ToR for Project Design Consultant for ILO in Arab Sates 2024

Project Design Consultant

Introduction

These Terms of Reference (TOR) are an integral part of the Release Purchase Order for the consultancy services to which they are annexed. The purpose of the TOR is to specify the types of services required and identify elements that need to be addressed during the contract timeframe.

Background

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace.

The only tripartite U.N. agency, the ILO brings together governments, employers, and workers representatives of 187 Member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

Today, the ILO's Decent Work agenda helps advance the economic and working conditions that give all workers, employers, and governments a stake in lasting peace, prosperity, and progress.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) emphasizes the importance of voluntary funding in effectively addressing constituents' needs and implementing its programmes with flexibility and strategic foresight. It aims to broaden and strengthen its funding partnerships, striving for longer-term and more predictable funding streams, including lightly earmarked and unearmarked contributions. By aligning funding needs with expected outcomes, the ILO seeks to engage proactively with funding partners, utilizing a strategic budgeting approach to mobilize resources effectively.

To achieve its funding objectives, the ILO need to mobilize adequate resources for its programme of work, combining unearmarked contributions for enhanced flexibility, and aligning earmarked contributions with ILO outcomes. Additionally, the organization aims to expand its funding partners and sources beyond the existing ones, including domestic public funding, official development assistance (ODA), contributions from UN partners, private sector and non-state actor funding, and financing from international financial institutions (IFIs). By diversifying funding sources and adopting innovative practices, the ILO aims to strengthen its ability to address national partner’s need and deliver impactful programmes.

The ILO Regional Office for Arab States is seeking the services of an individual consultant to support the Office’s project design efforts in the Arab States region in an effort to deliver on the Decent Work Agenda which includes employment creation  and enterprise development, social protection, standards and rights at work, and social dialogue.

Expected results from the consultant & deliverables timeline.

• Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to provide technical assistance for the ILO on project design in 2024-25 in the countries covered by the Regional Office (https://www.ilo.org/beirut/countries/lang--en/index.htm).

• Output: Support and facilitate the design of concept notes and full project proposals to be cleared by the regional office. This output will be delivered as follow:

• Deliverable 1: Concept notes for the promotion of Decent Work in the Arab Region. Under the direct supervision of an ILO responsible technical officer and the overall supervision of the regional programming unit, support to design of 15 concept notes. This deliverable entails meetings with stakeholders, secondary research, drafting of a concept note document and a corresponding budget. The due date for this deliverable will vary based on the competitions and hence it will be set on a case-by-case basis by the RPU, yet before 31 December 2024.
• Deliverable 2: Under the direct supervision of an ILO responsible officer and the overall supervision of the regional programming unit, support the design of 5 full proposals. This deliverable entails consultations with ILO specialists in Beirut, project managers, as well as consultation with the human resources unit, the finance units, and relevant colleagues in Headquarters. For each proposal, the submission will include the project document, budget, risks analysis, log frame, M&E plan, theory of change, and any other document requested by the donor agency. Furthermore, the deliverable entails responding to feedback on the proposal at the internal appraisals stage from within the ILO. The due date for this deliverable will vary based on the competitions and hence it will be set on a case-by-case basis by the RPU, yet before 31 December 2024.

ILO’s responsibilities

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Office management and the direct supervision of the Regional Programming Unit (RPU). The ILO will be responsible for sharing the following information and material with the consultant:

• Programme and Budget 2024-25
• The Singapore Declaration
• ILO Development Cooperation Strategy
• ILO priority results for resource mobilization for 24-25
• Existing United nations Strategic Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) per country
• Active Decent Work Programme for Iraq and OPT
• Yemen Strategy Framework for 2023-25
• Database of current DC projects in Arab States
• DC Manual.
• ILO relevant templates (Concept notes, Full proposal, risk register, Theory of change, etc...)

For each concept note or full proposal, ILO will nominate an ILO responsible Officer and a lead from RPU; responsible to facilitate communication, and work with the consultant on the different template, sharing existing information and material required.

Contract duration

The assignment will start on 14 April 2024 and end on 31 December 2024.

Payment schedule & terms

The payments will be administered as follows:

• Payment No. 1: A maximum of 20 % of the total contract value administered on 15 August 2024 upon the submission of 20% of the deliverables 1 and 2, and their clearance by the ILO focal point.
• Payment No. 2: A maximum of 30 % of the total contract value administered on 30 October 2024 upon the submission of 30% of the deliverables 1 and 2 and their clearance by the ILO focal point.
• Payment No. 3: A Maximum of 50 % of the total contract value administered on 15 January 2025 upon the submission of 50% of the deliverables 1 and 2 and their clearance by the ILO focal point.

Payments for this assignment are based on the number of days allocated for each deliverable and the deliverable timeliness and quality, both of which are determined by the ILO focal point. The number of days necessary for each deliverable will be agreed between the ILO focal point and the consultant at the beginning of the assignment. The number of set days assigned for each deliverable is fixed and not subject to change. The clearance of the deliverable by the ILO focal point constitutes an authorization for the release of the payment to the consultant.

Special terms and conditions

To be eligible for this consultancy, the applicant must meet all the following criteria:

• Language: Excellent command of English language. Mastery of Arabic is an asset.
• Education: Completion of a first level university degree in social sciences, humanities, economics, or law is required. Possession of a master’s degree is an asset.
• Work experience: Five years or more of experience working in the development and/or humanitarian field in a responsible role is required. Work experience in the Arab States region is an asset. Work experience as resource mobilization officer is an asset.
• Computer skills: Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite 365 is required.
• Functional knowledge: Experience in programme and/or finance is required. Also, experience in proposal development including budgeting is also required.
• Legal status: Applications are accepted only from individuals. Applications from companies or NGOs will not be considered.
• Residency: Applicants from the Arab States region are eligible to apply, with a preference for a consultant based in Lebanon. Home based applicant from outside of the Arab region could be considered but bot prioritized.

The selection decision will be made based on technical and financial scores of each application. Technical scores will form 50 per cent of the total score while financial scores will form 50 per cent.