Background

The invasion of Ukraine by the military forces of Russian Federation launched on February 24 2022 has caused severe damages to the increasingly fragile social and humanitarian situation in Ukraine, and a humanitarian disaster of a proportion not seen in Europe since 1945 is now increasingly likely to occur. While the human and -economic cost of the conflict continues to grow, the Government of Ukraine remains resilient, sustaining key government functions to ensure delivery of services for population on the move.

Ongoing hostilities made it difficult for assessment, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of humanitarian and development assistance to take place in most of the regions impacted by the war in Ukraine. Those hostilities led communities in affected communities to have depleted resources and life-threatening situations. Continuation of delivery of humanitarian assistance, basic services and repair of critical infrastructure is not only essential but rather vital and life-saving operation.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has already resulted in significant loss of life, unprecedented displacement of civilians internally and towards neighbouring countries, and devastating destruction of critical infrastructure. Early UNDP assessments suggest that if the war prolongs and expands, up to 90 per cent of the population of Ukraine could be facing poverty and vulnerability to poverty by the end of 2022. Up to 30 per cent of the population is likely to require life-saving humanitarian assistance.Additionally, 18 years of socio-economic achievements in Ukraine are at risk. UNDP’s core interest is to mitigate against the impact of the conflict on national development gains as much as possible, and to return Ukraine to pathways for SDG achievement as quickly as possible.

Within the Ukraine Country Programme Document (2018-2022), 3 interlinked development pathways are identified; inclusive and effective democratic governance; inclusive and gender-responsive sustainable development; and recovery and peacebuilding in conflict-affected areas. These are in line with the priorities of the Government’s development strategy and reform agenda, and also anchored in the UNDAF 2018-2022. Through its portfolio of projects, under Democratic Governance, Integrated Development, Recovery and Peacebuilding, and Energy and Environment programmes, UNDP is strategically involved in tackling developmental challenges and contributing to the achievement of SDGs in Ukraine. The UNDP Resilience Building and Recovery Programme[2] is an integral part of the ongoing development programme that UNDP implements in Ukraine and focuses on sequencing key areas of intervention to support humanitarian response, stimulate early recovery, ensuring that both are aligned with Ukraine’s EU association agreement. UNDP is continuing to work for the achievement of its goals in the partnership with the government of Ukraine, RCO and other UN agencies, international partners, civil society and local communities. Work of the first phase of the Programme (to be delivered over a 12-month period) is organized under 5 pillars, to be implemented through several national projects and programmes, and via a thematic-based development approach in selected target areas:

1. Prevention & Avoidance
2. Protection & Mitigation
3. Intervention & Adaptation
4. Preparedness & Resilience
5. Continuity & Sustainability

In 2020, UNDP Ukraine Country Office (CO) established a home grown digital solution for monitoring and reporting, the IMRP (Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Platform). IMRP support results monitoring and evaluation, as well as performance tracking and programme lifecycle management. It is a tool designed and developed to support UNDP management in addressing the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how development initiatives and interventions are delivered to their ultimate beneficiaries. IMRP is a .NET web application, works on MVC-based architecture, SQL Server for data storage, and Angular web framework for front-end development.

The data flow starts with progress reporting, where project staff reports completed interventions in a standardised format on a continuous basis. The results vis-à-vis each performance indicator are being reported by dedicated IMRP focal points in each project. Manual quality check of reported data is carried out by CO.

The different levels are dynamically interconnected and progress on a lower level, e.g. project indicators, is automatically included into higher aggregated levels (standard indicators, project- and portfolio level etc.). Based on reported data, IMRP provides real-time update of dashboard summaries on performance and progress achieved on the project-, donor- or portfolio level. Both progress and performance are measured in percentages and presented through traffic-light color coding to provide a quick snapshot of progress towards targets.

IMRP is accessible to all UNDP personnel upon self-registration (needs to be approved by platform administrator). There are a total of five role types for a user, that define the editing or viewing rights of data.

Against this background, the purpose of this assignment is to support the Country Office in the response to the new realities created by the war, and improve planning, monitoring and evaluation systems applied by UNDP Ukraine. Under the overall guidance of the Senior Digital Transformation Advisor, the Web Developer will support UNDP Ukraine CO in developing web solutions to enhance planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation, assessment, coordination, and capacity building. The Web Developer must ensure that critical digital functions such as user credentials, data storage, accessibility, security, analytics, quality control and assurance, user experience (UX) design, overall system sustainability, and the likes are all considered in developing the required web solutions.

