Project Cycle Management Trainer and Mentor for Civil Society Organizations/ two positions (National)

Background

The Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2[1]) is a continuation of the EU-UNDP partnership and previously supported initiative – ReLOaD1,[2] implemented in the period 2017 - 2020.

ReLOaD2 continues to strengthen participatory democracies and the EU integration process in the Western Balkans by empowering civil society and youth to actively take part in the decision making and by stimulating an enabling legal and financial environment for civil society. The programme is implemented in the following IPA beneficiaries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Serbia.

Working across the region, ReLOaD2 enhances capacities of municipalities and civil society organizations (CSOs) to engage in productive partnerships and contribute to improved service delivery and realization of local priorities in line with development strategies.

ReLOaD2 in Albania works with 11partner municipalities[3] (six new partners and five partners form ReLOaD1) and two mentor partner municipalities[4] towards institutionalization of the partnership between these municipalities and the civil society sector. It incites partner municipalities to mainstream public funding for CSOs in a transparent and development-oriented manner, recognizing local needs and embracing a project-based approach. Also, the Action promotes youth engagement and support implementation of youth initiatives and will work on improvement of their economic perspectives in all partner localities.

The total budget of the ReLOaD2 is EUR 12.63 million (USD 15.06 million), while the component for Albania totals EUR 1.2 million (USD 1.4 million). The Project duration is 48 months (2021 – 2024).

In Albania, two public calls for CSOs will be launched by six ReLOaD2 partner municipalities:

Public Call for CSOs targeting youth (2nd public call) will be launched in November 2022,
Public Call for CSOs (3rd public call) will be launched within May 2023.

In this regard, UNDP in Albania is seeking two experienced local consultants to deliver Project Cycle Management (PCM) trainings and mentoring to CSOs in six ReLOaD2 partner municipalities: Kamëz, Kavajë, Kukës, Lushnje, Patos and Sarandë.

[1] https://www.undp.org/albania/projects/regional-local-democracy-programme-western-balkans-reload2

[2] https://www.undp.org/albania/projects/regional-programme-local-democracy-western-balkans-reload

* For the European Union, this designation is without prejudice to position on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. For UNDP all references to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of the UN Resolution 1244/1999.

[3] Partner Municipalities of ReLOaD2 in Albania:

Six new partner municipalities - Kamëz, Kavajë, Kukës, Lushnje, Patos, Sarandë,

Five partner municipalities from ReLOaD1 - Elbasan, Korçë, Lezhë, Përmet Roskovec.

[4] Mentor partner municipalities of ReLOaD2 in Albania: Tirana and Shkodra.

Purpose

Support to CSOs is crucial to achieve the results foreseen in the ReLOaD2 action. The purpose of the assignment is to support CSOs to strengthen capacities in PCM and improve skills in project preparation and implementation The training will cover the entire PCM with the aim to enhance capacities of the civil society to successfully apply and implement qualitative projects. Following the trainings, mentoring sessions in each municipality will be organised to support interested CSOs and provide guidance during project proposal preparation.

Objective

The objective of this assignment is to deliver a series of comprehensive PCM training module and provide mentoring to CSOs from six partner municipalities (Kamëz, Kavajë, Kukës, Lushnje, Patos and Sarandë).

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultants will perform the tasks in close cooperation and under direct supervision of the ReLOaD2 Project Manager. The following tasks for each consultant are foreseen:

Revising PCM training curricula

The consultants will use the training curriculum developed for the PCM trainings delivered to CSOs in each municipality during the First and Second public call for CSOs in ReLOaD1 and during the First public call for CSOs in ReLOaD2. S/he will revise and adjust the existing training packages including all relevant supporting materials (agenda, presentations, hand-outs, before and after training tests, group exercises, exercises for individual work, reference materials, evaluation forms, etc.). It will include lessons learned and most common challenges identified in project proposals submitted during the public calls for CSOs organised in partner municipalities. In addition to the theoretical part, the trainings will include revision of project proposals, case studies and group exercises to illustrate relevant topics and provide hands-on examples. Tests will be conducted to evaluate knowledge acquired by training participants before and after the training.

The targeted audience is CSO members. The trainings will be prepared and delivered from the perspective of CSOs being a project applicant. The training curriculum will take into consideration the level of experience of the participants, enabling them to fully apply learned skills. The training will be gender sensitive.

The time foreseen for this task is 2 working days.

Preparing of work plan and delivering of trainings

A work plan for training delivery will be prepared for each round of public calls. The training Curriculum and relevant materials will be presented to the project team and used only upon its approval. The training materials will be printed out by UNDP.

Respectively each consultant will deliver PCM trainings of two-days, for CSOs during each round of calls:

two PCM trainings in August 2022, in two locations,
two PCM trainings in June 2023, in two locations.

The envisaged number of trainees per each training is between 10 and 20. Training delivery should be interactive, encouraging participants to engage, ask questions and discuss. Training should provide participants with the relevant knowledge and skills that allow them to develop project ideas to effective project proposals that are in line with principles and criteria of the public call for CSOs.

Following the delivery, the consultant will conduct an evaluation (covering contents, trainer and methods applied and pre/post training tests).

The venue and logistics for the training will be organised by the ReLOaD2 project. In case of COVID19 lockdown and/or gathering restrictions imposed by authorities, the trainings might be organised in an online format using adequate IT platforms (ZOOM or similar). ReLOaD2 project will secure technical preconditions for such events in line with needs and in close cooperation with the consultants.

The time foreseen for this task is 10 days for each consultant.

Mentoring

The consultant will provide post training support (mentoring) to all trainees/CSO representatives, organized in small groups, in line with their interest and needs, with the aim to better prepare them to the public calls. Mentoring sessions will be organized in-person/online and the consultant will maintain record of the CSO present, their inquires and responses as evidence of the services provided. Records of mentoring support and FAQs will be submitted to the ReLOaD2 project on weekly basis (reports to be prepared in Albanian). During the public calls for CSOs, each consultant will provide two days of mentoring to three partner municipalities assigned.

In case of COVID19 lockdown and/or gathering restrictions imposed by authorities, the trainings might be organised in an online format using adequate IT platforms (ZOOM or similar). ReLOaD2 project will secure technical preconditions for such events in line with needs and in close cooperation with the consultants.

The time foreseen for this task is 12 days for each consultant.

Reporting

Upon the completion of trainings and mentoring sessions from each public call for CSOs, the consultant will prepare an interim report and a final report that will include, but will not be limited to: results achieved, number of trainees, number of CSOs that were mentored and or mentoring sessions organized, analysis of before and after training knowledge, lessons learned and recommendations, training performance evaluation, mentoring performance evaluation, FAQs sheet, etc. All data presented should be segregated by gender. The draft report should be submitted to the project team, in English language (in MS Word electronic version).

The time foreseen for this task is 2 days.

Deliverables and timelines

Each of the consultant is responsible for the following deliverables:

Deliverables (outputs)

No. of days per task

Due date

Percentage

Revising training curricula for the Youth dedicated Public Call for CSOs

1 day

30 September 2022

4%

Preparing a workplan and delivering the trainings during the Public Call for CSOs targeting youth

5 days

15 November 2022

19%

Mentoring in the context of the Public Call for CSOs targeting youth

6 days

30 November 2022

23%

Interim report

1 day

10 December 2022

4%

Revising training curricula Third public call for CSOs

1 day

30 April 2023

4%

Preparing a workplan and delivering the trainings during the third Public Call for CSOs

5 days

30 May 2023

19%

Mentoring in the context of the Third public call for CSOs

6 days

20 June 2023

23%

Final report

1 day

30 June 2023

4%

Total

26 days

100%

Competencies

a. Corporate Responsibility and Teamwork:

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Plans, prioritizes and delivers tasks on time;
Strives for and promotes excellence in performance continually;
Participates effectively in a team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others;
Generates ideas and seizes opportunities to support corporate strategic objectives.

b. People Skills:

Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others;
Builds trust and engenders morale by displaying open, transparent and credible behavior;
Respects individual/cultural differences; utilizes diversity to foster teamwork;
Ensures others’ understanding of, involvement in, and adaptation to a change process.

c. Partnering and Networking:

Communicates sensitively and effectively across different constituencies;
Ability to work as a member of a team as well as work autonomously.

d. Results-Orientation:

Plans and ensures quality results to meet established goals.

e. Communication:

Formulates written information clearly and persuasively;
Shares information openly with co-workers and partners while using discretion to protect confidences;
Presents information in a clear and articulate manner.

f. Job Knowledge and Expertise:

Strong analytical skills;
Advanced writing skills,
Proven skills in conducting researches, interviews, and reporting,
Conceptual and practical knowledge of policy development, with specific focus on public budgets,
Ability to review data, identify and adjust discrepancies,
Good knowledge of administrative rules and regulations regarding civil society sector,
Executes day-to-day tasks systematically and efficiently,
Initiative and sound judgment.

Required Skills and Experience

Master’s degree in public policy, public administration, economy or a related law or social science field.

Experience

At least 5 years of relevant and proven professional experience in project cycle management.
Knowledge of project application preparation, PCM and monitoring and evaluation of projects.
At least 3 years of relevant and proven professional experience in working with civil society and/or local governments
Experience in usage of MS Office and online tools.
Proven knowledge of the civil society sector in Albania is considered an asset
Experience in EU/ UNDP funded project will be considered an asset.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Albanian

Evaluation Procedure

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications / candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)
And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70

Criteria A: At least 5 years of relevant and proven professional experience in delivery of trainings in the area of PCM. Knowledge of project application preparation, PCM and monitoring and evaluation of projects (previous experience with UNDP is an asset) - max points: 50

Criteria B: Educational background: Master’s degree in public policy, public administration, or a related law or social science field – max points: 20

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30