A. BACKGROUND

Mongolia received a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Strengthening Fiscal and Financial Stability Project (SFFSP). The Objective of the SFFS Project is designed to improve fiscal policy and sustainability in a mineral-based economy, protect the poor and vulnerable, and restore confidence in the financial sector. The project is designed into five components: (I) Strengthening Macroeconomic and Fiscal Management; (II) Improving the Efficiency of Public Financial Management; (III) Enhancing Financial Sector Stability; (IV) Strengthening the Social Protection System; (V) Project Management and Monitoring. The objectives are to Strengthening fiscal responsibility and implementing relevant policy measures, improving fiscal discipline, strengthening the resiliency of the banking system, improving public expenditure quality in social protection, providing support for Project implementation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation, including, inter alia, audit arrangements, reporting requirements, procurement, and financial management activities respectively. For more details, please refer to the Project Appraisal Document Report No. PAD2269. 

The Government Action Plan for 2020-2024 includes the objectives of “optimizing social welfare” and “targeting social welfare services to support employment and consistently reduce poverty”. Also, the Resolution 39 of the State Great Hural of December 4, 2020, states that “by optimizing the scope of social welfare, directing to the target groups in need of assistance and support, integrating various programs and activities, and transferring some services to other sectors”. Therefore, without a sharp reduction in total welfare expenditures, it is necessary to redistribute within the current welfare budget and allocate more funds to support the poor who are most in need of welfare assistance. To this end, it is necessary to update the Social Welfare Law by streamlining the types of welfare pensions, benefits and services, consolidating some benefits and assistance, and introducing an effective welfare system based on a unified household database.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MLSP)’s Working Group has drafted the revised Social Welfare Laws by  February 2021 drawing upon global and thematic reports developed by the World Bank and learning from social welfare laws and practices of other countries.  Also, initial consultation on the draft revised  Social Welfare Laws was carried out with the World Bank team in March 2021. Following this virtual meeting, the working group reflected the Bank's recommendations to increase the number of social welfare programs targeting the poor. The MLSP is working to submit the revised draft social welfare package laws to the Cabinet meeting in September 2021 and then to the Parliament during the fall session of 2021. However, MLSP has not enough implemented a communication strategy on social welfare reform. With the ever-increasing public and political pressure for the social welfare system reform, the Parliament and the Government of Mongolia have assigned the MLSP to increase the public awareness activities around the social welfare reform issues.

Therefore, MLSP aimed to implement a public awareness strategy to better disseminate the social welfare reform process and to improve the chances of success of the said reform process to communicate these changes to targeted audiences.

To support the fulfillment of its mandate and social protection policy MLSP wishes to have an experienced professional entity to contribute to the development, communication activities of public awareness products for the MLSP in order to better disseminate the social welfare and protection policy as well shape policies whereas communication and public awareness is an intensive activity that precedes and accompanies a specific reform and it improves the chances the reform that will be smoothly executed and increases the chances that future reforms can be carried out.

B. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of this assignment is to inform the public about the current status of the social welfare system and its reform policy through social media (Facebook, WEB, and Twitter) based on the content of the revised draft social welfare laws.

C. SCOPE OF THE WORK

The professional entity will work closely with the working group of MLSP, LWSGO, and other respective agencies and be responsible for the following area of work: 

Broadcast stork, advertising posters, newspaper articles, and videos with the content proposed by the MLSP, including the revised draft social welfare law, its reform policy, issues facing the social welfare expenditure,  social welfare targeting policy, reforms, and international experience will be disseminated to the public through social network namely Facebook pages, websites, and Twitter with a large follower, audiences. Please see the detailed information  (Specific purposes, the key messages, audience, and duration, etc.) of each task from Annex II. 

The professional entity is responsible for the quality of the following  deliverables:

Task I. Disseminate for eigth types of  GIF /flash for social networking and WEB sites. 

Task II. Publish and Broadcast nine types of newspaper articles for daily newspapers, Twitter, and WEB sites. 

Task III.  Broadcast for five types of short videos for social networking and WEB sites. 

These products are expected to deliver the following messages concerning social welfare policy and delivery reforms: 

i. social welfare reform, the concept of draft social welfare package laws, goal of social welfare and on needs and importance of developing a more effective social welfare framework while consolidating current social welfare, targeting social welfare services particularly to the poor and vulnerable groups, the experience of other countries;

ii. social welfare fund, expenditures welfare fund budget expenditures, total costs, how many of them are spending on the target group, the comparison with other countries, the needs to reach the target group;

iii. policies to transfer gradually social welfare beneficiaries into employment services, and supporting policy on the process of gradually developing social welfare services and non-cash support to the poor and vulnerable that are to complement the existing cash benefits;

iv. on the current situation of social welfare service policies and actions implemented by the Government of Mongolia and MLSP in the field of Social welfare and the implementation of the current Social welfare package law;

The professional entity shall submit the detailed costs for delivery of each Task. 

D. DELIVERABLES

The content of the deliverable, when and on which Facebook pages, Twitter, and websites to disseminate,  should be discussed extensively with the working group of MLSP, LWSGO, and other relevant entities, and their comments are incorporated in order to improve reaching the target audience of the deliverables.

