Consultancy Recruitment: “Landscape Analysis on Assistive Technology for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities in Iran”

Consultant Teaching & Training Programme & Policy

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Education

Consultancy on “Landscape Analysis on Assistive Technology for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities in Iran”

Background

Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) obliges States Parties to take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children. Several articles recognize that Assistive Technology (AT) is the first step for a child with a disability to play with other children, go to school and be educated, and to become a successful citizen and contributing member of society. AT is instrumental in overcoming barriers that constrain them from seeking justice and redress when their rights are violated or denied. For many children, AT represents the difference between enjoying their rights or being deprived of them. AT includes products and related services that improve the functioning of children with disabilities. It can be instrumental for children’s development and health, as well as for participation in various facets of life: communication, mobility, self-care, household tasks, family relationships, education, and engagement in play and recreation.

Globally, it is estimated that over one billion people need at least one form of AT, but over 90% do not have access to the AT they require. Challenges that people with disabilities are facing in the MENA region in accessing quality and affordable AT seems to be similar to those reported worldwide: inadequate funding and lack of inclusion of AT in insurance schemes; fragmented procurement; weak national policy frameworks; complex distribution and logistics; limited service delivery capacity; insufficient product and service standards for various contexts; inadequate number of trained providers and appropriate products; and stigma and discrimination. All of this is coupled with the lack of awareness of available AT among users, potential users, service providers, and country governments.

In line with the UNICEF Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy, access to AT and relevant services is among the priority strategies. UNICEF will strengthen its investments, partnerships, product availability and technical assistance to help governments progressively realize universal access to AT for persons, particularly children, with disabilities. It will increasingly support the development and greater availability of affordable, quality and appropriate products that meet the diverse needs of children with disabilities in diverse contexts.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 15% of the Iranian population has a disability. The most common types of disabilities in Iran are physical impairments, followed by hearing and visual impairments. Assistive technology (AT) is crucial in promoting the independence and participation of people with disabilities, and Iranian government has recognized the importance of AT in improving the lives of people with disabilities and has taken steps to increase its availability. However, despite these efforts, there are still significant challenges in the procurement of AT in Iran, such as lack of funding, limited availability of specialized AT, few AT companies, weak government-market relations for disability-focused organizations, and inadequate distribution channels, which result in a significant disparity in access to education, employment, and other societal opportunities for people with disabilities. The "Landscape Analysis on Assistive Technology for Children and Adolescents in Iran" aims to assess the current state of AT in the country, identify gaps in coverage and service delivery, examine barriers to access, and propose recommendations to address the challenges in its procurement.

Objectives/ Scope of Work:

This assignment will include support to UNICEF Iran CO in initiating data collection and policy development towards building national ecosystems for AT to meet the needs of children with disabilities for functioning, participation in learning and in the community from early years through adulthood.

The objective of this Landscape Analysis is to assess access to Assistive Technology for Children and Adolescents with disabilities in Iran and propose recommendations for improvement. Through this study, we intend to explore the AT systems to ultimately reduce access barriers experienced along the AT access pathway. Assessing access to AT includes a review of accessibility, affordability, adaptability, availability, acceptability, and quality of AT. This review should also touch upon the whole cycle of access to AT for a CWD, including the assessment, fitting, training and rehabilitation services for use, repair, etc.

Furthermore, the landscape study covers the state of the Assistive Technology Sector in the country and provides recommendations on how the capacity of the innovation ecosystem can be tapped into to strengthen the Assistive Technology Sector in terms of market responsive product development, facilitating and charting pathways for access.

A critical bifurcation on the enabling technologies for children and adolescents in the landscape analysis is reviewing two spaces of 1) assistive technologies (physical and hardware enabled technologies) 2) inclusive digital products and services (software enabled technologies).

The study will respond to several key questions including but not limited to the following:

1. Situation: What is the current situation of assistive technology (AT) system for children and adolescents with disabilities in Iran considering the governance, budget and financing mechanisms, legislation, regulations and standards, service provision coverage, workforce and human capacity, delivery pathways, etc.

2. Challenges: What are the challenges and barriers in access to AT for children and adolescents with disabilities in Iran, taking into account accessibility, affordability, adaptability, availability, acceptability, and quality.

3. Social and Behavorial Change: What are the attitudes and perceptions of service providers and other stakeholders, including CWD, their parents and caregivers towards AT for children and adolescents with disabilities in Iran?

4. Recommendations: What are the most effective ways to promote the use of AT among children and adolescents with disabilities in Iran? Including, but not limited to:

• recommendations for UNICEF strategies and interventions from policy to practice

• recommendations on improving the system, based on the barriers

• specific recommendations for key system actors

• recommendations for the CWD Innovation Cluster on AT and the AT Sector on Physical and Digital Products and Services for CWDs

• best practices for AT procurement and distribution in other countries, and how can they be adapted to the context of Iran?

• Along with any proposed recommendation, what would be the expected impact of adopting the recommendation?

Methodology:

The selected consultant is expected to propose the methodology with detailed steps explained, in which required quantitative and qualitative methods in data collection and analysis are deployed. Further details to be elaborated in the technical proposal, by the applicant.

In designing the methodology, the views of various stakeholders, in particular children and adolescent boys and girls with disabilities, their parents and caregivers, as well as OPDs, should be taken into consideration. Also, as far as possible, liaising with governmental bodies and UN agencies working in areas related to CWD, should be included.

