International Salary Survey Consultant

Background

United Nations programmes worldwide support highly skilled and dedicated national staff. From its inception, the United Nations has recognized the central role of its locally recruited staff in its work. In recognition of the important contribution of national staff, the General Assembly established the founding principle for setting compensation for locally recruited staff. With the Flemming Principle, the General Assembly established and maintained that conditions of service for locally recruited staff should reflect the best prevailing conditions found locally for similar work.

In order to make the Flemming Principle a working reality, consistently applied in each duty station, the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) approved a comprehensive methodology. This methodology provides clear and consistent guidelines for evaluating local labour market conditions, identifying leading employers and establishing accurate comparisons with these employers to ensure that United Nations’ salaries reflect best prevailing conditions.

Salaries for locally recruited staff are established through labour market surveys of the employers presumed to be among the best in the locality. On a five-year cycle, comprehensive salary surveys are carried out to identify the employers that offer the best overall conditions in order to be a reference to United Nations salaries. Between comprehensive salary surveys, interim surveys are conducted to update information on changes in salaries and benefits for the retained comparator employers.

In Turkey, the latest Comprehensive Salary Survey was conducted in 2019.

Comparator employer is a local business enterprise or public institution selected to serve as an outside reference to determine appropriate salaries, allowances and benefits for locally recruited United Nations staff.

Comparators are public and private sector employers representing a cross-section of economic activity in Turkey. Selection of the best local employers is made through a process of data gathering and comparative analysis of the remuneration package of locally recruited staff.

There are two acceptable interim adjustment procedures, namely a mini-survey or indexation. The determination of the most suitable procedure should be based on the local conditions. At the time of the comprehensive survey, decisions should also be made on the appropriate manner to adjust salaries in the intervening period between comprehensive surveys. The establishment of an acceptable interim adjustment process requires accurate data and careful testing against past salary movements at the duty station.

The previous comprehensive salary survey has taken consideration of organizations with at least 50 employees in Ankara. UNDP IRH would like to obtain a review of the labor market in Istanbul and a comparison of labor market conditions in Istanbul to Ankara in order to evaluate whether differences in cost of living in two cities are reflected in labor market conditions. In this regard UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub would like to hire an International Salary Survey Consultant to initiate and coordinate this review process in-line with the authorized methodology.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Individual Consultant to be deployed through this Terms of Reference shall;

1. Review and study the UN Salary Survey Methodology and relevant background material. Understand and provide input on the salary survey process and factors considered by ICSC.
2. Undertake the necessary analysis on the data being used in the categorization of duty stations and assess the current category of Turkey and Istanbul specifically in case Istanbul is established as a separate duty station (Category I, pls visit http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/salaries_allowances/salaries/icsc2012.pdf for detailed information regarding categories). In case of identification of any short comings, prepare a report to justify the change in the category.  
3. Analyse existing comparators data (that was the basis of the Comprehensive Salary Survey conducted in 2019) including all benefits and identify comparators that are least favourable (providing lowest remuneration).
4. Assist in the development of a national consultant/company TOR to carry out data collection and coordination of comparators in Istanbul.
5. Coordinate national consultant who will be expected to conduct a research on Turkish labour market in Istanbul to define the list of employers that could be considered as potential comparators in line with the UN Salary Survey Methodology in case Istanbul is established as a separate duty station. The suggested list is expected to identify new potential comparators in line with best market practices, ensuring attractive and competitive salaries for UN staff.
6. Conduct analysis of potential comparators’ data collected by national consultant and provide a comparative analysis of potential comparators identified and comparators from 2019 comprehensive salary survey.
7. Conduct an analysis of identified possible comparators’ bonus payment strategy and methodology.
8. Conduct an analysis of identified possible comparators’ salary increase strategy and frequency
9. Deliver a study on Indexation, which may be used for adjusting salaries between comprehensive surveys to replace the conduct of interim salary surveys
10. Prepare data analyses report of indexation study which includes impact analyses of possible implementation of this methodology.
11. Provide expert perspective on the process and methodology applied, including strengths and weaknesses observed and recommendations for eventual improvements.
12. Analysis of the salary increases reflected within the past five years and comparing it to actualized labour market conditions during the same time line in reference to reflected inflation rates and the true effects of fluctuation of exchange rates in Turkey.
13. Minor analysis of the weaking of TL and negative effects on cost of living.
14. Provide regular briefings on progress in relation to TOR activities to Salary Survey Task Force and staff council.

