Background

The purpose of this procurement exercise is to contract one individual consultant who will ensure effective implementation of the MIF Program in Senegal and the Sub-region, as well as provide technical support to UNCDF in the area of municipal finance and local public and private finance — in relation to infrastructure & service provision, local economic development and the strengthening of municipal capacity - in Senegal and in countries of the Sub-region. 

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s least developed countries. It creates new opportunities for poor people and their communities by increasing access to development finance and investment capital. UNCDF focuses on the least developed countries in Africa and Asia, with a special commitment to countries emerging from conflict or crisis. It provides seed capital, loans and targeted technical support to help development finance institutions reach more poor households and small businesses, and local governments finance the capital investments – water systems, feeder roads, schools, irrigation schemes – that will improve poor peoples’ lives.

Reporting directly to the Regional Technical Advisor for the Local Development Finance Practice as well as the Municipal Investment Finance (MIF) Global Program Manager, the National Consultant will ensure developing the MIF Program in Senegal and West African Region, in collaboration with a MIF Policy Advisor.

The MIF program aims at supporting towns, cities and urban areas in the region to secure the capital and recurrent financing required for their growing infrastructure and service requirements. The program operates in Senegal and other selected LDCs in the Western Africa region in coordination with the respective UNCDF country team under the direct supervision of the Regional Technical Advisor who is based in Dakar, Senegal, as well as the MIF Global Program Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will ensure effective implementation of the MIF Program in Senegal and the Sub-region, as well as provide technical support to UNCDF in the area of municipal finance and local public and private finance — in relation to infrastructure & service provision, local economic development and the strengthening of municipal capacity - in Senegal and in countries of the Sub-region.

More precisely, he/she will:

  • Support the conduct of activities and the implementation of the MIF Program based on UNCDF’s mandate
  • Support piloting and testing improved municipal finance mechanisms, instruments and tools for: Fiscal transfers from central to local government institutions; Improvements in local taxation and fees; and Debt instruments (borrowing, special purpose project vehicles and bonds) for Municipal Finance:
    • Provide technical knowledge on appropriate municipal finance mechanism implementation strategies;
    • Write / Provide inputs to strategic concept notes;
    • Conduct discussions with relevant partners to tailor a relevant, sustainable and effective mechanism that fits local needs, and meets global objectives.
  • Support and build financial and fiscal management capacities, development planning, infrastructure planning and project preparation in Municipalities for improved access to finance:
    • Ensure appropriate and efficient dialogue with Municipalities for effective collaboration and on-boarding;
    • Conduct management financial and fiscal diagnosis, review development plans and infrastructure planning, of the Municipality;
    • Support and build capacities in municipalities in identifying and preparing projects as well as getting through the process of accessing capital;
    • Design and implement capacity building plans for relevant Municipal divisions.
  • Support in the identification and structuration of Public and Private Partnership Projects (PPPs) with municipalities, and support access to financing:
    • Support in sourcing PPP projects;
    • Support in coordinating discussions and data collection on the projects led by Municipalities;
    • Design and support initiatives in Local Development Finance that engage with local banks and other providers of capital resources for local infrastructure and building local productive capacity in the region's LDCs;
  • Contribute to the strategic positioning of the MIF Program:
    • Provide technical support and advice to UNCDF, in particular to the MIF Global Program Manager, on corporate initiatives and activities.
    • Provide technical knowledge in relation to the implementation of the SDGs and the development strategies in Senegal and the region;
    • Preparation of substantive inputs into the LDFP Business Plan, the Results-Oriented Annual Report as well as the annual LDFP Work Plan;
  • Support in the resource mobilization of the MIF Program:
    • Inputs to regional and national level publications, seminars, and conferences to highlight UNCDF support to local development;
    • Inputs to proposals submission/concept to mobilize additional funds for MIF-related projects.
  • Implement program management activities:
    • Availability to travel around Senegal and the Western Africa region.
    • Apply UNCDF's Results Based Management approach to the MIF.
    • Team management;
    • Administrative tasks;
    • Procurement tasks.
  • More generally, the consultant will have to conduct its activities in accordance with UNCDF standards:
    • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
    • Fair and transparent decision making;
    • Calculated risk-taking;
    • Ability to address gender equality and empowerment of women considerations in strategic and operational activities of UNCDF.

Monitoring and Progress Control

  • Based in UNCDF Dakar Office, the MIF Municipal Finance Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Technical Advisor for Local Development Finance Practice based in Dakar and the MIF Global Program Manager based in New York.
  • Payment will be made based on the reception and validation of deliverables, and disbursement of payments should be approved by the Regional Technical Advisor, as set below:

Deliverable 1: Methodological note on activity implementation strategy and work plan (Month 1, 10%)

Deliverable 2: Quarterly report on the implementation of activities and revised work plan for the coming months (Month 3, 20%)

Deliverable 3: Quarterly report on the implementation of activities and revised work plan for the coming months? (Month 6, 20%)

Deliverable 4: Quarterly report on the implementation of activities and revised work plan for the coming months (Month 9, 20%)

