National Consultant for Improvement and Installation of the Prison Database

Background

While efforts have been paid by the management of prisons in Cambodia to improve the management of prisoners’ case files, the system remains fraught with challenges leading to abuses of prisoners’ procedural rights, including excessive detention, ineligibility to apply for sentence reduction or pardon, and even the loss of documents which have been traditionally kept as paper documents only. Challenges increase even more when the concerned prisoners are transferred from/to other prisons or when their cases go to appeal. Some prisoners are detained in excess of their remand warrants, some are not released upon having fully served their sentence, and some others still languish for long time in prison without a final judgment as the authorities have no mean to easily keep track of the details of their specific situation or multiple cases, and where they stand with regard to the different steps of the criminal procedure.

As part of the Cambodia Criminal Justice Assistance Project (CCJAP), a first database has been introduced in the General Department of Prisons (GDP) of the Ministry of Interior and the provincial/municipal prisons and correctional centers (CCs), to improve the management of the prison population. This database has enabled the prisons to record prisoners electronically and produces regular statistics for the purpose of reporting. The database however has proved to lack some crucial features, which would assist the prison authorities in improving the legality of detention in prison, in particular by tracking and allowing the retrieval of specific data and information – such as differentiating among prisoners without a final judgment between those pending appeal and those who just need their first instance verdict; keeping track of multiple charges and sentences and the relevant time limits applicable to prisoners, in particular those detained on pre-trial; monitoring time served as part of the requirement for the applications for sentence reduction and pardon and to ensure timely release; disaggregating such data and information by sex, age or disability etc. Furthermore, it is impossible to provide an alert system when sentence limits are about to expire. All these features would clearly impact on the efficiency and transparency within the prison system, and contribute to its improved accountability and ability to interact with the courts’ database system.

Combined with improved case management in the courts, an upgraded database in the prison system would contribute to combating excessive detention, pre-trial or at release time, and avoid some of the unnecessary delays or procedural abuses currently facing prisoners.

From November 2015 until early April 2016, a freelance consultant had been contracted to work with the GDP and OHCHR on the technical gaps identification and recommendations for the proposed upgrade of the current GDP’s database. However, the consultant resigned from the assignment before its completion, and the GDP database has remained the same to date. Following renewed discussions with GDP, the need to complete the database improvements was reconfirmed by the General Director of Prisons, who, in November 2018, requested in writing OHCHR’s support in that endeavor.         

Duties and Responsibilities

Building on progress achieved under the previous consultancy, the consultant will assist the Prison Reform Support Programme (PRSP) of OHCHR-Cambodia in improving the current prison database to benefit the GDP central office and all 27 provincial/municipal prisons and correctional centres (CCs) in Cambodia, including the inclusion of biometric data and web-based design. In particular, the new Consultant will organize the following activities:

1. Re-confirm necessary improvements, test and install the upgraded database at the central office of GDP. (35 days).

2. Conduct the pilot test and training to CC1 and CC2 to comprehensively identify and fix all potential technical errors. (10 days).

3. Review and install the post-pilot database version at GDP, CC1 and CC2 and draft a user manual in Khmer. (5 days).

4. Install and conduct training on the case database in the 25 prisons and Correctional Centres (namely Phnom Penh, Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, Kampong Speu, Preah Sihanouk, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham/Tbong Khmum, Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Koh Kong, PreahVihear, Rattanakiri, Mondulkiri, Kratie, Steung Treng, Pailin, Udor Meanchey, and CC3 and CC4), and conduct on-the-job training/coaching for all relevant prison officers. (59 days).

5. Finalize the database user manual in Khmer. (2 days).

6. Prepare overall report on the project in English. (2 days)

Competencies

• Knowledge and experience of developing and installing information management systems;

• Knowledge of relevant programming languages and databases such as HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, NET, CSS, PHP, SQL, MySQL, SQL Server and others

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s Degree in Computer Science (A Bachelor’s degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the Master’s degree)

Experience:

• 3 years of experience in development professional database at the national level (7 years if Bachelor’s degree) and 2 years of experience in criminal justice system;

• Experience in providing training on information management systems.

Language Requirement: Fluency in oral and written Khmer and English

Interested Offerors must visit this link http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=52698 to download Individual Consultant Procurement Notice, Terms of Reference, and Document Templates to be included when submitting this online application.

UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.

Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.

Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email aphikovith.phin@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org . While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice.