Anti-corruption Consultant on Public Service/ People Effectiveness

The people side of the public service is key to corruption prevention and the effective functioning of government. Human potential should be one of the main priorities of administrators, however, is often neglected.

When looking into corruption prevention and effective governance, there is also a need to look at the human potential and skillset as part of the broader governance systems. In places where corruption is considered systemic, the implementation of any reforms might be challenging and slow and needs creative, systemic and long-term approaches to behavioral change among the people employed in the public service.

There is an ongoing debate and research as to how public servants may be tempted to engage in corrupt activities and how they respond to potential benefits and incentives provided by anti-corruption measures. Behavioural research has been increasingly informing the efforts of policy makers to design innovative and targeted anti-corruption/integrity policies.

The UN Pacific Regional Anti-Corruption (UN-PRAC) Project is a joint UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) initiative, funded by the Australian Government and the New Zealand Aid Programme, aimed to support Pacific Island countries (PICs) to strengthen their national integrity systems.  The Project is firmly anchored in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) as the only international legally binding framework on how to prevent and fight corruption, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 which calls for stronger action on anti-corruption, transparency and accountability.

UNCAC article 7 (1) on the public sector requires State parties to endeavour to adopt, maintain and strengthen systems for the recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion and retirement of civil servants and, where appropriate, other non-elected public officials: (a) That are based on principles of efficiency, transparency and objective criteria such as merit, equity and aptitude; (b) That include adequate procedures for the selection and training of individuals for public positions considered especially vulnerable to corruption and the rotation, where appropriate, of such individuals to other positions; (c) That promote adequate remuneration and equitable pay scales, taking into account the level of economic development of the State party; (d) That promote education and training programmes to enable them to meet the requirements for the correct, honourable and proper performance of public functions and that provide them with specialized and appropriate training to enhance their awareness of the risks of corruption inherent in the performance of their functions. Such programmes may make reference to codes or standards of conduct in applicable areas.

The Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also directly or indirectly call upon an effective public service for successful implementation.  In other words, the achievement of all SDGs is intrinsically linked with implementation of relevant public sector policies or provision of goods and, therefore, depend on the public service employees and officials to implement the necessary reforms and actions, including in a corrupt-free manner. The complexity and indivisibility of the 2030 Agenda is also calling for public servants with new mind-sets, oriented towards innovation and better solutions.

An effective, efficient public service is also crucial for fight against corruption and promotion of good governance as envisaged by SDG 16 targets and indicators. Goal 16 also underpins the other sixteen SDGs, all of which rest on the capacities of the institutions and the human potential to respond to the needs of the public transparently, efficiently and accountably.

Scope of Work

For the first half of this consultancy, the consultant will work with UN-PRAC and the relevant stakeholders to develop a publication on public service effectiveness in the Pacific, with specific focus on application of behavioural insights into integrity of public servants. Using relevant Pacific Island country examples, the publication will:

• Discuss in an introduction section what people effectiveness is in the public service and the importance of addressing it to prevent corruption (including reference to academic literature);

• Outline in a background section international and regional (particularly Small Island Developing States) best practices relevant to the Pacific and its context, including concrete case studies;

• Outline how the Pacific is currently addressing public service/people effectiveness in line with UNCAC article 7(1) and Agenda 2030 and the SDGs particularly SDG 16 focusing on current challenges and opportunities;

• Outline what specific measures could be taken to address this (and recommendations in PICs UNCAC Reviews) in the Pacific based on behavioural science/ other; and

• Provide a conclusion and recommendations for Pacific Island countries to address public service/people effectiveness.

The publication will be structured to include an Executive Summary which states the objective of the publication, the content of the publication and the recommendations made, an Introduction, Background, two sections on public service effectiveness, and a Conclusion including the recommendations.

Appropriate infographics should be used where possible to ensure the publication is engaging.

Each part of the publication must consider the Pacific context and provide relevant Pacific examples referenced appropriately in footnotes using consistent referencing style. Where Pacific examples are not available, those from Small Island Developing States should be considered.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Institutional Arrangement

• The Consultant will report to UNDP’s Anti-Corruption Adviser, Pacific and UNODC’s Regional Anti-Corruption Adviser (Pacific).

• The consultant will be expected to liaise/discuss with relevant institutions and stakeholders in organization of the workshops.

Duration of the Work

• The envisaged time frame of the consultancy is estimated not to exceed 20 consultancy days in the overall period from 25 April to 20 June 2021.

Duty Station

• The consultant will work from home.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research;
• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Educational Qualifications:

• University degree or equivalent qualification in social sciences; ideally, behavioural science;

Experience

• At least seven (7) years of relevant experience work on governance/ ethics/ corruption;

• Specific experience on public sector effectiveness is required (academic work; technical assistance, advisory services, analytical work, knowledge products), notably in advising governments and supporting the development of public service systems;

• Experience in working on similar assignments/products will be an asset.

   

  Language requirements

• Fluency of English language is required.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables and as per below percentages:

• Deliverable 1: First draft submitted of publication and training package developed 2/3 of total contract amount

• Deliverable 2: Final draft submitted of publication and training package developed: 1/3 of total contract amount

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

• University degree or equivalent qualification in social sciences; ideally, behavioural science (10 points)
• At least seven (7) years of relevant experience work on governance/ ethics/ corruption; (30 points)

• Specific experience on public sector effectiveness is required (academic work; technical assistance, advisory services, analytical work, knowledge products), notably in advising governments and supporting the development of public service systems; (25 points)

• Experience in working on similar assignments/products will be an asset. (5 points)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.

• 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.

• Technical proposal, including a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;

• Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II.

Note: Successful individual will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.

Incomplete, joint proposals and proposals sent to the wrong mailing address will not be accepted and only candidates for whom there is further interest will be contacted.

Individuals interested in this consultancy should apply and will be reviewed based on their own individual capacity. The successful individual may sign an Individual Contract with UNDP or request his/her employer to sign a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) on their behalf by indicating this in the Offerors letter to Confirming Interest and Availability using Annex II.

Annexes

• Annex I – Individual IC General Terms and Conditions

• Annex II – Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

Proposal Submission

• All applications must be clearly marked with the title of the consultancy (Anti-corruption consultant on public service/people effectiveness) with reference (PN/FJI/019/21) and submitted via UN Job shop by 18 March 2021.

• Note: UNDP Jobs only supports single document upload hence ensure that the proposal is consolidated and submitted as one single document

• For further information concerning this Terms of Reference, please contact UNDP Pacific Office by email: [email protected].

Women applicants are encouraged to apply