NGO JOBS

Country: United States of America
Closing date: 07 May 2014

Terms of Reference for Individual Consultant

Position Title:CensusInfo Evaluation Consultant

Duration: 50 working days

Period: Approximately 15 May – 31 July 2014

Reporting to:Data and Analytics Section, UNICEF

Background

CensusInfo is a data dissemination software that was developed by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), through a joint project with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The software was developed to complement the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses, which covered the period 2005-2014. Census data dissemination was identified as one of three main goals of the World Programme, given that dissemination was typically the weakest phase of census operations in the past. The 2010 World Programme was approved by the 36^th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2005.

CensusInfo project activities initiated in 2008 with design and development of the software, which was to be based on UNICEF’s DevInfo technology. CensusInfo software was launched at the 40^th session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in February 2009, and country-level activities initiated in earnest soon after that. Approximately 30 country and regional level workshops supported by the project took place over the 2009-2012 period, focusing on the peak period of censuses around the year 2010. In addition, numerous other country activities took place outside the scope of the project (initiated and funded directly by country programmes).

According to the “CensusInfo 2010 Project Document”, the objective of the CensusInfo project was as follows:

“Based on the analysis of the needs and the products available, the CensusInfo project aims at developing a software package to help countries to disseminate their major census results, at any relevant geographical level. The objective is not to develop a very sophisticated tool, able to meet all the potential functionalities, but to provide a user friendly tool, easy to customize by the country itself.”

Implementation of CensusInfo

The project approach has been to pool funds at HQ level among the three agencies, and work through a steering group, to manage activities at country level. UNICEF served as managing agent of the funds, due to its prior experience working with the identified contractor for software development and country-level activities (the same contractor that had developed UNICEF’s DevInfo suite of applications). UNICEF and UNFPA regional and country offices provided additional financial support and facilitated local arrangement of project activities. Country-level activities generally focused on training workshops for members of National Statistics Offices to learn step-by-step how to get data into the software and customize the application to national requirements. Regional-level activities were generally broader introductions to the software and targeted a similar audience of representatives from several regions of the world. A representative from the UN HQ steering group attended all regional and nearly all country-level activities.

CensusInfo adaptations

A list of the countries that initiated or completed CensusInfo applications is provided at the following webpage: http://www.censusinfo.net/worldwide.html. This list is not comprehensive – the full list of countries that participated in a national training workshop and initiated and/or fully developed a CensusInfo adaptation is provided as an annex, via the following link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19219321/2014%20CensusInfo%20Country...

Purpose and Objectives of the Evaluation

The purpose of this evaluation is to guide the CensusInfo steering committee, consisting of UNSD, UNFPA and UNICEF management, regarding decision-making around the way forward for CensusInfo. The evaluation may also look at development impact of the project, to the extent possible. The timing of the evaluation is scheduled to inform the 2020 round of population and housing censuses, which is set to begin in 2015 (for the period 2015-2024).

The evaluation has the following inter-related objectives:

a. To assess the utilisation of CensusInfo among target audiences.

b. To assess utilisation of CensusInfo to inform policy-making

c. To assess the oversight, management, maintenance and implementation arrangements of CensusInfo.

d. To identify potential gaps and limitations, and to formulate potential solutions for overcoming these.

e. To explore options for improved institutional setup and possible opportunities for collaboration with other census data partners.

f. To assess feasibility of data exchange/migration between different dissemination/analysis software (such as CSPro or Redatam).

g. To systematically document key processes and practices which influence the implementation of CensusInfo and its utilisation, in comparison with other data management tools/systems.

h. To assess CensusInfo in terms of adequate user-friendliness, accessibility, efficiency (speed of service), and whether it is sufficiently demand-driven and user-focused.

i. To assess the quality of support provided to countries in implementing CensusInfo, including the training workshops, user and instruction manuals as well as technical support.

j. To identify strategic entry points where UN support for census data dissemination would be most catalytic and value-added.

Scope and Focus

The evaluation should apply the standard DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Some specific evaluation questions are below (subject to revision):

Relevance

1. How is CensusInfo responding to the demand, if any, for socio-demographic and economic data to guide evidence based planning by policy makers, the UN system, researchers and the donor community?
2. To what extent do the objectives of CensusInfo respond to the need for monitoring national development goals and the MDGs?
3. Are there any synergies between CensusInfo and other data management tools/system facilitating access to socio-demographic and economic data?
4. How does the CensusInfo software compare with other currently available (free) software packages, in terms of potential for achieving project objectives?

