National Consultant – Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office seconded to Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development (FRIEND) (Fiji Nationals only)
suva (with frequent travel to lautoka)
- Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
- Location: suva (with frequent travel to lautoka)
- Grade: Consultancy - National Consultant - Locally recruited Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Closing Date: Closed
Background
Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
The UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Fiji covers 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs): Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The Fiji MCO current focus countries for programming are Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The UN Women Fiji Multi-country office has four main thematic areas:
- Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG);
- Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) which includes the Markets for Change project (M4C);
- Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action; and
- Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership.
The incidence of violence against women and girls in the Pacific Islands is amongst the highest rates in the world. Violence against women and girls is a central barrier to gender equality and a cause of widespread violation of human rights across the Pacific. To respond to the rates of violence in the Pacific, UN Women has developed a comprehensive EVAWG programme which takes a transformative approach to prevent violence against women and girls at multiple levels (regional, national and community), and to improve survivors’ access to quality response services.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a multitude of factors are increasing women and girls’ risk to violence and gender inequality including food insecurity and lack of employment/livelihood options. To explore those issues in Fiji, UN Women seeks a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist to be seconded to the Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development (FRIEND) headquartered in Lautoka, Fiji to better understand trends.
FRIEND is a not-for-profit organization registered under the Charitable Trusts Act. The organization is managed by the Executive Director/Founder Ms. Sashi Kiran with an independent Board of Trustees & Directors governing and overseeing the accountability of the organization.? FRIEND works with over 500 communities around the Fiji Islands in delivering its social and economic and health empowerment programs. The beneficiaries of the programs include rural women, youth, and people with disabilities, rural farmers and underserved communities.
FRIEND has been responding to the COVID crisis over the last year and has increased its focus on food and medicine delivery as well as livelihood support during the second wave. While the work is fast and responsive its important to plan and reflect on the program delivery to ensure inclusion of the most vulnerable and the principle of no harm is adhered to.
Purpose of the consultancy
The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical leadership and strategic direction for monitoring and evaluation activities for FRIEND's ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts and ongoing community development projects, with focus on a gender and inclusivity analysis.
Duties and Responsibilities
Objectives of the assignment
The main objective of this consultancy is to provide technical leadership to develop program frameworks, plans and indicators to capture project performance results and provide effective, accurate and timely monitoring, evaluation and reporting to ensure a capture of inclusvity including gender and disability analysis.
Scope of Work/Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the UN Women EVAWG Technical Specialist based in Suva, Fiji and the day-to-day management of FRIEND’s Director based in Lautoka, Fiji, the National Consultant will perform the following tasks:
A. Facilitate an analysis and produce a brief report of existing M&E data with a focus on inclusivity and gender, such as sex and age disaggregated data.
- Engage with FRIEND’s staff to better understand existing programming for COVID-19 response and existing monitoring systems.
- Facilitate an analysis of existing data with an explicit focus on gender and inclusion.
- Draft a brief report summarizing the existing findings of COVID-19 and community development programs from a gender and inclusivity perspective. Includes up to 2 rounds of feedback from FRIEND
B.Facilitate staff training on M&E systems, including monitoring projects with a strong gender focus, data quality control and evaluations/operational research
- Provide leadership and direction to the organization’s M&E team on monitoring, evaluation and reporting of program to ensure its goals and corresponding objectives and targets are achieved.
- Lead training on monitoring systems to track and monitor project progress with a strong gender focus.
- Provide team training to ensure the quality of data through data verification procedures, including routine data quality audits.
- Conduct pre and post assessment for staff to ensure the training is tailor-made to suit the needs of the FRIEND staff and submit a report on the results of the training.
C. Oversee the development and implementation of the Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) and accompanying monitoring tools to capture project performance and results.
- The PMP will incorporate strategies for detailed reporting to capture relevant information including gender, inclusivity and diversity and data on the impact of project interventions on marginalized and disadvantaged sectors of the population. Gender segregated data and the impact of interventions on women will be a vital component of the PMP (including single, older and women living with disabilities).
- Develop a data flow pattern for program activities that will ensure timely data collection and reporting.
- Lead and monitor the development of beneficiary accountability tools and techniques (community audit, feedback mechanisms, participatory monitoring) with an explicit gender lens.
- Provide guidance and assist with the setup of an organization-wide performance management system designed to capture, analyse, and disseminate project data.
D. Develop a detailed recommendations report tailored to FRIEND’s programming and a focus on gender and inclusivity analysis on how to document routine monitoring findings of program interventions, tell the narrative and utilize findings for knowledge management and programmatic decision-making.
Duration of the assignment
The duration of this assignment will be up to a combined 70 non-consecutive working days over a period of 6 months as per the schedule of deliverables below. All deliverables must be completed by 31 January 2022.
