Local Assets Management Consultant for USAID DOBRE Program/Короткостроковий консультант з управління активами (земельні питання, облік та фінанси) в програму USAID DOBRE

Global Communities is seeking qualified short-term consultant for USAID-funded Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency Program (DOBRE):

POSITION:                                                      Local Asset Management Consultant

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:                         11 months

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:                          Communities located in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Ternopil regions

LOE (Level of Effort) DAYS:                           depends on the number of ATСs that will be assigned to the consultant

OBJECTIVE:

Global Communities is implementing the USAID funded Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency (DOBRE) program in Ukraine.  Launched in 2016, this 5-year project is helping leaders of newly formed Amalgamated Territorial Communities (ATC) to effectively manage resources, increase the quality of public services, stimulate local economies, and improve citizen engagement.

DOBRE has the goal of enabling these new ATCs to thrive and prosper, while serving as a model and motivation to other cities working to amalgamate. As one strategy to achieve this, DOBRE will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of financial management systems and processes in its partner consolidated communities.

DOBRE implemented a comprehensive assessment of the financial management operations, procedures, and processes in each partner ATC. Asset management problems were among the most important identified drawbacks, bottlenecks, and gaps during the financial management assessment (FMA). During the amalgamation, the property of the territorial communities, which were amalgamated, was transferred by transfer and acceptance acts. The complete inventory of the property of communities was not carried out. In some communities, lists of communal property objects have been approved, but the work on the detection, registration of ownerless property in the territories of the ATCs is not systematic. A small number of ATCs gained revenues from leasing communal properties. List of the object subject to privatization and list of property that may be leased out were made public in a few ATCs. Most of the ATCs do not have proper mapping materials, land surveying, and urban planning documentation; there are no developed master plans and technical documentation for establishing boundaries. The normative-monetary valuation of the land of the ATCs needs to be updated in the medium term (mainly 2018-2019). The complete land inventory has not been carried out in most of the ATCs. The lease agreements were mainly concluded before the amalgamation of territorial communities. Land auctions are held exceptionally. In most of the communities, there are no provisions on the lease of land plots, including the procedure for concluding a lease agreement, or it had been adopted before the amalgamation. All this leads to the fact that communities not only do not know how to manage their property but also, in fact, do not know what their property is.

In 2019, DOBRE provided technical support to 47 communities to improve asset management capacity: Asset Management Programs were developed, registers of communal property were developed, necessary provisions were adopted, and asset management tools were being implemented. In 2020, DOBRE plans to continue implementing tools for selected communities that have worked in 2019 in this area.

The next step is to conduct training and consultation programs to improve the capacity of ATCs in different areas of financial management based on the identified problems during the FMA for the next 28ATCs. Through advisory and training support, DOBRE plans to improve the capacity of asset management in partner communities.It is expected that representatives of each community will develop, together with consultants, the Asset management improvement program (AMIP), work on the implementation of tools/mechanisms for improving asset management, form a list of communal property.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / SPECIFIC TASKS:

DOBRE will select applicants capable of providing ATCs training, assistance and other tasks in asset management for DOBRE selected communities in 7 regions (Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolayiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil). The selected Consultants will be those best positioned to contribute to the successful implementation of this DOBRE activity, while demonstrating a high potential for supporting sustainable asset management improvements at the local level after DOBRE’s completion. 

Specific tasks for improving local budget process:

Task 1. Each selected Consultant will be involved in training program for asset management for ATCs, which will cover the main aspects of asset management legislation, valuation, procedures for establishing fair value and inventory of assets, methods and principles for the effective management of property and community resources, work with the ownerless property, compiling a list of communal property, asset mapping, etc. The list of questions may vary depending on community requests and the proposed methodology of the project. Each selected Consultant will take part in developing the methodology of training and workbook that will be used during training by participants and reflect the main training issues. The workbook will contain a set of practical tips, recommendations, tools and templates for main documents on asset management.

Task 2. Each selected Consultant will identify the key issues and effectiveness of community asset management based on the results of financial management assessment, interviewing public officials and analysis of open source information, including central executive bodies (for example, land cadastre). It is expected that within the framework of the contract, each selected

Task 3. After the trainings, each selected Consultant will start the direct technical assistance to improve the asset management system in the communities. This assistance will include visits to communities for evaluation, advisory support and guidance on improving asset management. Consultant will help to develop the necessary regulatory documents on asset management and support communities in their implementation. Each community is expected to implement at least 1 regulatory document.

Task 4. Each selected Consultant will help each ATCs from Cohort 3 to compile a list of communal property. These municipal property lists should be made public on community sites. If communities, with the support of the DOBRE Program, connect to community asset mapping platforms, selected consultants will accompany the process by providing advisory support.

Task 5. After analyzing the main problems and taking into account the lists of communal property, each selected organizations will, together with community representatives, develop the Asset Management Improvement Program (AMIP) for each community of Cohort 3. This Program should include specific steps to how to improve the effectiveness of management of community property and resources (for example, sell, lease, etc.). The AMIP will also contain information about the community’s intentions to conduct a complete inventory of property and land resources, taking into account the financial resources of the community. Special attention will be paid to the issues of work with ownerless property in the communities and coordination with other state bodies to effectively fill the governmental bases on communal property and land (in particular with the regional departments of State Fiscal Service to increase tax revenues and fees).

 Task 6.  In each community from Cohort 3, at least two tools/mechanisms for improving asset management from the adopted Asset Management Improvement Program will be implemented under the supervision of the selected Consultants. In selected communities from Cohorts 1-2 (no more than 20 communities in total, up to 5 communities per consultant), selected consultants will continue to work on the implementation of tools / mechanisms to improve asset management. These communities are expected to implement at least 2 tools / mechanisms to improve asset management.

Task 7. Each selected Consultant will prepare a report (in Ukrainian and English) on the results of the work with information on the best identified during the asset management work. The consultant will present the results of the work at a public event organized by DOBRE Program.

Task 8. Based on the results of work, consultants will formulate proposals for the improvement of asset management legislation to be provided to stakeholders by DOBRE Program.

Task 9. It is planned that the selected Consultant will visit at least 2 times each ATCs to complete all tasks and deliverables. Each selected Consultant will provide telephone and/or on-line consultation on problem issues of the budget process during the duration of the contract (for all communities) with fixing them.

The selected consultants will work partner communities of DOBRE Program (the distribution of the ATCs for each consultant will depend on their experience, territorial location, time and other criteria). One of the selected consultants will perform the function of group leader.

COORDINATION AND SUPERVISION:

To ensure the fulfillment of the above tasks, the Consultant will:

• Liaise and ensure constant communication/coordination with DOBRE project team and consultants/experts regarding all aspects of the assignment to ensure coordinated inputs into the result-oriented training and coaching of the representatives of ATC;
• Submit all the deliverables for review, comments and approval to DOBRE project team as requested;
• Hold consultations and briefings with DOBRE project team as requested.

THE SELECTION PROCESS:

Global Communities will select consultants based on meeting the following criteria:

• Experience and knowledge of local government asset management
• Previous experience (or ability to demonstrate the capacity) of working with the amalgamated communities, facilitating public meetings in the community;
• Previous experience with handbooks and infographics development;
• Working level of English language is an asset.

 In submitted application, applicants should:

• Clearly identify and describe how they propose to complete the described activities by providing samples of work and references (clients/participants) demonstrating their competence.

To apply please send your CV as well as cover letter with summary of your experience as described above to [email protected] indicating “Local Asset Management Consultant” in the subject line by COB December 27, 2019.

Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone inquiries will be accepted.