Consultancy on Macro Assessment of Public Financial System in Zimbabwe

Progress in the consultant’s work will be closely monitored by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and the OMT Budgetary Framework and HACT Guidelines Working Group currently chaired by United Nations Childrens Fund UNICEF. The consultant will present and submit the final macro assessment report to the UN Resident Coordinator and the heads of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Zimbabwe, through the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office. Period of assignment/services: 24th September 2012 to 19th October 2012 (20 days) Background: Pursuant to the UN General Assembly Resolution 56/201 on the triennial policy review of operational activities for development of the United Nations system, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP (United Nations Development Group Executive Committee Agencies) adopted a common operational framework for transferring cash to government and non-government Implementing Partners. In 2005, the UNDG formally released a Harmonized Framework for Cash Transfers to Implementing Partners (HACT) policy, which applies to the ExCom Agencies and other UN Agencies (Agencies) that choose to adopt it. Its implementation will significantly reduce transaction costs and lessen the burden that the multiplicity of UN procedures and rules creates for its partners. Implementing Partners (IPs) will use common forms and procedures for requesting cash and reporting on its utilization. UN Agencies will adopt a risk management approach and will select specific procedures for transferring cash on the basis of the joint assessment of the financial management capacity of IPs. They will also agree on and coordinate activities to maintain assurance over the utilization of the provided cash. Such jointly conducted assessments and assurance activities will further contribute to the reduction of costs. The adoption of the new harmonized approach is a further step in implementing the Rome Declaration on Harmonization and Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, which call for a closer alignment of development aid with national priorities and needs. The approach allows efforts to focus more on strengthening national capacities for management and accountability, with a view to gradually shift to utilizing national systems. It will also help Agencies shape their capacity development interventions and provide support to new aid modalities. The Agencies will need to assess the risks associated with transactions to an Implementing Partner before initiating cash transfers under the harmonized procedures. Two types of assessments are required: an upfront Macro Assessment of the programme country’s overall Public Financial Management (PFM) environment in which Agencies will provide cash transfers to Implementing Partners; and a Micro Assessment of the financial management capacity of the Implementing Partners to assess the risks related to cash transfers to those partners. In Zimbabwe, three of the UN ExCom Agencies, namely, UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF have been jointly implementing HACT since 2006 under the current Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) for 2012-2015, in collaboration with the Government and with support from the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator. The first Macro Assessment was conducted in September 2007. In 2012, a total of 34 Micro Assessments has been undertaken for the national IPs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work, Responsiblity and Description of proposed analytical work: The Macro Assessment is to provide background information on the general PFM context within which HACT activities are conducted, and to determine the level of the capacity of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office to conduct audits of IPs. It is not intended to provide a ‘pass or fail’ mark, but will assist in providing general guidance on the risk profile of the targeted IPs. The macro assessment will be a desk review based on PFM-related work that has already been conducted by development partners, most notably by the World Bank as well as consultations with relevant stakeholders. Generally, examples of such assessments and reports may include but not be limited to: Previous Macro Assessment (2007) and Micro-Assessment findings (2010 & 2012) Audit of the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office (2008/09) Country Integrated Fiduciary Assessment (2011), World Bank Road Map 2012-2014: Government of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Finance: PFMS In order to ensure that the review is of maximum usefulness and relevance, the above assessments and reports should be as recent as possible, not more than five years old. The review will cover areas of the national budget development and execution process; the functioning of the public sector accounting and internal control mechanisms; audit and oversight; and financial recording systems and government minimum recruitment requirements as well as training and development of key staff. Should further clarification or verification be required to substantiate the review, responsible officials of relevant government agencies may be consulted, such as the Ministry of Finance, Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office, Ministry of Planning and National Development, State Procurement Office, and relevant Parliamentary Portfolio Committees, etc. Deliverables: The consultancy final report will be about 4-pages long (excluding annexes) along with a PowerPoint presentation that synthesizes the report, and concludes with a completed table of the risk areas (refer to Annex 1). The report should include the following main elements: Objective of the review and statement of process and participating institutions Summary of findings - to address each of the issues identified in the checklist Any key risks the PFM poses to the functioning of the cash transfer framework Assessment of Comptroller and Auditor General’s Office capacity to undertake required audits Suggested possible opportunities and entry points for capacity building and harmonization of financial management procedures (if any) Bibliography of information sources used in the assessment Annex 1— the completed checklist

Competencies

Core Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability Treats all people fairly without favoritism Functional Competencies: Knowledge Management and Learning Shares knowledge and experience and contributes to UNDP Practice Areas and actively works towards continuing personal learning and development. Ability to provide top quality policy advice services on economic issues. In-depth practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues. Development and Operational Effectiveness: Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting Abililty to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of programmes Ability to work with minimal supervision Ability to lead formulation and evaluation of development programmes and projects Ability to apply economic theory to the specific country context, carry out high-quality economic research Management and Leadership: Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback Encourages risk-taking in the pursuit of creativity and innovation Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors

Required Skills and Experience

The assessment will be conducted by a local national consultant or accounting firm, independent of the Government of Zimbabwe. The consultancy is expected to have the following major qualifications and competencies: Education: Masters in Finance, Accounting, Public Administration or equivalent. Experience: Minimum five years’ experience Experience and expertise in the design, reviewing of PFM systems and preparation of similar reports Ability to identify and collect reports on the PFM Familiarity with international organizations, particularly UN Agencies, their financial management policies /practices and assistance projects Broad understanding about governance and accountability issues Experience and knowledge of Government policies and systems in Southern Africa and knowledge of the Zimbabwe’s government policies and systems will be an added advantage. Language Requirements: Excellent written and oral communications skills in English. Proposals should be submitted at the following address; Registry UNDP Office Complex Arundel Office Park Block 10 Norfolk Road, Mount Pleasant Harare Or by email to; bidstechnical.zw@undp.org (for technical proposals) bidsfinancial.zw@undp.org (for financial proposals) Deadline: No later than 14th September 2012 by 10.00 AM (Harare/Pretoria time; GMT +2 Hours) Marked with: “Consultancy on Macro Assessment of Public Financial System in Zimbabwe.” Your package should contain two envelopes: one marked “Technical Proposal” and containing CVs as described below in Section 4 and second envelope “Financial Proposal”. All submissions should be made in the Annex attached herewith. Request for clarification on TORs should be sent in writing by email to procurement.zw@undp.org. For more information, please go to: www.undp.org.zw 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.

Consultancy on Macro Assessment of Public Financial System in Zimbabwe