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EXTENDED!! - Long Term Agreement (LTA) for Engagement of Social Protection Individual Consultants in Latin America and the Caribbean - LACRO, Panama

Panamá

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Panamá
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Social Affairs
    • Civil Society and Local governance
  • Closing Date: Closed

UNICEF LACRO is looking for consultants to work on Long Term Agreements to assist in the implementation of recurrent Social Protection activities.

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, protection

How can you make a difference? 

1. BACKGROUND / RATIONALE

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) , UNICEF is present in 36 countries and territories through 24 national offices spread throughout the region and a regional office based in Panama City. Efforts are aimed at UNICEF putting the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

Social Protection is a key area for the promotion of children's rights and for the overcome of children poverty in the region. Through our social policy network, composed by Social Policy Specialists and focal points based in the country offices, UNICEF works in the provision of technical assistance, quality assurance, evidence generation and policy advocacy to eradicate child poverty, expand social protection for families with children - including through the improvement of care and support policies and systems - and increase the quantity and quality of public investments aimed at children.

In order to support the work of UNICEF in LAC at both Regional and Country Offices, UNICEF LACRO seeks to engage the services of regional experts in Social Protection, in five different areas: (1) System Strengthening: Legislation, Policies and Programmes; Management Information Systems for programme delivery; Cash transfer programmes; Integrated social services; (2) Financing of Social Protection Systems; (3) Care and Family-Friendly Policies; (4) Disability-inclusive Social Protection and (5) Shock Responsive Social Protection.

For information of the work of our organization in the LAC Region, please visit our website: UNICEF LAC Region

2. PURPOSE OF ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of the current Term of Reference is to select candidates for a Long-Term Agreements (LTA) for individual contracts, in order to facilitate the contracting by UNICEF offices in LAC, both at regional and country levels, of qualified consultants at pre-agreed broad terms to assist in the implementation of recurrent Social Protection activities. ​

3. PROGRAMME CATEGORIES

The focus is on Social Protection key service areas:

Service Area

Activities

1. Social Protection – System Strengthening

1. Social Protection Systems: (a) supporting drafting, review and mapping of social protection strategies, roadmaps, policy frameworks and promoting policy dialogue; (b) supporting drafting, assessing and implementation of social protection policy legislation; (c) coordination, assessing and developing national capacities, supporting national multisector dialogue facilitation; (d) design, assess and support the implementation of integrated social policies, services and programs.

2. Cash-transfers: (a) support the design of cash and integrated social programmes: inclusion/targeting, transfer size, frequency and links to other programmes; (b) implementation of cash and integrated social programmes: identification, digital and innovative payment systems, monitoring and evaluation, grievance and redress mechanisms, communications, integration with broader social services offer, institutional coordination.

3. Management Information Systems (MIS): (a) operational support for implementing integrated administrative systems, improved coordination and service delivery; (b) integrated data administration systems: programme beneficiary MIS, integrated MIS, national single registries, national social registries, system interoperability, data protection and management

2. Financing Social Protection Systems

1. Data and evidence generation: Fiscal space analysis for social protection programmes and strategies, including identification of possible funding sources for social protection interventions; Fiscal space analysis of the scaling-up of social protection programs in response to the various recurring shocks; Costing of social protection programmes and strategies using existing survey data and/or estimates; Costing of (new/adjusted) social protection programmes and strategies and investment plans; Microsimulation of costs linked to alternative scenarios introducing one or more new social protection interventions and/or scaling up existing benefits, so as to assess targeting accuracy, benefit adequacy and impacts​;

2. Budget process engagement: influencing planning, allocation decisions, increasing financial flows to service delivery and spending performance;

3. Community engagement: in national/local budgeting processes empowering children, adolescents, communities and civil society;

4. Resource mobilization: domestic resource mobilization to finance social protection systems (resource allocation adjustments;

5. Capacity building/knowledge management: provide knowledge management and capacity building of staff and stakeholders on financing of social protection systems, including documentation of good practices, development of tools, and guidance documents as appropriate

3. Care and Support Systems and Family-Friendly Policies

1. Provide support in the assessment, design and implementation of care and support systems, including, but not limited to a)access to care services; b) foster of caregivers capacity building, trainings, access to education; c) labour and service regulation and legislation; d) family care policies and childcare, including adequate and paid parental leave, fee waivers or subsidized childcare services, including in the informal sector; e) social welfare workforce strengthening, family outreach interventions, case management and capacity building; f) assessment of the use of time and cost of unpaid care work, including those performed by girls and adolescents.

