UNDP Jobs - 50181- ICT Specialist (Network and Security Systems ) (EL

ICT Specialist (Network and Security Systems ) (ELECT II Project) Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow - Phase II (ELECT-II)

Location :

Kabul, AFGHANISTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

08-Oct-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 Months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP supports stabilization, state building, governance and development priorities in Afghanistan. UNDP support, in partnership with the Government, the United Nations system, the donor community and other development stakeholders, has contributed to institutional development efforts leading to positive impact on the lives of Afghan citizens.

Over the years UNDP support has spanned such milestone efforts as the adoption of the Constitution; Presidential, Parliamentary and Provincial Council elections; institutional development through capacity-building to the legislative, the judicial and executive arms of the state, and key ministries, Government agencies and commissions at the national and sub national levels.

UNDP Afghanistan is committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability and works in close coordination with the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN system as a whole to maximize the impact of its development efforts on the ground.

Years of conflict have damaged Afghanistan’s economic, political, physical, social and institutional structures. Reconstruction demands a secure environment in which there is credible leadership and enforced rule of law. Strong, legitimate and effective public administration structures, responsive to the needs of ordinary citizens - including the poor – are a precursor to any sustainable development. To this end, UNDP supports Afghan electoral institutions so that they can become more effective vehicles for development.

The UNDP Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow (ELECT) project- phase I (2006 – 2011) provided technical and operational assistance to Afghan electoral bodies throughout the 2009 Presidential and provincial council elections and 2010 parliamentary elections.

ELECT II, which commenced January 2012, was conceived as a targeted and focused project providing a support and advisory role, with a particular focus on institutional strengthening and capacity development during the inter-election period. In line with the process of transition or Afghanisation, as articulated in the Kabul Conference in July 2010, the number of international staff was significantly reduced from previous years.

As the result of a project Mid-term Review and a UN Needs Assessment Mission, the ELECT II project has been extended beyond its original end date of December 2013 until December 2015, and the project objectives have been revised to now include direct electoral assistance for the conduct of the 2014 Presidential and Provincial Council Elections and the 2015 Parliamentary elections.

The overall objective of ELECT II is to support the national electoral institutions to plan and conduct credible elections, most immediately the 2015 Parliamentary and district elections, and to better ensure the integrity of the process. Continuing long-term assistance through support to capacity building of national electoral authorities beyond 2010 is in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2096 (2013).This assistance is closely coordinated with UNAMA, UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and UN Electoral Assistance Division (EAD).

The three key outputs for ELECT II are:

Output 1: Institutional, operational and technical capacity of the IEC is developed to ensure well organized, future Afghan-led electoral processes;
Output 2: The quality of the voter registry is improved to support future electoral operations;
Output 3: Capacity of the IEC is strengthened to encourage broader democratic Participation

With regard to the conducted Presidential and Provincial Elections on 5 April 2014 it is expected that the scope of work of the project will be amended in order to provide support to the upcoming parliamentary elections planned for 2015.

Specifically, and as a means to contribute to its goal (Output 3) long-term capacity development, post-ELECT programming should:

Build on the achievements made, to date, in establishing an efficient, Afghan-led Independent Electoral Authority;
Support the IEC in the transition from internationally-supported institution to self-sustaining institution; and
Provide technical and operational capacity-building assistance, with a view to sustain and transfer knowledge to Afghans.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work, Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

Scope of Work:

The ICT Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the Election Information Management Specialist, and in the execution of these duties and responsibilities the ICT Specialist will advise and assist the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in the following key functions to achieve the desired results:

Key Functions:

Review and evaluate existing ICT Network, Data, Voice and Security Infrastructure;
Assist IEC in the Installation and Configuration of CISCO Firewalls and polices for IEC HQ;
Assist IEC in the Installation and Configuration of Centrally controlled firewalls for IEC provincial offices and establishing VPNs with IEC HQ;
Assist IEC in the Installation and Configuration of its Switches, routers, wireless access points and other networking devices in HQ and Provincial Offices;
Assists IEC in the Configuration of CISCO Unified communication appliance;

Assist IEC in the update of its existing operational/administration ICT infrastructure for :

HQ Compound;
Data Center;
34 Provincial Offices.

