International Expert in Rural Development Project Inspection and recommendations on further development of action priorities

Contract

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

Background

Article 332 of the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia states that the “Parties shall cooperate to promote agricultural and rural development, in particular through progressive convergence of policies and legislation”. The Government of Georgia demonstrated its commitment in implementing an institutional reform aimed at creating a policy management system which represents a new approach for rural development in Georgia aligned with the relevant EU regulations and common provisions on agriculture and rural development.

The Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy 2021-2027 (ARDS) of Georgia was developed based on the experience and results of implementing the 2017-2020 Rural Development Strategy and the 2015-2020 Agricultural Development Strategy. The 2021-2027 ARDS was drafted on the basis of the analysis of agricultural sector and existing situation in rural areas in Georgia. It gives data and analyses the policy significance of a range of broad socio-economic indicators. It fully reflects the ex-ante evaluation conducted with support from UNDP and FAO of locally implemented and ongoing programs and other evaluations. The ARDS sets out the priorities of the Government of Georgia, together with the directions for sectoral and multi-sectoral development linked to Georgia’s rural and agricultural development. The Common Monitoring and Evaluation System (CMES), developed with UNDP IRDG support, was nationally adopted on 22 December 2017. The national CMES 2018 document can also be downloaded from https://mepa.gov.ge/En/PublicInformation/6346.

Implementation of ARDS (https://eu4georgia.ge/wp-content/uploads/Agriculture-and-Rural-Development-Strategy-of-Georgia-2021%E2%80%932027.pdf) will make it possible to address important environmental, social and economic challenges facing Georgia and to have major breakthrough in regard to social-economic development in rural areas.

The ongoing UNDP project “Improving Rural Development in Georgia” (IRDG) support under EU-funded ENPARD III is instrumental in assisting the Government (Inter-Agency Coordination Council for Rural Development - IACC) in its endeavor to develop the institutional and human capacities for managing rural development sector and gradually bringing into alignment with the EU policy framework and CAP rules and basic regulations.

In support of this GoG commitment, UNDP has been supporting the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) concerning institutional set up of the following separate authorities, operating in close cooperation: (i) the Managing Authority, being a public body acting at national level, to be in charge of strategic programming, designing measures, including implementation procedures and their publicity, the coordination, monitoring and evaluation and managed by a senior official with exclusive responsibilities; and (ii) the subordinate entity Rural Development Agency (RDA) with functions of a similar nature as a Paying Agency in the Member States being in charge of application processing/selection of projects as well as authorisation, OTS inspection, Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS), accounting of commitments, payments and the execution.

On 18 November 2020, MEPA established an intra-ministerial working group “on institutional reform of RD policy management system in Georgia”, chaired by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (order N2-1072). The Working Group has approved a multi-year Institutional Reform Action Plan (2021-2024) on 7 April 2021, as a result, RDA will undertake large scale organizational changes and capacity building, to cover:

• Administration and payment operations management system incl. system for managing the application verification, evaluation and authorization process.
• Fundamental changes in monitoring and control system (regional On-The-Spot inspections and overall monitoring data management).
• Introduction of an EU-compliant Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) including a Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS-GIS).
• Harmonization of written procedures, HRM standard and continuous training system.

Based on the initial analysis of current OTS - inspection arrangements and non-compliances, significant weaknesses were found in the use and numbers of official staff available for on-the-spot (OTS) field inspections of applications for measures and claims for payment, as follows:

1. Inadequate numbers of OTS inspections of applicants’ and claimants’ businesses or facilities by staff of banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions contracted and paid by RDA and random OTS checks of these, to execute RDA measures offering:
2. insufficient numbers and training for professionally qualified officials in MEPA’s Agricultural Advisory Service needed to provide advice and counselling to farmers and agro-businessmen wishing to prepare applications and business plans for RDA agricultural and rural development support measures.
3. inefficient current use of RDA HQ officials processing and assessing acceptability of applications and business plans to make OTS inspections (forecast to increase substantially in number as additional IPARD-compliant measures are introduced during 2022-2027), due to:

(a) limited numbers of field OTS inspections that can be performed by the small numbers of suitable RDA HQ officials in the units concerned.

(b) limitations on the number of OTS inspections that can be completed per day per official due to travelling time to and from Tbilisi.

(c) high levels of budget expenditure on travel and accommodation; and

(d) reductions in the time available and hence numbers of applications and claims being processed by RDA HQ officials due to absences making field visits.

4. absence of instructions and insufficient training for effective and efficient conduct of OTS inspections, particularly requiring OTS inspectors to complete adequately detailed pre-inspection planning/briefing discussions with the RDA HQ officials processing the grant application and supporting business plans and claims for payments being verified by the visit.

5. insufficient guidance and instructions for officials making ex-ante OTS inspections to verify retention/continued use up to 5 years after final payments of grant to support purchase of assets.

6. insufficient separation of management, training and staff units within the Agricultural Advisory Service of advisory and control inspection functions and staffing, often leading to officials being required to undertake both functions in the geographical area concerned.

With this in mind, UNDP project “Improving Rural Development in Georgia”, in agreement with the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia and the Rural Development Agency, provides further support during 2021 on the specific institutional reform options for capacity strengthening of RD inspection arrangements and implementation activities to be undertaken by the Rural Development Agency with the aim to ensure progressive transformation of RDA into IPARD II-compliant Paying Agency.

Duties and Responsibilities

The overall objective of the assignment is to provide guidance support to the management of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and the Rural Development Agency of Georgia in implementing activities envisaged by the multi-year Institutional Reform Action Plan (2021-2024) and the annual 2021 work plan and provide recommendations on strategic responses, closing gaps/non-compliances and corrective actions for each of the weaknesses related to the on-the-spot (OTS) field inspections of applications for agriculture and rural development measures and claims for payment.

The below listed tasks of the incumbent shall be performed in close cooperation with a Capacity Development Coordinator of the project “Improving Rural Development in Georgia” and include the following:

1. Review, verification and where relevant quantification of weaknesses (i), (ii), (iv) and (v) above.
2. Review of current RDA operating instructions for preparation, conduct (including timing of checks, number of checks performed, work plans, size of control samples, sample-taking methodology) and reporting of OTS inspections for RDA HQ staff, Advisory Service Staff and where appropriate contracted banks and financial institutions required to make OTS inspections of applications and claims for: - "Plant the Future” (berries and gardens [nurseries]. - “Preferential Agro-Credit” measures. -“Agro-Insurance” measures.
3. Review of training responsibilities and requirements and development of proposals for additional, enhanced or improved syllabuses (incl. pre-/post- knowledge evaluation tests) for RDA in-house or external training of staff incorporating Candidate Countries experience when at similar stages of decentralized capacity development as Georgia. [possibly] Suggest country hosts for study visits and short work placements for managers and/or subordinate staff responsible for OTS inspections of applications and claims for payments.
4. Comparative analysis of costs (including numbers and qualifications on inspectors needed) and benefits for OTS institutional alternatives (a), (b) and (c) above, together with recommended option, timetable for adoption and outline terms of reference and indicative costs for external technical assistance for IT supporting/operational facilities (software development, provision of hardware, and training RDA officials operating and managing the systems).
5. Deliver a 1.5-day training for MEPA/RDA officials (max 25 participants) to build knowledge on OTS field inspection elements, Commission guidance and relevant EU requirements.
6. Propose a timetable and ToRs with estimated costs for contracting experts between 2021 and 2023 to support RDA’s implementation of actions 1 to 5 above (including additional trainings for RDA staff).
7. Provide strategic recommendations for integration or improved inter-operability of relevant regional (Autonomous Republic of Ajara) OTS requirements, systems and instructions with MEPA/RDA equivalents.
8. Deliver a 1.5-day training for AR Ajara Ministry of Agriculture officials (max 25 participants) to build knowledge on OTS field inspection elements, Commission guidance and relevant EU requirements.
9. Participate in the working group meetings, events and conferences, present findings/recommendations and promote best-suited approaches, including possible impacts of changes in the EU acquis for agricultural and rural development for 2021-2027.

Payment Schedule for the initial contract:

50 % - upon submission and clearance of the deliverable 1 (November 2021) - Presentation to and discussion with thematic working group members of main findings (showing key gaps between Georgian and current IPARD systems) and recommended changes for 2022-2023 with costings, timings, outline ToRs for external assistance (tasks 1 to 6 inclusive).

50% - upon submission and clearance of the deliverable 2 (December 2021) - Final report covering implementation aspects of the contract and full details of the deliverables required for tasks 1 to 9 including training evaluation report with relevant annexes from the conducted trainings.

Management Arrangements:

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the National Project Manager of “Improving Rural Development in Georgia” Project in close collaboration with the Rural Development Agency. The UNDP will make arrangements for meetings and capacity building workshop(s); UNDP will facilitate liaison with government and other stakeholders as necessary.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional competencies:

Knowledge management and learning:

• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and operational effectiveness:

• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Ability to lead formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes and projects, mobilize resources;
• Strong IT skills, particularly with MS Office and databases;
• Excellent written and oral presentation skills.

Management and leadership:

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;

Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities.

Language Requirements

• Proficiency in both spoken and written English.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree in public administration, public policy, agricultural engineering, rural development, business administration or related field (Minimum Requirement) - 8 Points.

Experience:

• At least 3 years’ experience working as an inspector or manager in an agricultural inspectorate of an EU Member State or Candidate Country (Minimum Requirement) - 10 Points.
• Participation in at least 2 medium-term projects since 2015 as the Key Expert providing advice on costings, staffing, management and training recommendations for government bodies and/or non-government inspectorates to strengthen official inspection and control capacities for agricultural and rural development supporting measures in line with EU requirements (Minimum Requirement) - 10 Points.
• Working as a middle management official in an Agricultural and Rural Development Paying Agency or Managing Authority of an EU Member State or (since 2013) in Candidate Country (additional 4 points).Experience in developing training programmes and delivering users’ trainings in OTS would be an asset (additional 4 points). Experience in providing technical assistance in Georgia (or within a comparable transition context) (additional 4 points). - 12 Points

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis: Individual consultants will be evaluated against combination of technical and financial criteria. Technical evaluation stage encompasses desk review and interview of applications. Experts not meeting any of minimum technical qualification requirements will be automatically excluded from the list of candidates for further technical evaluation. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals to 70 points (70%) and for financial criteria 30 (30%). Technical criteria composed of desk review (40 points) and interview (30 points). Offerors who pass 70% of maximum obtainable scores of the desk review (i.e. 40 x 70% = 28 points because of a desk review of applications will be invited for the interview. Those offerors who pass 70% of maximum obtainable scores for interviews of (i.e. 30x 70% = 21 points) will be considered as short-listed offerors and requested to provide financial proposals.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum. Payments are based upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP does 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 order, to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.