UNDP Jobs - 50222- International Consultant to Develop Standard Opera

International Consultant to Develop Standard Operating Procedures and Code of Conduct for Parliamentary Constituency Offices

Location :

Home-based with 1 mission to Chisinau, MOLDOVA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

21-Oct-2014

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

October – December, 2014

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 working days

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

The Republic of Moldova is undergoing major transformation in almost all spheres of public life. A large number of reforms have been underway to promote modern, effective and transparent state institutions. The Parliament of Moldova, as a key element in the system of state governance, has been at the forefront of reforms in the last few years.

According to the Rules of Procedure (RoP) of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Members of the Parliament (MPs) are expected to regularly meet with citizens. However, because Moldova is one electoral zone, MPs are not directly linked to a specific district or constituency. As a result, the MPs' link to voters is weak. The weak connection with citizens is also, in part, due to lack of adequate facilities for MPs to meet with voters. Information about the work of the Parliament and the MPs is limited and fails to reach many of the rural areas and towns where majority of Moldova’s population lives.

Based on a feasibility study, which was conducted in 2013 by a UNDP expert, the Parliament of Moldova decided to establish four Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices (PCIOs) in Edinet, Orhei, Comrat and Leova. In September 2014 all the offices were officially opened. The offices will serve as a 'hub' for information and education on parliamentary and democracy issues and offer a space for decentralized committee meetings, public hearings or consultations. The offices have a potential to empower MPs in their legislative, oversight and representative roles by providing opportunity for citizens’ opinions and feedback to become relevant input for policy development and the review of legislation.

However, at the moment there are no uniform rules on how the PCIOs should be functioning. A set of clear and comprehensive rules for the PCIO staff needs to be developed on, inter alia, interaction with visitors, working with mass media, use of social media, communication with local authorities as well as dealing with the Parliament and MPs.

In this context, UNDP Democracy Programme is seeking to hire an international consultant to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices in Moldova, a Code of conduct for PCIOs staff and a Handbook for MPs on Constituency Relations and Representation based on the experience of other national European parliaments.

Duties and Responsibilities

The expected output for the international consultant’ assignment is to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices in Moldova, a Code of conduct for PCIOs staff and a Handbook for MPs on Constituency Relations and Representation based on the experience of other national European parliaments. He/She will transfer knowledge and share experience about constituency relations in other countries. The International Consultant will also meet, coach and provide trainings to the staff from constituency offices on constituency relations and SOP’s implementation.

In order to achieve the stated objective, the Consultant will have the following responsibilities:

Conduct a desk review of the existing legal framework, policies and regulations related to the roles and responsibilities of the Parliament of Moldova and EU/international best practices and rules related to the functioning of constituency offices;
Get acquainted with the feasibility study which served as basis for the Parliament to create constituency offices in Moldova;
Prepare a detailed work plan to be applied for the respective assignment;
Conduct interviews and consultative meetings with parliamentary stakeholders (MPs and parliamentary staff) to identify their expectations regarding the work and role of PCIOs;
Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices in Moldova;
Assess the current and future capacity/training needs of PCIOs in order to articulate long and short term goals and priorities;
Develop a Code of conduct for PCIOs staff;
Develop a Handbook for MPs on Constituent Relations and Representation;
Mainstream gender equality principles throughout the process of SOP and Code of conduct formulation and ensure that these documents contain gender-sensitive rules and guidelines;
Other relevant tasks, as agreed with the counterparts;
Undertake 1 mission to Chisinau, Moldova between 3 – 21 November, 2014.

Time frame and Institutional arrangements

The timeframe for the work of consultant is tentatively planned through October – December 2014. The consultancy should involve about 15 working days in Moldova, while the remaining 15 working days are home-based. The Parliament will provide consultant with working space, access to Internet, a printer and a telephone line. Non-availability to working during the required period will serve grounds for disqualification.

Management Arrangements

The International Consultant will work under the guidance of UNDP and Parliament for substantive aspects of the assignment, and under the direct supervision of the Project Manager for administrative and financial aspects.

Financial arrangements

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 travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In case of unforeseeable travel for the business purpose, 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.

Up to two travel missions are envisaged under this assignment, with a minimum 15 working days in Moldova.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals*:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal: explaining why they are the most suitable for the work including past experience in similar Projects (please provide brief information on each of the above qualifications, item by item);
Financial proposal (in USD, specifying a total requested amount per day, including all related costs, e.g. fees, per diems, travel costs, phone calls etc. );
Dully completed and signed P11 Form, personal CV and at least 3 references.

*We reserve the right to reject incomplete applications.

Competencies

In-depth knowledge and understanding of the legislative process and techniques;
Strong analytical and drafting skills;
Excellent writing and oral communication;
Leadership skills and ability to work with teams;
Knowledge of UN and/or UNDP systems
Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences, Public Administration, Law or related fields.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in establishing and/or running constituency offices for MPs;
A minimum of 2 years of working experience with Parliament in an European context and non-Westminster political system;
Experience of developing rules and procedures related to constituency offices will be an asset;
Experience of coaching and conducting participatory trainings, workshops, and presentations on constituency relations;
Proven experience in working with the international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset).

Language:

Fluency in English and Romanian.

Note:
For complete information about this vacancy, including detailed tasks and responsibilities, full and detailed description of the evaluation procedure which will be applied, as well as the UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract, please refer to the Terms of Reference, the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice published at the UNDP Moldova website, Jobs Section: http://www.undp.md/jobs/current_jobs/.