IT-експерт/ка / технічний/а письменник/ця, IT expert / Technical writer (Consultant)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title of Position: IT expert/Technical writer (Consultant)

1. Duty Station of the Consultancy: Kyiv, Ukraine
2. Duration of Consultancy: 6 months, with possibility of extension subject to availability of funds and satisfactory job performance.
3. Nature of the consultancy: Category B Consultancy

One of the specific objectives of the EU-funded IOM-implemented project “EU Support to Strengthening IBM in Ukraine (EU for Solidarity Lanes and IBM) (EU4SL&IBM), within which the Consultant will be engaged, is to implement the trade facilitation measures in order to optimize flows in exporting essential commodities including agricultural goods out of Ukraine in the context of EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes. This will be ensured, inter alia, through 1) increasing the cooperation between the Integrated Border Management actors and the deployment of relevant ICT solutions, targeted at digitalization of the processes at the border and ensuring the interoperability and connectivity of various ICT systems, operated by the IBM actors, in line with EU standards and international good practices;  and 2) deployment of the e-queue system for traffic management at Reni BCP and other priority road BCPs at Ukraine-Moldova and Ukraine-EU borders.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission and the Senior Programme Manager (IBM), with the direct supervision of the National Programme Officer (MBG) and Customs Expert (Consultant), the Consultant will be responsible for the EU4SL&IBM project tasks related to the implementation of the pilot of the e-ticket technical solution, which is being developed for the road border crossing points.

The IT expert/Technical writer consultant will work in close cooperation and coordination with the Technical Focal Points for Business Process Analysis (BPA) and Software Architecture and the project team members, who are in charge of the implementation of the trade facilitation measures.

Project Context and Scope:

IOM established the Interagency Technical Working Group (IAWG) chaired by the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry of Infrastructure) and involving the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCS) and led by IOM experts to work on the piloting of the e-ticket solution and its integration with the e-queue solution and ICT systems at the border. The purpose of this initiative is to streamline border processes and improve cross-border operations. The expected outcomes from piloting the e-ticket solution include:

Improved logistics/queue management at the BCP – by getting refusal from the paper coupon and interoperability between the e-queue, operating before the border, and the ICT systems, administered by SBGS and SCS inside the BCP, and use this to optimize use of lanes, booths, human resources and the BCP process in general.

Automated control of vehicles before arrival at BCP – by using ANPR in combination with data received by e-queue and IT systems, administered by SCS and SBGS, eliminating needs in manual checks and manual entering of duplicated data in various systems, therefore decreasing impact of human factor and enhancing the overall efficiency of the ICT systems.

The Consultant will focus on the interactions between the said IBM actors, ensuring that the Terms of Reference (ToR) reflect the structure and requirements for information exchange between these ICT systems and are endorsed by the Ministry of Infrastructure, SBGS and SCS.

To address the formal request from the Ministry of Infrastructure, IOM is considering the provision of equipment, software, and installation services for an electronic queue (e-queue) system at the “Reni” Border Crossing Point (BCP) and other road BCPs along the Ukraine-Moldova and Ukraine-EU borders due to the proven efficiency of the e-queue system, which is based on the ANPR and CCTV technologies and the traffic management systems. The e-queue already demonstrated significant operational success along the Ukraine-European Union Member States (UA-EU MS) border, thereby justifying the intention to extend this system to the Ukraine-Moldova border.

Furthermore, the Consultant will provide support in the deployment of the e-queue system, which is being established by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Agency for Restoration to manage vehicle traffic at international road BCPs. The Consultant’s role will encompass assessing the technical specifications for ANPR and CCTV cameras, IT equipment, and traffic management tools required for the road BCPs and conduct technical evaluations of proposals received through IOM-managed tenders and oversee the implementation of the e-queue system at these BCPs.

This strategic move is expected to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of traffic management at the Ukraine-Moldova border, thereby facilitating smoother and more secure cross-border transportation. The e-queue system’s extension to this border will likely replicate the success observed at the UA-EU MS border, promoting better traffic flow, reducing wait times, and improving overall border management operations.

IOM Project to which the consultancy is contributing: “EU Support to Strengthening IBM in Ukraine (EU for Solidarity Lanes and IBM) (EU4SL&IBM)”.

5. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing: Migration and Border Governance (MBG)
6. Tasks to be performed under this contract: Category B Consultancy

The primary objective of the Consultancy is to focus on the Terms of Reference (ToR) for developing the technical requirements for the e-ticket solution. This solution will be administered by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) as part of the Gart-1 border ICT system. The goal is to ensure its integration with other Interagency Border Management systems, specifically the e-queue system managed by the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Automated Customs Processing System managed by SCS. The finalized ToRs must define the interactions among these systems, specifying data sets and formats for exchange.

The Consultant is also expected to provide support with the preparation to the tendering and technical evaluation of the proposals to be received within the procurement of the ICT solution, and after the contractor is selected by IOM to cross-check the endorsed ToRs against the Technical Requirement as proposed by the contractor, providing justifications for the technical solutions and ensuring the compromises are reached for the non-critical issues.

In addition, the Consultant will provide support to the procurement of the e-queue solutions, through assessing the technical specifications for ANPR and CCTV cameras, IT equipment, and traffic management tools required for the road BCPs and conduct technical evaluations of proposals received through IOM-managed tenders and oversee the implementation of the e-queue system at these BCPs.

