Вакансія в ПРООН: Research Consultant, Sustainable Energy and Environment

Location: Kyiv, UKRAINE

Application Deadline: 05-Feb-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Post Level: National Consultant 

Languages Required: English  

Starting Date: (date when the selected candidate is expected to start)10-Feb-2020

Duration of Initial Contract: February – June 2020 (no more than 105 working days)

Background

Ukraine has a long list of environmental reform priorities. However, the speed of the reforms in the area of sustainable energy and environment (SEE) is slowed down by the difficulties in adopting the needed legislation related to the capacity of the Parliament and a large number of low-quality legal initiatives. To speed up the sustainable energy and environment (SEE) related reforms, UNDP seeks to improve the capacity of the Parliament of Ukraine and enhance environmental advocacy among politicians, mass media and the public.

The Project aims to support the Parliament members and the relevant Parliament Committees (specifically, on Environmental Policy and Environmental Management and on Energy, Housing and Utilities) with quality analytical support on the legislation making, organizing stakeholders’ consultations, round tables, development of communication products, and engagement of various stakeholders into the SEE issues.

The analytical support that is provided by the Project covers a wide range of issues in the SEE area, including but not limited to: climate change mitigation and adaption; energy efficiency and security; waste management; GHG monitoring reporting and verification; green auctions; sustainable transportation; green finance and more. The overall work of the Secretariat is based on the sustainable development principles and where possible and necessary links with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Besides, the Project aims at increasing visibility of SEE issues through implementing communications and advocacy strategy to promote the Green Agenda for Ukraine till 2030 –  the list of specific priorities in sustainable energy and environment area.

Consistent with these developments, as a part of the project document and work plan, and to understand reality in order to act in it, as well as to capture the impact of the interventions, UNDP is seeking to hire a Research Consultant with strong skills in data analytics and reporting, who will be responsible for supporting research and data collection/analysis in order to explore/assess/analyse environment-related perceptions and behavior of the citizens of Ukraine.

Duties and Responsibilities

2. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The overall objective of the assignment is to provide high-quality research and data analytics support, specifically to collect, synthesise and/or analyse qualitative and quantitative data on the issues related to sustainable energy and environment, to produce comprehensive analytical reports on environmentally-related public perceptions, attitudes and behaviours  and to support UNDP’s activities/events to present the research findings during the contract period. A part of the assignment anticipates support with the narrative-based research (micro-narratives).

3. DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES / SCOPE OF WORK

Under direct supervision of the UNDP Sustainable Development, Energy and Environment Programme Coordinator / Portfolio Manager and in coordination with the Project Officer, Portfolio Team and UNDP Accelerator Lab Team, the Consultant is expected to undertake the following activities:

3.1. Review the background documents provided by UNDP to obtain a better understanding of the goals and context. Develop a detailed work plan identifying timelines, activities, priorities and deliverables for the period of assignment in consultation with UNDP and submit to UNDP for approval.

3.2. Quantitative research on SEE issues

3.2.1. Support the development of a comprehensive analytical report incorporating the results of the nationwide public survey on SEE issues, including:

a) Review the data sets obtained in 2018 and to be collected in February 2020 through a national public survey on SEE issues (available as SPSS .sav file and selected statistics as .xls), as well as other relevant data sources, including analytical reports and other materials from prior years. The Consultant should ensure access to the SPSS software for statistical analysis of the available data.

b) Review a draft report with interpretation and analysis of 2020 datasets (will be provided together with the datasets), validate the data and add the analytical overview of the changes/shifts in citizens’ perceptions and priorities occurred over the last year.

c) Based on the obtained results and information/data from additional relevant data sources, including analytical reports, research and other materials from prior years, develop conclusions, draw findings, and prepare draft Analytical Report on citizen’s perception of SEE issues.

The volume of the report is expected to be approximately at least 20% larger comparing to 2018 due to the need to capture and analyse changes and some supplementary questions added to the survey. The 2018 Report can be assessed for review through the link  http://bit.ly/EEperceptions2018  

d) Develop two versions of the report tailored to the audiences (one public report in Ukrainian, and one summary in English).

e) Provide support to design, publication and translating the report.

3.2.2. Provide support in conducting an event to present the Analytical Report to all interested parties (including policymakers, non-government organisations, donors and other).

The support may include, but not limited to:

a) Develop presentations embedding the results of the report (PowerPoint or other format agreed with UNDP, up to 15 slides, in Ukrainian and/or English as required).

b) Develop and/or support the production of relevant infographics and data visualisations.

c) Suggest the list of participants and event agenda.

d) Act as an expert/panel member/moderator to present the reports, presentation, infographics and data visualisations developed.

3.3. Narratives-based research (micro-narratives) on SEE issues undertaken to avoid both the impersonal and broad nature of large-scale surveys and the subjective analyses of case studies by enabling interviewees to respond to questions in the form of narratives and then self-analyse through a signification framework questionnaire, providing a series of data points on triads (triangles) and dyads (ranges) conducive to quantitative analysis.

3.3.1.  Provide support with the development of a comprehensive methodology for conducting the study, including:

1. Conduct a necessary literature review detailing the background literature to support methodology development. A more detailed analysis should be included in the final report.

1. Assist UNDP team in the process of designing a framework including interview questions and self-interpretation questionnaire.

A framework questionnaire should consist of a series of triads, dyads, and/or other evaluation mechanisms to enable interviewees to interpret their own stories for quantitative analysis by the consultant. Interview questions must also include essential socio-demographic variables of the respondent (e.g. age, gender, location).

1. Provide support with organising at least one meeting/workshop for brainstorming and conducting consultations with all the relevant stakeholders to inform the design of the questionnaire.

1. Support with the development of an interview methodology and suggest data collection methods with a clear timeline, including, if required, a method for identifying and coordinating volunteer data collectors to conduct interviews; assist with maintaining a clear chain of command between data collectors and consultant, as well as UNDP; assist with training data collectors, among other aspects.

1. Assist with identifying target population groups and appropriate sample size for each group. Each sample must include at a minimum of 150 respondents. The consultant must ensure proportional representation of women.

1. Cooperate closely with the communications team of the portfolio to create a communication campaign and relevant materials to popularise the survey and engage a higher number of respondents.

3.3.2. The Consultant will support implementation of the developed methodology and assist UNDP with collecting up to 600 narratives from the targeted communities in Ukraine within February – June 2020 through an online questionnaire, in-person interviews, and/or data collectors, the latter if needed and approved by UNDP. Conducting micronarrative interviews will consist first of administering the story prompt, recording responses, and then assisting interviewees as necessary through the completion of the signification framework questionnaire. Great care must be taken not to lead or bias interviewee responses in any way, as the purpose of a story is not to objectively ascertain a truth, but to reveal the set of feelings, beliefs and opinions of the story contributor, excluding explicit judgments, opinions and generalisations. The Consultant may need to enter and/or clean the data in the database to ensure the correctness of data entries, if so required.

The data narratives obtained from this study will serve as a baseline against which the changes will be captured and analysed if the new wave of narratives collection will be conducted in half-year or one-year period, subject to availability of funds. Done repeatedly over time, these can demonstrate shifts in community attitudes and behaviours.

3.3.3. The Consultant will provide support to analyse the obtained narratives and signification framework assessments using data visualisation software (Sensemaker®), synthesise those results, and present them in such a way that is both meaningful and easily digestible to all relevant parties.  Access to Sensemaker® software will be provided by UNDP and should not be included in the financial offer.

3.3.4. The Consultant is expected to develop a comprehensive report incorporating the results of the narrative-based research, coupled with the insights from the quantitative surveys conducted by the portfolio (1st wave in December 2018, and 2nd wave to be conducted in February 2020) and other stakeholders, and also other available official statistics and/or research in the field, if needed to support conclusions and / or identify cause-effect relationships (at least 20-30 pages, in Ukrainian/English).

3.3.5. Provide support in conducting at least one workshop/event to present research results to all interested parties (including policymakers, non-government organisations, donors and other). Expected support is similar to 3.2.2. above.

Logistical arrangements for the events in para 3.2.2., 3.3.1. and 3.3.5., in particular the venue, participants travel, catering and similar, will be covered by UNDP.

The Consultant may be required to support other communications and knowledge sharing activities, events, meetings and similar organised by UNDP during the contract period to present the research findings.

To ensure the delivery of the above tasks, the Consultant will:

• Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with UNDP regarding all aspects of the assignment.

• Submit all the deliverables for review, comments and approval to UNDP as requested.

• Hold consultations with UNDP as requested.

4. DELIVERABLES

The timeframe and deliverables of the assignment are as follows:

The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to the endorsement of the UNDP Programme Coordinator (Sustainable Development, Energy and Environment).

Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in this Terms of Reference as follows: 

• 20% of the total contract value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverables 1-2 as per TOR.

• 20% of the total contract value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverable 3-4 as per TOR.

• 20% of the total contract value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverable 5-6 as per TOR.

• 20% of the total contract value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverable 7-8 as per TOR.

• 20% of the total contract value will be paid upon completion of the Deliverable 9-10 as per TOR.

Deliverables will be monitored and certified by the UNDP Programme Coordinator.

5. MONITORING/REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Programme Coordinator / Portfolio Manager.

The consultant will interact with UNDP to receive any clarifications and guidance that may be needed. The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

UNDP will be the final authority to control the quality and evaluate the work. The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to the endorsement of the Programme Coordinator. Each deliverable will be delivered in a draft for comments and feedback before finalisation. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without the approval of UNDP.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP). The language of reports is Ukrainian and/or English. 

Competencies

6. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENTS

1. Education

• At least a Master’s/Specialist’s degree in Marketing, Social Sciences, Political Sciences, Environmental Studies, International Relations, Statistics, Economics, Business Administration and other related areas.

2. Work Experience

• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in data analytics, statistics, research, analysis and/or reporting is required.
• Good working knowledge of SPSS and/or other data analysis programs proven by at least one (1) year of related experience.
• Excellent writing skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize inputs and relevant findings (proven with samples of at least 2 previously prepared or co-authored analytical reports, presentations or other relevant documents).
• Previous professional experience in conducting narratives-based research would be an asset.
• Knowledge of Sensemaker® software will be an advantage but is not a requirement.
• Knowledge and experience in data visualisation, including working with data visualisation platforms/tools, as Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Datawrapper or similar, proven by at least two (2) previously prepared data visualisations, would be an asset.
• Previous relevant experience with UNDP, other UN Agency, international organizations or donors would be an asset.

3. Language (s)

• Fluency in Ukrainian and working level of English is required. Fluent English will be an additional advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

7. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

8. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

 Lump-sum contract

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and a number of anticipated working days).  

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs must be covered by the Consultant and included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the Consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Logistics arrangements for the events, where participation of the Consultant is requested by UNDP as per this TOR, to be provided by UNDP and shall not be included in the financial proposal. 

Administrative costs

The contractor will rent/use at his/her own expense office space, any equipment and materials that may be required for completion of the task.

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Educational Background:

• Educational background – 5 points max

(at least a Master’s/Specialist’s degree in Marketing, Social Sciences, Political Sciences, Environmental Studies, International Relations, Statistics, Economics, Business Administration and other related areas)

{5 pts – PhD degree in the relevant field; 4 pts – Master’s / Specialist’s degree in the relevant field}

Professional Experience:

Working experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in data analytics, statistics, research, analysis and/or reporting is required– 15 points max

{15 pts – 5 years and more; 12 pts – 2-4 years}

• Good working knowledge of SPSS and/or other data analysis programs proven by at least one (1) year of related experience. 15 points max

{15 pts – 3 and more years; 12 pts –1-2 years}

Writing skills – 20 points max

• Excellent writing skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize inputs and relevant findings (proven with samples of at least 2 previously prepared or co-authored analytical reports, presentations or other relevant documents)

{20 pts – more than 4 samples; 18 pts – 2-3 samples}

• Previous professional experience in conducting narratives-based research would be an asset – 3 points max

{3 pts – Yes; 0 pts – No}

• Knowledge of Sensemaker® software will be an advantage but is not a requirement – 2 points max

{2 pts – Yes; 0 pts – No}

• Knowledge and experience in data visualisation, including working with data visualisation platforms/tools, as Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, Datawrapper or similar, proven by at least two (2) previously prepared data visualisations, would be an asset – 3 points max

{3 pts – Yes; 0 pts – No}

• Experience working with international organizations (as an asset) – 2 points max

(Previous relevant experience with UNDP, other UN Agency, international organisations or donors would be an asset)

{2 pts – Yes; 0 pts – No}

Language skills:

• Fluency in Ukrainian and working level of English is required. Fluent English will be an additional advantage – 5 points max

{5 pts – Fluency in Ukrainian/Russian and English; 3 pts – Fluency in Ukrainian/Russian and working level of English}

Maximum available technical score – 70 points.

Evaluation method:

Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative 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 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Additional requirements for the recommended contractor:

Recommended contractors aged 62 and older shall undergo a full medical examination including x-ray, and obtain medical clearance from the UN-approved doctor prior to taking up their assignment. The medical examination shall be paid by the consultant.

The BSAFE training course must be completed before the commencement of the contract.