Effectiveness

1. To what extent does CensusInfo provide a data platform for socio-demographic and economic monitoring? Is CensusInfo a user-friendly tool to provide such data?
2. Is use limited to national statistics offices, or has it penetrated to sub-national levels (regional and district levels), as well as to the general public? How can it be scaled up to reach even more users?
3. Is there sufficient capacity for effective utilisation of CensusInfo at country level?
4. Has access to and utilisation of socio-demographic and economic census data improved as a result of CensusInfo?
5. Has the CensusInfo management structure been effective at facilitating the project?
6. To what extent are existing/other data management tools/systems supporting the utilisation of CensusInfo and vice-versa?
7. How effective is CensusInfo in providing data for socio-demographic and economic monitoring in comparison/relation to other data management tools/systems?
8. Have the capacity strengthening efforts been translated into sustainable capacity increases for both internal and external actors?

Efficiency

1. Does the CensusInfo oversight, management and maintenance structure enable efficient use of resources?
2. Is the CensusInfo implementation structure appropriate, i.e. with the selected contractors (contractual arrangements, outsourcing model, competitiveness/cost analysis)?
3. Is the CensusInfo annual work planning process appropriate?
4. Is the CensusInfo fund raising mechanism meeting stakeholders’ expectations? Does the short-term funding model support the long-term vision for CensusInfo?
5. To what extent do issues of data quality and database structure contribute to utilization of CensusInfo?
6. To what extent are the CensusInfo systems efficient, i.e. mechanisms for monitoring content, structure, frequency of updating, online helpdesk response time?
7. Are there more efficient or cost-effective data management tools for census data dissemination that could be promoted instead of CensusInfo?

Impact

1. To what extent has CensusInfo influenced evidence-based planning and decision making at country level?
2. To what extent has the CensusInfo project positioned the UN system as a go-to leader in dissemination of census data?

Sustainability

1. What are the options for future UN support to census data dissemination? Should such a project be called “CensusInfo”, or something else?
2. What happens at country level after the initial training workshop that prevents CensusInfo databases from being finalized, launched and used?
3. How sustainable would CensusInfo (an HQ census data dissemination project) be if there were no funding from HQ side, i.e. funding only provided at country level?
4. What are the barriers / bottlenecks to greater uptake of CensusInfo at country level, and greater options for UN support to census data dissemination at country level?

Key Stakeholders

· UNICEF, HQ, Regional Offices and Country Offices

· UNFPA, HQ, Regional Offices and Country Offices

· UNSD

· NSOs

· Others as deemed appropriate by the consultant

Evaluation process and Methodology

The evaluation may employ a variety of methodologies including desk reviews, a user survey, stakeholder meetings and other relevant and appropriate methods as determined by the consultant. Wide stakeholder involvement is envisaged. The evaluator will travel to countries that have carried out CensusInfo activities, and meet with UN and government counterparts. The consultant is expected to conduct a participatory evaluation providing meaningful involvement to CensusInfo users and other interested parties. Involvement of stakeholders should be an integral component of the evaluation design and planning, information collection, the synthesis of findings and recommendations, and reporting and results dissemination.

The evaluation will go through the following phases: preparatory, inception, fieldwork, final report and dissemination.

Expected Deliverables

The evaluation is scheduled start during the second quarter of 2014 and should be completed by the end of July 2014. A suggested schedule of outputs and key events is shown in the table below:

DeliverablesTiming Inception Report 31 May 2014 Draft Evaluation Report 15 July 2014 Validation meeting for key findings 20 July 2014 Final Evaluation Report 31 July 2014

Desired background and experience

The evaluator should have a solid understanding of international development issues and a proven track record of conducting evaluations in a professional manner.

The consultant should have the following qualifications:

· Master’s Degree or higher in Social Science, Public Administration, Statistics, Demography or other relevant field

· At least 8 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation, and promoting the use of data for decision-making.

· Familiarity with UNICEF and the wider UN system; Experience in UN coordination

· Understanding of the purpose of data in planning, monitoring and evaluation

· Extensive evaluation experience and expertise, including demonstrated skills in the development and implementation of user surveys and participatory evaluations.

· Demonstrated analytical skills related to the use of statistics for decision making.

· Excellent report writing skills and language proficiency: English (mandatory); Spanish/French (desired)

· Familiarity with DevInfo software is desirable, but not required

· Familiarity with commercial and non-commercial (eg. CSPro, IMIS, Redatam) data management softwares for the dissemination of socio-economic and demographic data.

Management and Accountability

UNICEF will provide technical and logistical support in the management of this evaluation, on behalf of the CensusInfo steering committee. UNICEF will also make arrangements on behalf of the consultant to meet relevant key stakeholders for this evaluation including other UN agencies and NSOs. Travel will be required to New York and other key locations around the globe.

The consultant will be responsible for conducting the evaluation. This entails, among other responsibilities, designing the evaluation according to the specific terms of reference; gathering data from different sources of information; analyzing and systematizing the information; identifying patterns and causal linkages that explain current performance; drafting evaluation reports at different stages (inception, draft, final); responding to comments and factual corrections from stakeholders and incorporating them, as appropriate, in subsequent versions; addressing comments by the steering committee; and making briefs and presentations ensuring the evaluation findings, conclusions and recommendations are communicated in a coherent, clear and understandable manner once the report is completed. All reports shall be written in English. The consultant is responsible for editing and quality control and the final report should be presented in a way that directly enables publication (with minimal editorial intervention).

The consultant will be reporting to the UNICEF Data and Analytics Section, Division of Policy and Strategy. As the consultant will be operating in an independent and unbiased fashion from all parties, the supervisory role of UNICEF will be limited to administrative arrangements and facilitating access to information, as required by the consultant.

Key documentation for review and reference

· www.censusinfo.net

· www.devinfo.org

· CensusInfo workplans (2008-2012)

· DevInfo Evaluation 2009

· Other background documents on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses

Remuneration and payment schedule

The contract will cover all the deliverables for a fee to be defined based on the amount of work involved, the estimated number of days required to complete it, and the profile of the candidates applying for the assignment. Any required travel costs will be paid separately. There will be two payments as follows:

• 30% upon submission of the inception report, with an annotated outline of the evaluation

· 70% upon submission of the final version of the report

How to Apply

Deadline for submissions: 7 May 2014

Qualified candidates are requested to send their submissions to with subject line: CensusInfo Evaluation Consultant

Applications must include:

• Cover letter

• Maximum 3-page curriculum vitae (CV);

• Signed P11 form (which can be downloaded fromhttp://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html)

· An indication of ability, availability and a quote for daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above, (in US$). Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.

NOTE: Files should not exceed 5.0MB limit. It is advised to send two emails if you exceed the limit.

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General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors

1. Legal Status

The individual engaged by UNICEF under this contract as a consultant or individual contractors (the “Contractor”) is engaged in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other entity external to the United Nations. The Contractor is neither a "staff member" under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor an "official" for the purpose of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1946. The Contractor may, however, be afforded the status of "Experts on Mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention and the Contractor is required by UNICEF to travel in order to fulfill the requirements of this contract, the Contractor may be issued a United Nations Certificate in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.

1. Obligations

The Contractor shall complete the assignment set out in the Terms of Reference for this contract with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional techniques and practices.

The Contractor must respect the impartiality and independence of UNICEF and the United Nations and in connection with this contract must neither seek nor accept instructions from anyone other than UNICEF. During the term of this contract the Contractor must refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF or the United Nations and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICEF. The Contractor must exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to this contract.

In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, the Contractor (a) will conduct him- or herself in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service; and (b) will comply with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICE relating to fraud and corruption; information disclosure; use of electronic communication assets; harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority; and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.

Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, the Contractor must not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other entity external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to the Contractor by reason of his or her association with UNICEF or the United Nations. The Contractor may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF, and shall under no circumstances use such information for his or her private advantage or that of others. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of this contact.

1. Title rights

UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract. At the request of UNICEF, the Contractor shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights.