Ensures transfer of skills to the IEC counterparts through the application of appropriate training modules and materials;
Assists the IEC counterparts in the development, testing, implementation and maintenance of its Networking Solutions;
Performs other tasks, duties and responsibilities required for the successful implementation of the project.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The ICT Specialist

Within first month of the contract, Consultant shall evaluate the existing IEC ICT Network, Data, Voice and Security Infrastructure and provide a report on his / her findings with recommendations to the ELECT Election Information Management Specialist, and the IEC;
Upon delivery of recommendations and within first 3 months of the Contract, Consultant shall oversee the Installation and Configuration of CISCO Firewalls and polices for IEC HQ and ensure the installation is to international industry standards;
Within first five months of the Contract, Consultant shall oversee an assist the IEC in the Installation and Configuration of Centrally controlled firewalls for the 34 IEC provincial offices, and establish VPNs with the IEC HQ and ensure the installation is to international industry standards;
Throughout the six months of the contract, Consultant shall ensure that all Installation and Configuration of Switches, routers, wireless access points and other networking devices in HQ and Provincial Offices are installed to international industry standard;
In the fourth and fifth month of the contract, Consultant shall Assists IEC in the Configuration of CISCO Unified communication appliance;

Throughout the six months of the contract, Consultant shall Oversee and assist the IEC in the updating of their existing operational / administration ICT infrastructure for the following:

IEC HQ Compound, Kabul;
IEC Data Center HQ Compound, Kabul; and
34 Provincial Offices.

Throughout the six months of the contract, Consultant shall assists the IEC counterparts in the development, testing, implementation and maintenance of its Networking Solutions;
Throughout the contract and in particularly In the sixth month of the contract, Consultant shall conduct appropriate training sessions with modules and the latest training materials to ensure the transfer of skills to the IEC counterparts;
Performs other tasks, duties and responsibilities required for the successful implementation of the project.

Impact of Results:

The key results will impact on the overall ELECT efficiency in providing advisory services and success in strategy development and planning for IEC staff capacity development and institutional consolidation;

Accurate assessment of existing ICT Network, data, voice and security Infrastructure, installation of new appropriate ICT data, voice and security devices and solutions in order to ensure data reliability, integrity and safety will result in increasing reliability of ICT services provided for electoral and operational activities of IEC, thus ensure client satisfaction and enhance UNDP credibility in the area of ICT systems.

Working Arrangements:

Institutional Arrangements

The consultant will report directly to the ELECT II Election Information Management Specialist;
The consultant will provide updates on developments to both ELECT II Pillar Two Head, and Election Information Management Specialist on a weekly basis, as well as daily needs basis;
The consultant will liaise with the IEC and ELECT Project Sections on all matters related to his/her assignment;
UNDP ELECT project will provide office space within the ELECT Project Offices;
The consultant will be provided with I.C.T. equipment (laptop, mobile phone, mobile radio) and security devices (personal body armour and helmet) and will be fully included in the UNDP Security regime;
Subject to availability of space, UNDP will secure accommodation at one of the following MOSS Compliant locations (costs covered by consultant): UNOCA Compound or the Green Village Compound. The consultant must take accommodation at one of these two locations due to security directives;
UNDP will provide transport from the accommodation to the office and return.

Duration of the Work

The consultant will provide the services for the duration of the contract;
The consultant will work 5 days a week during the contract period;
The contract will be a total 132 (approximately) working days, in total 180 (approximately) days in-country.

Duty Station

The Consultant will be based in Kabul, Afghanistan;
If there is a need to travel to the provinces approved allowances will be paid.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Having received the highest combined score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation:

Technical Criteria Weight – 70%

Note: Applicants must submit a short technical proposal describing his or her approach, methodology and timeline to achieve the deliverables.

Financial Criteria Weight – 30%

The offer will be evaluated by using the Best Value for money approach (combined scoring method – using the 70% - 30% distribution for technical and financial proposals respectively).

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 40 technical points out of the 70 obtainable points would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria & Maximum Marks

Technical : 70 marks

Criteria A Eg. Relevance of Education (Advanced Degree in relevant field)– Max 10 points

Criteria B Eg. Relevance of experience as per criteria – Max 10 points
Criteria C Eg. Description of approach/methodology to assignment – Max 20 points
Criteria D Eg. Interview – Max 60 points

Financial: 30 marks

The assignment is based on a lump sum contract amount and payment is based only upon certification and acceptance of the deliverables and/or monthly reports received as indicated above. In the event of non-performance and pre-termination where payments cannot be made in full or may have to suspended, the final payment will be pro-rated against received and accepted deliverables.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

Lump Sum Amount:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the 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 terms of reference (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 travel, insurance, living allowance, and number of anticipated working days).

Notes:

The term “All inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, insurance, living allowance, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal.

Living Allowance – The contractor shall propose a living allowance at the Kabul applicable rate of USD 181 per day for his/her stay at the duty station. The contractor is NOT allowed to stay in a place of his/her choice other than the UNDSS approved places. UNDP will provide MORSS compliant accommodation in Green Village (GV) to the contractor. The cost of GV accommodation to be directly paid by the contractor.

Rest & Recuperation (&R) – The contractor shall be entitled for one paid (USD 2,606) R&R (7 calendar days) during the course of the assignment after 42 days of continuous stay in the duty station. During these 7 R&R days when the contractor is away from Kabul, the contractor shall be paid the DSA at half rate (USD 90.5 per day) should the contractor retain his/her room in GV for these 7 days.

The total contract price, inclusive of the above elements, shall be converted into a lump sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract in accordance with the above mentioned schedule of payment.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information:

Personal CV and P11, including at least three professional references; (Annex);
Technical proposal describing his or her approach, methodology and timeline to achieve the deliverables (to be included in the online submission);
Financial proposal that indicates the fixed total contact price for a six-month assignment, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per the template provided. (Annex)

Only 3-5 best candidates would be invited to the interview and be requested to submit financial proposals.

Note:

Only one document can be uploaded and hence it is suggested that the CV, P-11, financial proposal and sample writing/editing/publication are uploaded as one document.

Annex (to be downloaded from UNDP Afghanistan Website, procurement notices section:

http://www.af.undp.org/content/afghanistan/en/home/operations/procurement.html.

Competencies

Demonstrated capacity to strongly promote knowledge sharing and knowledge products and systems;
Initiative and sound judgment; displays writing and organizational skills; and demonstrated ability to work in a diverse team setting;
Advanced computer skills.

Communication:

Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately;
Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience;
Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;
Strong interpersonal and communication skills including facilitation skills in training related activities.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent Certification in Information Technology, Engineering, Network systems or other related field;
Minimum Cisco Certified Networking Professional (CCNP), Preferably Cisco Certified internetworking Expert (CCIE) Certification.

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in ICT Network systems analysis, design and Installation required; experience in relevant areas, particularly utilizing CISCO Devices;
Advanced ICT Network and security systems experience, with at least 3 years related to complex ICT infrastructure data, voice and security projects;
Expert skills with firewalls, switches and Cisco Operating Systems and complex networking projects;
Experience in implementation of ICT network ensuring security integrity, consistency and integrity of Data;
Proven team building and leadership skills;
Experience of working with election commission is an advantage;
Knowledge/experience of UN system, preferable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English required;
Fluency of Pashto and/or Dari Languages an asset.