National Consultant : Domestic and Sustainable Financing for TPSR, SRHR & DD

Purpose of consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide expert technical leadership to drive the implementation of the Sustainable Financing Roadmap for Uganda (2026–2030), specifically linked to the Demographic Dividend domestic financing requirements.

The consultant will lead evidence generation, strategic policy dialogue aligned with Uganda’s budget calendar, public financial management (PFM) assessments, and institutional capacity development to enable the Government of Uganda to:

- Spend More: Increase domestic budget allocations and leverage predictable resources for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), adolescent health, and TPSR implementation through targeted advocacy in Uganda's budget cycle.

- Spend Better: Diagnose Public Financial Management (PFM) bottlenecks, improve expenditure execution, equity, and efficiency across national and district local government levels.

- Diversify Financing Sources: Explore innovative financing, results-based mechanisms, private sector engagement, and alignment with International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

- Institutionalize Systems: Embed financing tools, analytics, and tracking mechanisms directly into government PFM processes to support the transition from aid funding to sustainable domestic financing.

Scope of work:

1. Background

Sustainable financing is not achieved by isolated fundraising activities. It emerges when robust evidence, effective policy dialogue, stronger public financial management and diversified partnerships reinforce each other to influence government financing decisions. This consultancy will support UNFPA to strengthen Uganda's sustainable financing ecosystem for population and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The consultant will support the generation and use of strategic evidence, strengthen institutional capacity, and foster policy dialogue to translate evidence on financing into sustainable public investment and long-term financing reforms.

2. Overall Objective

To lead the execution of the UNFPA CPD10 Sustainable Financing Roadmap, integrating financing analytics and driving evidence-informed policy dialogue aligned with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 2015 budget calendar, and Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB) architecture, specifically under the Human Capital Development Programme Working Groups.

3. Specific Objectives & Strategic Pillars

Pillar 1: Build the Evidence & Analytics

- Cost of Inaction & Investment Cases: building on the existing evidence, update, adapt, and generate economic evidence/policy briefs on the cost of inaction regarding teenage pregnancy, SRHR and DD.

- Budget Notes & Factsheets: Develop targeted budget notes, financing factsheets, and policy briefs to quantify financing gaps and demonstrate Return on Investment (ROI) to key fiscal decision-makers.

- Fiscal Space & Efficiency Analysis: Identify potential fiscal space opportunities like earmarked health revenues and taxes, and model efficiency gains in current health/social sector spending.

Pillar 2: Influence Public Financing – "Spend More"

Primary Goal: Drive evidence-informed advocacy across critical decision points in the Ugandan budget calendar to protect, create, and scale domestic budget allocations for DD, SRHR, teenage pregnancy prevention, and TPSR implementation at national and District Local Government (DLG) levels.

- Q1 Touchpoint (Sept – Dec) | Budget Strategy & Budget Framework Papers (BFPs):

- 1st Budget Call Circular (BCC1) Engagement (Sept–Oct): Work with the Ministry of Health (Adolescent & School Health Division) and the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme Working Group (PWG) to ensure adolescent SRHR and TPSR priorities are integrated into the Programme Budget Framework Paper (PBFP) ceilings.

- District Local Government (DLG) BFP Technical Support (Oct–Nov): Support key pilot/scale-up districts during regional LG budget consultations to ensure UNFPA CPD10 indicative planning figures, TPSR surveillance, and SRHR/DD indicators are captured in DLG BFPs.

- Cabinet & MoFPED Submissions (Dec 31): Prepare concise Budget Advocacy Briefs for MoFPED ahead of the final National Budget Framework Paper (NBFP) submission to Parliament.

- UNFPA CPD10 cofinancing MOUs with NPA and DLG (Dec 31): provide technical support to draft and negotiate the co-financing MOUs with MoFPED and MoLG, for the implementation of the UNFPA Country Programme 10.

- Q2 Touchpoint (Jan – Feb) | Parliamentary Scrutiny of the NBFP:

- Parliamentary "Budget Champions" Engagement (Jan): Facilitate targeted advocacy roundtables with the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Committee on Gender, Committee on Budget, and the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) using Cost of Inaction and Investment Case findings.

- NBFP Recommendations Push (Feb 15): Provide technical inputs and draft memo language to MPs to ensure Parliamentary recommendations on the NBFP mandate higher funding allocations for adolescent health supplies (family planning/contraceptives), SGBV response, and school-based health tracking.

- Q3 Touchpoint (March – May) | Ministerial Policy Statements (MPS) & Appropriation:

- 2nd Budget Call Circular (BCC2) & MPS Finalization (March 15): Assist MoH and relevant MDAs in populating the Program Budgeting System (PBS) to ensure specific DD/SRHR/TPSR activity codes and budget lines are retained in the Ministerial Policy Statements.

