Request for Quotation
Consultancy for the development of an interactive website for the
SWITCH to Solar Project
Background
People in Need (PIN) is a Czech non-government, non-profit organization operating all over the world and has been working in Cambodia since 2008. PIN operates in providing development and emergency assistance in rural and urban areas, specifically focusing on; renewable energy, market development for improved livelihoods, improvement of maternal and child health and nutrition, and disaster risk reduction. The Alternative Livelihoods team has worked on previous European Union (EU) and Czech Development Agency (CzDA) funded projects to implement market-based solutions across various regions in Cambodia. Currently, the team is implementing the 4-year SWITCH to Solar project in the Tonle Sap region.
SWITCH to Solar, funded by the EU and CzDA, will be implemented over a period of 48 months (May 2020 – May 2024) by People in Need, along with its partners Sevea and EnergyLab. The project will contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth in rural areas of Cambodia by reducing the environmental impact of MSMEs’ energy consumption and generating green employment opportunities. It is expected that approximately 1.14 million women, men and children living in 6 provinces across 15 districts in the Tonle Sap region will benefit from greater economic opportunities at the local level, a more sustainable natural environment, and greater access to environmentally-friendly products and services from targeted Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME). Key expected results from this project are that business models and technology solutions are designed and promoted; local solar technology providers’ capacities are strengthened; target MSMEs and consumers have improved awareness and access to a range of solar energy devices, financing options and customer services; improved business environment for solar technology solutions and established synergies among main stakeholders.
In order for the action to continue being sustainable, an interactive software (website) will need to be created to ensure all actors in the sector can continue to be interlinked after the 4 years. With a key focus on creating linkages between various stakeholders, such as Solar Technology Providers (STP), MSMEs, financial intermediaries, entrepreneurs and start-ups, the website will aim to map all relevant actors, support data collection for analysis, spread awareness, and increase overall visibility of clean energy in the agri-/fisheries sector.
Objective
Through SWITCH to Solar, the implementing partners will be rolling out activities in 15 targeted districts (to be determined) in Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Pursat, and Siem Reap. An interactive website will be used to map all relevant actors in the project (including but not limited to MSMEs, STPs, financial intermediaries), aid in data collection and analysis of clean energy solutions for the agri-/fisheries sector in the region, spread awareness and link beneficiaries through an interactive platform, provide a knowledge base and avenue for potential actors to enter the market, and provide readily available market information to producers and consumers.
The website will also highlight the successes of the project through case studies and how the activities are being replicated in other regions with the aim of achieving similar results. The target audience for the website is broad and will include donors, (I)NGOs, private companies, CSOs, MSMEs, solar and agri-/fishery companies, public authorities, and academic institutions.
Deliverables
1. Design of an interactive and user-friendly website
The SWITCH to Solar website should be visually attractive and in line with the project goals (i.e; clean energy, sustainability) to provide a better experience to users
3 designs are to be submitted to the project team for review and evaluation prior to production of the website. These can also include existing designs from the
consultant’s portfolio, and should meet the criteria as to be discussed with the project team
2. Production of the website
Develop a user-friendly website to showcase the SWITCH to Solar project and highlight all relevant features as would be agreed upon during the design stage Present/run the website on a trial amongst project partners to identify errors and/or
room for improvement
Ensure the website can be interchangeable between English and Khmer languages
3. Development of a user manual and training to support staff
Develop a user manual, in both English and Khmer, and deliver a training session to project staff (support team and system administrators) to perform content upload, system maintenance and administrative functions
Provide follow up support to system administrators for debugging and/or troubleshooting issues
4. Ongoing support and maintenance of website, and handover to PIN
Support, operation and maintenance; provide administrative and technical support to project team over the course of project (2020 – 2024) when needed
Conduct a full review of the website 1 time per year to identify and resolve any issues, enhance content, conduct updates, and improve overall visibility
Conduct a handover training session at the end of the project to PIN staff in order to continue operation and maintenance of the website
Upon selection of a consultant, the contract may be amended with a time frame and additional materials in order to capture new/specific developments in the sector.
Work Plan
Deliverable Activities Deadline
Design of an
interactive and user-friendly website
The consultant and project team will have a kick-off brainstorming
workshop/meeting to generate ideas for the website content.
Following the SWITCH to Solar
communication and visibility guidelines, and in line with the project goals and activities, the consultant will design 3 visually attractive and user-friendly websites to propose to the project team (graphic design/visual).
The designs can be produced from scratch, or based on existing ones from the consultant’s portfolio.
Ensure a consistent visual language is displayed by introducing fixed styles in templates ensuring consistency in
formatting, fonts, images, layouts, icons, margins, colours, and displays.
Production of the website
Upon evaluation and selection of a suitable design by the project team, the consultant will work on developing the website. The website should include a suitable homepage and relevant sections highlighting news, case studies,
implementation activities, and other sections as agreed and discussed by the project team.
The website should feature an interactive map of the Tonle Sap and surrounding 5 provinces, mapping all relevant
stakeholders, beneficiaries, other actors in the project, and complementing
programs. This feature should be dynamic as the content will be continuously
updated through the course of the project.
The website should include a dynamic social sharing platform where media content from other sources (i.e; Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be shared and featured interchangeably.
In addition to the above-mentioned content, should include a responsive design; case studies section; feed links; searchable functions; searchable
resources by text; featured (relevant) news articles from national posts; and linking the website with PIN and project partners’ sites.
Other functions and content as discussed and agreed upon during the workshop.
31 March 2021
Development of a user manual
The consultant shall develop a
comprehensive user manual highlighting all features of the websites’ functions, troubleshooting techniques, operation, maintenance, and all other relevant information for ensuring functionality of the system.
The manual shall be provided in English and Khmer. Translation of the manual from English to Khmer can be conducted with support from the project team.
30 April 2021
Training to project staff The consultant shall provide one half-day training session to key project staff on operation and maintenance of the website.
The training session is to be conducted in
Khmer for the project team. Ongoing support for
operation and maintenance of website
The consultant shall be able to provide technical and/or troubleshooting support to the project team in case of issues encountered with the website over the course of the project.
Ongoing 30 April 2024; on-call, as support would be needed
Website review and maintenance
The consultant shall conduct 1 full review, update, and maintenance of the website every year to ensure content and features are up to date, the system is operational, and any required debugging.
1 November 2021 1 November 2022 1 November 2023
Handover of materials to project team
The consultant shall provide 1 full-day handover training session to the project staff, including all relevant source code and development libraries.
31 March 2024
Location
The consultant is to be based in Phnom Penh.
Duration of work
The expected start date is 1st November 2020.
The duration of the contract is until 30th April 2024.
Required skills and experience
Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, web development, computer science, or any relevant field of study
At least 3 years of experience designing and developing websites with a multitude of functions, content, is visually appealing, and navigation-/user-friendly
Experienced in current web development technologies and design tools in the field, new software, and other web programming languages and programs including use of HTML, XHTML, CSS, XML, XSLT, Macromedia Flash, Java
Excellent knowledge and experience in creating interactive and dynamic maps Possess excellent knowledge of trends in graphic design, websites, social media
networking, online video publishing, and content sharing Demonstrated ability to be innovative
Familiarity with NGO work and an understanding of the Cambodian context
Willingness to explore ‘outside the box’ ideas and coordinate with various project team members
An ability to manage workloads in order to adhere to set deadlines Good proficiency in English and Khmer
Facilitation
PIN and PIN’s partners will assist the consultant with developing the material for the website and providing inputs on improving the system over the course of the action to increase visibility and awareness.
Budget
The maximum budget is $5,000, including 15% withholding tax.
All outputs produced in this action shall remain the sole property of People in Need who shall have exclusive rights over its use.
For any inquiries, please contact:
Mr. Jerus D’Silva, Program Manager – SWITCH to Solar at
Mr. Kep Ratana, Project Manager – SWITCH to Solar at [email protected]
Application
Deadline for submission of application: 9 th October 2020
If you have the required qualifications, interested applicants are encouraged to please send the following documents to Mr. Jerus D’Silva, Program Manager at:
o Detailed CV of consultant(s) involved in the website development o Proposed timeline and workplan
o Detailed budget
