INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT TO CONDUCT A DIGITAL READINESS ASSESSMENT IN CAMBODIA, LAO PDR, NEPAL AND TIMOR-LESTE

Result of Service

Expected Outputs The Consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs: • An Inception Report for the Digital Readiness Assessment process across the four implementing countries, covering the approach to engaging across all four countries, including finalized methodology, assessment framework aligned with the ITU Digital Transformation Wheel and complementary frameworks, stakeholders mapping and preliminary data sources, including a plan for collaboration with the National Consultant, clearly defining respective roles and responsibilities, guidance, coordination and inputs to the development of the four national Inception Report by the national consultants. • Documented guidance, feedback, oversight andr coordination provided to four national consultants throughout the process for the development of the four Digital Readiness Assessments at the national level. • A Draft Synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Report consolidating findings from the four national Digital Readiness Assessments and structured through the Access, Adoption and Value Creation dimensions, incorporating cross-country analysis, findings and preliminary recommendations. • Consolidated summary of outcomes from the four national stakeholder workshops, including key inputs and feedback from national stakeholders to inform the refinement of the Digital Readiness Assessments. Technical review and quality assurance comments on the Draft and Final Digital Readiness Assessment Reports prepared by the four national consultants, ensuring methodological consistency and analytical coherence across countries. Final Synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Report prepared in collaboration with the National Consultants, incorporating input, comments and finalized recommendations. Key Tasks and Deliverables The following provides an overview of the key tasks to be conducted by the Digital Readiness Assessment Expert/Consultant, in collaboration with the national consultants. Tasks: 1) Inception and coordination: Lead initial set-up of the Digital Readiness Assessment process across the four implementing countries, including finalization of the methodology, analytical framework, stakeholder mapping, confirmation of data sources, and coordination with the National Consultants on assessment tools, scope, timeline and division of responsibilities. 2) Ongoing coordination, oversight guidance and quality assurance: Regular coordination with four national consultants on progress against timeline and agreed division of responsibilities. Provide continuous technical oversight, methodological guidance and structured review of draft outputs produced by the National Consultants to ensure consistency, comparability and adherence to agreed timelines. 3) Desk review and baseline assessment: Review national digital strategies, policies, laws, institutional arrangements and existing initiatives related to digital government, ICT and digital economy, including relevant UNSDCF and UN partner documents and existing diagnostics and conduct comparative analysis to ensure cross-country coherence and alignment with the agreed analytical framework. Work undertaken in collaboration with national consultants, with clear agreement on division of research areas, and provision of regular guidance. 4) Data collection and stakeholder consultations: Supervise the National Consultants on methodology and data collection for both qualitative and quantitative data on digital readiness across Access, Adoption, and Value Creation dimensions. and review collected data to ensure completeness, reliability and alignment with the agreed analytical framework. 5) National Workshops: Participate virtually and co-moderate in national workshops, supporting the national consultants in preparing workshop presentation, and collecting feedback and input from all participants, to ensure the final Digital Readiness Assessments (both at the national level and synthesized version) incorporate all inputs from stakeholders. 6) Provide technical guidance and supervise the national consultants on analysis and drafting of country inputs: Analyze collected data, identify gaps, bottlenecks, and cross-cutting issues (including interoperability, data sharing, cybersecurity, inclusion, and sustainability), and contribute country-level analysis and preliminary recommendations. 7) Validation and finalization: Provide final technical review and quality assurance of the four National Digital Readiness Assessment Reports and preparation of a final synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Report incorporating findings from each of the implementing countries. Deliverables: • Inception Report for the Digital Readiness Assessment process across the four implementing countries, including finalized methodology, analytical framework and reporting template, stakeholder mapping, data collection plan, timeline, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities between the International and National Consultants. • Documentation of regular meetings with four national consultants outlining guidance and coordination. Formal written review comments and consolidated technical feedback provided on draft national Digital Readiness Assessment Reports. • Consolidated desk review summary and baseline inputs on Implementing Country’s digital governance and institutional landscape ensuring coherence and cross-country comparability. • Data collection notes, including the list of interviewees, proposed interview questions, final interview schedule, interview notes, survey results and consultation summaries. Reviewed and validated consolidated data collection summaries from the four implementing countries, ensuring consistency and adequacy for analytical purposes. • Engagement in four national workshops, inputs to presentations prepared by four national consultants, and reflection of workshop inputs in synthesized and national-level Digital Readiness Assessments. Preparation of consolidated summaries of stakeholder feedback incorporated into the national and Synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Reports. • Reviewed and quality-assured. Four Draft National Digital Readiness Assessment Reports, including findings, gap analysis, and preliminary recommendations. • Four finalized and quality-assured National Digital Readiness Assessment Reports and one Final Synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Report consolidating validated findings, stakeholder feedback and comparative analysis.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Digital transformation is a critical enabler of inclusive growth, institutional effectiveness, resilience and sustainable development in Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Governments increasingly rely on digital technologies to enhance public service delivery, improve policy coherence, strengthen transparency and accountability, and enable innovation across the economy. However, progress remains uneven, with persistent gaps in connectivity, digital skills, institutional coordination, data governance and cybersecurity. LDCs in Asia such as Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Nepal have made notable gains in digital infrastructure and connectivity, with internet penetration surpassing 50%, well above the LDC average of 34%. These advancements underscore growing readiness across the region to harness digital technologies for development. At the same time, the rapid pace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and increasing demand for Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) underscore the urgency for LDCs to strengthen institutional frameworks and leverage technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These tools offer transformative potential, including AI for adaptive social protection systems, blockchain for transparent land registries, and IoT for boosting agricultural productivity and resource efficiency. Strategically deployed, such technologies can modernize public service delivery and foster more responsive and resilient governance. The UN Technology Bank for LDCs (UN Technology Bank) in partnership with the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) is implementing a three-year project entitled “Promoting Digital Transformation of Selected Asian LDCs for a Sustainable and Resilient Future”. The project covers Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal and Timor-Leste. Using a whole-of-government approach, this project aims to contribute towards addressing systemic barriers by providing targeted support to national strategies, inclusive digital ecosystems, and regional knowledge cooperation. It builds on the work of the UN system, which have supported digital transformation efforts in the selected LDCs.The present TORs are for managing substantive work on conducting a digital readiness assessment in the implementing countries, using a whole-of-government methodology and informed by initial national-level stakeholder engagement. It will involve overseeing and guiding the work of four national consultants, who will be hired by the UN Technology Bank to prepare country-level Inception Reports and develop Digital Readiness Assessments at the national level. These assessments will identify the current state and gaps in digital infrastructure, governance, skills, and integration of emerging technologies, forming a robust evidence base for subsequent project outputs. Key documents for review will include national plans and policies, as well as the UNSDCF and relevant planning documents from UN agencies and other relevant partners, to ensure work proceeds in close alignment with existing planning. As part of the project, a national workshop will be held at the beginning of the project, in each implementing country, taking place at the same time as this consultancy. This will bring together representatives from a broad range of government ministries with the aim to provide inputs on the current state of digitalization, outline strengths and gaps at the national level, and inform the development of the forthcoming digitalization toolkit, regional trainings, and further support provided through this project. These workshops serve as both diagnostic input mechanisms for the Digital Readiness Assessment, validation platforms for preliminary findings and alignment platforms for subsequent project outputs under the three-year programme. The International Consultant will be expected to participate in these workshops, with the national consultant engaging in-person. Together, the international and national consultants will be expected to extract information provided during these workshops, which will inform the drafting and validation of the national Digital Readiness Assessment Reports, ensuring the readiness assessment aligns to the national priorities highlighted during the workshops. The International Consultant will provide overall technical leadership, methodological standardization, and quality assurance across the four national assessments and ensure cross-country comparability and analytical coherence. Purpose and Scope of Assignment The project aims to support whole-of-government digital transformation through evidence-based diagnostics, policy support, capacity development, and stakeholder engagement. As an initial phase, the project will undertake a comprehensive Digital Readiness Assessment of government ministries and public institutions across the four implementing countries. The assessment will provide a structured diagnostic of current digital capabilities, identify systemic gaps and constraints, and inform the prioritized national digital transformation roadmap aligned with national development objectives and digital policies and strategies. This Digital Readiness Assessment constitutes part of Output 1 of the project and will serve as the analytical foundation for subsequent project activities, including digital strategy dialogue, capacity development, and regional knowledge exchange. The assessment will build on existing diagnostics and be aligned with international good practices and analytical frameworks, in particular the ITU Digital Transformation Wheel, which focuses on three interlinked dimensions of digital development: Access (connectivity and infrastructure), Adoption (institutional, organizational and individual use of digital technologies), and Value Creation (digital public services, data-driven decision-making, innovation and socio-economic impact). The work will also draw on ITU’s digital development indicators, the Unified Framework dataset, and relevant UN-OHRLLS and UN Technology Bank knowledge products. • Under the overall supervision of the UN Technology Bank for the LDCs, and in close coordination with UN-OHRLLS and designated counterparts of the implementing countries, the International Consultant will work closely with the four national consultants. The International Consultant will provide overall technical direction, ensure methodological consistency, and exercise quality assurance across the four national Digital Readiness Assessments to ensure cross-country comparability, analytical coherence, and alignment with the agreed assessment framework. • Provide technical guidance, support and supervision to National Consultants in conducting country-level desk reviews of national policies, strategies, laws and regulations related to digital government, ICT, digital economy and public sector modernization, and review and finalize the consolidated desk review analysis to ensure coherence and cross-country comparability; • Design, develop and finalize the Digital Readiness Assessment methodology, analytical framework, and reporting template, aligned with the ITU Digital Transformation Wheel and complementary international frameworks, to be applied consistently across the four implementing countries; • Provide technical guidance, support and supervision to National Consultants in conducting country-level desk reviews of national policies, strategies, laws and regulations related to digital government, ICT, digital economy and public sector modernization, reviewing the resulting analytical inputs to ensure coherence and cross-country comparability; • Provide technical guidance and quality assurance to National Consultants to ensure consistent and accurate application of the agreed methodology at country level • Oversee and ensure comprehensive assessment of digital readiness across core dimensions, including: Digital leadership, governance and whole-of-government coordination; Digital connectivity, infrastructure and platforms (Access); Institutional adoption of digital technologies, digital skills and change management (Adoption); Digital public services, interoperability, data governance, cybersecurity and trust; Readiness for emerging technologies and digital innovation (Value Creation) and undertake additional analytical work where necessary to ensure completeness, and country-based consistency. Ensure the process is undertaken through extensive and comprehensive national stakeholders consultations. • Guide and oversee the qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis processes by supporting and guiding the national consultants to conduct surveys, interviews and consultations with government institutions and relevant stakeholders to identify institutional strengths, gaps, bottlenecks and capacity constraints affecting digital transformation across government. • Analyze and interpret cross-cutting issues across the four implementing countries such as interoperability, data sharing, cybersecurity, inclusion and sustainability. • Validate preliminary findings through the national stakeholder consultations and workshop taking place at the beginning of the 3-year digitalization project. • Participate (virtually) in the national stakeholder consultations and workshops in close collaboration with the National Consultant to collect inputs at the initial stage of the assessment and review preliminary findings prior to finalization of national reports. • Develop evidence-based, prioritized and actionable recommendations to advance whole-of-government digital transformation at both national and cross-country level, aligned with national priorities and international best practices to be reflected in the Digital Readiness Assessment Reports. • Provide technical guidance, quality assurance and formal review to the national consultants on development, analysis and evidence for the preparation of the Draft and Final Digital Readiness Assessment Reports for the four countries. • Support coordination with national counterparts, including facilitating access to relevant institutions, stakeholders and data required for the assessment. • Prepare a Synthesized Digital Readiness Assessment Report, incorporating findings from the four implementing countries, identifying comparative insights, common bottlenecks, systemic gaps and strategic priorities, and where relevant, drawing on relevant learnings from other LDCs in similar contexts.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Information Systems, Digital Transformation, Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies or a related field is required • A minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in digital transformation, e-government, digital policy, ICT for development or related areas is required • Demonstrated experience conducting digital readiness assessments, digital government diagnostics or similar institutional assessments preferably in multi-country or regional contexts is required • Strong knowledge of international digital development frameworks, including ITU digital indicators and whole-of-government approaches is required • Proven analytical, research and report-writing skills, including preparation of high-level policy or strategy reports is required • Experience working with governments and/or international organizations is highly desirable • Familiarity with LDC contexts and public sector reform processes is an asset • Demonstrated ability to provide technical guidance and quality assurance to multinational teams or consultants

Languages

Fluency of English is required. Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

Additional Information

The Consultant will report directly to the UN Technology Bank for LDCs and work in close coordination with UN-OHRLLS, the National Consultants, and designated counterparts of the Implementing Countries. • All information, data, analyses and outputs produced under this consultancy shall remain the property of the UN Technology Bank for LDCs and UN-OHRLLS.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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