International Training Advisor for Strengthening Integral Local Development by Building the Capacities of the Municipal Authorities in Timor-Leste

Background

The establishment of strong institutions and capacities at all levels to ensure the delivery and quality of public services has been at the focus of the government and political agenda of Timor-Leste since its independence restored in 2002. Significant progress has been made towards enhancing the process of governance and public service delivery through improved efficiency, accountability, and transparency ever since. At the same time, a lot of challenges and opportunities lie ahead.

 

The Constitution of Timor-Leste envisages that the State will be territorially organized in a decentralized manner and the local units will have a status of corporate bodies vested with representative organs and their organization, competence, functioning and composition of the organs will be defined by law. In this regard, since the independence of the country, administrative decentralization has been considered a useful tool to promote national identity, territorial cohesion, and socio-economic development.

 

An initial policy towards administrative decentralization was laid out in early 2006. However, the process could not take momentum due to several political and administrative reasons. Nearly ten years ago, a new impulse to this process was given with the new administrative division of the country followed by the Implementation Strategy of the Administrative Decentralization and the Setting up of the Representative Bodies of the Local Power in Timor-Leste which envisages a gradual but progressive decentralization. Recently, the Government has reaffirmed its commitment to decentralization through Government Resolution N.º45/2020 (Implementation of Administrative Decentralization Strategy and Installation of Representative Organs of Local Government) and aims at developing and approving the necessary legal framework for the implementation of the decentralization process.

 

In order to meet its commitment and building on the past experiences, the Government of Timor-Leste has been working on revising the legal framework on decentralization. The Ministry of State Administration (MSA), as the nodal agency on decentralization, has been leading this exercise. To support the Government in general and the MSA in particular in their decentralization endeavor, UNDP Timor-Leste has been partnering with the Ministry. In 2021, UNDP Timor-Leste launched the project “Strengthening Integral Local Development by Building the Capacities of the Municipal Authorities in Timor-Leste”.

In this regard, UNDP facilitates the MSA’s efforts to identify gaps, harmonize the legal, policy and institutional framework, including amendment of the existing laws, and build capacities of the local authorities. UNDP hires a team of national and international advisors to provide the technical assistance to the MSA on this matter. These Terms of Reference (ToR) describe the duties, responsibilities, competencies, qualifications of an International Training Advisor.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under overall guidance by the MSA National Director for Human Resources, under direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and the Project Manager, the incumbent’s main responsibility shall be to advise the Minister and concerned MSA officials on training and capacity building aspects of administrative decentralization in Timor-Leste, including:  

• Review the existing organizational structures, systems, capacities, policies, and cultures of the municipalities;
• Lead efforts to assess the needs of technical staff with the view of the competencies of municipalities conferred by law, as a previous exercise or integrated into the Training Needs Analysis (TNA). After that, elaborate a comprehensive Training Need, in light of the competencies of the municipalities and the present composition of its staff. Subsequently, develop a strategic training program taking into consideration both existing staff and workforce to be recruited following the approval of the local finance law;
• Identify and map capacity gaps and training needs of the municipalities’ civil servants in line with the municipal services requirements in the context of the ongoing administrative reform. Produce mapping of staff training needs in municipalities. Prepare reports based on the findings of identification and mapping of local staffing in 12 municipalities;
• In coordination with the HR Advisor and the MSA, develop a strategy to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of training programs, an HR plan shall incrementally transition the training programs from ad hoc to sustainable basis. A strategy on capacity development of municipal staff shall identify their training needs in any aspects of municipal/public administration, including but not limited to: municipalities’ capacity of planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting – a target/indicator at a level of competencies as defined by the Timorese legislation. The draft short- to long-term capacity-development plan/strategy shall include training of MSA directorates and municipalities, and ensure that the HR/training policies and procedures are institutionalized or codified in accordance with the legal framework;
• Establish an overall coordination covering the whole training programme: establish a platform of coordination and dialogue for training planning, budgeting and implementation. Conduct stakeholder engagement with the key players including, but not limited to, the INAP, PFMCBC, Ministry of Finance, MSA, municipalities, international organizations, donors, CSOs such as Fongtil, Tane and Rede Feto, to systematize and provide clarity in roles and contributions of either entity, and develop a broader coordination mechanism between training institutions. Complete the comprehensive Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to make sure the future training is no longer of fragmental or sporadic nature;
• Suggest or introduce steps towards customization and digitalization of five modules (budgeting, procurement, payments, accounting and financial reporting and audit) as a precursor for the development of an e-Learning training approach;
• Review and suggest training programs to municipal staff on the identified topics resulted from the analysis. The training programs shall include, among others, modules to boost prestige of municipal and public service, to imbue the values and core professional standards among the staff, such as: excellence, pride for the profession, and sense of duty or service to the public and fellow citizens;
• All training programs and modules must meet conventional adult-training requirements, and in addition, specifically tailored and adapted with the view of Timorese cultural, mentality, and contextual considerations;
• Provide technical advice to MSA to develop policies and strategies on change management by municipalities in the context of the administrative decentralization. Develop a change-management approach. Conduct an organizational analysis of cultures and structures, suggest practices of planned behavioral change; handle organizational cultures and processes in dysfunctional teams, if any;
• Introduce and institutionalize a Learning and Development (L&D) strategy for municipalities. Help municipalities’ staff to institutionalize approaches to identify their training needs of municipal staff, maintain talent management and similar programs;
• Ensure that gender and youth considerations are dully addressed and mainstreamed in the human resource management policies and strategies by the municipalities;
• Serve as a resource person to the MSA officials and municipalities regarding capacity-building and training, organization development;
• Submit regular written updates on the two-month basis about the above activities;

Any other tasks assigned by the MSA National Director for Human Resources, the CTA, or Project Coordinator.

