Procurement Notices

        ATTENTION: Proposals regarding below Assignment shall be submitted to tr.ic.proposal@undp.org                         

                                Terms of Reference for Consultancy Services for the 2017 Annual Results Report of the

                                              United Nations Development Cooperation Strategy (UNDCS) 2016 - 2020

Position: Consultant for conducting the 2017 Annual Review of the UNDCS and drafting the UN Annual Results Report

Duty Station: Ankara, Turkey

Duration: 28 man/days between 15 January 2018 and 15 April 2018.

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

1.     Background

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) system in Turkey signed the fourth generation Common Country Programme Document in cooperation with the Government of Turkey. This document, known as the United Nations Development Cooperation Strategy (UNDCS), sets forth four strategic areas of cooperation between the UN system and the Turkish Government in the programme period from 2016 to 2020.

To enable a stronger harmonization and monitoring of the UN System’s achievements in these areas, the UN System and the Government collectively agreed to adopt the One Programme component of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of “Delivering as One”. The SOPs call for the establishment of Results Groups, each with their own Terms of Reference (ToR) and Joint Work Plan (JWP), Chaired by a UN Head of Agency, and with a stronger focus on joint efforts and programming.

At the end of 2015, six new Results Groups, each responsible for one or more of the results areas, were established. The work of the Results Groups is planned and monitored on the bases of annual Joint Work Plans (JWPs).In addition to the Results Groups, the UN system in Turkey has a number of other inter-agency working and thematic groups contributing to the implementation of the UNDCS.

According to the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the UNDCS, as well as the SOP on the One Programme, the UN is to carry out annual reviews of the UNDCS, which will form the basis of the Annual UN Results Report.

Given the above, the UNCT seeks one consultant to facilitate the 2017 annual review of the UNDCS and to draft the UN Annual Results Report.

2.     Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the consultancy is to facilitate the 2017 annual review of the UNDCS and to draft the UN Annual Results Report.

3.     Background Documents

The consultant will review the following documents:

1. United Nations Development Cooperation Strategy 2016-2020 (incl. Results Framework);
2. The six Joint Work Plans of the Results Groups (RGs);
3. Annual Work Plans of inter-agency Working Groups (WGs) and Thematic Groups (TGs);
4. UNDG recommended reporting guidelines;
5. 10th National Development Plan
6. 2016 Annual Review Report of UNDCS
7. 2017 Mid-year monitoring reports of the Joint Work Plans
8. Any other agency or inter-agency document deemed necessary.

4.     Deliverables and Timeline

Detailed timeline for the Consultant is as follows:

*While the Consultant may invest less or more than the estimated number of man/days stated, the total man/days dedicated to the assignment shall not exceed 28 man/days.

5.     Timeframe

Expected Starting Date: 15 January 2018

Expected Ending Date: 15 April 2018

Duration: 28 man/days throughout the Contract validity.

6.     Payment Conditions

The consultant shall be paid in accordance with the planned payment schedule (please refer to the Article 4 of the ToR) upon acceptance and approval of deliverables by the UN RCO.

The candidates, who will be determined as technically qualified during technical evaluation will be requested to submit ‘Financial Proposals’.

The financial proposal forms shall be submitted in the standard format which will be communicated to technically qualified candidates.

The Consultant will be hired under an Individual Contract and will be paid on the basis of the submission of deliverables detailed in the Terms of Reference upon acceptance and approval of the deliverables by the UN RCO. Without submission and approval (by the UN RCO) of the deliverables, the Consultant shall not be entitled to receive any payment from the UN RCO even if he/she invests time in the assignment.

The amount paid shall be gross and inclusive of all associated costs such as social security, pension and income tax.

The consultant will be paid in TRY in case s/he is a Turkish national otherwise in USD upon submission of the deliverables as detailed above. The price proposal will be given in USD. The rate of exchange shall be the official rate applied by the United Nations on the day the UNDP instructs its bank to effect the payment(s).

