International Consultant for the final evaluation of “ Assistance to Turkish Cypriot small and medium enterprises” outcome

UNDP has been responsible for the implementation of the EU funded Programme Partnership for the Future since 2001. UNDP-PFF aims at contributing to the peace-building process in Cyprus through different levels of intervention including urban infrastructure rehabilitation, community development, cultural heritage and private sector development initiatives. Since May 2004, UNDP Partnership for the Future (PFF) in Cyprus has been responsible for the implementation of the EU funded project “Private sector development in the northern part of Cyprus”. The private sector development (PSD) project is the main initiative under Outcome 1 in the Cyprus evaluation plan: Assistance to Turkish-Cypriot small and medium enterprises in increasing their competitiveness by generating awareness on the related EU legislation and policies. PSD Focus: : Assisting selected Turkish-Cypriot SMEs in setting up facilities for the development of e-commerce platforms in line with the objectives of the Lisbon agenda. Enhancing the capacity of the TC agro-based SMEs and farmers to comply with EU food hygiene and phyto-sanitary standards. Assisting Turkish-Cypriot MSMEs, on a pilot basis, in achieving and implementing quality, environmental and social standards. Strengthening the Turkish-Cypriot private sector through targeted capacity-building programmes enhancing the awareness on the Acquis related issues and business oriented topics relevant for their integration into the EU market. A number of activities were implemented to achieve the objectives through three folded strategy including: Training sessions, capacity building activities and informative seminars Private business advisory services Grant schemes All the activities focused around a broad number of subjects such as: environmental standards, occupational health and safety, information and communication technology, food hygiene, food labeling and packaging, acquis communitaire, organic farming, CE marking and ISO certifications, corporate social responsibility, etc.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective and scope of the work The evaluation will assess all phases of the PSD project and measure the impact of the project in relation to the outcome. Specifically, the evaluation intends to achieve the following specific objectives: To assess the extent to which the project goal (outcome) and objectives (outputs) have been met; To determine the relevance and effectiveness of each component, in particular considering the systems and capacities that were developed and the effective use of project resources; To evaluate the impact and sustainability of the programme and its components; To determine best practice of and lessons learned in the project implementation; To determine the factors that have influenced performance and success of the programme as well as factors that have constrained the programme from achieving its intended outcome; To evaluate if the project was key to the achievement and / or has contributed to the overall change for a more positive environment. Point out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats of the project’s implementation process Evaluation questions addressed: Were stated outcomes or outputs achieved? What progress toward the outcomes has been made? What factors have contributed to achieving or not achieving intended outcomes? To what extents have UNDP outputs and assistance contributed to outcomes? Has the UNDP partnership strategy been appropriate and effective? What factors contributed to effectiveness or ineffectiveness? Outputs and tentative dates Output 1 - Evaluation inception report – 21 October 2011 Output 2- Draft evaluation report containing the results of the outcome evaluation – 4 November 2011 Output 3 - Final evaluation report incorporating eventual comments/clarifications required by UNDP-PFF – by 15 November 2011 The evaluation will be conducted within a period of total estimated of 20 working days, incorporating field and desk work, and allowing sufficient time for feedback and review, according to the timeframe below: Preparation – (Desk review of relevant document not considered as deliverable) - (estimated 2 working days) – from place of recruitment of consultant In-country evaluation mission and presentation of preliminary findings – Short Inception Report (estimated 5 days – October 17-21, 2011) – in Cyprus Draft evaluation report containing the results of the outcome evaluation (estimated 10 working days) - from place of recruitment of consultant Final assessment report incorporating eventual comments/clarifications required by UNDP (estimated 3 working days) - from place of recruitment of consultant Institutional Arrangement: UNDP – PFF will work closely with the consultants to facilitate the process including: Providing relevant documents related to the project activities for the literature review; Identifying stakeholders and sources of information; Assisting in organizing meetings with stakeholders; Assisting in arranging field visits (transport and formal invitations when required); Identifying key issues that may emerge during the consultancy period and assisting to resolve these wherever possible. The consultant shall work independently and with his/her personal equipments (IT and Communication) and office arrangements. Interpretation and translation will only be facilitated through the support of the national consultant/assistant. Only transportation to project sites will be provided under UNDP rules. In addition to analysis of existing materials, the evaluator will meet with a wide range of stakeholders including (non-exhaustive list): EC representatives Local authorities Beneficiaries Business Support Institutions UNDP-PFF partners UNDP – PFF Beneficiaries (in Nicosia and outside) Monitoring and Progress Controls: The Consultant will work under the supervision of the UNDP-PFF Programme Manager. The evaluation work should start on 10 October 2011 and 17 October in Cyprus. Initial findings and a draft report should be presented by 4th November 2011. The final evaluation report must be submitted to the UNDP- PFF Office by November 15th 2011. The evaluation should cover the period ranging from the beginning of the project (November 2006) to its end (May 2011). The evaluation will be the result of an analysis of project documents, literature reviews, project reports and individual interviews. It is expected that the consultant will work approximately 20 days. The final evaluation report (revised with comments) must be submitted to the UNDP before November 15th 2011. Payment Milestones: UNDP will contract the consultant according to the Organization’s IC rules and regulations. Payment will be made as a lump sum after formal approval of expedited deliverables (in 3 installments: 30% after completion of output 1; 30% after completion of output 2 and 40% after completion of output 3) and shall cover all expenditures (incl. consultancy fees, international travel, cost of living, etc). DSA are not applicable.

Competencies

Ability to lead formulation and evaluation of development programs and projects; Strong analytical skills Strong communication and experience in drafting evaluation reports Good understanding of the Cyprus context or experience in working in a similar environment Ability to lead formulation and evaluation of development programs and projects.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree in Public management, business administration, project management or any other relevant field of expertise Experience: Minimum 7 years of experience in conducting independent evaluations at outcome and output levels. Proven experience in conducting evaluations in the Private Sector. Solid knowledge of the UN system, procedures, and operational activities for development. Language: Flurncy in spoken and written English. Knowledge of Turkish is an asset. Application Process: Interested candidates must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: 1. Proposal Explaining why the candidate the most suitable for the work. Short statement outlining their experience undertaking similar work. 2. UNDP Personal History Form and Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references . Interested individual consultants must submit their applications online through the UNDP Online Recruitment System. Correspondence (either in hard or soft format) will not be considered until the advance stage of the selection process. Applicants are required to fill and sign a P11 Form and submit it together with Curriculum Vitae on the online application. The P11 Form can be obtained at http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc 3. How to Submit Application Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) Merge your P11, Personal CV, Proposals and other relevant documents into a single file Click on the Job Title Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and click “Submit Application” Upload your application You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system. Application Evaluation Process: The candidates will be evaluated based on the Cumulative Analysis methodology [weighted scoring method], where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/acceptable application 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%] The following criteria and allocated points will be used in the Technical Evaluation: Relevant experience in conducting assessments for private sector projects/ programmes (40 points) Relevant experience in conducting evaluations (40 points) Knowledge of the Cyprus context (20 points) Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the obtainable points of 100 points in technical evaluation will be invited to submit the financial proposal and considered for the Financial Evaluation. UNDP practices fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of candidates as well as their price proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores. UNDP retains the right to contact references directly. 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. Request for Clarification Process: The interested candidates requiring any clarifications regarding this consultancy vacancy may notify the UNDP_PFF in writing to e-mail address: vacancies@undp-pff.org The Procurement Unit will respond in writing to any request for clarification that it receives earlier Other Information: This is a non-staff contract under the Individual Contract (IC) modality of hiring of the UNDP. Individuals engaged under an IC serve in their individual capacity and not as representative of a government institutions, corporate body or other authority external to UNDP. The incumbent shall not be considered as staff of UNDP, the UN common system or the government and are therefore not entitled to any diplomatic privileges or any other special status or conditions. The General Conditions of Contracts for IC is available on UNDP website at http://www.undp.org/procurement/documents/UNDP_GCC_IC_Final_English.pdf than the application submission deadline.

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.

International Consultant for the final evaluation of “ Assistance to Turkish Cypriot small and medium enterprises” outcome