Procurement Notices

Terms of reference for Individual Contractor

I.              Background and context

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) spans the vast majority of the Arabian Peninsula, with a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi). Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East, and the second-largest country in the Arab world with a rapidly growing population of 35,013,414 in 2020 the majority of which lives in urban areas. Even though there are about 258 urban centres, the five cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, and Dammam host 45% of the overall population, with projections of constant increases in urbanization by 2025. Such a high level of urbanization brings challenges in terms of meeting demands for infrastructure and services, as well as the opportunity to provide human resources necessary for the development and achieving sustainability. The annual population growth rate is 2.4%. This high level of urbanization poses a host of challenges to development and its sustainability. In fact, urbanization is believed to be integrally linked to the three pillars of sustainable development: economic development; social development; and environmental protection. Challenges specific to the national context of Saudi Arabia include the increasing demand for municipal services, which in turn calls for an urgency to tap into the modality of public-private partnership in service provision with speed and cost-efficiency.

Nevertheless, there is a strong and "robust relationship between urbanization and per capita income" as all high-income countries in the world are 70-80% urbanized [1]. The urbanization rate is expected to reach up to 97.6% by 2030. The positive correlation between development and planned urbanization is attributable to the fact that the urban economy is usually more productive as a result of the proximity of the factors of production together with the increased specialization and market-sizes. Based on the annual ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Human Development Report, Saudi Arabia has steadily moved from the middle-income category in the 1990s to the very high-income category in 2019 at 0.854 value of HDI [2]. In April 2016, the Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious blueprint for development, was launched. Vision 2030 is the forward-thinking initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It sets down a plan for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s future with several goals aimed at inspiring economic, political, and social development.

With this exceptional development, Saudi Arabia developed its Vision 2030 focusing on the empowerment of women and youth. UNDP had a long history of supporting deputyship of town planning in the formulation and support to the National Spatial Strategy (NSS). UNDP supported the update of the current NSS through technical assistance to Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing MOMRAH during the period 2016-2019.

On the 24th of January 2021, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a Royal Decree on merging the Ministry of Housing (MoH) with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MOMRA) and rebranding it as the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (MOMRAH).

The 1st phase of the Future Saudi Cities Programme (FSCP), a project funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and jointly implemented by UNDP, UN-Habitat and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MoMRA) was concluded in February 2020, with the participation of MOMRA in the World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi sharing the lessons learnt from the Project. Over the last 6 years, this project has filled a significant knowledge gap on the Saudi planning system and produced several detailed studies of urban institutions, governance, municipal finance and spatial planning while engaging public and private stakeholders, youth and women. The goal of the project was to review the planning system and the legal framework that governs it, recommend changes and support capacity building to strengthen the planning system with the objective to provide more liveable cities according to Saudi needs and priorities. The program built a system reform that has the following central elements of change:

• Improved coordination between development planning, the planning system and sectoral priorities
• Ensure vertical accountability between plans
• Increased systematisation should improve the ability to deliver policy through the system
• Increase horizontal (or geographic) consistency of content and processes
• Enhanced core content of plans to increase effectiveness and transparency
• In the plan approval process, provide direct funding for the implementation of catalytic elements of plans.

Recommendations from the project include the strengthening of systems for the collection and analysis of urban data and structural adjustments and reforms that are complementary to the ongoing development of new spatial planning law. The recommendations, if accepted (currently with Council of Economic and Development Affairs “CEDA”), would imply profound changes for citizens and for the government institutions implementing and overseeing the planning system. This 2nd phase of the project built on the lessons learned from the 1st phase with a focus on technical support of planning reforms at the national, regional and city level. It supported the outcomes of the 1st phase through the new regional and local strategies prepared by the deputyship of town planning in addition to supporting the NSS implementation and technical support to the deputyship in Planning Act or other legal documents, based on evidence collected in the 1st phase and other MOMRA initiatives.

This project has been designed to boost the capacity of the Government to achieve the objectives of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS)along with their alignment with the Vision 2030. The project which implemented by UNDP jointly with UN-Habitat envisages the support to the NSS implementation Office established inside the deputyship of town planning with specific focus on the following outcomes:

• Improved capacity for the Implementation of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS)2030
• Improved access to urban data between line ministries in NSS2030 platform
• Improved localizing sustainable urban development at national, regional and local authorities.

In addition to these outcomes, the project is designed to provide advisory services in novel areas of interest to the urban planning and management sector. The project provides technical assistance to various activities operated within the deputyship of Town Planning including the emerging urban planning issues within the deputyship mandate.

Furthermore, during the course of the project document implementation, the government of Saudi Arabia, through MoMRAH has changed its urban planning priorities to focus more on Urban Planning Design and Urban Code to improve the visual appeal of cities of the regions in KSA.  However, though the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) was drafted but connected tasks and activities that are mentioned in the agreement were not fully completed due to delay in the approval of the NSS.  Moreover, some of the mandate of MOMRAH was transferred to other government agencies.  Consequently, the project team was / is heavily engaged in providing support for various emerging issues such as preparation of the RFPs for the National Design Manuel, Regional Urban Design Guidelines, Urban Codes, Regional Plans, Master Plans, advisory services in urban planning at national, regional and locals levels as part of the overall efforts to achieving sustainable urban development. Capacity building for the deputyship leadership and staff as well as other stakeholders’ “Municipalities” was a priority in the old as well as in the new system but with different priorities in place.  

UNDP is executing outcome 1: Improved capacity for the Implementation of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 2030 and Outcome 2: Improved access to urban data between line ministries in NSS 2030 platform.

The key UNDP deliverables is as follows:

• Procedural Guide for NSS Review/Sectoral Policies
• Procedural Guide for operating the NSS office
• Regional and City Review Report
• KPI, Statistics, indicators and GIS Report
• Workshops at national, regional and city levels
• NSS Annual Progress Reports (2 Reports)
• Specific sectoral policies review Report
• NSS platform Report

Whereas UN-Habitat is executing outcome 3: Improved localizing sustainable urban development at national, regional, and local authorities.

The key UN-Habitat deliverables are as follows:

• Review Guide for all regional and City strategies
• Methodological Guide for efficiency of NSS that is applied for regionals and city strategies
• Governance and legal review of laws, regional, and city strategies
• Financial Guide for city and regional sustainability
• Regional and city review reports
• Workshops at national, regional and city levels

The evaluation requires working with all heads of departments involved with the various outcomes as well as all consultants on the project and other relevant project and authority staff. 

The project duration was originally for approximately 2 years (May 2020- May 2022). The project extension period (May 2022 to November 2022) provides the necessary time for the project to complete ongoing activities and deliver the outputs that were delayed due to the pandemic.

Basic Project information can also be included in table format as follows:

II.              Evaluation purpose, scope and objectives

Evaluation purpose and objectives:

This final evaluation is conducted as part of a planned intervention aimed at re-positioning the project to help the MOMRAH deputyship meet its mandate. In view of the pandemic and the drastic changes that have been taking place in the country, the project has had to adapt to the changes over recent years. This evaluation thus becomes crucial to assess the impact of the pandemic and to ensure the project has delivered its intended objectives. The evaluation and ensuing recommendations will help build a new phase for the project serving MOMRAH to better deliver its intended task and learn lessons from previous activities.   

Scope of the evaluation:

• The final evaluation will look into the progress of the following:

Outcome 1: Improved capacity for the Implementation of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 2030. This outcome includes the following outputs and activities:

• 28 NSS Sectoral Policies are aligned with Sectoral Ministerial Policies
• 6 Initiatives in MOMRA are aligned with NSS
• 10 Regional and City strategies are reviewed and fully aligned with NSS
• Support to NSS office through institutional mechanisms and capacity building is mainstreamed in the deputyship of town planning

Outcome 2: Improved access to urban data between line ministries in NSS 2030 platform. This Outcome is composed of the following Outcomes and activities:

• Interactive platform for NSS established
• Update of a platform by the NSS office completed
• Acknowledgment of the new platform by national, regional and local stakeholders conducted.

Outcome 3: Improved localizing sustainable urban development at national, regional, and local

Authorities. This outcome is composed of the following outputs and activities:

• New guide with focus on NSS spending efficiency is tested and adopted (through several sectors as well as regional and city strategies)
• Planning system review guide is completed and tested on 6 the regional and city strategies
• Governance and legal reforms are reflected in new laws, directives as we" as regional and city strategies (integrated horizontally and vertically)
• Technical advice on City financial sustainability at regional and city level completed.
• Different type of trainings of the Deputyship of MOMRA and other stakeholders conducted (through continuous technical advice on areas of planning, governance and finance/economy)

• This evaluation will cover all activities held during the span of the project between (10 May 2020 – 09 Nov 2022) and highlight issues and recommendations in all aspects (technical, financial, management, structural and operational), including the effective use of resources and delivery outputs in the signed project document and workplan.
• Geographic coverage: National

Issues relate directly to the questions of the evaluation must be answered so that users will have the information they need for pending decisions or action. An issue may concern the relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, or impact of the intervention. In addition, UNDP evaluations must address how the intervention sought to mainstream gender in development efforts, considered disability issues and applied the rights-based approach. 

1. Evaluation criteria and key guiding questions

Referencing and adopting from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) evaluation criteria ((a) relevance; (b) effectiveness; (c) efficiency; (d) sustainability; (e) coherence; and/or (f) impact (and/or other criteria used), the evaluation will answer the following questions:

The above guiding evaluation questions can be further refined in the inception report by the evaluation team and agreed with UNDP evaluation stakeholders.

