ABA ROLI Information Technology/UX Design Consultant

Terms of Reference

ABA ROLI Information Technology/UX Design Consultant

1. Background.

For 30 years, and through our work in more than 100 countries, ABA ROLI and our partners have sought to strengthen legal institutions, support legal professionals, foster respect for human rights, and advance public understanding of the law and citizen rights. In collaboration with our in-country partners – including government ministries, judges, lawyers, bar associations, court administrators, legislatures, and civil society organizations–we design programs that are responsive to local needs and that prioritize sustainable solutions to pressing rule of law challenges.

ABA ROLI and its partners are undertaking various efforts to increase awareness and understanding of freedom of expression (FoE) rights under Tanzanian law. The program aims to reduce restrictions on FoE and bolster the safeguarding of related fundamental rights in Tanzania, where an erosion of civil liberties has occurred under previous administrations. Therefore, raising understanding is a prerequisite for better reporting on FoE issues, which in turn bolsters public awareness and advocacy efforts. Many journalists, particularly in rural areas, continue to lack an adequate understanding of regulations that can affect their operations and right to free speech. Furthermore, there is need to raise understanding among bloggers, citizen journalists, and other alternative media who lack institutional resources while facing equal risk of prosecution. Addressing this deficit requires educational modalities that are available on-demand and adaptable to reflect changing policies.

Against this backdrop, ABA ROLI commissioned a Freedom of Expression (FOE) Consultant to develop an online “Right to Expression” (R2E) resource on FoE laws and policies in Tanzania. The resource will serve as an accessible and sustainable source of information for human rights defenders, journalists, civil society actors and the general public to better understand and exercise their right to expression and information. Through this TOR, ABA ROLI seeks a consultant to work in tandem with the FOE Consultant to design a content management system that will translate the online “Right to Expression” resource into an adaptable online format web-based platform detailing the content in the source document. The web-based platform is intended to aid lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, civil society organizations as well as the public as a user-friendly online reference tool to equip them with an understanding of FOE laws and policies and ability to exercise their right to FOE, as well as understand the limits within which such freedoms can be exercised.

2.0. Scope of the Assignment

ABA ROLI seeks to recruit an Information Technology consultant with expertise in UX design to develop a content management system for the online “Right to Expression” (R2E) resource in a user-friendly and accessible format and design. The consultant will be expected to develop a web-based platform serving as an online reference for FoE. The platform will enable users including Lawyers, journalists, CSOs and public to access FOE information viamobile phones, tablets, computer browsers, or any browser-based device reflecting compatibility with various content management systems will be ensured for seamless usage across different platforms; identify appropriate proprietary software/program/and platform for hosting the system; a platform with content creation tools for users to create and share content based on the online freedom of expression resource; provide for an online analysis, sorting, filtering to generate data trends and reports by specific indicators as well as a feature that can be used for real time reporting and documenting violations related to freedom of expression. The platform should be designed to be user-friendly not only for external visitors who seek to use the resource, but to internal actors (who have limited IT/technical acumen) who are responsible for updating the content on the platform on a regular basis. Further, the consultant is expected to integrate a fact checking feature specific to freedom of expression for accuracy in reporting. Following the development of the web-based tool, the consultant will conduct user testing and gather feedback for improvement and conduct training sessions with stakeholders to introduce them to the platform, its features and how to utilize the resources.

3.0 Deliverables

The following are the expected deliverables during the consultancy period:

1. Prepare an inception report detailing the consultant's understanding of the assignment, methodology and a proposed work plan.
2. Developed platform and: A functional online platform on "Right to Expression" (R2E) resources, meeting the identified requirements, ready for deployment.
3. Develop a dedicated fact-checking service specific to freedom of expression.
4. A functional dashboard providing an overview of freedom of expression trends in Tanzania, featuring statistical data and key incident summaries. Ability to generate infographics and dashboards summarizing data, trends by various disaggregation as and when required.
5. Documented implementation of robust security measures to safeguard user data and protect against cyber threats.
6. Documentation ensuring compliance with privacy regulations and ethical considerations in the online platform.
7. Validation of the draft prototype with key stakeholders
8. Training program for FOE stakeholders on managing and updating the online resource, along with comprehensive documentation for future reference.

4.0 Duration of the Assignment

The assignment is expected to last for 35 working days between May 2024 and June 2024.

5.0. Preferred Qualifications and Experience of consulting team

• Minimum of a master’s degree in Computer Science/Information Technology, Web Design, or a related field.
• At least 5-10 years of working experience in implementing web-based solutions, USSD services survey, data analytics
• Programming experience in Java, Python, PHP, and Android.
• Experience in the development and implementation of system integrations and systems documentation.
• Experience in undertaking similar assignments.
• English fluency, excellent communication and presentation skills. Swahili is an added advantage
• Ability to work in tight deadlines and produce quality work