Posts
Position title: MID-TERM REVIEW FOR THE EBA IN THE MT ELGON ECOSYSTEM
Location :Kampala, Sironko, Bulambuli, Kween and Kapchorwa, Jobs in Uganda,
Additional Category:Environment and Energy
Type of Contract :Individual Contract
Post Level :National Consultant
Languages Required :English
Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)14-Apr-2014
Duration of Initial Contract :15 days spread over 2 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :15 days
Background
The Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA) Programme for Mountain Ecosystems in
Uganda, Nepal and Peru aims to strengthen the capacities of these three
countries, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, to
build ecosystem resilience for promoting Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EBA)
options and to reduce the vulnerability of communities, with particular
emphasis on mountain ecosystems. The programme is funded by the German Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)
through its International Climate Initiative, and is implemented through a
partnership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Climate change impacts are already affecting the
functioning and integrity of several ecosystems in Mount Elgon and are adding
to the stress resulting from other anthropogenic interventions such as
unsustainable land use practices. The project countries and targeted ecosystems
have been identified as particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. A
multitude of communities depend upon the services provided by these ecosystems.
EBA is defined as the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an
overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of
climate change. EBA uses the range of opportunities for the sustainable
management, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems to provide services
that enable people to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Specifically the
project supports the following 4 components:
the development of methodologies
and tools for mountain ecosystems;
the application of the above
tools and methodologies at the national level;
the implementation of EBA pilots
at the ecosystem level; and
the formulation of national
policies and building an economic case for EBA at the national level.
The project creates new
opportunities for experimental learning between regions and among countries
within the same region. Through parallel and cooperative development and
application of methodologies and tools and the implementation of pilot
projects, the project is intended to shorten the learning curve of local and
national institutions and fast-track the transfer of knowledge and experience
in relation to building ecosystem resilience. The five year (2011-2015)
Ecosystem Based Adaptation to climate Change (EBA) Project is implemented by
the Ministry of Water and Environment in partnership with UNDP, IUCN and UNEP.
The different partners are responsible for certain components through the
coordination of the Programme Management Unit (PMU) within the MWE, covering
the implementation in the districts of Kapchorwa, Kween, Bulambuli and Sironko.
The overall programme is governed by the National Programme Steering Committee
composed of up to 14 members (Annex 1).
Duties and Responsibilities
Consultancy Rationale UNDP at the country level plays the coordination role
of the other partners in the implementation of the EBA project activities. The
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) policy at the project level in UNDP has
four key objectives namely:
To monitor and evaluate results
and impacts;
To provide a basis for decision
making on necessary amendments and improvements;
To promote accountability for
resource use; and
To document, provide feedback on,
and disseminate lessons learned. A mix of tools is used to ensure effective
project M&E.
These might be applied
continuously throughout the lifetime of the project, e.g, periodic monitoring
of indicators, or as specific time-bound exercises such as mid-term reviews,
audit reports and independent evaluations. Mid Term Reviews (MTR) are
monitoring tools to assess project status and challenges, identify corrective
actions to ensure that projects are on track to achieve planned outcomes as
detailed in results framework annex II. The MTRs are beneficial for project
implementation as they provide an independent in-depth review of implementation
progress, and this is responsive to the need for transparency and better access
of information during implementation. This MTR is going to cover the project
period up to date. The MTR will be conducted according to the guidance, rules
and procedures established by United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG)
guidelines.
Scope of Work Consultancy
Objectives This MTR is intended to identify potential project design problems,
assess progress towards the achievement of objectives, identify and document
lessons learned (including lessons that might improve design and implementation
of other EBA projects), and to make recommendations regarding specific actions
that might be taken to improve the project. It is expected to serve as a means
of validating or filling the gaps in the initial assessment of relevance,
effectiveness and efficiency obtained from monitoring. The MTR provides the
opportunity to assess early signs of project success or failure and prompt
necessary adjustments. The specific objectives of the MTR are to;
Identify unforeseen project
design problems;
Assess progress towards the
achievement of objectives � especially towards Strengthening Uganda's
Capacity to promote ecosystem based adaptation to climate change and to reduce
the vulnerability of communities on the Mt. Elgon ecosystem and improving
livelihoods in line with the 4 components of the project;
Identify the changes caused by
the project to sustainable livelihoods;
To verify the effective and
efficient use of funds to deliver results.
Make recommendations regarding
what should be done during the rest of the project life;
Analyze the project performance
up to now in the context of the institutional framework and events in Uganda.
Detailed Consultancy Activities
Scope of work and Deliverables
The Lead Consultant will have
overall responsibility for the work and operations of the evaluation team,
including the coordination of inputs from the national consultant. The lead
consultant is responsible and overall accountable for the production of the
agreed products. S/He will deliver on the following:
Identify strengths and weaknesses
in the Programme design and implementation, in particular implementation
arrangements and its impacts on efficiency and effectiveness of converting
resources (money, time) into results and impacts;
Ascertain achievements and
impacts to date; to what extent the Programme has moved towards achievement of
the objectives and outputs under the four outcomes in the results framework and
the need for continued focus (in particular achieving global environment
benefits and improvement in livelihoods);
Assess likelihood of
sustainability of results and determine the key elements of the exit strategy
that would increase the likelihood of sustaining critical results;
Examine the significance of
un-expected effects, whether beneficial or detrimental in character;
Address underlying causes and
issues contributing to targets not adequately achieved;
Recommend for any necessary
changes in the overall design and orientation of the project by evaluating the
adequacy, efficiency, and effectiveness of its implementation, as well as
assessing the project outputs and outcomes to date;
Assess if there is evidence that
sustainability of benefits is being built into the project (institutional and
financial capacity)
Provide detailed recommendations
on the work plan for the remaining project period and to assess early signs of
the project success or failure, and prompt any necessary adjustments;
Assess to what extent the
Programme has contributed to building capacity at national, district and
community levels to formulate, implement and monitor actions/activities for
ecosystem based adaptation;
Verify the effective and
efficient use of funds to deliver results todate.
