Consultancy to elaborate guidelines and procedures for achieving sustainability of financial management of revenue generating for rural assets in Gambia under Programme for Accelerated Commu

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Background

General Background

UNCDF is the UN’s capital investment agency for the world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs). 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 Local Development Finance Practice (LDFP) promotes and supports transformative investments through local governments and domestic banks in LDCs by piloting and scaling up innovative financing mechanisms and policies in the public and private sectors. Specifically, LDFP works with LDC governments to: (i) mobilize additional capital for local development including from the domestic public and private sectors (for example, by promoting fiscal decentralization, increasing own revenue of local authorities and stimulating investment finance by domestic banks); (ii) design appropriate allocation mechanisms for this capital (intergovernmental fiscal transfers, public-private partnerships, structured project finance, municipal debt instruments); (iii) support local investments that provide a demonstration effect and lead to upscaling and mainstreaming of these mechanisms (including supporting UNCDF’s pipeline of investible projects); (iv) secure these investments within an accountable institutional environment that sustains and promotes local development (legal, political, administrative, social).

UNCDF’s approach to Local Development Finance acknowledges the challenges for LDCs in enhancing local basic services, promoting local economic development, and increasing local resilience to shocks in an increasingly uncertain world. The approach recognizes that LDC economies have reached levels of domestic capital (public and private) significantly greater than a decade ago. Yet, underinvestment at the local level remains a feature of LDCs, which is holding back structural transformation. In addition to external sources of development finance, there is a need to find ways of channelling domestic resources for local development – including in rapidly growing urban areas.

The National Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the UNCDF Africa Team Leader (based in Dakar) and close coordination with UNCDF Country Manager. He will ensure developing guidelines and procedures development for achieving sustainability of revenue generation for financial management under Programme for Accelerated Community Development.

Inspired by the PUDC, the PACD is part of a MIF programme whose objective is to increase the ability of local governments and other sub-sovereign entities to address key urbanization challenges through access to sustainable sources of capital financing. The Programme will improve quality of life in LDC cities in Africa and Asia, especially for the poor. Specific objectives include (i) improving access to capital for investment in critical urban infrastructure and services in LDC cities targeted by the program, (ii) creating or strengthening financial markets and market intermediaries so that they can facilitate capital access for cities, and (iii) establishing policies, standards, and practices that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the capital financing process in beneficiary countries.

Assignment Background

The government of the Gambia will be allocating approximately USD 10 million over two years from its own budgetary resources to UNDP to implement the Programme for the Accelerated Community Development (PACD) throughout the country. This is a PUDC inspired project. The resources from the government are allocated to hard infrastructure (Water, energy, road, agricultural processing equipment and markets) with no resources available to ensure the sound management of the assets. Resources have been mobilized to complement these from the Government for specific activities.

In 2021 in the Gambia, UNCDF is willing to support one key activity (Capacity building on asset management and asset management tools in for communities and local governments as well as financial management and revenue collection) in 4 local government areas, where local projects are undertaken by local communities and municipalities.

UNCDF will draw on its proven experiences in The Gambia, Senegal with the PUDC, and countries of the sub-region in terms of supporting local government finance and specifically in the areas of local development planning and budgeting, sustainable access for population to basic socio-economic infrastructures, local project management, capacity building for national and local actors, participatory processes by local governments with local populations. These experiences are also based on the development of proven intervention tools and methodologies that will be deployed quickly.

UNCDF aims to coordinate with local partners (at least the Local Area Councils, the Wards Development Councils, the DCD, and the NAO) to ensure the appropriateness of the efficiency of the stakeholder analysis and the engaged awareness raising operations to lay the ground for the development an appropriate ownership and management tools of the infrastructure. Besides, these institutions are already on site, and will resume travel before other international organisations. They can make use of training centres in the regions for effective training and access to the trainees, avoiding costly trips to Banjul. Further UNCDF can count with its team in Banjul, in the regions and the consultants that already know the country and regions and can quickly provide support, developing material at a distance and travelling as needed and permitted. This two-pronged approach means that the support can be carried out in 2021. Critically, the activities outline below are designed for the UNDP Target for resource Assignments from the Core system (TRAC) in support to PACD but are conceived to be replicable so that they can be used in other programmes, and in fine by applied to all assets owned by the local governments and communities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the Assignment

The objective of this consultancy is to support the UNCDF in the Gambia to develop guidelines and procedures developing guidelines for achieving sustainability of financial management of revenue generating rural assets in Gambia under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD).

Scope of Work

Under the supervision of the UNCDF’s Africa team leader, and in close collaboration with the

UNCDF’s PACD program officer, government, and other relevant stakeholders, the consultant will

be responsible for developing guidelines for achieving sustainability of financial management of revenue generating rural assets in Gambia under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD).

The rural assets subject to this consultation includes 06 Rural Drinking water infrastructure and agricultural labour-Saving Devices: 19 tractors, 09 coos (millet) milling machines and combined coos (millet) milling machines and 02power tillers, For different assets subject to this consultancy, the consultant shall undertake his/her actions/analyses on two levels

• Familiarize with PACD, the environment of the expected mission, and gather data (primary and secondary)
• Familiarize with aspects of investments in drinking water infrastructure and facilities and Labour-saving devices (with a focus on tractors, coos (millet) milling machines and power tillers) in Gambia’s rural areas,
• Review and familiarize with the stakeholders mapping and the Asset Management Action Plan (AMAP) developed within the project
• Analyse the organisational and legal environment of the rural assets’ financial management.
• Define and explain key steps to operationalise and implement the AMAP with a focus on the financial aspects;
• Assess the digitalisation of assets’ financial management
• Identify good practices, bottlenecks and risks, and definition of mitigation actions, recommendations, and directives
• Elaborate the guidelines in a way that insures its smooth and proper implementation;
• Do the ultimate editing and finalize the design of the guidelines.
• Propose a dissemination strategy of the guidelines/procedure at the national level of details: the national level and the local levels related to targeted communities,the consultant shall: (I) Provide support and advice to the national partners in designing training programme(s) for relevant stakeholders to strengthen capacities in rural assets’ financial management, knowledge transfer, techniques, standards, and policies towards a sustainable financial management of the assets; (ii) Provide advice on the regulatory approaches/reforms required to create an enabling environment for digitalisation of assets’ financial management; (iii) Identify gaps and risks and propose approaches on how to fill/mitigate them.

The consultant shall lead the exchanges (meeting, interviews, technical meetings, advising etc…) with the project partners and stakeholders and ensure their smooth conduct.

This mission shall be conducted with close collaboration with the projects’ stakeholders.

This assignment is complementary to previously launched ones under the same program:

1. Stakeholder analysis for revenue generating assets (rural drinking water and labour-saving devices) under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD)

2. Developing an Asset Management Action Plan (AMAP) for 6 Rural Drinking water infrastructure and agricultural labour-Saving Devices: 19 tractors, 9 coos (millet) milling machines and combined coos (millet) milling machines and 2 power tillers,

During completion of his duties, the consultant will have to interact with the two consultants working on these assignments.

In performing the tasks, the incumbent(s) will, inter alia, undertake, organize, or facilitate consultations, as agreed with UNCDF. In addition he/she will represent UNCDF in meetings as required (periodic meetings with project partners and other meetings) and exchanges with partners and stakeholders.

The consultant will benefit from the support of a UNCDF program support officer based in Banjul.

Note: Expected place of trave in Gambia: Greater Banjul, Upper River Division, Central River Division, Lower River Division, North Bank division, West Bank Division; the consultant shall include the travel related costs in his/her financial offer.

Deliverables, Timeline, and Terms of Payment

A. Structuring the guideline/procedure for sustainable financial management

Deliverable 1: Provisional version of the guidelines/procedures (Within 2 weeks from contract signing, 30%)

Deliverable 2: Final version of guidelines/procedures (Within 4 weeks from contract signing, 40%)

B. Dissemination and Upscaling

Deliverable 3: Disseminated and upscaled guidelines/procedures towards national framework (Within 6 weeks from contract signing, 30%)

The validation of the above deliverables is conditioned by providing and validating at least:

• Inception note including a refined and updated methodology
• Note/report explaining the consultant’s choices in terms of the structure and content of the guidelines.
• Report presenting and explaining concrete actions to properly implement the Accompanying, knowledge management and technical support mentioned in the section “scope of work ”
• Other report/documentation/clarification that the consultant could be asked to provide.

For each deliverable, payment is upon successful completion and delivery of products.

Monitoring and Progress Control

Outputs produced and costs incurred will be monitored by the by the UNCDF Africa team leader in close consultation with designated UNCDF staff.

A payment will be made against key deliverables based on the satisfactory completion of the deliverables indicated in the TORs. Payments will be authorized by the UNCDF Africa team leader.

