International Consultant - SDG based Impact Measurement and Management Specialist

Consultant

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

Realization of Sustainable Development Goals remains a formidable challenge for Sri Lanka despite having made significant strides in reducing poverty and promoting social development. Tethering on the fringes of a Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC), Sri Lanka is faced with the ‘triple traps’ of: middle-income trap (that of prolonged periods of low economic growth), the inequality trap (that of persistent or increasing inequality), and the imbalance trap (that of persistent demographic, geographical and structural differences) - that may jeopardize the country’s ability to transition to high income status and achieve the SDGs. In this context an SDG aligned national development framework (NDF) --comprising of a national development plan with costed financing strategies as well as an enabling institutional mechanism for implementation, monitoring and governance—conforming government policy framework – vistas of splendor and prosperity, would help the country overcome development challenges and meet SDGs. The COVID-19 health and socio-economic crisis has accentuated the need for a framework which facilitates both immediate recovery and the longer-range SDGs, enabling the country to emerge stronger, more resilient and more agile to adjust to unforeseen circumstances.

The National Planning Department (NPD) as a part of the Ministry of Finance is committed to policy development, planning and implementation, to accelerate Sri Lanka's economic growth and social progress. NPD provides a crucial design and monitoring perspectives to national policies, programmes and projects. NPD has several core responsibilities including the proper appraisal/evaluation of national level projects prior to implementation.

With over five decades of experience in Sri Lanka and with a global footprint spanning over 170 countries providing national and sub-national level planning support and capacity building, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims to support the NPD to strengthen overall Project Appraisal/evaluation in the national planning process. This is part of broader UNDP support to the Government of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance and its NPD in establishing a comprehensive SDG driven national development framework.

A key feature of this support would be to assess the SDG alignment and impact orientation of national programs and projects and provide advice and suggestions for greater alignment and impact (where necessary). Inter alia such capacity will enable the NPD to strengthen the current project appraisal/evaluation process and achieve stronger alignment of national level projects with the SDGs whilst also equipping it with capacity to advise on project design and structuring to achieve greater impact and alignment with SDG’s. Overall, this will capacitate Sri Lanka in fulfilling its commitments to the 2030 agenda.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this assignment is to work with the NPD and to strengthen the current project appraisal/evaluation process to incorporate SDG alignment and impact orientation of the projects. This will give necessary consideration for both: (i) appraisal and evaluation of existing SDG alignment and impact orientation of the projects and (ii) provide (where relevant) recommendation/advice for greater SDG alignment and impact generation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Assignment:

Against this backdrop, the UNDP is looking to commission an independent consultant to conduct this exercise, through initial consultations and assessments which will lead to recommendations for strengthening existing SDG alignment and impact evaluation systems and develop a mechanism for advising (applicable) projects to achieve greater SDG alignment and higher impact. The consultant will have close working relationship with the NPD and will liaise with other government counterparts, impact management specialists of the UNDP and other development partner agencies as necessary.

Expected Outputs & Deliverables

The SDG based Impact Measurement and Management Specialist will report to UNDP’s SDG Integration Specialist and will work closely with the Consultant on National Planning in carrying out the key responsibilities of the assignment.

Responsible for but not limited to:

• Evaluation of current project appraisal/evaluation processes of the NPD and in particular processes in relation to appraisal/evaluation of SDG alignment and impact management and measurement (IMM);
• Assist in reflecting SDG goals, targets and indicators into the overall planning framework (and documents in a systemic way), including specific support developing procedures for integrating SDGs and IMM standards into the projects;
• Identifying opportunities for impact across multiple SDGs, to ensure that a holistic integrative approach is undertaken when working towards the SDGs;
• Assess and recommend data collection and structuring methods for adequate monitoring and evaluation of investments and/or technical assistance projects;
• Outline and draft a user manual for each of the following stages in the project cycle: (1) project screening, (2) portfolio and (3) exit, that can be referred to by internal NPD M&E units, project directors and evaluators across government, and senior officials as well as by external stakeholders about the SDG evaluation and IMM processes;
• Assist in capacity development of the NPD staff in relation to SDG alignment evaluation and impact measurement and management by imparting awareness of IMM standards and its applications in National Planning processes in other countries.

TIME FRAME

The envisaged time frame of the consultancy is for a maximum of 45 working days spread over 5 months from the commencement of the contract.

During the duration of the assignment, the respective duty station would be Home-based.

The consultant will submit a detailed periodic timesheet outlining activities undertaken in delivering the ToR. A rough estimate of the time expected to be allocated per activity has been provided below, but this is to be revisited based on the workplan delivered by the consultant at the beginning of the assignment:

*timelines are indicative and may be revisited jointly by NPD, UNDP and the Consultant depending on the draft workplan and if there are any unavoidable delays

Timeline for Deliverables:

Tasks – Percentage - End Product/ Deliverables – Number of days allocated - Timeline - Review and Approvals Required

• Deliverable 01 - Preparation of a consultancy work plan (Timeline - 01 day by week 01):

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 02 - Assessment of current project appraisal/evaluation process in relation to SDG and impact (Timeline - 04 days by week 02):

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 03 - Develop an offline platform for measurement of SDG alignment in projects and impact measurement and management (IMM) consistent with global platforms and standards (Timeline - 08 days by week 08):

• Concept design for an offline platform

• Incorporate feedback from NPD
• Finalize the offline platform

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 04 - Draft Guidelines and Booklet to explain data collection, quality and analysis process and procedures for general purposes (Timeline - 06 days by week 10):

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 05 - For the capacity building exercise of the relevant NPD and UNDP CO officers, development of a training presentation and delivery – Presentation/training (Timeline - 07 days by week 13):

1. Designing a capacity building exercise and generating a final workshop report/presentation
2. Maximum of 2 workshops carried out

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 06 - Remote implementation and capacity building on pilot initiative around identified priority sectors with assigned officers from UNDP Country Office or implementing partners from start to finish of the full IMM process for stress testing - Remote application of IMM on test case (Timeline - 08 days by week 18):

1. Jointly selecting and agreeing with NPD on two priority sectors
2. Pilot Implementation and capacity building of priority sector 1 and 2
3. Stress testing of IMM process in sector 1 and 2

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 07 - Results of stress test and any modifications to the IMM framework (Timeline - 02 days by week 19):

Approval - UNDP and NPD

• Deliverable 08 - Final Guidelines and Booklet to explain process and procedures for Public purpose including service delivery narrative (Timeline - 09 days by week 24):

Approval - UNDP and NPD

Competencies

• Expert knowledge on standard M&E and IMM processes, tools, frameworks and approaches
• Experience working with national or sub-national level of government and preferably in planning and finance related work.
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills
• Leadership
• People Management, maturity and confidence in dealing with senior members of national institutions
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Communication. The ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
• Delivery. Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
• Good organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work deliverables

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master's degree in business administration, social sciences, economics, finance, international development and social policy, public policy, politics, economics, development studies, statistics or a related area.

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible work experience in a performance monitoring and/or appraisal/evaluation role with international development organizations or sustainability-oriented organizations or impact investment funds;
• At least 3 years of experience in practical application of impact measurement approaches;
• A sound knowledge of SDG’s, targets and indicators;
• Demonstrated ability in data analysis, project design, monitoring, and appraisal/evaluation of development activities. Experience developing results frameworks, logical frameworks, or similar tools is required;
• Excellent quantitative and analytic skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Experience working in international development organization is an advantage.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in spoken and written English.

HOW TO APPLY

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work;
• Updated CV to include qualifications/competencies and relevant past experience in similar projects and contact details of 3 professional referees who can certify your competencies, professionalism, quality of writing, presentation and overall suitability to this TOR;
• Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a combination of factors including cover letter, the credentials on offer and brief interview (optional) and the offer which gives the best value for money for the UNDP.
• Please send the Financial Proposal separately to the e-mail address: consultants.lk@undp.org stating the vacancy number/position in the subject line.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

All Inclusive Lump Sum Fee: USD (_______________________________________)

Amount in words:(USD________________________________________________________)

Link for Financial Proposal Template

Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

Note: Payments will be based on invoices on achievement of agreed milestones i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR and certification of acceptance by the UNDP. The applicant must factor in all possible costs in his/her “All Inclusive Lump Sum Fee” including his/her consultancy and professional fee, travel (economy class flights is required to and from the Duty Station) honorarium, board and lodging, and any other foreseeable costs in this exercise. No costs other than what has been indicated in the financial proposal will be paid or reimbursed to the consultant. UNDP will only pay for any unplanned travel outside of this TOR and Duty Station on actual basis and on submission of original bills/invoices and on prior agreement with UNDP officials. Daily perdiums and costs for accommodation/meals/incidental expenses for such travel shall not exceed established local UNDP DSA rates.

For an Individual Contractor who is 65 years of age or less than, and on an assignment requiring travel, be it for the purpose of arriving at the duty station or as an integral duty required travel under the TOR, a full medical examination and statement of fitness to work must be provided. Such medical examination costs must be factored into the financial proposal above. Medical examination is not a requirement for individuals on RLA contracts.

PAYMENT FOR SERVICES

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactory completion of the deliverable within the indicated timeframes and upon approval of the SDG Integration Specialist at UNDP Sri Lanka.

Payment for services shall be on the completion of the following deliverables:

Deliverable 01 and Deliverable 02 – 10%

Deliverable 01 - Preparation of a consultancy work plan (Timeline - 01 day by week 01):

Deliverable 02 - Assessment of current project appraisal/evaluation process in relation to SDG and impact

Deliverable 03 – 15%

Develop an offline platform for measurement of SDG alignment in projects and impact measurement and management (IMM) consistent with global platforms and standards

1. Concept design for an offline platform
2. Incorporate feedback from NPD
3. Finalize the offline platform

Deliverable 04 – 15%

Draft Guidelines and Booklet to explain data collection, quality and analysis process and procedures for general purposes

Deliverable 05 – 15%

For the capacity building exercise of the relevant NPD and UNDP CO officers, development of a training presentation and delivery Designing a capacity building exercise and generating a final workshop report/presentation

1. Designing a capacity building exercise and generating a final workshop report/presentation
2. Maximum of 2 workshops carried out

Deliverable 06 – 20%

Remote implementation and capacity building on pilot initiative around identified priority sectors with assigned officers from UNDP Country Office or implementing partners from start to finish of the full IMM process for stress testing - Remote application of IMM on test case

1. Jointly selecting and agreeing with NPD on two priority sectors
2. Pilot Implementation and capacity building of priority sector 1 and 2
3. Stress testing of IMM process in sector 1 and 2

Deliverable 07 – 5%

Results of stress test and any modifications to the IMM framework

Deliverable 08 – 20%

Final Guidelines and Booklet to explain process and procedures for Public purpose including service delivery narrative

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