International consultancy to support the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) in updating the National OSH Profile and Strategy, 2024-2030

International consultancy to support the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) in updating the National OSH Profile and Strategy, 2024-2030, in line with the ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187).

Duty Station: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and home-based. The assignment takes place for 10 working days in Riyadh, in two missions, and a total of 30 home-based days.

Language required: English. Arabic is a plus.

Duration of the ex-col contract: 40 working days over a period of 3 months, 20th August to 31st October 2023, but the dates may be slightly changed, depending on the recruitment process.

Introduction

The ILO Global Strategy on OSH highlights National OSH Programmes/Strategies as the means of consolidating national tripartite efforts in the continuous improvement of national OSH systems by placing OSH high on national agenda. It also highlights the importance of engaging stakeholders, as planning and implementation can be effective only if an integrated approach is taken, with due involvement of all concerned parties. National OSH Policies and strategies are an important part of the ILO’s strategic approach to the promotion of safety and health at work as it is essential for developing a stable and productive work environment.

Over the past few years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made remarkable achievements in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH) as a result of a number of initiatives, implemented in conjunction with the launch of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, with the purpose of developing OSH practices and improving working environments in all sectors of the economy in the Kingdom, not only for reducing work-related accidents, injuries and diseases, but also for making the Saudi labour market more attractive to local and foreign talent.

Among the Kingdom’s major achievements in terms of OSH are the ratification of the ILO Hygiene (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1964 (No. 120) and updating the National OSH Profile, in 2020, the development of the National OSH Policy and its endorsement by  the Council of Ministers in 2021, and the establishment of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, in 2022, which is responsible for the review of of national OSH legislation, establishment of an effective and comprehensive OSH monitoring and evaluation system, development of a comprehensive national program for recording and reporting work-related accidents, injuries and diseases, providing technical support and advisory services in the field of OSH, in addition to the establishment of a national governance framework for OSH in consultation with the workers’ and employers’ representatives and relevant governmental institutions. Relevant achievements also included development of a comprehensive training programme for building the capacity of over 18,000 OSH specialists and qualifying them as OSH supervisors at the enterprise level, besides publishing 43 technical guides and manuals on OSH for different economic sectors and occupations.

These achievements form an important step for the promotion of safety and health at work and development of a stable and productive working environment as well as for implementing the relevant ILO conventions, particularly the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, No. 155, and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, No. 187, which have recently been adopted by the ILO as fundamental conventions, recognizing the right to a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and rights at work, and for the ratification of which Saudi Arabia is considered a potential country.

Within the above context, the ILO is supporting the development of a new National OSH Strategy for Saudi Arabia, building on the existing one, in line with the above-mentioned conventions, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and in consultation with the workers’ and employers’ representatives, and other stakeholders and development partners, which would all contribute to building a strong and sustainable preventative Occupational Safety and Health culture. It is against this background that the ILO would like to hire an international consultant to update the National OSH Profile and strategy.

Objective

The main objective of this consultancy is to facilitate updating the National OSH strategy, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for the next 7 years, 2024-2030, in consultation with relevant institutions, social partners and other stakeholders. This will include developing an up-to-date National OSH Profile, building on the one developed with technical support from the ILO in 2020, and reviewing and incorporating achievements of Saudi in terms of OSH since then.

Scope of work

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Labour Inspection and OSH Specialist of the ILO Regional Office for Arab States to complete the following:

1. Review the National OSH Profile of the KSA which was developed in 2020 by the MHRSD, in consultation with the social partners and other stakeholders, with technical support from the ILO.
2. Review the National OSH Policy which was endorsed by the Saudi Council of Ministers in 2021.
3. Conduct a desk review of OSH components of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the available annual and other periodic reports on OSH issued by the MHRSD, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) and other concerned institutions, for the last 3-5 years.
4. Conduct interviews with the concerned officials of the MHRSD, GOSI, Ministry of Health, workers and employers’ representatives and other concerned institutions and organizations to get their views and latest information on developments and changes that took place in the KSA over the last 3-5 years in terms of OSH.
5. Prepare an initial draft of an up-to-date National OSH Profile that describes the current situation, human and technical resources, regular activities and other issues related to OSH in the KSA, in line with the relevant ILO standards and guidelines.
6. Analyze the national OSH context, including the latest relevant achievements and the information collected in the National OSH Profile, compare them with the relevant ILO standards and good practices at the international level and draft conclusions and recommendations for reforming the situation accordingly, in addition to providing insights of OSH emerging challenges.
7. Based on the above, prepare an initial draft of the updated National OSH Strategy in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 and the relevant International Labour Standards, particularly the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, No. 187 and its recommendation, No. 197.
8. Conduct a two-day workshop to present the draft National OSH Profile and Strategy and validate them with the MHRSD, workers’ and employers’ representatives and other stakeholders.
9. Finalize the National OSH Profile and National OSH Strategy documents, incorporating inputs and comments of the relevant ILO specialist, MHRSD, workers’ and employers’ representatives and other relevant institutions and organizations, and submit the final report to the ILO in electronic version, in English.

