Contract for Individual Consultant (other Specialists) Request for written proposal Public Advertisement Reference: STMJO/PA/2016/03 Date: 16 December 2015 Request to submit a written proposal for a work assignment with UNESCO UNESCO is inviting written proposals from Individual Consultants for the work assignment described in attachment A. To enable you to prepare a proposal for this assignment, please find attached the following documents: (a) Terms of Reference (see attachment A); (b) UNESCO s contract for Individual Consultants; the contracting modality used for these assignments (attachment B); (c) Background material concerning the work assignment (attachment C) Your written proposal should comprise: 1) A Technical Proposal (maximum of 25 pages) should consist of: - An up-to-date curriculum vitae (according to the enclosed template, attachment D), and A description of a proposed approach and methodology for undertaking the assignment; A description of the main deliverable and milestones related to the assignment; A work plan with a detailed time frame; Comments on the Terms of Reference if any (in brief); Vendor Registration form (enclosed template, attachment D)
2) A negotiable lump sum amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in United States Dollars or in Euros. Please show any travel costs separately. Note: For consultants who are non-residents of Jordan only, the estimated travel cost should include the cost of airline tickets and the applicable DSA for Jordan. Internal transportation within Jordan can be arranged closely with UNESCO Amman Office. Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English. UNESCO places great emphasis on ensuring that the objectives of the work assignment, as described in the Terms of Reference, are met. Accordingly, in evaluating the proposals for the assignment, attention will focus first and foremost on the technical elements. From those proposals deemed suitable in terms of the criteria in the Terms of Reference, UNESCO shall select the proposal that offers the Organisation best value for money. NB: UNESCO will evaluate the proposed fees against its standard international consultant rates for similar assignments. Your proposal should be submitted by e-mail no later than close of business (18:00) on January 23, 2016. E-mail proposals should not exceed 5MB. The e-mail address is: b.tatomir@unesco.org, with cc to r.arafeh@unesco.org To ease the email tracing and facilitate quick processing, kindly use the following script Consultant public advertising as the email subject. Submissions will be acknowledged by email upon receipt but ONLY selected expert will receive further notification and correspondences. It is the individual s responsibility to ensure that his/her proposal is received by the deadline. Thank you for your interest in this UNESCO assignment; and we look forward to receiving your proposal. Staff member responsible for the assignment: Ms. Biljana Tatomir Senior Project Officer UNESCO Office in Amman 2
Attachment A Terms of Reference 1. Background and Objective UNESCO implements the EU-funded three-year project Support to Media in Jordan aiming for increased freedom, independence and professionalism for the Jordanian media. The Support to Media in Jordan project was designed to support the Government s effort to implement the media reforms expressed in the Media Strategy. The project builds on a Media Strategy adopted by the Government of Jordan in 2011, and the Action Plan. The project focuses on the media sector in Jordan as a platform for democratic dialogue and a crucial instrument to transparency and accountability in a democratic society. The project aims to address these areas following an inclusive and highly participatory approach. Its primary objective is to strengthen an enabling regulatory and institutional environment and to build the capacity for an independent, quality based media sector serving the entire population. The project is based on a holistic, two-phase approach and is implemented in close cooperation with the media community in Jordan, including state and non-state stakeholders. Phase one focused on the following results: Media study, stakeholder driven review of implementation of the media strategy and detailing of action plan. Activities of phase one included a thorough analysis of the media landscape on the basis of UNESCO s Media Development Indicators (MDI; focusing on the economic sustainability of the media structures; the professional and technical capacity of private and public media; media and journalist associations; regulatory mechanisms; existing media legislation and international standards), a comparative analysis of relevant structures and models from 28 EU Member States, a review of the implementation of the media strategy and a detailed action plan, the update of detailing of the action plan and procedures for the implementation of the strategy. The review and action plan of the media strategy took place through a comprehensive stakeholder process with the media sector and the relevant government representatives discussing the implementation of the media strategy and the results of the analysis. The project is now in the Phase Two that in addressing the findings as well as recommendations of the above mentioned study, will work in the following areas: Improvement of legal framework, closer in line with international standards Entry level journalism education Systematic quality training for media professionals Independent self-regulatory mechanism Media and information literacy (MIL) Diversity and pluralism in the media 3
Strengthening community media UNESCO Office in Amman, active since more than a decade in the field of mediadevelopment in Jordan, implements the project in close cooperation with the Jordanian stakeholders. The funding for this project is provided by the European Union (EU), within the framework of an agreement signed between UNESCO and EU. For more information on the project, please Based on the analysis of the contemporary media landscape1; a review of the implementation of the current Jordan Media Strategy Action Plan, and a nation-wide stakeholder consultation2, the Support to Media in Jordan project drafted an action plan for further support to media development that was presented to the project Steering Committee and agreed upon on August 27, 2015. The Action plan outlines the agreed upon priorities to support the vision of the Jordan Media Strategy, as well as the objectives of the Support to Media in Jordan project. Based on the Action plan UNESCO developed a project work plan with a results framework for the Support to Media in Jordan project, detailing what the project can do to support the Government and the media community to increase media freedom, independence and professionalism in Jordan. Objective: Strengthening an enabling regulatory and institutional environment and build the capacity for an independent, quality based media sector serving the entire population. The assignment is a part of the activities under the Outcome: Increased opportunity for Jordanian media to operate in a level playing field allowing diversity and pluralism. 2. Purpose of the assignment Purposes of the assignment stems from the recommendations of the MDI study Jordan as well as from the Action plan. The MDI study Jordan finds that: A system needs to be put in place to ensure that the allocation of advertising by public bodies to media outlets is done in a transparent manner, on the basis of fair and objective criteria and is protected against political interference. Consideration should be given to establishing an independent body to oversee the allocation of this advertising so as to support this goal. 1 Based on the UNESCO Media Development Indicators (MDI) framework approved by its member states. The MDI report was officially launched on 10 September 2015. 2 In April and May UNESCO held eight nationwide consultations and five two-day thematic expert retreats to discuss the MDI findings and review the implementation of the current Media Strategy Action Plan 4
3. Duties/tasks and Expected Outputs Consultant to analyse the current system on advertising by public bodies to media outlets, in relation to what extent it is based on fair and objective criteria and is protected against political interference. 4. Timetable and deliverables Deliverable: Comprehensive analysis of the current system on advertising by public bodies to media outlets and recommendations (in English) The timetable for a deliverable is February 2016. 5. Qualifications (a) Advanced University degree in Law, with demonstrated relevant expertise at national and at international levels (b) Minimum of 10 years hands-on professional experience in media and/or advertising (c) Fluency in English (oral and written) is essential, knowledge of Arabic preferred (d) Demonstrated ability to deliver analysis, recommendations and comparison with the best practices (e) Past experience in drafting high-quality well-documented reports and actionable policy recommendations (f) Previous similar engagement internationally as well as in Jordan and in the Arab states. 5
Attachment B Contract for Individual Consultants See separate document 6
Attachment C Any relevant background information/documents UNESCO Media Development Indicators report for Jordan: http://stmjo.com/en/wp- content/uploads/2015/10/jordanmdi_en_small.pdf Attachment D Vendor Form and CV template 7
See separate document 8