International Individual Consultancy for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Costing Analysis in Türkiye Individual Consultant International Position

 UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up.

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. And we never give up. For every child, advocacy.

Early Childhood Development (ECD), spanning from birth to early primary school, is a critical period that shapes brain development, health, learning capacity, social skills, and future productivity. Without adequate support, children may experience long-term cognitive, language, and psychosocial challenges. Globally, approximately 11–17% of children are at risk of developmental delays or disabilities, highlighting the importance of early detection, timely intervention, and family-centred support.

ECD and early intervention services are among the most cost-effective investments to reduce inequalities and enable vulnerable children to reach their full potential. Evidence shows that every US$1 invested in quality ECD programmes can yield returns of US$4–16 (Heckman, 2007).

For every child, inclusion

Türkiye, with the largest child population in Europe (26.5%), faces significant social and economic risks if early childhood services are not strengthened. The absence of a comprehensive early identification system and limited data on young children result in many children with developmental difficulties remaining unidentified and unsupported. ECD services with well-structured early identification and intervention systems remain largely unavailable and developmental monitoring of children is not practiced. 71% of children aged 0-6 years with functional difficulties do not receive adequate early intervention support. Due to the limited provision of ECD and disability support services for young children and their parents, mothers, as primary caregivers, miss out on the opportunity to participate in the workforce.

Türkiye’s 12th National Development Plan (NDP) prioritizes improving and scaling-up ECD services. To operationalize the NDP targets, UNICEF Türkiye has supported the Government develop a National ECD Strategy and Action Plan for 2024-2028. A National Multi-sectoral ECD Task force has been established to coordinate strengthening ECD services and establish an early identification and early intervention system.

Since 2023, notable progress has been made with modelling the provision of ECD services through the provision of early identification of developmental delays/disabilities and early intervention services (EI). In 2024, following UNICEF’s advocacy efforts, the government allocated 8,000,000 TRY to initiate the establishment of an early identification and early intervention system. Under this funding, and coordinated by the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, with the Ministry of Family and Social Services leading and UNICEF providing technical assistance, the first five model ECD Centers were established and became operational in Ankara, Mersin, Bursa, Kahramanmaraş, and Hatay. ECD Centers are established on MOFSS and municipality premises. As a result, over 30,000 families and children with delays or disabilities were provided with timely support. Data on children accessing these new services shows steady developmental progress and notable improvements in the quality of life for both children and their families. Building on this success, the Government has planned to finalize the piloting phase end 2026 and initiated gradual expansion starting with establishing 25 ECD Centers by 2028. By the end of 2026 the MOFSS plans to developed a costed plan for gradual expansion of ECD services as part of the social services system. This requires a clear understanding on financing options and costs for expansion. In this regard, the MOFSS has requested UNICEF for technical support in provision of technical support in this exercise.

How can you make a difference?

Provide technical support and guidance to the MOFSS in strengthening and scaling-up of ECD services by conducting a costing analysis study for development of policy recommendations with actionable financing options to support government in decision-making.

It is envisioned that the assignment will be implemented by a UNICEF international consultant jointly with the MOFSS expert group responsible for EI expansion. In addition, consultations with municipality project team and ECD staff on municipality ECD Centers will be conducted. The consultant is expected to work with the National Expert group to develop at least two short-term, mid-term and long-term costing scenarios for expanding Early Intervention services. These scenarios will include unit costs, total costs with breakdowns, and associated benefits, based on current statistics, data gathered from activities conducted within the scope of the study (such as system analysis, focus group analysis, desk study), and any additional relevant sources.

Costs for ECI service delivery: Human resources (salaries and benefits of professionals), essential materials (child development assessment tools, toys, books), facilities and equipment maintenance (equipment, utilities, rent), transportation for visits to the child’s natural environment, training and supervisions for quality, management and administration. In addition, costs associated with establishment of a new center, as well as maintenance costs of functioning Center should be considered.

Cost implications for ECI system development (scale up and maintenance): Cost of service delivery to ensure coverage of all eligible children within the country, developmental monitoring and identification of eligible children, research (situational analysis, regular research to enhance system functioning), multi-sectoral collaboration mechanisms, ECI Monitoring, evaluating and reporting systems, communication and awareness raising and other services in support of parenting: parenting support, peer support.

The costing work will include:

The analysis of current situation:

• Identify the ECI service and providers, especially those publicly provided and the number of children reached by the services
• Assess the actual costs of the services
• Understand the cost drivers and parameters

Defining all aspects to be costed:

• Define the key aspects of the ECI service that need to be included in the costing model

• Target groups (low vs high coverage), groups-specific services, location, duration-frequency (minimum vs best package);

• Identify the inputs required (eg staff)
• Identify the cost drivers and parameters, eg public sector salary scale, utilities, transport (market-based and locally-contextualized)
• Estimate the cost of the model’s implementation, possibly scenarios

Financing considerations:

• Assess the funding/financing sources available
• Estimate the financing gap
• Map the financing options available
• Consider a roll-out plan for a gradual implementation of the model

The results of this analysis will contribute to a better understanding of the costs associated with the expansion of provision of early intervention services at district, provincial and national levels. Understanding implications of expansion scenarios on operational and investment budgets will also be used as inputs to the planning and budgeting processes and cycles of government institutions.

