Background

Now in its eighth year, the Syria crisis continues to have a devastating impact on civilians inside the country and beyond its borders. Since 2011, over 250,000 people have lost their lives in Syria, and millions have been forced to find refuge wherever they can inside Syria and in neighboring countries, particularly in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

The Syria crisis is not only a humanitarian crisis – it is also a human development crisis. We have already seen Syria fall from a middle-income country to one with 83 percent poverty and life expectancy cut by at least 20 years. It is estimated that two-thirds of Syrians are living in extreme poverty and most livelihoods have been disrupted. Vulnerable in their own respect, neighboring countries are severely strained, with development imperiled, unemployment on the rise and in-creasing competition for scarce resources including water and access to school and health services.

This transboundary and multifaced nature of the crisis has required a robust and coordinated development response, complementing humanitarian efforts and preventing development losses, ensuring stability and fostering resilience. To contribute to regional coordination and to accelerate the resilience agenda in response to the Syria crisis, UNDP established the Sub-Regional Response Facility (SRF) of the Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) in November 2013. Based in Amman, Jordan and led by the Sub-Regional Response Facility Manager (SRFM), the SRF was tasked to work across six countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Syria). Develop the required policy, strategic and partnership framework to roll out a resilience-based development response for the Syria crisis; 2. Generate the required knowledge, capacities and advocacy around the resilience-based approach in support of the six countries; and 3. Establish relevant partnership and coalitions to leverage financial resources for the implementation of the resilience agenda in the sub-region.

In this context, the conception and implementation of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) has brought a strategic shift in the response to the Syria crisis. In this regard, the 3RP has bridged humanitarian efforts and development approach to build the resilience of individuals, households, communities and institutions in affected communities.  Along with the implementation of the 3RP, UNDP and UNHCR signed a regional MOU in order to consolidate the cooperation between the two organizations, and to draw on the comparative advantages of humanitarian and development organizations in order to address the range of needs on a timely basis and at an appropriate scale.  One of the key elements of this partnership has been the establishment of a Regional UNDP-UNHCR Joint Secretariat (JS) that has supported Country Offices and provided the required operational framework, and analytical and programmatic tools. The Joint Secretariat is hosted in the UNDP SRF.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP-SRF seeks proposals from qualified consultants who have conducted similar projects with international organizations (preferably UN) for the creation of The Compendium Website and Application. The primary objective of the assignment is to recreate the Compendium [which can be found here: unhcrundpjs.org/compendiumii] into a website and mobile application that is installable and accessible at the local, regional and global levels, and compatible with multiple platforms. This process entails entering the project information which will be provided to the Contractor by UNDP, conceiving a branding scheme, a set of cutting edge technology modules, a highly interactive, fast loading mobile application that is easily sustainable and accessible by a wide range of end-users.
Services required are website and mobile application design and development and search engine optimization.

Specific Objectives: 

• Website design, website development, and search engine optimization.
• Develop the mobile application and website branding and visual identity, information architecture/display of the application in line with UNDP branding style.
• Modernize the technology behind the application, as needed, especially the back-office technology/user experience for the mobile application.
• Develop an interactive maps option, including map of the sub-region to reflect number of projects.
• Produce the mobile app design compatible with all existing devices (different sizes of tablets, mobile devices…) on different platforms (Multiple mobile OS compatibility)
• Ensure that all the data and information of the Compendium is inputted. The website and app should be complete with all the data when hand-over takes place, any future updates will be handled by UNDP staff. 
• Ensure proper handover by the production of the complete source code, all needed manuals for content management and others, including trainings.

Competencies

Corporate competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the United Nations
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Functional Competencies

• Ability to scope the time and effort needed to complete technical specifications.
• Proven ability to produce cross-browser compatible code
• Ability to work in a high-pressure work environment with frequent urgent deadlines;
• High level logical and methodical organizational skills;
• Focuses on impact and result for the client;
• Interacts effectively with a diversity of stakeholders;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Demonstrates openness to change;
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.

Management and Leadership

• Focuses on impact and result for the client
• Interacts effectively with all levels of the organization
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
• Demonstrates exceptional ability to remain calm, in control and good humored even under pressure and tight deadlines
• Demonstrates openness to change
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view

Required Skills and Experience

Education Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or equivalent

Professional Experience:

• At least 3 years of experience in website development and mobile application development
• Hands-on experience with modern front-end frameworks - Foundation, Bootstrap, MDL or equivalent
• Familiarity with JavaScript web frameworks - react, angular.js, backbone
• Familiarity with modern web user interface design patterns
• Experience with creating layout packages for CMS implementation
• Experience with Adobe
• Experience manager is an asset
• Hands-on experience with responsive design pattern implementation
• Knowledge of web accessibility standards
• Knowledge of SEO systems and strategies

 Language Skills:

• Fluency in English and Arabic

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Candidates that fail to submit the required information will not be considered.

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Sample of previous work (e.g. online or printed portfolios) should be submitted (or links provided) to support the application, and a list of recent websites featuring the developer’s work;
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per the table given in section D. template provided. 

All necessary information including: Complete Procurement Notice, The Selection Criteria, and Annexes are found on the following link under Procurement http://procurement-notices.undp.org/

Interested candidate shall apply the CV/P11 to Job advertisement website, hence consultant should submit to email:  Proc.contract.rscjo@undp.org : not later than Sunday 12 August 2018  the following documents:

• CV/P11
• Confirm availability and financial proposal
• Sample of previous work
• Brief description of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Interested candidates should provide lump sum fees for requested services with detailed breakdown (consultancy fees* number of working days.)

All proposals must be expressed in a lump sum amount. This amount must be “all-inclusive”. Please note that the terms “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. Also, please note that the contract price will be Deliverables/Outputs based - not fixed - subject to change in the cost components. The contractor will be paid an all-inclusive Deliverables/Outputs based lump sum amounts over  the assignment period, subject to the submission of Certification of Payment (CoP) duly certified and confirmation of satisfactory performance of achieved work (deliverables/outputs).

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Step I: Screening and desk review:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology.
Applications will be first screened and only candidates meeting the following minimum criteria will progress to the pool for shortlisting:

• At least 3 years of relevant work experience in website development
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or equivalent
• Fluency in English and Arabic

Shortlisted Candidates will be then assessed and scored against the following evaluation criteria.

Evaluation of Candidates (max 100 points):

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science or equivalent (20%)
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience in website and mobile application development (30%)
• Demonstrated experience in mobile application design and/or development (15%)
• Hands-on experience with modern front-end frameworks (15%)
• Hands-on experience with responsive design pattern implementation (10%)
• Sample of previous work – this will be assessed on diversity of website design and development (10%)

Step II: Final evaluation

The final evaluation will combine the scores of the desk review and the financial proposal with the following weights assigned to each:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: [70%]
Financial Criteria weight: [30%]
Only Individual Consultants obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70%) on the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.