LEGAL CONTENT WRITER – TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO At Pan American Development Foundation

LEGAL CONTENT WRITER

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TERMS OF REFERENCE

GANG REDUCTION AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

1. BACKGROUND:

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit organization established by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1962. PADF’s mission is to assist vulnerable and excluded people and communities in the Americas to achieve sustainable economic and social progress, strengthen their communities and civil society, promote democratic participation and inclusion, and prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other humanitarian crises, by advancing the principles of the Organization of American States and creating a Hemisphere of Opportunity for All. For more information, please visit www.padf.org.

In 2022, PADF launched Project Grace (Gang Reduction and Community Empowerment) which is a grant funded from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and which is being implemented by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) along with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Services (TTPS).

The project is a technical assistant program designed to improve law enforcement’s capabilities to address gang-related security challenges. This task will be accomplished by strengthening TTPS’ community policing and intelligence-led anti-gang efforts through training and other educational activities.

2. PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY:

To support activities under this project, PADF will recruit a locally based legal expert/practicing attorney who has prosecuted gang-related cases with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. This individual should also have excellent legal research skills and thorough understanding of the court rules and the fundamental legal criminal law concepts under Trinidad and Tobago law.

Under the overall guidance of PADF, the legal expert will work closely with the PADF Senior Law Enforcement Advisor (SLEA) to provide written contributions for an Offences Points to Prove and Authorities Guide, and Gang Investigations Handbook. In general, this individual will:

• Research legal topics, as required, for the Guide and Handbook.
• Write educational legal content in easily understood language.
• Provide practical input on investigations and prosecutions based on prior experience.
• Liaise with and report to PADF Senior Law Enforcement Advisor regarding any relevant work with Guide and Handbook.

Additionally, for both the Guide and the Handbook, the service provider will:

• Apply excellent proofreading and editing skills to written submissions.
• Ensure accuracy for cite checking and statute checking.
• Communicate with criminal justice actors to obtain most update information.
• Review markup final blueprint with final corrections with PADF

3. SERVICE PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

The service provider should have the following competencies and experiences:

• Juris Doctorate with at least 5 years of prosecution experience handling gang-related cases
• Active member of local bar.
• Demonstrated experience for handling gang-related and other serious felony cases.
• Excellent legal research skills including the use of electronic online research tools, such as Vlex, and citation verification programs.
• Excellent writing skills; strong editing skills with an eye for detail and accuracy and ability to communicate legal concepts clearly and effectively in writing.
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view.
• Proficient in standard personal computer applications such as MS Office applications (Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel)
• Excellent interpersonal skills, promotes collaboration and teamwork.
• Integrity and accountability
• Cultural sensitivity and commitment to diversity
• High levels of professionalism and work ethics

4. DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY:

Estimated start date of contract is July 2023.The contract will have approximately a 2-month duration.

5. PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS TO INCLUDE:

Interested applicants are requested to submit the following:

• Technical and financial proposal
• Certificate of Registration/Incorporation/Continuance (as applicable)
• Income Tax Clearance Certificate
• VAT Clearance Certificate
• NIB Certificate of Compliance
• For individual Consultants – Tax Compliance Certificates
• Resume/Profile of the consultant
• References or Recommendations from three (3) previous clients

6. SUBMISSION DETAILS:

1. Applications must be received no later than June 23, 2023, 11:59pm AST (UTC -04:00). All application materials are to be submitted to padftrinidadandtobagooffice@padf.org, following the guidelines listed in these Terms of Reference.
2. Validity of bid: 90 days from the submission deadline.
3. Amendments: At any time prior to the deadline for submission of proposals, PADF may, for any reason, modify the Terms of Reference document by an amendment which will be posted to the PADF website and/or communicated via email.
4. All request for clarifications must be directed to Austice Antoine at padftrinidadandtobagooffice@padf.org.

7. TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

Resulting Award

This TOR does not obligate PADF to execute a contract, nor does it commit PADF to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of the proposals. Furthermore, PADF reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of PADF. PADF will, in its sole discretion, select the winning proposal and is not obligated to share individual evaluation results.

Confidentiality

All proprietary information provided by the bidder shall be treated as confidential and will not be shared with potential or actual applicants during the solicitation process. This includes but is not limited to price quotations, cost proposals and technical proposals. PADF may, but is not obliged to, post procurement awards on its public website after the solicitation process has concluded, and the contract has been awarded. PADF’s evaluation results are confidential and applicant scoring will not be shared among bidders.