Project: “Strengthening the Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia”

TENDER NOTICE

for provision of services of consultancy on prison healthcare in Armenia

I. General information on project

Project objective

The main objective of the Project is to strengthen human rights through improvement of provision of healthcare (including mental care) in prisons in Armenia, as well as enhance the capacities of prison staff through development and provision of continuous training.

Expected results

1. Legal and institutional framework for provision of healthcare in penitentiary institutions in Armenia is brought in line with European standards;
2. Provision of healthcare in prisons (with a special focus on life-sentenced prisoners and other vulnerable groups, such as women and juveniles) is improved and brought in line with European standards;
3. Material conditions of healthcare services in prisons are improved;
4. Medical and non-medical staff in prisons are trained on the European standards of healthcare, human rights and medical ethics in prisons.

To this end, the 24-month project envisages revision and assistance in the development of legal provisions, policy documents, and guidelines regulating healthcare services in prisons, as well as design of training modules, materials and conducting of training sessions on healthcare services, health prevention and promotion, human rights and medical ethics in prisons for medical and non-medical prison staff.

The implementation uses different types of activities, including provision of legal/ technical expertise, organisation of high-level consultations, working group meetings, sessions, round tables, delivery of training courses, procurement of medical equipment for healthcare units of prisons, translation and publication of international standards, reports, studies, researches, and training materials on prison healthcare.

Project management structure

The Project is managed by the Criminal Law Co-operation Unit in Strasbourg and the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.

The Project team is composed of the Senior Project Officer and the Project Assistant based in Strasbourg, France, as well as the Senior Project Officer and the Project Assistant based in Yerevan, Armenia.

II. Expected services

A. General information

The Council of Europe is looking to establish a roster of local consultant(s) (and of legal persons, for Lot 2) who would provide assistance in penitentiary reform throughout the implementation of the Project, in particular developing legal, strategy and policy documents, designing training programmes and materials, conducting training sessions and other capacity building activities for prison staff, advising on the relevance of medical equipment to be procured and drafting technical specification in support to the procurement of the medical equipment.

The call is divided into 3 (three) Lots, corresponding to each of the competencies the Project needs. Individual applicants may bid for one or more of the following Lots, while legal persons may bid for Lot 2 only:

Lot 1: Legal analysis on issues related to prison healthcare;

Lot 2: Training for medical and non-medical prison staff on health prevention and promotion activities, medical ethics and other issues related to prison healthcare;

Lot 3: Technical analysis and procurement of medical equipment for healthcare units.

The Council of Europe will select not more than 5 (five) consultants for Lot 1, not more than 5 (five) consultants and not more than 3 (three) legal persons for Lot 2, as well as 2 (two) legal persons for Lot 3.

The selected applicants do not directly enter into contractual obligations with the Council of Europe. Applicants are informed that each time a specific need covered by the present tendering procedure occurs, the consultants selected for the Lot will be consulted and asked to provide bids on the services requested, in accordance with the specific technical specifications for a short-term assignment.

B. Final results

For each Lot, applicants will be required to deliver the following final results:

III. Eligibility criteria

Applicants should demonstrate that they meet the following criteria:

Lot 1:

•    University degree in the relevant field (law/ healthcare management/ healthcare/ public health);

•    At least 5 years of experience in legislative drafting or reviewing legal, strategy and policy documents;

•    At least 5 years of professional experience in provision, organisation and management of healthcare, mental health services in penitentiary institutions, human rights, prison management including experience in consultancy work at the local level;

•    In-depth knowledge of the international standards and principles and in particular the Council of Europe and CPT standards in the penitentiary field;

•    Good command of the written and oral English language;

•    Strong analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills;

•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

•    The applicant shall not be a civil servant in the Republic of Armenia.

Lot 2:

•    For individual consultants:

•    University degree in the relevant field (law/ healthcare management/ healthcare/ public health);

•    At least 5 years of professional experience in conducting training, particularly in the areas of provision, organisation and management of healthcare services, as well as in professional standards, human rights, medical ethics, health prevention and promotion activities (work experience in a penitentiary institution and in prison environment would be an asset);

•    In-depth knowledge of the international standards and principles and in particular the Council of Europe and CPT standards in the penitentiary field;

•    Knowledge of adult learning techniques, designing and evaluation of training modules and materials;

•    Good command of the written and oral English language;

•    Strong analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills;

•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

•    The applicant shall not be a civil servant in the Republic of Armenia.

•    For legal persons (universities, educational institutions):

•    Rich academic/university experience in designing health courses, in particular training modules, training methodology and materials, as well as in conducting training sessions;

•    Availability of specialists, experts (at least 3) meeting the requirements for individual experts as set out in Lot 2.

Lot 3:

•    University degree in the relevant field (healthcare/ technical sciences or similar);

•    Experience in drafting technical specifications for procurement of equipment;

•    Experience in working with, maintaining and/or procurement of medical equipment;

•    Good command of the written and oral English language;

•    Strong analytical, problem-solving and reporting skills;

•    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;

•    The applicant shall not be a civil servant in the Republic of Armenia.

IV. Applications

Applications for each Lot:

All applicants shall deliver, when submitting their bid:

•    Motivation letter;

•    Detailed CV in the English language (EU format);

•    3 (three) relevant references from previous employers (name, surname, phone number or e-mail); and

•    A list of drafted legal, strategy and policy documents, as well as contributions to expert meetings and training activities, coaching visits in the last 5 years.

Legal persons shall deliver, when submitting their bid for Lot 2:

•    Charter of the organisation;

•    Motivation letter;

•    List of scientific workers, experts (at least 3) meeting the requirements for individual experts as set out in Lot 2;

•    Detailed CV in the English language (EU format) of scientific workers, experts.

Applications should reach the Council of Europe by email (prisonhealthcare.Armenia@coe.int) no later than 18 September 2015, 18:00 Yerevan time. The applications should contain the following e-mail subject: TENDER NOTICE for provision of services of consultancy on penitentiary healthcare in Armenia:

Applicants are requested to specifically mention in the motivation letter the Lot they are applying for. One applicant may apply for one or more Lots, except for legal persons who may apply for Lot 2 only.

Any questions regarding this specific call shall be sent at the latest by 14 September 2015, in English, and shall be exclusively addressed to the following email address: prisonhealthcare.Armenia@coe.int, and shall contain the title of the call as reference in subject.

The Council of Europe reserves the right to engage the same consultant for one or more Lots, while legal persons may be engaged in Lot 2 only.

V. Subsequent Ordering Procedure

The Council of Europe will request services of the consultants on an "as needed basis". The selection of a consultant (of a legal entity, for Lot 2) will not give rise to a right for the consultant concerned to be directly awarded contract. When a need arises, the Council of Europe will proceed with subsequent competitive tendering between all the selected consultants for the Lot concerned (selected legal persons, for Lot 2).

Selected consultants (legal persons, for Lot 2) will be notified of the technical specifications, and, where relevant, special conditions and special tender rules applicable to the short-term assignment concerned. Each subsequent notification will indicate the deadline for the submission of bids, taking account of the complexity of the short-term assignment concerned.

All selected consultants (legal persons, for Lot 2) undertake to submit bids for each subsequent short-term assignment or, failing that, to provide before the deadline of the short-term assignment concerned a justification for not submitting a bid.