SENIOR EXPERT ON RESULT-BASED MANAGEMENT FOR the development of ACW WORKPLAN 2021-2025 for the ASEAN Secretariat

1. Summary of the Project

Field Support Services Project (FSSP) is a five-year project (October 2019 – October 2024) funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and managed by Cowater International. FSSP provides administrative, financial, procurement, and logistical services as well as support to the in-country development programming for the Government of Canada through the provision of technical specialists in gender equality, governance and human rights, and environment and climate action and assisting GAC in procuring and managing local development initiatives. These programs will take place in Indonesia and the ASEAN regions.

It is expected that the lndonesia-ASEAN FSSP will increase the effectiveness and relevance of Canada's international assistance program in Indonesia and in the ASEAN region. Technical Specialists procured under the FSSP will support GAC in responding to the needs and priorities of Indonesia and the ASEAN region, policy dialogue and knowledge building and sharing.

2. Background

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration). Currently, ASEAN has ten (10) member states namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam[1].

The ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) is a subsidiary body of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Pillar. It was established in 1976 composing of senior officials in the respective ministries in-charge of women and girls. The ACW is committed and has worked to translate the regional cooperation on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls into concrete actions through its work plans. The current ACW work plan covers the period of 2016-2020 and will come to its conclusion by the end of 2020.

At the 17^th ACW Meeting held on 23 October in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, the ACW Focal Points adopted the “Strategy to Develop the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025”. The strategy provides that the process of developing the next five-year work plan would be guided by the following principles: i) the work plan would be strategy-driven, comprehensive and purposive; ii) the process of developing the work plan would be consultative and inclusive; and iii) that the initiatives in the work plan would be integrated and responsive to current issues and emerging trends on promoting and protecting the rights of women. The strategy also identifies the following approaches in the development of the next five-year work plan: i) coherent, programmatic and results-oriented; ii) streamlined and synergistic; and iii) collaborative and participative.

In October 2019, the ACW held its reflection and visioning workshop in Brunei Darussalam as the first step of a series of planned activities to develop and finalize the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025 and its results framework. Accordingly, thematic areas of the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025 were identified based on the discussion among ACW Focal Points and its partners on emerging trends and issues as well as key commemorative moments and possible entry points on Gender equality and Women empowerment at global and regional level in the next 5 years.

The proposed thematic areas are gender statistics and sex disaggregated data; gender mainstreaming; gender/ intersectionality based discriminations and violence; women’s rights in labour and employment in the future world of work; women’s economic empowerment, women’s participation and leadership at all levels and all settings; gender responsive governance, infrastructures and social protection services; women’s resilience to natural disasters, climate change and emerging threats, among others.

It is envisaged that the process of the development of the ACW Work Plan and its monitoring and evaluation system and results framework will adopt multi-stakeholder and mutli-sectoral approach through engagement with other ASEAN sectoral bodies, dialogue partners, development partners, civil society organizations as well as private sector, where applicable. In 2020, a number of activities will be held for ACW to further revisit the current work plan and projects, to assess its impacts at different levels, to consult with different stakeholders and to deliberate on strategic priorities and direction for the 2021-2025 work plan. Additionally, ACW may consider convening a Partnership Conference to involve ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other regional and international stakeholders in order to galvanise the support for the successive work plan.

The Mission of Canada to ASEAN has been a longstanding partner of ASEAN on numerous development issues, including the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children. In particular, Canada has been supporting ASEAN’s efforts at building capacities on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

The ongoing development of ACW’s next five-year work plan, including the process of reviewing and concluding its current work plan, presents a strategic moment for partnership between ACW and Canada. Through this partnership, ACW and Canada can work together on building on the gains from ACW’s accomplishments through the implementation of its work plan, and strategically designing the new work plan that would cover the period 2021-2025.

3. Objective

The ASEAN Secretariat and ACW require the services of a Senior Expert on Result-Based Management (the Consultant) to support the development of the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025, its monitoring system and its results framework.

4. Description of Services

Working on a day-to-day basis under the direction of Head of the Poverty Eradication and Gender Division of the ASEAN Secretariat, the expected services of the Senior Expert on Result-Based Management will include, but not be limited to:

1. Lead the conduct of one (1) technical workshop by preparing a concept note, detailed programme and propose appropriate and participatory workshop methodologies to achieve expected outcomes, employing Results-Based Management and Theory of Change approach;

2. Develop a report on the technical workshop and  the application and roll-out of the M&E system, particularly the practical utilisation of the M&E guidelines;

3. Develop the initial ACW Work Plan 2021-2025 based on the data gathered for the accomplishment of ACW work plan 2016-2020 as well as the guidance from ACW and the ASEAN Secretariat;

4. Develop the initial monitoring system and results framework of the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025 following the guidance from ACW and the ASEAN Secretariat;

5. Lead the conduct of two (2) consultation workshops on the initial ACW Work Plan and the initial monitoring system and results framework of the ACW Work Plan 2021-2025 with ACW and its stakeholders/ partners; and

6. Undertake any other tasks deemed necessary to complete the development of ACW’s work plan and results framework, based on the agreed outcomes.

5. Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The Senior Expert on Result-Based Management is expected to deliver the following:

a)    Draft work plan of ACW for the period 2021-2025;

b)    Draft monitoring system and results framework of ACW’s work plan for the period 2021-2025; and

c)     Concept note, workshop methodologies, and tentative programme for one (1) workshop and for two (2) consultation workshops of ACW to develop the work plan and results framework; and

d)    Final work plan, the monitoring system and results framework of ACW’s work plan for the period 2021-2025;

6.     Description of the Consultant’s Profile

ASEAN Secretariat and ACW require the services of a regional expert with specific expertise which includes:

• Advanced degree in relevant disciplines and/or be able to demonstrate evidence of training in monitoring or evaluation design, application of Theory of Change, conduct and management. This experience should reflect the development of sound methods and tools, conduct of data collection activities, analysis of data (or supervision of such), interpretation and dissemination of results and report preparation;
• At least 7 years of professional experience and proven track record in developing and conducting complex monitoring and evaluation systems in international or regional settings;
• Good knowledge and exposure in policy development, development cooperation (policies, trends, issues and development), and project planning and management in regional or international setting;
• Proven experience working with governments and/or international organizations on consultancy assignments in related subjects;
• Good knowledge and exposure on international policy frameworks and instruments related to gender equality, women and children’s rights, and poverty reduction;
• Understanding of ASEAN’s cooperation on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as well ASEAN’s architecture will be an advantage;
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken;
• Excellent communications and interpersonal skills;
• High integrity and conscientiousness, and ability to project professionalism;
• Computer literate, very good analytical and report writing skills;
• Flexible and able to adjust to changes agreed as an outcome of the process and discussions in order to achieve expected results in a timely and efficient manner.

7. Working Arrangements

The Consultant shall be home-based within the ASEAN region, with at least three (3) travels within the region, and would regularly report to the ASEAN Secretariat based on agreement with the Head of the Poverty Eradication and Gender Division.Working over the weekend or after regular office hours may be required. The Consultant is expected to rely on his/her expertise, conduct an extensive literature review, and perform triangulation by interviewing experts. The drafts produced by the Consultant will be peer reviewed by experts, the result of which should be incorporated by the Consultant.The Consultant will be reporting to the Head of the Poverty Eradication and Gender Division of the ASEAN Secretariat or his/her designated officers.

A consultant evaluation will be completed in order for regular payment to be released upon satisfactory delivery of the assignments. In the event that travel to other regions or cities is necessary, all necessary costs will be borne by GAC, through the Field Support Services Project (FSSP), following the approval of a travel plan and associated budget.

8.   Duration of the Contract

The total expected duration of the assignment is up to 90 days spread over a period of ten (10) months from July 2020 to April 2021. All reports must be finalized and submitted within this period.

Payments will be processed against the reports (deliverables) therefore a financial report is requested for each deliverable, giving the flexibility for the Consultant to manage the number of days to spend on each deliverable within the defined timeframe.

How to apply:

Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications to admin@fssp.or.id latest by 16 June 2020:

1. CV indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

2.    Brief statement as to why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment and highlighting his/her knowledge and experience in developing and conducting complex monitoring and evaluation systems in international or regional settings.

3.    Financial Proposal shall be submitted in the following format:

-     The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily rate for up to 90 working days;

-     The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee and when applicable any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract, not including travel expenses.

Qualified women are encouraged to apply.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process.

EVALUATION OF APPLICATION

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of the weighted criteria (70% technical score (comprising of 15% technical qualifications desk review, 25% written test, and 30% interview) and 30% financial score.

The proposals that achieve a minimum of 70% for the technical qualifications desk review shall be further considered for an interview and written test. The financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received for the assignment.

Technical Score (70%)		Financial Score (30%)
Technical qualifications desk review (based on the criteria and points listed below) (15%)
Written test (25%)
Interview  (30%)

Technical Qualifications Desk Review

The evaluation of the Technical criteria will be as follows:

St No		Criteria		Points
1		Academic qualifications of the Consultant.		points
2		Minimum 7 years of professional experience and proven track record in developing and conducting complex monitoring and evaluation systems in international or regional settings.		30 points
3		Good knowledge and exposure in policy development, development cooperation (policies, trends, issues and development), and project planning and management in regional or international setting.		20 points
4		Proven experience working with governments and/or international organizations on consultancy assignments in related subjects.		20 points
		Good knowledge and exposure on international policy frameworks and instruments related to gender equality, women and children’s rights, and poverty reduction.		10 points
5		Understanding of ASEAN’s cooperation on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as well as ASEAN’s architecture will be an advantage.		10 points
		Total points		100 points

ABOUT US

With more than 34 years’ experience, Cowater International is Canada’s global leader in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies in 2017 and 2018. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec, Paris, France, Pretoria, South Africa, and London, United Kingdom, Nairobi, Kenya in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

We thank you for your interest in building a better tomorrow with Cowater International.