Header

Consultant, EEPCT Final Report Writer

Terms of Reference Reporting Consultant UNICEF NYHQ

  1. Background: This consultancy concerns the preparation of the 2011 Annual Progress Report and 5-year (2007-2011) Consolidated Report for the “Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition” programme (EEPCT).

UNICEF has responsibility for the EEPCT programme, a five year programme (2007-2011) funded by the Government of the Netherlands with a total value of US$201 million. The European Commission is also contributing to the programme during 2009-2010 with a contribution of Euro 4 million.

The programme has four strategic objectives:

a) Improve quality of education response in emergencies and post-crisis transition countries. b) Increase resilience of education sector service delivery in chronic crises, arrested development and deteriorating contexts. c) Increase education sector contribution to better Prediction, Prevention and Preparedness for emergencies due to natural disasters and conflict. d) Evidence-based policies, efficient operational strategies and fit-for-purpose financing instruments for education in emergencies and post-crisis situations.

One of UNICEF’s accountabilities is to provide reports to the donors on an annual basis, as well as a final Consolidated Report. The annual reports include individual country donor reports prepared by the UNICEF Country Offices implementing the programme following UNDG reporting guidelines, as well as a narrative Annual Cumulative Consolidated Progress Report, prepared by the Education Section at UNICEF Headquarters. The deadline for submitting the full package of 2011 Country and Annual Consolidated reports to the Government of the Netherlands is 30 June 2012. The 5 Year Consolidated Progress Report is also due to the Government of the Netherlands on 30 June 2012.

The 2011 Annual Consolidated Report will draw from partner reports, country donor reports, as well as short reports provided by Regional Offices and Headquarters Divisions. Country donor reports are submitted to UNICEF’s Education Section by 31 March, and Regional Offices and Headquarters Divisions submit brief reports by 30 April. In addition to the narrative report, a cumulative financial expenditure report is also prepared by UNICEF’s Division of Financial and Administrative Management (DFAM) and PARMO.

The Five Year (2007-2011) Consolidated Report will draw on each of the past 4 annual reports, the Progress Review and Evaluability Study (PRES) and Programme Review and Evaluation (PREV), partner reports and further communication with programme countries as needed. The 5 Year Report will include a synthesis of results achieved during the five years of the programme. The main body of the 2011 Annual report and the 5 Year Consolidated report will be an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative information on the programmes achievement its strategic objectives. The analysis will reveal “lessons critical to practice” in the four areas:

a) Innovation; b) Evidence/Institutional Learning; c) Leverage of programme inputs to achieve a sum greater than its parts; and d) Scale Up.

The reports structure and lay out will be appropriate for an academic and technical audience. Visuals, photos, and call out boxes will illustrate the content narrative in a reader-focused presentation. The final report will be submitted print-ready in Word. The UNICEF Department of Communication will provide design template and support with final edits in design and submission for publication.

  1. Purpose: Write the 2011 Annual Consolidated Report and 5 Year Consolidated Report on the Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Transition programme, based on an analysis of 2011 country donor reports, (for the 2011 Report) and on previous annual Consolidated Progress Reports, and other documentation for the 5 Year report.

  2. Expected results: (measurable results) The expected end result is a well-written, high quality analytical report, including visuals and annexes. The length of the report (excluding annexes) will be approximately 40 pages (for the 5 Year Report) and 25 to 30 Pages for the 2011 Report. The reports will be structured according to the content outline attached.

  3. Start date: 1 December 2011 End date: 30 June 2012

95 days during the period 1 December 2011 to 30 June 2012-, executed from a location with good internet connectivity. The consultancy will include up to four face-to-face meetings of about 2-3 hours each as per need: 1) an initial face-to-face meeting in UNICEF NYHQ to discuss the Terms of Reference, plans, ideas; 2-3) the second and third meetings will be to discuss the drafts; and 4) the consultant’s presentation of the final draft to the Education Section.

  1. Activities, resources, deadlines:

The consultant key activities are: 1. Review past and present consolidated progress reports, country donor reports, monitoring reports, reports from Regional Offices and Headquarters Divisions and Programme Review and Evaluation (PRES and PREV) against the framework of innovation, evidence, leverage and scale up, across the four strategic objectives of the programme, summary table to be included in annex; 2. Use additional sources to provide the general overview of context of developments in education in emergencies and the general aid environment; 3. Analysis of 2011 and the 2007-2011 EEPCT information through the framework of innovation, evidence, leverage and scale up across the four strategic objectives of the programme. Analysis will include: a. quantitative analysis of trends, correlations, and aberrations found in the data available on the programme indicators, b. qualitative analysis of lessons learned, challenges, case studies that illustrate the quantitative analysis, and c. production and/or selection of visuals, charts, graphs, photos to illustrate key points of analysis. 4. Prepare and submit a detailed outline of the 2011 annual and 5 year Consolidated Reports 5. Prepare and submit a first full draft of the 2 reports incorporating comments and feedback from the Education Section, and the other sections of the report, including annexes, for comments and feedback; 6. Prepare and submit second drafts of the report incorporating additional comments and feedback; 7. Incorporate final comments and submit 2 final reports in print-ready form. (40 pages for the 5 Year report and 30 pages for the 2011 Report excluding annexes)

UNICEF will provide the following resources:

  • Initial and ongoing regular guidance to the consultant through teleconferences and e-mail correspondence, monitor delivery against deadlines, and overall quality control.
  • All country donor reports, Regional Office and Headquarter Division write-ups, and past consolidated reports;
  • Facilitation for four in-person meetings;
  • Response to consultant queries on the content of country reports, and as needed, supply information for consultant-to-country-office direct communication
  • Comments and feedback to the consultant on subsequent drafts set up conference calls, and other communication.
  • Technical advice and guidance with particular focus on analysis and use of evidence in the report.
  • A Communication Specialist will: o provide the consultant with a basic template for the report design; o provide the consultant with additional documents and reports, especially internal UNICEF documents; o Work with consultant on photo selection, graph and chart production; o Provide final design edits to the print-ready final submission from consultant; and o Manage publication (hardcopy and electronic).

  • An Intern will: o Assist in the general data management of the Education in Emergencies and Post-Crisis Countries Programme; o Prepare monitoring data generated from the 2011 Country Reports and from the 2007 to 2010 Consolidated reports for analysis; o Provide analysis for gaps, trends overtime, comparison between countries, multivariate analysis; and

  • The team will provide comments and feedback to subsequent drafts of the report. As needed, particular sections may be edited by Education Section staff.

  1. Cost and Timeframe:

Deliverables Duration (Estimated # of days) Deadline Prepare and submit a detailed outline of the Consolidated Report (2007 – 2010 – 2011 information to be added after March 2012 when the 2011 country reports are received), congruent with the attached outline 20- 30 January 2012 Prepare and submit a first full draft of the Consolidated Report (2007 – 2010 – 2011 information to be added after March 2012 when the 2011 country reports are received)incorporating comments and feedback from the Education Section, and the other sections of the report, including annexes, for comments and feedback 20 15 March 2012 Prepare and submit a detailed outline of the 2011 Annual Report, congruent with the attached outline 15 April 8 Prepare and submit a first full draft of the Consolidated 95 Year report and the 2011 Annual Report incorporating comments and feedback from the Education Section, and the other sections of the report, including annexes, for comments and feedback 20 6 May 2011 Incorporate final comments and submit a final draft report in print-ready form. (40 pages excluding annexes) 20 16 June 2011 TOTAL 95

  1. Key competences, technical background, and experience required:  Post-graduate degree in International Education, Development, or Communications  Demonstrated expertise in information consolidation and analysis in international education  Demonstrated experience with basic elements of design and communication for professional publication, including facility with graphs, charts, photos, and branding  At least 8 years of professional experience in communication and international education  Strong analytical and writing skills  Fluency in English. French an asset
How to apply:

How to Apply: Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, the design proposal, a sample of their best work and a proposed budget for completion of the task as well as a CV and P 11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html) to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line “Consultant, EEPCT Final Report Writer” by 18th November 2011. Please indicate your ability, and daily/monthly rate and availability to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.