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Project Consultant (RUTF Market Research & Strategy), Markets and Supplier Financing Centre (MSFC), Supply Division, Denmark

Copenhagen

  • Organization: UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund
  • Location: Copenhagen
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Economics
    • Banking and Finance
    • Logistics
    • Sustainable trade and development
    • Nutrition
    • Supply Chain
    • Scientist and Researcher
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Food Security, Livestock and Livelihoods
    • Sustainable Business Development
    • Marketing (Digital, Advertisement, Brand, Promotion)
  • Closing Date: Closed

Supply Division in Copenhagen is seeking a consultant to support with RUTF Market Research & Strategy.

Project Consultant (RUTF Market Research & Strategy)
Markets and Supplier Financing Centre (MSFC), UNICEF SD, Copenhagen, Denmark


Location details: Office based (with potential to be home-based with one to two travels to Copenhagen)
 
Comments: Flexibility as to workplace
 
Duration:  50 work days (10 work weeks consultancy) – work to be split in two phases
Phase 1: 30 December 2019- 31 March 2020 (15 days)
Phase 2: 01 April 2020- 30 April 2021 (35 days)
 
Field Missions/Travel: 1-2 travels to Copenhagen and potentially 1-2 trips visiting RUTF suppliers in UNICEF Programme Countries
 
Anticipated Start Date: 30 December 2019
 
Context and Purpose of the Consultancy:
 
UNICEF has been very successful nurturing a diversified and predominantly programme country RUTF supply base as part of a wider set of objectives to improve the market health for ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF). Localized RUTF production and supply has engendered political will, action, and supply networks that have facilitated access to treatment for severe and acutely malnourished children particularly in the countries where malnutrition is a significant problem.
 
Among the key challenges for RUTF programmes is an insufficiency in donor funding to reach all severely malnourished children. A natural next step for UNICEF from a supply perspective is to focus on supporting the RUTF suppliers (particularly in programme countries) to optimize their cost structures – particularly in relation to input costs – to facilitate greater affordability, while improving overall market health.
 
UNICEF is interested in determining whether and how we and other Nutrition programme partners can improve market health through assisting RUTF suppliers to reduce input costs and improve production cost efficiencies. Given the variation in operating models and approaches of RUTF suppliers, it is expected that this work will require dialogue with suppliers, while working closely with the UNICEF Supply Division market shaping team.
 

Key Tasks / Objectives:
 - Review RUTF market evolution over the past 3-4 procurement cycles and review existing market frameworks that UNICEF and partners have developed for vaccines, diagnostics, and other health equipment – and adapt UNICEF’s existing healthy market framework for the RUTF market
 - Support UNICEF’s efforts to conduct targeted dialogue with RUTF suppliers to explain our approach to a healthy market and to understand their risks and challenges and build capacity to leverage the risk-sharing opportunities UNICEF could employ – ultimately to inform how UNICEF’s approach to procurement and contracting could support suppliers and unlock sustainable price reductions.
 - Develop materials to present to RUTF suppliers e.g. within industry-wide webinars to explain UNICEF’s strategy and tactics for ongoing and future tenders
 - Assist UNICEF in discussions with other key stakeholder (e.g. with donors and other financing partners) as needed to help determine the range of options (including those beyond UNICEF’s own direct sphere of influence) that could be used to optimize suppliers’ cost structures and to facilitate greater affordability
 - Develop a RUTF market model to quantify the commercial impact under a variety of procurement scenarios – to help UNICEF assess the value of various contracting modalities and award scenarios as a means of achieving UNICEF’s stated market goals
 - Document the lessons emerging in the implementation of market approaches in near term as a means of informing medium- and longer- term efforts to continuing improving RUTF market health
 - Support UNICEF’s work to revise the overarching RUTF market strategy based on the first phase of work and support UNICEF’s work to communicate with RUTF suppliers on the next phase of RUTF market engagement
 - Track the evolution of the RUTF market against the healthy market framework as a means of monitoring and reporting the progress over the period 30 Dec 2019 through 30 April 2021.

