United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Vacancy Nº EDU/12/018
Consultancy: International Technical Adviser for the Revision of the School Operating Budget
and Evaluation of the Procurement System (6 months)
Closing Date: 30 August 2012
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1. Objectives and Outcomes
The main objectives of this assignment are to work with the international finance technical adviser to
strengthen the capacity of the Department of Finance to i.) revise the School Operational Budget
(SOB), proposing an increase in the share of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport’s (MoEYS)
recurrent budget as a proportion of the national recurrent budget; ii.) evaluate the procurement
system in MoEYS; and iii.) implement the MoEYS’ Public Financial Management Reform (PFMR)
Programme in accordance with the Consolidated Action Plan (CAP).
As a result of the consultancy, the Department of Finance will be in a better position to make policy
recommendations to senior leaders in MoEYS regarding the SOB as well as the whole education
budget and will also present a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the existing procurement
system within MoEYS.
2. Background
The Royal Government of Cambodia’s PFMR Programme was launched in 2004 and is led by
Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). It has the overarching goal of more effective use of public
resources to achieve policy results. It aims to improve standards of management and accountability in
the mobilisation of government financial resources and to increase efficiency and effectiveness in
their use. The implementation of the PFMR Program has four sequenced and prioritised platforms or
stages to progress towards the integration of budgeting, accountability and financial/ performance
review: 1) budget credibility; 2) effective financial accountability; 3) budget-policy linkages; and 4)
performance accountability. The PFMR programme is implemented within MoEYS by the PFMR
Working Group. It is envisaged that the reforms will also support aid effectiveness by making
possible the greater use of government systems. Education is a priority sector for PFMR Programme.
Through the Sub-Technical Working on PFM, the Education Sector Working Group and the Joint
Technical Working Group, development partners have also been supporting MoEYS to analyse the
trends over the past decade in the allocation of the recurrent budget for education as a share of the
total Government recurrent expenditure. In addition, development partners have been involved in
policy discussions regarding the revision of the School Operating Budget through the Small Working
Group on School Operating Budgets.
3. Scope of Work
During the assignment, the technical adviser will work on the revision of the SOB, strengthen the
systems for budget formulation and execution in MoEYS, the evaluation of procurement systems
within MoEYS and will also support the implementation of the PRMR programme.
4. Reporting
The technical adviser will be supervised by and report to the Director of the Department of Finance as
well as the PFMR sub-technical working group. The technical adviser will work closely with the PFMR
Secretariat and relevant departments in MoEYS. The consultant will also report formally to the
Education Specialist, UNICEF.
5. Responsibilities
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In order to achieve the expected outcomes of the consultancy, under the leadership of the Director of
the Department, the Technical Adviser will undertake the following tasks:
i. Revision of SOB
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In collaboration with the Sub-Technical Working Group on PFMR, develop a feasibility study
on the revision of the SOB informed by the learning from the School Improvement Grant
project
Assist the Sub-Technical Working Group on PFMR to revise Prakas 191 on SOB according to
the rules of the Department of Finance
ii. Budget formulation and execution
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Develop a framework to increase the percentage of the MoEYS recurrent budget as a
proportion of the national budget
Support the Department of Finance to advocate for an increase in the education budget using
evidence from education statistics
Develop training materials for the Department of Finance on budget formulation and other
relevant training courses
Identify the challenges for budget execution in each spending unit within MoEYS and propose
solutions
Support the Department of Finance to develop the framework, procedures and template for
each body within MoEYS to submit monthly reports against their budget plan in order to
enable analysis of the underspend
Develop a template for the financial analysis report and conduct training on it
iii. Evaluation of procurement systems
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Support the Department of Finance to conduct an evaluation of procurement systems within
MoEYS
iv. PFMR programme
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Support the Department of Finance to revise the Ministry Action Plan to be consistent with
CAP
Support the Department of Finance to prepare the Department Action Plan, Annual
Operational Plan and progress report for development partners and MEF
Support the Department of Finance to prepare for meetings related to PFMR
v. Other tasks
 Support the Department of Planning to implement and report on progress in achieving the
indicators in relation to the joint results framework for the EU Education Sector Policy Support
Programme
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6. Deliverables Linked to Payment of Fees
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Inception report
Feasibility study on SOB including new suggested formula for SOB
Report on the recommended framework to increase the MoEYS
recurrent budget as a proportion of the national budget
Progress report on months 1 and 2
Draft framework and process to analyse the underspend in the
budget
Template for financial analysis
Report on training conducted with relevant technical departments on
financial analysis
Report on the challenges and suggested solutions for budgeting and
budget execution
Progress report on months 2 and 3
Report on the evaluation of procurement systems within MoEYS
Revised Ministry Action Plan for MoEYS
Final report including progress in month 5
30 percent
30 percent
40 percent
7. Duration
The assignment is expected to run for six months from September 2012 to March 2013 but may be
extended based on performance and the needs of the Department of Finance.
8. Approach to Work
The Technical Adviser is contracted under the Capacity Development Partnership Fund and will be
required to work in such a way as to maximise the impact and sustainability of the input by taking an
approach that supports capacity development and ownership on the part of the lead department. In
particular, the technical adviser is required to:
 Work in close communication with the designated MoEYS manager, following the reporting
lines
 Take a mentoring approach that supports identified counterparts to take the lead progressively
on key tasks
 Work in close communication with the Technical Adviser for Planning, as well as others
appointed under the CDPF, in order to ensure coherence
9. Administrative Arrangements and Official Travel
The Technical Adviser will be based in the Department of Finance, MoEYS, Phnom Penh. The
consultant will use his / her own laptop. It is expected that the Adviser will undertake travel to the
provinces at least once during the consultancy.
10. Qualifications or Specialised Knowledge / Experience Required
 A Master’s Degree or equivalence in finance or business or a related discipline
 At least 10 years of international work experience in financial management with the ability to
develop capacity including a minimum of 5 years in the public sector
 Experience in implementing or supporting public financial management reforms
 Sound financial management and accounting or auditing knowledge in public sector, semipublic sector or private sector
 Experience in government budgeting processes and budget execution
 Ability to analyse financial reports linked to narrative progress reports
 Willingness to travel to provinces (Provincial and District Offices of Education and schools)
 Strong coaching and mentoring skills
 Excellent interpersonal, mentoring, facilitation and communication skills
 Fluency in English language is required. Knowledge of Khmer is an asset
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Computer literacy and presentation skills
11. Nature of ‘Penalty Clause’ to be Stipulated in Contract
Standard UNICEF penalty clause applies.
Unsatisfactory performance: In case of unsatisfactory performance the contract will be
terminated by notification letter sent 5 days prior to the termination date. In the meantime,
UNICEF will initiate another selection in order to identify appropriate candidate.
Performance indicators: Consultants’ performance will be evaluated against the following
criteria: timeliness, quality, quality of facilitation, and relevance/feasibility of
recommendations for Cambodia.
12. Remuneration Level and Estimated Cost of Contract
Given the technical nature of the work related to financing, the fee for the consultancy
has been established at the P4 level within the United Nations Salary Scale for the
Professional and higher Categories. The fee range is between USD 44,000 and USD
60,000 depending on experience and qualifications.
Payment of the fee instalments will be made following the submission of deliverables
to a satisfactory level, certified by the Education Specialist.
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