Call for Applicants: Individual Consultant for UNODC (Manila)

Terms of Reference

Project Title:	Addressing the Burden of HIV prevalence in the Philippines through Tailored Research
Post Title	Individual Consultant: Addressing the Burden of HIV Prevalence in the Philippines
Agency:	United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Country of Assignment	Office assignment with travel nationally
Duration	A maximum of one hundred and fifty-five (155) work days from March to December 2018.

B.     Project Description 

The national HIV prevalence rate in the Philippines is estimated at less than 1% percent of the general population. While this remains low, an alarming increase in prevalence was observed among males who have sex with males and people who inject drugs. Of the Key Affected Populations (KAP) at risk of contracting HIV, prevalence rates amongst people who inject drugs (PWID). Data from 2013 reflects that to date, the HIV prevalence rate in the Philippines remains the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, with a 44.9% prevalence rate among people who inject drugs (PWID).

Due to the high rates of HIV prevalence among PWID the Philippines has been positioned as a high priority country for the UNODC. UNAIDS has listed the Philippines among twelve countries in Asia Pacific with highest HIV burden and new HIV infection trends.

The UNODC has been working in area of broadening the evidence base around PWID and their vulnerability to contracting HIV. The high risk of contracting HIV among PWID is underscored by other health and social consequences of drug use in the Philippines

 According to a 2015 Dangerous Drug Board survey, the prevalence of drug use in the Philippines stands at 2.3%, or approximately to 1.8 million people within the age range of 10-69 years. If these figures are accurate, the number of people using drugs has increased by approximately 500,000 over the past three years.

While drug use has grown, the number of reported cases of treatment and rehabilitation remains comparatively low, increasing from 1,777 in 2010 to 5,226 in 2015, with the number of women officially enrolled in such programmes reported at 348 in 2015.

Objectives of the assignment

Under the supervision of the Senior Policy Adviser, based in UNODC programme office in Manila, Philippines, the incumbent will be responsible for providing strategic research, advice and support to activities related to drug use and HIV as well as prison reform.

C.     Scope of Work

The incumbent will carry out the following assignments:

Sensitization Workshop: Enhancing Partnerships Between Law Enforcement Agencies (LAE) and CSO in the context of Drug Use and HIV.

a.      Identify participants for the workshops that will use the material

b.      Produce and Conduct pre and post workshop evaluation

c.      Conduct workshop

d.      Produce post-workshop report inclusive of a summary participant evaluation

e.      Host subsequent meetings/workshops with key stakeholders to promote the material

Improved HIV Services in Prisons and other closed settings in line with UN rules and guidelines

1)     Rapid situation assessment of HIV testing and treatment services in jails and prison

a.      Produce research methodology for the rapid situation assessment

b.      Ensuring the feasibility of the research through engaging with key stakeholders such inter alia the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology

c.      Conducting the research and producing the assessment report

d.      Engaging with key stakeholders to gain approval of the final assessment report document

2)     Consultation Meetings and Workshop for the Development of HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons

a.      Identify and engage with relevant key stakeholders

b.      Host meetings and workshop/s as relevant

c.      Working with the JTA and other key stakeholders produce the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons

3)     Dissemination of the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons

a.      Conduct and attend meetings to advocate for the endorsement of the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons

b.      Organise a launch of the plan and identify and invite key stakeholders

4)     Support the national work on HIV advocacy by the UN Joint Task Team (JTA) on HIV/AIDS

a.      Conduct consultation meetings with the Department of Health (DOH) & Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB)

b.      Attend and contribute to JTA meetings as needed

D.      Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Activity	Deliverables/ Outputs	Estimated Duration to Complete	Target Due Dates	Review and Approvals Required
Sensitisation Workshop: Enhancing Partnerships Between Law Enforcement Agencies (LAE) and CSO in the context of Drug Use and HIV
Conduct sensitization workshop on: Enhancing Partnerships Between Law Enforcement Agencies (LAE) and CSO in the context of Drug Use and HIV	Identify participants for the workshops that will use the material	1 week	1 week from signing of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Conduct pre and post workshop evaluation	1 week	2 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Conduct sensitization workshop	1 week	3 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Produce post-workshop report inclusive of a summary participant evaluation	1 week	4 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Host subsequent meetings/workshops with key stakeholders to promote the material	1 week	5 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
Improved HIV Services in Prisons and other closed settings in line with UN rules and guidelines
Rapid situation assessment of HIV testing and treatment services in jails and prison	Produce research methodology for the rapid situation assessment	2 weeks	7 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Ensuring the feasibility of the research through engaging with key stakeholders such inter alia the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology	1 week	8 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Conducting the research and producing the assessment report	5 weeks	13 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Engaging with key stakeholders to gain approval of the final assessment report document	2 weeks	15 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
Activity	Deliverables/ Outputs	Estimated Duration to Complete	Target Due Dates	Review and Approvals Required
Consultation Meetings and Workshop for the Development of HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons	Identify and engage with relevant key stakeholders	1 week	16 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Host meetings and workshop/s as relevant	4 weeks	20 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Working with the JTA and other key stakeholders produce the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons	4 weeks	24 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
Dissemination of the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons	Conduct and attend meetings to advocate for the endorsement of the HIV/AIDS National Plan for Jails and Prisons	3 weeks	27 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Organise a launch of the plan and identify and invite key stakeholders	4 weeks	31 weeks from beginning of contract	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
Support the national work on HIV advocacy by the UN Joint Task Team (JTA) on HIV/AIDS	Conduct consultation meetings with the Department of Health (DOH) & Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB)	Ad hoc	ongoing	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor
	Attend and contribute to JTA meetings as needed	Ad hoc	ongoing	Olivier Lermet, Senior Policy Advisor

E.      Institutional Arrangement

          The contractor will report directly to the UNODC Senior Policy Advisor, based in the Philippines. They will report on a monthly basis and be expected to submit a daily time sheet each month.

F.      Duration of the Work[1]

[see table above in section D)

G.     Duty Station

a)      The duty station for this consultancy is the UNODC office in Manila, Philippines. The consultant will be expected to be present in the office for the days that they work unless otherwise approved by their direct supervisor.  

H.     Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

1.      An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in social sciences, public health or in another relevant discipline is required. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

2.      At least 7 years of experience in designing, developing and implementing HIV prevention, treatment and care and interventions.

3.      Experience and understanding of drug policy in the context of HIV, including regional and national mechanisms.

4.      Languages:  Excellent command of English with proven drafting and communication skills.

I.       Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Incumbents are requested to submit a proposal reflecting the daily fee that they require. This should be based on the expected number of days outlined above to complete the assignment:

i)       The Daily fee must be “all-inclusive[2]”; and

ii)      an IC Time Sheet must be submitted by the Contractor, duly approved by the Individual Contractor’s supervisor, which shall serve as the basis for the payment of fees. 

J.      Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents will be required for the application process:

a)      Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;

b)     Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;

c)      Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.

d)     Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and they expects their employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing them to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 

K.     Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

a)   Lowest price method – where the award will be made to the most qualified individual with the most relevant experience who offered the lowest price.

L.      Send proposal documents to: olivier.lermet@un.org

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[1] The IC modality is expected to be used only for short-term consultancy engagements.  If the duration of the IC for the same TOR exceeds twelve (12) months, the duration must be justified and be subjected to the approval of the Director of the Regional Bureau, or a different contract modality must be considered.  This policy applies regardless of the delegated procurement authority of the Head of the Business Unit. 

[2] The term “All inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consummables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal