Re-advertisement: National Individual Consultant to support enhancement of Social Protection Single Registry

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Background:

In 2019 UNICEF supported the Ministry of Finance of Uzbekistan designed the Social Protection Single Registry (SPSR), an integrated management information system on social protection and launched it as a pilot in Syrdarya region. In May 2020 the Ministry of Finance requested UNICEF to support an upgrade of SPSR so the system could be used to administer the response programmes to COVID-19 pandemic and the nation-wide roll-out of the system. In 2021 UNICEF supported extension of the functionality of SPSR, which was concluded with establishing an appropriate governance system within the Ministry of Finance that was handed over the resposibiity to run the system.

SPSR is designed to enable effective administration of the social protection programmes from applications, verification, and registration to payments, monitoring and reporting. Currently the system covers three means-tested social benefits for low income families: 1) benefit for a child under two years old; 2) benefit for families with child(ren) up to 14 years old; 3) material support for low-income families. SPSR is fed with information on applicants of social allowances through links to the databases of relevant ministries and agencies. In order to provide necessary flexibility, SPSR is equipped with configurable parameters on eligibility criteria, benefit levels and gross income calculation formulas. In 2021 the system’s functionality was extended in line with the comments and feedback received from the system users and beneficiaries in 2020-2021, to align it with the legislative changes that happened in May and September 2021 and to integrate a test version of a module to administer community-based social work.

In order to provide necessary flexibility, SPSR is equipped with configurable parameters on eligibility criteria, benefit levels and gross income calculation formulas. Once fully developed, SPSR can be used to inform case management in ensuring provision of continuous support and to provide integrated social support based on cash+services approach. In future SPSR will enable the Government to monitor performance of all social protection schemes and help to devise informed social policies and improve overall social protection system in Uzbekistan.

In terms of architecture, SPSR has been built in a modular manner with the following modules: Administration and Security; Registration; Integration; Means testing; Enrolment; Payments; Case Management; Grievances Management; Monitoring and Reporting.

Objectives:

UNICEF is seeking for a national consultant to support day to day activities of the Social Policy team in Uzbekistan Country Office and national and international stakeholders involved inthe development of the Single Registry for Social Protection to timely and with quality implement the following objectives: 1) to enhance SPSR in line with the users’ suggestions and comments collected within 2020-2021; 2) to modify SPSR modules to reflect the planned changes in the legislation on social allowances in Uzbekistan; 3) to hand over the responsibility to maintain SPSR to the technical team of the Ministry of Finance; 4) to design and introduce an electronic module on case management in social services to be operated at local community (makhalla) level, including preparing and undertaking trainings for users and administrators of the module; 5) to introduce a function of launching a cash payment in response to emergency situations; 6) to integrate Iron, Women and Youth Notepads into SPSR.

Description of the ongoing activities:

Throughout 2019-2021 users and administrators of SPSR provided numerous comments and suggestions on improving the system’s interface and functionality. In order to establish the scope for addressing the feedback on SPSR, UNICEF engaged Development Pathways to undertake a virtual mission on 14-25 September 2020. The outcomes of the mission are reflected in the attached mission report (please see Annex 1). The report specifies enhancements and key issues that need to be addressed (pp. 12-13; 27-48). Once addressed, the international service provider must update the user manuals and undertake user trainings to inform the users on the updates and their implications.

On 28 December 2020, the Ministry of Finance requested enhancement of Monitoring and Reporting module. Given that successful functioning of reporting capacity of SPSR is an important element of evidence-based decision-making, UNICEF fully supports the ministry’s request on enhancing Monitoring and Reporting module. Details of the required enhancement are given in Annex 2.

In 2021 there were two rounds of legislative updates, which implies adding the national databases SPSR became linked to via Application Programming Interface (API), to issue electronic certificates on low-income status for defining eligibility for a range of in-kind social benefits and services without separate applications, introducing new child benefits for low-income families, and to relax employment requirements for single mothers or parents of 4 or more children as well as those who were included into Iron notepad for the last 12 months. An international service provider is engaged to align SPSR with the legislative changes. The relevant modules of SPSR are being modified to reflect the legislative changes. The modules are being designed in configurable manner, when designs of social protection programmes (application/registration procedures, eligibility criteria and benefit level) can be modified through a user’s interface without modifying the source code.

In 2021 UNICEF supported the Ministry of Finance in designing and operationalising an appropriate framework to take over the issue resolution and system administration functions of SPSR. A technical team and a dedicated administrative division were created in the Ministry of Finance. Appropriate trainings were provided on issue resolution and system administration to relevant staff members of the ministry. It is expected that by the end of December 2021 the ministry’s technical team will take over responsibility on maintaining and operating SPSR fully.

From May to December 2021 UNICEF supported the Ministry on Support of Makhalla and Family to undertake a modelling exercise on community-based social services. Based on the operational procedures that were developed during the exercise, a an electronic module on case management for social services will be developed. The module will have the flowing functions:

• Registration of applications
• Eligibility test
• Needs assessment based on a case management tool (electronic quesntionnaire)
• Integration of an inventory list of the available social services (the list is modifiable through the system administrator’s interface without modifying the system’s source code)
• Production of an individual social support programme based on eligibility tests and the needs assessment
• Monitoring implementation of the individual social support programme through a set of quantifiable indicators
• Closing the case
• Monitoring and Reporting

The module will be accompanied with user and technical manuals. It will be designed in such a way that the application/registration procedures, eligibility criteria, needs assessment tool and the inventory list of the social services will be fully configurable through a user’s interface without modifying the module’s source code. The assignment implies producing and undertaking trainings for users and technical teams until May 2022. Launch of the test version of the module is planned for March 2022. Based on the feedback from the users and administrators, the module will be updated accordingly and finalised. The workstream also implies undertaking technical assessment of databases of social service providers on linking them to the module through API, so the information on the services provided is received by the module electronically. Based on the outcomes of the assessment and feedback the module will need to be modified. Given that the exact details of the required modifications are yet to be clarified, the service provider must possess sufficient resources that can be directed for undertaking the modifications. The service provider will have to submit a descriptive report on the works to be done and the additional financial costs to be incurred to UNICEF. Once such a report is received by UNICEF, in agreement with the service provider, the requested financial resources will be released from the overall budget of the assignment. Once the financial resources are released, the works must be implemented. On their completion, the service provider will have to submit a descriptive note on the works done.

SPSR enhancement also implies development and launch of a function enabling a cash payment in response to an emergency situation. It implies enabling the system administrator to configure a cash payment without modifying the system’s source code. The configurable parameters of the cash payment must include the following:

• Amount
• Duration
• Frequency
• Eligibility criteria (verifiable within the existing APIs)

Defined subject to the parameters, the cash payment is then administered through enrollment, pre-payroll and payroll functions of SPSR similarly to the relevant procedures of the existing cash benefits.

In 2020 the government of Uzbekistan launched a paper-based registry of vulnerable families in need of material support during the COVID-19 pandemic – the so-called Iron notepad. Similar registries for vulnerable women and young people, Ayollar and Yoshlar notepads, respectively, were launched in April 2021. The eligibility criteria, application procedures and support programmes are defined in the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution #250. The assignment implies a workstream on digitizing the operating procedures related to applying, registering, assigning and delivering social support through the above-mentioned notepads.

The lessons learnt previous staged of SPSR in 2019-2021 indicate that it is very difficult to foresee possible issues and problems that may arise on developing SPSR. Limited capacity of national partners, lack of strategic vision on databases development, high staff turnover result in the context when various issues and problems may arise requiring extra time and resources to deal with them. Examples include problems with lists of makhallas, difficulty in funds reconciliation with Halk Bank, changes in APIs without proper notifications, etc. Although, the issues are being resolved as they arise and appropriate actions are taken to establish sustainable solutions, given that SPSR is evolving in evolutionary manner, it is very likely that unexpected issues and problems may arise in implementing the assignment. In this case the international service provider must possess additional resources that can be directed for getting quick fixes and solutions to the issues and problems that arise at the course of the assignment. In such cases, the international service provider must support the relevant national partner(s) in resolving the issues/problems and develop sustainable solutions for them. In such occasions the international service provider will have to submit a descriptive report on the works to be done and the additional financial costs to be incurred to UNICEF. Once UNICEF approves the additional costs, the works may be implemented. On their completion, the international service provider will have to submit a descriptive note on the works done.

