National consultant for Research on Budget Credibility and Social accountability for UNICEF Senegal Country Office

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Monday 10 Oct 2022 at 23:55 UTC

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Research on Budget Credibility and Social accountability

1.-Context

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the importance and the need to ensure adequate funding not only for COVID-19, but for immunization activities in general. The pandemic has eroded fiscal revenues and impacted the ability of governments to meet their commitments.

Senegal is one of the countries that have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has had a downward effect on government revenues and expenditures despite the Economic and Social Recovery Program (PRES), thus compromising the government's ability to finance COVID and immunization spending in general. The financing needs for immunization, even if they are well planned, are often not carried out as planned because of budget cuts or new priorities. Several analyses conducted by the Social Budget Monitoring Observatory (SBMO) show funding gaps compared to the sectoral strategies and international standards in all areas, including immunization.

Furthermore, even when the total programmed public expenditures are executed in a timely manner, this does not always guarantee adequate immunization coverage. Several bottlenecks may arise and prevent from the delivery of immunization services. Some of these bottlenecks originate in areas out of control of health actors. For example, lack of electricity, lack of qualified staff, geographical accessibility issues. All these factors can ultimately prevent the desired effect from being achieved.

UNICEF has been working for several years to strengthen budget accountability at the local level by putting in place tools that allow communes' budgets to be aligned with local priorities and to report on the use of the commune's funds at the end of each year. If, in the communes where UNICEF is engaging (CTAE) there is a clear view on the utilization of its resource, there is not the same for resource that come from national level and injected in social sectors including immunization.

To address these challenges, UNICEF in partnership with IBP, will conduct research on budget credibility in the area of immunization in order to assess the gaps between planning, programming and execution of public expenditures, and the corresponding impacts on availability of immunization services. This research will be complemented by the design and implementation of a social accountability system in pilot areas to identify and address the bottlenecks that prevent the fulfillment of the right to immunization for all children in the selected areas. The social accountability system will provide more in-depth information on immunization service delivery outcomes at commune-level, and their relationship with both national-level and local-level budgets and expenditures related to immunization services.

The analyses of budget credibility will provide additional inputs for the SBMO and will inform policy discussions and decision-making across the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Budget, the Regional Development Agencies and the communes. The social accountability mechanism that will be designed to guide the generation of more granular and detailed evidence for the SBMO to fulfil its mission of improving budget monitoring and advocacy in the social sectors.

2. GOALS

The purpose of this consultation is twofold:

a) Examine all aspects of budgetary credibility in the area of immunization and understand the extent to which these issues

constrain service delivery while drawing on the similar research across other sectors,

b) Design and pilot a social accountability mechanism in pilot areas in partnership with the Development Agencies at Regional level (ARD) and the SBMO for WASH and immunization sectors.

3. Specific objectives

Stream 1: Budget Credibility

The objectives of the research on budget credibility are to:

●Identify the causes, consequences, and opportunities for improving budget credibility challenges in immunization using iterative research and analysis of budget data

●Develop a narrative on the importance and impact of budget credibility issues and develop communications products to raise awareness, understanding and engagement

●Engage with stakeholders, including actors from government, development partners, and civil society to promote avenues for addressing the problems identified

●Document lessons from the country work on how to address budget credibility challenges

Stream 2: Social accountability mechanism

To implement a social accountability mechanism that will inform key decision actors on the outcomes of public spending in terms of provision of social services (immunization) at commune-level. This mechanism will bolster improve accountability within government structures to ensure that there is commensurate public budgets for social sector services, and that they are appropriately translated into expenditures, and provision of and access to social services for the population, including vulnerable people.

Often, public spending and the resultant services provided are reliant on a chain of actors to ensure that impact for those that have the greatest need. However, in many instances resources can be expended without the target group benefiting from the social services due to failures across the chain of relevant actors. There is a need to convene all relevant actors regardless of whether they belong to a different technical service/department within another ministry. Weak accountability systems for government may also contribute to diminished provision of services. The proposed mechanism intends to empower citizens to engage with local authorities on matters related to budget credibility and their immunization-related entitlements. Additionally, the mechanism aims to improve accountability within government, connecting the different actors and ensuring that the required actions have been taken timely to ensure full coverage of services.

4.Scope

This consultancy focuses on budget credibility research for the immunization sector and the design and implementation of a social accountability system (WASH + immunization) to be piloted in some selected CTAE in the southern regions. Once the system has been tested and documented, it can be expanded to include assessment of other social sectors and scale-up.

5.Tasks

Stream 1: For the budget credibility research on immunization, below activities should be carried out in partnership with IBP, SBMO.

●Designing a research framework: The approach for the immunization area will be based on similar budget credibility study, developed by IBP for the WASH sector. The research framework should outline how to identify the drivers of the budget credibility challenges within government and the impacts of budget deviations on the delivery of services, including the gender-specific impacts of underspending.

●Data collection and analysis: This includes initial scoping to identify existing data and data gaps for budget allocations, execution, and performance data, data requests to relevant ministries and agencies, initial analysis to inform the research framework and more detailed analysis on the drivers and impacts of budget credibility on service delivery.

●Engaging with stakeholders: This includes building buy-in and support from a wide range of actors around reforms to address the budget credibility challenges identified by the research. This can include stakeholder mapping, engagement strategies and specific advocacy events.

●Developing narratives, messages, and communications products: This includes documenting the human impact of budget deviations on the delivery of services, as well as clear narrative messages and practical solutions.

●Documenting research and evidence: This includes research products (inception report, final report, policy brief, communication materials…) that will increase knowledge and awareness of research findings nationally and internationally.

Stream 2: Social accountability mechanism

-Concept note: A concept note has been drafted to outline the structures and processes involved in the pilot of the social accountability mechanism; this will need to be reviewed and finalized to that the proposed methodology clearly defined, has appropriate linkages with the SBMO, and is operationalizable.

-Implementation of the approach: For the implementation, the consultant is required to coordinate with existing implementing partners for the CTAE (including the ARD) to formulate guidance on investigating budget credibility and service delivery issues as well as conduct capacity building/training on these aspects. The consultant will also be expected to provide guidance to implementing partners on the engagement with local government authorities to highlight issues of budget credibility impacting service delivery, and to formulate joint plans with government authorities to overcome identified challenges.

-Documentation of the approach: The implementation of the mechanism will need to be fully documented, capturing the processes in place prior to the mechanism’s implementation, the extent to which the pilot affects the processes within the CTAE (including engagement with government), and how participants in the CTAE are motivated to examine issues of budget credibility.

-Documentation of key findings and messages: A final report consolidating the implementation of the mechanism and key results and findings will be developed to provide some information to support policy dialogue with government at national and local level

-Policy briefs: Consolidation of key results will be developed for decision makers at local and national levels.

-Dissemination and advocacy events: The wider policy implications from the pilot’s implementation will be disseminated at least 2 communication events: one at local level and another one at the national level.

6.Deliverables, deadlines, and payment schedule:

Stream 1: Budget Credibility

-One Research Note on Budget Credibility challenges in Immunization, from a programmatic perspective (EPI, Covid vaccines) including the research questions. Deadline: October 2022. First payment: 10%

-Draft report identifying factors underlying budget credibility issues and ways to address them. Deadline: January 2023.

-Final report compiling analysis and findings in previous products. Deadline: Mars 2023. Second payment: 20%

-Policy Brief for decision-makers. Deadline: Mars 2023. Third payment: 10%

Stream 2: Accountability mechanism

-Concept Note and operational manual of the social accountability mechanism. Deadline: January 2023.

-Communication plan and impact strategy. Deadline: February 2023. Fourth payment: 10%

-Draft report on the implementation of the social accountability system to understand budget credibility challenges for immunization, including reporting on insights gained from community level monitoring. Deadline: May 2023. Fifth payment: 10%

-Final report on the implementation of the social accountability system. Deadline: August 2023. Sixth payment: 10%

-Dissemination of the final key findings with stakeholders at national and subnational levels (2 advocacy events: one at local level and another one at national level). September 2023. Seventh payment: 10%

-Policy brief. September 2023. Eighth payment: 20%

7. Qualification

The national consultant will have the following qualifications:

Education:

o Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Economics, Public Finance, Public Policy, or another relevant technical field.

Experience:

o A minimum of 10 years work experience with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience in conducting research or research-action in public finance and local governance is required. Provide examples of research reports or publications.

o good experience in conceptualizing and implementation approaches.

o Experience working on Senegalese Public financial management system is considered a strong asset.

o Demonstrated track record in generating quality evidence and knowledge to inform and influence socio-economic policies is considered a strong asset.

o Excellent written in French and English is required.

Interested consultants should provide the following:

1. Curriculum Vitae/P11 form

2. Brief technical proposal (no longer than five pages) demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the assignment and approach/methodology to the assignment

3.Financial proposal including a breakdown of their all-inclusive fees (including professional fees, travel, living cost and other costs.

4.References details

The technical proposition can be done in French or English.

8. Evaluation criteria:

The selection will be done based on the below criteria:

Heading

Points

Understanding of the mission

25

Relevant professional experience in conducting research or research-action in public finance and/or local governance.

experience in conceptualizing and implementation approaches

30

Detailed methodology on each of component of the project

30

Detailed workplan showing how to navigate through the two components (research on budget credibility and social accountability mechanism)

15

Total Technical Offer

100

9. Supervision and administration

- The travel charges are not included in the consultancy fees and will be paid separately.

- Estimated duration of the contract: 11 months (October 2022 – August 2023)

- Reporting line: Chief Social Policy

- Workplace: UNICEF Senegal Office and DGPPE (SBMO) Office

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org