Consultant – Samoa Parliament

The UNDP in the Pacific works with parliaments to address constraints to the effectiveness and capacities of national parliaments in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) in order to engage with key development issues, contribute to the development of participatory and transparent national planning processes, expand parliamentary outreach and citizen engagement to include traditionally excluded groups such as women and youth, and increase the political participation of women. Specifically, it provides country (national) programming support for 10 PICs (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, FSM, Palau, Marshall Islands. The Pacific Office in Fiji also provides regional programming support across the whole of the Pacific encompassing the 10 PICS, plus PNG, Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, and the Territory of Tokelau.

UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji currently implements three (3) parliamentary strengthening projects in the Pacific with the aim to ensure that “Parliaments, constitution making bodies and electoral institutions enabled to perform core functions for improved accountability, participation and representation, including for peaceful transitions”

• The Fiji Parliament Support Project (FPSP) – a four (4)-year project implemented from 2017 – 2021 funded by the Governments of New Zealand, Australia and Japan;

• The Strengthening Legislatures in the Pacific (SLIP) Project – a three (3) year regional project implemented from 2018 – 2020/21 focusing on 5 pacific parliaments, funded by the Government of Japan.

• The Pacific Parliamentary Effectiveness Initiative (PPEI) Phase II Project – to be implemented for four (4) years from May 2019 – April 2023. It is a regional project focusing on five (5) Pacific parliaments, with additional funding to support another five (5) smaller pacific parliaments in the Pacific. The project is funded by the Government of New Zealand.

   

  UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, through the request by the Office of the Clerk of the Samoa Parliament seeks to   contract  a consultant  to  compile a publication documenting the history of Parliament as an institution and covers the constitutional, legal and political history of the Parliament of Samoa.

Scope of Work

1. Conduct a of narrative and analysis of the historical facts to put flesh on the empirical data

2. Conduct a desk review of source documents from pre-colonial to post independence times

3. Analyse the quantitative and qualitative data that is available

4. Establish a focus group to review, critique, deconstruct and reconstruct research findings

5. Conduct interviews and develop questionnaires for the collection of data especially from the present and the families of the deceased members of Parliament

6. Consolidate the accounts of the present and families of the deceased members of Parliament

7. Examine and verify the information researched with the accounts of the present and families of the deceased members of Parliament

8. Document the emergence and the developments of the Parliament of Samoa as an institution

9. Present on findings to Speaker and Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

10. Produce the written report on “The Emergence and Development of an Institution: The

    Constitutional, Legal and Political History of the Parliament of Samoa” book

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

1. To document the emergence and the developments that have ensued over time in the evolution of the Parliament of Samoa as an institution

2. To produce an accurate written record of the history of the Parliament of Samoa for the benefit of the public.

3. To give a comprehensive and a near-to accurate account of the history of the Parliament of Samoa written from the perspective of Samoans

4. To acknowledge the endeavors of our forbearers as well as appreciate the achievements of not only the Members of Parliament but also Officers of the Legislative Assembly

5. Identify, highlight and applaud the legal, political, economic and cultural policy advances so far achieved by the Government of Samoa within the locus of the lawmaking function of the Parliament of Samoa

6. To see where Parliament as an Institution was, where it is at present and where to from here and becomes a focal point to assess whether Parliament as an independent lawmaking Institution is developing throughout the years

7. Copy of the report to be translated into the English language

Institutional Arrangement

• The consultant will liaise directly with the Clerk to Parliament, and will be supervised by Clerk and UNDP Programme Manager Parliamentary Development

• The consultant will be directly responsible to, reporting to, seeking approval/acceptance of output from the Clerk to Parliament and UNDP Programme Manager Parliamentary Development

• Report on the progress of the contract will be carried out in a manner agreed to by the Clerk and UNDP and UNDP Programme Manager Parliamentary Development and it will be at theClerks discretion on the method of presentation of status report and expected audience and location or venue.

• The consultant is expected to liaise, interact and collaborate and meet with in the course of performing the work with the relevant persons, and agencies as guided by the Office of the Clerk

• The Office of the Clerk will arrange for a desk area for consultant to work in.

• The Office of the Clerk will provide access to archives to the consultant upon request and wherever possible.

• All reports and documents relating to the assignment will be submitted to the UNDP Pacific Office based in Fiji upon request.

Duration of the Work

• It is expected that the consultancy will take up to 45 days of research and compilation and presentation of the outcomes between June to August 2021.

Duty Station

• The consultant will be required to work from his/her own office, with time spent at the Parliament of Samoa.
• The IC will be required to report regularly or be present at a certain office during the work, including frequency of reporting, even if intermittent

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills.

• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback.

• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work.

• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

• Comprehensive knowledge of the political history of Samoa and its laws and constitution and its cultures and traditions.

• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research.

• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills.

• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.

• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.

• Positive, constructive attitude to work.

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Educational Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Law, Development Studies, Governance

Experience

• 7 years of practical experience in research and undertaking similar history writing projects in the past with at least 3 articles/papers published in academic journals and with international or regional organizations;

• Over 10 years of professional experience of working in Samoa

• Proven knowledge of Samoa’s history

• Excellent analytical, working and drafting skills

• Cultural and political awareness, diplomatic skills, ability to adapt and ability to work independently and take responsibility for delivering results.

• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work and to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

  Language requirements

• Fluency of the English and Samoan language is required;

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on lump sum amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment.

The contract price will be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:

• Deliverable 1 [Upon submission and approval by UNDP and Samoa Parliament of a Draft work plan/methodology for approaching the assignment]: 20% of total contract amount

• Deliverable 2 [Upon submission and approval by UNDP and Samoa Parliament of a 1st Draft of the document]:40% of total contract amount

• Deliverable 3 [Upon submission and approval by UNDP and Samoa Parliament of a final draft of the document]: 40% of total contract amount

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal using the template provided in Annex II. Financial Proposal to be in United States Dollars (USD).

• Cover Letter which includes a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.

• Proposed Methodology which includes a brief description methodology (this should not be more than 3 pages)

• CV 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.

Note: Successful individual will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.

Incomplete, joint proposals and proposals sent to the wrong mailing address will not be accepted and only candidates for whom there is further interest will be contacted.

Individuals interested in this consultancy should apply and will be reviewed based on their own individual capacity. The successful individual may sign an Individual Contract with UNDP or request his/her employer to sign a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) on their behalf by indicating this in the Offerors letter to Confirming Interest and Availability using Annex II.

Annexes

• Annex I – Individual IC General Terms and Conditions

• Annex II – Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

All required templates area available on the UNDP Procurement website: www.pacific.undp.org

Proposal Submission

• All applications must be clearly marked with the title of the consultancy (Consultant – Samoa Parliament) with reference (PN/FJI/040/21)and submitted via UN Job shop by 7 June 2021.

• Note: UNDP Jobs only supports single document upload hence ensure that the proposal is consolidated and submitted as one single document.

• For further information concerning this Terms of Reference, please contact UNDP Pacific Office by email: [email protected]

   

Women applicants are encouraged to apply