Individual National Consultant for Data Generation on Rural Water Supply and Sewerage for the Draft Law of Water Supply and Drainage, Viet Nam

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene…

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The consultant will provide technical support to the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for data generation and recommendation for the rural water supply agenda in the Law on Water Supply and Drainage.

Scope of Work:

As part of UNICEF Vietnam’s Country Program 2022-2026, the Child Survival, Development, and Environment (CSDE) programme has a strong public health focus, with an increased emphasis on strengthening primary health care, prioritizing results at-scale in nutrition and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Increased attention will be given to public financing, policy reform, expanded partnerships with the private sector, and social norm change in critical priority areas, such as addressing stunting.

As a trusted, long-term partner of the Government in Viet Nam, UNICEF is committed to providing support for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to strengthen policy and legal frameworks. During the 2024-2025 period, the development of a new law on Water Supply and Drainage by the Ministry of Construction (MoC) in collaboration with MARD presents a significant opportunity to enhance governance and improve rural water supply services and management. The MARD aims to contribute to a comprehensive law that specifically addresses rural domestic water supply services and management. This law will include a framework for rural water supply investment and management, prioritizing the needs of vulnerable groups and promoting gender transformation to ensure that no one is left behind.

In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Department of Water Resources (DWR), MARD is collaborating with relevant units from the MoC to draft regulations on rural domestic water supply within the new law. To support MARD in the development of rural water supply and sanitation agenda in the law, UNICEF is looking for a consultant to support DWR for data generation on the institutional arrangement and social safeguard in rural water supply and sanitation, including drainage and recommendation of the rural water supply agenda in the upcoming Law.

Specifically,

• The consultant will support the DWR in the relevant stakeholder’s consultation processes for rural water resources management related issues.
• The consultant will work closely with the DWR and other relevant agencies in collaboration with the technical staff, and will assist the DWR by providing institutional advice and inputs when corresponding or giving feedbacks.

Purpose and Objectives:

The consultant will be under the overall supervision of UNICEF WASH Specialist, who will manage the financial and contractual arrangements. The consultant will be responsible to arrange his/her working environment. The consultant will be working closely and liaising with DWR/MARD, for guidance on a day-to-day basis. The consultant will be required to prepare a monthly report for the DWR with copy to UNICEF during the duration of the assignment. 

Summary of Key Functions/Accountabilities:

• Research and Analysis: Conduct a review of existing laws and regulations and law profile related to rural water supply and drainage, both locally and internationally.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Organize and facilitate consultations with stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, development partners, and water supply and drainage experts.
• Drafting the Law: Contribute a section on rural water supply to the draft law that incorporates best practices and meets the identified needs of stakeholders.
• Validation: Present the section on rural water supply to the draft law to stakeholders for feedback and make necessary revisions.
• Final Submission: Prepare a final version of the section on water supply to the draft law along with an explanatory report detailing its provisions and expected impacts.

Location:

The consultant is expected to work from home, preferably in Ha Noi, have meetings virtually and/or at UNICEF and partner offices, and conduct field trips to the project provinces, including Gia Lai, and Mekong River Delta (Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, and Soc Trang). 

Detailed Tasks and Deliverables as attached 

Local Consultant on providing inputs for the Law of Water Supply and Drainage.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Bachelor in Business administration, law, rural development, engineering, environmental science, or other relevant areas.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree or 7 years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree at the national and/or international levels in business administration, law, rural development, engineering, environmental science, and/or other directly related technical fields is required.
• Good understanding of GOV’s regulations and standards in rural development and the WASH sector.
• Field experience in rural water supply and sanitation programs/projects in Viet Nam.
• Good analytical skill and negotiating skills.
• Ability to manage and monitor the effective use of time.
• Fast learner, adapts and responds to change, tolerates ambiguity.
• Fluency in English and Vietnamese is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or the local language of the duty station is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA). 

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

Assessment criteria:

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification weight 75 points:

• Educational background: 25 points
• Relevant working experiences: 50 points

+ A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree or 7 years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree at the national and/or international levels in business administration, law, rural development, engineering, environmental science, and/or other directly related technical fields is required. (20 points)

+ Good understanding of GOV’s regulations and standards in rural development and the WASH sector. (15 points)

+ Field experience in rural water supply and sanitation programs/projects in Viet Nam. (15 points)

b. Financial Proposal weight 25 points:

• All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes as UNICEF is a tax-exempt organization.
• The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened/evaluated and compared among technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 50-point score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.
• The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

a. Letter of interest/confirmation of availability and CV;

b. A technical proposal which clearly explains the outline on how to deliver the tasks and deliverables;

c. Three references;

d. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, travel and any other relevant costs for this assignment. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts. 

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