District

For the project: Brčko Inclusive Socioeconomic Initiative

Deadline for application: 26^th, February, 15h

Purpose of the consultancy

CARE International, within its project “Brčko Inclusive Socioeconomic Initiative” (in further text: the Project), is looking to contract an external consultant to provide technical assistance to the Regional Guarantee Fund of Brcko District (RGFDB), during March to November 2024, for creation/development of the website, uploading and provide domain hosting for minimum 5 years and perform training of partner RGFBD staff in the field of uploading news and stories.

General information

Job title:                                          SEI Project website design and maintenance,

Project title:                                    Brčko Inclusive Socioeconomic Initiative

Donor:                                            Czech Development Agency and CARE Czech Republic

Project country:                              Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brčko District

Place(s) of work:                              Brčko District

Anticipated consultants:                  Individual consultant or a company, with qualifications fitting the

consultancy task,

Engagement period and duration:    20 working days, during March-November 2024

CARE’s mission in the region of Balkans is to contribute to post-war recovery, socio-economic development and building the societies of equality in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia (FYROM). CARE’s work in the Balkans started in 1993, when it provided humanitarian support to people affected by war. In the late 90-ties, CARE shifted its focus in the region from humanitarian post-war assistance and rehabilitation to socio-economic development, engaging in interventions directed at conflict prevention and peace-building, sustainable livelihoods, gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence.

CARE in the Balkans places the quality of its program at the centre of its mission and has developed a regional strategy that encompasses two main program directions: Gender Equality and Social and Economic Inclusion. The goal of the Social and Economic Inclusion Program is to strengthen capacity and create opportunities for the marginalized, socially excluded and poor to integrate into society and

access rights. CARE’s Gender Equality Program aims to empower women vulnerable to violence, discrimination and poverty, to reach better life opportunities and social justice and to work on prevention of peer violence and building of tolerance among young men in the Western Balkans. CARE’s engagement and contribution lies in strengthening sustainability of key regional, national and/ or local civil society organizations and networks promoting equality and diversity, in the context of social inclusion and non-violence.

The project “Brčko Inclusive Socioeconomic Initiative” will contribute to socio-economic integration of disadvantaged and vulnerable categories of citizens of Brčko District. The Project concentrates its efforts to Brčko District and invests in increasing the socio-economic inclusion of marginalized groups. This is mirrored in the Project Objective: to increase social inclusion and create sustainable employment opportunities for citizens in Brčko District (BD) with a particular focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, through raising employment capacity, support to entrepreneurial activities and enabling a conducive environment for more inclusive economic development.

The following project results/outputs are expected:

Output 1:         Disadvantaged and vulnerable populations of the Brčko District have increased their capacity for employment and knowledge of their citizens’ rights, through project conducted trainings and awareness raising.

Output 2:         Increased capacity, skills and job opportunities for the unemployed citizens of BD and creation of new employment for the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, via project financial and technical support.

Output 3:         Enhanced environment for a more efficient economic inclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, by creation of public-private partnerships to address labour market barriers and promotion of sustainable employment models.

The Development-Guarantee Fund of Brčko District Government – RGFDB (https://rgfbd.com/) is a public institution established under the Government of Brčko District (BD), responsible for providing financial support or guarantees to small and medium-sized enterprises, individuals or agricultural producers.

More specifically, the main current RGFDB services include:

1. Approval of credit funds and their placement,
2. Allocation of funds to small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs,
3. Investing in securities,
4. Providing guarantees for loans to small and medium-sized enterprises and independent entrepreneurs and farmers with the aim of faster employment,
5. Providing guarantees for lending in the rural sector,
6. Other credit and financial intermediation.

Role in the Project: Unit for Implementation of International Projects at RGFDB (further PIU) has been mandated by the Government of BD to act as the main Project partner and beneficiary focal point (for all three project Outputs). PIU will also act as an intermediary between the selected the project applicant/implementer and the Government of BD, in particular on strategic issues such as legislation, long-term financing and sustainability of project outputs, etc. PPIU will, through this Project, establish

and develop the (Self) Employment Socio-Economic and Entrepreneurship Centre, which will aim to provide comprehensive support to BD residents, and especially marginalized persons, on their path to self-employment, entrepreneurship and long-term/permanent employment. The Centre would serve to develop, strengthen and upgrade the skills of BD residents so that they are employable in the labour market. At the same time, it can provide retraining and other training courses, personalised training, coaching, consulting, mentoring, therapeutic and psychosocial services and similar types of help and assistance. It would also serve as an incubator for start-ups and early stage entrepreneurs.

Consultants’ Outputs

CARE International is looking for consultant to undertake the following activities:

• Web server administration: Configuration, monitoring and maintenance of web servers to ensure their availability and performance. Content Management: Add, edit and delete content on a website, including text, images and other media elements. Website Security: Implementation of security measures to protect websites from potential threats and attacks. Data backup and recovery: Planning and execution of web page backups and recovery strategies in case of data loss. Website Design: Understanding the fundamentals of website design to ensure attractiveness and functionality. Domain management: Registration and management of domains and their integration with websites. Web administrators play a key role in maintaining and updating an organization’s web presence, ensuring that web pages are secure, up-to-date and functional.
• Get acquainted with the work and history of RGFBD,
• Together with the staff of RGFBD, review recommendations from Communication S trategy and incorporate selected material from the Communication Strategy them into the website for SEI Centre, such as promotional and visibility material, videos, banners, etc.
• Design the website and other social media in close cooperation with RGFBD staff, where designed websitewill be RGFBD intellectual property of the code, obtain web                                                                                       site domain for at least 5 years, In coordination with the RGFBD but prior to the web site publishing, deliver at least two testing examples with all the details of the web platform
• Web platforma should be interactive, with some features (to be proposed) such as “chat bot” or some other innovative approach that would provide interactive communication between users of SEI Center and unemployed,
• In cooperation with CARE, organise practical 1 day training of RGFBD/SEI Center staff engaged for posting of news on site updating of the web content,
• Ensure that website is functional at any point (including business email address of SEI Center), including versions in Latin and Cyrilic letters and enshure its maintenance,
• Develop and deliver Short User Manual (up to 10 pages) written in simple words as a guidance for the use of website by RGFBD and SEI Centre staff in local language, Provision of the Final Consultancy Report to CARE in English,

RGFDB’s Outputs

• Provide the Consultant(s)with information necessary for understanding the local context,
• Provide the Consultant(s) with Communication Strategy and necessary material for development of the website and materials to be uploaded,
• Provide logistics for the meetings held within this consultancy,
• Regularly collaborate with the Consultant regarding the participation during the whole time of engagement, provide all relevant documents in/for the process and actively participate in the foreseen training of RGFBD.

CARE’s Outputs

• Provide necessary information and documentation on the project to the Consultant and agree on the work plan with the Consultant;
• Coordinate with partner organisation RGFBD with the Consultant during the entire preparation and realisation of the task;
• Provide logistical support to the Consultant necessary for the realisation of the task, other than travel logistics (travel and accommodation costs for the fieldwork envisaged should be included in the Consultants’ bid);
• Monitor the entire process within this consultancy.

Schedule

The Consultant will be engaged for 20 working days, over the period 5^th March to 30^th November 2024, according to the following timetable:

Action

Responsible      Date

The detailed payment schedule will be outlined in the Consultancy Contract and will be made upon the work completion and the approval of the final consultancy report by CARE. The Payment will be carried out in line with all necessary documentation as per CARE’s administrative procedures (time sheets, consultancy report, etc).

Required qualification of the Consultant:

CARE invites individual experts, teams of experts, NGOs and agencies, to submit their bids and present in details their expertise, experience, division of work and responsibility levels/responsible persons (in case of teams or agencies). The general requirements are:

• Excellent knowledge and vast experience in web development and web design – UX / UI
• Solid coaching techniques, incorporating participatory approach.
• Clear demonstration that the consultancy team is able to meet the needs of the targeted RGFBD in timeframe of the consultancy task.
• Good command of local and English language, oral and written.
• Good facilitation capabilities,
• Proven team worker,

The Consultant’s bid/application should consist of the following:

1. Consultant’s CV or portfolio, with detailed information relevant to the required qualifications.
2. Draft website look / design     outlining the methodology approach and tentative timeline (schedule) for the consultancy.

• Bid – financial offer: The Consultant shall suggest a daily fee/rate in BAM per consultancy day. (Transportation, food and accommodation costs should be included). There is no standard format for the bid.

THE APPLICATION- BID SHOULD BE IN ENGLISH!

The received applications will be evaluated against the below stated criteria:

Interested candidates are invited to apply to the address:

CARE International, Balkans, Derviša Numića number 6, 71000 Sarajevo,

or to the e-mail: shalkic@care.ba

Closing date for applications is February 26^th, 2024, 15h

We thank all     applicants for their interest. Only selected applicants will be contacted. For any additional information concerning the application, please contact:

Branislav Tanasijevic, Project Manager, E-mail: btanasijevic@care.ba

REMARK: This and other project activities are pending approval by the donor CZDA for this year

Sarajevo, 13^th February 2024