CONSULTANCY SERVICE (2021/10/HCMC)

Location: HCMC, Viet Nam
Consultancy duration: 40 days
Estimated start date: As soon as possible
Posting Period: from 01 September 2021 until the service is filled.

Technical area, department or division:Technical consultant to support project on temporary accommodation during covid-19 pandemic.

Language requirements: English and Vietnamese.

BACKGROUND

According to a Population and Housing Census conducted by the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam and UNFPA, by 2019, Viet Nam had 6.4 million migrants aged 5 and above, over 60 per cent of whom contribute to the workforce, primarily in service, industrial and construction sectors.

Despite contributing to the socio-economic development of Viet Nam, migrant workers face difficulties accessing decent work, healthcare, education, social protection, housing and digital services, as well as accessing loans. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities of internal migrant workers, especially within health protection and job security.  

From late-April 2021, Viet Nam is experiencing a new wave of COVID-19 with 6,718 cases as of 11 June 2021. Bac Giang and Bac Ninh Provinces have recorded the highest number of cases nationwide, with 3,764 and 1,240 cases respectively; the majority of whom are factory workers, including many migrant workers.

Working conditions at many factories are reported to not adhere to social distancing requirements, specifically close living conditions and transportation between the workplace and accommodation, further heightening risk of infection.

Under its Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Responsibility Standards, an electronics company has partnered with IOM to promote a safe, hygienic, and decent working and living arrangement for workers in their suppliers’ factories during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this program, IOM will support the company’s efforts to drive compliance with Code of Conduct requirements with selected suppliers in Vietnam. This will include, but may be not limited to, review of the existing policies and requirements, review of working and living conditions at alternate temporary living arrangements provided by the supplier, capability building and verification of suppliers’ compliance to the Code of Conduct.

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT:

1. Reviewing Company’s Supplier Code of Conduct, project specific requirements and related worker communication with respect to temporary living and working conditions; IOM will review existing documents as well as sharing recommendations on available best practices.

2. Remotely reviewing temporary accommodations vis-à-vis workforce present at selected temporary accommodations; in coordination with identified teams at supplier sites (e.g. established supplier task forces), the project team will conduct remote assessments and implement ongoing monitoring using technology and reporting formats focused on company’s prevention of Involuntary Labour requirements. In collaboration with the Company, IOM will support remote assessments and development of recommendations for improvement (where applicable).

3. Provide technical support to selected suppliers in implementing corrective action plans; IOM will review corrective action plan developed by suppliers; advise on improvement measures, share good practice; conduct verification of closure; conduct interviews with workers and management to verify closures.

4. Remediating harm to workers where it has occurred; IOM will support a review of existing operational grievance mechanisms available at the facilities and review information/documentation that is available.

SCOPE OF CONSULTANCY / SPECIFIC TASKS

IOM seeks to contract a technical expert with a proven record of driving CSR due diligence processes, especially in developing and conducting factory assessments as well as capacity building for companies, to support the implementation of the project, specifically to:

• Engage with the Company’s suppliers to facilitate remote assessments;
• In coordination with the IOM Project Team, conduct the remote assessments, draft reports and provide recommendations for improvement (Facility Improvement Plans);
• Provide ongoing support and monitoring of Facility Improvements Plans;
• Conduct verification of closure of Facility Improvements Plan action points through various means including management interviews, document review and random sample of migrant worker interviews;
• Drafting of a report/case study on assessment findings, best practice and lessons learnt;
• Review existing operational grievance mechanisms of selected suppliers;
• Support translations of relevant documentation;
• Conduct remote trainings to suppliers and capture lessons learned.

The consultant will be required to work closely with the IOM Project Team under the oversight of the IOM Project Coordinator.

The consultant will be required to maintain strict confidentiality during the project. Any information transmitted to the Consultant in the performance of the tasks specified under the work of this project should not be communicated to any person or entity without prior authorization by IOM.

TENTATIVE TIMELINES AND DELIVERABLES

Deliverables:

1. Assessment reports and associated recommendations for improvement;
2. Facility Improvement Plan finalization and closure;
3. Reports of remote trainings to suppliers.

Timeline: 40 days, starting as soon as possible.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE

• University degree from an accredited academic institution in social sciences, law, sustainability or other relevant disciplines with minimum two years of relevant professional experience (postgraduate degree is an advantage);
• Experience with programmes related to labour migration, international labour recruitment and corporate sustainability and compliance;
• Experience in monitoring improvement plan status and progress from labour and human rights assessments
• Experience in Code of Conduct audits or management system-based audits
• Knowledge of country and industry regulations/laws related to labour and human rights
• Strong communication skills in English and Vietnamese
• Proficiency with MS Office
• Capable to work effectively with people from varied cultures and backgrounds;
• Able to accomplish required tasks within set timeframe.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested Consultants are encouraged to submit their proposal as soon as possible. Which includes a resumes and the following details:

• Introduction of profile and related experiences, including examples of relevant works.
• A cost proposal with breakdown, including daily rate and travel costs if required.
  
  • Proposal may be delivered to the IOM Office in Ho Chi Minh City at 1B Pham Ngoc Thach, district 1, HCMC or submitted electronically to [email protected] referring to this Consultancy Notice’s Position Title.
  • Applications are non-returnable and only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Organization: IOM
Location: Ho Chi Minh
Application deadline: 2021-09-20
Send application to: [email protected]