International Economy Advisor

Consultant

Contract

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

Background

For the last four decades, Saudi Arabia has realized and sustained remarkable progress along the socioeconomic development path. As a result of this, the Kingdom has been able to move to a high-income country. The GDP, for instance, increased from SR156 billion in 1969 to SR 2,631 billion in 2018, putting the Economy among the top 20 global economies in terms of size. Based on the annual ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Human Development Report, Saudi Arabia has steadily moved from the medium human development category in the 1990s to the very high human development category in 2018 at 0.857 value of HDI.

The Saudi Vision 2030 represents an ambitious resolve with long-term goals and expectations founded on the strengths and capabilities of the Kingdom. It covers the three themes of a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. A thorough review of the three themes and their underlying issues of national concern would reveal a holistic approach to development that encompasses the three dimensions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): the social, the economic and the environmental.

The Umbrella Program for Socio-Economic Development is a partnership between the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP) and UNDP aims at mainstreaming social and economic development the national policies, sectoral and regional plans. It focuses on mobilizing technical assistance and capacity development to MEP to facilitate economic and social transformation, including economic diversification, inclusive and accelerated economic growth. Specifically, the program framework covers the following main areas:

• SDGs monitoring and reporting.
• Policymaking, policy analysis and regional development planning.
• Producing the National Human Development Report

Within this context, the project seeks to recruit a Senior Territorial Development Expert to support the "Sectoral and Regional Development Affairs" Deputyship at the Ministry of Economy and Planning (Regional Development Affairs Department) at MEP to improve and maintain the Territorial development toolkit of the Department. The Expert will also focus on capacity building and transfer of knowledge to the Regional Development Affairs Department.

A Consultant, or Analyst, is responsible for providing industry expertise to corporations and individuals. Their duties include researching their client and their client's position within an industry, meeting with company executives or professionals to make suggestions and develop improvement plans based on their needs and maintaining a professional relationship with their clients over time.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Undersecretary for International Economics Affairs Deputyship, and in close coordination with the Chief Technical Advisor of the project, the Advisor will provide technical advisory services on policies and strategies relating to the International Economy as well as support the implementation of these policies.

Duties and responsibilities

Precisely, the Advisor will deliver duties and responsibilities, including the following:

• Participate in the development and update of the knowledge base, including new or emerging international economic issues of concern to the Kingdom, and support the design and formulation of programmes and policies to address them.
• Conduct analysis on the implications of international economic policies and strategies on the Saudi Economy; identify national development opportunities and highlight potential areas of concern for policy-makers.
• Support the preparation of reports on issues relating to the contemporary Economy, international trade and regional integration.
• Support the harmonization of Saudi policies and strategies (such as trade, investment etc.) to the international policies and regional integration programmes. Support the development of sustainable strategic partnerships.
• Develop research guidelines and standards and provide substantive support to the assessment of policies and strategies.
• Identify capacity needs to support the advancement of MOEP's work on international Economy emerging trends; Design and implement the training to address the identified technical capacity gaps.
• Perform any other relevant substantive tasks that might be requested by the supervisor.

Deliverables:

• Deliverable

  Expected number of working days

  Payment Schedule & Amounts

  Deliverable 1 -. Activation of the retail sector

  1.1. Development of framework, concept and methodology for retail sector activation

  1.2. Identifying key stakeholders

  1.3. Mapping the retail value chain

  1.4. Mapping the segmentation of the Kingdoms retail

  1.5. Mapping the physical location of major retailers across the Kingdom

  1.6. Mapping the ecosystem of the retail sector – cluster mapping with private and public players

  1.7. Develop and design a framework with private sector stakeholders in retail, and other related and supporting players across the value chain

  1.8. Identifying key challenges and potential solutions

  1.9. Design road map for activation of the retail sector – moving up the regional and global value chain

  1.10. Align the retail sector activation with the Vision 2030 goals

  1.11. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and the MEP Deputyship Mandate

  1.12. Identify the current status of laws, regulations and policies for promoting and facilitating the family business in the Kingdom

  1.13. Benchmark with GCC/UAE and globally to identify best practices

  1.14. Develop and design a framework for private sector stakeholder collaboration on family business

  1.15. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and the MEP Deputyship Mandate

  60

  Chief Technical Advisor of the project

  Deliverable 2 Develop a concept and a framework for the promotion of faster trade across the Kingdom

  2.1. Establish the core ecosystem map of the traded cluster/sector of the Kingdom – private and public stakeholders

  2.2. Establish the core value chain of the Kingdom's Trade industry

  2.3. Establish a map of physical infrastructure connectivity and connectedness

  2.4. Align with the Kingdom's Transportation and Logistics Strategy

  2.5. Develop a concept and a road map for turning the Kingdom into a global Multimodal Transportation and Logistics Hub

  60

  Deliverable 3 Creation of Cleantech Cluster in the Kingdom

  3.1 Design and Develop concept, framework and methodology for the creation of Cleantech" Cluster in the Kingdom

  3.2. Map the key stakeholders for the Cleantech cluster creation – local and global stakeholders

  3.3. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and the MEP Deputyship Mandate

  30

  Deliverable 4 The State of Construction Cluster of Saudi Arabia

  4.1. Establish Kingdom's Construction Value Chain

  4.2. Establish Kingdom's Construction Cluster Map with Private and Public players, related and supporting clusters and industries

  4.3. Create and launch Construction stakeholder collaboration platform

  4.4. Assess and analyze the business environment of the construction sector

  4.5. Establish the challenges and solutions in the construction sector/cluster

  4.6. Road map for enhancing the competitiveness of the Construction Cluster

  4.7. KPIs for the execution of policies, projects and initiatives

  4.8. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and the MEP Deputyship Mandate

  30

  Deliverable 5 Enhancing the Competitiveness of Kingdom's Building Materials Sector

  30

  Deliverable 6 Design and Develop a Framework for collaboration with Kingdom's Economic and Industrial zones on cluster developments

  30

  Deliverable 7 Creation of interactive cluster map of Saudi Arabia

  7.1. Based on Regional Development Competitive Advantage study, design and develop an interactive map locating major clusters' location in the Kingdom.

  7.2. Analyze the connectivity and inputs within the clusters across the country

  7.3. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and Deliverables – zoom in to the strategic clusters for the Vision 2030

  7.4. Align with the Vision 2030 Goals and the MEP Deputyship Mandate

  120

  Deliverable 8 Project on developing Economic Complexity Index for the Kingdom

  90

  Deliverable 9 Project on Private Sector Participation

  90

  Deliverable 10 Ad hoc issues as directed by the Deputy Minister of MEP

  ongoing

  Deliverable 12 review documents received by MEP from different gov entities and committees

  ongoing

Institutional Arrangement

• Senior Programme Associate and Programme Advisor/Officer who will directly supervise the Contractor, and to whom he/she will be directly responsible to, reporting to, seeking approval/acceptance of output from.

• Reporting and follow-up Mechanism: The Expert will report monthly to his/her supervisor and to the Senior Programme Associate Advisor. The Specialist will submit monthly reports to his/her supervisor, including activities, outputs, performance indicators, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations

• The Duration of the Assignment

• The expected duration of work is 12 Months, with the possibility of an extension.
• The anticipated starting date of the assignment is 15th of January 2023. And the expected date of full completion of all tasks under this assignment is 31st of December of 2023.

The Duty Station

• The duty station for the Advisor is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• The assignment will be in-country (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). He/ She will be embedded within The Advisor will be based at the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

• If unforeseen travel outside the consultant's home-based city is requested by UNDP and not required by the Terms of References (ToR), such travel shall be covered by UNDP in line with applicable rules and regulations and upon prior written agreement. In such cases, the consultant shall receive living allowances not exceeding the United Nations (UN) Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rate for such other location(s).

• Note: A written approval from UNDP and relevant authorities will be required to facilitate the consultant's travel to any locations than stated on this TOR on official missions where necessary.

Working Arrangements:

• All mission travels must be approved in advance and in writing by the supervisor.
• United Nations Development of Safe and Security – BSAFE course must be successfully completed prior to the commencement of travel.
• The Consultant is responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director.
• The consultant is also required to comply with the UN security directives.
• The consultant is responsible for obtaining any visas needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP.
• The consultant will be responsible for submitting his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with UNDP travel policies.
• The consultant is responsible for required health and life insurance related to work or travel.
• The consultant is expected to have his/her own Laptop/Computer.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Display cultural, gender, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional competencies:

• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills.
• Ability to organize and manage teams, and work under pressure to achieve the assignment objectives.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to establish strong cooperative relationships with senior government officials and a diverse set of partners.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

1. Education:

• Master's degree in economics, international Economy, Business Administration, Public Policy, or a related field is required.

Experience:

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible relevant experience involving the application of economic principles and policies at the national and international levels. Experience in regional integration, international trade and other areas related to international economics.
• Extensive experience and understanding of strategy development process for the government/ public sector.
• Experience in n drafting policy documents and analytical reports.

Language:

• Excellent command of English and Arabic (both written and spoken) is required.

• Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

All proposals must be expressed in a lump sum amount. This amount must be "all-inclusive". Please note that the terms "all-inclusive" implies that all costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.

Payments shall be made to the individual contractor upon successful completion and certification by UNDP that services have been satisfactorily performed, based upon the actual number of working days and accomplishments of each deliverable.

Payment shall be made as a deliverables-based lump upon the receipt of the deliverables and certification of satisfactory performance by UNDP.

The Expert will share a Certificate of Payment (CoP) where he/he needs to indicate achieved outputs. Then the certificate of payment must be verified by the UNDP Team and certified by UNDP top management. The Expert is advised to keep a detailed timesheet of the days worked and tasks performed throughout the consultancy assignment. A bi-weekly update of the timesheet will be requested, and such documentation will support the payment process as deemed needful.

Payment

Phases

1st payment

1- Participation in the monthly economic report (12 monthly reports per year)

2nd payment

2- Participation in the quarterly economic report (4 quarterly reports per year)

25% every quarter

3rd payment

3- Participation in the Annual Economic Report (1 Annual Report per year)

4th payment

4- Preparation and realization of the bi-monthly internal Workshop (15 Workshops)

5th payment

5- Preparation of the Internal Working Paper (15 Technical Working Papers)

6th payment

6- Daily work of economic consulting on files for the Ministry.

Last Payment

7- Availability to young colleagues for the Knowledge Transfer.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

• For purposes of generating Offers whose contents are uniformly presented and to facilitate their comparative analysis, it is best to recommend the preferred contents and presentation of the offer to be submitted, as well as the format/sequencing of their presentation. The following documents may be requested:
• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per the 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 a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Applicants are shortlisted based on the Required Skills and Experience stated in the TOR.

The selection of the best offer from the shortlisted candidates will be based on a Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a max. of 70% and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted a max of 30%.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Step I: Screening and Desk Review

Technical Criteria (CV review and Desk Review/Interview optional) – maximum 70 points. Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the CV desk review (who will score at least 49 points) will be considered for the next evaluation stage, i.e., financial evaluation.

Applications will be first screened, and only candidates meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

Technical Evaluation (70 Points, 70% weight)

Requirements

Criteria

Max Points

Education

• Master's degree in economics, international Economy, Business Administration, Public Policy, or a related field is required.

15

Relevant professional experience

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible relevant experience involving the application of economic principles and policies at the national and international levels.
• Proven experience in regional integration, international trade and other areas related to international economics.

30

Work experience in similar contexts

• Proven experience and understanding of strategy development process for the government/ public sector.
• Experience in drafting policy documents and analytical reports.

25

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Weight Per Technical Competence

5 (outstanding): 96% - 100%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated an OUTSTANDING capacity for the analyzed competence.

4 (Very good): 86% - 95%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a VERY GOOD capacity for the analyzed competence.

3 (Good): 76% - 85%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a GOOD capacity for the analyzed competence.

2 (Satisfactory): 70% - 75%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a SATISFACTORY capacity for the analyzed competence.

1 (Weak): Below 70%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a WEAK capacity for the analyzed competence.

Step II: Financial Assessment:

Financial Proposal – Maximum 30 points

• Duly accomplished Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II)

PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

The total professional fee shall be converted into a lump-sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the schedule of payment linked with deliverables. The financial Proposal should include all relevant costs (consultancy fees, all envisaged travel costs, living allowances, etc.).

UNDP applies the "Best value for money approach" – the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants' qualifications and financial proposal.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate the financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest-priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Instructions for on-line submissions

• Step 1: Please prepare all required documents electronically.

  Step 2: Combine all documents in ONE SINGLE FILE (preferably in PDF however, Word format can also be accepted) and upload to the UNDP Jobs links

  Step 3: After that, you will receive an auto-reply from the UNDP jobs if your offer is received successfully.

  Interested applicants are advised to carefully review this advertisement and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described.

  Given the volume of applications that UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.

  UNDP reserves the right to reject any incomplete applications.

  Please be informed that we don't accept applications submitted via email.

  Interested Offerors are required to submit an application via UNDP Jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP Jobsite system. Please note that UNDP Jobsite system allows only one uploading of application documents, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your online application submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows you to upload a maximum of one document.

  Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email mohammed.abbas@undp.org with a copy to huda.alsaud@undp.org the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 3 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted on the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain updates related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice.

  UNDP 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.

  UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

  Interested applicants are advised to carefully review this advertisement and ensure that they meet the requirements and qualifications described.

  The interested offeror must read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=97390 for more detailed information about terms of references, instructions for the offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer online.

  UNDP 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.

  UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Apply now

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org