Organizational unit: UNESCO Myanmar Project Office
Unit: Education
Tentative Contract duration: 7th April, 2023 to 7th May, 2023
Deadline of application: 27th March 2023 at 17:00 Hours (Yangon time)
Date Issued: 13th March, 2023
1. Background
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Myanmar Project Office is seeking a consultancy company to contribute to analytical work on Myanmar education sector delivery and programming. Due to dual shocks of COVID-19 and political conflict, Myanmar has been heavily affected in terms of educational development with severe consequences on access, quality and learning systems. In order to take stock of donor and implementing partner delivery, UNESCO is contracting outside work on analysing education programming, availability of education data in Myanmar, and current funding landscape in the Myanmar education sector.
2. Objective
The objective for contracted services is to provide analysis of existing program data, analytical products such as graphs and other data visualizations, thematic analysis, data templates for later use and related user guide, and mapping of education data and data gaps.
3. Work Assignment
Under the overall authority of Director of UNESCO Bangkok and under the direct supervision of UNESCO Myanmar Head of Office, the Contractor will work closely with UNESCO Education Team to carry out the following tasks:
In particular, the Contractor shall:
3.1 Meet with the UNESCO Myanmar team to understand the approach and scope of the work, agree on methodology and objectives of the analytical tasks, how to interpret the data, to map out relevant additional data sources and report on data gaps;
3.2 Draft the methodologies for analysis and develop a practical workplan for delivery based on the activities and deliverable milestones of Terms of Reference, inter alia, finalizing methodologies with UNESCO, providing inception report, providing draft graphs and other data visualizations, mapping data sources and reporting on data gaps;
3.3 Edit and finalize the analytical products, with adapted scripts and animations as per the feedback provided by UNESCO, and UNESCO designated experts, and get UNESCO’s approval;
3.4 Produce graphs and data visualizations (inter alia, budget flow chart, spatial visualizations, thematic graph visualizations, infographics) with UNESCO guidance;
3.5 Produce mapping of additional data sources (educational statistical data, program data) and collation of data gaps required for further analytical products on education sector monitoring;
3.6 Produce narrative of data analysis on Myanmar education sector programming and funding, with assistance and guidance from UNESCO;
3.7 Finalize analytical products into single report with focus on education sector programming, and funding landscape;
3.8 Finalize policy brief on education sector data sources and data gaps in Myanmar;
3.9 Provide all original files, including tables and user manual to UNESCO Myanmar.
In line with UNESCO's overall gender mainstreaming strategy, the Contractor is expected to integrate a gender perspective in all activities and apply gender analysis and mainstreaming concepts whenever feasible.
4. Technical Considerations for Content Production
4.1 The Contractor may choose the application most suitable for the production of the analytical products. However, all products and tables should be fully editable on standard Windows MS Office tools, without need for purchasing other licences. It is recommended the Contractor utilise applications requiring minimal calibration and interface mastery, especially in terms of repeated editing during the later stages of development and future reuse.
5. Intellectual Property Rights
The Contractor grants to UNESCO exclusive worldwide right to exploit, to publish, to reproduce, to diffuse, to communicate to the public, etc., in any form and on any support, including digital, all or part of the Work and to license these rights to third parties on the basis of the rights herein vested in UNESCO. The Contractor warrants that:
(a) The Work made under this contract are created by the Contractor and the Contractor is the sole and unrestricted owner of the exclusive rights in the works;
(b) The Work made under this contract is free from encumbrances and no third party is entitled to any intellectual property rights with regard to the Work; and
(c) No third party rights have been infringed in the making of the Work.
6. Deliverables and Timeline:
Submit to UNESCO office the following deliverables. A more precise timeframe will be consulted upon after the TOR agreement.
6.1 Draft concept note on methodological approaches, analytical products proposed, and potential data gaps and mitigation plans by 13th April, 2023 (Estimated days 4 Days)
6.2 Finalized concept note according to UNESCO feedback by 14th April, 2023 (Estimated days 1 Day)
6.3 Inception report on analysis of existing program data based on chosen methodological approaches by 16th April, 2023 (Estimated days 3 Days)
6.4 Draft versions of agreed analytical products, such as graphs and other data visualizations, and thematic analyses of program data by 19th April, 2023 (Estimated days 3 Days)
6.5 Second draft versions of agreed analytical products, and draft narrative report; including a draft mapping of education sector data sources and data gaps in Myanmar by 26th April, 2023 (Estimated days 5 Days)
6.6 Final analytical products according to UNESCO feedback and in agreed layout, and templates and related user guide by 1st May, 2023 (Estimated days 2 Days)
Total number of days of work (Estimated 18 Days)
7. Condition of Payments
7.1 100% of the total fee for the deliverables will be authorized for payment upon the approval of the UNESCO staff who will determine if the assignment meets the required quality standards.
7.2 Additional payment will not be made for any corrections/revisions required by UNESCO in order to meet the required quality standard as determined by UNESCO.
7.3 Any possible bank charges of the Contractor by the intermediate bank(s) and/or the Contractor’s bank shall be borne by the Contractor and charged within the amount of the contract.
7.4 UNESCO reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if the quality is unsatisfactory and/or if they are not delivered on time to the required standard of quality.
7.5 First payment (40%) will be after submission of the deliverables 1-3 in section 6, second payment (60%) will be after the submission of deliverables 4-6 in section 6.
8. Eligibility, Qualifications, Experience and Competencies
Organization
Required Qualifications:
- Data analysis, producing data visualizations and mapping education data sources and gaps requires a high level technical/professional expertise, capacity to analyse and visualize data, and expertise on quantitative data analysis and use of different data sources:
- Organization should have 2 to 3 years of relevant experience.
- Demonstrated competency with developing and producing quantitative analysis for policy level requirements, preferably in development and/or education context.
- Excellent planning and organisational skills.
- Excellent communication and a concern for transparency and diligence.
- Ability to provide visualizations which are comprehensible, attractive and which demonstrate analytical insights from data.
- Ability to evaluate reliability of data sources for analytical use and monitoring purposes.
- Ability to write analytical policy text based on data analysis findings.
- The ability to produce high quality content on tight deadlines.
Desired Qualifications:
- Familiarity with Myanmar education and/or development context
Personnel/staff who will implement the activities
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’ degree in economics, social sciences, development, statistics, educational sciences, or other related discipline.
- Minimum 4 years of relevant work experience.
Desirable qualifications:
- Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, development, statistics, educational sciences, or other related discipline.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience.
- Proven capacity on managing quantitative data sets.
- Proven capacity of data visualizations.
How to apply
9. How to apply:
Qualified Organization/Institution should submit the following to UNESCO Myanmarclearly referencing “Education Sector Programming Analysis”:
9.1 Technical proposal: Outline and methodology for undertaking program data analysis, potential data visualizations, and education data sources in Myanmar. Detailed work plan showing the assignment’s important activities and milestones.
9.2 Financial proposal: Detailed quotation to produce the work describing all necessary costs.
9.3 Three relevant examples of previously carried out data analysis showcasing policy text writing, and data visualizations preferably from development and/or education context.
9.4 Curriculum Vitae of key consultant(s) carrying out the work.
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 Organization best value for money.
Your application should reach yangon@unesco.org by email no later than 17:00 Hours (Yangon time) on 27th March, 2023.
Only short-listed Institution/Organization will be contacted.