Background

UNDP Global Mission Statement:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network - an organization connecting people around the world to knowledge, experience and resources to help build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 166 countries, working with national counterparts to develop in-country solutions to national and global development challenges.

UNDP Afghanistan Mission Statement:

UNDP supports stabilization, state-building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIROA), other UN agencies, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development designed to impact the daily lives of Afghan citizens. Over the years UNDP support has impacted milestone efforts, including the adoption of the Afghanistan Constitution, Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections, and capacity-building for the legislative, judicial and executive arms of the State, including Ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and sub-national levels. Major demobilization, disarmament, rehabilitation and area-based livelihoods and reconstruction programmes have been implemented 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 (UNAMA) and the UN system to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

Based on consultations conducted between UNDP, the GIROA and donors during 2017, a growing view emerged that the scope of LOTFA should be expanded to include the entire justice chain (police, courts and prisons) and cover all institutions across the entire Rule of Law sector, with an increased focus on anti-corruption. Simultaneously, the LOTFA structure has been revised to bring it more in line with international standards and best practices on Trust Fund management and administration.

As the revised LOTFA TOR becomes effective, management arrangements for the Trust Fund will also be finalized.

Organizational context of the position:

Civil service reform remains a critical priority for improving the organizational effectiveness of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MOIA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Afghanistan.  Within this context, the key objective of civil service reform is to allow professionally qualified civil servants to administer and manage core ministry/Back office functions including finance, budget, procurement, logistics and other technical fields, thereby allowing MOIA’s uniformed personnel (i.e. sworn police officers) to focus on the delivery of rule of law services to Afghan citizens.  While several attempts have been made to develop HR reform strategies and plans since 2015, each of these have yielded sub-standard results.  Therefore, UNDP, in close coordination with MOIA and international partners, proposes to undertake a careful review of these efforts in order to develop a new, harmonized strategy and methodology that aligns to national civil service laws and policies as well as the contextual environment within MOIA. 

The consultant will work closely with a wide range of actors, including the Rule of Law and Human Security (ROLHS) Unit, implementing partners and other Afghan institutions, the UNDP Country Office, the international community, as well as expert networks active in the country.

The nature of the assignment requires the Consultant to work closely with the Afghanistan MOIA, and to work closely with its key General Directorates which will be identified following consultation processes. Also, the Consultant will closely work with the Independent Administrative & Reform Civil Services Commission, which is providing technical support to the Ministry of Interior in its civil service reform process.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the assignment:

  1. The consultant will be responsible for a thorough review of past and existing organizational and HR/civil service change processes conducted recently within MOIA and provide analytical opinion on the: quality and utility of methodology used; management and decision-making structures established; workflow process followed and any implementation mechanisms that were put in place;

  2. Following analytical work, the Consultant will be responsible for developing options and recommendations on a fit-for-purpose methodology and strategy for undertaking an independent organizational assessment / functional review in support of MOIA’s civil service reform agenda.

  3. The Consultant will be responsible to conduct capacity assessment of Human Resources Department of MoIA taking into consideration its role to take the lead on civil service reform and HR administration of civil servants in MOIA.

  4. Provide recommendations to UNDP Afghanistan and MOIA on a strategic approach in support of reform and capacity building processes in the MOIA including on new programme/project development to support implementation of a coherent civil service reform process in MOIA.

Activities:

  • Undertake a thorough analytical review of the existing reports, documents of existing organizational and HR change processes conducted recently within MOIA to build a clear understanding of the civil service reform agenda in the context of Afghanistan and MOIA;

  • Hold consultations with the ROLHS unit, the MOIA leadership, advisors, and all relevant Directorates to validate internally the results of the civil service reform processes conducted in the past as well as help identify an appropriate methodology, timeline, and realistic objectives for future civil service reform work. This will contribute to the baseline evidence for future MOIA reforms, help manage expectations, and build trust and national ownership;

  • The Consultant will prepare a comprehensive methodology for civil service reform work MoIA taking into account existing and available data and MOIA’s priorities as well as build a realistic Roadmap/Strategy for implementation of this process;

  • Orient key stakeholders on the proposed methodology and implementation strategy;

  • Prepare a Terms of Reference and support the development of a Request for Proposals (RFP) in support of implementing the new methodology and/or strategy, as may be required;

  • Provide strategic advice to the ROLHS unit and the MOI on civil service reform;

  • Advise UNDP and MOIA regarding a sensitization and advocacy strategy related to the implications of the Organizational Review.

  • Conduct a comprehensive capacity assessment of HR Department of MOIA taking into consideration the future civil service reform work to be led by HR Department.

  • Provide technical assistance to the ROLHS project development team in designing and outlining UNDP’s support to facilitate organizational and HR reform efforts in MOIA; and

  • Consult and update team members, donors and stakeholders at every stage of the assessment process.

DELIVERABLES and ASSOCIATED PAYMENTS

Deliverable 1:  Inception report and work plan, 5 working days, payment - 10%.

Deliverable 2: Lessons learned paper on the past work of civil service reform work and an options paper outlining different methodologies and implementation modalities for undertaking the civil services reform in MoIA. The options paper should draw from a deep analysis of past efforts of civil service reform work in MoIA, which includes documentation review, stakeholder consultations and reference to international best practices, 20 working days, payment - 30%.

