SEPTEMBER 2014
UNICEF Supply Division seeks a
Software Development Consultant
to develop Microsoft Excel and Access projects
Terms of Reference (ToR) and Submission Details
Background
UNICEF Supply Division (SD) has developed about 50+ MS Excel reports in house over a period of many years to support the daily work activities in various business centers with regards to supply chain reporting and monitoring. The MS Excel based reports range from simple pivot tables to complex macros with automation and few sophisticated user interfaces. Some of these Excel reports are integrated with MS Access databases for in-depth analysis and reporting needs.
Objectives, Purpose & Expected results
One of the core strategies in SD office management plan for 2014-2017 is on supply chain reporting and monitoring. Various initiatives have already started in this subject area using MS Excel and Access in order to develop proof of concept models on monitoring and reporting. The eventual goal is to develop a complete suite of tools and solutions for supply chain monitoring and reporting by end of 2017. With UNICEF global ICT strategy based on Microsoft Office 365, MS SharePoint and cloud based information delivery, it is inevitable that the Excel and Access based utilities and applications will have to be maintained and enhanced for the forseeable future.
UNICEF SD is therefore looking for expert consultants with development experience in MS Excel and Access to be maintained on a consultancy roster and selected for contract on an as needed basis. The consultant will be required to:
· maintain and enhance the existing utilities and applications built on MS Excel & Access Databases
· provide expertise in assisting UNICEF SD in the journey towards Power BI on Office 365 for business intelligence
· provide user training in the use of advanced Excel features
Description of the assignment:
Scope of Work:
· Development of new excel based reports & dashboards with Access databases
· Automation of data consolidation, data import and generation of reports
· Support to troubleshoot issues related to the existing excel macros
· Enhancements to the current reports and databases on an as needed basis
· Provide support as subject matter expert (SME) to potentially migrate MS Excel and Access applications on Office 365 cloud.
· Assist UNICEF SD to explore & implement Power BI on Office 365
· Documentation and end user training
Deliverables
Assignments/projects related to MS Excel and Access DB should be delivered in time as per the Terms of Reference which include but not limited to the following:
· Requirements definition, analysis and presentation of potential solutions to stakeholders
· Design and development of complete solution(s)
· Handover with complete documentation and training (if need identified) to end users
· Documented root cause analysis with potential permanent solution in case of bug fixes
· Development of a detailed project plan along with the start date, expected finish date and resource requirements.
Reporting requirements
All assignments and projects will be monitored, evaluated and managed by Operational Analysis & Technology Centre (OATC) in SD. The consultant(s) will be managed and supervised by Programmer Analyst, Web Development in OATC.
· The hours spent by the consultant(s) are to be documented in a timelog with details of all the hours used. The hours spent will be held up against the ToR and agreed business requirements for each assignment/project to ensure that the deliverables are met.
· All issues application and system related are to be captured in an issue log and tracked.
· All documentation, communication and decisions are to be documented and made visible to all stakeholders.
· A weekly status meeting will be held with the business owners to monitor and evaluate the progress of each of the assignment/project.
· Additional IT specific targeted status meetings as required will be held throughout the assignment/project along with the directly involved stakeholders.
· Unit testing, user acceptance testing and integration testing must be thoroughly documented. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) will be signed off by the respective stakeholders as acceptance of deliverables.
· Evaluation will follow the sign offs for each assignment/project with inputs from OATC and stakeholders.
Duration: Q3 2014 through Q4 2014
Location: Work is primarily expected to be carried offsite. On site visits to be scheduled for activities related to business requirements, demonstration of solution, user training and most critical emergency bug fixes.
Qualification requirements
· Advanced in-depth knowledge in MS Office Applications is mandatory.
· Software development experience in particular Microsoft Excel & Microsoft Access is mandatory.
· Knowledge and experience with Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a must.
· Software development experience in MS .NET technologies is an asset.
· Knowledge and work experience in SAP is an asset.
· Certification in Project Management (PMP, PRINCE2 or alike) is desirable
Administrative issues
· A ToR will be shared on the specific project/assignment
· Suggested consultants will be interviewed by OATC to make sure SMEs are fit for purpose
· Estimated cost will be based on the established daily rate
· Travel cost locally in Denmark will not be covered
· UNICEF will provide access to internet and an office space.
Project management
The business owner for each project/assignment is the over all project manager. The Operational Analysis & Technology Centre (OATC) in SD will manage the technical resource directly for application development.
Submission Details
All interested consultants should send an application packet including the following:
a. A completed Expression of Interest form, including the professional lump sum fee/rate, per person day; (Attachment A)
b. Technical skills narrative (Attachment B)
c. Updated CV/UN P11 form
The application packet should be transmitted via email to by 28th September, 11:59 pm CET. Email Subject: Application for Software Development. Late submissions, incomplete packets, or submissions with an incorrect email subject heading will not be considered.
UNICEF considers best value for money as a criteria for evaluating potential candidates. As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
ATTACHMENT A
Expression of Interest Form
Software developer consultant for Microsoft (MS) Excel & MS Access projects
Expected start date: October 2014
Please fill-in the template and return in its entirety and submit it to us electronically at
First Name:
Last Name:
User Salutation: Mr. Ms. Mrs. Dr.
