)Country: Pakistan

Duty Station: Islamabad, Pakistan

Description of the assignment: IC assignment on Lead Economic Advisory

Project name: Merged Areas Governance Project (MAGP)

Period of assignment/services: 240 Working Days

Reporting Line: The consultant will be supervised by the Program Manager-MAGP

1. Background:

The Merged Areas Governance Project (MAGP) is an integrated, cross-sectoral project in support of the peaceful integration of the Merged Areas (MA) - formerly the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) – into the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PK). In response to Government-owned and led reform processes, the project provides critical technical assistance to the government and key stakeholders concerning the administrative, legal, and economic aspects of the integration process, with a focus on facilitating these processes, supporting effective district-level governance, evidence-based policymaking and improved economic management as well as to the introduction of inclusive local governance structures.

With technical support from MAGP, the Government of KP has adopted a multi-year Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP) (2019-2022) to address the key developmental gaps in the MA - the first three-year program supporting the implementation of the Tribal Decade Strategy (2020-2030), which seeks to address the developmental lag of the MA and close the gap with other areas of Pakistan. Within this context, MAGP has focused specifically on technical assistance to project formulation, context-specific innovations in service delivery systems, results-oriented programming, data collection, and analysis, with the aim of contributing to the development of locally feasible solutions.

The AIP assumes that traditional development approaches are insufficient to address the myriad of challenges the MA is facing. If successful, the innovative approaches it has been piloting have the potential to change millions of lives, while transforming a region that has been viewed by many observers as a persistent national and regional security challenge.

This work builds on UNDP’s longstanding engagement, including policy-level and technical support to the FATA reform process since 2015, through the provision of experts/advisors to the relevant Federal Ministries, the FATA Secretariat, and the Provincial Government of KP.

Against this background, UNDP Pakistan is recruiting a Lead Economic Advisor of international standing who provide the cutting-edge policy guidance required for the implementation of the AIP, through a wide range of relevant policy documents, assessment, reports and policy notes. Thus, he/she will be responsible for producing cutting-edge, high quality technical and policy briefs and analysis to inform high-level decision-making processes by the Government and all relevant stakeholders, with a focus on economic planning and policy, delivering technical interventions in support of AIP implementation and the extension of economic management tools. To this effect, the Lead Economic Advisor will liaise closely with all relevant stakeholders, including the Government and development partners, the Development Policy Unit in UNDP, and the FATA Transition and Recovery Programme. The outputs delivered by the Lead Economic Advisor will inform the implementation of the AIP as well as guide UNDP management on the implementation of the economic pillar of the MAGP.

2. Objective:

The objective of engaging a Lead Economic Advisor is to provide timely and high quality empirically-grounded and actionable policy advice to the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and corresponding policy guidance through a range of technical and policy outputs (documents) that will inform and spur economic development in the MA, as well as provide a basis for UNDP programming engagement in support of the implementation of Tribal Decade Strategy (TDS) and Accelerated Implementation Plan (AIP). The Lead Economic Advisor will produce analytical policy papers and policy briefs informing implementation, including, where necessary, its adjustment, as well as identify strategic challenges and provide evidence-based solutions. The Lead Economic Advisor is expected to enhance the visibility and credibility of proposed interventions based on strong technical knowledge, notably the economic behavior challenges related to the implementation of such reforms.

  1. Scope of Work:

The Lead Economic Advisor will perform the following activities:

I. Organize and carry out a policy dialogue with the senior office holder in the government and support consolidation of the merger reform of the tribal region with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province;

II. Develop policy and programmatic proposals to bridge data and informational gaps relating to the Merged Areas

III. Lead and develop data collection instruments for eliciting citizen perceptions of the merger reform and accompanying public programs, and dispute resolution and security mechanisms, carry out analysis, and identify modulators of citizen trust for further delineation of governance interventions

IV. Develop a concept of border district economies with due regard to security concerns, across border movements of peoples and goods, and consolidation of peace

V. Carry out an assessment of the institutional development of rule of law scheme in the Merged Areas and citizen engagement with the institutions and develop governance interventions that are context-specific

VI. Lead analysis of the planning and budgetary systems, identify institutional weaknesses and develop proposals for systems development to achieve higher allocative efficiency and effective implementation of the government programs

VII. Develop proposals for adequate resource allocations to the local government of the Merged Areas within the provincial resource allocation schemes

VIII. Support the government led work on AIP follow up program and quality assure the technical analysis

IX. Provide technical guidance and quality assurance to the development of the AIP follow up program, participate in the stakeholder consultations, provide adequate technical content and review the draft final program document

X. Develop an implementation framework for the AIP follow up program that is feasible in the provincial systems and context

XI. Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework and reporting mechanism for ongoing policy discussions on the Merged Areas integration

XII. Provide quality assurance to the analytic work under the Special Emphasis Programs, develop programmatic interventions for scale-up and adoption the public sector programs

XIII. Provide technical guidance to MAGP programming and implementation, develop bi-monthly reports on key project interventions, and chart out implementation notes for effect and impact

XIV. Carry out technical reviews of policy documents produced by MAGP teams assigned with government departments to ensure robust content and communication

XV. Support the C4D or ‘communication for development’ component of MAGP and ensure its assessment and alignment with the objective of the merger reforms.

XVI. Deliverables, Scope, and Schedule of Payments

Payment will be made against each completed deliverable after the approval of the Program Manager.

S. No

Key Milestones/ Outputs

Percentage of Payment

Quality Assurance

Deliverable -1 Report on policy priorities for the consolidation of merger reform 6%

Deliverable -2 PC I Sections for Data Collection Enhancement Regime

Deliverable -3 Citizen Perception Analytic Report 9%

Deliverable -4 Concept Note on Border District Economies 5%

Deliverable -5 Assessment Report on Rule of Law Institutions in the Merged Areas 7%

Deliverable -6 System Report and Recommendations for Systems Reform 8%

Deliverable -7 Concept Note for Financing Merged Areas under Provincial Finance Distribution Arrangements 8%

Deliverable -8Report on AIP I Assessment and Key Sector Interventions for 10 Sectors 8%

Deliverable -9 Draft AIP Follow Up Program 8%

Deliverable -10 Governance Reforms and AIP Implementation Framework 9%

Deliverable -11 AIP M&E Mechanism 4%

Deliverable -12 05 SEP Analytic Reports with Scale Up Recommendations 8%

Deliverable -13 06 Programming Reports9%

Deliverable -14 12 Policy Document Reviews 5%

Deliverable -15 Report on C4D alignment with the merger reform 3%

The term ‘**all-inclusive**” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Consultant are already factored into the financial proposal. Under this arrangement, the contract price will be fixed regardless of change in the cost components. Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Please go the following link for the UNDP General Conditions of Contract for Individual Consultants: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=7879

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives as set forth by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.

Copyright

The above assignment will have UNDP and governance department sole ownership and copyright of any of the products (tangible and intangible) produced within the scope of this TOR.

I. Institutional Arrangement and Duty Station:

The IC Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Programme Manager of MAGP. In coordination with the Programme Manager’s/he will set objectives and key results using the Project OKR methodology on a quarterly basis. This will ensure consultant priorities are synced with project objectives and the changing context.

The consultant will be based in UNDP Islamabad. S/he will be expected to periodically travel to KP, including the MA. Work-related travel will be arranged by MAGP. UNDP will provide official email and laptop facilities.

The duty travel outside the duty station, and if that is not already covered in the financial proposal, will be arranged and paid for by UNDP using the F10 Claim Form to be approved by the supervisor. The DSA will be paid as per UNDP Policy.

II. DURATION OF WORK

The expected duration of the consultancy will be 240 working days.

QUALIFICATIONS – EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LANGUAGE:

Education

A Doctorate degree in Economics is mandatory.

Experience

The candidate must possess the following experience:

· Minimum 15 years’ of relevant experience in economic planning, policy or analysis;

· Experience managing teams and providing leadership;

· Significant experience working with a government or multi-lateral organization;

· International expertise and working for international organizations;

· Experience in KP/FATA Economic and Governance issues is significant asset. Demonstrated ability to establish credibility with the KP Government is a significant asset.

· Proven track record of working with multi-stake- holding environment and handling sensitive issues in a coordinated manner to achieve the desired goal/s

Languages

Fluency in English and Urdu. Pashto is an asset.

III. APPLICATION PROCESS AND SELECTION CRITERIA

The following documents must be submitted by interested persons to become an eligible candidate. Failing to comply with the requirements will result in disqualifying the applicant. Due to the large number of applications we receive, only the successful candidate will be informed about the outcome or status of the selection process.**

Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications:

A curriculum vitae, indicating all past experience from similar projects, salary history, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references - UNDP retains the right to contact references directly (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc).

• A brief, 500 word statement explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the assignment and provide a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work.

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal, Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals in PAK Rupees for this consultancy using the annex to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780.

In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown.

IV. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount and payment terms around specific and measurable deliverables. In order to assist in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.

TRAVEL

All envisaged travel costs, all the travel costs, e.g. tickets, DSA and terminal allowance, etc. must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel to a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel cost including tickets, lodging, and terminal expense should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

V. EVALUATION PROCESS

Eligibility Criteria:

Only the candidates with Ph.D. degrees in a relevant discipline and 10 years of relevant experience will be eligible for further evaluation.

Award Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the COMBINED SCORING methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

• Having received the highest score when both technical and Price scores are combined together.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Criteria weight: 70%

Financial Criteria weight: 30%

Only Consultants obtaining a minimum of 70% on the Technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria

Weight

Max. Point

Technical Competencies

70

· A Doctorate degree in Economics.

Mandatory

· Track Record of preparing and presenting Solid Reports to the client in a multi-stake holding settings.

5

Experience:

· Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in economic planning, policy or analysis; (5 marks)

· Experience managing teams and providing leadership; (5 marks)

· Significant experience working with a government or multi-lateral organization; (5 marks)

· International expertise and working for international organizations;(5 marks)

· Experience in KP/FATA Economic and Governance issues is a significant asset. Demonstrated ability to establish credibility with the KP Government is a significant asset.(10 marks)** (TOTAL 25 MARKS)

Technical proposal:

· Suitability, reliability of proposed methodology to respond to the ToR’s requirement for delivery of milestones and achieving all the tasks within the Scope of the Consultancy as well as consultant’s suitability for the assignment. (20 MARKS)

Interview Score( 20 MARKS)

***Financial (Lower Offer/Offer*100**30***

Total Score

Technical score 70 + 30 Financial

Criteria for the Evaluation of Price Proposals:

The price proposals of candidates obtaining 49 points and above (or 70% and above) will only be technically qualified; then their price proposals will be reviewed and compared for the assessment of overall ranking of the proposals. Those obtaining lower than 49 points (or lesser than 70%) will be technically non-responsive proposals; price proposals of such candidate will not be compared.

Assessment of the Price Proposals (30 Points) or 30%

The lowest priced bid from among the technically qualified Offerors will obtain the full marks of 30 points in the price proposal. Price proposals of remaining qualified bidders will be prorated against the lowest priced bid using the following formula to derive the marks in their price proposal:

Marks obtained by a Bidder = Lowest Priced Bid (amount) / Bid of the Offeror (amount) X 30 (Full Marks)

Competencies

Building Strategic Partnerships

  • Makes effective use of UNDP’s resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships
  • Creates networks and promotes initiatives with partner organizations

Innovation and New Approaches

  • Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking, especially for Fata reforms contexts
  • Conceptualizes more effective approaches to program development and implementation

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

  • Participating in the development of policies and innovative approaches and promoting their application throughout the organization
  • Promotes UNDP as a learning/knowledge sharing organization, with a focus on Fata reforms

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

  • Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in primary discipline, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures, with expertise in reforms contexts
  • Keeps abreast of new developments in area of professional discipline and job knowledge and seeks to develop him/herself personally
  • Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments

Client Orientation

  • Anticipates constraints in the delivery of services and identifies solutions
  • Proactively identifies, develops and discusses solutions for clients

Core Competencies

  • Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents
  • Staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation
  • Promoting effective teams
  • Very good communication skills. Ability to express clearly and concisely in both written and oral forms
  • Transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking
  • Ability to be flexible and react to changing circumstances, e.g. security situation

Weight per Technical Competence

Weak: Below 70%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a WEAK capacity for the analyzed competence

Satisfactory : 70-75%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a SATISFACTORY capacity for the analyzed competence

Good: 76-85%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a GOOD capacity for the analyzed competence

Very Good: 86-95%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a VERY GOOD capacity for the analyzed competence

Outstanding: 96-100%

The individual consultant/contractor has demonstrated a OUTSATNDING capacity for the analyzed competence

Note: 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.*

ANNEXES(Can be downladed from https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=86014

ANNEX 1. TERMS OF REFERENCE (TORs)

ANNEX 2. INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

ANNEX 3- PROPOSAL SUBMISSION FORM.

ANNEX 4- OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP/CONFIRMATION OF INTEREST.

ANNEX 5 – FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

This vacancy is archived.

Recommended for you