Junior consultant on digital inclusion.
Vacancy Number: Qu23/02691
| Location: | Chisinau, Moldova |
| Application Deadline: |
21 Mar 2023, 16:30 (GMT+2:00)
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| Type of Contract: | Individual Contract |
| Starting date: | 28 Mar 2023 |
| Reference to the project: |
Accelerating Digital Transformation in Public Sector in the Republic of Moldova
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| Expected Duration of Assignment: | 220 working days, in the period of March 2023 – January 2024 |
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Submission Instructions:
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is currently implementing a project on Accelerating Digital Transformation in Public Sector that requires the services of an individual to perform the work described in this document.
In consideration of your qualifications, we are hereby inviting you to submit an offer for this particular assignment. To assist you in understanding the requirements of this assignment, we have attached hereto the following:
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The Terms of Reference for the assignment described above;
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The standard Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability, which you must accomplish and submit to UNDP;
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The Individual Contract and its General Terms and Conditions, which you would be expected to sign in the event you are the selected Offeror in this procurement process.
Should you be interested and decide to submit an offer for this assignment, kindly submit directly in the online supplier portal no later than the deadline indicated in the system. 
Offers must be submitted directly in the Quantum Supplier Portal following this link:http://supplier.quantum.partneragencies.org using the profile you may have in the portal (please log in using your username and password).
Follow the instructions in the user guide to search for the competition using search filters, namely Negotiation ID: UNDP-MDA-00092 and subscribe to the competition in order to get notifications in case of amendments of the competition document and requirements.
In case you have never registered before, follow this link to register a profile:
Should you require further clarifications on the application through the Quantum online portal, kindly contact the Procurement Unit at sc.md@undp.org. Please pay attention that the proposal shall be submitted online through the Quantum system and any proposal sent to the above email shall be disqualified.
Should you require further clarifications on the Notice, Terms of Reference or other requirements, kindly communicate using the messaging functionality in the portal.
Deadline for Submission of Offers (Date and Time), which is visible in the online supplier portal will be final. The portal will not accept submission of any offer after that date and time. It is the responsibility of the applicant to make sure that the offer is submitted prior to this deadline for submission.
Applicants are advised to upload offer documents and to submit their offer a day prior or well before the date and time indicated under the deadline for submission of Offers. Do not wait until last minute. If Applicant faces any issue during submitting offers at the last minutes prior to the deadline for submission, UNDP may not be able to assist on such a short notice and will not be held liable in such instance. UNDP will not accept any offer that is not submitted directly through the System.
If any discrepancy between deadline in the system and in deadline indicated elsewhere, deadline in the system prevails. We look forward to your favourable response and thank you in advance for your interest in working with UNDP.
Sincerely,
UNDP Moldova
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Supporting Documents:
10686989_UNDP General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contractors 
10687048_UNDP Quantum - User Guide for Suppliers - English
10687081_UNDP Quantum - User Guide for Suppliers - Russian
10687392_IC_Statement of Health_Individual Contractors 
10687416_IC_Offerors_Letter_to_UNDP_Confirming_Interest_and_Availability
10687475_Terms of Reference
UN_Supplier_Negotiation_UNDP-MDA-00092_English
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Contacts:
Mr. Serghei Botezatu.
serghei.botezatu@undp.org
Background
With Accelerating Digital Transformation in Public Sector Project (Digital Transformation Project or Project), UNDP Moldova aims to improve access to and quality of public services and business conditions through accelerated digital transformation of government processes and business model(s) and additionally, to promote innovation, as well as collaborative experimentation within the Government, in the private sector, internally in UNDP Moldova, and in collaboration with external partners.
Within this Project, UNDP Moldova is strategically positioned as an integrator of programmatic solutions with innovative mindset, including bringing forward digital components in supporting accelerated delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Project objectives are the following:
- Support transformative changes in the organizational and innovation culture in the public and private sectors for accelerated achievement of the Sustainable Development Agenda and national targets;
- Contribute towards streamlining innovation through engaging with the ongoing and prospective projects and seeking ways to maximize and to measure their social impact.
- Support Digitalization of Moldova that will contribute to improved governance by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of government processes, increasing transparency and public access to governmental information – therefore promoting accountability and public participation, and improving the innovative delivery of public services, as well as impact evaluation and strategic support to scaling-up successful solutions.
The digital transformation is already a reality in Moldova, as the country has begun to transfer public, legal, social and civil service delivery online. Accelerated digitalization can be expected to create new business models and opportunities for digital leapfrogging in traditional industries and governance.
Since early March 2020, the Republic of Moldova is confronting a complex health and socio-economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. As summarized in the SEIA, the crisis is underscoring the importance of LNOB challenges in Moldova, due to shrinking incomes and expenditures, limited access to health and education, and challenges for local businesses due to supply disruptions and plummeting demand at home and abroad. According to recent IMF projections, Moldova’s GDP decreased during 2020-2021 by about 3%; and as of October 29, 2021, only 14% of the population had received at least one COVID-19 vaccinations.
During the second half of 2021, these developments played out against a backdrop of the European gas crisis, when gas prices spiked above $1000/cubic meter (5-10 times 2020 levels). Moldova’s gas import contract with Russia’s Gazprom expired in October 2021; and with a new negotiated contract, Gazprom will supply Moldova gas at a price of about $450-500/1000 cubic meters. Gas tariffs for most users are expected to double or triple—at a time when the country is experiencing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and when heating needs are ratcheting up in the face of the on-coming winter.
