Procurement Notices

Consultancy Title

Public Financial Management and Governance Advisor (2 positions)

Project Name

Governance for Resilient Development in the Pacific Project (Gov4Res)

Duty Station

Based in Suva (Fiji) with travel (conditional on COVID-19 situation - initially desk based)

Type of Contract- International Individual Consultancy  

Duration of the Contract

• Contract period: Six months 
• Number of working days: 131 working days (21.75 days per month) 
• Commencement and ends dates of assignment: 1st June – 31st Dec 2020

Consultancy Proposal (CV & Financial proposal Template) should be uploaded on UNDP e-tendering Portal (https://etendering.partneragencies.org) ID Ref: 0000005903 no later than, 19th May 2020 (New York Time). Any proposals received after the due date/time will not be accepted. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to procurement.fj@undp.org. UNDP will respond in writing or by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants. Incomplete, late and joint proposals will not be considered and only offers for which there is further interest will be contacted. Failure to submit your application as stated as per the application submission guide (Procurement Notice) on the above link will be considered incomplete and therefore application will not be considered.

NOTE:

Proposals must be sent/uploaded through UNDP e-tendering Portal. Candidates need to upload their CV and financial proposal -using UNDP template

If the selected/successful Candidate is over 65 years of age and required to travel outside his home country; he/she will be required provide a full medical report at their expense prior to issuance to contract. Contract will only be issued when Proposed candidate is deemed medically fit to undertake the assignment.

Objectives

The objective of this assignment is to provide technical advisory support to countries to ensure gender and socially inclusive risk informed development is integrated into government systems of policy, planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation. The consultant will be responsible for supporting the successful implementation of Output 1.1 of the Gov4Res project, and ensuring that this is translated into regional knowledge management, technical peer-to-peer exchanges and at the country level support institutionalisation and sustainability of the programme. 

Background

The Governance for Resilient Development in the Pacific (Governance for Resilience) project works with Pacific governments to ensure that countries adapt their decision making and governance systems towards more resilient development. The projects theory of change rests on a core assumption that Pacific Island people will be more resilient to the impacts of climate change and disasters if countries manage all development through a risk informed approach. This is consistent with the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific which calls for the ‘mainstreaming’ of climate and disaster risk treating risk management as fundamental to all development decisions.

The Governance for Resilience project has three outcomes areas: 1) government planning and financing systems enable gender and socially inclusive risk-informed development; 2) country oversight and accountability systems require gender and socially inclusive risk-informed development; and 3) regional organisations, policies and practices are actively supporting gender and socially inclusive risk-informed development.

The project is being delivered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office, in partnership with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). It is a 5-year project working across all Pacific countries. It is the second phase of the DFAT funded, UNDP implemented Pacific Risk Resilience Programme (PRRP).

Scope of work/Expected Output

The scope of work for this assignment will be to lead the technical inputs on specific products and advisory support, with a focus on governance, public financial management, development of financing strategies, and engagement with government ministries responsible for financing and planning.  Specifically, the scope of work includes:

Undertake CCBII++ Assessments and Inception Risk Mapping and Analysis

• Lead on adaptation of the Climate Change Budget Integration Index (CCBII++) Assessment for the Pacific context in conjunction with Gov4Res team.
• Facilitate CCBII++ assessments and updates in project countries, in conjunction with project monitoring and evaluation specialist.
• Undertake a desktop mapping exercise of levels and effectiveness of climate change, disaster and gender and social inclusion risk integration into PFM systems in the Pacific Region, focusing particularly on project countries. Use this to identify and collate relevant policies, templates, guidelines and manuals, particular used by Ministries responsible for finance and planning.
• Develop a catalogue of climate change financing and risk integration tools, particularly focusing on small and developing economies and island states.

Identify opportunities for development of Climate Change Financing Framework assessments

• Garner interest from Ministries of Finance and sectors opportunities for undertaking Climate Change Finance Framework (CCFF) Assessments, focusing on potential use and in Ministry of Finance processes, with planning functions and in sectors.
• Develop a CCFF training package and material for government counterparts and Gov4Res team.

Provide Public Financial Management expertise

• Ascertain Climate Budget Tagging opportunities with existing country partners, and develop concept note and road map for implementation.
• Support countries to better understand climate change expenditure reporting and accountability on climate change expenditures.
• Provide Public Financial Management expertise and oversight for the work currently being undertaken both at regional and national level, including guidance to the national consultants delivering outputs to the project.
• Facilitate, review and provide technical inputs to policy briefs and advocacy communication materials.

Initiate communities of practice and peer-to-peer learning

• Identify opportunities in the region for peer-to-peer learning opportunities on climate finance, public financial management and/or governance, and where there is value and interest develop a strategy/plan for establishment of regional communities of practice, with the aim of facilitating knowledge and experience sharing, coordination and advancement, on relevant issues such as climate financing
• Facilitate initial peer-to-peer and COP interactions though organisation of e-discussions and using network as means for dissemination of new research and opportunities
• Prepare knowledge products from/for peer-to-peer exchanges including policy briefs, position statements, guidance and training material, toolkits etc.

Provide training and capacity building for project staff and partners

• Identify and design capacity building initiatives and training packages on risk informed public financial management for project stakeholders, including core project staff
• Review training plans, materials and methodologies for all project outcome areas and propose recommendations.

Contribute to UNDP Resilient Development Activities

• As required, provide Public Financial Management advice to the UNDP Resilience and Sustainable Development team more broadly.

Resources Provided

The consultant is expected to provide their own laptop and communications equipment. UNDP will provide desk space in Suva and will make arrangements for travel to Suva and other countries as required.

Supervision/Reporting

The consultant will report directly to the Programme Manager for the UNDP Governance for Resilience Project under the overall guidance of the Resilience and Sustainable Development Team Leader and will work in collaboration with other members of the Resilience and Sustainable Development team including Gov4Res team and key partners.

Requirement for Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum Masters  in public administration, public finance, public policy, or related areas.
• At least 15 years of professional experience in governance/ public financial management area.
• Proven experience in policy analysis and public financial management, and advisory role to senior government stakeholders.
• Relevance of knowledge and experience with climate change finance, poverty and gender issues.
• Practical experience in Ministries of Finance, Planning, Local Government in Pacific region and Asia is an advantage. 
• Experience on researching, reporting, writing and editing manuscripts of UN and other international development partners
• Experiences of working in Asia-Pacific is an advantage, particularly in the countries covered by the project.
• Ability to work with multi-country teams.

Functional Competencies

• Excellent communication and advocacy skills
• Proven ability to conceptualise, develop, plan and manage human rights interventions as well as transfer knowledge and skills
• Experienced in delivering training and other needed capacity/ institutional building support to a wide range of stakeholders
• Ability to coach, mentor, motivate and develop staff and encourage good performance
• Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued learning and development
• Good interpersonal skills with experience of networking with partners at all levels
• Good understanding of national and international human rights mechanisms, and excellent inter-personal skills
• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor work of others, ability to make timely decisions
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, and age sensitivity and adaptability and capacity to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

Proposal Requirements

Daily Fee

The IC shall quote an all-inclusive daily fee for this consultancy work. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal. If applicable, travel or daily allowance cost (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) should be identified separately.

Payments

Payments shall be done on a monthly basis and based on actual days worked, and upon verification of completion of deliverables and approval by the IC’s supervisor of a time sheet indicating the days worked in the period.

General Notes on Financial Offer

• UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the Consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using his/her own resources.
• In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Payment Schedule (if required)

Fees to be paid based on monthly invoice submitted by consultant with progress report of outputs certified by UNDP.

Consultancy fee and living allowance to be paid based on satisfactory completion of outputs and certification by UNDP.

Evaluation

Cumulative analysis

The proposals will be evaluated using the cumulative analysis method with a split 70% technical and 30% financial scoring. The proposal with the highest cumulative scoring will be awarded the contract. Applications will be evaluated technically, and points are attributed based on how well the proposal meets the requirements of the Terms of Reference using the guidelines detailed in the table below:

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract may 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 where:
  • Technical criteria are valued at 70%
  • Financial criteria are valued at 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Interviews may be conducted as part of technical assessment.

Top two (2) ranked candidates will be selected for this consultancy

Technical Criteria for Evaluation

Proposal Submission

Shortlisted candidates may be contacted for an interview.

Offerors must send the following documents.

• CV including names/contacts of at least 3 referees.
• A cover letter indicating why the candidate considers himself/herself suitable for the required consultancy
• Completed template for confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal.

Individuals applying for this consultancy will be reviewed based on their own individual capacity. The successful individual may sign an Individual Contract with UNDP or request his/her employer to sign a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) on their behalf by indicating this in the Offerors letter to Confirming Interest and Availability

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on a Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs.

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Bid Submission Address

https://etendering.partneragencies.org

BU Code: FJI10

Event ID: 0000005903

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Please use the bidder’s guide for submission of proposal

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to procurement.fj@undp.org

Women candidates are encouraged to apply.

*The Fiji Office covers Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu