the end of December 2022 – 18 working days).

6. In cooperation with national consultant analyze survey results, prepare report, and hroundtable discussions with participation of the relevant stakeholders (Prepare a final report, including methodologies.

Task Deliverables: Mission reports, meeting and skype call notes, meeting, and materials/reports. Final report, including survey results and recommendations is prepared (till the end of July 31, 2023 - 18 working days).

Deliverables and timeframe:

The following deliverables and indicative schedule are expected from the consultancy contract. The international consultant should deliver a report to the Project Manager in accordance with deliverables, indicating which of the key deliverables have been carried out or partially carried out together with an invoice for the number of days worked.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

Desk review report, the end of September or beginning of October 2021, 10%;
The detailed plan to conduct a sample survey, as well as draft of methodology, end of November 2021, 20%;
The training report, till the end of the year 2021, 10%;
The report on coordination of the survey as well as ToR, the end of December 2022, 30%;
Final report, including survey results and recommendations, the end of July 31, 2023, 30 %.

The average number of days to be worked each month shall be in the range of 5-10 working days; The calendar duration of the contract is estimated within 2 years. The total number of working days is 60 calendar days with two five days missions to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, if needed. The final schedule of both field missions and deliverables may be discussed and agreed upon in the beginning of consultancy assignment. It is expected that the international consultant carried out the above-mentioned tasks and visit Turkmenistan (if needed) to hold round table in November or December 2021 and in July 2023.

Payment conditions:

This is a deliverables-based contract and shall also include the costs of consultancy required to produce the above deliverables and travel costs of two mission. The final schedule of payments will be agreed upon in the beginning of consultancy, but in general payment is expected on a monthly basis following submission of the monthly report together with associated deliverables. The calendar of deliverables and schedule and number of associated payments is subject to changes and revisions based on the consultant’s proposed plan to implement the assignment and the assignment action plan to be agreed and cleared by UNDP provided that the overall number of working days do not exceed 60 working days and the number and general nature of deliverables described above not reduced.

Competencies

Corporate 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;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;

Functional Competencies:

Good knowledge of statistics and economics;
Good understanding of SNA 2008;
Excellent facilitation and communication skills;
Results driven, ability to work under pressure and to meet required deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University Bachelors’ degree in Statistics or/ and Economics. Higher degree in these fields is an advantage;

Experience:

At least 10 years of experience in statistics, preferably on SUT (5 years);
Good knowledge of international standards in the area of statistics, including SNA 2008;
Previous relevant work experience with the UN or other international organizations is an asset;
Knowledge and experience of work in the CIS, Central Asia and other countries with similar environment is an advantage;

Language requirements:

Fluency in Russian. Knowledge of English is desirable;

Submission of applications:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

All experts applying for this position are required to provide:

Cover Letter which contains a brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment (maximum 2 page);
A summary of experience in similar assignments;
Financial Proposal with the references to (1) the daily rate for the assignment and within the timing scale indicated in the present TOR, and (2) any other expenses (including transportation costs, accommodation costs, the possibility of vaccination and etc.). Template of the form can be found at: http://www.tm.undp.org/content/turkmenistan/en/home/procurement.html. The UNDP will enter into an Individual Contract based on a lump sum amount. The financial proposal shall represent a detailed, justified and “all inclusive” amount. In order to assist UNDP in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount, including: a daily fee for the tasks and an estimated duration as specified in this announcement, travel (to and from the missions), per diems, any other possible costs (including vaccinations, dwelling, communication etc.);
Personal CV form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.tm.undp.org/content/turkmenistan/en/home/procurement.html.

The candidate with the highest total score shall undertake a validation interview with the panel.

Evaluation of proposals:

Individual Consultants will be evaluated based on the combined scoring methodology. When using this method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant and
having received the highest score – out of 100 points;

Out of the maximum score, the score for technical criteria equals 70% and for financial criteria 30%.

The technical evaluation will take into account the following as per the scoring provided:

Education in Statistics and other related fields – 25 pts;
The experience (at least 5 years) in statistics, namely on SUT –25 pts;
Knowledge and experience of work in the CIS, Central Asia and other countries – 10 pts;
Methodology-15 pts;
Interview – 10 pts;
Fluency in English –5 pts;
Fluency in Russian –10 pts.

Financial proposal – 30% of total evaluation.

Additional requirements for recommended contractor:

Recommended contractors aged 65 and older, and if the travel is required, shall undergo a full medical examination including x-ray, and obtain medical clearance from the UN-approved doctor prior to taking up their assignment. The medical examination is to be cleared by the UN physicians, and shall be paid by the consultant.