A. Background

Mongolia has 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 of Mongolia is keen to make step by step transition to a comprehensive system that will enable it to address education, health, pension, housing, and social protection services for citizens in a comprehensive way through the introduction of a Central Provident Fund, so as to enhance access, reduce poverty and improve living standards of the population in Mongolia, MLSP has the desire to engage Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) for consultancy services on the adaptation of the Singapore Central Provident Fund system in Mongolia.

Therefore, MLSP and WG are conducting several times with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise to secure advisory/consultancy services from Singaporean experts with relevant expertise in Singapore's Central Provident Fund system. According to the MLSP’s request, hiring through a direct selection, of the Singaporean consultancy firm SCE for this purpose, is now reflected in the WP 2022 of SFFSP. Singapore Cooperation Enterprise  (SCE) is the government agency to export public sector expertise to foreign ministries, agencies, or parties interested in enhancing or adopting their system using Singapore’s model as a reference.

The working group of the Mongolian government or the representatives of relevant ministries (Ministry of Labor, Social Protection, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Construction and Urban Development)  have been held 4 times by virtual with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise. The scope of tasks and funding schedule-specific outcomes of the proposed work was discussed in the meetings. The Mongolia Government is keen to adapt relevant experience from Singapore’s own model for Mongolia and establish a comprehensive, sustainable, workable, and acceptable Central Provident Fund system.

The consultancy firm will work in compliance with the guidelines provided by the Working Group for drafting the Law and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The consultancy firm and the WG will also work cooperatively as a team and exchange information.

The Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise of the Republic of Singapore to create a provident fund in compliance with Mongolia's unique feature on July 7, 2022.

Therefore, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has requested to hire a national consultant to perform the oral and writing translation of bilateral meetings and discussions in connection with the activities mentioned above.  

B. The objective of the Assignment 

The main objectives of this assignment are to provide written and oral consecutive translations of related activities implemented in the field of Social Welfare, Social Insurance reform and to develop a model comprehensive and sustainable central provident fund in Mongolia.

C. Scope of Work 

The translator will perform the following tasks:

Task I.  Written translation of reports and other relevant materials related to social welfare and social insurance reforms upon the MLSP’s request; 

Task II Written translation of report and other relevant materials related to the central provident fund upon the MLSP’s request; 

Task III. Simultaneous and consecutive interpretation during meetings and field visits on social welfare and social insurance and central provident fund subject matter upon the MLSP’s request.

D. Deliverables

The translator will deliver the followings:

Deliverable 1. Written translation of reports and other relevant materials related to social welfare, social insurance and central provident fund matter upon request of the MLSP and the volume of such translation is to be determined for each individual case; 

Deliverable 2. Simultaneous  or consecutive interpretation during meetings and seminars on social welfare, social insurance and central provident fund upon request of the MLSP and the volume of interpretation service is to be determined for each individual case. 

Upon the proposals of the Director of the Policy and Planning Department, the Secretary of State will sign and approve the request for translation services. The request form is attached in Annex1. The Coordinating consultant of component D is expected to request the translator & interpreter to provide the services, based on the approved request by the State Secretary. 

Payment for services will be paid upon deliverables completed to the satisfaction of the MLSP and signed deliverable acceptance form. The total size of requests should not exceed the number of pages and translation time specified in part C of this assignment.

E. Consultant’s qualifications/selection criteria

• A suitable candidate should have a bachelor's degree and higher 
• Experience:  Incumbent should have at least 10 years of relevant translator and interpreter experience. The candidate should have experience in the translation of social welfare and social security fields. 
• Language proficiency: Incumbent should have fluent oral and written English and Mongolian language skills;
• Be proficient in PC-based applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

F. Supervision and Reporting

The translator will report directly to the MLSP. 

The translator/interpreter shall: (i) translate/interpret documents in a manner which retains an accurate meaning of the documents and/or conversation, (ii) preserve the meaning of the original language; (iii)  ensure that the target language is lively, free of jargon, and clear to the reader; (iv) not add or delete any information, (vi) write in a literal and natural style that is easy to read and understand.

All reports shall be submitted in hard and soft form. The selected translator/interpreter will need to work within the specified timelines and deliver the services on agreed time, Deadlines shall become binding after the translator has received the source material to be translated. The translator shall make every effort to complete service(s) by the deadlines.

Payments for the written translation will be released upon the assessment of the quality of the translated documents/ interpretation services by the coordinating consultant D component, and the monitoring specialist of SFFSP.  

If the translated material is to be published, it should be reviewed by the The Head of the Foreign Cooperation Department of the MLSP shall evaluate the performance on agreed deliverables.

G. Contract Duration and payment condition 

The Local Consultant-Translator/Interpreter's service is expected to commence in August 2022 until March 2023. The timelines for each individual service to be delivered within the duration of this contract shall be determined on a case-basis. 

Upon completion of the services, the MLSP will evaluate the translation services and the payable amount, thus, the translator’s fee will be dependent on the results of the evaluation. In the event client finds the translation work unacceptable, the translator shall, in the case of written translation, revise or amend the work to an acceptable form within an agreed time frame and free of cost to the MLSP. Otherwise, the client may reject all or any part of the translation work and release the translator from any obligation under this assignment. 

The translator retains the right to provide translation services for other clients during the term of this assignment but shall give priority to the translation services under this assignment as needed to meet agreed-upon deadlines or to be at the appointed location punctually.

Translation and interpretation fees are based on the following schedule of rates and conditions: 

• Urgent translation request refers to translating 5 pages per day. 
• Urgent proof-reading of translation refers to 7 pages per day.
• MS Word document: 2200 characters (no spaces) will qualify for one page of translation.
• Price list of translations and proof-editing: 

Remuneration is calculated based on the number of pages of written translation, as well as the number of hours of the oral translation, and will be issued in installments upon completion of the translations. 

The translator shall not disclose any information concerning the MLSP or any of its activities obtained in the course of performing translation/interpretation services under this assignment, to third parties. 

The translator and its personnel shall not publish, share, distribute, and transmit any documents or other recorded information known as a result of the Services under this Agreement.

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