Objective:
The purpose of this procurement exercise is to relaunch the roster of Tax Experts to support the Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB) Initiative. TIWB is a joint initiative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched in 2015 to support developing countries strengthen national tax administrations. In 2017, UNDP established a roster of tax experts to undertake TIWB missions to host countries – the countries where the TIWB Initiative is being implemented. Over time, there has been an increased demand for specific tax audit expertise as well as for TIWB expertise in other areas related to taxation. Accordingly, a new roster of tax experts is being launched.
BACKGROUND
UNDP is the United Nation’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 170 countries and territories, supporting solutions to development challenges in these countries and developing national and local capacities that will help them achieve human development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels forms a spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.
The OECD is a global economic forum working with 38 member countries and more than 100 emerging and developing economies to make better policies for better lives. Its mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. The OECD provides a forum in which governments work together to share experiences on what drives economic, social, and environmental change, seeking solutions to common problems.
TIWB is a joint initiative of the UNDP and OECD launched in 2015 to support developing countries strengthen national tax administrations. The TIWB Secretariat is hosted at the OECD in Paris. Within UNDP, TIWB is managed under the Sustainable Finance Hub (FSH) – a finance and innovation platform that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the SDGs and leads the implementation of the new UNDP’s private sector strategy and other initiatives. FSH is an integral part of both the BPPS and the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), as well as part of the GPN. TIWB is managed under the Finance Sector Hub, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, New York with resource persons embedded in UNDP offices in Amman, Bangkok, Istanbul, Panama and Pretoria.
TIWB aims to strengthen tax administrations by transferring knowledge and technical skills to developing countries’ tax administrators. Under TIWB, tax experts work alongside local officials of developing countries’ tax administrations on tax-related issues, delivering practical solutions by working on confidential matters while operating under strict oaths of secrecy/ confidentiality agreements. With 109 completed and ongoing programmes (including 21 South-South programmes) in 54 countries and jurisdictions, TIWB has contributed to over USD 1.7 billion in additional tax revenues collected and tax assessments of USD 3.9 billion in additional tax assessments programmes across Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). For further information on TIWB and the partnership between the OECD and UNDP, please visit the TIWB website.
Building on the success of the TIWB model and recognizing the needs of tax administrations, TIWB has expanded to provide support in other tax areas. These include Tax and Crime Investigations, Effective use of Automatically Exchanged Information, Tax and Natural Resource Contracts, Tax and Environment, Implementation of the Global Minimum Tax, Digitalization of Tax Administrations, and Auditing of Value Added Taxes (VAT) on Digital Trade.
To support this new phase of the TIWB Initiative, UNDP is launching a new TIWB roster. Further, as part of the UNDP’s capacity enhancement efforts, the new TIWB roster is being brought on an automated platform as part of the GPN/Experts Roster. The new TIWB roster will have the following eight thematic areas.
A. Tax Audits.
B. Tax and Crime Investigations.
C. Effective Use of Automatically Exchanged Information.
D. Taxation and Natural Resource Contracts.
E. Taxation and Environment.
F. Practical Implementation of Global Minimum Tax Rules.
G. Digitalization of Tax Administrations.
H. Auditing of Value Added Taxes (VAT) on Digital Trade.
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Candidates may only apply for one thematic area that suits their expertise best. The eight thematic areas along with the required and desired qualifications are as under:
A. Thematic Area – TAX AUDITS
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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B. Thematic Area – TAX AND CRIME INVESTIGATIONS
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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C. Thematic Area – EFFECTIVE USE OF AUTOMATICALLY EXCHANGED INFORMATION
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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D. Thematic Area – TAXATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES CONTRACTS
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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E. Thematic Area – TAXATION AND ENVIRONMENT
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience: Fisheries
Mining/Extractive Industries
Forestry/Other Illegal Activities
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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F. Thematic Area –IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL MINIMUM TAX
Required Qualifications: Education: · An advanced university degree or equivalent in taxation, economics, business, accounting, law or other relevant fields will be scored higher; Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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G. Thematic Area – DIGITALISATION OF TAX ADMINISTRATIONS
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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H. Thematic Area – AUDITING Value added taxes on digital trade
Required Qualifications: Education:
Experience:
Language:
Desirable Qualifications:
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5. Application Procedure:
The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):
Note:
Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.
The Financial Proposal is to be submitted as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent ONLY to shortlisted candidates. |
6. Evaluation process:
Applicants will be evaluated against the criteria specified in the thematic area they have applied for. Applicants must meet the required qualifications. Candidates meeting the required qualifications will be scored based on a total of 100 points. Applicants obtaining 70 points and above will be placed on the respective thematic Roster. |
6. Contract Award and other arrangements:
When opportunities arise, tax experts on the roster will be contacted for availability and asked to submit a financial proposal for the assignments fitting their thematic area. NOTE:
Institutional arrangement:
Payment modality
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Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):
Annex 1 – UNDP P-11 Form for ICs
Annex 2 – IC Contract Template
Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions
Annex 4 – RLA Template
NOTE:
- Qualified women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org
- The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.