National Consultant for Wash Infrastructure, Bissau, 65 Working Days

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,

UNICEF works towards the realization of the rights of children as prescribed in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. To achieve its goals, UNICEF Guinea-Bissau applies various programme strategies and interventions at different levels. WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in Child-Friendly schools is a UNICEF initiative that aims to support the provision of safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities and that promotes lifelong health for children and their families. Ensuring access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in every school for every child can be a huge challenge, especially during emergencies. The quality of WASH infrastructures can help or hinder access to education. Poor hygiene, sanitation and water at school can mean large numbers of children become too sick to attend school because they suffer persistent episodes of diarrhoea or worm infestations. Older girls may be absent each month because there are no WASH facilities in school for menstrual hygiene management. Children with disabilities may stay away from school because WASH facilities are inaccessible to them. Girls and boys may have too little time for learning because they spend long periods at water collection points.

The WASH section has an extensive program in schools in Guinea Bissau. During the past 5 years, new designs have been developed together with the Ministry of Educations a new, girl-friendly, latrines have been installed and in some cases water systems. The water systems are always equipped with a public water tap where the community can collect water at predefined user costs. UNICEF Guinea-Bissau has recently benefited from 1 grant that aims to increase the access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools in the regions of Cachéu, Oio and Bijagós and another grant aims to increase WASH conditions in Nutrition Centers and schools of Gabu and Oio region. The project will achieve is goals through the construction and rehabilitation schools water systems and latrines, hygiene promotion in schools and nutrition centers. On this regards, will be required the infrastructure assessment of school and nutrition centers for the preparation of design of wash related infrastructure, amenities and accessories s that they might find fit, to prepare new construction documents such as Bill of Quantities (BoQ) and actualization of standard design.

Considering the above, UNICEF Guinea-Bissau WASH team would like to recruit a consultant specialist in WASH infrastructure constructions.

The Consultant will work under the supervision of the WASH Officer and in close collaboration with the Deputy Representative to undertake an assessment of WASH infrastructure in schools and Nutrition Centers in Cachéu, Bijagós, Gabu and Oio region. On the basis of the assessment, the consultant will prepare designs and budget of the rehabilitation/construction facilities in collaboration with Ministry of Natural Resources and the Infrastructure directions of the Ministry of Education and Health. He/She will ensure the quality monitoring of the constructions works in progress.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Scope of Work: • Assess school sanitation designs implemented after one year of use and suggest improvements to design and construction methods; • Prepare construction/rehabilitation need assessment in 6 Nutriton Rehabilittion Centres (CRENI) and 33 schools in Cacheu, BIjagos, Oio and Gabú; • Develop a comprehensive report with the technical justification for the proposed plans and designs and BOQ update and TOR for the bidding process; • Provide technical l support during the Bidding process; • Prepare new construction guidelines such as drawing and design, Bill of Quantities (BoQ) updated, for new WASH in schools’ and in HCF supported by UNICEF; • Follow-up of construction works proceeding to an effective quality control according to the construction TOR; • Complete provisional handover of constructions, after review and corrections of all incomplete or deficient items that need to be addressed before the final handover of the construction;

Payment Schedule: Payment of professional fees will be based upon submission of agreed timely satisfactory deliverables.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION PROCESS Interested consultants should provide the following:

- Cover letter describing the candidate’s relevant experience with similar type of assignments - A Technical Proposal The candidate should submit a proposal explaining a short description of methodology or approach on how to deliver the assignment as per the TORs including field visits. - A Financial Officer

The candidates are required to submit their financial offer including all costs related to this consultancy (fees, DSA for field mission)

The final selection will be based on the principle of “best value for money” i.e., achieving desired outcome at lowest possible fee. Child Safeguarding

How can you make a difference?

Tasks/Milestone 1 : New construction documents such as Bill of Quantities (BoQ), ToR, drawing and design for new WASH in schools’ intervention prepared and approved. Deliverables/Outputs: BoQ documents submitted for approval 21 Working Days

Tasks/Milestone 2 : Developed a comprehensive report with the main outcomes from the consultation as well as technical justification for the plans and designs proposed and Report of supervision. Construction follow-up, progress monitoring, including reporting any changes made during construction, milestones achievement reporting, work completed, and any challenges encountered. Deliverables/Outputs: Report available and Construction progress reports 22 Working Days

Tasks/Milestone 3 : The CRENI and schools site assessment report includes a comprehensive report outlining the existing conditions, site constraints, and requirements for construction/rehabilitation needs and priorities, including scope, BoQ, and timeline considerations. Provisional handover of water constructions in Oio and Cachéu.

Deliverables/Outputs:Assessment report available and validated and Provisional handover certificate 22 Working days

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

• Advanced University degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas Engineering Architecture, community engagement or related field.
• Minimum of five years of working experience in a relevant field
• In case of Bachelor will be required more 2 (two) years of experience
• Be a national of Guinea-Bissau
• Experience in working with an international aid organization is highly desired
• Prior, documented, the experience of community consultation
• Prior experience in working with adolescents and menstrual hygiene
• Previous experience of use of mWater or other smartphone-based monitoring tools meriting
• Fluency in Portuguese and English (or French) is required. Knowledge of local language Crioulo is an strong asset.

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.