Antecedentes

In response to a formal request from the Government of the Republic of Armenia to provide electoral assistance and based on recommendations of the UN Needs Assessment Mission, UNDP has launched an Electoral Support Project in Armenia project (ESPA) which consists of three components aiming to increase the credibility, inclusiveness, and participation in the electoral process. The project’s overall strategy is to assist the Armenian authorities in holding credible and inclusive early elections, and secondly, sustaining those achievements and building solid foundations for credible, inclusive and transparent elections in the future. 

More specifically, the project will support the introduction of new technology to increase the credibility of the electoral process, increase inclusiveness and participation in elections, voter education, as well as strengthen the capacity of electoral management bodies in Armenia.

One of the essential parts of the Central Electoral Commission’s (CEC) IT activities is the operation and maintenance of the CEC official website. According to the constitutional law, the site of the Central Electoral Commission is www.elections.am. The purpose of the site is to ensure openness and transparency of the organization and conduct of elections and to raise the level of public awareness.

The current website of CEC was launched in March 2012. It is the successor of the official website of the Commission of 2005 and 2008 and fully reproduces in full the information published on previous versions of those websites. Since the website updated last time only in 2012, the current site has some shortcomings revealed in the course of operation of the site including:

• As already stated, the existing website has been in operation since 2012, but in terms of technologies used (ASP.net), it is the successor of the Commission's 2008 website. Given the rapid development of information technologies, it was evident that software backing of the website needs updating,
• The website is not adapted for use with phones and other modern equipment.
• The site needs to be redesigned to make it more user-friendly.
• Individual pages of the website have embedded search functions, but the ability to search the site's general information is not embedded in the site,
• Some sections of the site use the Adobe Flash Player software, which is no longer compatible with some software or equipment,
• The Website does not give an option to subscribe and get notifications on the updates of the website.
• The site does not have the tools to automatically retrieve the required information (report) from the central voter information system CVIS.
• The website has no administrative section; new pages are needed for some parts of the site or adding information on existing pages requires knowledge of appropriate programs, which creates some difficulties, especially during elections.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the overall guidance of the ESPA2 ICT Expert, the incumbent will be responsible for the upgrade, migration, and testing of the Central Electoral Commission’s website according to the requirements described further in this deliverable section of the document. The overall requirements toward the CEC website are described in Annex 1 of ToR. 

The developer will focus on the functional (backend services) of the website, including the database and the service level functions of the system. During this work, the incumbent will be working with another - front-end developer, who will be responsible for the delivery of the frontend part of the website (user interface). In the latter stage, the incumbent is responsible for assembling the backend and frontend components of the site into one complete system. Further, the development of the incumbent shall install and deploy the system on the premises provided by the CEC. Assessment and recommendations of the possibility of using the system in the cloud shall be performed as well.

Workplace requirements: The development pahes shall be done remotely, using the remote source control tools provided by the ESPA ICT Expert. For the physical installation and rollout of the site the incumbent might be required to go to CEC data center.

• Implement of the tasks assigned by the ESPA2 ICT Expert for the upgrading the CEC website
• Design of the new web site’s infrastructure components according the requirements
• Development of the functional modules of the website.
• Migrate the database objects such as tables, stored procedures
• Migrate the existing information including the files, and database information
• Integration of the backend and frontend components of the website into one complete system
• Unit, integration and functional testing of the website
• Preparation of the networking environment for the website
• Migration and launching of the new site after the development work

• Description of deliverables	Delivery time	Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment)
  Output -1 Backend and database components of “Election module” and its submodules including: Parliamentary elections To the President of the Republic of Armenia NA Proportional: NA majoritarian Community head Member of the Council of Elders All elections Archive of elections Backend and database components of “Referendum” module and its submodules including: Referendum Local referendum	15 June 2020	20%
  Output -2 Backend and database components of “CEC and TEC module” and its submodules including: Members: Stuff Staff structure: Audit and oversight service Decisions: Sessions:	15 July 2020	20%
  Output -3 Backend and database components of “Information center module” and its submodules: Administrative proceedings Announcements Interviews: CEC comments and clarifications Civil service	15 Aug 2020	20%
  Output -4 Backend and database components of “Useful materials” module and submodules including: Legislation: Electronic forms Professional training VAD operator Guides, manuals Analysis, reports Whistleblowing System Responsible Budget applications Backend components of “Voter Register.” Backend components of “Timeline of elections.” Backend components of other support modules	30 September 2020	20%
  Output -5 Migration of the database to the new format Migration of old data into the new system Testing and implementation	30 November 2020	20%

  Participation in team meetings and discussions to reveal the ongoing requirements and comments from the CEC IT staff  

Competencias

• Strong experience across ASPX and ASP.NET Core (2.x, 3.x) development
• Experience working with SQL Server (T-SQL, DDL / DML, LINQ to SQL)
• Experience and expertise in Microsoft SQL Server 2016/2017/2019, databases design and administration, and web software development
• Deep understanding of C# language facilities
• Good working knowledge of WebAPI
• UI design patterns and in-depth knowledge of .NET Core as a development framework
• Understanding multithreading in .NET Core (Threads, locking)
• Knowledge of building web applications using CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, Blazor and third-party client-side Kendo UI framework
• Knowing GIT and Azure DevOps for source control
• Exposure to an Agile Development Methodology and Scrum would be beneficial
• Knowledge and skills of the testing and maintaining web-based software solutionsUnderstanding and capabilities of the testing, deploying and maintaining web-based software solutions
• Knowledge and skills in designing the hardware and software specifications for the information systems.
• Understand various database software technology, Azure cloud applications, and cloud deployment capabilities.
• Demonstrate an understanding of networking and networking security
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to foster networks and partnerships.
• Analytical judgment and a demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues responsibly and maturely.
• Demonstrated openness to change and ability to manage complexities. 
• Demonstrated ability to multitask under pressure and to meet strict deadlines often under difficult conditions
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to work effectively in teams, delivering through and with others.
• Self-management, including conflict management/negotiation skills.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Academic Qualification: 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) preferably in Computer or Information Systems or Electronic Engineering or other related field or a combination of professional training/certification and work experience in the relevant area. An undergraduate (bachelor) university degree in combination with qualifying experience is accepted instead of an Advanced University Degree.

Experience: 

• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in design, development of web applications, web sites are required.
• At least one year experience in the area of design and development of electoral management information systems and websites.
• Previous experience with UN Agencies /UNDP or another provider of electoral assistance is an advantage.  

Language Skills:

• Proficiency in Armenian. Technical English is required. Good knowledge of oral English for communication is a plus.