Assignment Description: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the "EBRD" or the "Bank") 2010 Public Procurement Assessment revealed that public procurement policy development capacity in the countries of EBRD operation is insufficient and regulatory officials working at the national public procurement authorities do not integrate current international standards. Specifically, the assessment results demonstrated that no regular training, based on international policy standards is provided in Russian to regulatory officials in the CIS countries. This is part due to the very limited availability of training materials based on the 2011 UNCITRAL Model Law on Public procurement, the 2012 WTO GPA standards and the 2014 EU Directives on Public Procurement in Russian language.
The EBRD intends to engage an expert (the "Consultant") to design, develop and pilot a public procurement distance learning course in Russian language for public procurement officials working at the national regulatory authorities in the CIS region (the "Assignment").
The Assignment will comprise three components: (a) design and development of an online distance learning tool in Russian; (b) organising two pilot online distance learning courses for the Bank-selected procurement officials from the EBRD countries of operations; and (c) organising a workshop for the best 10 online courses participants.
To this end, the Consultant shall:
1) develop a fully functional distance learning tool to the Bank's brief;
2) deliver two pilot online training courses, equivalent of 15 training days each, to up to 50 participants, pre-selected by the Bank;
3) organise a workshop for up to 10 participants who successfully completed the distance learning training, which will provide necessary feedback on how to improve the new tool, before it is offered more widely to other participants or adopted for the purposes of the Bank’s business.
Assignment Start Date and Duration: The Assignment is expected to start in January 2015 and has an estimated overall duration of 6 months.
Maximum Budget Available for the Assignment: EUR 65,000; exclusive of VAT.
The consultant must determine whether any VAT would be chargeable on the services and the basis for that determination, without taking into consideration the Bank's special status as an IFI and state this to the Bank in their response to the Invitation for Expressions of Interest. To the extent that a consultant incurs input VAT on goods and services purhcased in connection with the provision of services (e.g. VAT on airline ticket) which is not otherwise recoverable by the consultant from the local tax authority, the gross cost to the consultant of such expenses shall be treated as a reimbursable expense.
Funding Source: The Assignment is expected to be funded through the EBRD's Shareholder Special Fund. Please note selection and contracting will be subject to the availability of funding.
Eligibility: There are no eligibility restrictions.
Consultant Profile: Individual services are required. The Consultant shall be an expert (individual expert or an expert nominated by a firm, see note 2) with experience in designing and managing web-based resources, e-learning or distance learning projects.
The Consultant will be required to demonstrate:
1) online design and communications skills;
2) practical experience in developing e-learning and distance learning tools;
3) experience in similar assignments, combining distance learning and on-site training; and
4) event manager with experience in organising training in Russian speaking countries and the ability to work in English and Russian.
Submission Requirements: In order to determine the capability and experience of experts seeking to be selected for this Assignment, the information submitted should include the following:
1. Cover letter (max. 2 pages) summarising why the expert believes to satisfy the requirements as defined in the above section Consultant Profile;
2. CV which should be detailed and include full descriptions of responsibilities carried out, not just a job title.
3. Completed Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet, the template for which is available from the following web-link:
http://www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/procurement/notices/csu/contact_sheet.doc
The complete expression of interest should not exceed 15 pages (including cover letter, CVs and completed Consultant Declaration and Contact Sheet) shall be one file (pdf or Word) to be uploaded to eSelection (only if the permissible file size is exceeded, the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files).
The EBRD reserves the right to reject applications of experts submitting more than one file. Only if the permissible file size is exceeded, the Consultant may split the expression of interest into further files.
Expressions of Interest shall be submitted, in English, electronically through e-Selection, to reach the Bank not later than the closing date.
EBRD Contact Person:
Elena Kolodiy
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
One Exchange Square
London EC2A 2JN
Tel: +44 (0) 207 338 6765
e-mail: kolodiyo@ebrd.com (submissions should be sent through eSelection and NOT to this email address)
Notes:
1. The selection will normally be made from responses to this notification only. Consultants will not be asked to submit a proposal. The highest-ranked Consultant will be selected from a shortlist, subject to availability of funding.
2. Consulting firms (proposing individuals) and individuals may apply. Consulting Firms nominating an individual expert shall submit a complete individual application for each expert via eSelection. Single applications for a number of experts containing various CVs may result in rejection of such application and all concerned experts.
The shortlisting criteria are as follows:
1) online design and communications skills (30%);
2) practical experience in developing an e-learning and distance learning tools (30%);
3) experience in similar assignments, in particular combining distance learning and on-site training, in the EBRD countries of operations (20%), and
4) Event Manager with experience in organising training in Russian speaking countries and the ability to work in English and Russian (20%).
