The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is mandated to promote, coordinate and support South-South cooperation throughout the United Nations system and globally. Among its functions, UNOSSC serves as the substantive secretariat of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, the main policymaking body on South-South cooperation in the United Nations system and a subsidiary body of the General Assembly. The High-level Committee undertakes, inter alia, intergovernmental reviews of progress in the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, the new directions for South-South cooperation, the Nairobi outcome document of the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, and the outcome document of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40). UNOSSC organizes the biennial sessions of the Committee and prepares reports that inform deliberations at those meetings. It supports Member States as they set the policies, rules and procedures to enhance the implementation of South-South cooperation; monitors progress in that implementation; and assists Governments of developing countries in strengthening their institutional capacity and procedural arrangements for undertaking South-South cooperation. It drafts the report of the Secretary-General on the state of South-South cooperation in consultation with various United Nations bodies as well as relevant non-United Nations partners. It also promotes the mainstreaming of South-South cooperation into programming processes, producing inter-agency instruments such as operational guidelines; mobilizes financial resources for South-South cooperation; and implements specific projects and activities. To inform, facilitate and scale up the implementation of South-South cooperation, UNOSSC organizes the annual High-Level Forum of Directors General for Development Cooperation and the United Nations system-wide Global South-South Development Expo. The Expo, which brings together development practitioners and representatives of the United Nations system, government, the private sector and civil society, showcases selected successful development solutions, a means of sharing information on the wealth of knowledge and capacities of the South. UNOSSC also serves as a knowledge hub on South-South and triangular cooperation by hosting the South-South Galaxy and the South-South Global Thinkers platforms.   It produces numerous  knowledge and research publications including its flagship publications which include “Good Practices on South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable Development”; “South-South in Action Series” and “South-South Ideas” papers that are particularly relevant to countries of the South and shares up-to-date information on UNOSSC activities on its website, knowledge platforms and via social media. It also serves as Fund Manager for, among others, the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund), the Pérez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF), the United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation (UNFSSC) and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund.

In responding to its mandated functions, UNOSSC produces an important number of official United Nations reports as well as the documentation of solutions, outreach materials, conference/Expo texts and several other types of materials. In 2020, it is anticipated that follow-up to the second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40 Conference) will also create a need for editorial services in view of the UNOSSC role as the secretariat for the Conference. For this output, there is a need to ensure quality advocacy materials that conform with UNDP and United Nations editorial style and consistency in formatting. UNOSSC is thus seeking the services of graphic designers to undertake the tasks described below. The incumbents will work with the individual staff members responsible for the products requiring design services.

UNOSSC would like to enter into Individual Contractor’s Framework Agreement/Long-Term Agreements (ICFA/LTA) with a maximum of 3 graphic designers who can provide high-quality professional design work, clearly and accurately convey corporate messaging; and deliver within the deadlines.

Under the guidance of the UNOSSC staff and direct supervision of the Deputy Director of Programmes and Operations, the graphic designer will be responsible of all aspects of design, lay-out, proofreading and in the production of press-ready file, and ensuring that the publications meet UNDP standards. In particular, the consultant will:

• Transform text-based communications materials into visual graphic design materials such as reports, infographics, brochures, backdrops etc.
• Develop designs for communication materials based on assignment brief
• Provide recommendations on the best and most relevant visual design style and materials suitable for the project’s target audience
• Liaise with and report to UNOSSC Communications Advisor regarding any visual design work

Examples of deliverables are:

• Annual Reports (Annual Reports of the office, IBSA Report, India-UN Fund Report, etc.)
• South-South in Action publications
• South-South Idea Papers
• Good Practices in South-South and Triangular Cooperation for the SDGs compilation
• Brochures
• Infographics
• Factsheets
• Leaflets
• Banners and posters
• Short audio-visual/animation for results reporting
• Visual elements for social media campaigns
• Layout design for project reports
• Official Correspondence (letters, memos)
• Design for project communications materials such as: backdrops, banners, cards, calendars, etc.
• Design for PPT presentations
• Custom photo editing (restoration, noise reduction, tonal adjustment)
• Other UNOSSC documents related to its work
• Videos including simple animations

Deliverables/Expected Outputs:

Deliverables will be required to be produced in a variety of formats including for digital and print distribution, depending on the needs of the project. If and when any of the above services will be required, UNOSSC and the consultant will agree on work input, number of working days necessary and deadline prior to commencement of work. Detailed specifications for each individual assignment will be given to the selected designer as and when the designer’s services are requested.

For each agreed communication product assigned the contractor will:

• Design and layout the assigned communication product
• Submit the preliminary layouts for discussion with UNOSSC
• Revise the selected layout as discussed with UNOSSC
• Submit a draft to UNOSSC for proofreading (up to 4 rounds of corrections to be covered under the agreement)
• Ensure all corrections have been inserted
• Obtain a final sign off from UNOSSC before submitting electronic files to the printer
• Prepare the electronic files for the printer
• Send electronic files to printer and liaise with printer during printing process, receive and mark up final blueprint with final corrections from UNOSSC
• Make final corrections to electronic file
• Create PDF from final electronic file for UNOSSC Web posting
• Design cards utilizing graphic elements of the publication for social media advocacy
• If the project is to be done in multiple languages, same proofreading procedure described above applies to all language versions.

