UNDP Jobs - 33279- Consultant for independent mid-term evaluation of

Consultant for independent mid-term evaluation of the project: Sustainable Mobility in the City of Bratislava

Location :

Home based with mission(s) to Bratislava, Slovakia, SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

23-Oct-12 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated November 2012 – February 2013

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

estimated 20 working days

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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The full Terms of Reference including annexes can be found at http://dl.undp.sk/Terms_of_Reference_2012

This Mid Term Evaluation is initiated by the UNDP Regional Center for Europe and CIS (Bratislava) as the GEF Implementation Agency for this project and it aims to provide managers (at the Ministry of the Environment, UNDP/GEF and project levels) with strategy and policy options for more effectively and efficiently achieving the project’s expected results and for replicating the results. It also provides the basis for learning and accountability for managers and stakeholders.

Project description:

The long term objective of the project is to facilitate market transformation for sustainable mobility in Bratislava urban area leading to reduced GHG emissions, thus supporting the Slovak Republic efforts in meeting its commitment under UNFCCC and the Kyoto agreements. The project consists of five elements, which are focused to reduce car traffic use and to divert personal trips from private cars to less polluting modes like walking, bicycles, trams and buses. This is done by imposing restrictions on private car movements, while making non-motorized transport and public transport more attractive.

The 5 project components are:

I. Defining a new parking strategy for the City of Bratislava
II. Priority for tram transportation on Vajnorska and Racianska corridors
III. Support of non-motorized transportation modes
IV. Scheme for car sharing/car pooling
V. Monitoring of CO2 emissions

A Working Group has been established for each of the above-mentioned project component. The WG is led by the international expert hired for the specific components, supported by the local expert and the local technical coordinator, with representation of key stakeholders, incl. City Hall with its transport department, municipality and companies, NGOs.

The project is planned to be implemented within the time period of 2010-2014 with overall project costs of USD 5,4 million, thereof USD 0,93 mil will be provided by GEF, USD 4,47 million by the co-financing partner organizations (Municipality of Bratislava, City borough of Petrzalka, SHMU, etc).

The project is being implemented under the National Implementation Modality (NIM) with Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic as the national implementing partner. UNDP (United Nations Development Program), Regional Centre Bratislava is the GEF implementing agency. Energy Centre Bratislava is the national implementation partner responsible for the day-to-day management of the project.

The Project started by Inception Workshop in November 2010. Early 2011, after creating the function of the Chief Transport Engineer at the City Hall, very intensive work began focusing on the first two Project components, i.e. development of the New Parking Strategy for on-street parking to be used at the entire area of the City, as well as the Methodology for a tram priority on Vajnorská and Racianska corridors. This component has been extended to an overall optimization of trams operation on the whole corridor and priority of all public transport vehicles (not only trams) at the regulated intersections. A simulation of 2 selected regulated intersections confirmed that the priority provided to public transport vehicles will not negatively impact the individual car transport.

In 2012, the Project provides support to the City of Bratislava in implementation of components 1 and 2, work on components 3 and 4 (Support of Non-motorized Transport Modes and Car pooling/Car sharing schemes) has started. Final reports for the component 3 and 4 are planned for December 2012. Pilot implementations of the proposed measures is planned to start in 2013. The monitoring is done in cooperation with the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, which has developed an introductory inventory report on C02 emissions from traffic sector at the territory of Bratislava, based on the data as to end of 2010.

Duties and Responsibilities

This evaluation is to be undertaken in line with the Evaluation policy of UNDP http://web.undp.org/evaluation/policy.htm, considering the UNDP/GEF evaluation guidance http://web.undp.org/evaluation/methodologies.htm.

The objective of this Mid Term Evaluation is to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of project activities in relation to the stated objective so far, and to produce possible recommendations on how to improve the management of the project until its completion in October 2014.

The report will play a critical role in the future implementation of the project by providing advice on:

how to strengthen the adaptive management and monitoring function of the project;
how to ensure the achievement of the GEF objective;
how to enhance organizational and development learning;
how to mainstream and replicate the project´s experience.

The report will have to provide to the recipients a complete and convincing evidence to support its findings/ratings. The consultant should prepare specific ratings on seven aspects of the project, as described in the 'Reporting' section of this Terms of Reference. Particular emphasis should be put on the current project results and the possibility of achieving all objectives in the established timeframe, taking into consideration the speed, at which the project is proceeding.

The Evaluation will include the assessment of the achievements of the project, measured against planned outputs set forth in the Project Document in accordance with rational budget allocation, and the assessment of features related to the process of achieving those outputs, as well as the impacts the project. The evaluation will also address the underlying causes and issues contribution to targets not adequately achieved.

An assessment of project performance will be carried out, based against expectations set out in the Project Logical Framework (Annex 2), which provides performance and impact indicators for project implementation along with their corresponding means of verification.

The evaluation will at a minimum cover the criteria of: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and impact. Ratings must be provided on the selected performance criteria as indicated in table in Annex 3, following the provided obligatory rating scales.

The Evaluation will assess the key financial aspects of the project, including the extent of co-financing planned and realized. Project cost and funding data will be required, including annual expenditures. Variances between planned and actual expenditures will need to be assessed and explained. Results from recent financial audits, as available, should be taken into consideration. The obtained financial data will be presented in the co-financing table (Annex 4), which will be included in the evaluation report.

For future development support in the region, UNDP is especially interested in the assessment of the support model applied in the project, its implications for the long-term impact and sustainability of the project results.

The Evaluation Report will present recommendations and lessons of broader applicability for follow-up and future support of UNDP and/or the Government, highlighting the best and worst practices in addressing issues relating to the evaluation scope.

The scope of the Evaluation will cover all activities undertaken in the framework of the project. The evaluators will compare planned outputs of the project to actual outputs and assess the actual results to determine their contribution to the attainment of the project objectives. It will evaluate the efficiency of project management, including the delivery of outputs and activities in terms of quality, quantity, timeliness and cost efficiency.

Products expected from the evaluation:

The key product expected from this mid-term evaluation is a comprehensive analytical report in English that should follow the outline attached in Annex 1.

The Mid-term Evaluation Report will be stand-alone document that substantiates its recommendations and conclusions. The report will have to provide to UNDP complete and convincing evidence to support its findings/ratings.

Special attention shall be paid to the Lessons Learnt section. The Mid-term Evaluation Report will include a separate chapter on Lessons Learnt, providing recommendations for replication and transfer of the experience related mainly to:

post-project sustainability of the efforts both in terms of governance and in terms of environmental benefits;
capacity building;
successes and challenges.

The report together with the annexes, shall be presented in electronic form in MS Word format.

Responsibility for Expenses and their Reimbursement:

The Consultant will be responsible for all personal administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copies incurred in this assignment. For this reason, the contract is prepared as a lump sum contract.

The remuneration of work performed will be conducted as follows:

First payment: 25% of the total contract upon acceptance of the first field visit workplan by UNDP Project Manager;
Second payment: 75% of the total contract upon submission and acceptance of the final Evaluation Report

Evaluation approach:

An outline of an approach for the review is provided below; however it should be made clear that the consultant is responsible for revising the approach as necessary. Any changes must be cleared by UNDP before being undertaken by the consultant.

The review must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. It must be easily understood by project partners and informative to UNDP related to issues for future programming.

The evaluation should provide as much gender disaggregated data as possible.

The evaluation will be home based with 1-2 missions to the Slovak Republic with approx. 5 days in-country mission in total. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with the government counterparts, the National Project Manager, Steering Committee, project team, and key stakeholders as part of the mission or missions.

The evaluator is expected to consult all relevant sources of information, such as the project document, project reports – incl. quarterly and annual progress reports (PIRs), project budget revisions, project files, national strategic and legal documents, and any other material that s/he may consider useful for evidence based assessment.

The evaluator is expected to use interviews as a means of collecting data on the relevance, performance and success of the project. Interviews will be held with the following organizations and individuals at minimum: UNDP Regional Centre Bratislava, Ministry of Environment of the SR, City of Bratislava; Steering Committee members; Project Team, key stakeholders.

S/He is also expected to visit some of the project sites as part of the in-country mission.

The methodology to be used by the evaluation team should be presented in the report in detail. It shall include information on:

Documentation reviewed
Interviews
Field visits;
Questionnaires;
Participatory techniques and other approaches for the gathering and analysis of data.

The Evaluator is expected to follow the UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN system (Annex 5).

Although the Consultant should feel free to discuss with the authorities concerned, all matters relevant to its assignment, it is not authorized to make any commitment or statement on behalf of UNDP or GEF or the project management.

The Consultant should reflect sound accounting procedures and be prudent in using the resources of the assignment. The principal responsibility for managing this evaluation lies with UNDP Regional Center for Europe and CIS (Bratislava). UNDP will contract the evaluator and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the evaluator. UNDP and the Project Manager will be responsible for liaising with the evaluator to set up stakeholder interviews, arrange field visits, coordinate with the project partners, etc.

The timeframe and duration of activities are estimated to be broken down as follows:

A/ Completion of the Detailed Project Workplan and Table of Contents for Assignment: approx 1 day (approx Nov 2012)
B/ Desk review, Questions, Analysis, Phone Interviews, other: approx 3 days (approx Nov/Dec 2012)
C/ Phone Interviews with UNDP Project Manager, Project Team, UNDP BRC Staff: approx 1 day (approx Nov/Dec 2012)
D/ Field visits, interviews, questionnaires, de-briefings which include one or two (2-3-day) missions to Slovakia: approx. 5 days (approx Nov 2012-Jan 2013: upon agreement with UNDP and the National Implementing Agency)
E/ Travel – field visit in Bratislava: approx 4 days (approx Nov 2012-Feb 2013)
F/ Preparation of the Draft evaluation report – during in-country mission and in home-office: approx. 4 days (approx Nov 2012 – Jan 2013)
G/ Validation of preliminary findings with stakeholders through circulation of draft reports for comments, meetings and other types of feedback mechanisms: approx. 1 day (approx 1st half of Feb 2013 the latest)
H/ Submission of the Draft evaluation report to UNDP for review and comments: approx 15 February 2013
I/ Finalization of the evaluation report (incorporating comments received on first draft): approx. 1 day
(2nd half of Feb 2013 the latest)
J/ Submission of Final MTE Report to UNDP: approx 28 February 2013

TOTAL working days: approx 20

The report shall be submitted to the UNDP RBEC Energy and Environment Team, Grosslingova 35, 811 09 Bratislava, Slovakia

Prior to approval of the final report, a draft version shall be submitted for comments to UNDP by 15 February 2013. UNDP and the stakeholders will submit comments and suggestions within 10 working days after receiving the draft.

The finalized Evaluation Report shall be submitted latest on 28 February 2013.

If any discrepancies have emerged between impressions and findings of the consultant and the aforementioned parties, these should be explained in an annex attached to the final report.

Competencies

Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team
Ability to plan and organize his/her work, efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback
Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities

Required Skills and Experience

The Evaluator must be independent from both the policy-making process and the delivery and management of activities in question, i.e. he/she must not have participated in the preparation and/or implementation of the assessed project and must not be in a conflict of interest with project-related activities.

Academic Qualifications/Education:

Master degree in economics, engineering, environmental science or equivalent experience.

Experience:

At least 7 years of professional experience in the field of sustainable urban transport;
Familiarity with urban transport policies in CEE;
Recent knowledge of the GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy;
Recent knowledge of UNDP’s results-based evaluation policies and procedures
Recent experience in evaluation of international donor driven development projects;Knowledge of MS Word, Excel and email communication software;

Language skills:

Excellent English writing and communication skills

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job based on the P11 desk review will be invited for an interview.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

Proven evaluation expertise with international organizations (knowledge and practical experience in development evaluations) – max points: 20
Previous experience in evaluating programmes/projects for UNDP and GEF including knowledge of UNDP’s results-based evaluation policies and procedures and GEF Monitoring and Evaluation Policy): 10
Proven professional experience in the field of sustainable urban transport: 10
Quality and feasibility of submitted brief methodology – max points: 5
Higher than Master’s degree/ research/ publications/ conducting trainings in the relevant area: 5
Familiarity with the linkages between the transportation sector and climate change, knowledge of relevant policies: 20 (interview)

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (based or commenting on the requirements indicated in this TOR). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees
(blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days – in home office and on mission, travel – international and local, per diems and any other possible costs), using the following template. Please note that you are free to decide in your offer to take 1 or 2 missions to Bratislava that would amount up to approx. 5 days in total.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days – in home office and on mission, travel – international and local, per diems and any other possible costs), using the template as per the full Terms of Reference available at the following link: http://dl.undp.sk/Terms_of_Reference_2012. Please note that you are free to decide in your offer to take 1 or 2 missions to Bratislava that would amount up to approx. 5 days in total.
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.