Call for Proposal (Organization/Firm) – National and International Upgrade and Maintenance of ClassMap

Date Issued: 10th September 2024

Organization: UNESCO Antenna Office in Yangon

Duration: December 2024 – December 2025

Start: 1st December 2024 (contract start date is subject to change)

Terms of Reference

1. Background

   Under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Education Sector Program Implementation Grant (ESPIG), UNESCO has secured funding to implement activities towards the attainment of three (3) outcome areas. These are outlined below.

• Outcome 1: Ensuring safe and equitable access to learning for children and youth in Myanmar.
• Outcome 2: Ensuring quality teaching and learning for children and youth in Myanmar by strengthening the capacities of education staff and fostering context-responsive, equity-focused learning resources and modalities adapted to the evolvingsituation; and
• Outcome 3: Ensuring systems strengthening, management, coordination and monitoring.

These outcomes contribute to the long-term goal of ESPIG which is ensuring that children and youth in Myanmar can re-engage in quality, meaningful, inclusive and gender-responsive learning in safe, protective environments, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable learners.

Under Outcome 3, UNESCO has developed a school data collection and support system known as ClassMap which is currently in beta mode, with a wider launch planned for October 2024. ClassMap is available as a mobile app (Android), available in both English and Burmese language and as a webpage. To supportthe maintenance (2.5 days per week or a total of 10 person days a month), improvement and development of thisSystem, UNESCO iscurrently seeking a qualified national or international organization/firm. The selected organization will support the maintenance and improvement of ClassMap and support further rollout of the System with an additional 20 schools.

1. Work Assignment

The Contractor will perform the undermentioned tasks under the overall authority of the Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, the direct supervision of the Head of Office, UNESCO Antenna Office in Yangon, and in close collaboration with the ESPIG programme team.

Task 1 – Maintenance Responsibilities

• Issue Resolution: Regularly address and resolve issues reported through the bug tracking system.
• Updates: Regularly update and maintain the software to address any bugs, glitches, or security vulnerabilities.
• Performance Optimization: Analyze and optimize performance to ensure fast and responsive user experiences by implementing best practices for efficiency. Platform should also be optimized for low bandwidth users.
• Compatibility Assurance: Ensure applications are compatible across various browsers, devices, and operating systems.
• Content Management: Monitor, update, and manage content on both web and mobile applications, maintaining data integrity.
• Backup and Recovery: Maintain a robust backup and recovery system for both applications.
• Cybersecurity Coordination: Implement stringent security measures to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats. This will require coordination to ensure protection and to perform regular security scans.
• Source Code Management: Ensure that all source codes are uploaded to GitHub, GitLab or any code repositories for version control and collaboration.

Task 2 – System Enhancements

• User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Enhancements: Prioritize improvements for a more intuitive and user-friendly platform, enhancing visual design, navigation, and overall user experience, including aspects such as registration, chat features, dashboard layout and interaction.
• Performance Optimization: Target smooth operation and reduce load times by optimizing images, scripts, and other assets to improve responsiveness.
• Search and Filter Functionality Improvement: Improve search and filter functionality to facilitate easier content discovery for users.
• Backup Plan Implementation: Establish a robust backup plan using the Azure cloud service components to ensure data security and facilitate recovery.

Task 3- New Features Development

• Develop two new features as requested by UNESCO’s team to enhance the user experience. These features should aim to foster engagement and support innovative educational data monitoring and management, with emphasis on ensuring the safety and security of users. One feature will be the inclusion of reporting features in the admin panel to generate customized reports.

Task 4 – Technical Support:

• Provide prompt and effective technical support for users and administrators. This includes addressing technical issues, answering queries, and ensuring the smooth operation of the platform.
• Establish a comprehensive helpdesk system for issue tracking and resolution. This system should facilitate the logging, monitoring, and resolution of technical issues, ensuring transparency and efficiency in support processes.
• Provide orientation, demonstration, and training sessions on newly developed or improved features to the UNESCO technical team. These sessions should ensure that the team is well-equipped to utilize and support the new functionalities effectively.
• Monitor the VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection for stability, speed, and overall performance to identify any disruptions or inconsistencies.
• Respond quickly to any VPN connectivity issues and implement updates as needed to ensure minimal downtime.

Task 5 – Further rollout of ClassMap in learning spaces following the identification of these spaces by UNESCO.

• Support learning spaces/schools to assign unique identifiers for select administrative and teaching staff;
  • Assign a team member to make presentations to participants from learning spaces at orientation (2) and feedback sessions (2) (no more than 4 sessions per year with a maximum time allotment of 2 hours each per session).

