Back Consultancy: Project Manager, demand and supply information system, Supply Division, Cph

Consultancy: Project Manager, demand and supply information system

Monitoring, Strategic Data and Evidence Unit (MSDEU), UNICEF Supply Division, Copenhagen

Duration: 12 months

Location: UNICEF Supply Division, Copenhagen (Denmark) with travel to NY (USA) and possibly to Africa

Start Date: February 2020

Background:

Since 2013, NutriDash, an online platform developed by UNICEF is used to report global progress of nutrition programmes and to collect data to forecast the demand for nutrition supplies. NutriDash collects data annually from over 100 countries, the data is submitted by UNICEF Country Offices in collaboration with governments and partners. The nutrition programme coverage data is used to track progress towards global nutrition goals and UNICEF’s contribution to the SDGs. The data collected includes information on the existence of key nutrition policies and strategies and related enabling environment indicators as well as specific nutrition programme performance indicators.

NutriDash collects demand forecast data for nutrition commodities required in vitamin A supplementation, multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) and treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) programmes. The forecast data is used to estimate the projected needs for commodities for countries that will procure supplies via UNICEF.

There is an increased need to not only report on programme coverage and the quantity of the supplies required for nutrition programmes, but also to monitor different aspects of the supply chain to enhance planning and increase real-time visibility on supply and demand. The Visibility for Vaccines (VIVA) platform, (www.vivaplatform.org) used for country immunization programmes, is an example of a system that can project stock levels and anticipate supply chain constraints.

In order to enhance the forecasting function and increase the visibility of the supply chain of supplies for nutrition programmes, there is need for expansion of functionalities beyond those available currently in NutriDash, particularly in strengthening product demand and supply planning at a strategic, tactical and operational level. It is expected that NutriDash will not only be a tool to gather data from countries and report, but it will give back to countries, enabling them to take informed decisions on their demand and supply and at the same time giving real-time visibility to UNICEF SD on changes in demand.

To meet this need, it will be imperative for UNICEF to have a comprehensive understanding of the current operational practices at country level and established systems for monitoring and planning of nutrition supplies. This information will be critical in the final development of suitable functionalities and procedures that promote informed decision making on demand and supply of nutrition commodities in countries and give real-time visibility to UNICEF SD and partners.

Objective:

The purpose of the consultancy is to develop a comprehensive business case and project inception documentation for an online information, visibility and planning platform that integrates supply relevant data points and information with the nutrition programme reporting and planning information. The documentation is to include the mapping of existing processes, with an emphasis on country-based processes, the identification and mapping of future requirements by various internal and external stakeholders, a feasibility assessment of integrating the supply information in existing technology, including costing and any recommended process improvements, and a proposal for an implementation plan. The documentation generated by this consultancy will serve as the evidence for decision making in UNICEF on the process to implement the project, i.e. whether to expand the existing NutriDash or to develop a similar platform with expanded functionality.

Description of Assignment:

Under the supervision of the Supply Chain Manager in UNICEF SD and with her support and guidance, the consultant will have the following responsibilities:

1. Conduct a mapping of existing systems that can be leveraged to support more timely supply chain management.
2. Conduct a desk review of the existing Azure-based technology (NutriDash and ViVa): advantages, disadvantages, what they produce, existing correlation logic and data linkages, and reporting requirements they meet.
3. Conduct a desk review and interviews, as necessary, to understand the business processes of programme design and planning, supply chain and programme implementation in UNICEF Headquarters (HQ), Country Offices (CO) and with relevant stakeholders.
4. Document the findings regarding processes, data flows, and interlinkages within supply chain and programme in a process map.
5. Identify the linkages and gaps between the business processes and supporting technology, and document such.
6. Organize workshops and interviews with a range of internal and external stakeholders, as needed, to ensure a comprehensive collection of requirements in relation to supply chain and programme management needs.
7. Analyse the requirements collected, ensuring there are no gaps, and generate the correlation logic among the data points required, validating it with stakeholders.
8. With guidance from the Project Owner and Project Team, prioritize and establish a plan of requirements to be further developed into a blueprint.
9. Prepare a feasibility assessment in regard to integrating the supply information and requirements identified in the existing technology, including costing and any recommended process improvements that may need to be considered before developing the technology.
10. Prepare the business case and project documentation in view of supporting the decision making in Supply Division, Programme Division and ICTD on whether to go ahead with the project
11. Perform in the role of project manager, including by providing updates to the project plan status and budget to the supervisor, stakeholders and management
12. Analyze and review the VIVA system and what potential lessons can be learnt and applied for nutrition supply chain management.
13. Any other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Key deliverables

• Initial inception report which includes an outline of the proposed following elements at the beginning of the assignment:

