Background

International Consultant to mainstream gender into the National Bureau of Concessions and the Concession awarding process  

Duty Station/Location:                                Monrovia, Liberia

Application Deadline:                                   24 February 2020

Type of Contract:                                          Contract for Consultant (CFC)

Language required:                                       English 

Starting Date:                                                 2 March 2020

Expected duration of the assignment:     2 March 2020 to 10 November 2020

1. Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org   no later than 24th February 2020.

Submission of package            

1. Cover letter;
2. CV, including contact information for 3 references;
3. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and a financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

UN Women’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development.  In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to  corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); and engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes, advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance. In addition, UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

In the framework of the Women, Peace and Security corporate priority area, UN Women Liberia provides support to increase the participation of women in decision making at all levels across the social, political and economic spectrum including on peace and security. In this regard, UN Women Liberia is supporting the Government in the implementation of the Liberia National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2019-2023 (NAP WPS).  The NAP WPS integrates concrete actions to address land dispute issues in a gender sensitive manner.

A nation-wide conflict mapping exercise undertaken in 2016 by the Liberia Peacebuilding Office (PBO) revealed three key conflict drivers that pose a significant threat to national peace and stability, namely, land/property disputes, corruption and border/boundary disputes. Among those, land-related conflicts between concessionaries and communities are distinct. There are two key investment statutes; the Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA) which was approved in 2005 and the Investment Act (IA) that was approved in 2010. 

The process of awarding concession contracts is complex, and it is described in the PPCA. Multiple actors are involved and requires consultation with communities prior to the bidding process. The Inter-Ministerial Concessions Committee (IMCC) which is chaired by the head of the National Investment Commission (NIC) represents the Liberian government in negotiations with concession companies. In this role, the IMCC is responsible for reviewing and evaluating concession bids. The criteria that is used in this evaluation includes the feasibility of the project, its likely environmental impact, its employment potential and the financial benefits that will accrue to the government. The IMCC is also responsible for submitting negotiated concession agreements to the executive branch for comments and review, prior to   sending to the national legislature. The Office of the Legal Advisor to the President (OLA) represents the President in the IMCC. Equally so, the National Bureau of Concessions (NBC) was established by an Act of the Legislature on September 23, 2011, to provide the governance framework for coordinating post concession award processes. The bureau monitors and evaluates compliance with concession agreements in collaboration with concession granting entities and provides technical assistance to concession entities and other organs of Government involved with the implementation of concessions in compliance with the PPCA.

In addition, the Government set up a new mechanism in 2018 at the highest political level to resolve conflicts between concessionaries and communities and to oversee the implementation of the agreements. This mechanism is the Special Presidential Review Committee (SPRC) and it is composed of the OLA, the Ministry of Justice and the Liberian Land Authority (LLA).

In order to prevent and address the existing land related conflicts, UN Women, UNDP and WPF are managing and implementing the joint project “Sustaining Peace and Reconciliation through Strengthening Land Governance and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms” which is funded by the Liberia Multi Partner Trust Fund (LMPTF). The project will support the implementation of the Land Rights Act (LRA) and Local Government Act (LGA), with the objective of contributing to a reduction of land-related disputes in the most conflict-prone counties.

In light of the above, UN Women Liberia seeks to hire an International Consultant (IC) to support the OLA/NBC to mainstream gender into the concession awarding process and the SPRC dispute resolution process and support the NBC in mainstreaming gender into  institutional programmes  related to the monitoring of concession contracts

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to support the Government of Liberia in mainstreaming gender into the concession awarding and land dispute resolution processes as well as the monitoring and evaluation of concession contracts. In addition, the consultancy will also provide support to the NBC in developing a gender policy as a way of ensuring that gender is mainstreamed in its operations.

Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance and management of the UN Women, Peace and Security Specialist and supervision from the UN Women Rule of Law Project Officer, the IC will perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of the consultancy work plan

1. Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents;

2. Conduct preliminary consultations with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP), concession companies, OLA, NBC, LLA, IMCC, members of the SPRC;

3. Develop a consultancy work plan agreed upon with UN Women.

Task 2.  mainstream gender into concession awarding and the concession contract monitoring processes. This will encompass SPRC/ Multi Stakeholders Platforms dispute resolution process.

