Consultancy: Technical Specialist (Oxygen Plants), Health Technology Centre/Product Innovation Centre, SD, Cph (11.5 months)

Contract

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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.

Context and Purpose of the Consultancy:

COVID-19 has exposed a massive oxygen gap that existed in many low- and middle-income countries, with limited oxygen infrastructure and production capacity, hospitals not equipped for oxygen provision and a lack of trained human resources, both biomedical staff to install and maintain oxygen equipment as well as clinicians to provide safe oxygen therapy for COVID-19 and non-COVID patients.

UNICEF has over the past years and before the onset of COVID-19, invested in improving oxygen access, through updating oxygen device specifications with WHO, including a suite of oxygen therapy equipment in the UNICEF supply catalogue, developing an oxygen systems planning tool to provide support to countries in planning and costing oxygen needs, and by improving the quality of maternal, newborn and child health programming including through improved access to and safe use of oxygen as part of integrated service delivery at hospital and Primary Health Care level.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF has supplied over 23,000 oxygen concentrators as well as accessories and consumables, including hypoxemia measurement devices, to 94 countries across the world. UNICEF country offices have supported the local oxygen response in multiple ways through needs assessment, local procurement and installation of PSA plants or liquid oxygen tanks, procurement of oxygen cylinders, service contracts with suppliers, capacity building and other efforts aiming to strengthen country oxygen systems with sustainable solutions for long-term impact beyond COVID-19 to improve child health outcomes.

Health Technology Centre requires a consultant with specialist technical knowledge of medical gas generating plants and their implementation in developing country contexts, to contribute expert biomedical engineering input to UNICEF’s accelerating area of work on delivery of oxygen through complex oxygen projects.

Key Tasks

Supported by the Technical Specialist (Oxygen) the consultant will drive the development of specifications, tender documents, evaluation criteria and technical guidance (for goods and services) related to oxygen PSA plants. The consultant will provide technical assistance and produce specifications and evaluation criteria for a global tender for PSA plants, and also offer direct technical support to countries currently procuring and installing oxygen plants locally.

Deliverables:

1. Technical input to guidance note to provide technical guidance to countries procuring oxygen plants
2. Drafted requirements, variations and service requirements for PSA plants global tender
3. Specifications for a menu of modular options for PSA plants global tender
4. Structured direct country support for countries procuring or maintaining oxygen plants

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Academic:

• University Degree, in engineering, biomedical engineering or related discipline, and/or public health with relevant experience is required
• Masters or PhD is preferred
• Project management experience or qualification is desirable
• Medical gas accreditation or certification considered a strong asset

Professional Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of years professional and relevant work experience in oxygen delivery systems (ideally plants specifically)

• Direct experience of UNICEF or UN procurement systems and mechanisms preferred, including running tenders

• Proven high-level ability to synthesise and communicate technical information

• Experience in producing technical guidance for oxygen systems is considered a strong asset

• Working knowledge of UNICEF and the UN is a strong asset
• Knowledge and understanding of public procurement principles is a strong asset

Technical Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge of oxygen systems, medical equipment, medical devices, and/or biomedical engineering is required
• Experience in developing high quality specifications and guidance is required
• Knowledge of the context in which UNICEF operates is required

• Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is essential and in another UN language is an advantage.

Evaluation Criteria

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION (max. 70 points)

Overall Response (20 points)

20

Understanding of tasks, objectives and completeness and coherence of response

10

Overall match between the TOR requirements and proposal

10

Technical Capacity (50 points)

50

Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience

15

University Degree, in engineering, biomedical engineering or related discipline, and/or public health with relevant experience is required. Masters or PhD is preferred

10

Specialist knowledge of oxygen systems (plants specifically)

10

Developing high quality specifications and guidance

10

Knowledge of UNICEF context/field locations

5

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATION - Total Points

70

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL (max. 30 points)

Daily rate

(Monthly rate)

Total Financial proposal

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL - Weight Combined Score

30

TOTAL SCORE (max. 100 points)

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application outlining relevant experience of the role
2. Financial quote including both a daily and monthly rate in US Dollars including all taxes. UNICEF considers best value for money in its evaluation
3. At least 3 recent Technical Reference contacts who may be contacted
4. Applications submitted without a financial proposal will not be considered.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

Functional Competencies:

• Able to work independently and problem solving oriented.
• Able to work in a multi-cultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships.
• Demonstrated communication and relationship building skills
• Proven capacity to work with and lead collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.