The incumbent will promote UNDP’s mandate as a gender-responsive organization with zero tolerance to any kind of discriminatory and abusive behavior, including sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

[1] United Nations Development Programme. (2022). The Development Impact of the War in Ukraine. Initial Projections. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-03/Ukraine-Development-Impact-UNDP_0.pdf

[2] Resilience Building and Recovery Programme https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-04/Ukraine-offer.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

1. DESCRIPTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES/ SCOPE OF WORK

The Web Developer is responsible for providing effective and efficient web services especially related to the development and deployment of online applications. Summary of duties and responsibilities:

• Develop online applications as solutions to business problems using the latest front and back-end technologies
• Provide solutions for the optimization and enhancement of new and existing digital platforms and web applications in terms of design, user interface, and functionality
• Develop and test new queries, design reports and dashboards, integrate reporting modules into existing functions, test assumptions, and incorporate end-users’ requests in final products
• Ensure effective integration of the back and front-end codes, maintenance of mobile apps, web services, database engine, APIs, and GIS portal so that every piece of functionality of the Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Platform of UNDP Ukraine works and performs it in the most efficient and fastest way possible.
• Train staff on how to use existing and newly in-house developed web platforms and solutions to ensure easy updating of data

The Consultant shall ensure their close coordination and transparent communication with the UNDP team and other partners during the whole duration of the contract. At the outset of the assignment, the Consultant should establish a clear workflow in order to ensure transparent communication and decision-making. This can include providing an overview of sprints, specific tasks, resource estimations and storage of protocols from meetings. For the same purpose the Consultant is encouraged to regularly organise demonstration/ validation sessions where UNDP representatives are invited to validate the strategy and provide early feedback. The aim is to capture all significant feedback prior to the implementation. These feedback provision sessions may be organised in various forms, e.g. emails exchange, on-site meetings or a teleconference with shared screen.

The warranty for the developed/ enhanced features must be provided for at least 6 months beyond the contract’s expiry date. The consultant should be ready to conduct research on new technologies as requested, keep abreast of developments in the field, and assist in testing and evaluating new products and technologies.

1. DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAME

The Consultant is expected to perform activities within the scope of work and to provide the following deliverables within the given timelines:

After solution is deployed to production environment, UNDP counterparts will carry out acceptance tests to determine:

(a) whether the product conforms in all respects with the specifications outlined in the TORs and/or agreed between the Consultant and UNDP;

(b) whether the product has any defects.

If the product meets the acceptance criteria, UNDP will send to Consultant a written notice confirming acceptance of the work. Otherwise, UNDP will send to the Consultant a written notice setting out in detail the respect(s) in which the product does not meet the acceptance criteria; and the Consultant will have a further remedial period of up to 20 business days unless agreed otherwise to modify the product so that it meets the acceptance criteria.

Proposed payment schedule:

UNDP will provide payments upon provision of deliverables duly certified by UNDP in accordance with the table above. UNDP will be the ultimate authority to control the quality of work results and assess the Contractor’s performance during the assignment. The satisfactory completion of each of the deliverables shall be subject to the endorsement of the UNDP Senior Digital Transformation Advisor. Payments are made in six tranches as per the Schedule of payments indicated in the table above.

1. MONITORING/ REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will work under direct guidance of UNDP Senior Digital Transformation Advisor and in close day-to-day coordination with the CO Strategic Planning, Partnerships and RBM unit. Work-progress reporting/monitoring meetings will be held with the supervisor on a regular basis. UNDP will be the final authority to control the quality and evaluate the work. No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without approval of UNDP.

The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP). All reports and presentations shall be submitted in English.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

1. EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSAL

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

1. EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. Educational background – 10 pts max

• 9 pts - Bachelors’ degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Management or related discipline;
• 10 pts – Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Management or related discipline;

1. At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in developing and implementing web solutions – 25 pts max

• 15 pts - 3 years
• 20 pts – 4 years
• 25 pts - 5 years

1. At least 2 years of experience in C#, .NET Framework, LINQ, ASP.NET MVC, and MySQL/SQL Server – 10 pts max

• 8 pts - 2 years
• 10 pts – 3 years or more

1. At least 2 years of experience in fundamental front-end languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, JQuery, Angular, React, and Amber – 10 pts max
   • 7 pts - 2 years
   • 10 pts – 3 years and more

1. At least 2 years of exposure to Scrum and/or Agile Development Methodology – 10 pts max
   • 5 pts - 2 years
   • 10 pts – 3 years and more

1. Experience in cloud-based platforms like Microsoft Azure and/or Amazon Web Services (AWS) is an asset – 5 pts max
   • 0 pts – no experience
   • 5 pts – available experience

1. Ability to write clear, concise, and well-commented code in GitHub or similar environment (proven by examples of code on applicant's GitHub repository) – 10 pts max
   • 0 pts – no experience
   • 10 pts – available experience

1. Proven understanding of Internet technologies and development of distributed systems (evidenced through examples from applicant’s digital portfolio) – 10 pts max
   • 0 pts – no evidence of understanding
   • 10 pts – evidence of understanding available

1. Language skills – 10 pts max
   • 5 pts – fluent English
   • 10 pts – fluent English and knowledge of Ukrainian

1. EVALUATION METHOD

 Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight: 70%

* Financial Criteria weight: 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score

(49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will be equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.