Result of Service

The Evaluation Team will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 50 days ( within a period of 8 months) to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report (30%) Final Evaluation Report (40%)

Work Location

Home based with field visits

Expected duration

8 months

Duties and Responsibilities

ORGANIZATION SETTING The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director. The consultant reports to the Evaluation Manager and the Director of the Evaluation Office. THE PROJECT Public procurement wields enormous purchasing power, accounting for an average of 12 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in OECD countries, and up to 30 percent of GDP in many developing countries. Leveraging this purchasing power by promoting public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities, plays a key role in achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and in addressing the three pillars of Sustainable Development. The ability of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) to transform markets and contribute significantly to the achievement of the development agenda is widely acknowledged. Stimulating SPP can help gear government spending towards sustainability, but it can also foster private sector and consumer behaviour change, enabling the overall transition to a green, sustainable economy. However, countries have been insufficiently leveraging sustainable procurement to advance their sustainability objectives, drive markets towards sustainability, reduce governments’ environmental footprint and contribute significantly to the achievement of SDGs and major sustainability objectives. The project objective is to assist countries in implementing Sustainable Public Procurement policies, establish regional SPP networks and monitor the global progress of SPP, notably through the measurement of SDG 12.7.1. The expected outcome is that countries implement, monitor and report on sustainable public procurement action. As a result, countries will reach their SPP targets and periodically report on the progress of their SPP policies and sustainability impacts. Thus, state environmental and social footprints are expected to decrease as governments purchase more sustainable products, contributing to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals and to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. THE EVALUATION In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme and Project Management Manual, the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The Evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners. Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process. THE EVALUATION TEAM For this Evaluation, the Evaluation Team will consist of an Evaluation Specialist who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Project Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator. Specific responsibilities for the Evaluation Consultant: In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for the overall management of the Evaluation and timely provision of its outputs, data collection and analysis and report-writing. More specifically: 1. Inception phase of the Evaluation, including: • preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff; • draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project; • prepare the evaluation framework; • develop the desk review and interview protocols; • draft the survey protocols (if relevant); • develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission; • plan the evaluation schedule; • prepare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager. 2. Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation, including: • conduct further desk review and in-depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners and project stakeholders; • (where appropriate and agreed) conduct an evaluation mission(s) to selected countries, visit the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities. Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews. • regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered and; • keep the Project Manager informed of the evaluation progress. 3. Reporting phase, including: • draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style; • liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager; • prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection; and; • (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2-page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons). 4. Managing relations, including: • maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence; • communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring attention and intervention. The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions. The consultant will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form. The Evaluation Consultant will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through an individual consultancy contract. Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with the consultant separately.

Qualifications/special skills

A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required. An advanced degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in the same areas is desirable. The years of experience is reduced by 2 for candidates who possess a master’s degree in the related field. A minimum of nine (9) years of experience in the field of environmental or social sciences is required. Experience in undertaking evaluation of projects, preferably using a Theory of Change approach, is required. Experience in the areas of resource management, sustainable consumption and production and/or sustainable public procurement is desirable. Experience in managing partnerships, knowledge management and communication is desirable. Prior work experience in Madagascar is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English and in French is required. NOTE: ”Fluency” equals a rating of ”fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ”Knowledge of” equals a rating of ”confident” in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.