Consultancy Opportunity with the AHA Centre: ASCEND Certification Management System

Consultancy:   ASCEND Certification Management System

Reporting to:   ASCEND Project Coordinator

Duration      :   Max of 90 days for the published version 1.0 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The ASEAN Standards and Certification for Experts in Disaster Management (ASCEND) project seeks to create a regionally recognised certification scheme for professions in disaster management to ensure and promote higher standards and quality in the management of disasters in the region. ASCEND can also be beneficial in identifying competent disaster management professionals in the region with a strong capacity to manage disasters to reduce the loss of life, respond effectively, recover more quickly, and decrease disaster risks throughout the ASEAN region wherever possible.

Through the generous funding from the Republic of Korea, the AHA Centre will implement the ASCEND project for three years in collaboration with the Korean National Fire Agency (KNFA) of the Republic of Korea. The project will be critical for the development of ASCEND since the AHA Centre will focus on the pilot application of the ASCEND Framework in identified ASEAN countries, which will be selected voluntarily. The objectives of the ASCEND are as follows:

A.     To enhance the capacity of the ASEAN countries in the implementation of ASCEND.

B.     To establish regionally recognised competency standards and assessment process covering five professions in disaster management.

C.    To improve the capacity of the AHA Centre to serve as the ASCEND secretariat.

D.    To promote understanding of the ASCEND Framework among the ASEAN Member States (AMS) and other sectors in ASEAN in preparation towards the inclusion of ASCEND into the ASEAN Mutually Recognised Agreement (MRA).

 

OBJECTIVE AND DELIVERABLES OF THE CERTIFICATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

 

The ASCEND certification process will involve several steps starting from getting initial information until renewing the certification. In general, the steps in the ASCEND certification process can be described as follow:

To streamline the above process and at the same time lessen the workload of the administrators and assessors, an online management system is planned to be developed. The online software will eliminate a lot of manual interventions and increase the speed of the whole ASCEND certification process. In particular, the online system will help the process in box number one (1), two (2), three (3), and six (6) of the certification process, as well as the provision of robust database management and visualisation.

At the registrar-side, the system will allow a candidate to apply for a unique registration number, update and manage their profile details while keeping a high level of data privacy. The system will keep all candidates’ records, such as their ID, name, mailing address, phone number, institutions, etc. After successful registration, the system will give a unique number for each candidate, which can be used to login into the system, getting all the information about standards and certifications, and take the available online preparation course. 

The system will also allow candidates to fill the form, submit and update all requirements online and also has an inbuilt validation system to authenticate the entered data to some degree before a manual validation interferes. A dashboard will be available to provide general information about the completion and validation status of all the submitted requirements. Upon the validation of the complete requirements and when the candidate is ready, they can proceed to the online exam, as well as schedule an offline assessment. Later, the system will record the result instantly and store it for further use. Aside from the online assessment, this system will also have a dashboard to submit the offline assessment made by the assessors, if there is a need for conducting face to face assessment.

The final overall score will be the combination of scorings from (1) submitted requirements, (2) online exam, and (3) offline assessment – if needed. All of the scores are added in the database so the candidate can view his/her final score and progress history under their individual web page at any time.

TASKS AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS

 

The chosen consultant/company will be responsible for developing the ASCEND Certification Management System within three months. During the development, the company shall report the progress to the ASCEND Project Coordinator and ICT Senior Officer of the AHA Centre. The selected vendor then will need to complete several tasks below:

1.     Platform design and development;

2.     Local installation and configuration;

3.     Periodic software update and enhancements;

4.     Technical support and maintenance for 12 months;

5.     Documentation and user manual;

6.     Technical training (include training materials, travel and logistics).

Based on the above objective, the expected outputs and deliverable is an online registration, management, and database system with specified key modules as follows:

·        Login module

Login module will help in authentication of user accounts. Admin or candidate should have a valid login id and password to login into the system.

·        Search module

This module is useful to search for any candidate information. User can enter the candidate name, and the system will provide all the details instantly.

·        Registration Module

This module helps the candidate to get all necessary information and register for online preparation course, online exam and an offline assessment.

Using the system, the candidate can get registered by filling up the registration form online, submitting all the requirements and reserving a seat for online or offline exams. After the registration, the candidate can also edit personal information. This module implements the functions related to the standards and certification processes such as:

-       Displaying the most updated ASCEND competency standards;

-       Starting a new prep course and assessment period;

-       Adding/modifying new prep course subjects;

-       Publishing notices and time tables;

-       Processing prep course reservation and exam application, etc.

·        Preparation Course Module

This module allows the candidate to take an online preparation course. This module can utilise the existing AHA Centre e-learning module with some customisation.

·        Exam and Assessment Module

This module supports the assessors in conducting the assessment and submits the candidate’s score based on the formatted competency standards in the system. When each component’s score has been submitted, the module will calculate the candidate’s overall score and determine whether a certificate will be granted or not. 

 

This module implements the functions related to the assessment processes such as:

-       Providing guideline for the assessors to do the assessment, based on the relevant competency standards and toolbox.

-       Submitting the candidates’ individual score for each component (requirements, online exam, and offline assessment);

-       Calculating the overall score based on the scores and weigh of each component;

-       Adding recommendations and displaying results on the individual web page;

 

·        User Management

Only admin can access this module. Admin can enable or disable a student account from this module. The administrator can also edit student information from this module. 

CRITERIAS FOR CONSULTANT 

 

The consultant/company should demonstrate and provide a proven track record of the following skills and experience:

1.     Experienced in the development of Registration, Database, and Management System. Able to provide at least five successful systems developed in the past;

2.     Experienced in developing a platform basing on the open-source LMS and CMS such as Moodle, Open EdX and WordPress;

3.     Excellent history in information technology skills, including database management and security;

4.     Excellent analytical skill to determine user’s needs and design and a platform that suits the AHA Centre standards;

5.     Extensive experience in online application programming and user interface;

6.     Experience in working with humanitarian organisations is beneficial;

7.     Excellent English skill for the team assigned to deliver training to users;

8.     Demonstrated integrity and ability to work independently with limited supervision within the agreed deadlines.

TIMELINE

 

The expected duration of the system development is 90 days, from the outset until the satisfactory published version 1.0. The service will include the implementation and maintenance support for one year after system deployment.

 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

 

1.     Proposal that includes:

a.     Concept design;

b.     Implementing team profile;

c.      Workplan;

d.     Budget.

2.     Company profile;

3.     Project portfolio;

4.     List of referees; and

5.     AHA Centre Application form that can be downloaded here.

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Interested company or individual is invited to study the TORs and request the complete Application Documents to admin@ahacentre.org immediately. 

 

For more information on AHA Centre, please visit www.ahacentre.org