Background

The trajectory of violent conflict in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands and Hela provinces over the last 30 years is concerning. As of end 2017, there were anecdotally 40 separate ongoing internecine conflicts across Hela province which had led to more than 300 deaths and an estimated 100,000 people displaced without accounting for the extent of human rights abuses including gender-based violence and sorcery accusation-related violence and the entrenched marginalisation of women and youth. Exacerbated by weak local governance, these conditions pose a multi-dimensional challenge to economic and human development in both provinces. This highly fragile situation compounded by the presence of a large and highly lucrative extractive project and the proliferation of firearms, places incredible pressure on the realisation of human rights, social and structural stability and human development.

Having identified the unique drivers of conflict in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces, UNDP (as lead agency), together with IOM, UNFPA and UN Women, will jointly implement a PBF-funded project - Creating Conditions for Peace in PNG Highlands project (“project”) within the framework of the UN’s Highlands Joint Programme (HJP). As a key pillar of the HJP, the Project will focus on implementing critical peacebuilding interventions including strengthening infrastructures for peace through establishing networks of community mobilisers as well as young women, establishing peace centres as neutral spaces for interaction and mediation, youth hubs for empowering youth complemented by capacitating youth leaders in peacebuilding, and enhancing capacity of traditional/local leadership in practice of effective leadership and conflict management. The Project will also enhance intra- and intergroup dialogue and mediation through directly supporting community-level conflict mediation, supporting the role of women mediators, and facilitating local peace conferences. Through training of local and provincial leadership in conflict sensitive development, local level governance and decentralisation, facilitating the development of and implementation of community peace for development plans through small community peacebuilding grant projects, facilitating access to basic services, supporting provincial-level conflict-sensitive development planning, establishment of feedback mechanisms to enhance institutional accountability and conflict monitoring and mapping for early warning and early action, the project will strengthen local governance and post-conflict recovery efforts.

The Project builds on evidence and growing consensus globally, but also borne out through the UN’s recent experiences in the Highlands that humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts are complementary and need to reinforce each other, to urgently respond to the current state of volatility and fragility in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces by engaging earlier to prevent violent conflict and reduce humanitarian need. Beyond complementing and harmonise ongoing efforts across the peace-security-development nexus, the project aims to catalyse further investment in urgent local peacebuilding efforts from government, bilateral and multilateral donors, and the private sector.

The Project will target priority locations in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces as identified by the Highlands Joint Programme, with community-level activities in Hela focused on five priority LLGs of Komo Rural LLG, Hulia Rural LLG, Tagali Rural LLG, Hayapuga Rural LLG, South Koroba Rural LLG. In Southern Highlands, Kagua-Erave, Nipa-Kutubu, and Mendi-Munihu districts have been prioritized with target LLGs to be determined in consultations with provincial authorities and development partners.

Specifically, the Project will support target communities coming out of local intra- and inter-group conflicts by identifying their post-conflict recovery needs and entry points for developing Community Peace for Development Plans (CPDP) and accessing small community peacebuilding grants. Informed by each community’s unique immediate and medium-term recovery and peacebuilding requirements based on an analysis of the local conflict factors, follow-on interventions aim to have a stabilizing effect and lay the foundation for longer-term peacebuilding and development efforts. Recognising the unique circumstances of these conflicts, such localised assessment efforts differs substantively from the UN-EU-World Bank Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment (RPBA) approach which is intended for state-level conflicts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Objectives

In this context, UNDP is seeking a Consultant to develop a localised post-conflict community rapid needs assessment tool to be deployed within the Hela and Southern Highlands context.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

• The Consultant is expected to develop the post-conflict community rapid needs assessment tool to be employed by the UN in target communities based on the following considerations:
  • Contextualised to the nature of intra- and inter-group conflicts in Hela and Southern Highlands provinces;
  • Assessment factors to include (but not exclusively):
    • Enabling local peace-making processes
    • Access to justice
    • Local economic resilience
    • Access to basic services
    • Environment of trust and social cohesion
    • Displacement
    • Physical reconstruction
    • Gender equality and women’s empowerment
    • Youth empowerment and participation
    • Local conceptions of human security (e.g. Gutpela Sindaun) and peace;
  • Determines sex and age disaggregated needs;
  • Participatory in nature incorporating community-led approaches;
  • Establishes entry points to develop and implement Community Peace for Development Plans in target communities and accessing local small community peacebuilding grants.

