Re-advertisement:

Invitation for consultancy services for developing a Procedural Handbook for the complaint handling system of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission

RFP/001/2010

UNDP Ethiopia, on behalf of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), East Africa Regional Office (EARO), is inviting applications for a consultancy project to assist the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to develop a procedural handbook and improve its case management processes and systems.

1.      Introduction and background

The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia guarantees respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission was established as the principal organ taking the lead in promoting and protecting human rights in Ethiopia, in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution.  The EHRC was established by Proclamation No. 210/2000, in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (14) of Article 55 of the Constitution as an autonomous organ of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia having its own legal personality.

Proclamation No. 210/2000 provides that the objective of the EHRC shall be to educate the public about human rights and to ensure that human rights are protected, respected and enforced, as well as to take the necessary measures whenever those rights are found to have been violated.

The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission is one of the six major democratic governance institutions supported under the Democratic Institutions Programme (DIP), a five-year multi-donor funded Programme in support of the Plan for Accelerated and Sustainable Development (PASDEP) theme goal to develop “[…] A fully operational democratic, accountable, and responsive constitutional federalism, ensuring citizens’ empowerment and participation.”

The implementation of a number of activities of the EHRC under its DIP sub-programme has been delegated to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, East Africa Regional Office, including the development of an electronic and a manual complaint handling system for the EHRC. The complaint handling system will be based on a manual system, including internal regulations, complaint forms and other necessary tools for complaint/case management, a complaint handling manual and a code of ethics. It will also comprise an electronic complaint management system.

The EHRC is in need of a more systematic approach to managing the complaints it receives about alleged human rights violations, comprising a formalized policy framework and systematic information and file management processes.

Relevant stakeholders concur that the improvement of the complaint handling system of the EHRC would greatly enhance the impact of this young institution. The EHRC is a forward-looking organization in the learning process; its management is committed to change.

2.      Objectives

The development of a complaint handling handbook will allow the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission to improve its complaint handling and follow-up on complaints, thereby promoting and protecting human rights and reinforcing the mandate of the Commission. Through the use of this tool, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission will be able to follow-up on cases based on a systemized process.

3. Tasks and responsibilities

·         In close cooperation with the EHRC and based on its rules and regulations, drafting a procedural handbook on complaint processing: case workflow; admissibility criteria; handling investigations, mediations and referrals; internal reporting.

·         The handbook should analyze and systematize information management: registration, filing, opening and management of case files, information flows.

·         The handbook should give support to the complaint handling system through systematizing admissibility criteria in order to give a clearer picture of the complaint handling system of the Commission.

·         The handbook should give appropriate guidelines on the resolution of cases and on handling investigations, mediations, referrals, as well as on internal reporting.

·         The handbook should refer to applicable data protection policies, including access rules, ethical principles for handling complaints, and the complaint handling workflow. These policies are a pre-requisite for the development of an electronic complaint handling system.

·         In addition, the necessary supporting tools for complaint/case management should be developed, such as complaint intake forms, complaint management forms, controlled vocabularies to describe violations, internal regulations and a code of ethics, etc.

·         The policy elements in this manual such as the data protection policy and the complaint handling process, and the admissibility criteria already exist but need to be laid down in writing.

·         Interview officers of the investigation unit of the EHRC in order to draft a document that reflects and/or improves the existing policies within the EHRC.

·         Training on the use of the tools and procedures included in the handbook.

Close coordination will be required during the development of the complaint handling handbook and the simultaneous development of an electronic complaint management system due to the inter-dependency of these tools.

4. Qualifications and requirements

The consultants to be assigned to the project should have a strong experience and track record in the following areas:

·         Human rights documentation methods

·         Compiling information and case flow management

·         Ability to systematize human rights cases in a comprehensive scheme

·         Capacity building: ability to develop sustainable solutions adapted to the needs and constraints of the beneficiary institution

·         Good knowledge of human rights and familiarity with the mandate and functioning of National Human Rights Institutions

·         Fluency in English and Amharic

5. Application

Interested firms, organizations and institutions should submit their technical and financial proposals for the above assignment. Two separate envelops (one technical and one financial) must be submitted.

Technical proposals should include the following minimum information:

·         Draft work schedule and suggested timeframe and milestones for the project.

·         CVs of consultants who would be assigned to the project

Financial proposals should indicate the budget, broken down to include development costs, project management costs, consultant fees, etc.

6.      Evaluation Criteria

Technical proposals will be rated as per the following matrix. A firm will have to score a minimum of 70 percent to be considered for the next step. The financial evaluation will be conducted only for the qualified and responsive technical proposals (i.e. 70 percent and above). The responsive and qualified firm with the lowest financial proposal will be issued a contract.

7. Submission address and deadline

Qualified and interested Firms should submit their technical and financial proposals in separate sealed envelopes to the address stated below. Applications must be submitted before 1 March 2010 . For questions regarding the present re-advertisement, you may contact Mekdelawit.Hailu@undp.org

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRANMME

PROCUREMENT UNIT

ECA OLD BUILDING, 6^TH FLOOR,

AFRICA HALL

MENELIK II AVENUE

P.O.BOX 5580

ADDIS ABABA

ETHIOPIA