Assess the validity of
assumptions used in the development of the EBA programme;
Identify and assess lessons
learnt and best practices in relation to achievement of the programme
objectives and outputs;
Assess how the EBA programme has
adapted to any emerging/crosscutting issues and trends.
To this effect the MTR will pay
attention to:
Project formulation
Conceptualization/Design
Stakeholder participation
Project Implementation
Implementation Approach
Monitoring & Evaluation
Stakeholder participation.
Results
Attainment of
outcomes/achievement of objectives (Relevance, effectiveness, Efficiency &
sustainability
Financial delivery of resources
versus the project results achieved
Organizational Structure,
managerial support & coordination mechanism.
Consultancy Final Deliverables
An Inception Report (within 3
working days of signing the contract), this should provide details of the
methodological approach to be used by the consultants to undertake the study;
A Draft evaluation report of
approximately 40 pages, excluding annexes, according to the attached detailed
breakdown. The report will be in English and will be prepared and submitted in
MS Word, with tables in Excel where necessary;
A PowerPoint presentation (15 �
25 slides) covering the key points of the MTR with the main findings and
recommendations also provided;
A Final MTR Report submitted
within a week of receiving written comments on the drafts from Ministry of
Water & Environment, UNDP, IUCN, UNEP and partners.
Consultancy Implementation
Arrangements The contract will be performance-based, for 15 working days spread
over a period of 2 months. Terms and conditions of service linked to the type
of proposed contract will apply with overall reporting to the UNDP Country
Director or her designate.
The consultant will have all
technical obligations and guidance on a day-to-day basis from the EBA Programme
Management Unit (PMU) and will report to UNDP on all contractual obligations or
as shall be advised by UNDP. Coordination of the consultancy activities with
the EBA partner/implementing organizations, and stakeholders in the Mount Elgon
districts and national level, will be conducted with the PMU, to ensure
appropriate communications about the project and easy access to stakeholders.
It is expected that this contract
will require the consultants to closely work with the regional colleagues more
especially the EBA- UNDP Global technical Coordinator. The partners in
co-ordination with the Uganda EBA National Programme Coordinator will provide
technical guidance during the implementation of the consultancy activities. The
consultancy technical report will be submitted to the Uganda EBA National
Programme Coordinator.
The contractor shall be invited
to present the milestone results of the consultancy at selected workshops or
meetings of the project. Costs for any such participation are not included in
this tender or contract. The consultant shall be home based reporting on a
weekly basis to the National Coordinator. Field based interviews shall be carried
out in the districts of Sironko, Bulambuli, Kween and Kapchorwa and to the key
government or NGO partners linked with the EBA.
Competencies
Excellent Analytical Skills;
Positive, constructive attitude
towards work;
Ability to act professionally and
flexibly to engage with government officials, donor representatives, and local
communities.
Required Skills and Experience
Education
A Master's Degree or professional
qualification in Agriculture, Forestry, Environment or a related field, or
natural/environmental sciences, social sciences with a specialization in
climate change development, or other closely related field.
Experience
·
Experience with working with
various stakeholders in Uganda including civil society, government
institutions, and international organizations; and experience carrying out
similar assignments.
·
At least 10 years of work
experience at the national level, with excellent knowledge of the climate
change, adaptation approaches and institutional environment
·
Must have previous experience of
at least 3 previous evaluations at the same level
·
Demonstrated experience in policy
formulation & implementation, and design and/or revision of public finance
mechanisms
·
Substantive knowledge of
participatory M&E processes is essential, and experience with
CBOs/community development processes; design, implementation and/or management
of community and local level sustainable livelihoods initiatives and country
experience in Uganda are advantages;
·
A good wealth of experience in
the evaluation of technical assistance projects, if possible with IUCN, UNEP,
UNDP or other UN development agencies and major donors, is required.
·
Demonstrated experience in
working with senior government officials, and with bilateral or multilateral
donor agencies
·
Demonstrated ability to assess
complex situations, succinctly distils critical issues, and draw forward-looking
conclusions and recommendations;
·
Experience in leading small
multi-disciplinary, multi-national teams to deliver quality products in high
stress, short deadline situations.
Evaluation Method and Criteria
Cumulative analysis 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 Criteria � Maximum 70
points Criteria Points
Education (Advanced degree or
higher in Public Finance) 10
Language skills 5
Knowledge of the Public Finance
10
Relevant experience in conducting
similar assignments 15
Relevance of experience in report
writing and drafting 10
Description of
approach/methodology to assignment 20
Application Procedure Interested
individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to
demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:
Duly accomplished Letter of
Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP
(Annex II).
Personal CV or P11, indicating
all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details
(email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3)
professional references.
Technical proposal:
Brief description of why the
individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment
A methodology, on how they will
approach and complete the assignment
Financial proposal that indicates
the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of
costs, as per template provided (Annex II)
Application Deadline :07-Apr-14
How to apply:
Interested applicants should send
an email request to Justine.naiga-bagonza@undp.org and copy
diana.nabbanja@undp.org requesting for the complete set of terms of reference
with the corresponding annexes.
UNDP is committed to achieving
workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals
from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are
equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the
strictest confidence.
