e-PS4 Individual Consultant Time Based Participation Guideline

01How Individual Selection Works

Under e-PS4 a Procuring Entity (called the Client) hires one person, not a firm or a team, for an assignment whose scope or duration cannot be fixed precisely. You are judged on your CV and an interview. Your rate is agreed afterwards, and you are paid every month for the time you actually spend, plus agreed expenses, up to a ceiling amount.

1. Find the request on e-GP and read the Terms of Reference, especially the points table and minimum score.
2. Fill in Forms 3A, 3B and 3C online, in English, and sign electronically.
3. Submit before the closing date and time; e-GP e-mails you a receipt.
4. e-GP opens applications automatically at the deadline; the PEC scores them privately.
5. If you are among the best 7 who pass, you are called for an interview.
6. If you rank first, you negotiate the TOR, schedule and rates, then sign the contract.
7. Work, report as agreed, invoice monthly, get paid within 15 calendar days.

02Check Your Eligibility

You may apply if all of these are true:

• You are a Bangladeshi national. People in the service of the Republic, a local authority or a corporation may apply, subject to the conditions below.
• You have the legal capacity to sign a contract.
• You have paid your taxes and social security contributions.
• You have not been declared ineligible for corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive or obstructive practices.
• You have no conflict of interest with the assignment.

You may not apply if:

• You have been convicted by any court, or dismissed from service for misconduct.
• The assignment conflicts with your prior or current obligations, or you would advise on something you have a stake in.
• You have a business or family relationship with the Client's staff that has not been properly addressed.

If you are a government or corporation employee You must be on leave without pay, and attach your employer's written certificate saying so and allowing you to work full-time outside your post. Under Rule 133(9) you cannot be hired by the same agency you worked for immediately before going on leave.

You must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest (Rule 71). Failing to disclose can lead to disqualification, or to termination of the contract later.

03Read the TOR and Scoring

The TOR tells you what the job is and exactly how you will be scored. Before writing anything, note:

• The minimum educational qualification and minimum years of relevant experience. If you fall short, do not apply.
• The points for each criterion, and the minimum qualifying points (never below 60).
• The duty station, expected travel, duration and likely input.
• Language and computer skills required.

04Form 3A: Application Submission

A short declaration. By submitting it you confirm that:

• You are applying to provide the services in the Request for Application.
• You have no conflict of interest (Clause 5 of Section 1).
• You have not been declared ineligible by the Government of Bangladesh for corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive or obstructive practices (Clause 4).
• If selected, you will start no later than the date agreed under Clause 12.1.
• The Client is not bound to accept any application.

Only sign it if every statement is true. A false declaration is a fraudulent practice and can bar you from public procurement.

05Form 3B: Your CV

This is where you win or lose. Fill in every item in the STD format; a CV in your own layout is not a substitute.

Make experience easy to score If the TOR asks for "15 years overall, at least 10 in the relevant field", make your experience figures say exactly that, for example "17 years" and "11 years", and make sure the dates in your employment record add up to them. Name the assignments that match the TOR's duties, one by one.

Any wilful misstatement may lead to disqualification, or to dismissal if you have already been engaged.

06Form 3C: Indicative Remuneration

State the fee you expect. It is not used to evaluate you; it is only the starting point for negotiation.

• (1) Remuneration: your rate per month, day or hour in Taka, times the staff time. A month is 30 calendar days.
• (2) Reimbursables, as applicable: per diem, air travel, other travel (state the mode), communication, reproduction of reports, other listed expenses, each as rate per unit × units.
• Total: (1) + (2), shown as the contract ceiling.

Example Remuneration Tk. 1,50,000 per month × 6 months = Tk. 9,00,000. Reimbursables: per diem Tk. 2,000 × 20 days away from the duty station = Tk. 40,000; travel Tk. 30,000; communication Tk. 12,000. Ceiling Tk. 9,82,000. (Illustrative figures, not rates from the STD.)

The agreed ceiling must cover all your costs and any tax you owe. Total payments can never exceed it, however much time the work takes, unless the contract is amended in writing.

07Submit on e-GP

• Apply only through the e-GP System (Rule 135(5)), using its online forms, in English.
• Sign electronically; e-GP encrypts the application.
• Keep the e-mail receipt e-GP sends you.
• You may modify or substitute your application up to the deadline.
• Anything received after the deadline is rejected automatically.
• Watch for Addenda: the Client may revise the request or extend the deadline before closing.

08Scoring and Interview

1. The PEC scores your academic background, relevant experience, knowledge of local conditions and language against the TOR points.
2. Below the minimum qualifying points (60 or more), you are disqualified.
3. Up to 7 qualified applicants are short-listed and interviewed on aptitude and presentation, out of 10.
4. CV and interview points are added, and up to 3 applicants are ranked 1, 2, 3.

Example You score 68/90 on your CV. A rival scores 72/90. At interview you score 9/10 and the rival 4/10: your 77 beats their 76. Prepare for the interview as seriously as the CV.

Do not contact the Client about your application between opening and contract signing. Any attempt to influence the evaluation may get your application rejected.

09Negotiation and Signing

• Invitation: the first-ranked applicant negotiates at the Client's office (Rule 144). If that fails, the second is invited, then the third.
• Technical: agree the final TOR, work schedule, logistics and reporting schedule. They become Annex A, the Description of Services.
• Financial: agree the rate and whether it is monthly, daily or hourly, the per diem and travel rates, and the ceiling (Annex B).
• Close: review the draft contract and initial the agreed version.
• Signing: after the award is approved, sign the contract. The start date and place are set at signing; the duration is recorded in e-GP.
• Before you start: give the Client a medical report showing you are in good health and fit to perform.

Unsuccessful? The Client notifies you after signing. You can ask through e-GP why your application was not selected.

10How Your Time Is Paid

Example: your first month On a monthly rate of Tk. 1,50,000 you start on the 19th and spend 12 days on the assignment: Tk. 1,50,000 ÷ 30 × 12 = Tk. 60,000. On a daily rate of Tk. 7,000 with 9 working days in the same period you would bill Tk. 63,000.

• Per diem and travel are paid only for work away from the duty station named in Annex A, at the agreed rates.
• Other expenses listed in Annex B are reimbursed.
• Anything else is reimbursed only if the Client approves it, at its discretion and subject to budget. Ask before you spend.

11Invoices, Reports and Payment

• Invoice monthly: at the end of every month, for remuneration and reimbursables. Attach supporting documents and vouchers for reimbursables.
• Payment: in Taka, within 15 calendar days of the Client receiving your invoice.
• Reports: submit those in Annex C on the dates set, typed or computer composed, to the people named. The STD's sample is an inception report, first and second status reports, a draft report and a final report.
• Final payment: only after the Client approves your final report. Correct any deficiencies it notifies promptly.
• Suspension: if you fail to perform your obligations, the Client may suspend all payments by written notice.
• Overpayment: if you were paid more than due, you must refund it within 30 days of the Client's claim, provided the claim is made within 3 months after your final report is accepted.

Example: when you get paid You submit your September invoice on 1 October. Payment is due by 16 October, 15 calendar days later.

Keep a simple daily timesheet with dates, hours, place and task. On a time-based contract the Client supervises closely, and your record is what supports each invoice.

12Your Obligations

• Work to the highest professional and ethical standards.
• Coordinate through the Client's representative named in Annex A.
• Report at once anything likely to hinder the services.
• Keep information confidential during the contract and for two years after it.
• Everything you produce belongs to the Client. Keep a copy only with written approval, and do not use it for unrelated work.
• Keep cooperating after the contract ends where needed to explain your reports.
• Do not supply goods, works or services for any project resulting from or closely related to your assignment, during or after the contract.
• Accept no fees, gifts or commissions beyond what the contract shows.

You are an independent consultant, not an employee. The Client provides, free of charge, the data, facilities and support listed in Annex A, such as office space, support staff, equipment and report production.

13Termination and Disputes

• By the Client: at least 28 days' written notice after an event requiring termination.
• By you: at least 28 days' written notice, if the Client fails to meet a payment obligation.
• Integrity: if corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive or obstructive practice is alleged, you are first allowed to explain. Without a satisfactory explanation the award is revoked and you can be barred for a stated period.
• Disputes: settle amicably first; otherwise arbitration under the Arbitration Act 2001, in Dhaka, under Bangladesh law.

14Application Checklist

• You meet the TOR's minimum education and experience.
• No conviction, dismissal, debarment or undisclosed conflict of interest.
• Employer's leave-without-pay certificate attached, if you are in service.
• Form 3A read and true.
• Form 3B: position matches the TOR, every item filled, dates complete, experience totals match your stated years.
• The work-capability section maps your experience to the TOR's duties.
• Form 3C: rate basis stated, month = 30 days, travel and per diem only for work away from the duty station, all costs and taxes covered.
• Electronically signed and submitted before the deadline; e-mail receipt saved.

15Common Questions