Background

Despite the significant progress that has been made in fighting the global scourge of corruption in recent years, corruption continues to harm national development processes and undermine democracy and the rule of law, contributing to the culture of impunity and violence thus impeding progress towards achievement of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recognizing the detrimental impact of corruption on sustainable development, nearly all countries have ratified or acceded to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). With 187 states parties as of 6 February 2020, UNCAC has been influential in enabling states parties to adopt national legal instruments to combat corruption, including anti-corruption laws and strategies, and the establishment of anti-corruption institutions.

Moreover, corruption and its consequences significantly impact COVID-19 response and recovery. The impact of corruption is currently being felt not only across healthcare service delivery, policymaking, procurement practices, and the management of health funds, but also on governance systems overall, undermining the effectiveness of response and recovery measures to the crisis. To build back better, strengthen resilience of institutions, systems and people and reduce vulnerability to future crisis, anti-corruption initiatives will maintain their critical role in the development agenda at the global, regional and country levels.

The multi-year support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia to UNDP’s anti-corruption work has been very important to promote transparency, accountability and integrity agenda at the global, regional and country levels. In 2012-2016 DFAT Australia supported UNDP’s Global Anti-corruption Initiative (GAIN) to implement anti-corruption initiatives in close collaboration with UNODC, and a joint UNDP-UNODC initiative, UN Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project.

The successful implementation of Phase 1 resulted in a renewed DFAT-UNDP-UNODC partnership in 2016-2020, with UNDP’s new Anti-Corruption for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies (ACPIS) global project implemented with a total budget of AUD 6,550,665. The project aimed to integrate anti-corruption solutions in service delivery sectors such as health, education, water, construction, etc., strengthen institutional capacity of integrity institutions to prevent corruption, and promote knowledge and advocacy to support anti-corruption efforts.

More specifically, the ACPIS project aimed to strengthen national capacities, integrate anti-corruption measures into national development processes and enhance integrity in service delivery. The project aimed to contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, by integrating anti-corruption, transparency and accountability across all the SDGs.

From the end of 2018 to the beginning of 2019, an independent international consultant carried out a mid-term review of the ACPIS project. Overall, the review concluded that the project showed continued progress during 2016-2018 and achieved its expected results during the mid-point of project implementation, demonstrating evidence of success at the country level, with 6 countries implementing anti-corruption initiatives (Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Thailand) supported by the global ACPIS project. Through global advocacy and awareness activities, the ACPIS project widely shared its lessons learned and good practices from global, regional and country levels, for example, during the commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day, participation at the Conference of the States Parties to UNCAC, International Anti-Corruption Conference, etc. Coupled with these achievements, the project also promoted innovation through its activities, both in terms of the use of technology, and in leading new thinking and ways in addressing corruption.

 

Scope of work

The overall expected outcome of the ACPIS project is:

“Anti-corruption institutions, systems and mechanisms are better integrated to support partner countries to prevent and tackle corruption.”

< Objectives and Outputs >

Objective 1: Integrate anti-corruption solutions in service delivery sectors, in partnership with youth, women and private sector.

Output 1.1: Anti-Corruption solutions integrated in service delivery systems (such as in health, education, water and infrastructure, justice and security) to mitigate corruption risks.

Output 1.2: Social accountability mechanisms to monitor services and provide oversight promoted and strengthened (such as civic engagement, engagement and participation of youth and grassroots women, private sector participation).

Objective 2: Strengthen state/institutional capacity to implement UNCAC, in particular with regard to the prevention of corruption.

Output 2.1: UNCAC and anti-corruption integrated in national development processes, including the mainstreaming of SDGs at national and sub-national levels, to prevent and tackle corruption.

Output 2.2: Measures to prevent corruption are put in place by anti-corruption institutions.

Objective 3: Promote knowledge and advocacy to support anti-corruptions efforts, including a better understanding of the link between violent extremism and corruption.

Output 3.1: Advocacy is promoted at national and sub-national levels to reinforce anti-corruption efforts.

Output 3.2: Knowledge on anti-corruption id produced and shared globally, including south-south and triangular cooperation.

 

Purpose of Final Evaluation

Against this background, an independent final evaluation will be undertaken in October-November 2020, as per the project document.

The objectives of this final evaluation are threefold:

  1. To assess progress of the ACPIS project against the three project objectives and evaluate whether the project achieved expected results, as envisioned by the project document;
  2. To evaluate the implementation of the project and its existing capacity according to: a) DFAT’s quality criteria and expectations; and b) mid-term review recommendations; and
  3. To assess the project’s alignment with and contribution to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2018-2021, and provide forward-looking recommendations, lessons learned and good practices.

 

Issues to be addressed:

Key Evaluation Questions:

The final evaluation will take into account DFAT’s Partnership Performance Assessment (PPA) criteria such as relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, monitoring and evaluation, sustainability, gender equality, and risk management, to assess the results and progress of the project. The consultant will evaluate the achievements during 2019-2020 (up to the month of August) (the last 20 months of the project’s operation) and consolidate them with the mid-term results achieved by the project, against its objectives and result indicators. The final evaluation should answer the following key questions:

 

Project Design, Outcomes and Impact:

  • What are the project’s key achievements and what impact and progress have been made based on the theory of change and results framework (impact, outcomes, outputs) of the project?
  • What tangible results or impact have been achieved through the activities implemented, and is there evidence of sustainability? (Gender dimensions should be taken into account.)
  • How were the findings and recommendations from the mid-term review addressed by the ACPIS project?
  • Did the project’s structure, coordination and implementation of work at the global, regional and country levels, and the project’s existing capacity contribute to the successful implementation of the ACPIS project?
  • How did ACPIS contribute to development of knowledge and expertise that was utilised by other anti-corruption initiatives focused in the Asia-Pacific region?
  • Is there an evidence that policy and programme support provided to target countries, knowledge products, etc. produced through ACPIS made a difference to other anti-corruption endeavours in the region?
  • What are the main lessons learned from the ACPIS project and what are the recommendations going forward? What has worked well, what has not, and what is recommended for future initiatives on anti-corruption that UNDP will implement?

Modality, Partnerships and Cooperation:

  • How effective were the organizational structures and operations, as well as policy mandates, between the implementing partners? E.g. UNDP global anti-corruption team in Singapore, regional hubs, and country offices; other UN agencies (e.g. UNODC); etc.?
  • To what extent have partnerships been established/supported with governments and non-state actors (e.g. civil society organisations, private sector, etc.)?
  • To what extent has there been coordination amongst relevant UNDP teams, country offices and regional hubs, and between UNDP, UNODC and other international and partner organisations?
  • What are UNDP’s strengths and comparative advantages in anti-corruption work vis-à-vis UNODC and other partners?

Key Evaluation Criteria:

The final evaluation will take into account criteria such as relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, monitoring and evaluation, sustainability, gender equality, and impact to assess the final results and progress of the project.

  1. Relevance: The final evaluation will assess the degree to which the project considers the global and local contexts and development problems. It will also review the extent to which the project design is logical and coherent, and it will assess the link between activities and expected results, and between results and objectives to be achieved.
  2. Effectiveness: The final evaluation will assess the extent to which the project's objectives have been achieved compared to the overall project goal. In evaluating effectiveness, it is useful to consider: I) if the planning activities were consistent with the overall objectives and project purpose; 2) the analysis of principal factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the objectives.
  3. Efficiency: Using a range of cost analysis approaches, from the elaborate cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis, to cost-efficiency analysis, to a quick cost comparison, the evaluation will assess how well did the project produce the products and services it committed itself to deliver; how do costs affect the sustainability of the results;
  4. Impact: The final evaluation will assess any credible evidence and the main impact achieved during the life of the project. Views of government officials, civil society, private sector and other direct participants involved in project implementation will be also assessed.
  5. Sustainability: The final evaluation will assess the project capacity to produce and to reproduce benefits over time. In evaluating the project sustainability, it is useful to consider to what extent intervention benefits will continue even after the project is concluded and the principal factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the project sustainability.
  6. Monitoring & Evaluation: The final evaluation will assess the robustness of the M&E system and whether has generated credible information that is being used for management decision making, learning and accountability.
  7. Gender equality: The final evaluation will assess to what extent the project has made a difference to gender equality and empowering women and girls, as well as promoting women’s participation throughout project activities. 

Methodology:

Based on UNDP’s polices and guidelines on M&E and the standard global practices on reviewing projects/programmes, the independent consultant will discuss and finalize the methodology to conduct the final evaluation, with support from the ACPIS team. The evaluation process will entail a combination of desk review of all relevant project documents, evaluations and knowledge products; interviews (via Webex, Skype or Zoom) with key UNDP staff, senior management, regional focal points on anti-corruption, selected Country Offices, partner organizations, civil society organizations or beneficiaries of country level projects; and an online survey to review UNDP’s policy and programme support globally through this project

Duties and Responsibilities

Expected outputs and Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

  1. Final evaluation inception report—an inception report should be prepared by the consultant before going into the full-fledged data collection exercise. It should detail the evaluator’s understanding of what is being evaluated and why, showing how each evaluation question will be answered by way of: proposed methods, proposed sources of data and data collection procedures. The inception report should include a proposed schedule of tasks, activities and deliverables. (By October 10, 2020)
  2. First draft evaluation report which should be reviewed and approved by ACPIS team members and interviewed staff. (By November 5, 2020)
  3. Presentation of findings and recommendations of final evaluation to ACPIS team and DFAT via Skype or Zoom. (By November 11, 2020)
  4. Final evaluation report, incorporating all the comments and inputs made to the previous drafts. (no later than December 5, 2020)

Reporting

The consultant will work closely with the ACPIS team, under the direct supervision of the Global Programme Advisor on Anti-Corruption and in close coordination with the ACPIS Programme Manager. The ACPIS team will provide all the necessary documents and facilitate the work of the consultant.

Competencies

Functional competencies:

  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Ability to work independently;
  • Ability to perform tasks in a timely manner and produce quality final product;
  • Strong interpersonal, communication and diplomacy skills;
  • Openness to change and ability to receive and integrate feedback.

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;
  • Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree in public administration, law, political science, finance, economics, international relations, development studies, or related field.

Experience:

  •  At least 10 years of working experience in monitoring and evaluation, and in addition, policy support, programme management or design of governance and anti-corruption programmes/projects;
  • Prior experience in producing research studies (preferably in governance and anti-corruption),
  • Prior experience in conducting mid-term or final evaluations related to governance and preferably anti-corruption.

Language Requirements:

  •  Strong writing skills in English.

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Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal

  • Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;
  • Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work
  • Annex at least one sample of previous work on mid-term review or final evaluation.
  • Financial proposal (Offeror's Letter to UNDP)
    The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).
  • Personal CV of individual(s) including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references.

General Conditions of Contract is available here: GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

Please note you can upload only one document to this application (scan all documents in one single PDF file to attach).

Important Note:

The Contractor is required to have the aforementioned professional and technical qualifications. Only the applicants who hold these qualifications will be shortlisted and contacted.

Evaluation Ethics

This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The consultant must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on data. The consultant must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure. 

Management and implementation arrangements

The evaluator(s) should be independent from any organization that has been involved in designing or executing any aspect of the ACPIS project.

The evaluator(s) will be under the overall supervision of UNDP’s Global Programme Advisor on Anti-Corruption and will work in coordination with the ACPIS Programme Manager. The global project staff will provide all the necessary technical support to independent evaluator(s), including provision of relevant documents, materials, contact information of relevant stakeholders/partners for interviews, etc.

Evaluation process of applicants

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight; [Total 70% (70 points]

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 point) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Criteria

Max. Point

Technical

70 points

  • Criterion A -relevant education

10 points MA

3 additional points for PhD

Max – 13 points

  • Criterion B- 10 years of relevant experience in governance and anti-corruption

10 years – 20 points

10-12 years – 22 points

13+years – 24 points

Max – 24 points

  • Criterion C- experience in producing research/studies

9 points

  • Criterion D- experience in conducting mid-term/final evaluations

9 points

  • Criterion E – methodology to conduct final evaluation

15 points – fully responsive;

7 if partially responsive;

0 if not responsive 

 

* Financial Criteria weight; [Total 30% (30 points)]

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

  • p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
  • y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
  • µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
  • z = price of the proposal being evaluated

 

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into a contract with UNDP.

 

Schedule of Payments:

The consultant(s) will be paid in three tranches upon submission of the agreed deliverables

  1. Upon submission and approval of the inception report (20% of the agreed fee);
  2. Upon satisfactory submission and approval of first draft (30% of the agreed fee);
  3. Upon satisfactory submission and approval of the final draft (50% of the agreed fee).

Duration of work/Time frame:

The consultancy will start on October 5, 2020 and the final product should be submitted no later than December 5, 2020.

Duty Station

This consultancy will be home-based. The Consultant will be required to use her/his own computer.

Travel:

Travel is not required under this assignment.