National Democratic Institute Request for Proposal (RFP)

HR Consultancy Services RFP

Release Date: July 07, 2023

BACKGROUND

The National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) has actively supported Ukrainian efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and advance democratic reforms through supporting good governance and citizen engagement, political party strengthening and civil society development, election monitoring and strengthening the political participation of women.

To support its operation in Ukraine NDI seeks for HR consultancy services for a 3-months period with the possibility of extension.

SUMMARY

NDI is seeking HR consultancy services from qualified individuals to support the operation of the NDI Ukraine office and support its growing and diverse workforce in Ukraine. HR consultants will be expected to be the main point-of-contact both for employees on HR matters to ensure compliance with internal policies and processes and lawyers or external bodies in ensuring labor law compliance. Prospective consultant will be expected to dedicate up to 170 hours per month but not less than 88 hours (which may vary based on the consultant's engagement) for a 3-months period starting from August 2023, with the possibility of extension based on the performance and mutual agreement between parties. Prospective vendors will be required to maintain a high degree of discretion.

SCOPE OF WORK

NDI intends to procure services of a reputable and qualified vendor to provide the following:

● Build trust-based, collaborative and respectful relationships across the organization to create a positive and fair work environment/culture through effective communications and responsiveness to HR requests;

● Act as the employee liaison to coordinate HR activities, such as benefits enrollment, performance management processes, leave reporting and tracking, utilization of professional development opportunities, policy dissemination, offboarding, etc.;

● Prepare documents for presentation to GDIP to fulfill NDI’s employer responsibilities for official employee registrations

● Provide confidential support to staff when they wish to raise questions or concerns related to their employment, organizational practices and personal wellbeing;

● Provide confidential support to senior management on employment-related matters

● Coordinate full-cycle recruitment processes from identifying staffing needs with program managers and developing job postings to attract excellent candidates, to coordinating interview processes and completing intake forms;

● Oversee NDI’s onboarding process for new personnel, including the orientation program and the probationary assessment;

● Lead on the development of an effective and attractive internship program, in coordination with an internal working group, as well as coordinate career progression opportunities for staff development;

● Ensure accurate applicant and personnel records are maintained in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, data protection regulations and NDI policy;

● Maintain an updated Staff Handbook and create draft policies and process documents to ensure efficient delivery of HR functions to staff;

● Undertake special projects to support the development of specific HR-related functions in the NDI office;

● Maintain knowledge on external trends and issues that may affect HR practices and staff retention;

● Perform other duties even at non-traditional working hours, when required.

TIMELINE

Submissions are due by July 25, 2023. Early submissions are encouraged.

The Agreement is expected to start in August 2023 through October 2023 (with the possibility of extension)

NDI reserves the right to contact bidders to seek additional information and clarifications based on the submission of proposals following the submission deadline.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Potential vendors should submit a written proposal to NDI in English by the aforementioned deadline for full consideration. Proposals should indicate the bidder’s qualifications to provide the services outlined in their proposal.

At a minimum, the proposal should include:

● General information and background on the vendor and individual applicants, including CVs of key personnel and an organizational/corporate profile for an entity if applicable. This section should demonstrate the vendor’s:

➢ Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university required, preferably in business administration or human resources management;

➢ Minimum six years of relevant and progressive experience in human resources operations;

➢ Strong knowledge about prevailing human resources management practices in Ukraine, including deep familiarity with Ukrainian labor legislation;

➢ Known by colleagues for high levels of discretion and empathy;

➢ Reputation for a strong work ethic, trustworthiness, effective time management skills, and problem solving;

➢ Fluency in Ukrainian and is required; Fluency in English is desired, but a minimum of Strong written and oral communication skills in English are required;

➢ Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively build relationships with all levels of staff, program partners, international personnel and consultants, political actors, and the NGO community;

➢ Previous experience supervising junior staff;

➢ Working knowledge of Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Google Drive, and G+), and PC-based word processing and spreadsheet applications;

● motivation letter in English (word limit 200 words);

● contact information for at least 2 professional references that can attest to past performance on projects of similar scope. The references must include email addresses and phone numbers;

● if available, the reference letters;

● name of contract signatory, registration and tax documentation;

● expected hourly rate inclusive of all the taxes (please note that the cooperation under the resulting agreements will be deliverable based with payments not more then once a month);

If you have any additional information you want to share, please include it to the offer.

NDI will evaluate bids based on the vendor's ability to meet the description of services/goods needed, cost and value-for-money, experience/reputation, flexibility in payment terms, etc.

Please note that the selected vendor would be expected to use NDI’s standard contract template, a copy of which is available upon request.

The bid should be valid for 60 days from the due date of this RFP.

SUBMISSION PROCESS AND DISCLOSURES

Please submit proposals in English via email to [email protected] by the deadline listed in the Timeline Section.

NDI reserves the right to reject any and all bids. NDI reserves the right to consider bids for modification at any time before a contract is awarded. NDI should not be liable for any costs associated with the preparation, transmittal, or presentation materials submitted in response to the RFP. NDI makes no certification as to the accuracy of any item and is not responsible or liable for any reliance on or use of the information or for any claims asserted therefrom. Bids are expected to be valid for up to six months from the publication date of the RFP.

Bidders must provide disclosure of any known past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with NDI. For example, bidders should disclose if a member of their Board is also a member of NDI's Board currently or in the past, or if they are affiliated (such as a board member, current/past employee or family member, volunteer, etc.) with a civil society organization that is a current, past or planned recipient of NDI funding. The bidder also certifies that the prices offered were arrived at independently and without the purpose of restricting competition with other offerers, including but not limited to subsidiaries and that prices have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed to any other offerer unless required by law. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in NDI having to re-evaluate the selection of a potential bid.

INFORMATION ABOUT NDI

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. NDI has been supporting local democratization efforts in Ukraine since 1992.

For more information about NDI, please visit: www.ndi.org.