Consultant for the Evaluation of the Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations – United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT)

Organizational Location: UN-Habitat
Duty Station: Nairobi

Functional Title: Consultant for the Evaluation of the Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations

Duration: September 2010 – January, 2011
Closing Date: 28 September, 2010

Background

The Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations programme (ERSO) was designed to operationalize Governing Council Resolution 21/10 through the establishment of a trust fund within the UN-HABITAT Foundation for a four-year experimental period from 2007 to 2011 to support the introduction of experimental reimbursable seeding operations and other innovative financial mechanisms. ERSO is a programme in the Urban Finance Branch under the Human Settlements Financing Division of UN-Habitat. The Governing Council of UN-Habitat has requested an evaluation of the ERSO programme and a report is to be submitted at the 23rd session in early 2011.

The overall objective of this evaluation is to evaluate progress on the implementation of the experimental reimbursable seeding operations and other innovative mechanisms and to suggest alternatives for more effective implementation. This evaluation is expected to guide any decision by the Governing Council at its twenty-third session on potential future applications of the experimental methodologies. It will guide UN-Habitat Senior Management, the Urban Finance Branch Team, the Steering and Monitoring Committee and donors and interested partners on the degree of success of the reimbursable seed capital operations and other innovative financial mechanisms.

Results and recommendations drawn from this report will be presented to the Governing Council at its 23rd session for consideration and to guide any decision by the on potential future applications of the experimental reimbursable seeding operation methodologies in order to inform future strategy and direction on strengthened human settlements finance systems.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, which is responsible for coordinating monitoring and evaluation activities of UN-Habitat, will provide the overall management of this evaluation. The Director, Human Settlements Finance Division, Chief, Urban Finance Branch and the team members will provide the administrative and logistical arrangements and support to facilitate the work of the consultants as appropriate.

Responsibilities

It is anticipated that this evaluation will be undertaken by a team of at two consultants. The evaluation will be guided by four main criteria: effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and sustainability. The various pilot approaches and some aspects on progress towards the expected outcomes and impact that could be attributed to some of the ERSO projects will be assessed. Suggested questions that will guide the focus of the evaluation will be provided. The evaluators have the discretion to add or modify suggested evaluation questions

During the inception phase, the team will review relevant documents, communicate with relevant staff and prepare an inception report, which will include a detailed evaluation work plan to operationalize and direct the evaluation. The work plan will describe how the evaluation will be carried out, bringing refinements to the terms of reference. This will be presented to the managers of this evaluation for discussion, finalization and approval.

It is anticipated that the evaluation will use a wide range of methods including, but not limited to:

• In – depth document review and analysis, of relevant programme documents.
• Interviews with key stakeholders, both face-to-face and by telephone and email. Key stakeholders could include UN-Habitat staff, Steering and Monitoring Committee members, borrowers / project partners involved in each loan transaction, UN Treasury and UNON.
• Field visits to project sites in selected countries.
• A comparative analysis of UN-Habitat ERSO operations in relation to international best practice with regard to the delivery of finance for low-income housing and infrastructure, and
• In particular, review of other lending programs and operations within the UN system, UNCDF and IFAD, with comparative analysis of aims, organizational structures, staffing and operations of the other two programs within UN-Habitat with a lending mandate.
• Participation in the ERSO Steering and Monitoring Committee meeting in Madrid, Spain, 13 – 15 October 2010

The consultants shall produce the following deliverables:

• Inception Report (about 15 pages), which will include proposed detailed methodology, assessment criteria / questions and work plan, justification and sampling criteria for field visits, and all other detailed related to work focus and programme leading to final evaluation outputs.
• Draft reports (not exceeding 40 pages, excluding annexes), which will be circulated for comments.
• Final reports, which will incorporate all the back-and-forth comments from the draft report. The final report should have a clear stand alone executive summary.
• The evaluation will be conducted in line with the Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN system and the United Nations Evaluation Group Norms and Standards.

Competencies of Evaluation Team (maximum of five)

Professionalism: Knowledge and understanding of practice and approaches relevant to international banking, particularly in lending and mortgage lending, microfinance (ideally micro housing lending) and financial transactions including experience with emerging, low income housing markets in developing countries and housing finance for low to middle income markets, ideally in developing countries. Demonstrated understanding of international best practice standards for banking and loan transactions for low and middle income target markets; experience in conducting programme evaluations.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; facilitation skills to encourage participation.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with others to achieve task goals.

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear targets that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Education

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in banking, accounting, business administration or finance. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience can be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

The following experience is required:

• Extensive experience with international banking, particularly in lending and mortgage lending, microfinance (ideally micro housing lending) and financial transactions including experience with emerging, low income housing markets in developing countries;
• Extensive experience in housing finance for low to middle income markets, ideally in developing countries, and;
• Demonstrated ability and understanding of international best practice standards for banking and loan transactions for low and middle income target markets
• Team leader should have extensive experience in conducting programme evaluations.

Language Skills

• English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this consultancy fluency in English is required. Fluency in other UN languages may be an advantage.

Other Skills

• Excellent facilitation and communication skills are desirable.

Remuneration

Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates for consultancies. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid as per agreement.

How to apply

Applications should include:

• Motivation letter (technical proposal).
• Curriculum Vitae
• Financial proposal (e.g. fees, estimated no. of days required, etc.)
• At least two samples of evaluation reports written in the last five years

A copy of the full Terms of Reference for the evaluation could be obtained on request from
elizabeth.makeba@unhabitat.org

All applications should be submitted to:

Ms. Elizabeth Makeba
UN-Habitat
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email: Elizabeth.makeba @unhabitat.org
Fax: + 254 20 76266002

Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the
UN-HABITAT Consultant database (e-Roster) in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org

Deadline for applications: 28 September, 2010

UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org

People who read this post also read :