Background

Project Description

The unprecedented spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines has resulted in a shortage of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) across the healthcare system. Hospitals have begun publicly requesting for donations to help solve this problem. While several individuals and organizations have responded to the call to help, there is a pressing need to coordinate these actions to ensure that the supplies are delivered to the right hospital at the right time, quantity, and quality.

UNDP Philippines, in line with UNDP’s global offer on COVID-19 response, has partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to create a digital solution called “Enhanced Manufacturing of Protective Wear and Equipment for COVID19 Response in the Philippines” (EMPOWER PH). The initiative provides a collaborative platform between various stakeholders to facilitate and accelerate production and distribution of essential items in order to meet increasing demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensure product quality standards, democratize knowledge and resources, provide livelihood opportunities, and facilitate an effective supply chain.

The UNDP will be handing over the EMPOWER PH platform to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and this initiative will create a database of both medical and non-medical grade manufacturers and suppliers that will go through vetting process to ensure quality goods that can be accessed by consumers and hospital beneficiaries.

Moreover, equipped with the platform and the learnings from the pilot in Metro Manila, UNDP Philippines will work with local ministries and agencies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to localize the EMPOWER PH platform, equip the regional agencies with technical capabilities to operationalize the platform, and address the supply chain infrastructure gaps of the local garments industry in order to enable the region to facilitate local production and trade.

The engagement of a Technical and Quality Assessment Consultant is needed to provide technical assistance to the DTI during the handover period and to assist the delivery of technical training and knowledge transfer to the partner institutions, organizations and communities in BARMM in line with the localization of the EMPOWER initiative.

Institutional Arrangements

1. The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Programme Analyst of Institutions and Partnerships Programme and in close coordination with the EMPOWER PH Project Coordinator, EMPOWER PH Data Platform Consultant, EMPOWER BARMM Project Coordinator and other stakeholders in the project.
2. UNDP Philippines shall be entitled to intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have direct relation to the project.
3. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government.
4. During the entire duration of the Community Quarantine, this consultancy shall be performed remotely and will be a home-based assignment. The Consultant is expected to have his/her own equipment, office space, and internet connectivity. The Consultant shall not engage in any meetings or activities outside their homes. Coordination/meetings shall be done through phone or online communication until such time that the quarantine is lifted.
5. UNDP and the Consultant shall assess, once the Enhanced Quarantine is lifted, if it is safe and necessary to have in-person meetings and collaboration.

Duration of Work

               The Contractor will be engaged from November 2020 to  February 2021 unless revised in a mutually agreed upon timetable by UNDP and the Contractor. The consultant is expected to render a total of 25 person days spread for 3 months

Duty Station

               The duty station is in Manila. The Contractor can work remotely during the contract, but is required to attend meetings, if needed and as scheduled.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

               The financial proposals from possible candidates should be expressed in lump sum amount inclusive of all financial costs related to this engagement (i.e., such as transportation/travel to and from residence for meetings within Metro Manila, laptop, communications including internet, etc.).

               Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during contract duration.

               Payments will be made when specific outputs have been submitted, as outlined below:

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Programme Analyst of Institutions and Partnerships Programme and in close coordination with the EMPOWER PH Project Coordinator, EMPOWER PH Data Platform Consultant, EMPOWER BARMM Project Coordinator and other stakeholders in the project, the Consultant shall deliver the following scope of work:

1. Develop training and knowledge transfer curriculum intended for the local partner institutions and sewing group communities that will be part of the EMPOWER BARMM Work Stream 1 onboarding in line with the proper construction of PPEs and community face coverings (CFCs), as well as manufacturing best practices according to the EMPOWER PH technical documents;
2. Together with the EMPOWER BARMM team and local institutional partners (e.g., TESDA BARMM), facilitate the training of sewing group communities on the construction of PPEs and CFCs and application of manufacturing best practices;
3. Facilitate training and handover of platform technical documents (including vetting processes, technical design packs and other resource center materials) to counterpart DTI stakeholders to ensure complete knowledge transfer on the EMPOWER PH technical documents;
4. Map specific areas in the technical documents that may be subject to future changes due to the new standards and guidelines released by various government agencies;
5. Together with the DTI counterpart, conduct vetting of additional sets of PPE and CFC samples submitted by registered manufacturers by December 15, 2020; and
6. Develop the handover report, including accounts of activities undertaken during the handover period and recommendations for future improvements in the EMPOWER PH vetting processes and documentation, technical design packs and other resource center materials.

The Individual Contractor is expected to accomplish the following activities with corresponding deliverables:

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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 favoritism.

Other Competencies

• Demonstrates strong analytical skills and mature judgement;
• Ability to work in close collaboration with a group of national and international experts; self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines and plan the work according to priorities;
• Demonstrates capacity to plan, organize, and execute effectively;
• Ability to establish effective working relations in a multi-cultural team environment;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Facilitates and encourages open communication in the team and with stakeholders;
• Excellent written communication and presentation/public speaking skills
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Required Skills and Experience

The IC should meet the following minimum qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Management, Clothing Technology or other relevant fields

Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years relevant experience in the garment design, manufacturing and merchandising industry
• Minimum one (1) Experience in development of technical packs, quality control, production and quality assessment and conducting training/capacity building activities

Language

• Proficiency in English

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The Combined Scoring Method shall serve as basis for evaluating offers. The technical qualifications will be weighted a max. of 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%.

The CV will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents may be requested:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
4.  Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during contract duration.

Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.

The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:

• General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contract
• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
• P-11 form

In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.