1. Conduct desk review of relevant materials;

2. Conduct interviews with the NBC, LLA, SPRC and other stakeholders;

3. Review from a gender lens, the current concession awarding and contract monitoring processes and land dispute resolution mechanisms Multi-stakeholders Platforms (MSPs and SPRC);

4. Develop a well-structured gender assessment report which will include findings and recommendations;

5. Validate the recommendations with major stakeholders and raise awareness;

6. Develop a gender strategy and a policy brief for the awarding of concessions. The strategy should state clear activities, roles and responsibilities and envisage a monitoring and reporting framework and an indicative budget. The policy brief should include recommendations for amendment of legislations to ensure that gender impacts assessment is conducted prior to awarding concession contracts;

7. Share and validate the gender strategy and the policy brief with major stakeholders including the NBC, IMCC, SPRC, LLA, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, MGCSP for comments and incorporate their feedback and recommendations;

8. Submit the revised gender strategy and policy brief for approval by the Legal Advisor to the President and the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs (Office of the President), NBC and UN Women;

9. Review the existing performance monitoring matrixes of NBC from a gender lens to support a gender responsive contract renegotiation and monitoring between the Government and concessionaries.

Task 3. Conduct an institutional gender assessment of the NBC

1. Conduct a gender assessment of the NBC and its operations;

2. Develop data collection tools;

3. Conduct data collection exercise;

4. Develop a well-structured gender assessment report which will include as follows:

5. Introduction

6. Table of Contents

7. Background information

8. Proposed research design (Description ofresearch methodology and research questions, research tools, etc.)

9. Research findings (including existing gender gaps and challenges)

10. Review relevant documentations;

11. Hold stakeholders’ consultations with the aim of gathering relevant information to inform the gender policy;

12. Develop a gender policy which should include:

13. a concrete 5-year action plan with indicators

14. a monitoring framework with clear roles and responsibilities.

15. concrete actions to mainstream gender into the monitoring and evaluation of concession

     contracts.

16. Hold at least two trainings with NBC staff on gender, mainstreaming and gender-responsive monitoring of concession awarding process;

17. Support the NBC to develop a framework for gender responsive ‘due diligence’ for business plans.

Coordination

Under the same joint project “Sustaining Peace and Reconciliation through Strengthening Land Governance and Dispute Resolution Mechanisms”, UN Women has hired an international and a local consultant to build the capacities OLA, the SPRC, the IMCC, NBC and other statutory bodies engaged in concession granting processes. Within this context, the IC and the other two consultants will be required to work closely together to ensure synergies and complementarity. 

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment will be from 2nd March 2020 to 10th November 2020.

Competencies

1. Expected Deliverables

The IC will produce the following deliverables:

1.  
2.  
3.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

   Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of the review is one week after receipt.

4. Inputs

5. UN Women/NBC will provide the IC with background materials relevant to the assignment

6. The IC is expected to work using his/ her own computer.

7. When in Country, the IC will be based at OLA

8. The staff from the OLA and NBC shall facilitate consultations/meetings between the consultant and relevant stakeholders

9.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         evaluation: The IC’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

    

Required Skills and Experience

1. Required experience and qualifications

The IC should fulfill the following requirements:

Master’s degree in Gender Studies, law, public administration or other related fields

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org   no later than 24th February 2020.

Submission of package            

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical evaluation will be further evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allotted for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted, and additional documentation may be requested. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

1. At least 7 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, gender assessments and gender policy development

2. Proven experience facilitating high level consultative workshops for Governmental Institutions and CSOs

3. At least 5 years of experience in providing policy advice and technical assistance to government institutions in the area of land and land rights.

4. Previous experience working in Liberia would be an asset.

5. Proven experience in conducting research in the area of gender equality and women empowerment would be an asset;

   Language and other skills:

6. Proficiency in oral and written English

7. < > literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, Internet and email. 

   Excellent facilitation and training skills

8. Submission of application

9. Cover letter;

10. CV, including contact information for 3 references;

11. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

    All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and a financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

    Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited to the interview.

    Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

12. A copy of the latest academic certificate

13. UN Women P-11 form, available via

14. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’

15. Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.org)

16. Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]

17. Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

    • Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.

    • The total number of points allotted for the price component is 100.

    • The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.