Request for Proposal (RfP)

Developing a Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System (ReMiMIS) in Bangladesh

1. Background

Nearly 11 million Bangladeshi are working in 165 countries as expatriates and over half a million of Bangladeshis leave the country each year to seek employment overseas¹. Besides migrant workers, expatriates, and immigrants; students are also outbound for higher education. According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, 33,139 students in 2016 went abroad for higher education². While there is a huge outflow of migrants, each year a huge number of migrants return to Bangladesh. However, there is dearth of statistics or comprehensive database to record the information of returnees.

There are numerous issues and challenges associated with returning migrants. Some returnees especially labor migrants, return with mental trauma as they face exploitation, difficulties and torture abroad. Returnees find difficulties adjusting and reintegrating back to the society and readjusting with their families. Returnees need psycho-social counselling and medical support to recover from trauma. Despite of having skills returnees often faced difficulties to get job. Returnees have limited options in investment as well. There is a need for a comprehensive sustainable reintegration approach address the needs and challenges of the returnees to re-establish them in the society. Prior to that, it is necessary to locate and identify and record the returnees. Though there is a database available about the migrants leaving the country, there is no adequate data about the returnees.

Thus, the proposed Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System will identify and record the returnees’ data, identify the skills and serve the purpose to plan for an integrated reintegration services for returnees.    

International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the project of “Bangladesh: Sustainable Reintegration and Improved Migration Governance (Prottasha)” funded by European Union (EU) and implemented in partnership with BRAC, intends to provide technical support to the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to establish a Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System (ReMiMIS). IOM will work in close coordination with Ministry of Expariates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) to develop the MIS to better support immigration, returning migrants and better reintegration facilities to

maximise the benefits of returnees’ skills and knowledge transfer. The activity is in line with what was proposed in the Prottasha project, already approved by the GoB, as explained below.

2. Proposed Activity under Prottasha project related to Returning Migrants MIS

Develop returnees’ database with GoB to better extend reintegration services and for utilization of the knowledge and skills for the development of Bangladesh.

• To support better policy development and migration related evidence, IOM will support the GoB to develop a returnee migrant database, linked with existing migrant data systems and the planned Migrant Worker Information System (MIWS)³.
• The database will be managed by BMET in coordination with Wage Earners Welfare Board.

3. Proposed Sources of Data about Returning Migrants

• IOM will support the development of the MIS to register the returnees in consultation with the MoEWOE. The modality of data collection from returnees needs further to be discussed.
• However, the proposed ideas include;
• Collaborate with Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) to involve Union Develop Centre (UDC) as a data collection point. Returnees from village and union level can easily access the UDCs and register.
• At district level, the District Manpower and Employment Office (DEMO) can facilitate the services to register the returnees     .
• Immigration arrival point will be strongly considered as an option for registration of returnees.
• A multilateral channel, currently existing under Prottasha project Reintegration Service Centers (RSCs)to focusing on European Union returnees in 10 districts in partnership with BRAC. have been established under Prottasha Project in the 10 districts to provide reintegration services to the returnees.
• Community based approaches, for example, under Prottasha project, 1,080 para counsellors⁴ in 540 unions across the 10 RSCs can identify the returnees and mobilize the returnees and link them to RSCs/UDCs.
• Prottasha project also established hotline center to provide migration related information and services to the callers. Most of the callers are returnees and the Hotline center also maintains database of callers. From the database returnees can be identified and included in returnees’ database.
• IOM facilitates safe and dignified return through Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) and Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) through operation department within

IOM. The Movement and Operation department also maintains a database of returnees since its inception.  The existing database of IOM can be synced with the proposed database of returnees.

• Other projects being implemented by other partners working with returning migrants

4. Benefits of the MIS:

There are multiple benefits of having a Comprehensive Returning Migrants MIS;

• A well-managed sustainable reintegration approach can be taken for returnees.
• Scope of utilization of returnees’ skills and ideas for the development in local economy and remigration.
• Support policy makers to take initiatives to develop evidence-based policies to encourage returnees’ investment and labor market reintegration
• Value and one portal of returnees for use by stakeholders such as the MoEW&OE, BMET, Wage Earners Welfare Board, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), UN agencies, civil society organizations, private sector, migrants and research institutions.

5. Nature of the consultancy:

Under the direct leadership of the Ministry of Expariates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE), working closely under the Director Generals for BMET and ICT of the Government of Bangladesh, with technical support from the Head of Bangladesh Migration Data Analysis Centre (BMDAC) and in overall coordination with the ICT unit of IOM, the successful Consulting Firm will be responsible for developing a Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System (ReMiMIS) in Bangladesh, involving a web-based platform to collect the data, means to store the data and a way to analyse the returning migrants data. The system should be in line with the Government of Bangladesh’s ICT standards and meet global requirements of IOM’s ICT standards, complementing the GoB minimum standards, if there is need.

