Procurement Notices

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Engaging the Service of an IT Consultant for the Enhancement of the DILG Roads and Bridges Information System (RBIS) - (National Consultant)

A.Project Title:  Paving the Roads to SDGs through Good Local Governance

B.Project Description and Objectives 

Efficient, resilient, and well-planned road networks ensure that no one is left behind in the drive for inclusive growth. This is why roads are considered as an important foundation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and a prerequisite for bringing communities together.

At present, only 24.6% of all provincial roads in the Philippines are of acceptable quality. Of the 12,726km of provincial core roads, 57.2% are unpaved and in need of upgrading, while 20.2% are in poor condition and in need of rehabilitation. The situation is similarly dire for the 19,098 km of non-core roads, with 67% needing upgrading and 7% in need of rehabilitation.

To address this situation, the Department for the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has launched the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces (CMGP) initiative to improve the quality of the local road network across the country, by providing both financial investment for capital outlay, as well as strengthening the governance processes so that provincial governments are themselves able to effectively plan, design, implement and maintain their road networks. The Program addresses the underinvestment in local roads, and improvement of national-local roads connectivity to increase economic activity and improve public access to facilities and services in the provinces. 

The Office of Project Development Services (OPDS) is currently in the phase of establishing a comprehensive inventory database of local roads in the country.  A Road Board-funded project, the Establishment of Provincial and City Locational Referencing System (LRS), is providing the required data that are being uploaded in the Roads and Bridges Information System (RBIS), a web-based system developed in 2010 under the auspices of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF).  The RBIS is designed to be the central repository of comprehensive, appropriately accurate, up-to-date road and bridges information. It is currently deployed in a local cloud server being managed by OPDS.

The system’s main objective is to provide DILG, specifically the OPDS Local roads Program, with timely information to support policy formulation, budget allocation, monitoring, and reporting initiatives and functions, including project development.  It also aims to support the Local Government Units (LGUs) in road planning and priority setting for road improvement and maintenance, not to mention other entities whose business interest will require access to local road data and information. 

The present RBIS (Version 1) is already an improved edition of the original.  LGUs are currently being oriented on its features, operation and utilization.  But just like any web-based information system, it must continually be enhanced and updated to adapt to the rapid development in information technology, improving government policies in the sector, and increasing need for various road data /information formats.  Enhancing the capacity of the system to provide information in a dynamic and enlightening manner is crucial to its sustainability and usability. 

A number of tasks aimed at optimizing and improving efficiency of the systems have been identified. With increased reliance on cloud computing and the fast approaching migration to public cloud for most government systems and productivity tools, it is important to ensure the RBIS infrastructure is well prepared and aligned with ICT government and corporate standards. Efficiency in ICT infrastructure will additionally improve user experience and subsequently lead to higher productivity.

With the Conditional Matching Grant Project (CMGP) requirement (validated and updated road data uploaded in the RBIS) for LGUs to access the Fund, it has become necessary to engage an experienced and highly skilled IT Consultant on detailed assignment to commence on the critical activities that must be completed within the year.

The successful establishment of the RBIS as an online information system is expected to create an impact in the programming and service delivery of the DILG, and the performance of LGUs in road management and maintenance.  Similarly, it is expected to support the Government’s thrust in ensuring transparency and accountability in government transactions.

Objective

To Improve the RBIS’s interactive features, and enhance functionality, operability, usability and performance:

C.Scope of Work

The Roads2SDGs Project Manager and the Roads Manager shall have direct supervision of the Vendor in coordination with the DILG CMGP.  They may assign a focal person who shall coordinate with the Vendor. 

