Supply Financing Roster – Supply Division- Copenhagen - Denmark

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.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

Background

As financial sustainability is one of the cornerstones to achieve durable and efficient systems of public programmes, UNICEF engages with governments to influence the mobilization, allocation and utilization of domestic financial resources, for greater, more equitable results for children . UNICEF Supply Division’s Financing and Domestic Resource Mobilization Strategy specifically supports governments’ transition towards sustainable self-financing of essential supplies (“Country Supply Financing”);as well as to build new financing opportunities, partnerships and solutions to to improve and accelerate market access and affordability of essential supplies (“Supplier Financing”).

Public Finance Management obstacles often impact governments’ ability to mobilize required resources and/or maximize investments for children. Key supply financing challenges include insufficient allocations to child-related programmes; inefficient expenditure; inequitable allocations; and weak financial accountability.

UNICEF provides technical assistance and normative support to address the underlying causes of insufficient budget allocation, low and/or delayed budget execution to improve a country’s long-term self-financing capacity, and is solely focused on supplies. These activities consist of supporting countries’ strengthening of their capacities of country-owned forecasting and budgeting, financial procedure development, and mobilization of domestic funds through evidence-based advocacy and multi-year planning..

Objectives, Purpose & Expected results.

UNICEF is seeking to establish a roster of consultants to provide technical assistance in the area of forecasting, planning and budgeting. The roster consultants will be pre-screened against the key requirements, and once the specific TA (technical assistance) assignment is established, selected roster candidates will be requested to check their availability, as well as to provide a financial quote for the planned engagement. The financial quote will be based on a daily fee that the consultant will quote during the pre-screening / roster establishment process.

The roster will be established for 2 years, with a possibility of extension, and/or satisfactory performance. The scope of the technical assistance that roster consultants will be expected to deliver are presented in the below section. The consultants might be requested to implement all, or some of the activities listed below (the scope of a assignment will be specified at the “Request for availability / financial quote” stage). The assignments can be at individual country level, or at regional level involving more than one country.

Description of the assignment

Roster consultants will be expected to implement all / selected activities from the below list:

• Map the Supplies (e.g. Vaccines, Nutrition, Medicines) Procurement Budgeting Process to identify challenges in forecasting, quantification and costing of procurement needs (as well as develop budgeting templates, SOPs and methodology if necessary), and cash flow timing issues;
• Review, and as appropriate, support revision of the supplies forecast and consequent funding needs for the multi-year procurement of supplies and other vaccine-related commodities, including identification of the existing and possible sources of funding and the budget funding gap;
• Development of recommendations and propose a roadmap with short-, medium- and long-term actions to address them;
• Train the implicated health personnel on vaccine forecasting and budgeting;
• Support advocacy efforts for sufficient budget to fund supplies procurement needs through development of key advocacy materials / messages.

The above activities are conducted at the initial, assessment stage. Based on the mapping / assessment outcomes (and as stipulated in the roadmap developed as a result of a mapping process), further, tailored support can be deployed. The details of such support are identified at the roadmap development stage, and can include (as an example):

• Support in subscription to the UNICEF VII (Vaccine Independence Initiative) to help address cash flow timing issues;
• Further support in tools / SoPs / methodologies development / revisions;
• Further capacity building activities

Deliverables

Deliverables will depend on detailed ToR activities, and can include (as an example):

• Mapping of the supplies procurement budgeting process;
• Roadmap to address identified supplies procurement budgeting bottlenecks;
• Supplies procurement budgeting tools, SoPs and methodologies;
• Advocacy messages to help increase allocation for supplies procurement.
• Capacity building/knowledge exchange activities and supporting materials

Reporting requirements

The consultants will be expected to provide:

• Inception report / Draft template of the final report;
• Workplan, including timetable;
• Draft and Final report, including a roadmap;
• Advocacy materials
• Presentation and training materials.

Location and Duration

Consultancy duration will depend on a detailed ToR, but in average will last for 2-3 months. The consultants will be expected to travel to a TA country (country where the technical assistance is to be provided) for the extended period of time (as agreed), whereas the desk review and reporting stages can be implemented remotely.

Qualification requirements

Education:

Master’s Degree in Business, Public Health, Development or Public Finance, (Health) Economics / or in another relevant discipline for health / supply financing. University degree with two additional relevant years of experience can be considered in lieu of the Master’s Degree.

Work Experience: Minimum seven years professional relevant work experience in health fiscal space analysis, health / immunization financing, setting up financial solutions for health (including trust funds etc).

Language: English and working knowledge of an official language of a TA country will be required.

Evaluation process and methods

• Candidates will be interviewed and evaluated against agreed requirements (described below). If successful, they will be included into the roster
• Once a specific TA assignment will materialize, selected roster consultants (minimum 3 consultants) will be requested to submit their financial quotes. A candidate presenting the best Value for Money will be selected.

Administrative issues

• Roster candidates (Bidders) will be requested to provide a daily fee that will apply thoughout the entire roster validity.
• For specific technical assistance assignments, travel will be organized according to UNICEF rules (e.g. flights should be organized in economy class; costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC).

Project management

Consultants will be managed by Procurement Services Center at UNICEF Supply Division. Additionally, selected staff member of UNICEF Country Offices and/or Regional Offices (usually from Health and / or Supply sections) will also have supervisory role.

Payment Schedule

Payments’ schedule will be agreed for each specific ToR. The consutant will be paid per deliverable (based on daily fees and number of days agreed). Daily fees will be agreed at the roster establishment stage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are...

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

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.