Tender: Senior IT Consultant for Integrity Cities

Terms of Reference

Senior IT Consultant for Integrity Cities

1. INTRODUCTION

The European Union Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) Phase III is a joint EU and Government of Denmark programme aimed at assisting Ukraine in reducing corruption at the national and local level through the empowerment of citizens, civil society and state institutions. In January 2024, the EUACI entered into Phase III which runs till mid-2027.

This specific assignment concerns the EUACI's support for Integrity Cities (Component III City Level Integrity in Reconstruction). It is in this context that the EUACI is seeking the IT Consultant who is interested in and capable of helping six Integrity Cities in their efforts to strengthen good governance practices; and in particular the principles of transparency and specifically in integrity of the recovery process.

This Job Description provides further details about the EUACI programme, the Integrity Cities, the role of the Consultant and the expected qualifications of candidates interested in providing documents for this tender.

The Integrity Cities

The six integrity cities with which the EUACI has entered into a partnership under its Component III are Chernivtsi, Chervonohrad, Mykolaiv, Nikopol, Zhytomyr and Mariupol. At the moment, the EUACI has no activities in Mariupol City.

During Phase II, the EUACI worked with five of these cities to strengthen their systems and tools to enhance integrity, transparency, and accountability. The partnership continues in the current third Phase, focusing on the continued development of the various integrity tools launched during Phase II, and the implementation of new tools agreed for implementation during the Phase III.

This specific assignment concerns the EUACI’s support at the national and local level by providing IT expertise for the different activities of Integrity Cities.

This Job Description falls under Component III and focuses on helping the Integrity Cities implement measures that will contribute to increased integrity, transparency and accountability. Organisationally, IT Consultant will be supervised by the Team Leader of 3^rd Component.

2. OBJECTIVE

The EUACI will hire an experienced IT expert to support activities regarding IT solutions for six partner cities in the spheres of digitalizing of internal processes and accountability of departments of city administrations and exact MoE. The main purpose will be to ensure that integrity IT tools delivered by the EUACI is maintained and supported and made sustainable so that they will continue to be used and serviced by the city administration when the EUACI support is terminated.

3. AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

The IT Consultant will be requested to support EUACI and Integrity Cities in the following areas:

1. Support city administrations and EUACI in identifying and describing their needs for digital products and services, describing and analyzing business processes, and formulating the concept of digital solutions needed, their key functions, and technical requirements based on mandate of program and work plans.

2. Oversee the development and enhancement of digital solutions of the Component III.

3. Liaise with the implementing partners and recipients to ensure smooth and productive cooperation on development of digital solutions. Conduct regular partner meetings.

4. Ensure that digital initiatives comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards. And looking for the possibility of their sharing to other cities and to the national level.

5. Coordinate the process of implementing the contract for the transfer of property rights to IT products to the Recipient in terms of its administration and maintenance.

6. Track program activities and inform management timely of delays or emerging risks, if any.

7. Contribute to development of technical requirements, ToRs and provide quality assurance of such documents from the partners.

8. Conducting regular high-level analysis of the state of IT products implemented by EUACI and preparation of specific recommendations that will ensure the appropriate level of sustainability of implemented IT products.

9. Other responsibilities as assigned by the project leadership.

4. DELIVERABLES

The deliverables under this contract will be the services provided by the IT Consultant described within the area of responsibility.

This section translates the scope of work into some regular deliverables and specific outputs that the IT Consultant will be directly responsible for delivering. The tables below summaries the tentatively identified regular and specific deliverables and outputs.

 

Table: Regular Deliverables

#	Deliverable/Output	Target Timeline/Due Dates	Review/Approval
1	Output-based work plans, indicating the timing and estimated input of time in hours for carrying out jointly agreed tasks and activities.	Constantly (or Monthly as agreed) /1 week before start of period	Senior Project Manager
2	Progress Reports, summarizing the progress made and results achieved over the period, and the IT Consultant’s recommendations for future actions.	Monthly	Component III Team Leader
3	Terms of References for IT projects according to the workplan and request	Constantly	Senior Project Manager
4	Quality assurance reports, analytical notes, presentations, as agreed with the EUACI.	Constantly	Senior Project Manager
5	Invoices and signed timesheets, summarizing actual days worked and expenses incurred with reference to the agreed work plans.	Monthly / max 2 weeks after end of the period	Senior Project Manager
6	Participation in meetings (in online and offline format) and observer visits to partner cities.	Constantly	Senior Project Manager
7	Recommendations for partner city administrations to ensure continuous operation and further maintenance of the provided IT facilities.	Constantly	Senior Project Manager

5. DEMAND PROFILE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Higher education with the relevant Master's/Specialist degree in telecommunication, information technology, or other related technical fields;

• At least 5-10 years of professional working experience in telecommunication, information technology, or other related technical fields;
• Experience in the implementation (design/planning/project management) of IT projects funded by international donors would be an advantage;
• Experience in designing technical specifications/terms of reference for supply of IT equipment/solutions in the public sector will be an asset;
• Information security certification;
• Experience with Geo-Portal projects, E-Reception Hall, or similar systems will be an asset;
• Experience in promoting good governance and integrity would be an advantage;
• Good analytical, negotiation, networking, coordination, and communication skills;
• Experience in the area of Procurement would be an advantage;
• Ability to work with tight deadlines, follow through on tasks and deliver results;
• Fluency in Ukrainian and excellent English language skills is required;
• Good written and verbal communication skills;
• Keen sense of ethics, integrity, and credibility.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work constructively with others within and outside the team;
• Experience in implementing joint projects with state authorities, local self-government, national or international organisations, and Ukrainian civil society organisations would be an advantage;

6. DURATION OF CONTRACT:

The contract is regarded as a part time activity with 144 working days with tentative start from August 2024 till August 2025. The contract includes 12 days of business trips to 4 partner cities.

7. BUDGET OF CONTRACT:

The budget of the contract does not exceed 21 000 EUR including travel, auditing, printing of materials and other relevant expenses.

8. CONFIDENTIALITY

By signing the contract, the IT Consultant agrees to hold in trust and confidence any information or documents ("confidential information") disclosed to the IT Consultant or discovered by the IT Consultant or prepared by the IT Consultant in the course of or as a result of the implementation of the contract, and agrees that it shall be used only for the contract implementation and shall not be disclosed to any third party. The IT Consultant also agrees not to retain copies of any written information or prototypes in its archive and for its use.

9. HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please send your CV (maximum 3 pages) and expected budget (including the total budget, the price of an 8 hours working day, logistics, accommodation and per diem) to oleoho@um,dk indicating the subject line "Senior IT Consultant for Integrity Cities".

The deadline for submitting the proposals is 19 August 2024, 17:00 Kyiv time.

Bidding language: English.

Any clarification questions for the bid request should be addressed to [email protected] no later than 13 August 2024, 17:00 Kyiv time. 

10. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Bids will be evaluated under the criteria provided below:

#	Criteria	Weight
1	CV (Relevant experience, skills and competencies)	60%
2	Proposed budget	40%