The Vendor shall undertake the following in relation to the Learning Session cum Assessment Workshop:

Under the general supervision of the OPDS Director or her designated representative, the Consultant shall at a minimum undertake and complete the following tasks and provide the following services:

Task:

1. Conduct system analysis, identify the system requirements and consult with OPDS thru the RBIS Team, on the enhancements to be undertaken;
2. In close coordination with the RBIS Team, formulate a Web Development Plan for the RBIS;
3. Develop backup link installation and related link load balancer configuration;
4. Enhance the data visualization feature of the Dashboard to include data on bridges and analytics;
5. Develop web mapping applications and geo-processing tools to support GIS feature of the RBIS;
6. Developed a variety of charts, pivot tables, KPI widgets, and tabular view components;
7. Develop an Application Programming Interface where project implementation data and data on the performance of the Provinces and Cities may be displayed;
8. Conduct series of application testing;
9. Establish appropriate end-user database and application system access control levels;
10. Develop and design editing
11. Formulate and implement necessary data security guidelines;
12. Assist in the subscription of Clouds Servers
13. Update the RBIS User’s Manual and Systems Manuals for the databases and application systems;
14. Perform other tasks that may be requested.

D.Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The Vendor shall deliver the following outputs, with the corresponding timeline:

E.Institutional Arrangements

The Roads2SDGs Project Manager and Roads Manager shall directly supervision of the consultant re the overall RBIS enhancement processes, in coordination with the DILG OPDS Director through the CMGP management office.  Technical focal person may be assigned to closely coordinate with and monitor the progress of enhancement. 

UNDP, through the Roads2SDGs Project, shall be responsible for the following:

• Make available to the Vendor all necessary information concerning the Roads to SDGs project, including background reference materials;  
• Review, provide comments and recommendations, and approve all submissions of the Vendor on a timely basis;
• Arrange meeting/s with the Vendor particularly concerning the review of deliverables  

The Vendor is also expected to:

• Respect the confidentiality of information as may be deemed necessary by UNDP, partners, and informants
• Report to the Project Manager through the Road Sector Manager, promptly and in writing, matters that may affect the conduct of the workshop and the quality and timely submission of the written outputs and reports and/or other deliverables
• Attend meetings as may be arranged by UNDP, particularly concerning the review of deliverables and presentation of findings.

F. Duration of Work

The services under this TOR are expected to be accomplished in six (6) months from the date of the contract signing.

a. The engagement is spread within the timeframe of April 1 to September 30, 2019. 

b. The target starts and completion dates, may change depending on what have been finalized and sealed by UNDP Procurement Unit and other logistical considerations.

G. Duty Station

The engagement is output-based and will not require physical and daily reporting to UNDP.  The Consultant shall report to the DILG Central Office OPDS and attend meetings for activities related to the project.  Equipment, transportation, communications cost and rental fees required for carrying out the assignment shall be borne by the Vendor. Taxes will not be withheld by UNDP and shall likewise be borne by the Vendor.

H. Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

I. Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The offer must-be all-inclusive to cover the actual professional services rendered, inclusive of allowances for land transport, meals during travel, and communication expenses which are necessary to perform tasks and accomplish the deliverables for this engagement.

Payments shall be processed and paid in tranches upon acceptance by the Roads2SDGs Project Manager through the Road Sector Manager of the following deliverables submitted by the Vendor:

J. Recommended Presentation of Offer

To ensure the use of the same criteria for all the offers, the applicants are requested to present the following documents for uniformity:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP as shown in the Annex;
2. 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;
3. Brief description of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for this assignment;
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 

K. Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

To select the best offer for this post, the combined scoring method will be used where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a maximum of 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%.

Application Requirements:

The following documents may be requested:

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (Financial Proposal Template)  - indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided by UNDP;
• Personal Curriculum Vitae, indicating all past experiences from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephonenumber) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.

Application requirements should be emailed to procurement.ph@undp.org and registry.ph@undp.org on or before 29 March 2019.
 

Attachments in this link:

• P11 Personal History Template
• Terms of Reference
• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (Financial Proposal Template)
• General Terma and Condition for Indiviual Contractors

In view of the volume of applications UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.