Individual Consultant - Broadband

Introduction:

The Palestinian Authority (PA) with financial assistance from the World Bank has approved a Project, denominated Digital West Bank and Gaza Project which seeks to produce concrete and tangible results for the Palestinians through increased access to high-speed broadband services and increased access to selected e-services to citizens and businesses. The project will focus on key areas to unleash the potential digital transformation in the WB&G addressing some of the existing challenges in the sector. It will strengthen the digital resilience of the WB&G and the ability of the PA to respond to shocks, such as COVID-19.

In its Component 2 (“Implementing Digital Infrastructure Solutions for Emergency Response, Recovery and Resilience”), the Project will support digital infrastructure development and facilitate the use of digital technologies for building resilience, mitigating against emergencies and disasters, and digitally connecting communities and businesses. This component will support (i) the creation of the integrated national emergency response center (ERC), (ii) the expansion of access to broadband connectivity through sustainable Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD) approach, and (iii) the further expansion of good quality broadband connectivity through the development of fiber-optic infrastructure.

This subcomponent (ii) will support the PA’s efforts to enhance digital connectivity to public institutions and public access facilities in rural and remote areas, particularly leveraging a network of Post Offices under the purview of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MTIT).  The mechanism to achieve this objective is through technical assistance (TA) and the competitive purchase of Internet bandwidth and broadband services in collaboration with telecom operators and ISPs for selected post offices. A consultant will be recruited to identify optimal models and arrangements for purchasing bandwidth capacity from the private sector for the areas where commercial viability is low. The selection of the post offices will be informed by the preparation of the feasibility study that will be implemented under subcomponent 3.1 (see below) to ensure synergy between sub-components activities.

The MTIT and the Project Management Unit (PMU) are seeking an efficient way to provide or enhance connectivity to Post Offices through a long-term contract (e.g. indefeasible rights of use (IRU) for retail internet services) based on a strong contractual agreement with one or more domestic service provider. In this context, one of the activities financed by the Project is to prepare the feasibility study and bidding documentation for the purchase of internet connectivity and bandwidth capacity which will be funded under the Digital West Bank and Gaza Project. 


Objective of Consultancy:
The objective of the study is to prepare, organize and finalize a competitive process for the provision of bandwidth by the domestic operators to the MTIT, for the connection of Post Offices to the Internet.

More precisely, the specific objectives are to:

- Assess the current status of internet connectivity in post offices in the West Bank and identify a list of priority locations considering economic and demographic characteristics, particularly based on their potential to serve as access points for digital technologies and applications, including e-government services delivery.
- Determine the expected demand of bandwidth capacity and the trajectory of demand growth for each identified Post Office and estimate the level of bandwidth required and assess infrastructure, such as access networks needs.
- Provide a detailed analysis of the demand from Post Offices for their operations and define control mechanisms to ensure a relevant usage of the bandwidth according to defined and agreed content with MTIT and PMU.
- Provide a financial sustainability and scalability analysis and prepare recommendations regarding the provision of capacity to identified post offices for lifetime of the project and further. For example, the first phase of the project (e.g. first three years of implementation) could finance 100 percent of purchasing Internet bandwidths to selected Post Offices, and subsequently, the second phase (e.g. 4th and 5th years of implementation) will finance 50 percent of the total cost required.
- Prepare the full documentation for the competitive bidding, including the economic and technical framework, the structuring options, the tender regulations, and the draft contract.
Assist the MTIT, PMU, and identified relevant stakeholders identified in (iv) in the process of launching the tender, answering questions, analyzing the technical and financial proposals, and proposing candidates for attribution of the contract.
- Assist the MTIT and PMU during the negotiations with potential contractors and finalize the contracts and provide support services required from the MTIT to facilitate implementation.

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The assignment will require an individual consultant with at least 15 years of experience in the areas of telecom, regulations, tender assessment in the ICT sector, notably for forward-looking Telecommunications, data governance, and emerging technologies deployment in the public sector. Especially in Study to prepare, organized, and finalize a competitive process for the provision of bandwidth by the domestic operators.

The expert will need to have proven experience in the preparation of Bidding Documents. Experience in dealing with public and private sector institutions, including ensuring a balanced set of interests and speaking Arabic will be a plus. 

Applicants should hold a degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field in ICT. Certification in Networking like CCNP/CCIE is a plus.

Timeline 

The consultant is expected to work during the period October 1st 2021 - March 30, 2022

Interested consultants may refer to the detailed Terms of Reference above.

Applications must include (cover letter, CV describing similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills, etc. and three references) must be delivered no later than September 10, 2021 by the following application form.

Attachment: Application Form