CMS Development Expert (Drupal)

Project: Supporting progress in key areas of public administration reform in Lebanon

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing one of the worst economic crises globally since the mid- nineteenth century according to the World Bank, with 2 major events intensifying its impact, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut port explosion in 2020. As the financial and economic situation unfolds, the downfall can be seen in all of the country’s aspects, from the availability of state services to the functioning of public administrations. Understanding the extent of this downfall requires an overview of several key facts that could represent Lebanon’s new reality.

Lebanon has also been facing political and economic crises for several years. The country has a complex political system that is based on power-sharing arrangements among its religious sects. However, this system has led to political gridlock, corruption, and a lack of accountability, which has resulted in a deteriorating economic situation and social unrest. The political deadlock in Lebanon refers to the ongoing inability of the country's political leaders to form a functioning government. This deadlock has been repetitive and has always persisted for multiple months and sometimes years.

The country’s worsening context has severe consequences on all sectors, with Lebanese public administrations being the most affected due to the reduction of available public funds. This has affected the core of public services and the basic functioning of administrations.

Project details

Based on what was mentioned, the implementation of a EU Program Action started in 2023, and it aims to support progress in key areas of public administration reform in Lebanon through enhancing the integrity, transparency and accountability of its public administration aligned with the principles of a modern public administration. It consists of three outcomes:

• • Safeguarding integrity of the public administration, mainly in the area of public human resources management (i.e. civil service reform);
  • Enhancing transparency in public administration systems, mainly in the area of public procurement at central and local level (i.e. public financial management reform) and access to public information (i.e. accountability);
  • Strengthening accountability of the administration by reinforcing the role of the main oversight bodies (i.e., Central Inspection Board, Court of Audits and National Anti-Corruption Commission) in implementing reform, fighting and preventing corruption. This component is the continuation of the project ACT mentioned above.

This action will complement and reinforce the achievements made through the program “Anticorruption and Transparency at National Level in Lebanon” implemented by Expertise France until May 2023 and the AFD-funded project to support the public procurement reform implemented by EF until February 2024. It will also complement the current work done through the Lebanon Financing Facility of the “Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework - 3RF”, which is focusing on developing a responsive citizen engagement mechanism to advance transparency and accountability. This action is aligned with the opportunities of reform identified by the IMF Staff-Level Agreement and the principles of a modern public administration.

Needs justification

As part of this program, the project will support the Central Inspection in updating the design and usability of the existing official website (www.cib.gov.lb). To do so, Expertise France seeks to contract the services of web developer to assist in conducting the work needed.

Objectives and desired results

General objective

The Central Inspection (CI) website is currently operating on Drupal CMS. As part of its digital modernization efforts, CIB requires:

• Upgrade of the existing Drupal platform to the latest stable and secure version.
• Full implementation of the approved UI/UX designs delivered in FIGMA format.
• Strengthening of cybersecurity controls in line with international best practices.
• Improvement of system stability, maintainability, performance, and resilience.

The UI/UX design package (including responsive designs, design system, and interactive prototypes in FIGMA) has already been completed and approved. This assignment concerns implementation and technical delivery only.

Scope of work

The Developer shall undertake the following tasks:

Technical Assessment

• Conduct a comprehensive technical audit of the existing Drupal installation (core, modules, themes, custom code, HTML, database structure, hosting environment).
• Identify deprecated, unsupported, or vulnerable modules.
• Submit a Technical Assessment and Upgrade Roadmap report.

Drupal Core and Module Upgrade

• Upgrade Drupal core to the latest stable and secure version.
• Upgrade or replace contributed modules to secure and supported versions.
• Refactor or redevelop incompatible custom modules.
• Remove unused or deprecated modules.
• Preserve all content, data, and configuration integrity.
• Establish and execute full backup and rollback procedures.

 Implementation of Approved UI/UX FIGMA Designs

The Developer shall:

• Review and interpret the approved FIGMA files including the design system and interactive prototype.
• Develop or customize Drupal themes to match the approved designs with pixel-accurate implementation.
• Implement all page templates including homepage, service pages, dashboards, forms, and content layouts.

Ensure full responsive behavior across:

• Desktop environments
• Mobile devices
• Tablets
• Ensure cross-browser compatibility (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari).
• Implement full Right-to-Left (RTL) support for Arabic.
• Configure trilingual functionality (Arabic primary / English and French as secondary).
• Develop reusable components aligned with the delivered design system.
• Configure content types, taxonomy, navigation menus, and layout structures consistent with the approved Information Architecture.

Cybersecurity Hardening

The Developer shall implement cybersecurity best practices including:

• Application of all current Drupal security patches.
• Removal of vulnerable or unsupported extensions.
• Implementation of strict role-based access control (RBAC).
• Enforcement of least-privilege access principles.
• HTTPS enforcement with proper SSL/TLS configuration.
• Configuration of secure HTTP headers (CSP, X-Frame-Options, HSTS, etc.).
• Protection against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities:
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
• SQL Injection
• Broken Authentication
• Security Misconfiguration
• Hardening of file permissions and system directories.
• Securing administrative accounts and authentication mechanisms.
• Configuration of logging and monitoring tools.
• Conduct vulnerability scanning and remediate findings.

Performance Optimization

• Configure Drupal caching mechanisms.
• Optimize CSS/JS aggregation and compression.
• Optimize database performance and indexing.
• Optimize images and media loading.
• Ensure acceptable page load and response times under expected traffic.

Testing and Validation

• Conduct functional testing post-upgrade and implementation.
• Conduct regression testing to ensure system stability.
• Conduct security validation testing.
• Perform cross-platform and cross-device testing.
• Validate responsiveness on desktop, mobile, and tablet environments.
• The UI/UX expert who developed the design shall indicate that the deliverables are sufficient.

Documentation and Knowledge Transfer

The Developer shall provide:

• Upgrade documentation (steps, module changes, configurations).
• Security configuration documentation.
• Updated technical architecture documentation.
• Maintenance and patch management guidelines.
• Knowledge transfer sessions for IT staff.
• Basic training on Drupal for website admin.
• Post-deployment support during a defined warranty period.
• The source code is the sole property of the Central Inspection.

Deliverables

The Developer shall deliver:

• Technical Assessment and Upgrade Roadmap Report
• Upgraded Drupal System (latest stable version)
• Fully implemented website based on approved FIGMA designs
• Cybersecurity Hardening and Vulnerability Report
• Testing and Validation Report
• Complete Technical Documentation
• Knowledge Transfer and Support Report
• Maintenance for 3 months after finalizing the implementation

Coordination

• The Developer will sign an NDA with the Central Inspection to ensure all information received for publishing remains undisclosed.
• The Developer will closely coordinate with the component manager and CIB Focal point. They will also designate a single contact person for project implementation purposes, and the Logistics and Procurement Department will be the service provider’s contact person for Expertise France.

E-mail: lebanon.procurement@expertisefrance.fr

Place, duration and terms of performance

• Implementation period: 2 months
• Start date: 15/5/2026
• End date of implementation: 15/7/2026
• End date of maintenance: 24/9/2026

Required expertise and profile

• Number of experts per assignment: 1
• Profile of the designated expert(s) responsible for contract execution:

Qualifications and skills:

• Minimum 5+ years of proven Drupal development experience.
• Demonstrated experience upgrading Drupal across major versions.
• Strong expertise in secure web development and cybersecurity mitigation.
• Experience implementing responsive designs from FIGMA into Drupal themes.
• Experience working with government or high-security platforms is considered an asset.

Evaluation Criteria

The best value for money is established by weighing technical quality against price on a 50/50 basis.