Deliverable I. Disseminated 8 types of posters, GIF/flash on the three many follower Facebook page, two Web page at least 2 times each.

Deliverable II. Broadcasted nine types of articles on one WEB sites, Twitter, and one daily newspaper at least 2 times each.

Deliverable III. Broadcasted 5 types of short videos on two WEB sites, on the three many follower's Facebook pages at least 2 times each. 

E. PAYMENT

Payments will be released upon satisfactory completion of the deliverables and can be divided on a monthly basis into installments. 

The cost of broadcasting by the professional entity can be requested in each broadcast or several installments on a monthly basis, and the State Secretary shall, upon the proposal of the Director of the Policy and Planning Department (PPD) of the MLSP, sign a request for the cost of broadcasting by the professional entity according to form ANNEX I.

The payment will be based on the documented outcome/s only and should be attached to the invoice and related documents.

F. CONSULTANT’S QUALIFICATIONS /SELECTION CRITERIA

Organization experience: The desired professional entity has to be legally registered with at least 3 years of experience in the field of disseminating on the social networks for public awareness. Professional entities ’  Facebook pages should have more than 30,000 followers, and Web pages should have more than 10,000 readers per day.

The professional entity should have a competent team of professionals. The consultancy team should consist of the following members meeting the specific requirements listed below:

Key employees:

The consultancy team should consist of three (3) employees: (i) a team leader (an editor), (ii) a professional journalist or a famous influencer, and (iii)  a graphic designer.

Team Leader / an editor (One person)

- Education: should have at least a bachelor's degree in a journalist or a relevant profession.

- Experience: at least of 3-year experience as an editor

- Language skills: Excellent written skills in Mongolian and understanding of English.

- Other: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to function effectively and collaboratively in a team environment. Have the ability to perform and manage high-quality work in a relatively short period.      

Professional journalist or famous influencer: (One person)

Education: should have a bachelor's degree or higher degree in a journalist or a relevant profession.

Experience: should have at least 3 years of relevant experience. 

Language skills: Excellent written skills in Mongolian and understanding of English.

Other: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to function effectively and collaboratively in a team environment. Have the ability to perform and manage high-quality work in a relatively short period.

A graphic designer: 

Education: should have a bachelor's degree as a graphic designer or a relevant profession.

Experience: should have at least 3 years of relevant professional experience. 

Language skills: Excellent written skills in Mongolian and understanding of English.

Other: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to function effectively and collaboratively in a team environment. Have the ability to perform and manage high-quality work in a relatively short period.

G. SUPERVISION AND REPORTING

The professional entity will report directly to the Head of a working group, who is the Director of Policy, Planning Department (PPD).  Work progress will be presented during the working group meeting or other meetings as needed.   

The Director of PPD shall evaluate the performance on the agreed deliverables and approve the invoices for the delivered outputs.   

The consulting agency shall provide a 2-3 pages summary final report detailing the achievements and impediments in executing the entire assignment effectively.  The MLSP and SFFS PIU will provide input to the evaluation of the consultant’s performance. 

H. CONTRACT DURATION

The consultancy is expected to commence in October 2021 with a total duration of 4 months. The MLSP will discuss their work plan to do schedule during the contract period. If any of the tasks specified is not completed and/or accepted by the Client within the agreed-upon timeline, the consultant shall complete the tasks without any additional cost within an agreed-upon timeline. 

Payments will be released upon satisfactory completion of the deliverables can be divided into installments.

The cost of broadcasting by the professional entity can be requested in each broadcast or several installments, and the Secretary of State shall, upon the proposal of the Director of the Policy and Planning Department (PPD) of the MLSP, sign a request for the cost of broadcasting by the professional entity according to form ANNEX I. Each amount of expenses shall not exceed the amount of expenses specified in ANNEX II to this assignment.

I. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

The MLSP will provide the professional entity with ready-to-broadcast content. Should be discussed and agreed with the MLSP for disseminating which Facebook pages, Twitter, and websites. The team will have access to all necessary data and information.  

Please submit the following documents in English via email to procurement@sffs.mn or in a sealed envelope no later than 15:00 PM, October 11, 2021:  

- Cover letter for quotation; 

- Price quotation;

- Company introduction along with a copy of state registration certificate; 

- CV of key experts along with professional diploma and certificate;

- Evidence of specific experience and qualification information of the firm relevant to the assignment. (Annex III)

The Quotation should be clearly marked “A professional entity to broadcast for social welfare reform on social networks such as Facebook, WEB, and Twitter with Ref no. D1/NC/004)”. 

A professional entity will be selected in accordance with Request for Quotations (RFQ) method of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/178331533065871195-0290022020/original/ProcurementRegulations.pdf. 

The submitted documents will not be returned to the applicants. Please be noted that incomplete applications would not be considered for evaluation. Only selected candidate will be contacted. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours: 8:30 to 17:30 hours (local Ulaanbaatar time) or procurement_sgm@sffs.mn.

Address for submission of Expression of Interest: Attention to Ms.G.Ariunaa, Procurement Specialist, Strengthening Fiscal and Financial Stability Project, Address: Room #205, Negdsen undestnii 8/2, 4th khoroo, Chingeltei District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 

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