UNDP Jobs - 75791- National Consultant (Database Advisor) (for the Ge

National Consultant (Database Advisor) (for the General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of Ministry of Economy)

Location :

UNDP/LoGo Project, Kabul, AFGHANISTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

27-Nov-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 Weeks (with maximum 60 Working days)

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts on their own solutions to global and national development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and subnational levels. UNDP has played a key role in the management of the Law and Order Trust Fund, which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the national police force and in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have taken place nationwide. UNDP Programmes in Afghanistan have benefited from the very active support of donors. UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

Organizational Context:

Local Governance Project-Afghanistan (LoGo) is a project, building upon the lessons from UNDP’s Afghanistan Sub-National Governance Programme (ASGP). Through LoGo project, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) and UNDP will jointly address the top three priorities of IDLG which are: 1) service delivery; 2) accountability; and 3) clear functions and mandates. The project builds on a theory of change aimed at improving service delivery by enhancing the accountability and transparency of the local governments to the women and men of Afghanistan and building the capacity of the local governments to plan, budget and monitor service delivery effectively with the ultimate aim of increasing the legitimacy of the government and the trust between the state and society.

The GIRoA, with UNDP support, will focus on the following areas:

Subnational state institutions, (Provincial Governor Offices, District Governor Offices, Provincial Sector and Technical Services department, Provincial Council, Provincial Development Committees, Moustafiats, Department of Economy), enhance their capacities in outreach, planning, monitoring and budgeting for accountable and transparent service delivery;
Municipalities deliver services in a more accountable and participatory manner;
Accountability of local governance enhanced through civil society oversight organizations/groups;
Central level government institutions develop and implement policy guidelines which improve local government accountability and service delivery;

The project will work with the relevant government ministries that cover subnational planning and budgeting, monitoring and evaluation and representative bodies as well as civic society. These include the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), the Ministry of Economy (MoEc), and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and ensuring complimentary with the other programmes, especially USAID, GIZ, UN Habitat and the World Bank.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work and Deliverables

Objective of the Assignment:

Provincial Development Data base/ tracking system at the central and provincial level

The purpose of establishing provincial development tracking system is to establish an integrated mechanism for tracking development trends in the province, to improve and strengthen provincial annual planning, monitoring and evaluation system for better and quality service delivery in the province, enhance access to accurate data and information for developing periodic PDP review and development reports.

The provincial development database will serve as a primary facilitator for evidence-based planning. The database may inform planning and strategic priorities and strengthen monitoring and evaluation of governance and development targets as articulated in Afghanistan Sustainable Development Goal (ASDG), Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework ANPDF (ANPDF), National Priority Programmes (NPP)s and the provincial strategic planning of IDLG.

The provincial development database will also serve as an important step for improving data availability and quality in all sectorial development areas and will support provincial coordination mechanisms between all governance entities at the provincial level, line departments, Central Statistical Offices, international/donor communities and other relevant institution with producing up to date data on development of the province.

It is intended that the database will increase the ability to respond to provincial, regional, national, and international data requests in a timely and effective manner.

The LoGo project is one of the key supporting programmes funded by various donors and being implemented by UNDP. LoGo is aimed to supporting the Ministry of Economy (MoEc) and provinces in building systems, improving institutional capacities and practices. LoGo will assist MoEc in establishing and development of the data base system in 2017/2018.

Under the direct supervision of the LoGo Subnational Governance Component Lead, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc, the Database Advisor will develop a need-based and well-functioning provincial development database for the General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc for tracking the planning, implementation and monitoring of local service delivery projects in the province. The database must be compatible with local languages – Dari and Pashto – for data entry, data analysis and the database interface. The Advisor is expected to work closely with General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc to develop the database application in any appropriate software (Ms Excel, Access etc) as per the given tools and directions.

The specific tasks shall be the following:

Analyse the existing systems, tools, and database in MoEc to identify functional requirements, resources and expectations, and present a database development plan to Director General, Design and Consolidation;
Prepare the database, design and present it to the Director General, Design and Consolidation for approval;
Develop the database application based on the agreed tools, indicators and concept in such a way that must be customizable in the future;
Test the functionality of the database and application with Director General, of Planning and Consolidation and the MoEc technical team;
In consultation with General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation, develop appropriate reporting templates and formats linked with Ms Excel and Access programs for professional data analysis;
Prepare necessary user guidelines and manuals of the developed database;
Install the database application into MoEc users both in centre and provinces, and ensure its functionality;
Pilot in two provinces: Orient provincial stakeholders to use and maintain the database. Provide technical support to establish database and link to MoEc;
Mentor and train MoEc both in the centre and provinces on use of the database applications;
Provide expert advice and provide regular support in maintenance of the database.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables; Estimated duration to complete and Payment percentage:

First Deliverable: 10 working days; 16 %

Review existing documents on infrastructure, structure, business processes and tools, and prepare design of the database interface, including selection of appropriate software.

