National consultant to support costing of sub-national plans under MS-NPAN (Multi-Sectoral National Plan of Action for Nutrition) ( Open to Myanmar Nationals Only )

National MSNPAN nutrition consultancy opportunity open for relevant and interested Myanmar National Applications with UNICEF Myanmar.

National consultant to support costing of sub-national plans under MS-NPAN (Multi-Sectoral National Plan of Action for Nutrition)

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.

Background

The MS-NPAN was developed through intensive engagement with four sectors (Ministry of Health and Sports, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement) and other key stakeholders, under the direction of the National Nutrition Centre (NNC) and a Task Force of international and national experts. The plan includes 16 outcomes and 71 interventions across the four Ministries. UNICEF, along with other partners of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) network, are supporting MOHS, NNC in implementing the new MS-NPAN (2018-2023). Early stages of implementation, which is currently ongoing, involve sub-national planning, prioritization and costing which will guide scale up of nutrition activities over the coming years. Costing will also be critical to informing a sustainable resource mobilization strategy to ensure adequate allocation of resources at national and sub-national levels.

MOHS/NNC and the members of the MS-NPAN taskforce supported by partners has identified the need for costing expertise and have requested UNICEF’s support to recruit one International and one National costing expert to support this work, which will be carried out between Oct 2019 and July 2020. In addition to supporting costing of sub-national plans, the costing consultants will support the development of a Budget Policy Brief on Nutrition, an exercise that will serve as a ‘stock take’ or proxy baseline for current public expenditure in nutrition. This Budget Brief is timely considering the early stage of MS-NPAN implementation and can serve as a benchmark for tracking resource allocation to nutrition over the coming years. The Budget Brief component will be a collaboration between UNICEF Health and Nutrition and Social Policy and Child Rights Monitoring (SPCRM) sections, with MOHS/NNC and MS-NPAN stakeholders.

Objectives of the Consultancy

The purpose for a National Costing Consultant is to 1) support costing of sub-national planning and prioritization process under the MS-NPAN and 2) identify the current public expenditure in nutrition through producing a ‘Budget Brief’ on Nutrition. The Consultant is expected to provide critical technical support for the development of a base-line of nutrition and costed implementation plan for each State/Region MS-NPAN as informed by a series of priority interventions defined in S/R Technical Workshops. This work will be carried out in close collaboration with and under the guidance of an International Costing Consultant and will include a number of concrete time-bound deliverables and expectations. The National consultant is expected to work under technical support and oversight by the International Costing consultant that will also be recruited by UNICEF. The national consultant will mainly be responsible for the day to day communication and collaboration with stakeholders required to gather data for costing and public expenditure analysis.

Key task areas include (specific deliverables and timeline indicated under Description of Assignment below):

Costing of sub-national planning under MS-NPAN:

• Work with international costing consultant to design and develop costing methodology, guidelines and tools, consulting and liaising with national stakeholders as required
• Identify sources of data and information that will be used to facilitate the generation of costs for the implementation of packages of priority interventions of MS-NPAN in each of Myanmar’s 17 States/Regions, including discussion with relevant Ministries, departments and desk review as needed
• Work with international costing consultant to finalise input use and measurement of costs for a package of priority interventions for one State/region. This includes obtaining information for estimating outputs and outcomes, analyse and interpret costing data.

Analyse current public expenditure on Nutrition

• Support the international costing consultant to assess the current budgetary structure and allocations-expenditure to nutrition
• Identification of the existing budget lines associated with nutrition interventions, across the MS-NPAN framework (e.g. in the 4 key Ministries), consulting with relevant Ministries and national stakeholders as needed
• Support the collection and organization of all the different types of financial data, related to the lines above, over a period of (at least) 3 fiscal years

 Assignment Tasks and Expected Deliverables

Tasks 1:

Develop a costing matrix and template for each priority intervention. The costing matrix will be a refinement, simplification of what was developed for adoption to generate costs for the original MS-NPAN, and should include key elements that need to be in place for effective implementation

Deliverables 1:

• Under guidance of international costing consultant, conduct desk review and consultations with MS-NPAN stakeholders to understand the priority interventions, the theory of change and the results framework for achieving improved nutrition outcomes. Includes identifying population size and targets and current coverage of nutrition specific and sensitive programmes.
• Develop a methodological approach for costing sub-national nutrition plans, based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods for ingredients-based costing estimates.
• Document and develop the methodology, guidelines and tools to carry out costing, any orientation and training materials for stakeholders
• Support day to day and regular communications with relevant Ministries and national stakeholders, including facilitating and preparations for meetings

Tasks 2:

Assess the current budgetary structure and allocations-expenditure to nutrition

Deliverables 2:

• Support the day to day collection and organization of financial data across the institutions related to the sector based on dataset template developed by international costing consultant
• Support International costing consultant in identification of the existing budget lines associated with nutrition interventions, across the MS-NPAN framework (e.g in the four key Ministries), including consultations, desk review and discussions with relevant national stakeholders

Tasks 3:

Assemble and analyse relevant documents and information on demographic, epidemiological and coverage information for estimating baseline and projected number of beneficiaries, programme outputs and projected outcomes. 

Deliverables 3:

• Collect existing sources of data for inputs, prices or unit costs for ingredients-based costing under technical guidance from International costing consultant. This includes cost estimates per beneficiary and aggregated for each township.
• Complete the budget cost projections of the proposed package of priority intervention options for one region. Including costs for series of options of scale-up levels for interventions that would deliver the intended impacts of the MS-NPAN with variations of the number of townships selected and levels of coverage.
• Obtain information on current regional budgets to identify resource gaps of projected budgetary requirements for 5-year nutrition plan.
• Ensure costs are included in five-year action plan for each of 17 states/regions that provides total and per beneficiary costs by intervention category and by sector for a baseline scenario and optional scenarios

Tasks 4:

Collection and organize all the different types of financial data, related to fiscal budget lines associated with nutrition interventions, over a period of (at least) 3 fiscal years

Deliverables 4:

• Collect and organize of financial data on public expenditure in nutrition, in line with the dataset template mentioned earlier.
• Produce a 7-8 page budget brief with narrative and charts/tables on public expenditure for nutrition, based on the budget brief standard template and outline

Qualification and specialized knowledge/experience required for the assignment:

• A bachelor’s degree in Health Economics, Public Health, Nutrition or any other relevant areas. Advance degree in relevant areas is an asset.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience, particularly related to costing and/or program financing; working in nutrition and/or health policy, health systems development
• Proficiency in data collection and analysis of costing information, including budget databases and technical project management
• Strong knowledge and experience working with Myanmar sectors and systems related to Health, Agriculture, Social Welfare and/or Education is an asset
• Experience with developing multi-sector strategic plans for nutrition is an asset
• Strong commitment to the UN values of humanity, impartiality, neutrality
• Flexibility, adaptability and tolerance
• Good diplomacy and communication skills can work well with others
• Good English language skills (oral and written)

Interested candidates are requested to submit the application with updated CV and completed EOI form. 

Please also include and attach the completed EOI form in the financial proposals section when applying.

 (1) EOI national costing consultant MSNPAN.doc

 (1) ToR National costing consultant MSNPAN.docx

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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.

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

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