Background
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 for Afghanistan (LOTFA), which supports the Government in developing and maintaining the Afghan National Police (ANP) and the General Directorate for Prison and Detention Centres (GDPDC) in efforts to stabilize the internal security environment. Major demobilizations, disarmaments and rehabilitations 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 to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.
Organizational Context
Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA)
UNDP has operated the LOTFA since 2002. LOTFA was created to support the establishment, salary payment, equipment and training of the police force in Afghanistan. The central goal is to support the GIROA in achieving a paid, professional ANP and staff of GDPDC that deliver essential services to the Afghan people for improved public trust, safety and security and to support improved rule of law enforcement.UNDP, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and donors in 2015 revised LOTFA to allow for a planned transition of non-fiduciary payroll management responsibilities from UNDP to the MOIA. Donors and government agreed on a set of Donor Conditions to be met to allow for the transition to take place. By the end of 2017, LOTFA Donors had not yet reached consensus regarding the decision to allow for Payroll Transition. Accordingly, UNDP and MOIA have agreed to extend the SPM Project with one additional year until 31 December 2018.
Support to Payroll Management Project (SPM)
The LOTFA SPM was established with fiduciary responsibility assigned to the UNDP to mitigate systematic risks of payroll management, and to provide a reasonable assurance that LOTFA funding advanced through the Ministry of Finance (MOF) is being used for its intended purposes and that the correct amounts are being disbursed to and are being received by the right beneficiaries.
A major component of the payroll processing and management is the Web-Enabled Payroll System (WEPS). The system is used by 153 payroll stations across the country to process payroll documents and can be accessed from any computer on the MOIA’s intranet, with the required profiles. The SPM project supports the MOIA to fulfil its responsibility for deployment, maintenance and functioning of WEPS. The system generates payroll documents to be fed into the MOF’s Afghan Financial Management Information System (AFMIS) for purposes of generating salary disbursements by the MOF.
One of the key challenges in managing the payroll has been the fact that preparation of payrolls is not initiated from the primary database for the personnel of the ANP. To address the challenge, CSTC-A is supporting MOIA to develop the Afghan Personnel and Pay System (APPS) to become the primary database for all ANP personnel, and from which personnel lists will be generated monthly, for all levels, as a basis of preparing both the personnel attendance data and payroll.
APPS is believed to be a more robust and comprehensive system that integrates payroll management with recruitment, training, force management, personnel management (i.e. human resource management), and attendance functions. The transfer of WEPS to APPS will be a significant milestone in the evolution of payroll management in the MOIA and the transition of LOTFA non-fiduciary responsibilities to GIROA. However, the transfer from WEPS to APPS will not be simple and needs to be proactively managed and supported.
The transfer will have two significant impacts. First, accountability for current payroll and related activities will change, and second the transfer will result in additional risks. This will include risks arising from i) the change in accountability among the concerned parties, i.e. UNDP, MOIA, Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A), and the APPS system service provider, ii) WEPS-APPS transfer process itself, and iii) perpetual risks after the transfer has been completed.
The most prominent change to the current accountability framework is the transfer of many oversight activities which are currently provided by the UNDP SPM Project to CSTC-A and its third-party contractors hired to manage APPS. This transfer of the oversight activities will change the fiduciary responsibility for the fund assumed by the UNDP, unless an alternative arrangement can be agreed among the relevant stakeholders and put in place that would allow UNDP to continue the full fiduciary responsibility.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work and Deliverables
Under the overall supervision of Chief of the Rule of Law and Human Security Unit (ROLHSU), the international consultant will work closely with the ROLHSU Programme Specialist, SPM Project Manager, Senior Policy Advisor for LOTFA, colleagues in the Finance, Fund and Fiduciary Management Unit (FFFMU) of UNDP, MOIA, CSTC-A, LOTFA Donors, and other relevant actors on the following tasks:
Review relevant documents to gain better understanding of policies, procedures, processes, systems, as well as risk and accountability issues related to MOIA payroll management and GIROA public financial management. The documents include, but not limited to, SPM Project Document, WEPS-APPS Risk and Accountability Framework, Payroll Management Procedures Manual, UN Harmonised Approach to Cash Transfers (HACT) Guideline, MOIA Payroll Unit Plan, WEPS/APPS User’s Manuals, and technical and functional specifications;
Develop an assurance framework that will be used to underpin the assessment of the risk, accountability and control environment for the WEPS-APPS transfer;
Obtain evidence and assess risks and accountability implications associated with i) the change in accountability among the concerned parties, ii) WEPS-APPS transfer process itself, and iii) perpetual risks after the transfer has been completed (i.e. when APPS is fully operational);
Perform assurance assessment of APPS from the governance and functional control perspective:
Assess and identify application-level risks for APPS and Identify and recommend application control to address the application-level risks; and
Perform application system reviews before APPS goes into production (i.e. pre-implementation) and after APPS has gone into production (i.e. post-implementation).
