The United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) hereby invites qualified companies to submit tenders for the Mid-term Evaluation of the UN Ocean Decade which will take place between October 2024 and April 2025. The tentative timeframe for the evaluation is as follows:
- Inception Phase in October 2024
- Data Collection Phase October 2024 – January 2025
- Draft Evaluation Report by 31 January 2025
- Final Evaluation Report by April 2025
The purpose of this notice is to provide general information on the requirements for the procurement process and to inform interested suppliers how to obtain a copy of the Solicitation Documents.
External expertise is required in evaluating multistakeholder global programmes / initiatives, ocean science, and partnerships development / resource mobilization. A team of at least two core members, i.e., one team leader and/or a senior evaluator and a subject matter expert is recommended, but alternative and larger teams will also be considered.
Proposals are sought from companies with the following qualifications:
The firm / legal entity:
- must have been registered as a company for at least three years.
- must have at least three previous contracts/references.
Team Leader and/or Senior evaluator:
- An advanced University degree at master’s level or equivalent in evaluation, political science, social sciences, economics, public administration, or any field related to the topic of the evaluation.
- Broad expertise in project/programme evaluation, with a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in this field demonstrating a strong record in designing, conducting and leading evaluations, particularly of complex multistakeholder programmes or initiatives.
- Good knowledge of institutions and partners engaged in ocean science and research and a strong understanding of the UN system.
- At least 7 years of working experience acquired at the international level or in an international setting.
- Excellent oral communication skills in English
- Analytical and demonstrated excellent drafting skills in English (shown in a sample of work).
Subject matter expert(s):
- An advanced University degree at master’s level or equivalent in areas relevant to the topic of the evaluation such as oceanography, marine biology or any related field
- At least 7 years of professional experience in ocean science
- Good knowledge of institutions and partners engaged in ocean science and research and a strong understanding of the UN system.
- At least 7 years of professional experience working with multistakeholder partnerships / resource mobilization
- Excellent oral communication in English
- Demonstrated excellent report writing skills in English
The proposed team members should collectively have the following mandatory qualifications:
- At least three examples of conducting assignments for the UN
- Working knowledge of French and Spanish
- Examples of work demonstrating understanding and application of UN mandates in Human Rights and Gender Equality and/or of gender- and culturally sensitive approaches in evaluation
Desirable qualifications:
- Work experience(s) leading studies, research and/or evaluations in ocean sciences
- Knowledge of UNESCO-IOC and UN-Oceans’ members thematic areas of work
- Working knowledge of other UN languages (Russian, Arabic, Chinese).
Within the framework of the UN Sustainability Management Strategy (2020-2030), UNESCO has committed to promote and apply sustainable considerations in all its operations, including those related to the procurement of goods, works and services. Therefore, Bidders are strongly encouraged to comply with the following Sustainability Criteria (Environmental/ Social/ Economic) and provide proof of evidence on their commitment and capacity to respond positively to the below set of Criteria :
Prevention of Pollution: Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate a corporate environmental policy or an environmental management system (ISO 14001 or equivalent).
Climate change mitigation and adaptation: Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate the use of energy-efficient and clean transportation and logistics arrangements. Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate commitment to corporate social responsibility criteria for digital sobriety.
Inclusion of gender and persons with disabilities: Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate commitment to integrate gender mainstreaming in the project’s approach and personnel structure. Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate to be disability-inclusive.
Promoting sustainability throughout the supply chain: Bidders are encouraged to demonstrate to source responsible suppliers, specify more sustainable production and process methods, conduct background-check of potential suppliers for their record of social and environmental responsibility.
If there are several team members, preference will be given to a gender-balanced and culturally diverse team.
Interested companies who wish to participate in this Open International Competition must request a complete set of Solicitation Documents, available free of charge, from the UNESCO contact persons: e.sediakina@unesco.org and s.saunders@unesco.org.
The tenders with separate technical and financial proposals must be delivered by email to the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on or before 15/09/2024 at 23:59 hours CEST, in strict compliance with the instructions as stipulated in the Solicitation Documents.
UNESCO reserves the right to amend the documents at any time during the solicitation process. Any amendments or clarifications will be communicated directly to all Bidders who have requested for a complete set of solicitation documents and officially confirmed their intention to submit a sealed tender. No remuneration will be made to companies for preparation and submission of their tenders.