Deliverable 3: Detailed civil service reform Roadmap/Implementation Strategy (based on stakeholder’s endorsement of the recommended option) for guiding execution and orientation training to key stakeholders, where applicable this may include writing ToRs and RFPs for appropriate vendors to implement the work.  10 working days, payment - 20%.

Deliverable 4: Capacity assessment of Human Resources Department of MoIA (current structure, human capacity, business processes, policies, etc) taking into consideration that this department will lead the civil service reform work in MoIA.  15 working days, payment - 20%.

Deliverable 5: Final report on recommendations for UNDP’s programme/project design and recommendations to support HR/civil service reform including the development of the project’s outputs, activities and staffing requirements.  16 working days, payment - 20%.

Payment Modality:

Payments under the contract for remuneration/fee will be linked to deliverables and will be made on certification of completion of deliverables indicated above.

Institutional Arrangements:

The International Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Chief, ROLHS Unit and the TSM PIP Project Manager and direct supervision of the International Project Development Specialist. The Consultant shall also work in close collaboration with other members of the UNDP ROLHS Unit (such as Program Management Specialist) and other Programme/ Thematic Units within the UNDP Country Office.

The TSM PIP will provide office space, internet, and logistical and other support services including transport and security for UNDP international personnel. However, the consultant is expected to bring his/her own laptop and mobile phone and meet local communications costs (the TSM PIP will provide a local pre-paid SIM card). Costs to arrange meetings, workshops, travel costs and DSA during field visits (if any), etc. shall be covered by the TSM PIP.

Duration of the Work:

The deliverables under this contract shall be completed within 4 months (With Maximum 66 Working days) after the signing of the contract.

Duty Station

Work will be carried out in-country. The duty station for the contractor is Kabul, Afghanistan. When in Kabul, the Consultant will be based at the TSM PIP office at MOIA and report regularly to the ROLHS Unit (UNOCA) during working hours, security conditions permitting. The Consultant will follow the working hours and weekends applicable to UNDP CO staff. The Consultant movement for meetings and consultations shall be coordinated by the TSM PIP. The Consultant at all times is required to observe UNDP security rules and regulations.

Competencies

Core competencies:

  • Promotes ethics and integrity and creates organizational precedents.

  • Builds support and political acumen.

  • Builds staff competence and creates an environment of creativity and innovation.

  • Builds and promotes effective teams.

  • Creates and promotes environment for open communications.

  • Leverages conflict in the interest of UNDP and sets standards.

  • Shares knowledge across the organization and builds a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Required Skills and Experience

Required expertise and experience:      

  • Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Organizational Development and HRD management or other related fields.

  • At least 10 years of in-depth knowledge and work experience in the public administration and/or civil service reform processes, preferable with additional experiences in security, justice and broadly rule of law sectors.

  • Hands-on experience conducting institutional/organizational design, capacity assessments, functional reviews and HR reform processes.

  • Excellent coordination and communications skills with ability to convince, convey and advocate.

  • Previous experience with UN/ specialized agencies and/or international development organizations preferred.

  • Experience working in fragile or conflict-affected states. Experience and expertise in post-conflict reform of law and order institutions desirable.

Language:

  • Excellent written and oral English

The Consultant shall submit a price proposal as below:

  • Daily Fee – The Consultant shall propose a daily fee which should be inclusive of his/her professional fee, local communication cost, insurance (inclusive of medical health and medical evacuation etc.), equipment, and other costs required for performance of the contract but excluding travel, visa and DSA. The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is 66 working days over a contract duration of 4 months.

  • The Consultant shall be separately paid the DSA as per applicable UNDP rate for stay in Kabul and travel to other locations as per actual number of nights spent in Kabul or other locations. Deductions from DSA shall be made as per applicable UNDP policy when accommodation and other facilities are provided by UNDP. An estimated provision in this regard shall be included in the contract. The consultant need not quote for DSA in Financial Proposal.

    Accommodation in Kabul - The Consultants are NOT allowed to stay in a place of their choice other than the UNDSS approved places in Kabul, Afghanistan. UNDP will provide accommodation to the Consultant for the duration of the stay in Afghanistan in UNDSS approved places. Deductions in this regard shall be made from DSA payment as per applicable UNDP Policy.

  • The Consultant shall include lumpsum cost of travel per trip for Home-Kabul-Home (estimated 2 trips) in the Financial Proposal. Any other travel for work, originating from Kabul shall be payable by UNDP separately as per applicable Policy.< > – UNDP shall facilitate visa requirements and reimburse the visa cost, if any.
  • Payment schedule - Payments towards remuneration/fee shall be linked to deliverables and shall be made on certification of completion of deliverables and submission of certified timesheet. Payment towards travel shall be made on an instance of actual travel and shall be cost-reimbursable limited to the amount quoted in Financial Proposal. Payments towards DSA, Visa, etc. shall be cost-reimbursable, as specified above.

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 marks) will be assessed as follows:

Technical Proposal (20 marks)

  • Technical Approach & Methodology – This explains 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;

Interview (20 marks)

Qualification and Experience (30 marks) [evaluation of CVs for shortlisting]

  • General Qualification (10 marks);
  • Experience relevant to the assignment (20 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) as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
  • Personal CV indicating all experience from similar assignment relevant to the assignment.
  • Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable candidate for the assignment;
  • A methodology and approach on how they will approach and complete the assignment.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):