  • General and specific objectives of the project
  • Methodology
  • Analysis Plan
  • Timeline
  • Required Resources
• Desk review document on the current NutriDash and other relevant Azure-based technologies
• Report on the business processes of programme and supply chain in UNICEF PD and SD, UNICEF COs, MoHs and other relevant stakeholders, including the mapping of relevant business processes and the linkages and gaps with regards to supporting technology
• Report with all requirements collected, their analysis and agreed to priority, and the correlation logic among data points, with all prioritized requirements, developed with enough detail to use for a blueprint

• Feasibility assessment of integrating the supply information and requirements identified in the existing technology, including costing and any recommended process improvements. It includes the following details:

  • Detailed mapping, description and review of existing country operational processes for management of nutrition supplies
  • Review of NutriDash and similar Azure-based technologies and their functionalities in relation to the monitoring needs requirements
  • Recommendations for most suitable system and processes for implementation of the enhanced supply chain monitoring platform and highlight existing gaps
  • Costing of the recommendations
• Project Charter and other project related documentation, using UNICEF policy, created, regularly maintained, and made available on existing SharePoint platform
• Regular updates to the project status and progress are provided to the supervisor, stakeholders and management, as per required

All deliverables will be provided in their final ready-to-use form and validated and approved by UNICEF.

Qualification Requirements

Education

• Advanced University degree in Public Administration, Business Administration or Management, Supply Chain Management, Statistics, Mathematics, Information Technology or related field.
• A first level university degree with a combination of academic qualifications and additional years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience

• Minimum 5 years of progressive work experience at national and/or international levels in either public and/or private sector in domains such as supply chain, business analysis, project management, online technology, data bases and applications, monitoring, statistics, and/or data analytics/management
• Experience in project management
• Experience working in a multi-cultural environment and/or developing country situation
• Experience in documenting business process requirements and developing functional specifications
• Familiarity with BI reporting and querying tools and data analytics software
• Familiarity with health supply chains, particularly in the context of developing countries
• Familiarity with UNICEF systems would be helpful

Technical knowledge

• Knowledge of end to end supply chain processes is desirable
• Knowledge of Sales & Distribution (SD), Materials Management (MM), and Production Planning (PP) modules of the SAP system is desirable
• Use of Microsoft Office Suite. This ideally includes MS Project and MS Visio
• Project management methodologies

Technical knowledge to be acquired / enhanced for the job

• Business Intelligence concepts and experience in the use of Microsoft Power BI and SAP supply chain modules

Language: Proficiency in English is required. Fluency in French or another UN language is an asset.

Competencies: The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following competencies that are considered necessary to this consultancy:

Core Competencies

• Excellent communicator of concepts both verbally and in writing to an international audience.
• Able to quickly understand instructions, to proactively seek clarification when needed.
• Able to work well in a team environment, even when geographically dispersed.

Functional Competencies

• Works independently and is problem-solving oriented.
• Works in a multi-cultural environment and establishes harmonious and effective working relationships.
• Demonstrates communication and relationship-building skills.
• Proven capacity to work across different locations utilizing technical skills within project management, process improvement, supply chain management and information systems.

UNICEF CORE VALUES

Diversity and Inclusion

Treats all people with dignity and respect; shows respect and sensitivity towards gender, cultural and religious differences; challenges prejudice, biases and intolerance in the workplace; encourages diversity wherever possible.

Integrity

Maintains high ethical standards; takes clear ethical stands; keeps promises; immediately addresses untrustworthy or dishonest behaviour; resists pressure in decision-making from internal and external sources; does not abuse power or authority.

Commitment

Demonstrates commitment to UNICEF’s mission and to the wider UN system; demonstrates the values of UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours; seeks out new challenges, assignments and responsibilities; promotes UNICEF’s cause.

Evaluation Process:

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application
2. Financial quote for the consultancy which must include: the total consultancy fee (broken down into daily rate in US Dollars and number of consultancy days), travel costs (with details of the economy class ticket price) and administrative fees
3. CV
4. Proposed methodology/approach to deliver on the project (max 2 pages).
5. At least 2 references
6. P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html)

Applications must be submitted through the UNICEF electronic application system ( https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=528774 ) by 10th February 2020. Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.

UNICEF considers best value for money as criteria for evaluating potential candidates. As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e. achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Please note that consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance. Successful applicants will be evaluated by the following criteria:

Applicant x

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (max. 80 points)

Overall Response (10 points)

Understanding of tasks, objectives and completeness and coherence of response

Overall match between the TOR requirements and proposal

Proposed Methodology and Approach (20 points)

Quality of proposed approach/methodology

Quality of proposed work plan

Technical Capacity (50 points)

Relevance of consultant’s experience with similar projects and as per required qualifications

Quality of previous work

References

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION *- Total Points*

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL *(max. 20 points)*

daily rate, lump sum, per deliverable

Economy Air Ticket

Total estimated cost of contract (proposed contract fee only)

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL - *Weight Combined Score*

TOTAL SCORE *(max. 100 points)*