Competencies

Corporate, technical, and functional competencies include:

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant local public financial management and sustainable development issues;
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify needs and interventions for capacity enhancement of counterparts, clients and potential partners;
• Ability to take responsibility for achieving agreed outputs within set deadlines;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Project management and planning skills
• Communication, consultation and presentation skills (including ability to manage social development dialogue processes)
• Skills in conceptualizing and writing guidelines,and rural/agricultural extension
• Rural development and finance experience
• Demonstrated knowledge on asset management

Required Skills and Experience

The consultant shall have the following required qualifications:

Education:

A Master’s Degree in finance, economics, rural development, or related disciplines

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in infrastructure asset related financial analysis and sustainability.
• Sound experience in digital finance (remote banking, mobile money, technical and advisory support to local authorities, mobile banking, setting up and implementing digital finance services, innovation projects in digital finance, and digital finance services)
• Sound experience in elaborating guidelines.
• Knowledge of local investment, municipal finance, and rural development environment in Africa, particular knowledge of Gambia is an asset
• Sound Experience in working/communicating with the UN System and/or other International Agencies, an asset
• Ability to build strong working relationships with various public and private sector stakeholder institutions;
• Sound experience in awareness raising and community engagement is an asset

Language: Fluency in English is required.

EVALUATION PROCESS

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The weight distribution shall be 70% technical and 30% financial.

As to the Technical points - the score will comprise 60% for desk review of CV, and 40% for the approach/methodology

Step I: Longlisting

Applications will be screened and only applicants meeting the following minimum criteria will be shortlisted:

• Master's degree in relevant field (please see qualifications)
• Experience in leading financial analysis, large-scale, high-impact projects in asset management, finance/digital finance, and digital solutions for promoting inclusive economies

Step II - Part A: Shortlisting - Desk Review of CVs (60% of technical score)

UNCDF will conduct a desk review to produce a shortlist of candidates by evaluating the following criteria with the corresponding points (100 points)

• Education (5 points);
• Experience in infrastructure asset related financial analysis and sustainability (20 points)
• Experience in elaborating guidelines (20 points);
• Experience in digital finance (remote banking, mobile money, technical and advisory support to local authorities, mobile banking, setting up and implementing digital finance services, innovation projects in digital finance, and digitisation of mass payments in digital finance services) (15 points)
• Knowledge of local investment, municipal finance, and rural development environment in Africa, particular knowledge of Gambia is an asset (15 points)
• Ability to build strong working relationships with various public and private sector stakeholder institutions (10 points)
• Experience in awareness raising and community engagement (5 points)
• Language skills (10 points)

Step II- Part B approach/ methodology (40% out of technical score)

In a document of maximum 4 pages, the candidate shall submit a work plan that presents his understanding of the assignment with a proposal and description of activities, approach, and methodology and, timelines, he shall also present and explain the tools he is aiming to use, and a risk analysis and mitigation plan regarding the proper achievement of the mission.

Step III: Financial Evaluation

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: Lowest priced proposal/price of the proposal being evaluated x 30%

APPLICATION PROCESS

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

• Summary statement of competencies in relation to the TOR
• Methodology/approach to work
• Curriculum Vitae or Completed P11 Personal History Form with names and current contacts of 3 referees
• When applying for this consultancy position, please apply with your official name as shown in the government issued identification document (e.g. passport and/or driver license). Contract award is subject to this verification.
• Information on Earliest Availability
• Confirmation of interest and Financial proposal:

For this requirement only (confirmation of interest and financial proposal), the following document is to be sent by email to financial.proposal@uncdf.org:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability duly filled. This include a signed all-inclusive financial offer (professional fees, housing, transportation insurance, taxes, different types of cost, if applicable, etc…). This should be emailed separately to financial.proposal@uncdf.org with the subject line: VA 100753 - Consultancy to elaborate guidelines and procedures for achieving sustainability of financial management of revenue generating for rural assets in Gambia under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD)

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org If the consultant is over 65 years old, UNCDF reserves the right to require full medical certification and clearance from the consultant’s physician prior to commencing the travel.

Both individual consultants and individuals employed by a company or institution are welcome to apply. Any individual employed by a company or institution who would like to submit an offer in response to a Procurement Notice for IC must do so in their individual capacity (providing a CV so that their qualifications may be judged accordingly). If the company or institution that employs them will charge a management fee, the said amount must be incorporated in the financial proposal that the individual will submit. No further changes to reflect additional costs shall be accommodated by UNCDF at the point of awarding the LTA.

Women candidates or women-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply. UNCDF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Please include all documents into one file while submitting your application.

References

UNDP’s Individual Consultant’s General Terms and Conditions are provided here: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf

Other useful links

Managing Infrastructure Assets for Sustainable Development: A Handbook for Local and National Governments: UN Handbook on Infrastructure Asset Management | Financing for Sustainable Development Office

ToRs of consultants working on the same program PACD-Gambia:

• ToRs of the National Consultant for Stakeholder analysis for revenue generating assets (rural drinking water and labour-saving devices) under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD):here
• ToRs of the International Consultant on Asset management under Programme for Accelerated Community Development (PACD) to develop an action management plan (AMAP) for revenue generating assets (rural drinking water assets and agricultural labour-Saving Devices) in Gambia: here
• Transfer and ownership models for investments (TOMIs): here

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Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org