ICT Web Application Development - Azure Migration Support

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Contract

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The REST-GLR Agricultural Finance Ecosystem Mapping Dashboard currently operates as a publicly accessible website hosted on Vercel. It presents regional agricultural finance ecosystem information and analytical dashboards. The programme intends to bring the application under UNDP-managed infrastructure, retain its approved public-facing functionality and establish a sustainable mechanism for annual data updates. The current website is described as static; the exact frontend framework, backend dependencies, data storage and Vercel-specific services must be verified at inception. The assignment responds to the need for a clearly accountable technical resource to undertake the migration, implement a proportionate data management architecture, coordinate security and branding reviews, document operational arrangements and transfer the solution to designated UNDP personnel. This TOR does not presume that the website must be rewritten in .NET or SPFx.

Discovery, assessment and migration planning • Review the existing source repository, build and runtime requirements, Vercel configuration, environment variables (without disclosing secrets), APIs, integrations, data sources, libraries and licences. • Inventory all current pages, dashboards, filters, charts, maps, data exports and other functions; document baseline behaviour and performance. • Assess Azure App Service compatibility and identify any Vercel-specific features requiring replacement; compare alternatives only where App Service is demonstrably unsuitable. • Produce a solution architecture, migration runbook, dependencies register, risk assessment and implementation workplan with named approval gates.

Azure deployment and application migration • Work with UNDP ICT to configure approved DEV/UAT/PROD environments, application runtime, secure configuration, domain and TLS, and any required network/security controls. • Transfer or connect the application source code to a UNDP-approved repository and implement reproducible builds and CI/CD with controlled production releases. • Migrate the existing frontend and necessary backend/serverless functionality without avoidable redesign; preserve existing user experience and public read-only access. • Configure monitoring, error logging, health checks, backup/versioning, deployment rollback and documented recovery procedures. • Document infrastructure dependencies and estimated ongoing operating costs for ICT review.

Annual data-entry, validation and publication architecture • Design a lightweight staff-only annual data update mechanism, such as controlled Excel/CSV import with an authenticated administration interface or another ICT-approved approach. • Create data templates, data dictionary and validation rules for required fields, duplicates, relationships, permitted values, financial measures and data quality checks. • Implement a draft → validation → review/approval → publish workflow, with an audit trail and dataset version history. • Ensure the public website consumes only approved, appropriately classified datasets; prohibit public modification and exposure of confidential source data. • Enable restoration of a previous approved publication and show the public dataset last-updated date. • Train nominated data stewards to conduct annual updates without editing application source code.

Security, accessibility, quality and compliance • Apply the applicable UNDP ICT requirements for hosting, identity, access management, secure secrets, logging, data protection and change control, as formally provided by ICT. • Implement least-privilege staff access and public read-only boundaries; assess dependencies and third-party integrations for security and licensing. • Conduct functional, integration, user acceptance, performance, accessibility and security testing; remediate findings within the agreed scope. • Coordinate branding and presentation review with Stanley or the nominated UNDP communications focal point. • Prepare deployment, operational, data management and security documentation required for ICT sign-off.

Handover and operational readiness • Deliver source code, deployment configurations, technical documentation, data templates, test evidence, architecture diagrams and an administrator/user guide. • Conduct knowledge-transfer sessions for ICT support personnel and designated REST-GLR data stewards. • Support production launch, initial monitoring, defect correction and formal acceptance. • Provide a post-launch maintenance plan identifying patching, annual refresh support, backup and incident escalation responsibilities.

Education Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Information Systems, ICT or a closely related field. An advanced degree is not required. Relevant professional certifications in Azure, cloud computing, web development or data engineering are an advantage.

Required experience • At least 2 years of relevant professional experience in web application development, deployment and maintenance. • Demonstrated hands-on experience deploying production web applications to Microsoft Azure, preferably Azure App Service. • Strong experience with modern JavaScript/TypeScript web frameworks, APIs, build pipelines and cloud configuration. • Experience implementing data ingestion, validation and controlled publication workflows. • Experience with application security, identity and access control, troubleshooting, testing and technical documentation. • Ability to work with ICT, programme teams and external developers under tight timelines.

Desirable experience • Prior migration of applications from Vercel or comparable platforms to Azure. • Experience with geospatial dashboards, mapping libraries, data visualisation and multi-country data. • Familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID, Azure Key Vault, Application Insights and infrastructure-as-code. • Experience working with UN agencies, international development programmes or similarly governed ICT environments.

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Added 2 hours ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unv.org