Location : Dhaka and other frequent travel to other towns offices), BANGLADESH
Application Deadline : 06-Oct-13
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : National Consultant
Languages Required : English
Duration of Initial Contract : 45 Days over a period of four Months
Expected Duration of Assignment :45 Days over a period of four Months
Background
The Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPRR) project is the largest urban poverty reduction initiative in Bangladesh. UPPR works with communities in 23 towns and cities across Bangladesh to develop the capacity of poor households, especially women, to manage their own development issues and tackle the needs they identify as most important. Key strategies include community mobilisation; improvement of physical infrastructure; support for livelihoods development; developing partnerships between communities and service providers; and influencing policy. This cooperation between UPPR and communities will see three million urban poor people improve their livelihoods and living conditions by August 2014.
In order to provide this support to communities in poor urban areas, the Government of Bangladesh and the United Nations work together to manage and implement UPPR. It is the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) that hosts and executes UPPR at a national-level. UPPR works jointly with the Municipality or City Corporations. UNDP manages the implementation of the Project, and UN-Habitat supports the components that work on improving living conditions. Beyond the contributions of these actors, the majority of funding is provided by UK aid.
UPPR's Socio-Economic Fund (SEF) supports a range of socio- economic activities for human development and poverty reduction. Skills development and employment generation is one of the key focus areas of UPPR for urban poverty reduction. Partnership with expanding private sector is one of the key strategies for promoting sustainable urban livelihoods and other areas of socio-economic development.
The private sectors employing more than 80% of the country's workforce have become engines of economic growth. Among the labour intensive sectors the readymade garment, leather and foot wear, ship building and construction have higher than average growth rates as well as ability to absorb large number of poor people in skilled and semi-skilled jobs. In addition to manufacturing sector that provides employment to approximately 12%, the service sector provides employment to 35%. The private sector's employment generation capacity is heightened by the wide presence of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that comprise nearly 95 percent of the country's private sector. Despite having successes in establishing partnerships with BGMEA, HatheyBunano, Apex Shoes, Nasim handicrafts, Jatrik handicrafts, UPPR's approach to engage with private sector has, so far, been opportunity driven. Also, there has not been much emphasis on strategic engagement with growing service sector and large scale manufacturing factories, which provide a large number of employments. UPPR recognizes the need to intensify its efforts towards skills development of the urban poor and extreme poor to promote formal sector employment for sustainable poverty reduction.
The objectives of this consultancy include:
Undertake market analysis to:
identify the most labour intensive, growing industries that have a sustainable future with high labour absorption capacity and distinguish saturated industries from them;undertake supply chain analysis for engaging the semi-skilled and unskilled workers;
examine the skill sets required by the identified labor intensive industries and the ways in which semi-skilled and skilled workers can be engaged in the supply chain;
explore any current barriers that are preventing employment of the available workforce into such labour intensive industries despite their need for workers;
develop a strategy note for UPPR's private sector engagement for skills development and employment.
Ascertain identified sector's private companies that would be willing to partner with UPPR slum communities for:
skills development and providing direct employment;
engaging the skilled and semi-skilled workers indirectly in their supply chain;
Facilitate UPPR and the identified private companies to establish partnerships in UPPR cities and towns by:
assisting concerned UPPR cities and towns in identifying potential project beneficiaries meeting the identified needs of skilled workers in different companies willing to partner with UPPR;
identifying skills development centres, if needed, to match factories' requirements;supporting UPPR and the identified private companies in working out finer details or
MoU of partnerships with clear results / outcomes focus.
Duties and Responsibilities
The scope of activities under this contract consists of the following:
Inception (first week)
Building on this ToR, the consultant will produce an inception plan which describes the scope, approach, methodology and expected outputs of the assignment. the consultant will be required to submit a scoping note with details of methodology and plan for deliverables.
Market analysis
The consultant will undertake market research to examine the key private sector businesses, particularly those that can contribute effectively in implementing the Livelihood Improvement Strategy of UPPR for skill development and employment as well as running small scale business for self employment of its targeted beneficiaries. The market assessment will make use of secondary as well as primary research. Secondary research will involve study of existing journals, government data, economic updates, International Labor Office (ILO) programs and publications etc. ; primary research on the other hand will involve qualitative survey including key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with human resource departments of large labor intensive industries, industry experts, economists, relevant government officials, NGOs, worker groups etc. S/he will also review background materials such as UPPR's Livelihood development guidelines, ILO study, Log Frame and existing practices in UPPR for livelihood improvement,findings of PACA/LOCA and Quick Market Assessment of CARE. Findings of the market analysis will lead to formulation of UPPR strategies for developing partnerships with private sector companies for skills development and employment generation.
Identification of potential private companies
This assignment covers engagement with a wide range of private sector businesses including multinational corporations, small, medium and large scale businesses. The consultant will identify those growing and labour intensive private companies who would be willing to partner with UPPR slum communities in project cities and towns. The consultant will classify companies into three categories, the companies willing (a) to provide subsidized skills training with project's cost and provide employment to the successfully trained beneficiaries; (b) to provide employment to those who are trained outside the companies; (c) to engage semi-skilled or skilled workers in their supply chain through outsourcing, providing agency or any other means that are mutually beneficial to the companies and UPPR beneficiaries.
Facilitate partnerships
One of the key roles of the consultant will be to facilitate partnerships between UPPR and the identified private companies. This will be based on ways to match private companies' demands of work force and the supply or mobilization of potential workforce in UPPR slums. The consultant will develop a methodology to (a) mobilize and identify potential project beneficiaries for skills development; (b) engage the semi-skilled workers to become part of supply chain of the identified private companies. The consultant will also identify skills development opportunity either with the selected private sector or skills development centres in the project towns.
The consultant will work closely with SEF team and selected town teams to ensure synergies between their work and the work on private sector. By the end of the assignment, the consultant shall present and discuss the draft UPPR and concerned stakeholders to include their comments and recommendations on deliverables.
Duty Station
The consultant will operate from Dhaka but his/her role will involve travel to sample of the 23 towns in which UPPR works.
FINAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES and Time Line
The following deliverables will be effective upon signature of the contract:
Deliverables
Time line
Inception report along with agreed work plan
First week
Private sector partnerships strategy note along with findings of market assessment /sector analysis
Within a month
A report on note on scope of partnerships with different companies in different towns, community mobilization strategies, opportunities for skills development with the identified private companies and vocational training centres and opportunities of direct and indirect employment
Within two months
MoUs with a number of private companies (MNCs and medium and small companies) in five to six towns having potential to provide employment to a significant number of UPPR beneficiaries
Within four month
Competencies
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Teamwork: ability to establish and maintain effective working relations as a team member, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect
- A team-player and self-starter, able to work with minimum supervision, with sound judgment.
Required Skills and Experience
Qualifications:
- Minimum a Master's or equivalent degree in Business Management/ International Trade/ Economics /social science or development related fields
Experience and Skills:
- Minimum 8 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research in trade and private sector growth, job market assessment and analyzing employment trends in labour intensive employment sectors;
- Significant experience in developing and managing partnerships with multi-national and national private sector companies for skills development and employment;
- Experience in economic empowerment , skills development and employment generation;
- Experience in working with the poor in urban settlements;
Language:Fluency in Bangla and English
EVALUATION
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:
Cumulative analysis
When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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 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 point would be considered for the Financial Evaluation
Criteria
Weight
Max. Point
Technical
Master or Equivalent degree in Business Management/ International Trade/ Economics /social science or development related fields
20
- Minimum 8 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research in trade and private sector growth, job market assessment and analyzing employment trends in labour intensive employment sectors;
50
-Significant experience in developing and managing partnerships with multi-national and national private sector companies for skills development and employment;
50
-Experience in economic empowerment , skills development and employment generation;
30
- Experience in working with the poor in urban settlements;
20
Total
170 (minimum 70% responsive)
Financial – cumulative analysis
30 points
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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