Background |
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INTRODUCTION In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full and medium-sized UNDP support GEF financed projects are required to undergo a terminal evaluation upon completion of implementation. These terms of reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for a Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the full sized project entitled “Scaling Up Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia” (PIMS 4752) implemented through the Partnership for the Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA). The Project started in August 2014 and is in its last year of implementation.
Project Title SCALING UP IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR THE SEAS OF EAST ASIA
Project Description The UNDP/GEF Project on Scaling up the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) is a GEF project being implemented by UNDP with UNDP Philippines serving as Principal Project Representative (PPR) and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Resource Facility (PRF) as the implementing partner in accordance to the agreement entered into by the two parties. Countries bordering the East Asian Region – Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam are the eight (8) participating countries to the project while Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore provide co-financing to the Project. The Project is the fourth phase of the UNDP-GEF projects under PEMSEA[1]. It represents the “transformation phase” of GEF support culminating in the sustainability of PEMSEA as the regional coordinating mechanism for the implementation of SDS-SEA, and makes a stronger linkage between sustainable development of river basins, coastal and marine areas and local, national and regional investment processes in a blue economy. The Project is consistent with International Waters Objectives 2 and 3 in the GEF 5 Focal Area Strategies which are to: 1) Catalyze multi-state cooperation to rebuild marine fisheries and reduce pollution of coasts and large marine ecosystems while considering climatic variability and change, and 2) Support foundational capacity building, portfolio learning, and targeted research needs for ecosystem-based joint management of trans-boundary water systems. [1] Pilot phase project (1994-1999): “Marine Pollution Prevention and Management of the East Asian Seas Region.”; Second phase project (1999-2008): “Building Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia”; Third phase project (2008-2013): “Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia”. The Mid-Term Review, which reviewed the status of the Project in 2014 through to March 2018 recommended a 12-month extension to allow sufficient time to achieve progress towards the outcomes in countries that have been delayed in starting implementation due to some administrative requirements. The 12-month extension was endorsed by the 8 participating countries at the 2019 PSC meeting, including the adoption of revised indicators and end of project targets that were incorporated into the Strategic Results Framework of the Project Document. PRF received the formal notification from UNDP on 18 June 2019, extending the project to 31 August 2020. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the project was granted a second extension until 31 December 2020.
Institutional Arrangements The principal responsibility for managing the TE resides with the UNDP Philippines Country Office (UNDP PHL CO) under the Programme Team Leader of the Climate Action Programme Team. All reports shall be reviewed and endorsed by the Team Leader of the Climate Action Team and the Regional Technical Advisor in Bangkok Regional Hub. PEMSEA, as the Implementing Partner will be responsible for liaising with the TE consultant to provide all relevant documents and set up schedules for virtual stakeholder interviews.
Duration of the Work To undertake the tasks and deliver the expected outputs, the consultant shall be engaged for a period of 40 working days spread over 10 weeks. Effectivity of the engagement will be upon signing of the contract and will be valid until all outputs have been delivered and accepted. The target start-of-work date is 15 October 2020 and the expected completion date is 31 December 2020.
Duty Station The position is home-based and for accessibility and availability to allow for discussions and reporting on progress of activities regular online meetings shall be conducted. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic all work of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by their respective governments. This engagement does not have any travel-related activities, The Consultant will not be required to report physically but status reports on the outputs shall be expected from time to time.
Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor An international consultant shall be hired as the evaluator to prepare the Terminal Evaluation Report and other outputs as specified in the TOR. The International Consultant should have prior experience in evaluating similar projects. The evaluators selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have a conflict of interest with project-related activities.
Evaluator Ethics The consultant shall hold to the highest ethical standards and is required to sign a code of conduct upon acceptance of the assignment. This evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The evaluator must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing the collection of data and reporting on data. The evaluator must also ensure the security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation process must also be solely used for the evaluation and not for other uses without the express authorization of UNDP and partners.
Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments This is a fixed output-based contract price regardless of extension of the herein specific duration. The consultant will be paid an all-inclusive lump sum amount (i.e. professional fees, communications including internet).
Payment schedule
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Duties and Responsibilities |
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Expected Outputs and Deliverables The objective of the Terminal Evaluation is to enable the GEF, UNDP and the participating countries to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the Scaling Up Implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia Project. The Terminal Evaluation will assess achievements of the project against its objectives. It will also identify factors that have facilitated or impeded the achievement of the objectives. While a thorough review of the past is in itself very important, the in-depth evaluation is expected to lead to detailed overview and lessons learned for the future and particularly provide recommendations that will contribute to sustaining the outcomes of the project to the stakeholders including PEMSEA as a regional mechanism for SDS SEA implementation. The Terminal Evaluation will assess project performance against expectations set out in the project’s Logical Framework/Results Framework. The Terminal Evaluation will assess results according to the criteria outlined in the Guidance for Terminal Evaluation of UNDP-supported GEF-financed Projects. The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of UNDP has updated the COVID-19 evaluation guidance, issued in April 2020, supporting evaluation planning and implementation during COVID-19. As part of initial deliverables of the consultant, an Inception Report will be prepared for discussion with UNDP and PEMSEA. This will outline the proposed approach to the assignment and will include, but not be limited to, a detailed work plan of activities, and methodologies of approach. It is anticipated that the Consultant will look at the entire evaluation and its activities in a holistic manner to maximizes efficiencies. The Inception Report should be produced before the virtual interviews are undertaken to ensure that methods are aligned with the GEF guidelines for final evaluation. An overall approach and method[1] for conducting project terminal evaluations of UNDP supported GEF financed projects has been adjusted to consider the COVID19 pandemic, particularly on the conduct of field visits. The evaluation should include a mixed methodology of document review, virtual interviews, and discussion with country evaluators. The consultant must conduct the following:
[1] For additional information on methods, see the Handbook on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating for Development Results, Chapter 7, pg. 163 The Full Terminal Evaluation Report shall include, at the minimum the following evaluation parameters: Project Design/Formulation
Project Implementation
Project Monitoring and Evaluation. The evaluation will assess whether the project met the minimum requirements for project design of M&E and the implementation of the project M&E plan. Projects should have a sound M&E plan to monitor results and track progress toward achieving project objectives. An M&E plan should include a baseline (including data, methodology, and so on), SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) indicators and data analysis systems, and evaluation studies at specific times to assess results and adequate funding for M&E activities. The time frame for various M&E activities and standards for outputs should have been specified. The evaluation should verify that an M&E system was in place and facilitated timely tracking of progress toward project objectives by collecting information on chosen indicators continually throughout the project implementation period; annual project reports were complete and accurate, with well-justified ratings; the information provided by the M&E system was used during the project to improve performance and to adapt to changing needs; and projects had an M&E system in place with proper training for parties responsible for M&E activities to ensure that data will continue to be collected and used after project closure. Budgeting and funding for M&E activities. In addition to incorporating information on funding for M&E while assessing M&E design, the evaluator will determine whether M&E was sufficiently budgeted for at the project planning stage and whether M&E was funded adequately and in a timely manner during implementation Project M&E systems will be rated as follows on quality of M&E design and quality of M&E implementation:
Project Co-financing. The Evaluation will assess the key financial aspects of the project, including the extent of co-financing planned and realized. Project cost and funding data will be required, including annual expenditures. Variances between planned and actual expenditures will need to be assessed and explained. Results from recent financial audits, as available, should be taken into consideration. The evaluator(s) will receive assistance from the Country Office (CO) and Project Team to obtain financial data in order to complete the co-financing table below, which will be included in the terminal evaluation report. Project Results
The evaluator is expected to frame the evaluation effort using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact, as defined and explained in the UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects. The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The evaluation will assess the achievement of outputs and outcomes and provide ratings for targeted objectives and outcomes. The assessment of project results seeks to determine the extent to which the project objectives were achieved, or are expected to be achieved, and determine if the project has led to any other short- or long-term and positive or negative consequences. In assessing project results, the Consultant will seek to determine the extent of achievement and shortcomings in reaching project objectives as stated in the project appraisal document and indicate if there were any changes and whether those changes were approved. In assessing project performance, the Consultant can focus on achievements in terms of outputs, outcomes, or impacts. Although the GEF is more interested in assessing impacts, these may take a long time to manifest. On the other end, output achievement is easy to assess but tells very little about whether GEF investments were effective in delivering global environmental benefits. Focus on outcomes is, therefore, an appropriate compromise. It captures project efficacy in terms of delivering medium-term expected results, thus assessment of project outcomes should be a priority. To assess level of achievement of outcomes and objectives, these three criteria will be used in the evaluation to assess level of achievement of project outcomes and objectives.
Efficiency. Was the project cost effective? Was the project the least cost option? Was project implementation delayed, and, if it was, did that affect cost effectiveness? Wherever possible, the evaluator should also compare the costs incurred and the time taken to achieve outcomes with that for similar projects The evaluation of relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency will be as objective as possible and will include sufficient and convincing empirical evidence. Ideally, the project monitoring system should deliver quantifiable information that can lead to a robust assessment of project effectiveness and efficiency. Since projects have different objectives, assessed results are not comparable and cannot be aggregated. Outcomes will be rated as follows for relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency:
Sustainability. Sustainability is understood as the likelihood of continued benefits after the GEF project ends. Given the uncertainties involved, it may be difficult to have a realistic a priori assessment of sustainability of outcomes. Therefore, assessment of sustainability of outcomes will give special attention to analysis of the risks that are likely to affect the persistence of project outcomes. This assessment should explain how the risks to project outcomes will affect continuation of benefits after the GEF project ends. It will include both exogenous and endogenous risks. For sustainability of outcomes the following ratings should be provided:
Main Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations and Lessons Learned
*The final TE report must be in English. **Audit Trail – details how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final TE report, to the Commissioning Unit All final TE reports will be quality assessed by the UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). Details of the IEO’s quality assessment of decentralized evaluations can be found in Section 6 of the UNDP Evaluation Guidelines.[1] [1] Access at: http://web.undp.org/evaluation/guideline/section-6.shtml
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Competencies |
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Corporate competencies
Functional and technical competencies
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Required Skills and Experience |
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Candidates will be evaluated based on the Combined Rating methodology:
Applicants who will only receive 70 points from the assessment of the CV will be qualified for the assessment of the Financial Proposal.
Recommended Presentation of Offer Interested applicants 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.
Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration. The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:
In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified. |
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