6. Responsibilities and Expectations:

The Consulting Firm will be expected to;

• Obtain the requirements from relevant stakeholders to understand the operational systems in place and analyze the workflow and existing data sources to develop the product requirements.
• Develop comprehensive platform, complete with databases, tools and application to manage the workflow, information and documentation of returning migrants based on the product requirements.
• Review any current data or systems on returning migrants which should be important starting points for development of the platform.
• Prepare a work plan for development, quality control, training, rollout, full implementation and management of the web-based platform with the tools and database/application.
• Prepare detailed technical documentation and conduct the training for the system administrators/managers.
• Assist in preparing user manuals and conducting training for the users at the different levels.
• Conduct technical and information-sharing meetings regarding the progress of designing, development and implementation of the database/application.
• Ensure the implementation of IOM and GoB ITC Standards, policies and guidelines, with regards to the database/application and information systems being followed and implemented. This system should be transferrable seamlessly to existing institutions such as other government departments without any source code restrictions.
• Ensure the required performance of the developed database/application to prevent and minimize downtime or service interruptions.
• Analyze the requirements of hardware, software and human resources needed to implement and maintain the system and prepare a budget and maintenance/management plan for short and long-run.
• Give follow-up technical support for a specified period and thereafter when needed on agreed terms e.g. provide technical support after rolling out to ensure optimal functionality of the database (at least 12 months).

7. Methodology:

The web-based platform (database, tool and applications) should be developed through a consultative, inclusive and participatory process that fosters ownership and unity of purpose. The Consulting firm should obtain the requirements from all the relevant stakeholders to understand the Ministry of Expariates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE)’s operational systems in place and analyse the workflow and existing standalone databases/applications to develop the product requirements. This will be followed by developing the comprehensive platform with databases, tools and application to manage the workflow, information and documentation involved in the movements of returning migrants based on the product requirements. Prototypes and trial versions developed should be tested in an inclusive manner to make sure that the product is acceptable and meets the expectations of the stakeholders.

8. Project Duration/ Timeline:

The development of the full platform should be completed within six months from the date of inception, exclusive of trial runs and piloting time. Support and further roll out continues beyond this period.

9. Deliverables:

The key output from this assignment is a Comprehensive Returning Migrants MIS (Database, tools and application) with the following structural and functional features;

• Records data of returning migrants, using fields specified by the stakeholders
• Produces data reports, aggregated to different districts and national level for customized periods.
• Extracts and exports relevant data to other statistical packages for further analysis,
• Produces graphs and other pictorial outputs in a dashboard format
• Transmits data in a secure way,
• Should not allow data double entries, and enable verification, validation and authentication of data reported from lower levels
• Editable to allow modification of entries and modules considering new information or project requirements and ability to be integrated with other databases
• Allows for easy backups and data recovery

10. Method of Application:

Interested Consultants/Consulting Firms are invited to submit: a) technical proposal and b) financial proposal elaborating the competence of the Consultants/Firm to undertake the assignment (see Section 12 below) along by 18th June, 2019 COB, e-mail to: faahmed@iom.int mentioning the reference code: “RFP: RT/CO-392/2019/011: Developing a Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System (ReMiMIS) in Bangladesh” in subject line of the email; or placed in a plain, sealed envelope and clearly marked the reference code RFP: RT/CO-392/2019/011: Developing a Comprehensive Returning Migrants Management of Information System (ReMiMIS) in Bangladesh to the below address:

Procurement Department
International Organization For Migration (IOM)
House 13/A, Road 136,
Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212
Bangladesh

[Note: Please keep the attachment size under 9 MB.]

For any queries, you may contact: +88 01799763584

11. Required Documents:

Organization/Individual consultant need to submit technical and financial proposal.

Each Submission Must Include the Following:

• Technical Proposal with detailed methodology, tools and work plan.
• Firm/Consultant Profile: A summary of the firm/consultant and CV of the expert including records on past experience in similar assignments and name of the references.
• Financial Proposal listing all costs associated with the assignment.

12. Professional and Related Experiences:

The proposed team from the firm or the consultants should have following competences.

• A technically assembled and qualified team to be presented in the Technical proposal but with team members who have professional experience in windows and web-based application development. Experience in cooperate business database/application development for process flow management;
• Experience in MS SQL, C#, VB.net application development and data management is required
• Experience in MySQL, PHP and extensive knowledge of contents management system packages, open source frameworks (JavaScript/AJAX, HTML5, etc), and programming API is an advantage.;
• Extensive knowledge in Microsoft Applications and Microsoft Dynamics Certificate is an advantage
• Fluent in Bangla and English.
• High level of integrity.

The Proposal should be written in English.

Any attempt for persuasion will be considered as a disqualification
ONLY SHORT-LISTED CONSULTANTS/ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE ASSESSED
FIRMS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY TAX OR VAT ISSUES IF APPLICABLE.

Proposed Schedule of Activities