Background

The Support to Public Administration Project – IGAD Regional Initiative for Capacity Enhancement in South Sudan- Phase II was designed in line with the 2012-2016 South Sudan Development Plan (SSDP) and the annexed Medium-Term Capacity Development Strategy (MTCDS), the Support Public Administration Project aims to support South Sudan in building its civil service capacity for equitable, responsive, and accountable service delivery.  It aims to address the three levels of capacity: enabling environment (policy, legal, regulatory and institutional); organizational level (work procedures and operational arrangements); and individual (skills development) levels. The project is funded by the Government of Norway. Three IGAD countries; Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda contributes experience civil servants who spend two years in South Sudan government institutions.

The SSDP provided a framework for achieving critical development outcomes related to Governance, Economic Development, Social and Human Development and Conflict Prevention and Security. Recognizing that the human and institutional gaps are major obstacles to rapid progress, the MTCDS provides a basis for capacitating the new state to deliver on the national development objectives. Essentially, the SSDP and the annexed MTCDS reaffirm the commitment of the government to create a professional, accountable, transparent and responsive civil service. The Support Public Administration Project was, therefore, designed to directly support SSDP priorities related to an improved civil service.

The Support Public Administration Project was, until December 2015 aligned with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) outcome “Core governance and civil service functions are established and operational”, and now to the Interim Cooperation Framework (ICF) outcome “Peace and Governance Strengthened”. The implementation of this outcome is further elaborated in the UNDP Country Programme Document (CPD), Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) – until June 2016, and Annual Work Plans (AWP).

This initiative also resonates with UN General Assembly Resolution on Civilian Capacity in the Aftermath of Conflict; which advocates for civilian capacity reform through regional capacity initiatives by Member States. It notes the importance of drawing on relevant expertise in the development of initiatives to support national capacities when supporting countries emerging from conflict. In his report, after the resolution, the UN Secretary General stressed the urgent need for timely and effective civilian capacities in situations of violence and upheaval. He highlighted the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation in developing national capacities and mobilizing resources for institution building. The Secretary-General noted the Support Public Administration Project as a model partnership in the global South complemented by triangular funding from donor countries (Norway). The RSS/IGAD Initiative promotes the use of regional expertise through the deployment of CSSOs from member countries to support capacity building and reform in South Sudan.

The Support Public Administration Project is in line with the ‘New Deal’ advocated by the Group of 7+, championing national ownership for sustainable peace and development in fragile states. It supports inclusive, country-owned and country-led transitions, while recognizing that ‘transitioning out of fragility was a lengthy political process that required country leadership and ownership.’South Sudan government institutions are expected to perform core governance functions to foster sustainable peace and facilitate recovery out of fragility. State-building experiences from post conflict countries attest that this cannot be done without a capable and accountable civil service. In this regard, the Support Public Administration Project echoes the ‘New Deal’ by supporting South Sudan’s transition from fragility through civil service capacity building.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and supervision of the Support to Public Administration Project Manager, in consultation with the Partnership and Management Support Unit, and the mid-term evaluation reference group, the National consultant shall provide the following deliverables:

  • Inception report: The evaluator will prepare an inception report that details the evaluator’s understanding of the evaluation and how the evaluation questions will be addressed. This is to ensure that the evaluator and the stakeholders have a shared understanding of the evaluation.  The inception report will include the evaluation matrix summarizing the evaluation design, methodology, evaluation questions, data sources and collection analysis tool for each data source and the measure by which each question will be evaluated. The evaluator will also propose a rating scale in order that Performance rating will be carried out for the four evaluation criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. The inception report will be discussed and agreed with partners and UNDP country office before the evaluator proceed with site visits
  • Mid-term evaluation report - The national consultant will assist International consultant in preparing the draft evaluation report cognisant of the proposed format of the report and checklist used for the assessment of evaluation reports (see annexes). The report will be submitted to the evaluation reference group through the project manager for validation. Comments from the reference group and stakeholders will be provided within 10 days after receiving the draft report. The evaluator will produce an ‘audit trail’ indicating whether and how each comment received was addressed in revisions to the final report. 
  • Mid-term evaluation Report. The final report (30-50 pages) will include comments from the reference group and other stakeholders will be submitted 10 days after receiving all comments.

Competencies

Corporate competencies

  • Demonstrated integrity by upholding the United Nations' values and ethical standards;
  • Appreciate differences in values and learning from cultural diversities;
  • Promotes UNDP vision, mission and strategic goals;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age-based sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Demonstrates diplomacy and tact in dealing with sensitive and complex situations.

Professionalism

  • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
  • Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment;
  • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.

Planning & Organizing 

  • Establishes, builds and maintains effective working relationships with colleagues to achieve the planned results

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • Minimum Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management, Public Administration, Development Studies, Law, International Development

Experience

  • Extensive expertise, knowledge, and experience in the fields of public administration, governance, international relations, regional development, gender equality and social services.
  • At least 2 years of experience in conducting evaluations of UN, government and international aid organisations;
  • Direct experience with civil service capacity building is an added advantage
  •  Excellent writing skills with a strong background in report drafting;
  • Demonstrated ability and willingness to work with people of different cultural, ethnic and religious background, different gender, and diverse political views;
  • Ability to use critical thinking, conceptualize ideas, and articulate relevant subject matter concisely.

Language

  • Fluent in English.

For Detailed TOR, please access this link below:

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=38860