7. Minimum Qualification Requirements and Experience

1. At least 5 years of proven experience in writing analytical reports is required.
2. Excellent proven writing skills in English and ability to summarize concepts from different sources is required.
3. Experience in conducting reviews and drafting review reports.
4. Knowledge on the global development agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as on the national development priorities.
5. Familiarity with human rights and the work with the UN is an asset.
6. Experience in Result Based Management Reporting.
7. Fluency in English required. Turkish is an asset.
8. Familiarity with Turkey context and the work of the UN System in Turkey.
9. For applicants who will be working remotely; proven experience related to Turkey’s development context and UN’s work in Turkey.

8.     Duty Station

1. Physical presence in Ankara, Turkey is preferred.
2. For applicants who live abroad and will travel to Ankara to conduct the review, the travel expenses will be borne by the UN.
3. Applicants who live abroad and will not be able to travel to Turkey can conduct the review remotely. The option for conducting the review remotely is open provided that the candidate meets “Item 9” under the required qualifications and experience.

9.     Services and Facilities Provided by UN RCO

No Services or Facilities will be provided by UN RCO.

10.     Applications

Interested candidates should submit all of the following documents by 11 January 2018, 11 P.M. (GMT+3):

• UN Personal History Form (P11 Form)
• Sample of analytical work produced in the past in English (ideally a report related to a result-oriented programme review)
• List of previous assignments with UN Agencies in Turkey, indicating the name of the relevant contact person (only if the candidate has previous experience with UN in Turkey)

                                                          Annex: Suggested Outline of the Annual Results Report

Foreword (1/2 page)

The foreword is optional. It is normally written by the Resident Coordinator but could also be developed jointly by the Resident Coordinator and a high-level Government counterpart, illustrating highlights of collaboration and thanking partners.

Executive Summary (2 pages)

The executive summary consists of a brief overview summary of the report.

Key Development Trends (2-4 pages if per overall report; ½-1 page if per Pillar / Outcome)

Building on inputs from the results groups and regular country scans, this section highlights changes in social, economic and political conditions that could impact the implementation of the One Programme, including key development indicators. This section can also reflect developments related to major national strategies, budget decisions, policy initiatives and legislative reforms, including those drawn from international human rights obligations/mechanisms. The report could either feature one single section on key development trends, or short separate key development trends sections under each Pillar / Outcome.

Results of the One Programme (2-3 pages per Outcome)

Building on inputs from the results groups, this section highlights the collective progress of the UN development system towards the Outcomes of the One Programme. It also provides highlights of concrete outputs, including through the implementation joint work plans. The influence of outputs delivery in achieving national targets should be highlighted. The report can feature (human) contribution stories where possible, with particular attention to the value added of inter-agency, multi-sectorial collaboration and partnerships.

Results of Operating as One (1 page)

Highlights briefly progress against Business Operations Strategy and its Outcomes, including key figures and data. Countries who do not have a Business Operations Strategy provide an overview of results of common services and / or common premises initiatives.

Results of Communicating as One (1 page)

Highlights briefly joint advocacy and communications work related to the implementation of the One Programme.

Financial Overview

Contains the Common Budgetary Framework, including information on estimated expenditures, ideally and when feasible, aggregated by Pillar, Outcome and Agency. This section could highlight information on top donors, including government contributions, if applicable. It could also include reporting on the One Fund. A simple chart based on figures from Annex One could be included here, showing Planned Budget and actual Expenditures at the Outcome-level, as well as a breakdown by Agency.

Lessons Learned and Way Forward (1-3 pages)

Taking into consideration the primary audience of the report identified, this section highlights challenges, risks and assumptions, bottlenecks in implementation and lessons learned - and how these will be addressed in the subsequent year. This section would typically build on inputs from results groups. The report could either feature one single section on challenges and lessons learned, or short separate challenges and lessons learned sections under each Pillar / Outcome and under Operating as One and Communicating as One sections.

                                              Annex: Progress against One Programme Results Framework (see table below)

Contains a table with latest data on the agreed Outcome and Output indicators. The table has been purposely kept simple to facilitate development and use of the report. When an online results monitoring system of the UNDAF/One Programme exists, this can be used to fill in the table in this Annex. When the UNDAF features a high number of indicators, the UNCT may opt to select a limited number of those for the purpose of filling the table below.