Job Title:
Mobile: (please include country & city code)
Fax: (please include country & city code)
Email address:
Full
Address:
Proposed Daily Fee
ATTACHMENT B
NARRATIVE
Please respond to the questions below in a narrative not exceeding 2-3 pages.
UNICEF SD is looking for expert consultants with development experience in MS Excel and Access on an as needed basis in order to;
· maintain and enhance the existing utilities and applications built on MS Excel & Access Databases
· provide expertise in assisting UNICEF SD in exploring Power BI on Office 365 for business intelligence
· provide user training in the use of advanced Excel features
1. Provide information which will enable us to determine whether you have relevant experience to conduct the proposed activities. Information should include:
a. The number of years of experience in the subject area of MS Excel & Access;
b. A brief summary of your achievements and experience with similar projects
c. A description of your technical competencies, skills and expertise in these concepts and approaches;
2. Provide information which will enable us to determine whether you have relevant specialized knowledge in the areas that are critical to this work. Information should include;
a. A description of a project where you applied Excel and/or Access DB skills to automate & create complex reports & dashboards
3. Please provide your professional all inclusive fee rate, per person day in USD
As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor shall follow the best value for money principle, achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee.
4. Confirm the following;
a. You have NO on-going litigation with the UN;
b. You are not currently removed/invalidated or suspended by the United Nations or UN system organizations;
ATTACHMENT D: General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants / Individual Contractors
1. Legal Status
The individual engaged by UNICEF under this contract as a consultant or individual contractors (the “Contractor”) is engaged in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other entity external to the United Nations. The Contractor is neither a "staff member" under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor an "official" for the purpose of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1946. The Contractor may, however, be afforded the status of "Experts on Mission" in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention and the Contractor is required by UNICEF to travel in order to fulfill the requirements of this contract, the Contractor may be issued a United Nations Certificate in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.
2. Obligations
The Contractor shall complete the assignment set out in the Terms of Reference for this contract with due diligence, efficiency and economy, in accordance with generally accepted professional techniques and practices.
The Contractor must respect the impartiality and independence of UNICEF and the United Nations and in connection with this contract must neither seek nor accept instructions from anyone other than UNICEF. During the term of this contract the Contractor must refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on UNICEF or the United Nations and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICEF. The Contractor must exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to this contract.
In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, the Contractor (a) will conduct him- or herself in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service; and (b) will comply with the administrative instructions and policies and procedures of UNICE relating to fraud and corruption; information disclosure; use of electronic communication assets; harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority; and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse.
Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, the Contractor must not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other entity external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to the Contractor by reason of his or her association with UNICEF or the United Nations. The Contractor may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF, and shall under no circumstances use such information for his or her private advantage or that of others. These obligations do not lapse upon termination of this contact.
3. Title rights
UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material created by the Contractor which bears a direct relation to, or is made in order to perform, this contract. At the request of UNICEF, the Contractor shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to UNICEF in compliance with the requirements of the law governing such rights.
4. Travel
If UNICEF determines that the Contractor needs to travel in order to perform this contract, that travel shall be specified in the contract and the Contractor’s travel costs shall be set out in the contract, on the following basis:
(a) UNICEF will pay for travel in economy class via the most direct and economical route; provided however that in exceptional circumstances, such as for medical reasons, travel in business class may be approved by UNICEF on a case-by-case basis.
(b) UNICEF will reimburse the Contractor for out-of-pocket expenses associated with such travel by paying an amount equivalent to the daily subsistence allowance that would be paid to staff members undertaking similar travel for official purposes.
5. Statement of good health
Before commencing work, the Contractor must deliver to UNICEF a certified self-statement of good health and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement. In addition, the Contractor must include in this statement of good health (a) confirmation that he or she has been informed regarding inoculations required for him or her to receive, at his or her own cost and from his or her own medical practitioner or other party, for travel to the country or countries to which travel is authorized; and (b) a statement he or she is covered by medical/health insurance and that, if required to travel beyond commuting distance from his or her usual place or residence to UNICEF (other than to duty station(s) with hardship ratings “H” and “A”, a list of which has been provided to the Contractor) the Contractor’s medical/health insurance covers medical evacuations. The Contractor will be responsible for assuming all costs that may be occurred in relation to the statement of good health.
6. Insurance
The Contractor is fully responsible for arranging, at his or her own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the term of this contract as he or she considers appropriate taking into account, among other things, the requirements of paragraph 5 above. The Contractor is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members. The responsibility of UNICEF and the United Nations is limited solely to the payment of compensation under the conditions described in paragraph 7 below.
7. Service incurred death, injury or illness
If the Contractor is travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contract, or is performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval, the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate), shall be entitled to compensation from UNICEF in the event of death, injury or illness attributable to the fact that the Contractor was travelling with UNICEF’s prior approval and at UNICEF's expense in order to perform his or her obligations under this contractor, or was performing his or her obligations under this contract in a UNICEF or United Nations office with UNICEF’s approval. Such compensation will be paid through a third party insurance provider retained by UNICEF and shall be capped at the amounts set out in the Administrative Instruction on Individual Consultants and Contractors. Under no circumstances will UNICEF be liable for any other or greater payments to the Contractor (or his or her dependents as appropriate).