Procurement Notices

Background - UNCDF

UNCDF makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. UNCDF’s financing models work through two channels: financial inclusion that expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small businesses to participate in the local economy, providing them with the tools they need to climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; and by showing how localized investments — through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance — can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion and sustainable development. By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a number of different SDGs.

Highlands Joint Project

The PNG Highlands Joint Programme (2020 to 2022) has been developed from the UN response paper – Scope of Post-Earthquake Recovery Activities. It is supported by the Hela Government Funding Contribution to the UN Highlands Joint Programme (April 2020). The response paper sets out the design parameters for the program that were validated through; (i) the Hela Peace and Development Workshop (October 2019) and the associated road map. The Governor of Hela Province further outlined the general priority investment areas for the provincial earthquake recovery funds to create sustainable local development ecosystem that at its core promotes and promulgates peace in the province.

• Supporting small-holder commercial agriculture with a focus on coffee.
• Supporting access to basic community infrastructure (e.g. schools, aid posts, community halls).
• Supporting direct peacebuilding efforts such as conflict mediation.
• Supporting youth empowerment as a conflict prevention approach.
• Supporting sports for peace initiatives; and
• Establishment of a provincial community (local) development fund to pool financial contributions from private sector and other sources to support community needs e.g. school fees.

The UN response paper proposed four thematic intervention areas based on agency positioning: (i) Enhancing Small-Holder Commercial Agriculture (ii) Access to Community Infrastructures, (iii) Safe Markets and (iv) Economic Empowerment Fund.

UNCDF under the Local Government Development Practice will participate in the joint project with UNDP to establish and demonstrate the peace building dividends that can be generated by a local development fund (LDF). UNCDF is bringing its expertise in promoting and supporting local economic development through the formulation and demonstration of a basic LDF for socio-economic empowerment and the promotion of peace in PNG under the “PNG Highlands Joint Programme for Peace and Development (H-JP)”.

The pilot LDF is being established in Hela Province and will be potentially demonstrated in five districts as follows; Tagali Rural LLG, Hayapuga Rural LLG, Komo Rural LLG, Hulia Rural LLG, South Koroba Rural LLG. Other LLGs may be considered during the initial scoping and establishing of the LDF.

Key objectives

The main objective of the assignment is to provide support to the Highlands Project, complementing the work of UNDP who is the main project partner to design, pilot test and monitor the introduction of a local development grant system to finance small scale projects developed by local governments and their communities as a physical driver of peace. The Local Development Finance system will be based on UNCDF propriety performance-based grant that has been successfully deployed globally in a majority of the LDCs and build-up on to the LDF knowledge base with a lens towards the peace dividends generated by the LDF.    

Duties and Responsibilities

Under supervision of UNCDF Regional Technical Advisor for Asia, the consultant will specifically work in the areas as follows:

                Technical Support

• To facilitate implementation of the LDF within the HJP in partnership with UNDP by undertaking various research. studies and comparative data analysis specifically examining the peace dividends that LDF can generate.
• To support the development of the LDF design, performance criteria, and SOPs.

• To facilitate local governments and communities pilot the PNG-LDF grants through project origination, design, implementation, monitoring and impact reporting.
• To generate project progress reports against expenditures (fiduciary management)
• Formulation of project scale up options report.

               Capacity Building LLGs

• Training local governments in Performance Based Local Government Grants (PB-LGg).

• Train local government and communities in the PNG-LDF SOP.
• Train local government and communities in project origination, project design and basic project implementation skills.
• Training local government in basic project performance monitoring and reporting.

                Project Administrative Support

• Support to the timely planning, budgeting and reporting in accordance with UNCDF guidelines.
• Establish and maintain an effective and efficient project monitoring system, providing regular feedback on the project performance and to update regularly risk and issue logs.

                Networking and Partnership Building

• Interact with national and subnational stakeholders during project cycle.
• Support the establishment of co-financing relationships with development partners.
• Identify alternative financing sources, including the preparation of and participation in discussions and negotiations to scale up the project.
• Participate in activities to promote the JHP.
• Support the mobilization of additional funds/resources locally for the project.

                Communications

• Contribute to the implementation of the Communication and Visibility Plan of the project in collaboration with UNDP, the Project team, partners and technical consultants.
• Identify, collect and disseminate best practices and lessons learned from the project in areas of specialty, through the issue of project information sheets.
• Manage the process of convening national and regional stakeholders to share lessons learned on selected themes and produce two story-based knowledge products of; (i) the demonstration pilot projects and (ii) local training.

Deliverables

Payments will be made against the following reporting schedule and subject to submission of a timesheet. 

Reporting and payment terms

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UNCDF Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) and fully coordinate with UNDP Highlands Project Team and UNDP DRR. The RTA will provide overall direction and guidance of the consultancy and approve key outputs and deliverables.  In addition, the consultant will also coordinate and collaborate with UNCDF PNG Office.

Submission of specific deliverables will be completed in accordance with the above schedule unless revised timelines are mutually agreed by UNDP and the Consultant. Acceptance of deliverables will be determined by Regional Technical Advisor based in Bangkok.

Milestone payments will be made upon submission and acceptance of specific deliverables.

Institutional Arrangement

The estimated duration of contract is between June 2021 to May 2022, up to 200 working days.

Any travel required under the assignment needs to be agreed and pre-approved by UNCDF regional technical advisor. All the travel cost will be reimbursed by UNCDF according to UNCDF rules and regulations.

The consultant is expected to own and use his/her own equipment during and after the assignment.

Education and experience

• Master’s degree in Public Policy Making or closely related fields  
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in socio-economic research, public policy making, local development in national/ sub-national context
• Knowledge of public sector finance, CEG model for local development and desk research
• Proven work experience at sub national government level in PNG
• Working knowledge and capacity to work with PNG central government institutions, such as the Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Finance, specifically on project coordination and development training
• Policy advisory to government for local economic development
• Prior UNCDF engagement considered an advantage

Competencies

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management and knowledge management/M&E systems.
• Fluency in English is required
• Knowledge of Tok Pisin is an asset.

 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:

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 weighting. 70%

* Financial Criteria weighting. 30%

Documents to be included when submitting Consultancy Proposals

The following documents may be requested:

1. Current curriculum vitae outlining relevant experience.
2. Three-page statement of how the consultant will deliver the services highlighting methodology and approach.
3. Price Proposal.
4. Duly executed Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP, which can be accessed from this UNDP PNG Procurement page. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  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 UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must stipulate that arrangement at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.
5. Earliest Availability

Lump-sum contracts

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, living expenses, and number of anticipated working days). 

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.  In general, UNDP should 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 case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimburse.

Submission Instructions

Completed proposals should be submitted to procurement.png@undp.org , no later than 25TH May 2021. For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to procurement.pg@undp.org 

Please be guided by the instructions provided in this document above while preparing your submission.

Incomplete proposals and failure to comply with proposal submission instruction may not be considered or may result in disqualification of proposal.

UNDP looks forward to receiving your Proposal and thank you in advance for your interest in UNDP procurement opportunities.