Purpose of Consultancy:

UNFPA strongly agrees with the need to invest in young people in order to unleash their full potential, empowering them for innovation and social change. UNFPA and partners aspire to develop a web portal that will enable young people in Uganda to collectively engage on social change issues to further advance the With You(TH) pillar under the #LiveyourDreamUG campaign. The proposed portal will be both a source of quality information and a place to interact on pressing social issues such as teenage pregnancy, access to contraception and menstrual hygiene management. The portal shall showcase best practices of sexual and reproductive health initiatives while engaging young people to involve them in creating solutions and participating in the larger ecosystem of addressing issues through collaborative opportunities. As a lead on this initiative, UNFPA seeks to hire the services of a consultant to develop the web portal.

The Internet continues to be the first entry point of reference on information for young people in Uganda in addition to implementing partners, government officials, civil society and donors. This portal is envisioned to provide a space where youth actors can come together physically and virtually to discuss ideas on how the wellbeing of young people can be improved by sharing key lessons and best practices from various initiatives in the country. It shall also be a space for collecting and nurturing ideas through an “idea lab.” Furthermore, the portal can provide a wealth of information to UNFPA and key partners on how to design future programming to better meet the needs of young people in Uganda.

Task and Responsibilities:

• To be the first point of reference on youth engagement and participation work in Uganda
• To showcase best practices and lessons learnt from various youth organizations, networks and individuals on creating social change.
• To engage young people to share ideas through an idea lab and create solutions that advance social change. 
• To make key documents, resources and information on young people accessible to the public
• To provide a platform for unique and outstanding young people in Uganda to share their personal stories and inspire others.
• To provide a platform for internship and volunteer opportunities within youth organizations in Uganda to equip young people with relevant skills for the workplace.

Deliverables and Activities:

The services required and activities will include: 

1.    Web Portal Development 

• Securely display content, picture, text, graphics with flawless functionality.
• Design and build the web portal as per the requirements. The web portal developer will be supervised by the Program Analyst at UNFPA, who will coordinate the provision of the content and photographs and provide guidance on the desired design and structure. 
• Accommodate changes as the web portal concept and design evolves on a tight schedule, possibly with many iterations once the initial framework is available for internal testing.
• Advise the UNFPA on a sustainable long-term management and hosting strategy 
• Optimize the portal for low bandwidth users. 
• Optimize the portal for Mobile Device display and functionality.
• Develop open APIs for integration with other sites and 3rd party developers. 
• Implement a “blog” function with integrated Twitter and Facebook posting functionality.
• Full social media integration of the portal to existing social media accounts.
• Browser compatibility: the portal must be compatible with the current versions of Firefox, Safari, and Chrome, as well as Internet Explorer version 10 onwards. 
• Use simple, cost-effective techniques to test designs with representative users before implementation of major features such as restructuring the main navigation menu. 
• “Sign up” and “Sign in” modules that can be managed via the user interface as per specifications. Sign plug-in included, e.g: Google, Facebook (optional).
• The web portal is responsive, fully developed, functioning and running online without any flaws.
• The web portal is designed and programmed in a way that enables the partners to manage its content. This includes handover of administrative rights to multiple admins, enabling them to change all content autonomously. Access must be provided privately and securely only on a need-to-know basis.
• Provide configuration documentation and guidelines that clearly state how to manage the website. Additional details on the hosting arrangement, environment and its configuration are provided. 
• Add a comprehensive search functionality to the web portal. 

2.    Web Portal Maintenance 

• Web portal content updates: the contracted web development consultant will assist with content updates when the changes that have to be made are not possible from the CMS user interface. It should be endeavored that as many changes as possible can be made from the CMS user interface, including the website’s current functionality to add/customize operational items and operate online voting modules without the content manager, etc. 
• The backup, code and source files availed in full to the client on closing of the contract. 
• Provide guidance on using the admin interface of the CMS. 
• Monitor the server logs to see most popular pages and downloads and generate regular reports, which the admin can procure independently after close of contract. 
• Maintenance does not include web portal redesign or development. 
• Documents and graphics, such as logos and images, will be provided by UNFPA. 
• Provide user support of minimum 90 days after deployment of web portal.

3. Search Engine Optimization and Site Analysis 

Ensure search engine optimization (SEO) of the portal to increase visibility and traffic to the portal by the target audience. The SEO work will include: 

• Keyword research & analysis 
• Site analysis 
• Competitive analysis 
• Site content optimization 
• HTML code optimization 
• Search Engine submission (free search engines) 
• Link exchange 
• Web ranking report 

Content of the Web Portal

The front page should contain exciting selected pictures, stories, articles, infographics and references. We envisage 4 tabs but with sub-menus providing access to more detailed information on the following: Best Practices, Participation (Volunteerism & Internships), Idea Lab, Resources, and Profiles, which will be stated in the separate Requirements document.

Qualifications and Experience

• 3 years of more experience in web development, able to work in a tight time frame. The consultant should have track record of developing web portals on time and as planned that incorporates contemporary global design trends, and are user friendly and easy to maintain.
• The consultant has proven experience of web development and support in well-known and widely used open source platforms, such as Drupal, Typo3, WordPress, Laravel, Node.js, React, Yii, Contao, etc. Please share links to works done in the past.
• The consultant has a strong understanding of End Users’ needs and user experience to match to adequate technical solutions.  
• The consultant has a demonstrably strong track record in website design, security and administration, Google analytics, and Search Engine Optimization. Please share links or any other evidence as proof or work done in the past.
• The consultant should have excellent skills in the use of Adobe Suite products to create exciting and attractive visuals.

Duration of Assignment: 

35 days (October - December 2018)

How to Apply:

• Deadline for applications: Monday, October 15th 2018.
• Interested applicants should first register on the UNFPA Consultancy Roster and apply to the “job post” called UNFPA Consultant Roster. After registering on the Roster, Click ‘Apply Now’. In case you have applied for UNFPA eRecruitment Jobs before, directly click ‘Apply Now’. 
• UNFPA reports – If the applicant has worked for UNFPA in the past, he/she may submit their most recent assessment, consultancy report or other document to illustrate his/work. The document may be copy-pasted into the available limited space.
• UNFPA will only respond to those applicants in whom the Country Office has further interest.

Disclaimer:

• UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.
• UNFPA is committed to maintain balanced gender distribution of the positions and therefore encourage women to apply. 
• There are NO application processing or other fees at any stage of UNFPA application processes.