Given that the assignment implies close interaction with the specialists of the relevant line ministries and agencies, it is imperative that the international service provider undertakes missions to Tashkent long enough to implement the workstreams planned within the assignment.

Timeline & Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to engage in day to day activities with the Social Policy Team and with international service provider, to liaise with the counterparts at the Ministry of Finance and other line ministries/agencies, to ensure effective communication between the international service provider and relevant national partners, to ensure that the assignment’s objective are met duly and timely. The consultant will also be responsible to coordinate development of the technical proposals and financial budgets on their implementation with the international service provider and send them for the approval to UNICEF.

The consultant will also coordinate submission of deliverables by the international service provider and ensure that the submitted deliverables are of appropriate quality and provided on time.

The timeline for the assignment is from December to June 2021. However, the total number of days allowed for all tasks is 130 days allocated across the topics in the following way:

Tasks – coordinating implementation of tasks by an international service provider:

1. Support incorporation of the user’s suggestions and comments for Single Registry enhancement. Review whether all comments are addressed by the service provider and discussed with the national stakeholder and UNICEF SP team - 20 days. 2. Ensure that the international services provider fully modifies the SPSR modules to reflect the legislative changes on social allowances - 10 days. 3. Liaise with Ministry of Finance in establishing the SPSR technical team and coordinate the process of handing over the responsibility to maintain SPSR to the technical team of the Ministry of Finance - 10 days. 4. Engage with UNICEF Social policy and Child protection teams, international service provider, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Makhalla and family affairs to facilitate the process of designing and introducing an electronic module on case management in social services to be operated at local community (makhalla) level, including arranging user training sessions and coordinate their delivery by the international service provider - 40 days. 5. Support the UNICEF CO in day to day management of the process of Introducing humanitarian cash transfer module within the SPSR system - 30 days.

6. Facilitating integration of Iron, Women and Youth Notepads into SPSR - 20 days.

Total number of days: 130 days

Payments: Payments will be made based on a monthly report of the activities conducted during the month, considering daily rate and number of days spent of each deliverable. The consultant will be paid by bank transfer, in UZSums and upon acceptance of the related monthly report.

Management:

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the Social Policy Section of UNICEF Uzbekistan and the interagency working group established by the Ministry of Finance. The assignment will be carried out under overall supervision of the Chief of Social Policy and direct supervision of the Social Policy Officer for monitoring and coordinating the assignment within UNICEF CO in Uzbekistan.

Required qualifications, areas of expertise or selection criteria****:

The consultant is expected to have the following minimum qualifications and competences:

• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Business Management, Economics, Information Technologies, Business Computing, or other relevant disciplines;
• At least five years professional experience in the areas of management information system and its evaluation or similar functional area;
• Good knowledge of the national social protection system in Uzbekistan in particular of social allowances is an asset
• Excellent written and oral communications skill in Uzbek, English and Russian;
• Computer literacy, especially with Excel and database management is required;
• Experience working on issues related to wellbeing of children and their families is an asset

Procedures and Working Conditions:

The consultancy is based in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) for the time of implementing this assignment.

Travel arrangements and the costs associated will be covered by the consultant.

The output produced by the consultant remain under property rights of UNICEF and neither them nor their parts can be reproduced, shared or used in any other way without the written permission from UNICEF.

Reservations:

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) incomplete, not finalized or for failure to meet deadlines.

UNICEF will reserve all copyright of developed materials/reports and will own primary data collected through any assignment awarded to the institution. The materials cannot be published or disseminated by the institution without prior written permission of UNICEF.

UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify the materials/reports in the future.

UNICEF undertakes no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant on payments made by under this contract.

Special considerations

UNICEF has a clear policy of zero-tolerance on sexual harassment. UNICEF takes allegations of sexual harassment very seriously and is committed to holding wrong-doers accountable. Moreover, UNICEF has a Child Safeguarding Policy that provides guidance on the protection and safeguarding of children across all agency operations. Any consultant hired by UNICEF should comply with all policies and procedures on any kind of harassment.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

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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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.