In order to achieve the objective of the consultancy, the tasks of the consultant will include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

• Desk review of existing analysis of local conflicts, primary data from community consultations;
• Identify successfully deployed localised post-conflict rapid needs assessment tools based on desk review;
• Incorporate elements of PNG’s Post-Disaster Interagency Rapid Needs Assessment Tool co-developed by the National Disaster Centre and UNDP as required;
• Analyse entry points for linkage to the post-recovery approaches including the Community Peace for Development Plan methodology;
• Develop the post-conflict community needs assessment tool for UNDP’s approval which consisting minimally of:
  • Assessment methodology
  • Assessment planning guide
  • Contextualised questionnaire (translated into Tok Pisin and adaptability to both traditional and digital data collection methods)
  • Post-data collection analysis framework;
• Field-test post-conflict community needs assessment tool for proof of concept (up to two communities).

Deliverables

Under the direct supervision of UNDP’s Peacebuilding Technical Specialist, the Consultant will deliver the following:

1. Assessment Development Plan.  Prior to commencing actual work, an assessment development plan will be submitted to UNDP for approval taking into consideration key factors and parameters identified by UNDP.
2. Develop post-conflict community needs assessment tool.  Develop the post-conflict community needs assessment tool consisting minimally of:
   • Assessment methodology (including conceptual framework);
   • Assessment planning guide (including practical organisation of assessments);
   • Standardised assessment question modules to formulate contextualised questionnaire (translated into Tok Pisin including recommended data collection methods);
   • Post-data collection analysis framework (including programmatic linkages with development and implementation of Community Peace for Development Plans).
3. Field-test tool.  In close consultation with UNDP, the post-conflict community needs assessment tool will be field-tested with at least two Highlands communities with the drafting of two assessment reports. Adjustments to the tool to be made where needed to ensure efficacy and adaptability.

Reporting and payment terms

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNDP’s Peacebuilding Technical Specialist.

Submission of specific deliverables will be completed in accordance with the above schedule unless revised timelines are mutually agreed by UNDP and the Consultant. Acceptance of deliverables will be determined by UNDP’s Peacebuilding Technical Specialist.

Milestone payments will be made upon submission and acceptance of specific deliverables.

Resources Provided

The Consultant shall provide his/her own office productivity equipment (hardware and software) and baseline mobile connectivity. Where specialised logistics is required in-country, the project shall avail as required based on an agreed activity budget to be developed.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN values and ethical standards;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; and
• Treats all people fairly without fear or favour.

Functional Competencies

• High level of computer literacy is essential (in particular word processing and presentation software);
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in English are necessary;
• Proficiency in Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinean pidgin);
• High level planning, organizational and time management skills, including flexibility, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure to meet challenging deadlines;
• Analytical and problem-solving skills of a high order;
• Leadership qualities, including the ability to make sound judgment, meet challenges constructively and creatively;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to establish strong cooperative relationships with local community members and leadership;
• Ability to quickly adapt to change, and to remain calm under pressure in highly challenging environments; and
• Proven cross-cultural communication and the ability to function effectively in an international, multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Experience

• Advanced University degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political or social science, international development, peace and conflict, conflict studies, international relations, public administration, or related field;
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in assessing community recovery and peacebuilding needs in complex and insecure settings, conflict prevention/management, monitoring and evaluation, or related field;
• Professional experience in humanitarian affairs, peacebuilding, conflict management and/or local governance (in particular within the UN system); and
• Experience in the Pacific context (particularly Papua New Guinea) is highly desirable.

Evaluation

Cumulative analysis

The proposals will be evaluated using the cumulative analysis method with a split 70% technical and 30% financial scoring. The proposal with the highest cumulative scoring will be awarded the contract. Applications will be evaluated technically, and points are attributed based on how well the proposal meets the requirements of the Terms of Reference using the guidelines detailed in the table below:

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract may 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 and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weighting; 70%

* Financial Criteria weighting; 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Interviews may be conducted as part of technical assessment for shortlisted proposals.

Documents to be included when submitting Consultancy Proposals

The following documents may be requested:

• Duly executed Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
• Signed P11, indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services but may be omitted for support services.
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.   If an 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 Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must stipulate that arrangement at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.  The financial proposal must be submitted separately from other documents. The P11 form and Template for confirming availability and interest are available under the procurement section of UNDP PNG website (www.pg.undp.org ).

Lump-sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump-sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e., whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e., upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  To assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump-sum amount (including travel, living expenses, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. 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, they should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging, and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Submission Instructions

Completed proposals should be submitted to procurement.png@undp.org with mandatory email subject:  Consultancy:  Design of Post-Conflict Community Needs Assessment Tool - IC/PNG/056-2021 on or before Friday 2nd November 2021. For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to  procurement.pg@undp.org

Please be guided by the instructions provided in this document above while preparing your submission. Incomplete proposals and failure to comply with proposal submission instruction will not be considered or will result in disqualification of proposal. UNDP looks forward to receiving your Proposal and thank you in advance for your interest in UNDP procurement opportunities.