Moldova is therefore facing exorbitant prices for those supplies it can obtain. For a country in which nearly two thirds of the population was living on less than $10/day before the pandemic began, in which spending on food and energy absorb the vast majority of vulnerable household incomes, and which generates the lion’s share of its electricity from gas, this price shock can have significant crisis implications. Combined with the country’s on-going macroeconomic and epidemiological distress, the gas shock also poses major risks to the government’s reform program, which seeks to strengthen Moldova’s alignment with European and global good governance practices and is central to Moldova’s hopes for achieving the SDGs.
In response to this unfolding crisis, the Moldovan Government introduced a State of Emergency on October 22, 2021. UNDP provided assistance to the Government to create a new energy subsidy system, including the creation of a new IT platform to support this effort starting with 2022/2023 heating season. UNDP Moldova Digital Transformation Programme is planning to continue providing support to this and other needs of the Ministry in terms of labour and social inclusion of ICT companies in sectorial development.
UNDP sees digital transformation is as an enabler towards human development and as a cross-dimensional process, cutting through a range of sectors. In Moldova, digital transformation is viewed as a systemic transformation of the entire Moldovan society through both Digitalization and Digitization processes to build an efficient, secure, and transparent ecosystem.
UNDP’s strong local digital portfolio in Moldova serves as an asset for the successful implementation of digital projects. UNDP Moldova already established data collaborative with private and public sector partners like the European Space Agency, which can be leveraged for the successful implementation or development of open-source solutions in use by governments and civil society organisations in the region. UNDP Moldova also has a close partnership with the Government of the Republic of Moldova in the sector of digitalisation, in particular with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalisation, with which UNDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding focusing on several critical areas of engagement, including the use of open-source technologies for local solutions. Additionally, UNDP, as mentioned above, established a very good partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. UNDP Moldova has established and trusted partnerships with the very vibrant ICT community that will be leveraged for this project; thus, UNDP Moldova will be able to work in close collaboration with the private sector, leveraging already existing platforms of cooperation, including for example Tekwill, Moldova IT Park, and the well-connectedness of Moldova’s local ICT sector with neighboring countries.
Scope of work
The purpose of this assignment is to support the UNDP Moldova Digital Transformation Team efforts in its collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection on digital social inclusion and in expanding the UNDP’s partnerships with business and sectorial associations, including private sector companies and other sectors to gain access to new digital tools and instruments, new algorithms and tools that can be used for the purposes of the project. The purpose of this assignment is to assist the Digital Transformation Project team with the following:
- Implementation of the Energy Vulnerability Fund;
- Provide support in exploring digital literacy frameworks and support consolidating and initiation of new partnerships;
- Provide administrative support to promotion of digital entrepreneurship pilot initiatives;
- Assist assessment requirements for the data collaborative activities;
- Support collaboration initiatives across sectors of economy to foster digital assimilation processes.
The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:
- Support mapping the needs of the Ministry of Labour and Social protection in digital inclusion. Provide support to the Ministry on digital inclusion of the citizens to the Energy Vulnerability Fund Platform. Ensure data validations and checkups of the registrations to address mismatches;
- Support with small data collection through micronarratives questionnaire and data analysis;
- Support in development and implementation of the digital literacy framework. Support in develop the mechanisms, TORs, and other related documentations for the associative, academic, and private sectors engagement. Assist the activities on youth digital transformation with the Librarians and Digital schools on digitalization inclusion activities;
- Support in assessment exercises of the private sector engagement activities in digital transformation at the national and regional levels;
- Support in technical arrangements for preparing and implementing of Innovation Challenges, assist in logistical organization of Challenge events such as pre-bidding meetings and pitch meetings;
- Provide communication related support such as design of web posters, develop short visibility messages;
- Draft reports as per assignment needs. Collect and store required reporting metrics;
Requirements for experience
Academic Qualifications:
University Degree in economics, finance, accounting, law, public administration, IT, social sciences, international relations, or related areas.
Years and sphere of experience:
- Minimum 1 year experience in administrative position involving multistakeholder cooperation activities, including interaction with Governmental authorities;
- Previous experience in development assistance or related work for an international and/or donor organization is required;
- Previous experience in managing digital inclusion activities related to onboarding of people to web-based platforms is a strong advantage;
- Previous experience in the UN system is a very strong advantage;
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems;
- Excellent interactive and interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a multicultural environment;
- Good statistical background and working experience with statistical analysis, being able to communicate data-driven insights is a strong asset;
- Fluency in oral and written Romanian and English. Knowledge of Russian language is a strong asset.
Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
- Treats all people fairly without favoritisms;
- Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
- Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, teamwork ability;
- Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
- Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
- Good time management, meeting deadlines.
Personal qualities:
- Resourcefulness and creativity;
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
Documents to be included
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:
- CV, including information about past experience in similar assignments and contact details for at least 3 referees;
- Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
- Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability with financial proposal (in USD, specifying the total lump sum amount). Financial proposal template prepared in compliance with the template in Annex 2.
Important notice: The applicants who have the statute of Government Official / Public Servant prior to appointmentwill be asked to submit the following documentation:
- a no-objection letter in respect of the applicant received from the Government, and;
- the applicant is certified in writing by the Government to be on official leave without pay for the entire duration of the Individual Contract.
Financial proposal
The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including the daily fee, taxes, and number of anticipated working days).
Travel
No travel envisaged during the assignment. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
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