Duration of Work / Contractual Arrangements:

• Each assignment will vary in duration. The expected duration will be specified in each respective Terms of Reference for each individual assignment, within the maximum three-year period of the Long Term Agreement.
• Several successful individuals may be selected and placed on the technical expert LTA for the period of up to 3 years. It is to be noted that inclusion in the LTA does not guarantee a contract during the period of 3 years.
• LTA Holders will be contacted when specific service requests arise and will be asked to indicate availability and interest against a specific Terms of Reference (TOR) outlining the outputs of the assignment.
• In the event that more than one candidate is engaged through this Long Terms Agreement, secondary selection process will be conducted and Individual Contract (IC) or Reimbursable Loan Agreements (RLA) may be awarded for these specific TORs, including detailing the time frame and specific expertise required. Details regarding the secondary engagement mechanism will be provided to the engaged LTA Holder prior framework agreement signature.
• The overall objective of this agreement is to facilitate and expedite the process by which UNOSSC can engage the services of Graphic Designers;
• The consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary to execute the tasks under this assignment;
• This ICFA shall come into effect for a period of one year from the date of signing the agreement by UNOSSC and will be extendable annually based on performance and availability of funds;
• Upon successful completion of assignments, the consultant will be required to submit all requested output files, as well as all source files (e.g. packaged InDesign files) to UNOSSC for archival purposes;
• UNOSSC will be producing several publications in 2020; however, no guarantee of minimum assignments will be given in advance.

Payments:

• If the LTA results in an Individual Contract or Purchase Order for a secondary assignment, payments to individual contractor will be made based on the actual number of hours/days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory delivery of services by the UNOSSC project manager.

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; and
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies

• Excellent graphic design and creative skills;
• Proficiency in design software;
• Experience in development of statistics, and charts;
• Experience in social networking;
• Internet research skills, ability to handle and interpret data;
• Good writing skills;
• Be creative and proactive;
• Flexibility to attend events during weekends and holidays;
• Desire to work with and gain the confidence and respect of people with different language, national and cultural backgrounds;
• Respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and the UNDP Statement of Purpose; and
• Ability to respect timeframes and meet deadlines;

Professionalism

• Excellent analytical and organizational skills; and
• Exercise the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;

Teamwork

• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback; and
• Good interpersonal and networking skills, ability to establish and maintain effective working relations, supports and encourages open communication in the team, and facilitates team work;

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF THE BEST OFFER:

Applicants are reviewed based on required skills and experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below. 

The selection of the best offer from the shortlisted candidates will be based on a combined scoring method – where the qualifications and experience will be weighted a maximum of 700 points and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted a maximum of 300 points.

Method: Cumulative analysis method will be used to evaluate proposals.

• When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the ICFA will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as responsive, compliant, and acceptable, and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to this solicitation process. Kindly refer to the evaluation criteria and scoring provided below.

Technical Evaluation – (700 points, 70%):

The technical evaluation will comprise of desk review (500 points) and interviews (200 points).

All applicants will be initially screened against the minimum qualification requirements as specified above.   Responsive candidates will then be further evaluated against the following criteria and shortlisted applicants will be invited for the interviews:

Desk Review of Technical Criteria as Evident in the submitted application (500 points)

• Criteria 1:  Relevance of the experience with graphic design content development, including publications/reports, featuring content on South-South cooperation, sustainable development and global development topics.  Maximum Points: (150 points); (5 years of experience: 105 points; 6-8 years of experience: 125 points; more than 8 years of experience: 150 points)
• Criteria 2:  Quality of graphic design - Maximum Points: (260 points). This will be evaluated based on the samples provided in the application package as follows: use of basic design principles (w/r to contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity); and aesthetically pleasing and engaging use of colour, typography, and images :130 points;  Effectiveness of the designer’s work at conveying strategic messaging to target audience: 130 points
• Criteria 3.  Prior experience in graphic design work of United Nations and/or Member State Governments reports, publications and technical documents.   Maximum Points: (50 points). Prior experience in graphic design work for UN and member States reports: 45 points; prior experience with UNOSSC: 5 points
• Criteria 4:  Fluency in another United Nations official language an asset.  Maximum Points: (40 points). (Relevant additional languages: Spanish, French Arabic, Russian and Chinese; fluency in 1 additional language: 20 points, fluency in 2 additional languages: 30 points, fluency in 3 additional languages or more: 40 points)

The top four candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (350 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the desk review (500 points) shall be considered for the interview.

Interview (200 points)

The total obtainable score on the interview is 200 points, bringing the total points for the technical evaluation to a maximum of 700 points. A minimum 140 (70% of total points obtainable during the interview) points are required to pass the interview.

A maximum of 6 candidates who obtain a total technical score of at least 490 points on the technical evaluation of criteria 1-4 will be considered for financial evaluation and will be asked to submit a financial proposal.

Financial evaluation (300 points, 30%)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated