UN Women - National Consultant - Civil works engineer

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova (2023-2027), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women; 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance; 3) Women’s Economic empowerment and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on GE.

Since February 2022, over 680,000 Ukrainians and third country nationals have fled Ukraine into Moldova. While the majority have moved onward to EU countries, approximately 96,000 refugees remain in the country, representing around 4% of the Moldovan population- the highest ratio of refugees to host population in the region. UNHCR estimates that 90% of refugees in Moldova are women and children. This has increased the care burden on many single female heads of households, who may face barriers to finding employment, including lack of childcare support. As the conflict in Ukraine moves into its second year, sustained support is required for the promotion of socio-economic resilience and integration among refugee communities and vulnerable host populations in Moldova.

UN Women will deliver a twelve-month intervention aimed at strengthening the socio-economic resilience of women and girls affected by the Ukraine refugee crisis in Moldova. It will promote self-sufficiency and self-resilience of affected women, diminishing their exposure to increased protection risks and negative coping strategies. This will include providing integrated gender-sensitive, localized and protection and development opportunities and business support to the most vulnerable local and refugee women and girls. The project will be financed by the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Moldova. The overall goal of the project is: Women and girls, including those who are most often left behind, equally contribute to and enjoy Human Rights in a secure and peaceful environment and build with men and boys an inclusive society free from violence and harmful social norms. Access to the labour market for women affected by the Ukraine refugee crisis in Moldova is challenging due to the current instability, as well as also due to limited opportunities in some regions. Most refugees want to work, however services are concentrated in specific areas, while other areas are not properly covered. People from Ukraine are professionals with high experience in many fields, and they can actively contribute to the development of the communities where they live, and to the economy of Moldova at large. UN Women in cooperation with the national/ local authorities and public sector will offer support for the implementation of alternative childcare services and piloting of the child friendly rooms. This will include advocacy to promote and support the implementation of alternative childcare solutions, capacity building training for childcare workers, and creation (refurbishment or equipment) of 3 childcare spaces in the selected districts.

The UN Women seeks to contract one Consultant (hereinafter “the Consultant”) to provide expert support/technical services in constructions and renovation works of up to 3 selected childcare spaces across the country. The consultant is expected to work under the supervision of the UN Women Programme manager and in close cooperation with UN Women Operations Manager and the Local Coordinators from selected institutions for project interventions.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UN Women Project Manager and UN Women Operations Manager for effective achievement of results. The Consultant will work outside the project office and will participate in all working meetings organized by the Project. The Consultant will be provided with the necessary information and materials for the fulfilment of tasks. The Consultant is fully responsible for all necessary travel and phone communications arrangements and holds responssibility for all his/her actions and guidance provided.

The objective of this consultancy service is to assist the UN Women Moldova team in drafting tender dossier for refurbishment works, support with the evaluation of the technical offers, coordination of works, monitoring and commissioning of the renovation works in the assigned childcare spaces, namely 2 (two) public creche rooms with the total surface approx. 100 m2 each, and 1 (one) private child friendly area and women lockers room with a total surface on aprox. 150 m2.

To achieve objectives, the Consultant will provide:

• Inspect and evaluate locations to determine the physical and technical conditions of the premises and recommend the list of works to improve the conditions, including review of existing documents.
• Review the detailed technical specifications and Bill of Quantities (BoQ) for the (selected) spaces intended for infrastructure upgrades to be part of tender documentation intended for selection designing and construction companies.
• Support at all procurement stages for contracting construction/architecture/engineering company.
• Organize/facilitate a pre-bidding conference/site visit (if required) with potential bidders to clear all technical aspects and related questions.
• Provide support in answering technical clarification questions submitted by potential bidders.
• Participate to the opening/evaluation of received technical/financial offers and support with evaluation of offers resulted from the tendering processes; provide expert opinion in written form to substantiate the evaluation decisions.
• Transmission of the object and documentation to the contractor//construction company, including connections to utilities, and organization of the work process.
• Supervise and report progress in the implementation of the infrastructure upgrades; supervision will be conducted throughout the complete duration of the contract, including the end of all calculations and possible legal disputes related to the work. The consultant will verify if the Construction companies perform all technical requirements in accordance with the contractual terms and conditions. Inspect the quality of work and quality of the materials used. The consultant will verify the compliance with National State Standards and regulations of the Republic of Moldova.
• Provide written confirmations to the project that milestones under design/construction contracts are achieved, including submission of the final Confirmation of Completion of works (signing and confirmation of works executed by signing the Verbal Notes, the endorsement of changes in the projects and BoQs, organize the process of commissioning works.
• Handover of the object to the Beneficiary.
• Coordinate technical issues with the responsible parties.
• Timely reporting to UN Women Moldova Project Manager.
• Perform any other assignment related tasks.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Higher education in civil engineering and / or architecture, with technical - professional certification on providing supervision of civil constructions, specialized works and installations related to constructions and development of Bills of Quantities.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of work experience in supervising construction (general reconstruction works, water and sanitation or within a technical design company).
• Activity experience within community development programs with a focus on providing socially responsive solutions. (accessible/inclusive/childfriendly spaces) will be an advantage.
• Work experience with UN Agencies and/or international organizations is a strong advantage.
• Good computer skills; User knowledge of specialised soft: WinSmeta 2000, AutoCAD, ArhiCAD etc.

Language requirements:

• Excellent command of Romanian language, English and Russian would be an asset.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through UNDP jobs site: jobs.undp.org.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc);
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• Letter of Intent to include a brief overview of the consultant’s previous experiences makes the candidate the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. It should reflect the above-mentioned required skills and experience.
• Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the task specified in Terms of References.
• The Financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate).
• Please see ANNEX I and ANNEX II - https://sc.undp.md/unjobs/jobdetailsdraft/2805
• Applications received after the close date will not be accepted;
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.