Regular travel to Lautoka, Fiji, where FRIEND is headquartered, is expected. However, if COVID-19 restrictions continue, this assignment will be mostly home-based, with regular communication with FRIEND Fiji.
- Expected Deliverables
The assignment should be carried out within a period of 6 months, not exceeding 70 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:
# | Deliverables | Approximate No. of days | Timeline |
---|---|---|---|
1 | One (1) inception report and a detailed work plan developed in partnership with FRIEND. | Up to 5 days | August 2021 |
2 | One (1) report on analysis of FRIEND’s existing M&E data with a focus on inclusivity and gender, such as sex and age disaggregated data. | Up to 15 days | August 2021 |
3 | Planning and facilitation of a training programme for FRIEND staff on M&E systems, including monitoring projects with a strong gender focus, data quality control and evaluations/operational research. One (1) pre and one (1) post assessment for staff to ensure the training is tailor-made to suit the needs of the FRIEND staff, with corresponding reports. | Up to 15 days | October 2021 |
4 | Development of Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) and accompanying monitoring tools (including beneficiary accountability tools and techniques with an explicit gender lens) to capture project performance and results. Oversight of the M&E team’s implementation of this PMP with corresponding report. | Up to 20 days | November - December 2022 |
5 | Up to 15 days | January 2022 | |
| TOTAL | Up to 70 days |
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All the deliverables should be agreed with FRIEND and UN Women and be provided in English to both parties in an electronic copy.
Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the installment, the deliverables, related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by FRIEND and UNWOMEN within two weeks of submission.
Note that all materials, including any video footage and images, will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.
- Inputs
- FRIEND will provide the National Consultant with relevant background materials and information.
- Only regular travel to Lautoka, Fiji where FRIEND is headquartered is envisaged (except if COVID-19 movement restrictions continue).
- The Consultant is expected to have an agreed upon work plan/schedule with FRIEND and UN Women.
- FRIEND will cover printing and translation costs if required for the implementation of deliverables.
- The Consultant is expected to use their own personal computer/ laptop for the duration of the assignment.
Management Arrangements
- The National Consultant will work under the overall supervision of UN Women’s EVAWG Technical Specialist based in Suva, Fiji, in coordination with FRIEND’s Director based in Lautoka, Fiji.
- The National Consultant will work closely with FRIEND’s staff and networks.
Travel
- The Consultant will be responsible for all administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment to be based in Lautoka.
- Regular travel to FRIEND headquarters in Lautoka is expected (except if COVID-19 movement restrictions continue).
- No outside Lautoka travels are envisaged under the current assignment. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between FRIEND and UN Women and the National Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
Performance evaluation
Contractor’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.
Financial Arrangement
- Payment shall be disbursed monthly, upon submission and approval of monthly reports with indication of progress and actual deliverables as well as timesheets with actual days worked certified by both the FRIEND Director and UN Women EVAWG Technical Specialist.
- Payment will be made within 10 (ten) days after receipt and acceptance of the a forementioned documents but only after FRIEND and UN Women have certified that the services have been satisfactorily performed by the National Consultant.
Competencies
Core Values:
- Respect for Diversity
- Integrity
- Professionalism
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
- Accountability
- Creative Problem Solving
- Effective Communication
- Inclusive Collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Leading by Example
Functional Competencies:
- Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
- Good knowledge of Results Based Management
- Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
- Good analytical skills
Required Skills and Experience
Education
Work Experience
Language and Other Skills
Evaluation Initially, individual candidates will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:
The short-listed individual candidates will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis scheme, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.? Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points. Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula: where:
Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.
Financial Evaluation Criteria: In this Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.
WINNING CANDIDATE The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).
1. Submission of application Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site.? Submission Package:
Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal. Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.? UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid. The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Deadline of all submission: 27th July 2021.
Annex A
Price Proposal Guideline and Template The prospective Individual Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his / her price proposal. 1.Daily fee The daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive".? All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Consultant needs to be factored into the proposed price.
UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties, or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.
2.Travel costs UN Women will not cover transportation cost within Lautoka, Fiji. Any mission travel related costs outside Lautoka, Fiji – as envisaged in this TOR, the UN Women will cover for the Consultant, for the agreed upon routing and in conformity with UN Women applicable travel rules and regulations.
3.Daily Subsistence Allowance Not applicable. Will only be paid for approved travel-related mission/s outside of Lautoka, per this TOR.
4.Currency of the price proposal The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in FJD. In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into FJD using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.
Annex B
Price Proposal Submission Form [ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]
To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Ref:National Consultant – Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office seconded to Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises & Development (FRIEND)
Dear Sir / Madam, I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment. Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference. My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below: Estimated Costs (in FJD)
*** Please be informed that for shorter assignments than a full day, the daily rate will be pro-rated into hourly rate.
I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged.? I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws. I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for the duration of the contract timeline i.e. ________________ days / weeks / months / year.
I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.
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