Overview
The Government of Saint Lucia (GOSL) has received financing from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in an amount equivalent to US$16,192,000 towards the cost of the Education Quality Improvement Project (EQuIP) and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued. Payments by CDB will be made only at the request of GOSL and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the financing account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities, or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than GOSL shall derive any rights from the Financing Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Financing.
The Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations the Executing Agency, now wishes to procure consultancy services for the Assessment of Current Special Needs Education (SNE) Provision. The consultant team should consist of key experts to adequately undertake the scope of services required under this consultancy.
The objectives of this consultancy service are to conduct the following:
- a full institutional assessment to review physical and human resource needs required for optimal operations of special needs schools, as well as undertake an assessment of the current structure of the Special Education Unit in Saint Lucia, the existing SNE programme in mainstream schools, as well as a condition survey all public special needs schools, and assisted special schools (Dunnottar School and Lady Gordon Opportunity Centre) to provide a report on the interventions required to enable them to function as quality teaching facilities; and
- an infrastructural assessment of the special needs sub-sector to ensure full entitlement and access for male and female children with special educational needs to high quality and equitable education.
The duration of the assignment is expected to be for a period of a maximum of 90 person-days over a period of nine (9) months.
The consultancy team shall consist of professionals with a postgraduate degree in Special Needs Education, Educational Psychology, Clinical Psychology and a specialist with a university degree in Architecture. These professionals must have had at least ten (10) years’ experience in the relevant fields.
The Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations now invites interested eligible consulting firms to submit Expressions of Interest for the provision of these consultancy services.
Eligiblity
Consultants shall be eligible to participate if:
(a) in the case of a body corporate, it is legally incorporated or otherwise organised in an eligible country, has its principal place of business in an eligible country and is more than 50 per cent beneficially owned by citizen(s) and/or bona fide resident(s) of eligible country(ies) or by a body(ies) corporate meeting these requirements;
(b) in the case of unincorporated firms, the persons are citizens or bona fide residents of an eligible country; and
(c) in all cases, the consultant has no arrangement and undertakes not to make any arrangements, whereby any substantial part of the net profits or other tangible benefits of the contract will accrue or be paid to a person not a citizen or bona fide resident of an eligible country.
Eligible countries are member countries of CDB.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of CDB’s Guidelines for the Selection and Engagement of Consultants (2011), setting forth CDB’s policy on conflict of interest.
In the assessment of submissions, consideration will be given to technical competence, qualifications and experience, local and regional experience on similar assignments, financial capability and existing commitments. All information must be submitted in English. Further information may be obtained from the Address 1 below between 09:00 and 16:00 hours Monday to Friday.
Instructions
Three hard copies of the Expressions of Interest must be received at the first address below no later than 16:00 hours on December 17, 2018 and one hard copy must be sent simultaneously to CDB at the second address below. The sealed envelope containing each submission should include the name and address of the applicant and shall be clearly marked “Expression of Interest – Consultancy Services for Assessment of Current Special Needs Education Provision”.
Following the assessment of submissions, a short-list of not less than three and not more than six applicants will be provided with full terms of reference and invited to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake the assignment. GOSL reserves the right to accept or reject late applications or to cancel the present invitation partially or in its entirety. It will not be bound to assign any reason for not short-listing any applicant and will not defray any costs incurred by any applicant in the preparation and submission of Expressions of Interest.
Contact
Project Coordinator (EQuIP)
3rd Floor, Francis Compton Building,
Waterfront, Castries
SAINT LUCIA
Procurement Officer
P.O.Box 408
Wildey, St. Michael
BARBADOS