The specific tasks of the Consultant include:

• Review existing documentation, identify gaps and provide recommendations : the Consultant will start by studying all existing relevant documentation related to the IAWG and e-ticket ICT solution. This includes studying the concept, minutes (records) of the IAWG meetings, reviewing draft of the ToR and BPA diagram. After reviewing the existing documentation, the Consultant will identify any gaps or areas for improvement and coordinate suggestions on improvement of ToRs with IOM.
• Describe the BPA processes of the interaction and information exchange between the concerned ICT border systems (formats/types of needed data; existing and desired time for query processing).
• Secure the finalization of work on the Terms of Reference (ToR) for developing the technical requirements for the e-ticket solution with the Ministry of Infrastructure, SBGS and SCS with an emphasis on ensuring cooperation among the Ministry of Infrastructure, SBGS, and SCS and alignment with the technical solution proposed by IOM.
• Describe and support the agreement on the technical formats of the data exchanged between the SBGS e-ticket solution and other ICT border systems, operated by the IBM actors;
• Design the requirements to data storage subsystems, which will store data transferred between the ICT of SBGS and the concerned ICT systems;
• Ensure timelines and quality control of all tasks related to the BPA of ICT solution by drafting of Quality Assurance Plan.
• Support the technical evaluation of the technical proposals submitted within the procurement of the e-ticket ICT solution.
• Assess the proposed technical requirements against the endorsed ToRs, providing report and comprehensive feedback.
• Assess the technical specifications and requirements developed by the Ministry of Infrastructure/ Agency for Restoration for the e-queue deployment. Offer detailed technical feedback and recommendations to ensure the specifications meet operational needs and national standards. To evaluate the received technical proposals for the e-queue deployment against the established technical specifications for ANPR and CCTV cameras, IT equipment, and traffic management systems and related installation services. Provide thorough and comprehensive technical feedback on each proposal, highlighting strengths and weaknesses.
• Provide expert consultation during the deployment phase, guiding the implementation of the e-queue system.
• Supervise the deployment process and installation services for the e-queue ICT system at the sites to ensure that the installation of ANPR and CCTV cameras, IT infrastructure, and traffic management systems is conducted correctly and efficiently and in line with the technical blueprints.
• Participate in the technical, IAWG and coordination meetings, take the notes of the technical inputs and recommendations from the IBM actors, actively participate to the technical meetings and provide justifications to the proposed ICT solution whenever required.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Tangible and measurable outputs of the work assignment

Deliverable 1. Timeline: 4-5 weeks after signing the Consultancy

Completed description of the BPA processes of the interaction and information exchange between the concerned ICT border systems (formats/types of needed data; existing and desired time for query processing).

Endorsed Terms of Reference (ToR) for developing the technical requirements for the e-ticket solution with the Ministry of Infrastructure, SBGS and SCS.

Deliverable 2. Timeline: 2-3 months after signing the Consultancy

Developed Quality Assurance Plan to ensure timelines and quality control of all tasks related to the BPA.

Provided support to the tendering process: qualification criteria drafted for potential bidders, questions within the tendering process are addressed.

Completed technical assesment of the technical specifications and requirements for the procurement of the e-queue ICT solutions.

The technical proposals received within IOM-run tendering procedure for the e-queue deployment are evaluated against the endorsed technical specifications and requirements. Reports and comprehensive technical feedback provided.

Deliverable 3. Timeline:  3-6 months after signing the Consultancy

Completed technical evaluation of the technical proposals submitted within the procurement of the e-ticket ICT solution.

The technical requirements, proposed by the selected vendor for the the e-ticket ICT solution, are checked against the endorsed ToRs. Report and comprehensive feedback provided.

The progress of deployment of the e-queue at the road BCPs is monitored and detailed reports on the deployment process, including assessments, evaluations, and technical feedback provided throughout the deployment process.

8. Performance indicators for evaluation of results (value of services rendered in relation to their costs):

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated by IOM against the criteria stipulated below:

• Satisfactory completion of tasks indicated in this ToR within 6 months period. The fee is payable to the Consultant in respect of confirmed monthly progress report submission.
• Quality of the technical documents, developed by the Consultant, is comprehensive, considering available best practices frameworks in IT domain;
• The feedback and comments provided by the concerned IBM actors are addressed in professional manner and the technical justification is relevant for the solution proposed;
• Positive feedback on the Consultant’s activities received from IBM actors.

9. Travel required:

Yes, throughout Ukraine, on as needed-basis.

Education, Experience and/or skills required

Qualifications and Experience

• professional or higher technical education preferably in IT, Software Engineering or Computer Science.
• a clear understanding of the principles and features of software development methodologies;
• advanced knowledge of business analysis techniques;
• experience in business processes optimization and modeling;
• advanced knowledge of traffic management systems, CCTV and ANPR technologies;
• at least two years of experience in the IT industry, particularly in technical documentation development;
• knowledge of the features of the business domain in the field of governmental services (desirable).

Skills

• operational mindset and skills for describing functional requirements in a detailed and structured manner;
• strong analytical skills and ability to critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources;
• ability to present functional requirements in graphical form;
• ability to set clear goals and priorities. Time management skills, ability to multitask and prioritize;
• flexibility, ability to modify approach as per changing stakeholders, conditions, circumstances and feedback;
• ability to accept criticism for the sake of continuous development.

Competencies

Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

How to apply: 

​​​​Interested candidates are invited to submit their Personal History Form and cover letters or CVs with names and contacts of three referees to [email protected] with subject line IT expert/Technical writer (Consultant) by 4 August, 2024 at the latest.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

!!! Private entrepreneurs (PE) cannot be considered as applicable for providing services under this consultancy. 

Posting period: 

From 24.07.2024 to 04.08.2024