- Sectoral Committee Hearings (April 1 – April 20): Equip civil society coalitions, youth champions, and MoH technical teams with analytical briefing kits to defend DD/SRHR lines during MPS sectoral committee reviews.

- Appropriation Bill Enactment (May 31): Track and verify that final parliamentary appropriations retain approved DD, SRHR and TPSR allocations prior to presidential assent.

Pillar 3: Improve Spending Efficiency – "Spend Better"

Primary Goal: Diagnose Public Financial Management (PFM) bottlenecks, optimize budget execution rates, and ensure public investments in DD, SRHR and TPSR yield high value-for-money and equitable outcomes across national and local government levels.

- Budget Execution & Release Tracking (Q1–Q4 Quarterly Cycles):

- Quarterly Fund Release Audits: Analyze MoFPED quarterly warranting and release performance for health and social development votes to identify delays in operational fund disbursement to central divisions and DLGs.

- Absorption & Execution Rate Reviews: Assess execution bottlenecks (procurement delays, late IFMS releases, cash flow constraints) affecting adolescent SRHR commodity procurement (NMS/JMS) and district TPSR operations.

- PFM System Diagnostics & Efficiency Analyses:

- Public Expenditure & Bottleneck Analysis (PEBA): Conduct a targeted PFM review of how domestic resources flow from MoFPED to MoH, MoES, MoGLSD, MoLG and downstream to District Health Teams (DHTs), health facilities, schools and other committees.

- Value-for-Money (VfM) & Equity Mapping: Evaluate unit costs and equity distribution of health/social sector spending to ensure funds reach high-burden, vulnerable adolescent populations (applying Leave No One Behind criteria).

- Efficiency Reallocation Recommendations: Identify operational double-counting or programmatic inefficiencies, providing actionable options to reallocate savings directly into core SRHR/DD/TPSR surveillance and response activities.

Pillar 4: Diversify Financing Sources

Primary Goal: Broaden the SRHR and adolescent health financing architecture beyond traditional public budgets by leveraging International Financial Institutions (IFIs), results-based mechanisms, and innovative private sector partnerships.

- IFI Portfolio Alignment (World Bank, AfDB, Global Fund, GFF):

- Human Capital Development Project Integration: Map ongoing and pipeline IFI loan/grant operations in Uganda (e.g., World Bank health/education projects, UgIFT, UACE) and develop technical briefs to embed TPSR and adolescent health disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) or results conditions into IFI programs.

- Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Blended Finance:

- RBF Framework Design: Formulate concrete options for incorporating adolescent SRHR, teenage pregnancy prevention, and retention indicators into existing National/DLG Results-Based Financing frameworks.

- Blended & Catalytic Finance Models: Explore feasibility for co-financing mechanisms where UNFPA catalytic funds or development partner grants leverage concessional government borrowing or private sector co-investments.

- Private Sector & Innovative Financing Mobilization:

- Private Sector & CSR Mapping: Identify major private sector entities (telecoms, banking, commercial agriculture, energy) operating in Uganda with corporate social responsibility (CSR) or ESG alignment to adolescent empowerment, digital health, and SRHR.

- Private-Public Partnership (PPP) Models: Design investment packages for private sector participation in digital TPSR reporting platforms, adolescent-friendly health service delivery, or skill-building initiatives for young mothers and youth.

Pillar 5: Institutional Capacity Building & Knowledge Transfer

- Government Ownership: Progressively transfer econometric models, financing dashboards, and analytical tools to technical staff in MoH, MoFPED, MoGLSD, MoES, MoLG and NPA.

- UNFPA & Partner Capacity: Train the UNFPA Country Office team and government counterparts on interpreting, presenting, and translating financing analytics into high-level policy dialogue:

Inception Training (End of Phase 1) : Provide a foundational overview of Uganda’s budget cycle, PBB architecture and key fiscal decision points to ensure alignment across teams. Clarify consultant’s scope of work and identify touchpoints requiring UNFPA staff input.

- Endline Training (Phase 6) : Technical transfer of developed econometric models and analytical tools to ensure long-term government and staff ownership. It will also evaluate the impact of the consultancy’s deliverables on recent policy outcomes and establish strategies for sustaining evidence-informed advocacy in future budget cycles.

- Ad Hoc Technical Orientations: Conduct brief walkthroughs of emerging deliverables to UNFPA staff and government partners as required to gather feedback throughout the project lifecycle and ensure UNFPA & Partner capacity is built.

4. Geographic Coverage

The consultancy will focus at national level and specifically on the 13 SAY Plus + programme districts in West Nile, Acholi, Karamoja, Bukedi and Busoga.
5. Evaluation Approach and Methodology The consultant will employ a mixed-methods, health economics, and public financial management approach, including the following:

- Quantitative Fiscal & Budget Analysis: Expenditure tracking, budget execution modeling, fiscal space assessments, and investment case recalculations.

- Political Economy & Stakeholder Analysis: Mapping budget decision-makers, incentive structures, and distributive bargaining dynamics within health and fiscal planning cycles.

- Systems Analysis & PFM Audits: Evaluating resource flows, release schedules, and administrative bottlenecks from central ministries down to District Local Governments (DLGs).

Participatory & Capacity-Building Workshops: Conducting technical sessions with parliamentary committees, MoFPED, MoH, MoGLSD, MoES, MoLG and UNFPA staff.

Deliverables:

Roadmap Phase

Core Deliverables & Milestones

PFM Cycle Alignment / Target Timeline

Payment (%)

Phase 1 & Inception

Inception Report & PFM Mapping Strategy: Approved inception report, detailed workplan aligned budget cycle, and budget baseline assessment mapping CPD10/SAY Plus financing to the PBB structure.

Month 1 September

15%

Phase 2

Evidence Suite: Cost of Inaction analysis, updated SRHR/TPSR Investment Case, Financing Factsheets, and Fiscal Space Analysis report.

Month 1

September

20%

Phase 3

Public Budget Advocacy & MPS Package:

• PBFP Submission Briefs (Human Capital Development PWG).

• MOUs with NPA and MoLG for the CPD10 cofinancing agreement with UNFPA.

• Parliamentary Budget Committee Briefing Kits.

• MPS Analysis Memo & Final Budget Allocation Report.

Month 2-4

25%

Phase 4

PFM Bottleneck & Expenditure Efficiency Report: Public Expenditure & Execution Review analyzing fund flows, release delays, procurement efficiencies, and equity metrics for TPSR/SRHR/DD.

Month 6-9

(Aligned with Q2/Q3 budget execution reviews)

20%

Phases 5 & 6

Financing Diversification Roadmap & Final Synthesis: IFI/Private Sector engagement framework, Results-Based Financing options paper, complete transfer of econometric tools to MoGLSD/MoES/MoH/MoLG/MoFPED staff, and Final Sustainable Financing Synthesis Report.

Month 10-11

20%

Duration and working schedule:

The consultancy is expected to last 100 working days for the Consultant within 11 months- 3 days per week.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

The consultants will submit electronic versions of the reports for each of the Phases listed in the deliverables.

Supervisory arrangements:

Direct Supervision: The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNFPA Programme Specialist Population and Dynamics / Sustainable Financing Lead, in close coordination with the Gender & Youth Coordinator and SRHR Coordinator.

Government Collaboration: Technical work will be executed in close consultation with the MoH Adolescent and School Health Division, MoFPED, National Planning Authority, and the SAY Plus + Secretariat.

Technical Backstopping: Methodological review, quality assurance, and peer review of major financial analytics will be supported by the UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) Health Economics / Sustainable Financing Advisors.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s) in Health Economics, Public Finance, Economics, Public Policy, Development Economics, or a related field.

Knowledge and Experience:

- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in health economics, public financial management, domestic resource mobilization, and sustainable financing strategies in developing countries (experience in Uganda strongly preferred).

- Deep Knowledge of Uganda PFM Law & Processes : Direct, practical understanding of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA 2015), Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB), the Program Budgeting System (PBS), Budget Call Circulars, and parliamentary budget approval procedures.

- Fiscal Analytics: Demonstrated expertise in developing Investment Cases, Cost of Inaction analyses, Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs), and fiscal space analyses within health, population, or social sectors.

- Strategic Policy Engagement: Proven capacity in high-level policy advocacy with Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Health, National Planning Authorities, Parliamentary Committees, and IFIs (World Bank, AfDB).

- Innovative Finance & PFM : Solid understanding of IFI operations, Results-Based Financing (RBF) frameworks, blended finance, private sector engagement, and conducting PFM execution analyses at national and district levels.

- Excellent facilitation, training, and strategic communication skills, with a proven ability to translate complex economic data into practical policy messages for decision-makers.

Languages:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Required Competencies:

Values:

- Exemplifying integrity,

- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,

- Embracing cultural diversity,

- Embracing change

Core Competencies:

- Achieving results,

- Being accountable,

- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,

- Thinking analytically and strategically,

- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,

Interested consultants are invited to submit the following:

- Motivation letter

- A detailed proposal outlining the approach, methodology and budget for the assessment/consultancy.

- CV of the lead consultant, highlighting past experience working as a lead consultant in similar evaluations

- Examples of previous relevant work.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.