Republic of Moldova

National Consultant on communications

Vacancy Number: Pr15/01072

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	24 Aug 2015, 10:00 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	02 Sep 2015, 10:00 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	14 Sep 2015
Reference to the project:	Programme for Improving the Quality of Moldovan Democracy through Parliamentary Support
Expected Duration of Assignment:	80 WD during 4 months assignment
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Now" button no later than 24 August 2015 Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: sergiu.galitchi@undp.org UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Individual Consultant Procurement Notice Personal History Form (P11) UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Contacts:

Mr. Sergiu Galitchi.

sergiu.galitchi@undp.org

Ms. Victoria Muntean.

victoria.muntean@undp.org

Background

During the last two years the Parliament of Moldova has been very active in developing its organizational setup in order to improve the legislative process and have prompt reaction to changes and priorities of the society. In this regard, important internal regulations and policies were approved, the document flow optimized, the capacities of staffers increased. In order to improve the dialogue between Members of parliament and constituents, in 2014 four Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices (PCIOs) were opened by the Parliament. The offices serve as a 'hub' for information and education on parliamentary and democracy issues and offer a space for decentralized committee meetings, public hearings or consultations.

The Parliament has also established a Media Centre and a Visitor’s and Information Centre. Guided tours within the Parliament building and Open Doors Days have been organized since 2014. The ultimate goal was to improve the communication with citizens and increase the transparency of parliament’s work.

However, following several economic and political crises, Parliament's image was seriously affected. According to the last opinion polls, the perception of trust in parliament is slowly but steadily decreasing, from 24% in 2014 to 11.3% in 2015[1]. Lack of adequate working conditions (parliament’s main building is still under reconstruction) affects parliament’s capacity to efficiently communicate too.

In this context, it is essential to foster good communication mechanisms and to improve the information channels within the Parliament, on the one hand, and between Parliament and CSOs, media, academia, private sector and citizens, on the other hand. The Moldovan Parliament approved a 4-year Communication Strategy in 2011 which was not fully implemented. Therefore, the Parliament needs extra support for establishing an efficient, systematic and continuous process of interaction with different stakeholders. This will increase the transparency of the institution, will bring Parliament closer to citizens, and finally, will build the confidence of civil society in Parliament.

In this regards UNDP Democracy programme is seeking to hire a full-time qualified professional for a period up to 4 months, who will contribute to a better communication of parliament and advice on how to improve its image.

Scope of work

The expected output for the national consultant on communications is to provide strategic advice to the Parliament on internal and external communication, with specific focus on revising the communication activities by elaborating Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the General Department Communication and Public Relations and developing a new Parliament’s Communication Strategy. The consultant will also coach parliamentary staffers on how to communicate effectively.

The consultant will ensure a high level of analytical support, facilitating the communication and cooperation with the Parliament and other stakeholders. The assignment shall be carried out in close cooperation with the General Department Communication and Public Relations of the Secretariat of the Parliament of Moldova.

The national consultant on communications will assist the Parliament in shaping and developing dynamic communications, revising the internal rules and procedures related to communications and establishing a systematic and continuous process of interaction with different stakeholders.

The consultant will also assist in updating Parliament’s Communication Strategy, revising the communication activities and indicators of progress. He/She will advise on communication techniques and tools, providing coaching and where needed training to parliamentary staffers.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic background:

• A Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, media studies or any other appropriate field;

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in public relations and communication at governmental level;
• Experience in developing and implementing Communication/PR Strategies;
• Experience in working with parliament, government and/or international organizations (successful experience in working with UN agencies is an asset);

Competencies:

• Solid understanding of and ability to apply communications tools and techniques;
• Ability to analyse, plan, communicate effectively orally and in writing, draft report, solve problems, manage PR projects/ events, organize and meet expected results, adapt to different environments (cultural, economic, political and social);
• Knowledge of political, parliamentary, social or economic issues;
• Outstanding drafting and communication skills;
• Fluency in Romanian. Knowledge of English and Russian would be a strong asset;

Skills: Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools.

Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular, respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status.

UNDP 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

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal:

• Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work including past experience in similar assignments;
• Providing a brief information on each of the above qualifications, item by item and a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work (if applicable);

2. Financial proposal (lump sum in in USD), specifying a fee per day and total requested amount including all related costs, e.g. fees, per diems, travel costs, phone calls etc.;
3. Duly filled in and signed Personal History Form (P11) and at least 3 names for a reference check.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals the financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including fee, taxes, travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

 

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