Deliverables

Phase One: On boarding, Design & Development (15 calendar days)

• Final Study Design (including methods, focus areas, KPIs, timeframe, etc.) and detailed action plan

Phase Two: Multi-dimensional Landscape Analysis and System Mapping (60 calendar days; 50% payment)

• Desk Review Report, in English (30 calendar days)

• Landscape Analysis preliminary report, in English (30 calendar days)

Phase Three: Syntheses and Recommendations - Final Report (45 calendar days; 35% payment)

• Final approved Landscape Analysis Report with Recommendation, after review and revisions (30 calendar days)

• Presentation of findings recommendations (15 calendar days)

Desired Qualifications:

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) or higher level in related fields.

• Minimum three years of professional experience or research on related fields to disability and/or AT, including data assessment and proven experience in developing analytical works.

• Knowledge and experience in AT international agenda, recent initiatives and reforms, key concepts, and strategies, as well as AT national provision (policy, legislation, funding, capacity development)

• Experience of working with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities is an asset.

• Ability to synthesize knowledge and effectively express ideas in writing; and ability to coordinate with external partners.

• Strong analytical, writing and communication skills; ability to draft text clearly and concisely in English and Persian.

• Fluency in English (oral and written)

• Proposal from a technical team, rather than individuals, is considered an asset.

• Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply; required accommodations would be discussed and supported per organization's capacity.

How can you make a difference?

Criteria for Evaluation

The technical evaluation includes three main criteria, and each main criterion is measured on the basis of the scores assigned to sub-criteria for each assessed institution. The three main criteria include Overall Application, Capacity, Core Capabilities, and Qualifications, and Proposed Technical Proposal (Method and Approach).

Financial points: 20, Technical Points: 80

Technical Criteria including:

Overall Application (10 points)

Completeness and quality of the submitted application

Consultant Capacity, Core Capabilities, and Qualifications (35 points)

Including:

• Profile/CV; Education; Academic Record; Competencies, Capabilities, and Reach (Network); Competitive advantage over other consultants

• Track record of expertise and experience in AT; Range and depth of experience with similar projects (Number of customers, size of projects, team); The results achieved or performance reports of previous projects; feedback from references/previous employers

Proposed technical proposal (Method and Approach, Feasibility, and credibility) (35 points)

• Project management, monitoring and quality assurance process for the project

• Assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed approach (content, method, approaches, network)

• Innovative approaches

• Quality of data analysis and synthesis methods

• Approach informed by benchmarking best practices (in line with UNICEF’s methods, approaches, and best practices)

• Compliance with Child Rights and alignment with underlying principles in Design and Approach

NOTE FOR CONSULTANTS AND TEAM/INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTORS:

Please submit a financial offer along with your technical proposal, which contains the following information:

· Fee for services to be provided – based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference

· Wherever possible, indicate the itemized cost of the travel (air tickets etc.).

If short-listed based on the submitted technical and financial proposal, you may be contacted for an in-person interview, to discuss further details.

Terms of Payment/Remuneration:

As full consideration for the services performed by the consultant under the terms of the contract, UNICEF shall pay the total amount of contract as per below instalments, upon certification that services have been satisfactorily performed and against submission of Invoice and signed Certificate of Payment (CoP).

- 1st instalment – upon delivery of the deliverables of Phase # 1- Amount: 15% of the total cost

- 2nd instalment – upon delivery of the deliverable Phase #2- Amount: 50% of the total cost

- 3rd instalment – upon delivery of the deliverable Phase #3- Amount: 35% of the total cost

Conditions of Work:

The work will be done inside of Iran. The consultant should have office space and equipment independent of UNICEF. The nature of the work requires desk research, focus group discussions, stakeholder engagement, interviews, surveys, and other forms of engagement with the stakeholders, all of which will be accommodated by the consultant.

The consultant shall take out and shall maintain for the entire term of the Contract, for any extension thereof, and for a period following any termination of the Contract reasonably adequate to deal with losses: (i) insurance against all risks in respect of its property and the equipment used for the performance of the Contract; (ii) workers' compensation insurance, or its equivalent, or employer's liability insurance, or its equivalent, with respect to the consultant personnel sufficient to cover all claims for injury, death and disability, or other benefits required to be paid by law, in connection with the performance of the Contract; and, (iii) liability insurance in an adequate amount to cover all claims, including claims for death and bodily injury, products and completed operations liability, loss of or damage to property, and personal injury, arising from or in connection with the consultant’s performance under the Contract, including liability arising out of or in connection with the acts or omissions of the consultant’s personnel, agents, invitees, subcontractors, or the use, during the performance of the Contract, of transportation vehicles.

The consultant must ensure the physical and psychological safety of the children and adolescents as well as other stakeholders’ when interacting by applying the safeguarding guidelines. The consultant shall be responsible for any costs or claims associated with any illness, injury, death or disability of the consultant Personnel, if any. The consultant shall ensure that all of his/her Personnel used to perform obligations in connection with this Contract are adequately covered by insurance for any service-related illness, injury, death or disability. UNICEF accepts no responsibility for providing any corresponding insurance coverage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Apply now

Added 10 months ago - Updated 10 months ago - Source: unicef.org