1. Methodology

The evaluation should employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods and instruments. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach that ensures close engagement with the evaluation managers, implementing partners and male and female direct beneficiaries.  Methodological tools and approaches may include:   

• Document review. This would include a review of all relevant documentation, inter alia 

• Project document (contribution agreement).  
• Theory of change and results framework. 

• Programme and project quality assurance reports. 
• Annual work plans. 
• Activity designs.  
• Consolidated quarterly and annual reports.  
• Results-oriented monitoring report.  

• Highlights of project board meetings.   
• Technical/financial monitoring reports. 
• Financial reports for the funding analysis required as per the evaluation questions

• Interviews and meetings with key stakeholders (men and women) such as key government counterparts, donor community members, representatives of key civil society organizations, United Nations country team (UNCT) members and implementing partners:  

• Semi-structured interviews, based on questions designed for different stakeholders based on evaluation questions around relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. 
• Key informant and focus group discussions with men and women, beneficiaries, and stakeholders. 

• All interviews with men and women should be undertaken in full confidence and anonymity. The final evaluation report should not assign specific comments to individuals. 

• Surveys and questionnaires including male and female participants in development programmes, UNCT members and/or surveys and questionnaires to other stakeholders at strategic and programmatic levels. 
• Field visits and on-site validation of key tangible outputs and interventions. 
• Other methods such as outcome mapping, observational visits, group discussions, etc. 

• Data review and analysis of monitoring and other data sources and methods. To ensure maximum validity, reliability of data (quality) and promote use, the evaluation team will ensure triangulation of the various data sources. 
• Gender and human rights lens. All evaluation products need to address gender, disability, and human right issues.  

The final methodological approach including interview scheduling, field visits and data to be used in the evaluation should be clearly outlined in the inception report and fully discussed and agreed between UNDP, key stakeholders, and the evaluator. 

1. Evaluation products (deliverables)

• Evaluation inception report (10-15 pages). The inception report should be carried out following and based on preliminary discussions with UNDP after the desk review and should be produced before the evaluation starts (before any formal evaluation interviews, survey distribution or field visits) and prior to the country visit in the case of international evaluators. 
• Evaluation debriefings. Immediately following the evaluation, UNDP expects a preliminary debriefing and findings.  

• Draft evaluation report (within an agreed length). A length of 40 to 60 pages including executive summary is suggested.   
• Evaluation report audit trail. The programme unit and key stakeholders in the evaluation should review the draft evaluation report and provide an amalgamated set of comments to the evaluator within one week of submission of the draft. Comments and changes by the evaluator in response to the draft report should be retained by the evaluator to show how they have addressed comments. 
• Final evaluation report. 
• Presentations to stakeholders and/or the evaluation reference group (if required). 
• Evaluation brief and other knowledge products agreed in the inception report or participation in knowledge-sharing events, if relevant. 

Standard templates that need to be followed are provided in the Annexes section. It is expected that the evaluator will follow the UNDP evaluation guidelines and UNEG quality checklist and ensure all the quality criteria are met in the evaluation report.

In line with UNDP’s financial regulations, when determined by the Country Office and/or the consultant that a deliverable or service cannot be satisfactorily completed due to the impact of COVID-19 and limitations to the evaluation, that deliverable or service will not be paid. Due to the current COVID-19 situation and its implications, a partial payment may be considered if the consultant invested time towards the deliverable but was unable to complete to circumstances beyond his/her/their control.

III.              Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

The evaluation will be carried out by a consultant. The consultant shall be responsible for carrying out and performing all the duties and responsibilities as defined in the implementation arrangements section and required by the evaluation.

• Academic Qualifications: Advanced degree in urban and regional planning or any other relevant field.
• Experience: A minimum of 10 years’ experience in evaluations, preferably in the field of urban and regional planning
• Knowledge of Saudi Arabia’s Urban Planning system or similar context is a plus.

Language Requirements:

• Fluent English, knowledge of Arabic is considered an asset.

Key Competencies

• Technical competencies: Team leadership skills and experience, technical knowledge in UNDP thematic areas, with specifics depending on the focus of the evaluation, data analysis and report writing etc. 
• Technical knowledge and experience: Gender and disability inclusion competencies are preferable as well as technical knowledge and experience in other cross-cutting areas, rights-based approach, and capacity development.   

Evidence to be presented:  

• resume  
• work samples  
• references  

To support claims of knowledge, skills and experience.   

An explicit statement of the evaluator’s independence from any organizations that have been involved in designing, executing, or advising any aspect of the intervention that is the subject of the evaluation should be provided.    

1. Evaluation ethics

Evaluations in UNDP will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’.3  

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 confidentia