Procurement Notices

Background

The 2008 Constitution established a bi-cameral parliament ('Hluttaw') at Union level with a Lower House ('Pyithu Hluttaw'), an Upper House ('Amyotha HluttaW) and a Joint House ('Pyidaungsu Hluttaw'), and 14 uni-cameral Hluttaws at Region and State level. The Hluttaws began their first terms in 2011 and as new institutions, key priorities were clarifying and strengthening the roles and responsibilities of MPs and the structures and functions of the Hluttaws. The Hluttaws' administrations provide support to the functioning of the Hluttaws' bodies and provide the services the MPs require to fulfill their functions. Since 2017 the 14 Region and State Hluttaw administrations are part of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw administration. The Union and Region and State Hluttaws deliberate matters of common interest and parliamentary development in the framework of the Myanmar Parliamentary Union (MPU).

UNDP has supported the Union and Region and State Hluttaws since 2013 in setting objectives for their institutional development through strategic plans and in fulfilling their law-making, oversight and representation functions.

UNDP's new country programme, 2018-2022 will support the strengthening of Myanmar's democratic institutions, with an increased emphasis on supporting decentralization and the Region and State governments and Hluttaws. Under its new programme, UNDP continues to build the capacity of the Union and Region and State Hluttaws. The objective is to support Union and Region and State Hluttaws in becoming more inclusive and responsive parliaments that fulfill their law-making and accountability roles and serve as fora for debate on matters of importance.

To achieve this objective UNDP seeks to foster an increased exchange among the 14 Region and State Hluttaws and with the Union Hluttaw and to encourage the Hluttaws to share the existing and new practices with the other Hluttaws, and to coordinate their development in the framework of the Myanmar Parliamentary Union. In 2017, UNDP conducted research into practices at a number of Hluttaws, the findings of which serve as baseline for its approach of supporting peer learning and practice exchange among Region and State Hluttaws.

In specific areas, such as procedure and committee development, support to Region and State Hluttaws are being delivered in the Mon and Rakhine State Hluttaws first, and experiences and successful practices developed are shared with other Hluttaws through seminars and networking activities. To facilitate implementation of UNDP support to the Hluttaws UNDP has recruited staff memebrs responsible to coordinate implementation of activities at the Mon and Rakhine State Hluttaws, and for sharing experience with the other Region and State Hluttaws.

Equitable implementation of UNDP support 14 Region and State Hluttaws and effective sharing of experiences requires regular documentation of practice, changes and development gains at the Hluttaws. To document the changing practice and development progress across the 14 Hluttaws, to support production documents and materials for UNDP's technical assistance activities, and to provide information on the delivery and impact of UNDP technical assistance activities interventions, UNDP requires the services of a documentation/translation consultant. The consultant will be based in Mawlamyaing and will also provide support to the Mon State Hluttaw in documentation management.

Scope of Work and anticipated outputs

The main objectives of the assignment are to:

1. Document status quo, change and development gains at the 14 Region and State Hluttaws;
2. Produce accurate translation of UNDP documents related to UNDP technical assistance activities;
3. On request, provide interpretation for the Parliamentary Strengthening Output Team in their engagement with the Region and State Hluttaws and during project activities;
4. Provide capacity-building for the Mon State Hluttaw in the field of knowledge management, in particular in the context of the implementation of the Mon State Hluttaw Strategic Plan;
5. Support monitoring and evaluation of UNDP technical assistance activities based on monitoring feedback from MPs and staff, highlighting lessons learnt and recommendations;

The following table lists the expected contributions by the consultant towards UNDID's work plan in the framework of this assignment:

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Institutional Arrangements

The Contractor will be provided with working space within the UNDP Mawlamyaing Field Office or at the

Mon State Hluttaw, s/he will have regular contact with civil servants and administrative staff in the Parliament. The Contractor's presence will be required five days per week during UNDP's normal office working hours. Limited administrative and logistical support will also be provided, and the Contractor will use their own laptop and cell phone. Travel to Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw and other places in Myanmar for official purposes and the associated living allowance will be arranged and paid for by UNDP on behalf of the Contractor.

The consultant's fee-days does not include travel days.

The Contractor will report to the Project Analyst Sub-national Parliament who is responsible for day-today supervision, and to the Sub-national Parliament Specialist, who will review progress on a weekly basis, and will certify delivery of outputs. Payment can be released against the submission and approval of the deliverables as listed above. The review time will be 5 working days.

Duration of the work

6 months commencing from 1 May 2018 and ending on 31 October 2018.

Duty Station

Mawlamyaing, Myanmar, with travel to Sittwe, Yangon and other Region and States to support communication with and parliamentary strengthening activities for Region and State Parliaments.

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

1. Education
   1. Bachelor's degree (preferably in Law, International Relations, Social Sciences, or English language) with a minimum of two years' relevant work experience;
2. Experience
   1. Experience conducting interpretation and translation duties with government or parliament;
   2. Fluent in spoken and written Myanmar and English languages;
3. Experience in knowledge and documentation management is an asset;
   1. Advanced computer skills, including use of MS Office programmes and use of Myanmar scripts; Demonstrated understanding of concepts and terminology in the field of democratic governance, including the functioning of government and parliament;
4. Other desirable experience and skills
   1. Adherence to high standards of political neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality and discretion;  Good information management skills;
   2. Well-developed organization capacities and ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines;
   3. Demonstrated willingness to work as part of a team in a multicultural environment.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Proposals must be based on an all-inclusive lump sum amount, as contract price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components. Proposals must be inclusive of all cost, including medical insurance, with the exception of transportation costs for official travel to work locations outside of Mawlamyaing- as travel needs to these locations are yet to be determined, and costs will be covered by UNDP.

How to apply
Please submit the following documents:

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (technical proposal) using the template provided by UNDP. Please annex the following two documents:
   1. Personal CV or Pll, indicating all experience from similar assignments, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and three (3) professional references.
   2. Brief description (1 page A4) of why you consider yourself the most suitable candidate for the assignment.

In a separate document:

1. Financial that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided in the Annex to these TOR

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

UNDP will use a combined scoring method, in which the technical proposal will be weighted at 70% and the financial proposal at 30%. Scoring for the technical proposal will be:

• Education: 10%
• Relevance of Experience: 60%
• Brief description of suitability for assignment: 30%

Annex. Template for Financial Proposal
The financial proposal must be expressed as an all-inclusive lump sum amount in MMK, presented in the following template: