International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

MTE/MTR Consultants to join the GPN vetted roster of experts

To facilitate the timely completion of MTEs for projects financed by the GEF family of funds, GCF and AF, UNDP is developing a roster of experts that would be comprised of vetted capable and qualified individuals who can be called upon as International Consultants (ICs) who would carry out MTEs. A screening procedure will be applied to select the prospective applicants who will be invited to join the ExpRes roster, a consultant procurement and deployment mechanism which maintains pre-vetted consultants on a roster and contracts them quickly for country support via UNDP-GEF Unit’s Results Based Management team. The roster will be maintained for a period of 3 years. Retention in the roster of selected experts will be contingent on continuous delivery of satisfactory services. These MTEs will be managed by the UNDP-GEF Directorate based in New York, in close collaboration with relevant UNDP COs who are responsible for the recruitment of MTE National Consultants and the logistics of MTE missions. The MTE ICs consultants will assess progress towards the achievement of the selected projects’ objectives and outcomes as specified in Project Documents and assess early signs of project success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made in order to set the project on-track to achieve its intended results. The MTE consultants will also review the project’s strategy and its risks to sustainability. The current generic call aims to build on UNDP's GPN/ExpRes roster capacity of consultants with relevant experience in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) to support UNDP Global Environmental Finance (UNDP-GEF) Unit. The Experts Roster for Rapid Response (ExpRes) is a recruitment and deployment mechanism which maintains pre-vetted consultants on a roster and contracts them quickly for country office support. The GPN/Experts Roster for Rapid Response (ExpRes) provides pre-selected and technically vetted consultants across 21 profiles and 79 sub-profiles to support the work of UNDP Country Offices/units and other UNDP partner agencies. https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=84926
 
Background

Based in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, the UNDP Global Environmental Finance (UNDP-GEF) Unit partners with environmental vertical funds to support countries with simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion, by catalysing environmental finance for sustainable development.  The principal environmental vertical funds UNDP partners with are those managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), including the GEF Trust Fund (GEF TF), Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund (NPIF), Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). ?In addition, UNDP is an accredited entity for the Adaptation Fund (AF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The UNDP-GEF Unit works with UNDP’s Regional Hubs and Country Offices (COs) to support countries with programming and implementation across five increasingly interrelated technical areas: sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems; sustainable, affordable and accessible energy services; scaling up of climate change adaptation and mitigation; sustainable management of chemicals and waste; and improved water and ocean governance.

The projects under UNDP-GEF Unit’s portfolio are required to follow standard UNDP monitoring and evaluation (M&E) policies, as well as, M&E policies and requirements of the relevant environmental vertical fund from which they receive financing. This TOR focuses on one requirement - Mid-term Evaluations (MTEs) - which are mandatory for most projects financed by the vertical funds mentioned above.    

To facilitate the timely completion of MTEs for projects financed by the GEF family of funds, GCF and AF, UNDP is developing a roster of experts that would be comprised of vetted capable and qualified individuals who can be called upon as International Consultants (ICs) who would carry out MTEs.  A screening procedure will be applied to select the prospective applicants who will be invited to join the ExpRes roster, a consultant procurement and deployment mechanism which maintains pre-vetted consultants on a roster and contracts them quickly for country support via UNDP-GEF Unit’s Results Based Management team. The roster will be maintained for a period of 3 years.  Retention in the roster of selected experts will be contingent on continuous delivery of satisfactory services. These MTEs will be managed by the UNDP-GEF Directorate based in New York, in close collaboration with relevant UNDP COs who are responsible for the recruitment of MTE National Consultants and the logistics of MTE missions.

The MTE ICs consultants will assess progress towards the achievement of the selected projects’ objectives and outcomes as specified in Project Documents and assess early signs of project success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made in order to set the project on-track to achieve its intended results.  The MTE consultants will also review the project’s strategy and its risks to sustainability.

The current generic call aims to build on UNDP's GPN/ExpRes roster capacity of consultants with relevant experience in Montiroing and Evaluation (M&E) to support UNDP Global Environmental Finance (UNDP-GEF) Unit. The Experts Roster for Rapid Response (ExpRes) is a recruitment and deployment mechanism which maintains pre-vetted consultants on a roster and contracts them quickly for country office support. 

The GPN/Experts Roster for Rapid Response (ExpRes) provides pre-selected and technically vetted consultants across 21 profiles and 79 sub-profiles to support the work of UNDP Country Offices/units and other UNDP partner agencies.

 
Duties and Responsibilities

The consultants will work under the overall supervision of the Results Management and Evaluation Advisor and will work closely with the evaluation focal point of the UNDP-GEF Unit.

The International Consultants (ICs) will be assigned to carry out MTEs for selected projects.  In cases where there is a national consultant (NC) as part of the MTE team, the IC will act as team leader.

The IC together with the NC, where applicable, will first conduct a document review of project documents (i.e. project concept note, Initiation Plan, Project Document, Social and Environmental Safeguards, Project Inception Reports, Project Implementation Reports, Annual Project Reports, GEF Tracking Tools, GEF Core Indicator data, Project Appraisal Committee meeting minutes, Financial and Administration guidelines used by the Project Team, project operational guidelines, among others) provided by the Project Team and the Commissioning Unit (UNDP-GEF Directorate in New York).  The consultant will participate in an MTE inception workshop to clarify their understanding of the objectives and methods of the MTE, producing the MTE Inception Report thereafter.  The MTE mission travel will then consist of interviews and project site visits.

The consultant will assess several categories of project progress, including but not limited to: project strategy, progress towards results, project implementation and adaptive management, and sustainability.  A detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) with relevant annexes and additional guidance will be provided for each MTE assignment and may slightly vary depending on the vertical fund of the project being assessed.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

For each MTE assignment, the consultant shall prepare and submit the following deliverables:

  • MTE Inception Report
  • Presentation of Initial Findings at end of MTE mission
  • Draft MTE Report
  • Final MTE Report

The exact timing, due dates and guidance for each deliverable will be outlined in each assignment-specific TOR.

Working Arrangments:

  • Successful candidates will be included in the UNDP-GEF MTE Vetted Experts Roster for a period of up to 3 years once roster is approved;
  • Estimated level of effort will vary according to the requirements of each individual assignment (including whether or not travel is required);
  • The consultants will be home-based with mission travel;
  • UNDP does not warrant that any quantity of services will be purchased during the term of entry into the Roster as this will depend on forthcoming needs and performance appraisals;
  • Entry into the Roster is non-exclusive (i.e. it does not prohibit UNDP from sourcing expertise from other rosters, entities, or individuals);
  • The final nature and scope of each assignment will vary and will focus on particular aspects of this Terms of Reference (TOR) and such details will be included in a separate TOR for each specific assignment;
  • If an expert has been involved in design of a project, s/he will not be considered to carry out the MTE as this poses a conflict of interest as per UNDP guidelines;
  • The financial proposal will specify only the all-inclusive daily fee and payments will be made to the consultant based on number of days worked payable against assigned deliverables.  Such fee would be the ceiling amount;
  • The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under each particular assignment;
  • The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, software, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
  • 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 where applicable;
  • Payments will be made monthly upon submission of a detailed time sheet (including deliverables and their timely execution) and certification of payment form, and acceptance and confirmation by the supervisor on days worked (with “a day” calculated as 8 hours of work) and outputs delivered.

Travel:

  • International travel will be required. Specific mission travel will depend on the specific assignment and must be approved in advance and in writing by the Supervisor;
  • The BSAFE Online Security Awareness Training Course must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
  • Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/ inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
  • Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives, set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/;
  • Consultants are responsible for obtaining any visas and security clearances needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP;
  • The consultants will be responsible for making his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with UNDP travel policies;
  • All related travel expenses will be supported by the project travel fund and will be reimbursed as per UNDP travel rules and regulations upon submission of an F-10 claim form and supporting documents.

 
Competencies

Integrity

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
  • Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Technical:

  • Advanced editing skills;
  • Computer literacy for Microsoft Office Package or equivalent;
  • Demonstrated skills in writing reports and evaluations;
  • Proven experience in the developing country context and working in different cultural settings.

Communication:

  • Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
  • Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
  • Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
  • Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience;
  • Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Professionalism:

  • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
  • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
  • Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns;
  • Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
  • Capable of working in a high-pressure environment, managing many tasks simultaneously;
  • Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
  • Exercises the highest level of responsibility and able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.

Teamwork:

  • Works well in a team to advance the priorities of the assignment and UNDP as a whole;
  • Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
  • Focuses on results for the client;
  • Welcomes constructive feedback.

Client Orientation and Communication:

  • Good interpersonal and networking skills, ability to establish and maintain effective working relations, supports and encourages open communication in the team, and facilitates team work;
  • Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with a wide range of stakeholders, in a manner which is courteous and professional at all times, employing an appropriate level of formality and diplomacy;
  • Ability to follow instructions accurately and also to work under minimum supervision.

 
Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree in environmental sciences, development studies, international development, other relevant political or social sciences area, or closely related field (Max. 10 points).

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of professional work experience in one or more of the following relevant technical areas: Biodiversity and ecosystems, Energy, Climate change adaptation, Climate change mitigation, Chemicals and waste, Water and ocean governance (Max. 10 points);
  • Experience in evaluating adaptive management, as applied to relevant technical areas. Please provide links to two writing samples of past evaluations (Max. 20 points);
  • Experience with results-based management evaluation methodologies (Max. 10 points);
  • Experience applying SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios (Max. 10 points);
  • Demonstrated experience with issues related to gender and relevant technical areas.  Experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis; (Max. 10 points);
  • Experience working with one or more of the following vertical funds: Global Environment Facility (GEF) family of funds, including GEF Trust Fund, Least Developed Countries Fund, Special Climate Change Fund, Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund, Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency; Adaptation Fund; Green Climate Fund. (Max. 10 points);
  • Experience working in one or more of the following regions: Latin America & Caribbean; Africa; Arab States; Eastern Europe & CIS; Asia & Pacific; Global (Max. 10 points);
  • Experience with project evaluations within United Nations system will be considered an asset (Max. 10 points);

Language:

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English language (max. 8 points);
  • Good command of other UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is an advantage. (Max. 2 points).

Evaluation method and inclusion in roster:

  • Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;
  • The technical criteria (education, experience, language [max. 110 points] and interview [max.30 points]) will be based on a maximum 140 points;
  • Candidates scoring 77 points or higher from the review of the education, experience and languages will be considered for the interview;
  • Candidates obtaining 21 points or higher in the interview and who have accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be included in the roster.

Documentation to be submitted:

  • Candidates must clearly indicate in a cover/motivation letter the following:
    1. TECHNICAL AREA(S) the candidate has experience in (select between one and six areas): (a) Biodiversity and ecosystems, (b) Energy, (c) Climate change adaptation, (d) Climate change mitigation, (e) Chemicals and waste, (f) Water and ocean governance
    2. VERTICAL FUND(S) the candidate has experience in (select between one and three vertical funds):  a) Global Environment Facility (GEF) family of funds, including GEF Trust Fund, Least Developed Countries Fund, Special Climate Change Fund, Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund, Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency; b) Adaptation Fund; c) Green Climate Fund.
    3. REGION(S) the candidate has experience working in (select between one and six regions): a) Latin America & Caribbean; b) Africa; c) Arab States; d) Eastern Europe & CIS; e) Asia & Pacific; f) Global
  • Applicants must submit a P11 or CV including Education/Qualification, Professional Certification, Employment Records /Experience;
  • Applicants must submit or provide links to two writing samples of past evaluations;
  • Applicants must reply to the mandatory questions asked by the system when submitting the application;
  • Applicants must submit a duly completed and signed Annex II Offeror´s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the Roster to be downloaded from the UNDP procurement site.  Such fee would be the ceiling amount.