Social Policy Contractor (Public Finance), Lesotho

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Thursday 17 Jun 2021 at 21:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

For every child,

  1. Background and Justification

UNICEF Social Policy programme has been supporting the Government of Lesotho to strengthen social protection system that includes generating evidence, improving policy and strategies, strengthening life cycle based programme, and improving programme administration, coordination, and decentralization, to reduce poverty sustainably. This support recognizes the fact that strengthening social protection requires mobilization of domestic resources. In doing so, UNICEF is also supporting the Ministry of Finance and other social sector ministries to improve public finance for children in terms of participation, transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness, equity, etc.

In this context, UNICEF Lesotho is looking for a talented individual who will provide support to Ministry of Finance and other line ministries to implement planned public finance for children interventions.

  1. Scope of Work

2.1 Goal and Objectives:

Support implementation of and reporting on public finance for children activities identified in the joint annual workplan of UNICEF and Ministry of Finance, along with activities in the JP-EFMIS, while enhancing partnership with non-state stakeholders involved in monitoring and evaluating public finance management performance in Lesotho.

2.2 Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered:

The assignment of the consultancy will contribute to the achievement of Social Policy Output 3.2.

2.3 Activities and Tasks: The contractor will perform the following specific functions, with specific deliverables as indicated below:

Coordinate with UNICEF procurement section to recruit an institutional consultant to be responsible to strengthen MTEF-based strategic budgeting.

  • Support to Ministry of Finance in implementing the JP-EFMIS, following the 2-year annual workplan that focuses on:

    • Quarterly and annual progress reports, which are to be reviewed UNRCO Economist.
    • Development of JP-EFMIS communication plan in collaboration with UNICEF Communication Specialist.
    • Organize and report on meetings for both Program Steering Committee (PSC) and Program Technical Committee (PTC), following JP-EFMIS guidelines on roles, responsibilities, and milestones for implementation.

    • Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)-based strategic budgeting, through engaging line ministries in and intellectual contributions to preparation of training events around top-down and bottom-up tools.

    • Preparation of survey instruments for public expenditure tracking survey (PETS) on social sectors.
    • Review and assessment of implementation of program-based budgeting (PBB) the Ministry of Finance is undergoing since a decade.
    • Support advocacy and communication to enhance the visibility of UNICEF in the public financial management agenda of Lesotho.
    • Intellectual contributions to the Integrated National Financial Framework (INFF) process spearheaded by UNDP, as moderator of technical groups on fiscal policy and budgeting.
    • Coordination of United Nations (UN) implementing agencies (UNDP, IOM, and UNICEF) and Government stakeholders, with a focus on the following priorities:
  • Preparation of 2021/22 budget briefs (BB).
  • Launch of the child poverty update report and related policy brief.
  • Preparation of 8-10 pre-budget consultations, at both district level and ministry clusters level following the budget briefs.
  • Support implementation of other priority activities in the 2021 annual workplan on public finance for children, including Open Budget Survey interventions, as per Chief Social Policy requests.

2.4 Work relationships:

The contractor will work under the supervision of the Chief Social Policy in UNICEF Lesotho and work closely with relevant officials of Ministry of Finance and UN agencies involved.

2.5 Activities /Outputs/Deliverables:

Activity

Deliverables

2021

M6

M7

M8

M9

M10

M11

A. Coordinate with UNICEF procurement section to recruit an institutional consultant to be responsible to strengthen MTEF-based strategic budgeting.

(i) Prepare evaluation report of submitted technical and financial proposals.

(ii) Produce minutes of relevant eCRC meetings.

(iii) Ensure International Institutional consultant is on board.

X

X

B. Support to Ministry of Finance in implementing the JP-EFMIS, following the 2-year annual workplan that focuses on:

1) Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)-based strategic budgeting, through engaging line ministries in and intellectual contributions to preparation of training events around top-down and bottom-up tools.

(i) Create/ strengthen central MTEF technical working group/ committee (top-down), with terms of reference (TOR) articulating composition, functioning, and responsibilities of stakeholders.

(ii) Create/ resuscitate ministerial cluster working groups/ committees (bottom-up), with corresponding TOR.

(iii) Prepare minutes of introductory/ launch technical work sessions (top-down and bottom-up) held with Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders, to prepare sector inputs to MTEF.

X

X

2) Preparation of survey instruments for public expenditure tracking survey (PETS) on social sectors.

(i) Prepare TOR for recruiting an international consultant to elaborate these survey instruments, along with related technical evaluation report (TER) of potential candidates.

(ii) Organize and minute the technical validation workshop with relevant line ministries and spearheaded by Bureau and Statistics (BOS).

(iii) Ensure availability of PETS survey instruments.

X

3) Review and assessment of implementation of program-based budgeting (PBB) the Ministry of Finance is undergoing since a decade.

(i) Prepare TOR for recruiting an international consultant to work on PBB review and assessment, along with related TER of potential candidates.

(ii) Ensure availability and dissemination of PBB report.

(iii) Support preparation of related Costed Action Plan to enhance public financial management (PFM) with a focus on domestic revenue mobilization recommendations that support operationalization of ongoing Lesotho Integrated National Financial Framework (INFF).

X

X

4) Support advocacy and communication to enhance the visibility of UNICEF in the public financial management agenda of Lesotho.

(i) Conceptualize 10 pullup banners for Outcome 2 of JP-EFMIS, with support from UNICEF C4D Section.

(ii) Organize 1 TV show or 1 u-Report based event engaging youth/ women associations on objectives and expected impacts of JP-EFMIS.

X

X

X

X

5) Intellectual contributions to the Integrated National Financial Framework (INFF) process spearheaded by UNDP, as moderator of technical groups on fiscal policy and budgeting.

Summary notes/ minutes on key recommendations of meetings/ workshops attended.

X

X

X

6) Coordination of United Nations (UN) implementing agencies (UNDP, IOM, and UNICEF) and Government stakeholders, with a focus on the following priorities:

X

X

X

a) Quarterly and annual progress reports, which are to be reviewed UNRCO Economist

(i) April-June 2021 report.

(ii) July-September 2021 report.

(iii) Annual progress report 2021.

X

X

b) Development of communication plan in collaboration with UNICEF Communication Specialist.

Draft communication strategy available and endorsed by Government, with feedback from SDG Fund Secretariat

X

X

c) Organize and report on meetings for both Program Steering Committee (PSC) and Program Technical Committee (PTC), following JP-EFMIS guidelines on roles, responsibilities, and milestones for implementation.

(i) 1 monthly prepared note/ minutes summarizing PTC meetings.

(ii) At least 2 notes/ minutes summarizing PSC meetings.

C. Support the launch of the child poverty report and related policy brief.

(i) Supervise edition and graphic design of main report and policy brief with recruited consultant, as evidenced by string of communications indicating feedback provided to consultant).

X

(ii) Ensure distribution of final main report and policy brief to Government and other stakeholders.

X

(ii) Organize and prepare a summary note of national validation workshop of child poverty report.

X

D. Facilitation of 8-10 pre-budget consultations (PBC), at both district level.

(i) Prepare draft 2020/21 budget performance PowerPoint per ministerial clusters or any other relevant classifications Ministry of Finance deems useful.

X

(ii) Participate to the PBC meetings, upholding COVID-19 pandemic’s spread control measures.

X

(iii) Make intellectual contributions to preparation of consolidated PBC deliberation report using district level summary notes from Ministry of Finance.

X

X

E. Support preparation of MTEF for the 2022/23 national budget, which is really anchored in policies, regulations, and reliable program costing from ministerial clusters

(i) Liaise with Ministry of Finance to engage stakeholders expected to contribute to both central MTEF committee and ministerial clusters committees, to facilitate adequate turnaround during the MTEF inception workshop with stakeholders.

(ii) Prepare inputs requested by the International Institutional consultant supporting the MTEF-based strategic budgeting in Lesotho, in close collaboration with Ministry of Finance.

(iii) Contribute to drafting sections of the 2022/23 MTEF report, consistent with Ministry of Finance guidance.

X

X

X

X

X

  1. Reporting Format: As the individual contractor will provide staff type support to the Ministry of Finance, in the beginning of the assignment, the contractor will prepare an inception report with detailed implementation plan; and the contractor and the supervisor will agree on monthly deliverables from the activity list in section 2.5 above and submit monthly report using the format below. Payment will be made based on the monthly report.

Name of the contractor

Name of the programme Section

Reporting months with specific dates

Planned results as per the 2.5 section

Achievement indicator (deliverable)

Means of verification

Comments on achievement (lessons learned or challenges)

2. Payment: The contractor will be paid based on the delivery of agreed monthly deliverables as per section 2.5 and upon submission of a report following the reporting format above.

2.6 Payment schedule:

Payment will be made upon successful delivery of planned deliverables.

Day (deadline)

Deliverable

Payment in USD

15 July 2021

Delivery of June-July planned deliverables

20%

15 August 2021

Delivery of July-August deliverables

20%

15 September 2021

Delivery of August-September deliverables

20%

15 October 2021

Delivery of September-October deliverables

20%

14 December 2021

Final consultancy report including delivery of October-December deliverables

20%

  1. Desired profile

3.1 Education: A master degree in either of the following specialties: economics, macroeconomics, development economics, international finance, and applied statistics to national accounts.

3.2 Experience: Minimum of 10 years work experience in public finance management (PFM) and budget preparation and reporting, with extensive knowledge and development skills of Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) frameworks in terms of design, management, and programming, alongside relevant expertise in building institutional capacity of governments to prepare consistent charts of accounts and budget reports at sectoral, gender and SDG levels.

3.3 Competencies: Good communication, working with people, drive for results, and planning and organizing.

3.4 Language: Fluency in English.

  1. Administrative issues

    The selected contractor will be governed by and subject to UNICEF General Terms.

  • The contractor will work on their own computer(s) and use their own office resources and materials in the execution of this assignment.
  • The contractor quote should detail and be all inclusive of all costs.
  • The contractor is expected to be available and fully in charge of delivering the deliverables during the contract period.
  • As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against satisfactory completion of deliverables as per the approved work plan. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30% of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
  • As per policy on contractors and individual contractors, the contactor will be expected to complete a list of mandatory training, including policies on Prohibiting and Combatting Fraud and Corruption; Prohibition of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority and other relevant policies for their information and acknowledgment. Within 5 days of the contract commencement, the contractor/individual contractor is requested to complete the applicable mandatory trainings.
  1. Financial proposal
  • The financial proposal shall detail and be all inclusive of all cost (fee, logistics, administrative) for all deliverables and the whole duration of the contract.
  • The financial proposal is welcome in the local currency (Maloti).
  1. Risks

Inadequate commitment and support from Government, especially for identifying relevant stakeholders participating in (virtual or physical) meetings and accessing IFMIS-related resources, could result in delays in timely completion of deliverables. Regular monitoring of implementation and liaison with concerned MOF officials, alongside involvement of UNICEF management in negotiation with policy level officials if situations arise, will be done.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an application including profile to the respective advertisement on https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/. Please indicate your ability, availability, and financial proposal/ quote to complete the terms of reference above.

Rates must include all expenses related to the assignment (e.g., consultancy fee, logistics, administrative).

Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.If you have not been contacted within 2 months of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/ contacted candidates.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org