Background

Purpose

To provide support to the Development Agency of Serbia (DAS) and the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) Unit in implementing construction investment projects.

Objective

To support the DAS and FDI Unit in facilitation and diversification of investment projects in Serbia.

Background

Improving investment climate plays a central role in growth and poverty reduction. To improve the institutional infrastructure for supporting the development of business environment in Serbia, the Development Agency of Serbia (DAS) was established in 2015. In the previous period through “Improving the Investment Climate in Serbia” project, DAS was capacitated in terms of some structures, capacity building and procedures to effectively attract new investments and manage the existing projects. The structures developed through previous project was well placed and had good coordination role, helping both the DAS and investors to make promising progress in attracting more direct investments. However, there is a need for further strengthening the DAS capacities and coordination role of the FDI Unit.

The Development Services Agreement between Government of Serbia and UNDP is envisaged to provide a framework for services requested by the Government, for ongoing initiatives of the Government, for which it bears full accountability. Most development services envisaged under the Agreement relate to support to policy making through research, advocacy or policy alternatives, aimed at fulfilling priorities as articulated in the Government plans, presented before Parliament, and in line with progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The overall objective of the continuation of FDI Unit is to support effective coordination of all institutions in the Republic of Serbia, relevant for improvement of the investment climate, which in turn directly affects the country’s sustainable growth and development. This particularly will be needed in the next post-pandemic period and as an answer to economic impact of Covid-19. In that sense, UNDP will engage assistance for supporting policy work enabling investment projects, facilitating and attracting individual FDIs and for continuation of the capacity building of the Development Agency of Serbia.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work

The Government of the Republic of Serbia has introduced various reforms in the past decade, with the aim to boost the construction industry and real estate development. The major legislative changes which spurred the expansion of construction industry were in 2016, when Serbia introduced electronic issuance of building permits which simplified the administrative procedures. The electronic issuance of building permits significantly accelerated the time necessary to obtain the permit, shortening the period from project design to building site. With new business opportunities, the legislative framework for building and construction sets ground for enhanced regional and local development, allowing municipalities in Serbia to better utilize their potentials in this sector.

The FDI unit and UNDP are in search of a consultant who will provide expert support in assessing the state of planning documentation on selected investment locations in Serbia, focusing on potentials for development of residential real estate.

Under the direct supervision of the Technical Advisor for Investment Climate, the consultant shall have specific responsibilities as follows:

1.Analysis of Legal and Regulatory Requirements:

The Consultant shall conduct an analysis of the legal and regulatory requirements for residential real estate construction projects and in the following cities: Novi Sad, Indjija, Nis, and Kragujevac. The Analysis will focus on planning documents and regulations that are currently in place or being prepared for approval /in the process of public debate/. The consultant shall review all relevant legal and regulatory documents, including zoning regulations, building codes, construction permits, and environmental regulations. The Consultant shall also review the status of any pending regulatory changes that could impact the construction industry in these cities. Within the analysis, the consultant shall identify residential development zones with information relevant for the potential investors.

2. Mapping of Key Stakeholders:

The Consultant shall map out the key stakeholders involved in the administrative procedures from investment project concept and design to completion of residential real estate projects in the aforementioned cities. This includes stakeholders such as local government officials, regulatory bodies, investors, developers, contractors, and other relevant actors. The purpose of this mapping exercise is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the stakeholders' roles, responsibilities, and relationships in the residential real estate development process.

The Consultant shall cooperate closely with FDI unit and DAS.

Duties, responsibilities and key milestones

The Consultant 1 is responsible for the following deliverables:

* The timelines may be slightly adjusted once the contract is signed with the consultant in order to align with actual project implementation.

All deliverables shall be written in Serbian language, quality reviewed and accepted by the UNDP Technical Advisor for the Investment Climate. 

Competencies

• Ability to summarize and systematize complex information and present findings clearly;
• Consistently ensures timeliness and quality of project work;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills ;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Demonstrates integrity by modelling ethical standards;
•  Full computer literacy in the use of MS Office package, especially Word;
• Excellent written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize relevant collected data and findings for the preparation of quality analysis.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• BA in Architecture, Civil Engineering or similar field.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience in the relevant field of urban planning, architectural engineering, especially in preparation of construction technical documentation; 
• Experience in working in complex environments and technical project documentation development;
• Experience in urban planning, urban projects and architectural and urban design.

Languages:

• Fluency in Serbian and English.

Application Procedure:

Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their applications via UNDP Web site: UNDP in Serbia under section “Jobs” no later than 14 May 2023.

Application should include: 

• CV in English language containing date of birth, contact information (home address, phone number, e-mail) and timeline of work experience (including description of duties).  
• Offeror’s Letter confirming Interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment. Can be downloaded from the following link  https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/confirmation.docx. The Offeror’s Letter shall include financial proposal specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement with a breakdown of costs (Offeror’s Letter, including Annex 2, Table A: Breakdown of costs & Table B: Breakdown of costs by deliverables).

In order to apply please merge above listed documents into a single PDF file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.

The shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide copies of diplomas and any other certificates providing evidence of their education and experience in relevant fields.

Any request for clarification must be sent by standard electronic communication to the e-mail vacancy.rs@undp.org. The procuring UNDP entity will respond by standard electronic mail and will send response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.

Financial Proposal

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 he/she should do so using their own resources.

Evaluation

Additional Information:

• Individual Contract (IC) will be applicable for individual consultants applying in their own capacity.  If the applicant is employed by any legal entity, IC would be issued upon submission of Consent letter from the employer acknowledging the engagement with UNDP. Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/General_Conditions_for_Individual_Contracts.pdf 
• Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) will be applicable for applicants employed by any legal entity. Template of RLA with General Terms and Conditions could be found on: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/PSU_Individual%20Contract_Model%20Reimbursable%20Loan%20Agreement.docx

In the case of engagement of Civil servants under IC contract modality a no-objection letter should be provided by the Government entity. The ‘no-objection’ letter must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on “leave-without-pay” status (if applicable), and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any. If the previous is not applicable ‘leave-without-pay’ confirmation should be submitted.

Engagement of Government Officials and Employees

• Government Officials or Employees are civil servants of UN Member States.  As such, if they will be engaged by UNDP under an IC which they will be signing in their individual capacity (i.e., engagement is not done through RLA signed by their government employer), the following conditions must be met prior to the award of contract:

(i)       A “No-objection” letter in respect of the individual is received from the Government employing him/her, and;

(ii)     The individual must provide an official documentation from his/her employer formally certifying his or her status as being on “official leave without pay” for the duration of the IC.

• The above requirements are also applicable to Government-owned and controlled enterprises and well as other semi/partially or fully owned Government entities, whether or not the Government ownership is of majority or minority status.   
• UNDP recognizes the possibility that there are situations when the Government entity employing the individual that UNDP wishes to engage is one that allows its employees to receive external short-term consultancy assignments (including but not limited to research institutions, state-owned colleges/universities, etc.), whereby a status of “on-leave-without-pay” is not required.  Under such circumstance, the individual entering into an IC with UNDP must still provide a “No-objection” letter from the Government employing him/her.  The “no objection” letter required under (i) above must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on “leave-without-pay” status and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any.  The said document may be obtained by, and put on record of, UNDP, in lieu of the document (ii) listed above.