 

Expected Deliverables and Payment Schedule

1. Strategy on capacity development of the municipal staff based on the findings of training needs analysis. It shall include, but not limited to:

• Review of existing policies and legal framework of training of the municipal staff.
• Review of existing training programs and modules of the municipal staff, and revision and development of training modules based on the findings of the training needs analysis.
• Institutional mechanism for coordination of training activities targeted to the municipal staff.
• Allocation of budget for the training and capacity development of the municipal staff.
• Stakeholder analysis;
• Policies and strategies on change management in the context of new approaches to training and capacity development
• Learning and Development (L&D) plans for the municipalities.

Deliverables/Outputs	Due Dates	Review and Approvals Required	Installments
Deliverable 1: Strategy on capacity development of the municipal staff based on the findings of training needs analysis, including: Review of existing policies and legal framework of training of the municipal staff. Review of existing training programs and modules of municipal staff, and revision and development of training modules based on the findings of the training needs analysis; 1st draft of the Strategy;	8 February 2023	National Project Manager (NPA)	33%
Deliverable 2: Institutional mechanism for coordination of training activities targeted to the municipal staff. Allocation of budget for the training and capacity development of the municipal staff. Stakeholder analysis; 2nd draft of the Strategy.	15 April 2023	NPA	33%
Deliverable 3: Policies and strategies on change management in the context of new approaches to training and capacity development; Learning and Development (L&D) plans for the municipalities; Final report on the assignment, including the final version of the Strategy.	TBC	NPA	34%
TOTAL:	100%

 

Institutional Arrangement

The incumbent shall be contracted under UNDP terms of contract and work under direct supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor and the National Project Manager (NPA). S/he shall closely collaborate with the National HR Advisor. 

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

60 working days over a period of six months from January to June 2023.

 

DUTY STATION 

Homebased and Dili, Timor-leste

10 days homebased + 50 days in Dili, Timor-Leste.

 

Travel:

The incumbent is expected to travel to 12 municipalities from time to time, spending at least 1-2 days in each.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in the area of speciality and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.
• Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations.
• Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in the area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in the work environment.
• Planning and organizing effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.
• Teamwork and respect for diversity: the ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender;
• Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

• Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote, and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary;

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:	Bachelor’s degree in public personnel or HR Management, Organization Development (OD), MBA, public administration, education, public policy, political science, economics, administrative behavior, psychology or another related field; Master’s degree is preferred.
Experience:	At least five (5) years of work experience with a government institution in capacity development, training, OD, and or change management: required; Demonstrated ability to develop SOPs, budgets, to lead staffing issues i.e., recruitment, promotions, progressive discipline, reforms: required; Knowledge of public-administration principles, the Administrative Law, Civil Service legislation of Timor-Leste: preferred; Knowledge of the UN system, its cultures and systems: preferred.
Language:	Proficiency (oral and written) in English and Portuguese is required. Knowledge of Tetum is a strong advantage.

 

SCOPE OF PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

Lump Sum Contract

The financial proposal must be expressed in the form of an "all-inclusive" lump-sum amount, supported by breakdown of costs as per template provided. The term "all inclusive" implies all cost (professional fees, travel costs (one roundtrip with economy most direct route, living allowances etc.). Under the lump sum approach, the contract price is fixed, regardless of changes in cost components. For duty travels, and other costs required to perform the demands of the TOR must be incorporated in the financial proposal.

 

Schedule of Payment:

The payment will be made based on the deliverables. The selected consultant must submit documents as per the deliverables which must be duly approved and serve as the basis for the payment of fees. The consultant will be expected to produce the deliverables within the agreed timeline under Section D of this TOR to be reviewed and approved as specified in the TOR.

 

PRESENTATION OF OFFER

Individual consultants interested in the assignment must submit the following documents to demonstrate their qualification in one single PDF document:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP (the template to be downloaded from the procurement notice link).
2. Personal CV or P11 indicating all past experiences from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (2) professional references (to be downloaded from the procurement notice link).
3. Financial Proposal: that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided (the template to be downloaded from the procurement notice link).
4. Technical Proposal:
   1. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
   2. A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment and work plan as indicated above.

 

CRITERIA OF SELECTION

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

• The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation

* Technical Criteria weight 70%

* Financial Criteria weight 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

 

Technical Evaluation (70%)

Qualification, Experience and Technical Proposal (70 marks):

1. General Qualification (15 marks);
2. Experience relevant to the assignment (35 marks);
3. Technical Proposal: Brief methodology and workplan on how the consultant will approach and complete the work (20 marks).

 

Financial Evaluation (30%):

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

 

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

• Annex 1 - IC Contract Template (for information);

• Annex 2 -  Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (to be completed at later stage upon request by UNDP);
• Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions (for information);
• Annex 4 – RLA Template (if consultant wishes to be recruited through an employer) - (for information).

                                                                                        

Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be disqualified automatically.