I.      General information

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

Donor:                                            European Union

Implementing agency:                 Expertise France

Beneficiary:                                   Civil Service Board (CSB)

Duration of the mission:             4 weeks

Assignment location:                  Beirut, Lebanon

Job title:                                         Full Stack Web Development Expert

Deadline for application:         October 25^th, 2026 at 4:00 PM

II.      Context and justification of the need

Expertise France (EF) is a public agency created on the 1st of January 2015, and it has joined AFD Group as of January 1, 2022. EF offers program engineering and technical assistance by developing and implementing international cooperation actions worldwide. Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical assistance.

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.

A new EU Program Action started in December 2023 that 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:

1.       Safeguarding integrity of the public administration, mainly in the area of public human resources management (i.e. civil service reform);

2.       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);

3.       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.

Needs justification

Albeit the financial crisis, almost all Lebanese governmental entities have suffered from budget cuts that affected negatively on their IT infrastructure and IT systems spending. The complications have multiplied with the financial crisis and political gridlock in the country, leaving most public administrations in dire need of support.

The project aims to support the IT and Capacity building needs of the Civil Service Board (CSB). Digitalization and reliance on IT solutions are key to the success of the CSB.

III.      Objectives and desired results

1)      General objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to design, develop, test, deploy and hand over a secure and maintainable online solution supporting the management of Job References within CSB, including workflow processing, Job CV generation and the publication of an online Job Reference Tree.

2)      Specific objectives

The contractor shall:

·       Digitize the Job Reference process through a structured online workflow covering preparation, submission, review, revision and approval.

·       Enable the automated generation of standardized Job CVs from approved Job References using templates validated by CSB.

·       Develop and publish, on the CSB Portal with the support of CSB IT Team, a separate online Job Reference Tree allowing users to navigate the hierarchy and access the corresponding Job References.

·       Improve traceability and accountability by maintaining workflow status, comments, revisions, decisions and relevant history.

·       Provide appropriate user, role and access management according to responsibilities defined by CSB.

·       Facilitate access to Job References through search, filtering, navigation and retrieval capabilities.

·       Ensure alignment with the CSB development stack through the use of the Microsoft .NET and SQL Server technology stack.

·       Leverage suitable open-source workflow tools, frameworks or components avoiding unnecessary development of workflow functionality from scratch.

·       Ensure sustainability and maintainability through complete source-code, configuration, database, documentation and knowledge-transfer handover.

3)      Anticipated result

Upon completion of the assignment, the Central Service Board shall have:

·       A fully operational web-based

o    Job Reference Workflow Application

o   Online Job Reference Tree

·       Complete documented Source Code handover

·       Technical documentation and trained Central Service Board administrators.

IV.      Description of the specialist’s mission and Deliverables

1)      Scope of Work

Requirements Confirmation and Solution Design

At the start of the assignment, the Developer shall work with Expertise France and CSB to confirm the functional workflow, user roles, approval steps, Job CV generation requirements, Job Reference Tree structure, technical architecture and deployment requirements.

The Developer shall translate the validated requirements into a clear implementation approach and work plan before proceeding with full development.

Job Reference Workflow Application

The Developer shall design and develop an online workflow application enabling authorized users to:

•     Create and manage Job References.

•     Save work in progress and resume it at a later stage.

•     Submit Job References for review through a well detailed workflow to be described and advised on by CSB Team.

•     Review submitted Job References and provide comments.

•     Return Job References for revision or correction.

•     Revise and resubmit Job References.

•     Approve or reject submissions according to the agreed workflow.

•     Track the status and progress of Job References.

•     Maintain the relevant history of revisions, comments and approvals.

•     Search, filter and retrieve Job References.

•     Access and generate the corresponding Job CV once the Job Reference reaches the required approved status.

The detailed workflow, roles, approval levels and business rules shall be validated with CSB and Expertise France during implementation.

Job CV Generation

The application shall provide functionality to generate standardized Job CVs from approved Job References. The generated output shall follow the template and presentation requirements approved by CSB.

The Developer shall ensure that the generated Job CV corresponds to the relevant approved Job Reference and can be viewed, downloaded and printed in the agreed output format.

Online Job Reference Tree – Separate Task

As a separate task within the assignment, the Developer shall design and implement an online Job Reference Tree to be added to CSB Online Portal

The Job Reference Tree shall:

·       Represent Job References according to the hierarchy and classification provided or validated by CSB.

·       Provide intuitive hierarchical navigation experience.

·       Allow users to expand and collapse the different levels of the tree.

·       Provide direct access to the corresponding Job References.

·       Support search and filtering where applicable.

·       Allow authorized administrators to maintain and update the tree.

·       Be suitable for online publication and consultation.

·       Integrate with the Job Reference information managed through the application where applicable.

·       Provide a clear and responsive user interface suitable for commonly used screen sizes.

The Developer shall propose the user-interface and technical approach for the Job Reference Tree for validation by Expertise France and CSB before implementation.

User Management, Roles and Workflow Control

The solution shall implement secure authentication and role-based access control. User roles and permissions shall reflect the responsibilities defined by CSB for preparation, review, approval and administration.

The application shall record significant workflow actions, including submissions, revisions, comments, approvals and rejections, with sufficient information to support traceability.

Search and Retrieval

The solution shall provide practical search, filtering and retrieval functionality allowing authorized users to locate Job References and related Job CVs. Search criteria and filters shall be agreed with CSB during implementation.

Testing, Deployment and Handover

The Developer shall conduct functional and technical testing, support User Acceptance Testing (UAT), correct identified defects, deploy the solution in the agreed CSB environment and complete the technical and operational handover.

The Developer shall provide the source code, database scripts, workflow definitions and configurations, deployment components, technical documentation and other materials necessary for CSB to operate and maintain the solution.

Deployment

The Contractor shall be responsible for the complete deployment and operationalization of the solution within the CSB-controlled infrastructure, in coordination with CSB and Expertise France.

Deployment shall include all activities necessary to transition the approved solution from the development/testing environment to a fully operational production environment.

At minimum, the Contractor shall:

·       Prepare and submit a Deployment Plan identifying the deployment activities, prerequisites, responsibilities, dependencies, sequence, expected downtime, validation activities, rollback procedures and deployment schedule.

·       The Contractor shall identify, document and communicate all infrastructure and technical prerequisites required for deployment sufficiently in advance, including operating system, database, network, security, certificates, storage, connectivity and any other required components.

·       Install and configure the approved open-source platform and all required modules, plugins, custom developments, integrations and dependencies.

·       Deploy the final approved application configuration and source code to the CSB production environment

·       Configure the production database and required application services.

V.      Technical Requirements

The solution shall be compatible with the existing CSB technical environment and shall comply with the following minimum requirements:

·       The application shall be developed using the Microsoft .NET technology stack, preferably a current and supported version of ASP.NET Core.

·       Microsoft SQL Server shall be used as the primary database platform.

·       The solution shall use a modular and maintainable architecture that supports future enhancement and integration.

·       The Developer shall use, where appropriate, established open-source workflow tools, libraries or frameworks to implement workflow, approval, routing and related process-management functionality rather than unnecessarily developing these capabilities from scratch.

·       Any proposed open-source workflow component shall be actively maintained, documented, compatible with the .NET architecture and suitable for deployment within the CSB environment.

·       Core operation of the solution shall not depend on an external SaaS workflow subscription or service.

·       Open-source components shall have licenses that permit their use, deployment, maintenance and modification in the intended CSB environment.

·       The Developer shall document all third-party and open-source components used, including their purpose, version and applicable license.

·       The solution shall provide secure authentication, role-based access control, data validation, logging and appropriate audit capabilities.

·       The application shall be compatible with commonly used web browsers and provide a responsive user interface.

·       The solution shall be deployable within the infrastructure designated by CSB.

·       Installation, configuration, deployment, backup, restoration and technical handover procedures shall be documented.

·       The solution shall avoid unnecessary proprietary dependencies and vendor lock-in.

The Developer shall submit the proposed technical architecture, including the proposed open-source workflow component(s), for review and approval by Expertise France and CSB before implementation.

VI.      Testing and Acceptance

The Developer shall perform functional and technical testing before submitting the solution for UAT. The UAT shall demonstrate that the agreed workflow and key solution components operate successfully.

Critical defects identified during testing or UAT shall be corrected before final acceptance.

VII.      Source Code, Ownership and Sustainability

All source code, database components, workflow definitions and configurations, scripts, templates developed under the assignment, technical documentation and other project-specific components shall be handed over to CSB under the supervision of Expertise France.

The solution shall be delivered in a manner that enables CSB to operate, maintain, modify and further develop it without dependency on the Developer.        

VIII.      Deliverables

IX.      Duration and Work Plan

The assignment is expected to be completed within 4 weeks from the date of commencement.

At the beginning of the assignment, the Developer shall submit a detailed work plan identifying activities, dependencies, milestones and expected delivery dates. The work plan shall clearly distinguish between:

·       Job Reference Workflow Application development

·       Job CV generation

·       Online Job Reference Tree development

·       Testing and UAT

·       Deployment, documentation and handover

X.      Reporting and Coordination

The Developer shall work under the supervision of Expertise France and in close coordination with designated CSB representatives.

Regular progress updates and demonstrations shall be provided throughout implementation. Any issue affecting scope, schedule, technical architecture, security, deployment or delivery shall be promptly communicated.

XI.      Confidentiality

The Developer shall treat all information, documentation, system access and data received or accessed during the assignment as confidential and shall not disclose, transfer or use such information for purposes outside the assignment without prior authorization.

XII.      Required Provider Profile

The Service Provider shall meet the following minimum requirements:

·       Relevant 4+ professional experience in Full Stack web application development using the Microsoft .NET stack.

·       Demonstrated experience with Microsoft SQL Server and database-driven applications.

·       Experience developing workflow-based applications, including review and approval processes.

·       Experience integrating or implementing open-source workflow tools, frameworks or components.

·       Experience implementing authentication, user roles and access controls.

·       Experience developing hierarchical or tree-based interfaces or navigation structures.

·       Experience deploying, documenting and handing over web applications.

·       Ability to work with business stakeholders and translate operational requirements into functional technical solutions.

Previous experience with public-sector or United Nations or its affiliated agencies would be considered an advantage.

XIII.      How to apply

Kindly submit the following documents:

·       Completed and signed candidature form, along with all annexes attached to the form.

·       Relevant professional experience and portfolio demonstrating their qualifications and previous work related to the assignment.

·       Financial registration certificate as a consultant, or company registration documents, as applicable.

Please send your proposal through Gex Platform

Submission deadline

All proposals must be submitted no later than October 25^th, 2026 at 4:00 PM

1)         Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation process will be conducted in the following stages:

1. Shortlisting: Applications will be reviewed against the qualifications, skills, and professional experience specified in the required profile. Only candidates who meet the requirements will be shortlisted.
2. Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview to assess their suitability for the assignment.
3. Proposal Submission: Following the interview, selected candidates will be invited to submit a technical and financial proposal for the assignment.
4. Final Evaluation: The submitted proposals will be evaluated based on technical quality and financial offer, in accordance with the criteria and weightings set out below

The best value for money is established by weighing technical quality against price on a 50/50 basis. The quality of each technical and financial offer will be evaluated in accordance with the following award criteria and the weighting:

The providers will be appraised and given a score of up to 100 points according to these criteria.

NB:

-          Only providers with scores of at least 40 points on technical evaluation qualify for the financial evaluation.

-          No other award criteria will be used. The award criteria will be examined in accordance with the requirements indicated in the Terms of Reference.

2)         Payment

Payments will be made at the end of each phase as depicted above in the project implementation timeline and deliverables.