National Programme Support Associate

Consultant

Contract

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

Background

Vision 2030 was adopted as a methodology and roadmap for economic and developmental action in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To grant the Kingdom a leading position in all fields, the Vision sought to identify the country’s general directions, policies, goals, and objectives. Accordingly, this requires Saudi Arabia to open up to the external world, as well as strengthen its positive global image while enhancing regional relations. This, in turn, accentuates the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the realization of Vision 2030.

While the Vision requires promoting economic and commercial activities, enhancing public services for citizens, the efficiency of public expenditures and upgrading resource allocation, it also highlights the importance of cooperation with the United Nations System. Particularly, it highlights the potential UNDP has as the UN Agency with the largest presence in the Kingdom. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is UNDP’s chief coordinating agency through which programming in the national context is undertaken with all other partners in the Kingdom. However, UNDP is uniquely positioned to leverage its international name recognition, presence, and networks to support the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fulfil its mandate.

Consequently, the Umbrella Programme for Advisory Services to MoFA was developed as a flexible cooperation framework to encourage MoFA to increase its programmatic engagement with UNDP. The extant Project Document was signed on 01 September 2018, with the following pillars: Strengthening public diplomacy, supporting Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies, Providing advisory services to the organizational units at MoFA (political-economic, specialized consular, general affairs, planning and development, legal unit and human resources unit) Promoting the international representation of Saudi Arabia, and finally, Supporting recruitment of Saudi nationals in the UN system. The project is nearing its closure date in December 2022, and a new project is under discussion with MoFA, slated to begin in January 2023.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Associate, Programme Advisor/Officer, the incumbent will be primarily responsible for providing high-quality project and administrative, coordination and monitoring support for the implementation of the projects. S Under the overall supervision of the Programme Advisor, the incumbent will undertake work which falls along two integral tracks:

1. Support to Overall Project Needs:

2. Ensure the achievement of outputs/results in line with the approved work plans through the day-to-day planning, management coordination and implementation of activities.

3. Responding to day-to-day counterpart needs by maintaining close coordination with assigned project partners, incl.
   • Assisting the Programme Advisor in coordinating the exchange of information on coordination for Programme needs, meeting requests and required signature retrievals
   • Act as a go-between with UNDP-HR on issues relating to UNDP contracted experts currently working closely with the counterpart.
   • Act as a go-between with Procurement and Finance in response to Project Needs
   • Provide counterpart with regular progress reports (e.g. weekly) with regard to all ongoing requests and projects.
   • Provide counterpart with regular financial reports (e.g. bi-weekly) for budgets of all three outputs in a manner both accurate and easily intelligible.
4. Monitoring and Evaluation:
   • Coordinate delivery of assets, maintain records of assets management and prepare asset reports
   • Maintain files and ensure proper records of project working files in line with corporate requirements (project audit, evaluation, and operational and financial closure).
   • Monitor and follow up on project progress according to project documents and UNDP procedures. Ensure timely submission of financial and activity reports by implementing partners. Ensure regular updating of project risk logs and lessons learned logs.

5. Undertake any other duties as required by Project Management and Counterpart, incl. drafting letters, meeting minutes, talking points, and preparing translations where needed.

6. Support for UNDP-CO Initiatives

• Support in helping to identify new project activities in close coordination with Project Management, international SMEs and Counterpart
• Assisting Project Management in monitoring the balance between reactivity to Counterpart's ongoing needs and strategic future-facing ideas.
• Support in identifying the need for international subject matter experts, sourcing them and recruiting them, in accordance with UNDP guidelines and procurement workflows
• Providing insight to a team of international experts and required support in organizing/conducting project activities, initiating routine communication with them relating to the implementation of the project and drafting of official documents.
• Propose solutions to any administrative issues whenever relevant and possible.
• Overseeing UNDP’s support on the Programme’s newly added revisions on all matters pertaining to the assessment, analysis and reform of a given Umbrella Programme.
• Develop Concept Notes, project documents and proposals to support CO advocacy efforts across different constituencies.

A. Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Deliverables/ Outputs

Estimated Duration to Complete

Target Due Dates

Review and Approvals Required

1. Project Revision Signature

One deliverable

ASAP

Programme Advisor

1. Finalization of negotiations on new Project Document and signature

One deliverable

ASAP

Programme Advisor

1. Regular Progress Report

7 days

recurrent at the end of each month

Senior Programme Associate, Programme Advisor/Officer

1. Monitoring Report of MoFA UNV Embeds

22 days

recurrent at the end of each month

Senior Programme Associate, Programme Advisor/Officer

1. Corporate Requirements Support across the entire pillar 3 portfolio

As needed

on a monthly basis

Senior Programme Associate, Programme Officer

1. Other liaison work as deemed necessary by the Pillar 3 Team

Ongoing until the end of the contract

on a monthly basis

Senior Programme Associate, Programme Advisor/Officer

B. 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

C. Duration of the Work:

• The expected duration of work is 6 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 20th of April of 2023.

D. Duty Station

• The assignment will be in country (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). He/ She will be embedded within the Umbrella Programme for Advisory Support to MoFA

• 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 traveling 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

1. Experience with planning workshops and conferences
2. Excellent budget management skills
3. Attention to details
4. Ability to communicate effectively

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, and nationality sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies:

• Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit, and positive working relationships
• Highly level in program economic reporting and implementation with strong knowledge- base in excessive experience in this field.
• Demonstrated ability to conceptualize, develop and oversee complex program implementation.

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Accounting, or a related field.

Min. years of relevant work experience

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in Administrative or Financial support or office operating within international or national foreign projects or organizations.
• An excellent understanding of administrative and fiscal management and commitment to producing timely and accurate reports and budgets.
• Demonstrated proficiency in using office equipment with computer literacy in Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations, and experience in financial management systems.

Required skills

• Prvoen experience with government counterparts
• Proven experience of record-keeping and management of information

Required Language(s)

Fluency in written and spoken English & Arabic is a must

A.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

Payment Percentage

1st Payment

Upon submission and completion of 50 percentage of Deliverable A

Along with the first three instalments of Deliverable C.

16%

2nd Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of Deliverables B, Along with the second instalment of Deliverables C, D, and E.

16%

3rd Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of the third instalment of Deliverables C, D, and E.

16%

4th Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of the forth instalments of Deliverables C, D, and E.

16%

5th Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of the fifth instalment of Deliverables C, D, and E.

16%

6th Payment

Upon submission and acceptance of the sixth instalment of Deliverables C, D, and E.

17%

B.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:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. 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;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services, but may be omitted for support services [Note: this is optional for support services];
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per 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 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.

C.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 10 points

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Accounting, or a related field a must.

15

Relevant work experience

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in Administrative or Financial support or office operating within international or national foreign projects or organizations.
• Proven experience in administrative and fiscal management and commitment to producing timely and accurate reports and budgets.

30

Required skills

• Proven experience working with government counterparts

15

Required Language(s)

Fluency in written and spoken English & Arabic a must

10

Total

70

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

D.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=97370 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.

E.APPROVAL

This ToR is certified by:

Signature:

Name:

Designation:

Date of Signing:

This ToR is approved by:

Signature:

Name:

Designation:

Date of Signing

Apply now

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