Second Deliverable: 20 working days; 33%

Develop the database based on agreed specifications, tools, indicators and forms with functionality of data storage, data analysis, reporting and user privileges at national and provincial level compatible with three languages – (English, Dari and Pashto).

Third Deliverable: 20 working days; 33%

Install, adjust and test the database and perform data entry into the database/system; this stage may involve bringing modifications as per testing results etc.

Fourth Deliverable: 10 Working Days; 18 %

Submission and acceptance of technical guidelines, manuals and training materials for the database users – in local languages – and mentor and conduct technical training workshops on developed data base system and its use for the MoEc staff at center and provinces.

Payment Modality:

Payments under the contract shall be delivery based and be made on receipt of the specific milestones indicated above, and including a timesheet according to UNDP procurement formats for individual contractors. Indicated payment instalments in the table above shall be made upon approval of deliverables by General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc and LoGo Project Manager. The report on deliverables will be reviewed by both the General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc and LoGo team. Upon receipt of final comments, the consultant shall finalize the report for formal acceptance by both parties at which point the payment shall be released.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning:

In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
Ability to apply development theory to the specific country context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations.

Management and Leadership:

Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Bachelor degree in computer science, certified information technology, database development or any related field. A Master’s degree in the mentioned fields would be preferred.

Years of experience:

At least 5 years of specialized experience in the field of Database Development, Management Information System and/or IT management with Government institutions, International NGOs and Development Organizations, with at least 3 years of practical experience in database development and software programming;
Strong and demonstrated knowledge and skills for software development, data analysis applications and data management programs;
A demonstrated ability of team-work and problem-solving;
Strong communication skills both verbal and written.

Language:

Professional knowledge and ability of English, Dari and Pashto languages.

Working Arrangements

Institutional Arrangements:

The national consultant will work under the overall supervision of the LoGo - Subnational Governance Component (SNG) lead, in collaboration with General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc.

Monitoring and reporting arrangements:

The consultant shall work directly with General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc staff in close collaboration with LoGo team and other MoEc departments.

LoGo project and General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc office will provide office space and internet facility, logistical and other support service including transport and security applicable to UNDP national personnel. However, the consultant will work closely with IDLG General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc. The consultant however is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone and meet local communications costs (LoGo will provide a local pre-paid SIM card). Costs to arrange meetings, workshops, travel costs to and DSA during field visits (if any), etc. shall be covered by LoGo project.

Duration of the Work

Contract duration of National Consultant (Database Advisor) would be for maximum 60 working days. Based upon the results and performance, the contract would be extended for another one month if needed.

Duty Station

The duty station for the contractor is Kabul, Afghanistan for the entire duration of the contract. Some field visits outside Kabul are envisaged under the contract. The Contractor will be required to report regularly and be present at LoGo project and General Directorate of Planning and Consolidation of MoEc office during the working hours, security conditions permitting. The contractor will follow the working hours and weekends as applicable to LoGo staff. Contractor’s movement for meetings and consultations shall be coordinated by LoGo project office. The contractor is at all times required to observe UNDP security rules and regulations.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

Daily Professional Fee – The contractor shall propose a daily fee which should be inclusive of his/her professional fee, local communication and transportation costs. The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is maximum 60 working days.

The total professional fee, shall be converted into a lump-sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the schedule of payment linked with deliverables.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

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.

Technical Criteria weight 70%;

Financial Criteria weight 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria 70 points

Technical Proposal (30 marks)

Technical Approach & Methodology (20 marks) – This Explain the understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, methodology for carrying out the activities and obtaining the expected output, and the degree of detail of such output. The Applicant should also explain the methodologies proposed to adopt and highlight the compatibility of those methodologies with the proposed approach.
Work Plan (10 marks) – The Applicant should propose the main activities of the assignment, their content and duration, phasing and interrelations, milestones (including interim approvals by the Client), and delivery dates. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology, showing understanding of the TOR and ability to translate them into a feasible working plan.

Qualification and Experience (40 marks) [evaluation of CV]:

General Qualification (15 marks);
Experience relevant to the assignment (25 marks).

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested National consultants (Procurement) must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

Duly accomplished Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);
Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Technical Proposal:

Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above;
Comprehensive work plan for entire consultancy period.