By 
Meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require unprecedented investments from different sources of finance (public, private, domestic, and international) and ambitious strategies and public reforms needed to increase efficiencies and value for money. Indeed, the challenge for governments will be to ensure that resources are raised, channeled to and translated into concrete and measurable development results on the ground, to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNDP has developed a unique and integrated approach to support countries financing the SDGs more efficiently and effectively with the related expertise and focus on linking financing, planning and good governance. UNDP’s analyses and activities in various regions have highlighted one main challenge on the financing front: the need to build a better understanding of financial flows, and how they contribute to the SDGs through a development planning angle, in order to inform governments in various regions on the necessary Public Financial Management (PFM) measures or reforms needed to better align finance with inclusive growth and sustainable development objectives. Building on the UNDP’s overall methodology on Budgeting for SDGs, UNDP can support countries to perform budget and policy analysis of public finance through PFM frameworks reviews and analysis for integrating SDGs into PFM systems and processes.
South Sudan is a young country with rich resource endowment, vast landscapes, and a young population. The achievement of South Sudan’s development objectives and priority SDGs, however, has been challenged by the lack of a financing strategy that details how the government can implement an integrated approach to development financing and planning. In the absence of a results framework and a monitoring strategy, the outcomes of the implementation of the 2018 – 2021 National Development Strategy (NDS) are not well documented, and the lack of alignment and insufficient mobilization of resources also point to low levels of overall operationalization.
The Government of South Sudan, supported by UNDP and other Development Partners, has engaged in a comprehensive review of the 2018 – 2021 NDS. The review aims for greater policy coherence between the NDS and Revitalized Agreement for Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and builds on several building blocks such as an updated fragility assessment, country-wide stakeholder consultations, the integration of the SDGs, Gender mainstreaming and the incubation of a financing strategy. This will lead to a revised NDS for the period 2021 -2024 and lay the grounds for a more holistic planning and financing process towards the implementation of the priority SDGs for South Sudan by 2030.
Effective budgeting for SDGs, together with the ongoing Development Finance Assessment (DFA) process supported by UNDP, will be crucial for this revision and corresponds to the NDS review objectives to undertake an inclusive planning process that ensures national ownership, strengthen the development finance landscape and lay the foundation for an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF). UNDP is looking for a consultant to technically support South Sudan in its SDGs budgeting reforms.
- Scope of work
The consultant will provide guidance and support in (i) providing timely technical support to respond to country demands on SDG Budgeting in South Sudan; (ii) support the development of UNDP B4SDG (Budgeting for SDGs) methodology for South Sudan at national and sub-national level, building from country experience and INFF operationalization.
The consultant will have the overall responsibility for the review, drafting, quality assurance and timely completion of analysis, research, training, drafting analytical reports and provision of policy recommendations in the areas of SDG Budgeting. The support will entail working with the UNDP country team to support in discussions with the Ministry of Finance and Planning and State Governments in implementation of budgeting reforms with technical inputs (briefs, adaptation of methodological tools to local context) that help in making planning and budgetary system SDG-responsive in South Sudan.
Expected scope of the SDG Budgeting support will focus on 2 main areas, aligned with UNDP global guidance on Budgeting for SDGs:
SDG Budgeting Area
Area 1:
Parliamentary Scrutiny and Public Expenditure Review
- Assess the role of Parliament in budget scrutiny to design, influence and monitor budget policies, and budget execution. Transparency and participation for accountability in budgeting processes.
- Support institutionalization of SDG-Budget monitoring and oversight in Parliament (e.g., SDG budgeting unit/committee in Parliament, and parliamentary reviews, debates, monitoring and evaluation).
- Support national government communication with Parliament during budget hearings (budget planning, approval and reporting stages) via independent analysis, information sharing, presentation of budget documents and using the reports from SDG budget tagging tool.
- Support conducting public expenditure analyses by SDGs (expenditure trends, matching public spending with SDGs, public expenditure reviews and effectiveness analysis) for submission to Ministry of Finance and Parliament to identify the discrepancies between existing National Development Strategy, the SDGs, the development targets and budget allocations.
- Support to assess transparency, inclusion, political and administrative accountability mechanisms, information basis, monitoring methods and review capacities for efficient and effective budget execution for better SDG budgeting options.
Area 2:
Fiscal Decentralization
- Identify political and administrative structures, governance procedures and capacities in the multi-tier system of formal and customary governments.
- Assess fiscal decentralization in terms of assigned functions, competencies, powers and expenditure responsibilities at different government levels; local own revenue sources, intergovernmental transfer system and external financing; autonomy and accountability in revenue collection, allocation and expenditure management; and identify policy options.
- Analyze the decentralization risks associated with possible misalignment of budget appropriations, expenditure and revenue allocation methods, insufficient monitoring and audit capacities, lack of fiscal and performance data collection and consolidation processes.
- Evaluate national and local budget formulation and reporting business processes, financial and sectoral planning methods, availability of budget calendars, use of budget circulars, charts of accounts and information flow between different levels of government, Financial Management Information System (FMIS) in consolidating budget data, and subnational budget audit practices.
- Support development of the system for performance-based allocations of intergovernmental fiscal transfers and revenue sharing aiming for resources adequacy, fair allocation, objective and predictable mechanisms, which ensure stability, simplicity and transparency, and create financial incentives for good performance of local governments.
- Support integration of fiscal decentralization in participatory local planning processes and strategies for achieving SDGs. Facilitate dialogues on fiscal decentralization issues among national stakeholders (state and non-state actors) and external stakeholders (e.g., donors and international financial institutions). Support developing capacities of key national stakeholders for budget policy analysis, formulation, and oversight.
- Expected deliverables, timeframe and payment schedul
Deliverables Deadlne Paymend Schedule
1. Workplan of the assignment outlining the proposed approach 10 workig days 10%
in the areas of Budgeting for SDGs for South Sudan, based on
the analysis of the INFF programme in South Sudan in consultation
with UNDP Country Office
2. Report from SDG Budgeting reforms analyses, roadmaps, guidance 25 working days 70%
note, training workshops and consultations with government on delivery
of Budgeting for SDGs reform areas in South Sudan.
3. Final report with the main results of the technical support provided. 10 working days 20%
Education
- Master’s degree in relevant field such as applied social sciences, development economics, or other. Required
Experience
- 10 years of experience in public financial analysis in developing countries context and excellent research skills. Required
- Solid knowledge of UN Sustainable Goals (17 SDGs), public finance, Public Financial Management, Innovative Financing for Development. Required
- 5 years of experience working on SDG budgeting (selected sectors, cross-sector and/or overall SDGs framework) at national and local level and Integrated National Financing Frameworks. Desirable
- 5 years of experience in working with Finance Ministries on Public Financial Management reforms in African countries. Desirable
Language
- Proficiency in English language: verbal, writing, and editing skills (Required).
- Selection criteria
Individual Consultant will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following scenario:
- Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals is:
- Technical Criteria weight is 70%
- Financial Criteria weight is 30%
Selection criteria
Individual Consultant will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following scenario:
- Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals is:
- Technical Criteria weight is 70%
- Financial Criteria weight is 30%
Technical Evaluaion criteria
Technical Competence (based on CV and proposal)
Criteria Weight Maximum point
1. Understanding the Scope of Work; comprehensive articulation 20% 20 points
of the organization of the technical proposal
2. Minimum years of relevant experience 30% 30 points
3. Minimum educational background 10% 10 points
4. Language required 10% 10 points
Financial Evaluation
Financial (Lower Offer/Offer*100)
Total Scombined Score
Technical Score * 70% + Financial Score * 30%
Confidentiality and proprietary interests
The Individual Consultant shall not either during the term or after termination of the assignment, disclose any proprietary or confidential information related to the consultancy service without prior written consent. Proprietary interests on all materials and documents prepared by the consultant under the assignment shall become and remain properties of UNDP.
Application Procedures
Interested candidates are required to submit application, including a technical proposal and a financial proposal.
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