1. Travel

If UNICEF determines that the Contractor needs to travel in order to perform this contract, that travel shall be specified in the contract and the Contractor’s travel costs shall be set out in the contract, on the following basis:

(a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.

(b) UNICEF will reimburse the Contractor for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount equivalent to the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.

1. Statement of good health

Before commencing work, the Contractor must deliver to UNICEF a certified self-statement of good health and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement. In addition, the Contractor must include in this statement of good health (a) confirmation that he or she has been informed regarding inoculations required for him or her to receive, at his or her own cost and from his or her own medical practitioner or other party, for travel to the country or countries to which travel is authorized; and (b) a statement he or she is covered by medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from his or her usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, a list of which has been provided to the Contractor) the Contractor’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. The Contractor will be responsible for assuming all costs that may be occurred in relation to the statement of good health.

1. Insurance

The Contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of this contract as he or she considers appropriate taking into account, among other things, the requirements of paragraph 5 above. The Contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members. The responsibility of UNICEF and the United Nations is limited solely to the payment of compensation under the conditions described in paragraph 7 below.

1. Service incurred death, injury or illness

If the Contractor is travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contract, or is performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval, the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate), shall be entitled to compensation from UNICEF in the event of death, injury or illness attributable to the fact that the Contractor was travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contractor, or was performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval. Such compensation will be paid through a third party insurance provider retained by UNICEF and shall be capped at the amounts set out in the Administrative Instruction on Individual Consultants and Contractors. Under no circumstances will UNICEF be liable for any other or greater payments to the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate).

1. Arbitration

(a) Any dispute arising out of or, in connection with, this contract shall be resolved through amicable negotiation between the parties.

(b) If the parties are not able to reach agreement after attempting amicable negotiation for a period of thirty (30) days after one party has notified the other of such a dispute, either party may submit the matter to arbitration in accordance with the UNCITRAL procedures within fifteen (15) days thereafter. If neither party submits the matter for arbitration within the specified time the dispute will be deemed resolved to the full satisfaction of both parties. Such arbitration shall take place in New York before a single arbitrator agreed to by both parties; provided however that should the parties be unable to agree on a single arbitrator within thirty days of the request for arbitration, the arbitrator shall be designated by the United Nations Legal Counsel. The decision rendered in the arbitration shall constitute final adjudication of the dispute.

1. Penalties for Underperformance

Payment of fees to the Contractor under this contractor, including each installment or periodic payment (if any), is subject to the Contractor’s full and complete performance of his or her obligations under this contract with regard to such payment to UNICEF’s satisfaction, and UNICEF’s certification to that effect.

1. Termination of Contract

This contract may be terminated by either party before its specified termination date by giving notice in writing to the other party. The period of notice shall be five (5) business days (in the UNICEF office engaging the Contractor) in the case of contracts for a total period of less than two (2) months and ten (10) business days (in the UNICEF office engaging the Contractor) in the case of contracts for a longer period; provided however that in the event of termination on the grounds of impropriety or other misconduct by the Contractor (including but not limited to breach by the Contractor of relevant UNICEF policies, procedures, and administrative instructions), UNICEF shall be entitled to terminate the contract without notice. If this contract is terminated in accordance with this paragraph 10, the Contractor shall be paid on a pro rata basis determined by UNICEF for the actual amount of work performed to UNICEF’s satisfaction at the time of termination. UNICEF will also pay any outstanding reimbursement claims related to travel by the Contractor. Any additional costs incurred by UNICEF resulting from the termination of the contract by either party may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the Contractor under this paragraph 10.

1. Taxation

UNICEF and the United Nations accept no liability for any taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant and individual contractor on payments made under this contract. Neither UNICEF nor the United Nations will issue a statement of earnings to the consultant and individual contractor

How to apply:

How to Apply

Deadline for submissions: 7 May 2014

Qualified candidates are requested to send their submissions to with subject line: CensusInfo Evaluation Consultant

Applications must include:

• Cover letter

• Maximum 3-page curriculum vitae (CV);

• Signed P11 form (which can be downloaded fromhttp://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html)

· An indication of ability, availability and a quote for daily rate to undertake the terms of reference above, (in US$). Applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered.

NOTE: Files should not exceed 5.0MB limit. It is advised to send two emails if you exceed the limit.