consultant; Financing options for Fund Management functions of UNDP Funding Windows, GPN Joint Directorate

Established in 2016, the UNDP Funding Windows are a pooled, flexible funding mechanism that provide a strategic opportunity for partners to contribute to achieving the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development in the areas of Poverty and Inequality, Nature, Climate and Energy, Governance Peacebuilding, Crisis and Resilience, and Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

Since their inception, the Funding Windows have mobilized $268 million, $103 million of which was received in 2019 alone. In addition, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and as part of UNDP’s Rapid Response Facility (RRF), the Funding Windows successfully disbursed US$30 million.

The UNDP Funding Windows were established with a clear segregation of functions and duties across fund management, fund administration, donor coordination and resource mobilization, and coordination with country offices. These functions represent the nucleus of the ‘Fund Management function’, and are undertaken by several units, including the Bureau for Policy & Programme Support (BPPS), the Crisis Bureau (CB), the Bureau for Management Services (BMS), the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and the Regional Bureaux.

The Global Policy Network (GPN) is a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. As part of the GPN, the Crisis Bureau and the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) work in an integrated manner to address development issues. With a deep understanding of UNDP’s strategic and operational vision of the GPN, the Joint Directorate empowers teams and units within BPPS and CB to act as critical partners under a nexus approach.

The Global Shared Services Unit (GSSU) within the Bureau for Management Services (BMS) supports all UNDP offices and units with the provision of transactional services. This includes a core set of transactions in Finance that are already being handled by the Global Shared Service Unit (GSSU) in Kuala Lumpur. The GSSU is led by the Director, who reports to the Deputy Director of Bureau for Management Services (BMS).

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

Working under the direct supervision of the Funding Windows Manager, Global Policy Network, and in partnership with the GPN, the regional bureaus, BMS HQ, and GSSU, the consultant is expected to deliver the following responsibilities:

• Review, analyze and document the functions and roles of the Funding Windows management team.
• Develop sustainable funding options for consideration of UNDP management to fund the Funding Windows management team, within the frameworks of UNDP’s internal budget process, the policies for charging costs directly to programmes and projects, and within the Executive Board-approved framework for cost recovery and cost classification, for application in 2022 and beyond.
• Funding options should be based on the current Funding Windows portfolio performance the projected trend for the next few years and sensitivity analysis thereon

Support management discussions on the above options, with the following deliverables:

• Work closely with BMS and the Funding Windows Manager on how to implement the selected financing option, including along the following deliverables:
• Implementation plan to roll out the selected financing option.
• A functioning model is in place for the Funding Windows sustainable operation.

Provide UNDP with the tools to manage the Funding Windows:

As relevant, identification of possible enhancements to corporate mechanisms, such as the Financial Dashboard of the Administrator or Funding Reports, to help inform the evolution of fund management functions vis-à-vis its financing.

Deliverables

The consultant will produce the following:

• Excellent research, analytical and writing skills
• Ability to provide strategic guidance to senior management on financial and operational matters
• Ability to convey concrete advice based a sound consideration of a wide range of rules, policies and procedures
• Ability to be flexible and respond positively to comments and changes
• Ability to participate effectively in a team-based, collaborative environment.
• A strong team player, with a shared belief in UNDP’s mission and mandate

Academic qualifications:

• Advanced (Masters) University Degree in Business, Finance/Accounting or a relevant discipline or a professional accounting qualification certificate from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy is required. Those with professional accounting qualification certificate from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience at the national and/or international levels in leadership roles within recognized development organizations in a multi-cultural setting is required.
• Proven track record in strategic resource planning and policy development areas related to financing and/or management of the large trust funds or large-scale projects is required.
• Established experience in producing practical products, such as guidance, manuals, or other action-oriented reports is required.
• Work experience in assignments with the UN system desirable
• Knowledge of business modeling and practical application of the RBM principles an asset

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references;
• A two-page methodology on how the Offeror will conduct the work including a Work Plan and approach in delivering the required outputs within the assignment period. Applications without methodology will not be reviewed.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager.
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel.

• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should 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.

• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

  The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation – Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1. Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience at the national and/or international levels in leadership roles within recognized development organizations in a multi-cultural setting (UN system desirable).  Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 2. Proven track record of strategic resource planning and policy development areas related to financing options and/or management of large trust funds or large-scale projects. Weight = 15 %; Maximum Points: 15;
• Criteria 3. Technical proposal provides clear methodology, demonstrates strong analytical capacity, knowledge of business modeling and application of RBM principles, and drafting skills. Weight = 30 %; Maximum Points: 30; and
• Criteria 4. Professional accounting qualification certificate from an internationally recognized institute of accountancy Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points: 10;

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation – Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

• p = y (µ/z), where
• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the UNDP Funding Windows Fund Manager and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

• The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.
• Given the global consultations to be undertaken during this assignment, the consultant is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones;

Payment modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 – UNDP P-11 Form for ICs
• Annex 2 – IC Contract Template
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to [email protected] 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.