The Consultant will be in day to day communication with UNDP Chief of Operations and Salary Survey Inter-Agency Task Force.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Through performance of the activities stipulated in this Terms of reference, the Individual Consultant shall provide following deliverables as detailed below, to inter-agency task force:

 

Deliverables/Outputs	Estimated Person/days to be Invested by the Consultant	Target Due Dates
DELIVERABLE 1: Work plan Prepare and present the initial work plan including activities and timelines	2 Days	Within 2 Weeks
DELIVERABLE 2: Q&A Session Conduct a Q&A session to UN staff members on salary survey methodology.	1 Day	Within 2 Weeks
DELIVERABLE 3: ToR of the National consultant Develop a national consultant/company TOR to carry out data collection and coordination of comparators in Istanbul.	1 Day	Within 2 Weeks
DELIVERABLE 4: FINAL REPORT The final report  shall consist of: Assessment of existing comparators with regard to salaries and benefits. A “Suggested Comparators List” that includes private and public organizations based in Istanbul, meeting the criteria of UN Salary Survey Methodology. At least 20 comparators are expected to be identified which are not already in the list of existing comparators. Data analysis for selection of suggested comparators including a comparative analysis of suggested comparators and comparators from last comprehensive salary survey. Data analysis of possible comparators’ bonus payment strategy and methodology. Data analysis of possible comparators’ salary increase strategy and frequency Data analyses report of indexation study which includes impact analyses of possible implementation of this methodology. Provide expert perspective on the process and methodology applied, including strengths and weaknesses observed and recommendations for eventual improvements. Analysis of the salary increases reflected within the past five years and comparing it to actualized labour market conditions during the same time line in reference to reflected inflation rates and the true effects of fluctuation of exchange rates in Turkey. Minor analysis of the weaking of TL and negative effects on cost of living.	15 days	Within 15 days following data collection by national Consultant

 

        All sections of the “Final Report” detailed above shall be written in English.

Institutional Arrangements

• The consultant will work under guidance and technical supervision of the UNDP Chief of Operations;
• The consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The consultant will work from home with mission travels if needed;
• The consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• Consultant will be in day to day communication with UNDP Chief of Operations and Salary Survey Inter-Agency Task Force.

Duties and Responsibilities of UNDP

UNDP shall provide the following to the Consultant:

1. UN Salary Survey methodology
2. Survey data from 2019 Comprehensive Salary Survey
3. Existing Comparator list and data

All information and data shared for the purpose of this assignment along with the outputs/deliverables/reports will be treated as strictly confidential by the Consultant.

Duration of the Work

The duration of the assignment shall not exceed three months from the date of contract signature.

Travel Arrangements

• Duty station of work for the assignment is home-based.
• The Consultant may be required to take mission travels depending on the duty station and with respect to the duties and responsibilities of the consultant stated within this Terms of Reference. The costs of these mission travels shall be included in the Price Proposal of the Consultants when requested.
• Any mission travel shall be approved in advance and in writing by the UNDP Chief of Operations based on the agenda of the mission travel to be prepared and submitted by the Consultant;
• The Advanced and Basic Security in the Field II courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
• Consultant shall comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/;  
• Consultant shall include above mentioned travel costs (full fare economy class return ticket, per diem) to her/his financial offer

 

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP.

Functional competencies:

• Ability to contribute to strategic planning and change processes of the comparators;
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines.
• Ability to lead formulation
• Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside of UNDP.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Proven networking, team building, organizational and communication skills.
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

General Qualification:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in law, statistics, labor economics, human resources or another related field. (10 pts)
• Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English (5pts);

General Professional Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in the area of compensation and benefits for international organizations. (20pts)

Specific Professional Experience

• Proven record of achievements and significant expertise in mapping similar assessments and in the field of salary surveys, job analysis, job descriptions, job matching, and construction of salary scale (20 pts)

Assets:

• Familiarity with the UNDP regulations and experience within UN system will be an asset (7,5 pts)
• Experience in dealing with salary survey for non-profit organizations will be an asset (7,5pts)

Payment

The payment shall be realized within 30 days upon submission of the “Final Report” detailed in above table by the Consultant and approval by UNDP in a form of lump sum.

If any of the activities mentioned in Article C of this Terms of Reference are not performed and/or the “Final Report” is not delivered by the Consultant in due time and to the satisfaction of UNDP, no payment will be made even if the Consultant has invested person/days to produce and deliver such deliverables.

The consultant shall be paid in US$ if he/she resides in a country different than Turkey. If he/she resides in Turkey, the payment shall be realized in TRY through conversion of the US$ amount by the official UN Operational Rate of Exchange valid on the date of money transfer.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

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

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in law, statistics, labor economics, human resources or another related field. (10 pts)
• Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English (5pts);

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in the area of compensation and benefits for international organizations. (20pts)
• Proven record of achievements and significant expertise in mapping similar assessments and in the field of salary surveys, job analysis, job descriptions, job matching, and construction of salary scale (20 pts)

• Familiarity with the UNDP regulations and experience within UN system will be an asset (7,5 pts)
• Experience in dealing with salary survey for non-profit organizations will be an asset (7,5pts)

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 pointsOnly those candidates who will obtain min. 70% of points in technical evaluation will be short-listed.Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position,
• Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
• Financial Proposal* in USD - consisting of total all-inclusive lump sum amount for professional fee for tasks specified in this announcement. Price offer must not include costs related to official missions. Missions will be paid separately as per UNDP rules and regulations.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, costs related to tax, health insurance, vaccination, personal security needs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). Financial proposal shall be inclusive of costs related to tax, social security premium, pension, visa (if needed) etc.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

General Terms and conditions and related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJsQualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

1. Annexes

• Annex I: UN Salary Survey Methodology (Section 1.3: Developing List of Comparator Employers, Section 1.5: Key Criteria for Employer Selection)
• Annex II: UN Salary Survey Methodology (Section 7.20: Indexation)
• 2019 Turkey Salary Survey