Deliverables:
 
Phase 1 (15 days):
 - Healthy Market Framework: Develop a short MS PowerPoint slide presentation (e.g. ~10 slides) articulating a market framework for RUTF supply, illustrating a subjective scoring/assessment (high-medium-low) of each market dimension
 - Supplier communication plans and interview summaries: Development of supplier-specific interview guides to understand their risks, challenges and build capacity to leverage opportunities; and creation of interview summaries (e.g. 1-3 pages per supplier) to document discussions and synthesize findings (e.g. ~2-5 page summary report). This will require travel to and/or teleconferences with individual suppliers.
 - Industry (RUTF suppliers) webinar materials: Develop a short MS PowerPoint slide presentation (e.g. ~10 slides) to convey UNICEF’s short- and medium- term tactics and expectations in the RUTF market
 - RUTF market model (beta version): Develop a simple MS Excel model to quantify the commercial impact under a variety of procurement and contracting scenarios (This will build on existing tools that UNICEF Supply Division has developed for other products / previous tenders/awards)
 - Summary and preliminary lessons learned: Document in a short MS Word document report (e.g. ~5-10 pages) and accompanying slide presentation on the outcomes of Phase 1 including the lessons learned and implications for UNICEF’s market goals, as well as for
 
Phase 2.
Phase 2 (35 days):
• Consideration of (alternative) models: Document in a short MS PowerPoint slide presentation (e.g. ~10 slides) the range of options, including those beyond UNICEF’s own direct sphere of influence, that could be used to optimize suppliers’ cost structures (e.g. by improving efficiency of sourcing of RUTF production inputs) as well as other means to facilitate greater affordability (e.g. by maximizing capacity utilization)
• Partner dialogue: Through discussions with other Nutrition partners, potentially prioritize one or more model for deployment in future market engagements
• Market strategy development: Support UNICEF team efforts to develop a revised market strategy for the RUTF market incorporating lessons from Phase 1, and the outcomes of partner discussions on models that could be pursued to support UNICEF’s evolving market goals.
• RUTF market model 2.0: Update the MS Excel model to quantify the commercial impact of procurement and award scenarios as needed, in anticipation of future RUTF tenders, and based on the new market strategy
• Further industry dialogue: Support UNICEF team efforts to develop a detailed slide presentation for an industry webinar or meeting to delineate novel approaches being deployed to continue to influence the market
 Final report: Document in a MS Word document (e.g. ~10-15 pages)
o Delineation of the evolution of the RUTF market against the healthy market framework over both phases
o Compilation of learnings on both phases of work
o Proposal on future market strategy and tactics or other areas of work to continue improving RUTF market health
 
Requirements
 
Academic:

Education: Advanced university degree in management, social sciences, contractual law, supply and procurement, or another relevant discipline or first university degree with relevant experience
 
Work Experience: At least ten years of experience in leading evaluations, reviews or institutional assessments, of similar scale and level. In addition to the following:
 
Relevant and progressive professional work experience with supply and procurement, contracting of goods and services and supply chain management is highly desirable
 
Strong skills in quantitative and qualitative research and approaches, including the facilitation of participatory workshops
 
Working knowledge of the UN, UNICEF experience is preferred
 
Other Skills and Qualifications:
 
Competencies: The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following competencies that are considered to be necessary to this consultancy:
Core Competencies:
 Excellent communicator including for reporting and presentation.
 Works in a multi-cultural environment and establishes harmonious and effective working relationships.
Functional Competencies:
 Works independently and is problem-solving oriented.
 Strong organizational skills.
 Demonstrates communication and relationship-building skills.
 
Language Requirements: Fluency in English is required. Additional UN languages will be considered an asset.
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.
 
Evaluation Criteria
 
Qualified candidates are requested to submit:
 
1. Cover letter/application.
2. Technical proposal on Consultancy delivery (1 page)
3. Workplan proposal (1 page)
4. Financial quote at a daily rate in US Dollars including all taxes.
Travel costs (all travel must be pre-approved by UNICEF) will be acknowledged at this stage, but not considered part of the financial proposal assessment. The following cost items should be included in the financial proposal:
 - Daily rates for the consultant (payments schedule will be based on the number of working days included in the technical proposal)
 - Daily subsistence allowance (DSA) will, where applicable, be paid up to a maximum of the official UN rate. Travel costs should include the participation in one meeting with UNICEF in Copenhagen (Finalization Stage). Other necessary travel costs will be reimbursed if so is agreed previously with UNICEF.
 - Additional costs
5. P11 form if not applying through UNICEF Employment site
6. At least 3 Reference contacts
7. Applications that meet minimum requirements will be assessed by the following breakdown: 70% Technical Proposal / 30% Financial Proposal. Phase 1 and Phase 2 of project is estimated to make up appr. 25%/75 respectively of total deliverable. 
8. Applications must be submitted through the UNICEF electronic application system by Thursday 19th December.
 
For applications outside of UNICEF’s Employment site
All applications to be sent to: market.influencing@unicef.org with subject line Project Consultant (RUTF Market Research & Strategy) by 19 December 2019 23:59 Copenhagen time. Please indicate your availability and daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above. 
 
Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.
 
 
This vacancy is now closed.
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