Based on the assurance assessment findings, provide advice and options on the extent of LOTFA fiduciary responsibility and accountability that UNDP should assume under the APPS regime;
Develop a roadmap that clearly identifies milestones and activities to prepare for the expected transfer of WEPS to APPS in November 2018 and for subsequent activities. The roadmap should include important milestones and activities, such as: i) approval of key milestones by the LOTFA Project Board/Steering Committee, ii) training identification of HR resources and payroll management and organizational structure, iii) preparation of new payroll procedures, iv) implementation of revised MOIA Finance Policy, internal control policy v) reconciliations, vi) MOUs, vii) approval of new accountability framework by the LOTFA Project Board/Steering Committee, and viii) design of risk mitigation strategies and implementation;
Conduct robust analysis and provide substantive technical inputs to the re-design of SPM project, development of MOIA Payroll Unit Plan under APPS regime, and required documentation on WEPS-APPS transfer;
Provide recommendations on risk management and internal control activities in accordance with the IIA “Three Lines of Defense” model (operations management, oversight and monitoring, and audit) with clear delineation of roles, responsibilities, and accountability among LOTFA stakeholders during and after the WEPS-APPS transfer process;
Develop and regularly update a Risk Register to be used as a tool to conduct risk analysis of important transfer tasks and the state of governance outlined in the Risk and Accountability Framework;
Provide quality advice to WEPS-APPS Transfer Working Groups and the SPM Technical Working Group regarding governance and financial management issues as well as on the transfer of responsibility and accountability of fiduciary and/or non-fiduciary financial management activities that will result from the transfer from WEPS to APPS.
Expected Outputs and Deliverables; Estimated duration to complete and Payment percentage:
First Deliverable: 22 working days; 20%
Monthly progress report and any other documentation as required by the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Second Deliverable: 22 working days; 20%
- Monthly progress report and any other documentation as required by the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Third Deliverable: 22 Working days; 20%
Monthly progress report and any other documentation as required by the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Fourth Deliverable: 22 Working Days; 20%
Monthly progress report and any other documentation as required by the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Fifth Deliverable: 22 working days; 20%
Monthly progress report and any other documentation as required by the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Payment Modality:
Payments under the contract shall be delivery-based and be made on receipt of the specific milestone reports indicated above, including a timesheet per UNDP procurement formats for individual contractors. These shall be as indicated above, and shall be deemed delivered upon the approval of the Chief, ROLHS Unit.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies:
Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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.
Functional Competencies:
Ability to lead and implement capacity development approaches;
Ability to implement public administration reform processes;
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:
Master degree in business administration, law, political science, public administration, or other relevant field from an accredited college or university.
Professional accounting qualification
Internationally recognized professional accounting qualifications such as ACCA, CPA, CA or equivalent.
Experience:
- 7 years of practical experience in public administration reform, public financial management, governance and project management;
- Direct experience in designing personnel and payroll systems, budgeting and budgetary control system, management information system, integrated financial management systems including in computerized environment, review of internal controls, management audits, and financial reviews is an asset;
- Experience of working with Government departments/ministries, public sector institutions is required;
- Prior experience working in Afghanistan or other in-conflict developing country, on similar assignments will be considered an asset;
- Prior experience with the UNDP is highly desirable, but not essential.
Language:
Excellent written and oral English skills a necessary requirement.
Working Arrangements
Institutional Arrangement
The International Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Chief, ROLHS Unit. The consultant shall work in close collaboration with the UNDP ROLHS Unit, LOTFA project staff, as well as other units within the UNDP Country Office;
The ROLHS Unit will provide office space and internet facility, logistical and other support service including transport and security applicable to UNDP international personnel. The consultant however is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone and meet local communications costs (ROLHS Unit 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 the ROLHS Unit.
Duration of the Work
The performance under the contract shall take place over total contract duration of 5 months with maximum 110 working days. The target date for the start of work will be 1 August 2018 depending on the availability of the selected consultant.
Duty Station
The duty station for the candidate is Kabul, Afghanistan for the entire duration of the contract. Very limited field visits outside Kabul are envisaged under the contract. The candidate will be required to report regularly and be present at ROLHS Unit (UNOCA) while in-country during the working hours, security conditions permitting. The contractor will follow the working hours and weekends as applicable to UNDP CO staff. Contractor’s movement for meetings and consultations shall be coordinated by the ROLHS Unit. 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 Fee – The contractor shall propose a daily fee which should be inclusive of his/her professional fee, local communication cost and insurance (inclusive of medical health and medical evacuation and etc.). The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is 110 working days.
The contractor shall propose a Living allowance at the Kabul applicable rate of USD 162 per night for their stay at the duty station. The number of nights for which the Living allowance shall be payable under the contract is 154 nights. The contractor is NOT allowed to stay in a place of their choice other than the UNDSS approved places. UNDP will provide MORSS compliant accommodation in UNOCA Complex to the consultants. The payment of accommodation shall be made directly by the consultants.
- Travel & Visa – The consultants shall propose an estimated lump-sum for home-Kabul-home travels (economy most direct route) and Afghanistan visa expenses.
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 abovementioned schedule of payment.
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 Proposal (55 marks)
- Technical Approach & Methodology (10 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 (5 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;
- Interview (40 marks).
Qualification and Experience (15 marks) [evaluation of CVs for shortlisting]
General Qualification (5 marks);
Experience relevant to the assignment (10 marks).
Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:
Interested individual consultants 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 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.