Research and Evaluation Consultant Tender, Lesotho - 31344752

Procurement Summary

Country : Lesotho

Summary : Research and Evaluation Consultant

Deadline : 12 Mar 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 31344752

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND
Private Bag A171 Maseru 100, Lesotho 13 United Nations Road 2nd Floor United Nations House Country code 266 Fax: 22.310.248/22.316.839
Lesotho
Email :tshiferaw@unicef.org
URL :www.unicef.org

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Research and Evaluation Consultant(Opened for International Consultants only).

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child,

Background and Justification

UNICEF Executive Board has approved the UNICEF Lesotho Country Programme Document (CPD) for the period of 2019-23. One of the key outcomes of the document is to ensure that by 2023, all children, particularly the most vulnerable, benefit from gender-responsive social policies and programmes for the sustainable and equitable realization of their rights. To achieve the outcome and to learn for the future, appropriate and adequate evidence through research and evaluation on the effectiveness of child related-programmes is crucial to inform social and economic policies for children. Thus, one of the priorities of UNICEF in the current country programme is to make sure that UNICEF judiciously invests its scarce resources for generation and use of evidence through conducting research and evaluation and strengthening the institutional capacity of relevant national institutions, particularly, the Ministry of Development Planning (MoDP) including Bureau of Statistics (BOS). Recognizing the role of evaluation in programme related decision making, UNICEF costed evaluation plan entailed a total of nine evaluations for the country programme period. To realize the priority, UNICEF needs to make available technical expertise. Thus, this TOR has been developed to hire an international research and evaluation consultant.

Scope of Work

Goal and Objective:

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative, the consultant will ensure that the evaluation and research activities led and supported by the Country Office comply with methodological standards as well as organizational policies and guidelines; and support the MoDP/BoS to strengthen its institutional capacity.

Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered:

One of the planned results under rolling AWP is to ensure that the Government and citizens have increased awareness and capacity to enhance participation, transparency, accountability, equity and quality of public investment in children. This consultancy will contribute to the achievement of the result.

Activities and Tasks: the consultant will perform the following specific functions.

Technically support programme partners to formulate Terms of Reference (TOR) and evaluation designs of high quality in compliance with the organization's programme evaluation policies and guidelines;

Provide oversight and quality assurance of UNICEF-commissioned research and evaluation activities in compliance with Country Office Standard Operating Procedures for the planning, management and quality Assurance of UNICEF-supported Evaluations, Surveys, Studies, and Research;

Monitor and ensure the quality of the field work and data management during the implementation phase, and the quality of the analysis and ease of understanding during the report writing phase;

Disseminate evaluation findings and recommendations to the intended audiences in user-friendly methods;

Monitor and ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and followed up for implementation.Most specifically, ensure that evaluation recommendations are submitted to the Country Management Team and follow-up actions recorded in CMT minutes.

If outsourcing, manage the consultants/team of evaluation researchers and/or coordinate with Section Chiefs/programme staff to ensure the objectives of the evaluations are clearly defined and the stakeholders understand their respective roles and responsibilities;

Participate/contribute to global and/or regional evaluations and researches studies ensuring that the tasks are well coordinated taking into account all existing data/information available;

Act as Country Office focal point for mid-year and end-year reporting on related results and for the Annual Report;

Support the MoDP/BOS to prepare a national M&E Policy/strategy;

Provide technical support to the Ministry of MODP in rolling out Results Based Management; and

Provide technical support to the BOS to strengthen analyses and use of survey data.

Work relationships:

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Deputy Representativeand closely with the Chief of Social Policy and other Section Chiefs in UNICEF. Among partners, the consultant will work with the relevant Official of the MoDP, Bureau of Statistics (BOS), and other relevant Sectoral Ministries.

Outputs/Deliverables:

Activity

Deliverables

Duration (9 Months)

Q1

Q2

Q3

Review UNICEF Evaluation policies and guidelines; and prepare an inception report to clarify consultant understanding on the activities;
Inception report

Review and ensure quality of all TORs related to research and evaluation in the IMEP;
Reviewed TORs

Support programme sections and partners in the design of evaluations;
Evaluation design

Review inception reports of all evaluations and researches in the IMEP;
Review reports

Support in preparing sectoral briefs using MICS and other evaluation reports;
5 sectoral briefs

Analyze child poverty (income) using DHS data;
Child poverty brief

Provide oversight and quality assurance of UNICEF-commissioned research and evaluation activities;
Monitoring reports

Monitor and ensure the quality of the field work and data management during the implementation phase;
Monitoring reports

Ensure the quality of the analysis and ease of understanding during the report writing phase;
Reviewed reports

Monitor and ensure that a management response to the findings and recommendations of the evaluation is completed, recorded, and followed up for implementation;
Draft management responses

Act as a CO focal point for mid-year and end-year reporting on related results and the secretariat of the Research and Evaluation Committee;
Mid-year and End-year reports

Support the MoDP/BOS to prepare a national M&E Policy/strategy;
M&E Policy

Provide technical support to the Ministry of MODP in rolling out RBM;
Reports on RBM training

Provide technical support to the BOS to strengthen analyses and use of survey data.
Reviewed data

Reporting format: In the beginning of the assignment, the consultant and the supervisor will agree on monthly deliverables based on activities and deliverables under 2.5; and the consultant will prepare monthly plans in the last week of each month for the next month, specifying key activities and deliverables. The consultant will be paid based on delivery of monthly deliverables and submission of the report following the format below.

Name of the Consultant

Name of the programme Section

Reporting month with specific date

Planned intervention/ results as per the 2.5

Achievement indicator

Means of verification

Comments on achievement (lessons learned or challenges)

Payment schedule: Payment will be made upon successful delivery of the monthly planned deliverables.

Month

Deliverable

Payment (USD)

May 19

1st progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

June 19

Â2nd progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

July 19

3rd progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

August 19

4th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

September 19

5th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

October 19

6th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

November 19

7th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

December 19

8th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

January 20

9th progress report against planned deliverables

11.11%

Desired profile

Education: Advanced University degree in Economics or Statistics or Development Management or other relevant fields;

Experience: At least five years of progressively responsible professional work experience in research and evaluation; Proven experience in working with Government, UN organizations, academia or research organizations;Experience in planning, implementation and monitoring of research and evaluation; and Skills in organizing meetings and facilitation of trainings and workshop.

Competencies: Good communication, working with people, drive for results, analytical skills and planning and organizing;

Language: Fluency in English

Administrative issues

The selection of contractor will be governed by and subject to UNICEF General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts;
The contractor job is for fulltime and Office-based; he/she may require visiting districts for monitoring activities;
The contractor will perform the work using own computer;
The contractor payment is a Lump Sum inclusive of travel (a two-way economy airfare);
Entitlements and conditions of service are governed by UNICEF policies;
Consultant will not be entitled to leave, however, unpaid day offs will be discussed and agreed with supervisor;
As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to complete an application including profile to the respective advertisement on https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=520312. Please indicate your ability, availability and financial proposal/quote to complete the terms of reference above. Rates must include all expenses related to the assignment (including administration and logistics).

Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Documents

 Tender Notice