Task 6 – Documentation

• Update and maintain comprehensive documentation detailing the platform architecture, performance metrics, and codebase statistics. This documentation should be precise, accurate, and regularly updated to reflect the current state of ClassMap.
• Revise documentation to record any changes made during maintenance, improvements, and the development of new features. This ensures that all modifications are systematically documented, providing a clear history of the ClassMap’s evolution.
• Provide thorough technical documentation and a developer guide for future developers and maintainers. This should include detailed instructions, best practices, and guidelines to facilitate ongoing development and maintenance activities.
• Revise user manuals/guides of ClassMap in English.

Other technical details:

The selected solution should not create technical dependency on any business entity (including the contractor) and be able to be fully managed and modified by any party at UNESCO or by another business entity that UNESCO may contract at a later stage. For this reason, the contractor should ensure full transfer of information to UNESCO on the software development and features, including provision of the entire source code with a licensing model allowing for modification by third party.

Ownership:

The company must transfer to UNESCO:

1. The rights for usage of software without any time or functional limitations.
2. The right for usage of software means the right of UNESCO to, under its own terms, give the right of usage of software in absolute manner to another party without the need to report or ask for any permission or assent from the software developer; and
3. It is UNESCO’s decision to, under its own terms, choose the number of installation, locations, and users of software without any need to report that to the software developer and/or ask for any permission.
4. Deliverables

The Contractor shall submit to UNESCO Antenna Office for approval the following deliverables:

Deliverable

1. A detailed maintenance plan, including timelines and milestones following consultation with UNESCO team and based on an issues log for areas of modification from the review of user requirements and needs assessments. Test case design for conducting of testing and develop report on orientation and feedback sessions held with 20 schools by 31st December 2024.

2. Technical documentation of ClassMap, including report on weekly VPN and server monitoring (covering the period November 2024 – February 2025). Detailed plan for redesign of ClassMap, including new features, (detailing the architecture, components, and workflows), to enhance user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) by 28th February 2025.

3. Progress report including the type of support request, ticket resolution period and summary of the resolution. Report on weekly VPN and server monitoring (covering the period March 2025 – May 2025) by 31st May 2025.

4. Revised/updated ClassMap user manuals and guides. Brief report (no more than 10 pages) on knowledge transfer trainings/sessions held with relevant UNESCO team members. Report on weekly VPN and server monitoring (covering the period June 2025 – August 2025) by 31st August 2025.

5. Developer guide for future developers and maintainers. This manual should include detailed instructions, best practices, and guidelines. Report on weekly VPN and server monitoring (covering the period September 2025 – November 2025) by 30th November 2025.

   Required Qualifications

   The Contractor is expected to bring its technical expertise in the maintenance and upgrade of ClassMap, preferably in an emergency context, with a team covering all activity areas in term of technical expertise, including Burmese language requirements. The Contractor is expected to propose and submit the CVs of highly qualified key experts expected to work on this assignment along with a written guarantee of finding a backup expert(s) for this assignment at no additional cost on UNESCO in case of rejection of the proposed Experts during technical evaluation by UNESCO or in case of unexpected attrition of the proposed Experts or in case of his/her unsatisfactory performance during contract implementation phase.

Organization/Entity

Required qualifications:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience and proven track record in IT capacity and software development project.
• Strong understanding of programming software and tools, as well as experience in developing software, website, and mobile app and purchasing third party tools license.
• Experience in the development of education management information systems.
• Excellent command of English with a strong portfolio of multilingual websites and in depth understanding of integrating Unicode and non-Unicode fonts
• Ability to deliver results amid tight deadlines.

Desirable qualifications:

• Experience developing school data collection and support systems for countries experiencing emergency/conflict.
• Experience working with CSO and /or other UN (United Nations) agencies and INGOs.
• Good knowledge of Myanmar language.

Team lead/Project Manager

Required qualifications:

• At least a Bachelor Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Software Development, or relevant field.
• At least 7 years’ experience in IT capacity and software development projects.
• Experience in UI/UX design, app development, web-based technology.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to meet deadlines and manage resources effectively.
• Strong knowledge of verbal and written English.
• Extensive knowledge and skills of computer programs applications, particularly in database management systems, developing websites and Android mobile applications.

Desirable qualifications:

• Experience working with CSO and /or other UN agencies and INGOs.

Other Personnel/staff

Required qualifications:

• Experience in technical support for UI/UX design, development app, web-based technology.
• At least 2 years’ experience in IT capacity and software development projects.
• General understanding of computer programs applications, particularly in database management systems, developing websites and Android mobile applications.
• At least one member of the team must have a strong knowledge of written and verbal Myanmar language (Pyitaungsu, Zawgyi, Myanmar font).

Desirable qualifications

• At least a Bachelor Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Data Science, Software Development, or relevant field.