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UNDP and Irish Aid are supporting the National Assembly under a broad programme of Consolidating Democracy and Good Governance. The National Assembly requires the services of a short term consultant to train Members of the Portfolio Committee on Economic and Development Cluster on budget formulation and analysis.

Background

The National Assembly has established portfolio committees in order to enhance the oversight function of Parliament. Members of these committees are not technocrats and have not, in the main, had any prior training, experience or precedent to follow in discharging their oversight responsibilities.

The Portfolio Committee on Economic and Development Cluster is charged with the responsibility of considering the official statement on Lesotho’s financial and economic policy as well as the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure.

Assignment

The consultant will design and conduct a training programme for Members of the Committee with a view to enhancing their understanding of the budget. He will propose a training module for this purpose and   take the Committee through   practical exercises on the various stages of the budget cycle.

Expected Outcomes

At the end of the training, Members should be able to demonstrate knowledge of:

• Defining the budget

• Objectives and functions of the budget

• The budget process

• Features of the budget

• Evaluation of the estimates (budget speech, revenue estimates, recurrent expenditure estimates, and capital estimates)

• Identifying the critical aspects of the budget

• Relating the budget to government policies

• Assessing the impact of the budget on the public

• Reporting on the budget

• Financial accountability and the budget

• Parliamentary control over the budget

Consultant’s Qualifications

The consultant should be fluent in English and Sesotho and have:

• minimum qualifications of a Masters degree  in Economics, Accounting or Public Finance;

• experience of government financial systems;

• a background of working with the Executive and / or Members of Parliament;

     Location and Period of Assignment

Initial estimation of the efforts required for this assignment is 20 work days. These will be spread over a period of approximately 3 months in which an intensive training programme (i.e. theoretical instruction) should be planned, followed up by practical guidance to the committee members. Time spent on the assignment will be reported through timesheets on the basis of which the consultant will be remunerated.

Deadline for receipt of applications

Applications with full CVs should reach the Resident Representative, UNDP, UN House,  P.O.Box 301, Maseru or by e-mail to registry.ls@undp.org by Friday 13 February  2009