All the above-mentioned tasks and documents should be conducted and prepared in a gender-responsive manner with adequate consideration of the high-risk sectors, such as construction and oil sectors.

Methodology

The ILO suggests the following process for updating the national OSH profile and strategy:

1. Review and evaluate relevant documents and reports, including the 2020 National OSH Profile and 2021 National OSH Policy.
2. Set up a technical working group with relevant institutions, ILO constituents and social partners
3. Identify the priority areas of the 2024-2030 national OSH strategy in consultation with the social partners and other stakeholders and set up clear performance indicators, along with enablers, targets, and actions.
4. Develop action plans, identify the responsible parties, and prepare initial drafts of the updated national OSH profile and the national OSH strategy in line with the relevant International Labour Standards and national legislation, policies, and other development frameworks, taking the Saudi Vision 2030 into consideration.
5. Validate the reports and develop final National OSH Profile and Strategy, incorporating comments of the MHRSD, ILO specialists, social partners and other stakeholders.

Key Deliverables:

The consultancy has four deliverables as follows:

1. A detailed workplan, with timelines and a proposed outline of technical report, including scope of work and overall technical questions, methodology of work, list of stakeholders and informants, consultation tools, list of data sources.
2. A draft updated National OSH Profile document, to be shared and discussed by the consultant with the MHRSD and ILO constituents in a tripartite plus workshop to be organized in September 2023.
3. A gender-responsive National Occupational Safety and Health Strategy, 2024-2030, document, to be shared and discussed by the consultant with the MHRSD and ILO constituents in a tripartite workshop to be organized in September 2023.
4. Final updated National OSH Profile and National OSH Strategy documents, October 2023.

All reports should be provided in electronic versions, in English, to the satisfaction of the ILO.

Tasks, deliverables and work efforts

1. Review the National OSH Profile of the KSA which was developed in 2020 by the MHRSD, with technical support from the ILO, in consultation with the social partners and other stakeholders.
2. Review the National OSH Policy which was endorsed by the Saudi Council of Ministers in 2021.
3. Conduct a desk review of the components of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the available periodic and progress reports related to OSH, issued by the MHRSD, the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) and other concerned institutions, for the last 3-5 years.
4. Conduct interviews with the concerned officials of the MHRSD, GOSI, Ministry of Health, workers and employers’ representatives and other concerned institutions and organizations to get their views and latest information on the current situation and developments and changes that took place in the KSA over the last 3-5 years in terms of OSH.
5. Prepare an initial draft of an up-to-date National OSH Profile that describes the current situation, human and technical resources, regular activities and other issues related to OSH in the KSA, in line with the relevant ILO standards and guidelines.
6. Analyze the national OSH context, including the latest relevant achievements and the information collected for the National OSH Profile, compare them with the relevant ILO standards and good practices at the international level and draft conclusions and recommendations for reforming the situation accordingly. 
7. Based on the above, prepare an initial draft of the updated National OSH Strategy in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 and the relevant International Labour Standards, particularly the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, No. 187 and its recommendation, No. 197.
8. Conduct a two-day workshop to present the draft National OSH Profile and Strategy and validate them with the MHRSD, workers’ and employers’ representatives and other stakeholders.
9. Finalize the National OSH Profile and National OSH Strategy documents, incorporating inputs and comments of the relevant ILO specialist, MHRSD, workers’ and employers’ representatives, and other relevant institutions/organizations, and submit the final report to the ILO in electronic version, in English.

Please refer to the attached ToR for the Payment Schedule

Completion criteria

• All reports submitted to the ILO must be relevant to the outputs mentioned in the TOR.
• Provide information and update progress as requested by the Project team of the ILO.
• Provide the reports in line with ILO house style and agreed upon outline with ILO
• The consultant has to follow the guideline of ILO to ensure quality of the reports/documents.
• The consultant should be proactive, timely report on the progress, and undertake visits to the project partners’ site, participate in meetings as and when necessary.

Please refer to the attached ToR for the tasks, deliverables, estimated number of days as well as the payment schedule.

Completion criteria

• All reports submitted to the ILO must be relevant to the outputs mentioned in the TOR.
• Provide information and update progress as requested by the Project team of the ILO.
• Provide the reports in line with ILO house style and agreed upon outline with ILO
• The consultant has to follow the guideline of ILO to ensure quality of the reports/documents.
• The consultant should be proactive, timely report on the progress, and undertake visits to the project partners’ site, participate in meetings as and when necessary.

Special terms and conditions

• Intellectual property: The documents prepared by the consultant under this contract will abide by ILO terms and conditions applicable to contracts and /or any other conditions agreed upon between ILO and the government of kingdom of Saudi Arabia (MHRSD). Therefore, the consultant cannot publish these without explicit written permission of the ILO and MHRSD.
• Insurances: The ILO accepts no liability in the event of death, injury or illness of the External Collaborator. The External Collaborator attests that he/she is adequately covered by insurance for these risks. In no circumstances shall the External Collaborator be covered by any ILO insurance and it is his/her responsibility to take out, at his/her own expense, any personal insurance policies he/she may consider necessary, including a civil liability insurance policy.

Duration of the assignment and duty stations

The duration of the assignment will be for 40 working days over the period of 3 months, 1st August to 31st October 2023. ILO shall NOT provide office space in Riyadh and necessary logistics (like Laptop, Printer, Paper, internet, local travel, etc.) to carry out day to day jobs of the consultant. The ILO shall cover the cost of two rounds tickets to Riyadh and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) during the required missions as per ILO rules and regulations, The DSA will cover accommodation, local travel, and other per diem costs and will not exceed the amount listed in ILO regulations. Final decision for missions will be agreed upon with selected consultant prior initiation of contract arrangements.

Fees and payment terms

Fees are commensurate with the consultant’s qualifications and experience as well as with the previous acceptable rates for similar assignments. Terms and conditions are as per the ILO rules and procedures for the purpose. The consultant’s financial proposal should include all the costs to be incurred on travel and logistics. The consultant should also enclose any recent/latest contract to substantiate daily fee requested.

ILO’s responsibilities

The responsibility of the ILO will be to:

a) Provide all the documents and other related literature available as relevant to the task.

b) Assist in coordination with relevant stakeholders.

c) Review progress of the work and provide feedback as necessary.

d) Ensure payment of agreed amounts, based on performance.

e) Any other tasks/supports as required and agreed by the ILO.

Qualifications and experience of the Consultant

The assignment will be contracted to a person with demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the skills system and best practices in addition to experience in reviews of skills policy/education policy and reviews of skills development works.

Academic Qualification:

a) An advanced University degree in OSH, Occupational Hygiene, Public/Environmental Health or any other related discipline; M. Phil or PhD in the relevant field will be an added value.

Experiences:

b) At least ten years of professional experience in OSH, including relevant policy research and reviews.

c) Technical expertise in designing OSH policies and strategies in line with the relevant International Labour Standards, as well as in analytical and writing skills.

Competencies:

e) Excellent knowledge of national OSH systems and ILO Conventions on OSH

f) Excellent knowledge and skills of reading, writing and speaking in English.

g) Knowledge and ability to use computer for research and report writing.

h) Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

i) Must display a high standard of ethical conduct and exhibit honesty and integrity.

j) Gender-sensitive behaviour and attitude.

Evaluation Criteria and Score

The selection of the candidate will be made based on the cumulative analysis scheme, where total

score will be obtained upon combination of weighted technical and financial aspects.

(a) Technical weighted score, out of 70: When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and

determined as:

1. responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
2. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. The technical proposal will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria stated below:

Evaluation Criteria:

• Relevant educational qualification
• Relevant experience in OSH and relevant policy review/analysis/development.
• Experience of working in Middle East or Arab countries.
• Excellent writing, reporting and communication skills in English. Arabic is an added-value.

(b) Financial weighted score, out of 30:

The maximum number of points assigned to the daily fee is allocated to the lowest daily fee quoted by the applicant. All other quoted daily fees receive points in inverse proportion. The suggested formula is as follows:

p = y (μ/z),

p = points for the daily fee being evaluated,

y = maximum number of points for the daily fee (here it is 30),

μ = the lowest daily fee

z = the daily fee being evaluated

Recommended Presentation of Proposal

Interested individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications.

• Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Technical Proposal will specify the candidate’s qualifications and relevant experiences, and portfolio packages or samples of works in similar assignments authenticated/certified by relevant authority.
• Financial Proposal shall specify the professional fees for this assignment. Financial Proposal has to be submitted using the below table.
• To substantiate daily fee, any recent contract to be enclosed.

The ILO promotes equal opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

Please refer to the attached ToR for the Breakdown of costs supporting the all-inclusive financial proposal