Key Deliverables

• Prepare and conduct a costing analysis of scaling up early intervention services: current service delivery models will be mapped, financial requirements for expanding coverage will be estimated, and cost-efficient approaches to ensure equitable access for children and families identified.

1. Develop a detailed costing model with projections for different scale-up scenarios to demonstrate long-term sustainability.
2. Develop a user guide for the costing tool and build MOFSS capacity in using the costing tool for future planning of extension of ECI services.
3. Develop policy recommendations with actionable financing options to support government in decision-making.

PROCESS AND DELIVERABLES

The international individual consultant shall work under the guidance of the UNICEF ECD Manager. The contract will be effective from the date of signing until successful submission of the deliverables, which are estimated to require a total of 70 working days over a period of 6 months; from March 2026 to September 2026.

Table 1. Proposed timeline 

* All deliverables as per the scope of work must be satisfactorily completed and accept

* All deliverables as per the scope of work must be satisfactorily completed and accepted by UNICEF TCO to facilitate payment. The estimated working days for delivery are tentative..

Deliverables are contingent upon approval by the supervisor.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum requirements:

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Economics, Social policy, Early Childhood Development or a related field, with 10+ years of experience in policy analysis, simulations and costing of expansion of social service provision.
• Experience working as a quantitative expert and conducting data analysis in several country contexts, including but not limited to the region
• Expertise in systems analysis, strategy development, and costing model development related to early childhood development and intervention in particular is required;
• Experience in conducting single and/or multi-country studies assessing the efficiency of early childhood development services is required;
• Experience working with UNICEF Country Offices on early childhood development-related projects, policy, and implementation models, and costing of programmes targeting children is strongly preferred;
• Knowledge of global policies, care standards of children, early childhood development, and provision of childcare and parenting support services
• Excellent analytical thinking, training, report writing, and communication skills
• Previous experience in implementing relevant or similar consultancy work would be an asset
• Fluency in English (oral and written) is required.

Duty Station: The assignment will be home-based, with one 3-day in-country visit to Turkiye.

Supervisor: ECD Manager, UNICEF Türkiye Country Office

Duration: The timeline of the assignment will cover a period of 6 months. The individual consultant is expected to work 70 days as per the deliverable table above during the consultancy period.

Estimated Cost of Consultancy: Applicants shall present a detailed financial proposal that elaborates on daily costs based on the above-mentioned programme and deliverables, including the total sum demanded in USD. All costs, including travel, accommodation, administrative tools, communications, etc. shall be covered by the consultant/s in line with their daily fee. 

Payment: UNICEF will issue a contract in USD. The payment will be made in installments upon submission of the deliverables listed above and will be executed in USD.

Payment Schedule: The payments will be made upon the delivery of outputs. In case of any unexpected delay(s) in the estimated time frame (approval process, force majeure, etc.), the duration of the assignment might be extended subject to the same conditions and mutual will of the parties.

Travel Requirements: As part of inception period the assignment envisions one 3-day in country visit to visit pilot ECD centers and work with the National Expert group to finalize scope of the costing exersice. Payment will be based on actual expenses or published DSA rates. The consultant will work in close coordination with the UNICEF ECD Team and other programme teams, as required.

Remarks and Reservations: UNICEF reserves the right to terminate the contract and/or withhold all or a portion of payment if the rules and the regulations regarding confidentiality, ethics and procedures of UNICEF and the partners are not followed, the performance is unsatisfactory, or work/deliverables are incomplete, not delivered or fail to meet the deadlines.

The consultant must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

The assessment report and deliverables will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF is free to adapt or modify them in the future, in consultations with copyright holder. The consultant may not use the data, products or seek endorsements for their own purposes, nor license the data to be used by others, without the written consent of UNICEF.

Candidates are required to specify their daily rates and the total amount as per the number of anticipated working days for each deliverable in the financial proposal and provide the breakdown of the lump sum amount for each deliverable as well as incidentals of each deliverable in TL. It is up to the team how to divide the number of working days within the team.

Application Process:

Applicants are expected to submit to UNICEF the following documents:

1. 1. Financial Proposal  Financial Offer_ECDTURA2026-C.docx
   2. CV and Cover letter
   3. Technical proposal. at a minimum, the following components:
      • Methodology
      • A sample of relevant previous works, including developed materials and reports in the past
      • Risks and mitigating measures (with risks related to ethical issues clearly spelled out)
      
      
   
   

Financial proposals should be submitted in separate folders from the remaining documentation. After the technical evaluation, the financial proposals of qualified candidates will be evaluated. The technical evaluation will be completed based on the attached technical evaluation criteria. The applications will be evaluated from the technical and financial point of view. Technical aspects will be evaluated using the criteria outlined in the below matrix:

The financial proposals will be opened only for the candidates that reach or exceed forty-nine (49) points out of maximum seventy (70) points. Thirty (30) points will be awarded to the candidate that presented the lowest fee for the services requested. The remaining financial offers will receive proportional points ([lowest bid/bid] x 30 points).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.