Deliverable 5: Final report on the implementation of the activities and work plan for the year n+1 if activities are continued (Month 12, 30%)

In addition to the general deliverables mentioned in the table above, specific deliverables will be requested by UNCDF, and their receipt and validation will condition the payments mentioned above. These deliverables include: Mission Reports, Strategic/methodological Notes, Financial and fiscal diagnosis of municipalities, Review of local development plans, Supporting the structuration of investment plans for municipalities, etc.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

  • Demonstrates ethics and integrity;
  • Demonstrates political acumen and calculated risk taking;
  • Impeccable diplomatic skills and knowledge of protocol;
  • Builds own competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
  • Creates and promotes open communication;
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
  • Conducts fair and transparent decision making;
  • Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;

Functional Competencies:

  • Proven ability in public speaking, specifically to senior-level audiences including governments, companies and international organizations;
  • Strong professional spokesperson capability, technically able to convey messages on behalf of UNCDF while respecting cultural contexts, political sensitivities and advancing national priorities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master's degree or equivalent in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration, or related field is required.

Experience:

1. Minimum of 5 years of relevant, practical working experience is required in:

  • International development working on local development finance; preferably in Senegal or other least developed countries (LDCs) in the Western Africa region;

2. Technical knowledge is required on the following:

  • Local development planning and capital investment programming in urban or rural areas;
  • Municipal finance issues or in private sector financing of infrastructure projects;

3. Demonstrated ability in:

  • Developing project documents and start-up of new projects;
  • Experience with new product/mechanism development, testing, roll-out;
  • Proven resource mobilization experience and record of success in building partnerships, negotiating financing, reporting to and managing grants from development partners;
  • Strong program and project management experience including budget and financial management, staff supervision, teambuilding;
  • Experience of managing a bond process is a bonus;
  • Strong financial analysis and business project appraisal skills;

4.  Familiarity with UNCDF/UNDP rules and procedures is an advantage.

Language Requirements: Fluency in English and French; Spoken Wolof is an asset

 

Application Procedure

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. (Note: the system does not allow multiple uploads of documents. Applicants must make sure to upload all documents in one PDF file).

All applications must contain the following information:

a) Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability;

b) 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 the names of at least three (3) professional references (e-mail addresses, telephone numbers);

c) Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.?

d) Signed Financial proposal for the assignment outlining: All-inclusive fee (including professional fees and other professional expenses, such as housing, insurance, taxes, etc.). Available at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=29916).

If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNCDF under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNCDF.

 

Evaluation Process

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100 points, where weight distribution shall be 70% technical (30% desk review + 40% interview) and 30% financial.

Step I: Screening:

Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria (listed under education and experience) will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

  • Master's degree or equivalent in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration
  • Minimum of 5 years of relevant, practical working experience in the field of international development working on local development finance; preferably in Senegal or other least developed countries (LDCs) in the Western Africa region
  • Fluency in both French and English

Step II: Shortlisting by Desk Review (100 points)

UNCDF will conduct a desk review process to shortlist and technically evaluate candidates as per the following criteria:

1. Education (20 points): Master's degree or equivalent in Economics, Business, Public Finance, Public Administration.

2. Experience (70 points):

Minimum of 5 years of relevant, practical working experience is required in the field of International development working on local development finance; preferably in Senegal or other least developed countries (LDCs) in the Western Africa region (30 points);

Technical knowledge is required on at least on the following (20 points):

  • Local development planning and capital investment programming in urban or rural areas;
  • Municipal finance issues or in private sector financing of infrastructure projects

Demonstrated ability in (15 points):

  • Developing project documents and start-up of new projects;
  • Experience with new product/mechanism development, testing, roll-out;
  • Proven resource mobilization experience and record of success in building partnerships, negotiating financing, reporting to and managing grants from development partners;
  • Strong program and project management experience including budget and financial management, staff supervision, teambuilding;
  • Experience of managing a bond process is a bonus;
  • Strong financial analysis and business project appraisal skills;

Familiarity with UNCDF/UNDP rules and procedures is an advantage (5 points).

3.  Language (10 points):

  • Fluency in English/French

As applicable, only the first top 3-4 ranked applicants achieving minimum 70 points shall be invited for an interview.

Step III: Technical interviews

A competency-based Interview shall be conducted with the top three or four candidates who score the highest in Step II (minimum of 70 points). Candidates will be tested on the same key work areas, in greater depth, with the same weighting, namely:

  • Relevant experience
  • Sector Technical Knowledge
  • Programme Development and Management
  • Understanding of the mission

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% on the total of Step II: Desk Review and Step III: Interview will be considered as technically qualified and will be reviewed further for financial evaluation.

Step IV: Financial Evaluation:

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%.

Step V: Award Criteria:

The contact shall be awarded to the applicant whose offer have been evaluated and determined as:

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable vis-à-vis the requirements of the TOR and the project operating environment; and
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (70%) and financial (30%) criteria.

Individual consultants and individuals employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply.

Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a Procurement Notice for IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly).

Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.

UNCDF 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.