UNDP Jobs - 87459- Consultancy to develop a Digital Governance Strate

Consultancy to develop a Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Government

Location :

Juba, SOUTH SUDAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

30-Sep-2019

Application Deadline :

18-Sep-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

35 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

35 days

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

Project background: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Governance and Economic Management Support (GEMS) Project, seeks to contribute towards setting South Sudan on a pathway to sustainable peace, development and improved well-being for all citizens, through: a) strengthening capacity of key national institutions to ensure effective and accountable implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS); and b) bolstering key economic governance and accountability functions with attention to Chapter IV of the R-ARCSS, which furthers key economic and financial reforms for effective public resource management. The GEMS Project builds on the experiences and successes of phases I and II of the Republic of South Sudan/Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (RSS/IGAD) Regional Initiative for Capacity Enhancement in South Sudan (2010-2019). The RSS/IGAD built the capacity of more than 2,200 South Sudanese civil servants in different areas resulting in notable improvements in institutional efficiencies and effectiveness. The GEMS Project was developed in 2019 and has been awarded 3.5-year funding from the Kingdom of Norway. The project will last until December 2022.

Assignment rationale: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have embraced the spread of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and global interconnectedness as having great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies. Digital governance can play a role in building effective, inclusive and accountable institutions to support policy making and service delivery for the SDGs. The GEMS Project proposes the development of a “Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan” that will guide the transition to digital governance of prioritized institutions and functions of the Government of South Sudan. The scope and timeframe of the GEMS Project may not allow for full implementation of the Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan; thus, the plan should entail a prioritized course of action, and allow other national or international stakeholders to advance the implementation even after completion of the current GEMS Project. A capacity assessment is needed to provide in-depth analysis of the Government of South Sudan’s readiness for a transition to digital governance, and to identify institutional capacity gaps and risks that need to be addressed for promoting such a transition.

Country context: South Sudan is emerging from an era of armed conflict. The R-ARCSS signed in September 2018 provides opportunities to strengthen governance systems, management of public funds, optimize service delivery, and stabilize the economy. Signatories to the R-ARCSS are prioritizing key institutions’ capacity-building and legislative reforms to enable delivery of institutional mandates and conversely, successful implementation of the R-ARCSS. There is also a growing realization that successful implementation of the R-ARCSS requires strong institutional and human capacities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Main Functions:
The Main Functions/Key Results Expected of the consultancy are to:

Conduct an institutional digital governance capacity and risk assessment of GEMS participating ministries;
Based on the assessment findings, identify and develop realistic, feasible and time-bound capacity development strategies and implementation plan for the digital transformation of prioritized main governance structures and functions of South Sudan;
Present a business case for a transition to digital governance of the Government of South Sudan;
Support government authorities in formulation of IT policies and strategies;
Strengthening and diffusion of best methods and approaches for implementation of digital governance;
Supervising the development and deployment of a Monitoring and Evaluation system.

Scope of Work:
Under the overall supervision of the DGSU Team Leader and direct supervision of the GEMS Project Manager, the consultant will perform the following substantive duties and responsibilities:

Prepare an inception report, covering the background, objectives, methodological approach, work plan and expected deliverables for presentation at an inception workshop;
Develop tools and conduct a digital governance capacity needs and risk assessment of participating institutions.
Document the institutional capacity of the participating institutions;
Develop a Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan for the Government of South Sudan, including institutional ICT/technical infrastructure arrangements, and human resources capacity development needs;
Develop and present the business case of a transition to digital governance for the Government of South Sudan.

Methodology

The consultant must describe how (s)he will address and deliver the demands of this Terms of Reference (ToR); providing a detailed description of the essential performance characteristics, reporting conditions and quality assurance mechanisms that will be put in place, while demonstrating that the proposed methodology will be appropriate to the local conditions and context of the work;
Facilitate the active engagement of all participating institutions in the Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan development process;
Adopt a combination of participatory tools and methodologies (e.g. desk research, SWOT analysis, stakeholder analysis, interviews with key stakeholders) and group facilitation techniques to promote participation and buy-in;
Coordinate the work closely with UNDP throughout the entire process.

