Експерт/ка з підготовки та розміщення комунікаційних матеріалів

Post title: Expert on communication materials development and placement
Project name: Civil Society and Youth Support Project           
Level of expertise: National
Country / Duty Station:  Home-based (with travel within Ukraine for interviews and photo shoots, as required)
Starting date of assignment: July 2026
Duration of assignment / or end date (if applicable): October 2026
Supervisor’s name and functional post: Civil Society and Youth Support Project Manager
Administrative arrangements: Contractors will rent/use at his/her own expense office space, any equipment and materials that may be required for completion of the task. The consultant shall work under the direct supervision of Civil Society Project Manager.
Payment arrangements: Lump Sum (payments linked to deliverables).
Selection method: Cumulative analysis        
Evaluation method: Desk review

1. BACKGROUND

The project “Civil Society and Youth Support” (CSYP) funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a nation-scale 4-year initiative that runs from 1st January 2023 until 31st December 2026. The Civil Society and Youth Support Project (CSYP) builds on many years of joint programming by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DMFA) and UNDP supporting civil society and youth empowerment.

CSYP contributes to the following long-term result: “Ukraine’s civil society and youth are impactful players in strengthening the country’s resilience and recovery, democracy and human rights agenda, including issues of respect to diversity and women’s rights and social cohesion.” The project has a three-dimensional approach.

First, it works to  strengthen civil society organizations, focusing first and foremost at the subnational level, to enable active civil society participation in strengthening Ukraine’s resilience, sustainable recovery and development processes, and to link established CSOs with youth groups – especially new initiatives that emerged after February 2022 – to ensure the cross-fertilization of skills. Second, the project works at the central level to create a more enabling policy environment for CSOs and support the national “youth machinery.” At the national level, UNDP is also working with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS) to re-design and transform the Youth Worker Programme by developing additional capacity development exercises, courses, and learning events for the youth workers, and to help the Ukrainian Youth Foundation kick-start its operations. CSYP supports CSOs in monitoring the implementation of national-level youth policies to determine how much progress has been made, and which areas need additional effort. Third and finally, the CSYP empowers   to support young Ukrainians’ active participation in the country’s recovery by honing their skills in good citizenship and leadership. The project supports youth-driven projects and exposes young women and men to how local governments operate to implement locally relevant social cohesion initiatives.

Since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, CSOs in Ukraine have demonstrated their ability to be agile, innovative, and responsive to emerging challenges. They have demonstrated great resilience and adaptability and remained instrumental in providing immediate relief to the population. It fosters innovation and creativity in approaches to sustainable recovery, promotes transparency and accountability, and supports citizens’ participation. Today, civil society remains a driving force behind community resilience, transparency, and accountability, while actively fostering citizen participation and inclusive decision-making. At the same time, there is a growing need to increase the visibility of civil society contributions and to promote broader public understanding of participatory approaches to recovery.  As CSYP enters its final year of implementation, this assignment supports the project’s wrap-up communication campaign, which aims to consolidate and showcase the most meaningful results achieved over the four years of implementation through the lens of the people behind them, namely youth, civil society activists, partners and beneficiaries who have contributed to Ukraine’s resilience and recovery.

2. MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of this communications initiative is to develop and place a series of human-interest stories that highlight the results of the CSYP project through the experience of concrete people and partners, and that demonstrate the contribution of youth, civil society organizations and project partners to Ukraine’s resilience and recovery, with the support of UNDP and Denmark.

More specifically, the stories will showcase how civil society organizations, youth and other CSYP partners have engaged in recovery, strengthening social cohesion, protection of human rights during the war, citizen engagement in decision-making processes, and other key project areas, through the production and bilingual publication of four (4) stories of 5,000–8,000 characters with spaces per story, with a strong photographic accent. The stories will tell engaging and positive narratives of how project results have translated into real change for people and communities affected by the war.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

It is envisioned that the Expert/Individual Consultant shall produce and ensure the publication of four (4) stories, presented in a success-story format with a strong photographic accent, in both Ukrainian and English, on UNDP Ukraine media resources and in a national media outlet.

Under the supervision of the UNDP Civil Society and Youth Support Project Manager, the Individual consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Develop, in consultation with UNDP, the concept of the four (4) stories, narrative angles, KPIs and visual concept;
• Conduct interviews with protagonists (representatives of civil society organizations, youth, project partners and beneficiaries) on the basis of a set of questions agreed with UNDP. The interviews will require 4 trips within Ukraine for up to 10 days which should be included in the proposed budget;
• Produce four (4) stories of 5,000–8,000 characters with spaces per story (in Ukrainian) that capture the human-interest aspects of CSYP’s results, and prepare high-quality English versions of all four (4) stories;
• Organizing four (4) professional photoshoots (one for each story, up to 30 photos per story).

(the costs of photography, including photographer’s fees and related travel, are borne by the Individual Consultant within the lump sum);

• Obtain written consent from all protagonists and other identifiable individuals featured in the stories, including consent for the use of their photographs and personal information, in line with UNDP requirements;
• Design four (4) quote cards in Ukrainian (one per story) using approved photographs and key quotes from the protagonists, in line with UNDP visual identity guidelines;
• Prepare four (4) social media posts (in Ukrainian) for publication on UNDP and/or national media social media channels; Propose national media outlets for the placement of the stories and ensure (arrange) placement of the four (4) stories on UNDP Ukraine media resources (website and social media channels) in Ukrainian and/or English, and placement of the stories in a national media outlet in Ukrainian, as agreed with UNDP.

4. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES:

All final products should be produced according to the plan outlined under each deliverable as follows:

Note: the cost of the stories placement in the media sources, if applicable, is covered by the Consultant and should be included into the offer price/contract lump sum.

The final product shall be submitted to UNDP no later than 02 December 2026.

5. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

The Consultant shall report to the Civil Society and Youth Support Project Manager.

The Consultant shall provide the necessary information and reports according to a preliminary determined schedule or as soon as possible (within a reasonable period of time).

The Consultant will duly inform UNDP of any problems, issues or delays arising in the course of implementation of the assignment and take necessary steps to address them.

All reports and results are to be submitted to the UNDP in electronic form (*.docx, *.xlsx, *.pptx, and *.pdf or other formats accepted by UNDP). The language of the materials and reports is Ukrainian.

No reports or documents should be published or distributed to third parties without approval of UNDP.

6. PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The payments shall be arranged in stages in accordance with the proposed payment scheme below and upon acceptance of the deliverables based on quality control and recommendations. UNDP will be the ultimate authority to control the quality of work results and assess the Consultant’s performance during the assignment.

In particular, the payment schedule will be as follows:

Deliverable 1.            20%

Deliverable 2.            30%

Deliverable 3.            20%

Deliverable 4.            30%

Total:                          100%

7. COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

8. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

• At least Bachelor’s degree in journalism, social sciences, political science, public policy, law, international relations or related field;

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of proven experience in writing articles, essays, stories for national media outlets;
• At least five (5) example/sample/brief overview of a content production initiative or storytelling project in which the applicant actively participated as a journalist, coordinator, or media manager, including media materials placement in national media outlets (to be included in the respective CV section with links or provided as a separate documents);
• At least five (5) examples of published communication materials (articles, stories) in relevant format success stories, human-interest story produced by the applicant (to be included in the respective CV section with the links or provided as the separate documents);
• Proven experience of relevant work with the UN or other international organizations in Ukraine will be considered as an asset (the list of communication campaigns with the project name, period of implementation can be indicated in the CV or provided in separate document attached to the proposal, if available);

Language requirements:

• Fluent writing, editing and oral communication skills in Ukrainian and working knowledge of English(the information should be clearly reflected in an applicant’s CV confirmed by the examples/samples/brief overview of the documents produced by the applicant as provided for the professional experience requirement).

9. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSAL

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

• Personal CV, including information about experience in similar projects / assignments, as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least two (2) professional references.
• Financial proposal.
• At least five (5) examples of published communication materials (articles, stories) in relevant format (success stories, human-interest story) produced by an applicant (to be included in the respective CV section with the links or prepared as the separate documents).
• At least five (5) example/sample/brief overview of a content production initiative or storytelling project in which the applicant actively participated as a journalist, coordinator, or media manager, including media materials placement in national media outlets (to be included in the respective CV section with the links or provided as the separate documents).
• Asset, if applicable: Proven experience of relevant work with the UN or other international organizations will be considered as an asset (the list of communication campaigns with the project name, period of implementation can be indicated in the CV or provided in separate document attached to the proposal, if available).

1. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND PROPRIETARY INTERESTS

• The Individual contract (IC) holder needs to apply standard ethical principles during the assignment. Some of these must deal with confidentiality of interviewee statements when necessary, refraining from making judgmental remarks about stakeholders
• The consultant shall not, during or after completion of the assignment, disclose any proprietary or confidential information related to the services without prior written consent from UNDP.
• All materials, data, and documents produced under this assignment shall remain the property of UNDP and the Government, and may not be used for purposes outside the assignment without permission.

1. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SCORING

The selection process will be conducted in accordance with UNDP procurement rules and regulations, following a Combined Scoring Method — where technical evaluation will be weighted at 70% and financial evaluation at 30% of the total score.

1. TECHNICAL EVALUATION – 70 points.

STEP 1 – MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. At least Bachelor’s degree in journalism, social sciences, political science, public policy, law, international relations or related field;
2. At least five (5) years of proven experience in writing articles, essays, stories for national media outlets;

3. Language proficiency: Fluent writing, editing and oral communication skills in Ukrainian and working knowledge of English (the information should be clearly reflected in an applicant’s CV confirmed by the examples/samples/brief overview of the documents produced by the applicant as provided for the professional experience requirement).

Scoring: pass / fail

STEP 2 – TECHNICAL EVALUATION AGAINST THE ESTABLISHED CRITERIA (70 POINTS MAX)

Educational background – 11 points max:

• Minimum required: at least Bachelor’s degree in journalism, social sciences, political science, public policy, law, international relations or related field

(10 pts – Bachelor’s degree; 11 pts – Master’s or equivalent degree or higher);

Relevant professional experience – 59 points max:

• Minimum required: at least five (5) years of proven experience in writing articles, essays, stories for national media outlets

(14 pts – 5 years; 15 pts – 6-7 years; 16 pts – 8-9 years; up to 18 pts –10 and more years);

• At least five (5) example/sample/brief overview of a content production initiative or storytelling project in which the applicant actively participated as a journalist, coordinator, or media manager, including media materials placement in national media outlets (to be included in the respective CV section with the links or provided as the separate documents)

(12 pts – 5 examples/sample/brief overview, 13 pts – 6-7 examples/samples/brief overview; 15 pts – 8-9 examples/samples/brief overview; up to 17 pts – 10 and more examples/samples/brief overview);

• Minimum required: at least five (5) examples of published communication materials (articles, stories) in relevant format (success stories, human-interest story) produced by the applicant (to be included in the respective CV section with the links or provided as the separate documents)

(13 pts – 5 examples, 15 pts – 6-7 examples; 17 pts – 8-9 examples; up to 19 pts – 10 and more examples);

• Proven experience of relevant work with the UN Agencies or other international organizations/projects in Ukraine will be considered as an asset (the list of communication campaigns with the project name, period of implementation can be indicated in the CV or provided in separate document attached to the proposal, if available)

(0 points – no such experience; 5 points – available experience).

Only those candidates who achieve at least 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation will be FINANCIALLY EVALUATED.

1. FINANCIAL EVALUATION – 30 points

Bidders should submit their financial proposals in a format that clearly presents the all-inclusive, fixed total contract price (lump sum), covering all professional fees and incidental expenses related to the delivery of the consultancy (as per the form provided with the tender publication).

The financial proposal should indicate the cost-breakdown per deliverable, corresponding to the stages and timeline of work outlined in the ToR. All costs associated with the implementation of services, including communication, data access, software, and other administrative expenses, must be included in the total contract price.

Costs of photos (as specified in the task description of Deliverables 2, 4 in the ToR Section 4 and Section 6 above) should be included into the Financial proposal.

All travel-related costs (transportation, accommodation, meals) required under this ToR shall be included in the lump sum fee. No separate reimbursement for travel, per diems, tickets, lodging, or terminal expenses will be provided. The Consultant is expected to plan and budget all potential travel costs within the agreed contract amount. Any travel arrangements and related costs are therefore the sole responsibility of the Individual Consultant and must be covered from the lump sum payment.

In case any public events and/or field trips are planned by UNDP as part of the present assignment beyond the activities foreseen in this TOR, the Consultant will not be responsible for the logistics of such events; UNDP will cover the related conference costs (including possible printing, food, accommodation, transportation, tickets, etc.) on its own.

Note for Bidders:

The amounts should correspond to the consultant’s financial offer and reflect the all-inclusive total price (no additional payments will be made).

2. RESPONSIBLE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IN OFFER/PROPOSAL PREPARATION

The use of AI tools, including generative AI, for drafting, editing, translation, research support, or formatting of proposals is permitted unless otherwise specified in the solicitation document.

However:

• The bidder remains solely responsible for the accuracy, completeness, legality, and originality of all submitted materials;
• Technical and intellectual components of the proposal, including the Approach and Methodology, technical solutions, implementation strategy, staffing approach, and similar narrative deliverables, must reflect the bidder’s own professional expertise and genuine technical understanding;
• AI-generated content must be subject to appropriate human review, validation, and oversight prior to submission;
• The bidder shall not submit fabricated references, fictitious experience, manipulated evidence, plagiarized material, or inaccurate information generated through AI tools;
• Confidential, personal, or non-public UNDP information shall not be uploaded into public AI platforms without proper authorization and safeguards.

UNDP may request clarification regarding the bidder’s use of AI tools during the procurement process.

3. RESPONSIBLE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IN CONTRACT IMPLEMENTATION

Where AI tools are used in the performance of the contract or development of deliverables, the contractor shall ensure that:

• AI use is appropriate, proportionate, and subject to effective human oversight and professional judgment;
• Deliverables are accurate, reliable, explainable, non-discriminatory, and fit for purpose;
• No confidential, personal, sensitive, or proprietary information related to UNDP, beneficiaries, partners, or third parties is disclosed to unauthorized AI platforms or systems;
• AI-generated outputs are reviewed, verified, and validated by qualified personnel before submission to UNDP;
• The use of AI does not infringe intellectual property, copyright, privacy, or data protection obligations;
• The contractor remains fully liable and accountable for all deliverables and outcomes, regardless of AI involvement.

UNDP reserves the right to request disclosure of material AI use in the preparation of deliverables and to require revision or replacement of outputs where AI use creates quality, ethical, legal, security, or confidentiality concerns.

Source: https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_negotiation.cfm?nego_id=46204