2. Provide knowledge management and capacity building of staff and stakeholders on care and support systems, including documentation of good practice, development of tools, operational manuals and guidance documents as appropriate

4. Inclusive Social Protection and Disability-Sensitive Social Protection

1. Designing inclusive social protection systems : assessing programmes to ensure vulnerable communities with particular characteristics and identities, including gender, disability status, migration/displacement (children on the move), ethnicity, and geographic location, have access and that systems respond to their needs;

2. Disability-sensitive social protection: designing and assessing specific interventions and disability sensitive programmes and systems (including all areas outlined under service area 5 and with a shock-responsive lens);

3. Accessibility costs: estimation of costs related to access of people with disabilities to basic services and goods;

4. Capacity building and knowledge management: provide knowledge management and capacity building of staff and stakeholders on inclusive social protection, including documentation of good practice, development of tools, operational manuals and guidance documents as appropriate

5. Shock Responsive Social Protection

1. Data and evidence generation: provide evidence and analysis of poverty and vulnerability, assessment of readiness of systems to respond to crises and evaluations of systems;

2. Policy design and coordination: review, mapping and development of policy, strategy, legislation, coordination and financing mechanisms (intra-government: horizontal/vertical) and humanitarian coordination processes particularly for cash transfers;

3. Fiscal analysis: Delivery analysis of and strengthening fiscal space; assessment of donor landscape, contingency funding mechanisms, budget execution, and risk informed financing mechanisms;

4. Analysis of programmes and design features: targeting, verification, registration (in times of crisis), data protection, transfer values, frequency, timing, cash plus, inclusive systems, M&E strategy;

5. Operational support: deliver technical assistance on administration, operational and delivery systems (information systems using new technologies, payment mechanism, grievance redress and other accountability mechanisms);

6. Capacity building and knowledge management: provide knowledge management and capacity building of staff and stakeholders on shock responsive social protection, including documentation of good practice, development of tools, operational manuals and guidance documents as appropriate;

4. OBJECTIVE(S)

The objective of this ToR is to specify the nature, scope of activities and essential qualifications for contractors solicited and services provided under the resulting LTAs.

The expected result from this solicitation process is to establish long term agreements with pre-qualified consultants at pre-agreed broad terms to provide a menu of services in the area of Social Protection, at Regional and Country Offices in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The selection of the consultants will be completed through a validation process following a combined evaluation of the technical and financial proposals.

The support facilitated through the resultant LTAs is expected to facilitate and expedite the process by which UNICEF LACRO and UNICEF Country Offices in LAC access highly qualified policy experts to support UNICEF’s provision of technical assistance, evidence generation, resource mobilization and advocacy in the field of Social Protection in the Latin American and the Caribbean region, with lasting positive impact on the most vulnerable families and children.

It is important to note the following: LTAs are non-binding Agreements which do not constitute a commitment to acquire consultant services. They indicate that the consultants are already vetted to be contracted directly as per the indicated unit price.

Please find in the attached document the following information: Download File LTA ToR_Social Protection UNICEF1.pdf

5. MAJOR TASKS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED

6. DELIVERABLES

 

7. ESTIMATED DURATION OF LTA: 36 months

 

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

8. QUALIFICATIONS / SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE/ LANGUAGE SKILLS REQUIRED

  • Graduate degree (post-graduate Masters’ or PhD will be considered assets) in social sciences, political sciences, public policies, international relations, economics, developmental studies, economics, social policy, gender studies, sociology, or related field.
  • A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience within social policy analysis and/or programming, including in social protection specifically, is required.
  • A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in Latin America and the Caribbean is required.
  • Proven track record in some of the following areas: care policies, disability-inclusive social protection, financing of social protection, shock responsive social protection, cash transfers, is required
  • Demonstrated excellent writing and communication skills is required
  • Proficiency in Spanish and/or English is required. Working knowledge of Portuguese and/or French is an asset.
  • Previous experience with high-level policy analysis and advice in social protection-related topics is a strong asset
  • Proven track record of publications with quantitative analysis, including econometric analysis, use of microdata, surveys, social registries, national census, and others, is considered an asset.
  • Previous experience working in the UN/UNICEF and/or the public sector in areas related to social policy and social protection are considered a strong asset.
  • Background and/or familiarity with emergency programming is an asset.
  • Excellent analytical skills are required.
  • Ability to carry out quantitative, mixed-methods and/or qualitative analysis are required.
  • Demonstrated capacity to communicate clearly on social policies.
  • Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and independently.
  • Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines.
  • Must be detail-oriented and intellectually curious.
  • Able to work effectively in a multicultural and multisectoral environment.
  • Sets high levels of quality and productivity for self.
  • Ability to clearly defined objectives and plan activities

Note: Candidates are free to apply to for multiple categories or all of them, based on their qualifications and professional experience. UNICEF will award LTA up to 5 top ranked candidates under each category. A candidate may be awarded LTA for one or more than one category.

Please find in the attached document the following information: Download File LTA ToR_Social Protection UNICEF1.pdf

9. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (WITH WEIGHTS FOR EACH CRITERIA)

10. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL:

 

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).   

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

 *****

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

This vacancy is now closed.
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