Deliverables:
The deliverables of the assignment are:

Inception report: The consultant will prepare an inception report which details the consultant’s understanding of the consultancy and how the Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan will be developed. The report will be presented to the reference group at an inception meeting. This is to ensure that the consultant and the key stakeholders (participant institutions and UNDP) have a shared understanding of the Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan. The report will include the scope of work, plan of action, and time frame. (5 days);
Draft Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan: The consultant will prepare a draft Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan which will be presented at a validation workshop to be attended by UNDP and participating institutions. The draft strategy and implementation plan will be subject to review and comments. (15 days);
Final Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan, including a 2-pager Business Case: The final plan which includes 1) the institutional capacity gaps analysis, 2) overall strategy for the transformation to digital governance, 3) capacity development plan, both in terms of ICT infrastructure and human resources, 4) action plan for prioritizing areas of implementation, and 5) 2-pager business case for digital governance in South Sudan, will be submitted to UNDP in publishable quality. (15 days).

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payment:
The consultancy shall be paid the consultancy fee upon completion of the following milestones:

20% after adoption of the inception report;
30% after presentation and acceptance of the draft Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan;
50% after the approval of the final Digital Governance Strategy, Implementation Plan and Business Case;

The consultancy fee will be paid as Lump Sum Amount (all inclusive of expenses related to the consultancy). The contract price will be fixed regardless of changes in the cost components.

Competencies

Core Competencies and values:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling United Nations values and ethical standards;
Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Display cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability;
High sense of relational skills, including cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability, with a demonstrated ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.

Functional Competencies:

Excellent knowledge of best practice and issues concerning digital governance/e-governance;
Good knowledge and understanding of the United Nations system, familiarity with UNDP mandate an asset;
Thorough knowledge of strategic planning processes;
Excellent facilitation and communication skills;
Ability to deal with multi-stakeholder groups;
Ability to write focused digital governance transformation strategies;
Strong interpersonal and managerial skills, ability to work with people from different backgrounds and evidence of delivering good quality strategies in a timely manner

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

At least an advanced university degree (Masters) in the field of Public Policy and Management, Public Administration, Development Studies, International Development, Engineering, Computer Science, or any other relevant degree.

Experience:

Minimum of ten years of accumulated experience in Digital Governance/e-Governance, of which at least five years should be in international settings – preferably in post-conflict or fragile state contexts;
Technical knowledge of Digital Governance/e-Governance, Information and Communications Technology;
Experience of strategic planning, result-based management, applying SMART indicators, demonstrable analytical skills;
Adequate methodology and work plan proposed to conduct the assignment;
Excellent English writing and communication skills;
Have extensive experience from digital governance/e-governance transformations, preferably in the region.
Possess understanding and knowledge of the South Sudan context;
Demonstrated managerial competence and experience in organizing, leading and coordinating multi-cultural technical assistance teams at the international level;
Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking and excellent analytical and writing skills;
Initiative, ability to work independently, sound judgment and good interpersonal skills.

Language:

Fluency in English with excellent oral, written, communication and reporting skills is required.

Criteria for Selection of the Consultant(s)

The offer will be evaluated by using the Best value for money approach (combined scoring method). Technical proposal will be evaluated on 70% whereas budget proposed will be evaluated on 30% based on sufficiency for developing the Digital Governance Strategy and Implementation Plan in the timeframe indicated. Below is the breakdown of the technical proposal on 100%, which will be brought to 70%:
.
International Consultant

No Evaluation criteria Max. Point
Description of qualification

Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management, Public Administration, Development Studies, International Development, Engineering, Computer Science, or any other relevant degree;10
Technical knowledge of Digital Governance/e-Governance, Information and Communications Technology; 20
Experience of strategic planning, result-based management, applying SMART indicators, demonstrable analytical skills; 10
Minimum of ten years of accumulated experience in Digital Governance/e-Governance, of which at least five years should be in international settings – preferably in post-conflict or fragile state contexts; 30
Adequate methodology and work plan proposed to conduct the assignment:30
Excellent English writing and communication skills: 10

TOTAL 100