ISO/IEC 17025 Trainer(s)

Job Description

Position: ISO/IEC 17025 Trainer(s)

Reports to: Trade Facilitation Specialist

Level of effort: 15 working days (remote & in-person in the Dominican Republic)

Period for execution: February-March 2024

About Trade Safe Project (TraSa):

IESC is the prime implementor of the USDA-funded Trade Safe (TraSa) Project in the Dominican Republic (DR). TraSa aims to build the capacity of Dominican government institutions to develop a modernized Sanitary/Phytosanitary (SPS) and food safety related policy and regulatory framework to respond to the needs of the DR’s trade agreements and international best practices, as well as Dominican consumers. TraSa is helping government institutions to implement science- and risk-based SPS and food safety measures, standards, and regulations to facilitate trade in food and agricultural products. The project is also supporting the development of cold chain policies. The project period of implementation is October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2025.

Develop and conduct two ISO/IEC 17025:2017 laboratory management systems implementation courses for personnel in food testing laboratories. These courses will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to plan and implement the necessary steps for gaining accreditation.

The global expansion of trade has led to an increase in market entry requirements, including various standards and technical regulations. While adherence to these standards is essential, it can sometimes serve as a trade barrier. For example, when importing countries lack confidence in the conformity assessment process of their trading partners, they may demand additional laboratory tests, duplicating efforts already conducted in the exporting nation. In cases where a country takes regulatory action based on non-accredited laboratory test results, the affected parties can challenge this action. Such issues stemming from the absence of a credible conformity assessment infrastructure can cause significant delays in the movement of goods.

International recognition of laboratory technical competence is critical for determining the acceptability of goods in international trade. In this context, the ISO/IEC 17025 international standard was developed to instill confidence in laboratory competence. ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation serves as evidence that a laboratory maintains an effective quality management system and possesses the ability and competence to provide testing results that are mutually accepted by various regulatory authorities.

In the Dominican Republic, many national conformity assessment bodies lack accreditation. Consequently, numerous analyses required by international markets are conducted by foreign laboratories. Recognizing the need to enhance the quality of results, facilitate trade, and give the Dominican Republic a competitive edge, the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) Laboratory Working Group has sought TraSa’s support to organize two ISO/IEC 17025:2017 implementation courses. These courses are intended for personnel working in food testing laboratories and are designed to guide them through the necessary steps for achieving accreditation.

It’s worth noting that in 2020, the Dominican Organism for Accreditation (ODAC), an active member of the NTFC Lab Working Group, achieved signatory status in the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangements (ILAC MRA) for calibration and testing (ISO/IEC 17025). This status allows ODAC to grant ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for specific tests submitted by Dominican laboratories.

The consultant(s) is responsible for the following tasks:

1. Develop two training courses for food testing laboratory personnel. These courses should enable participants to:
   • Design a laboratory management system in line with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.
   • Understand the management, technical, and support processes essential for system implementation.
   • Conduct risk assessments and establish quality objectives as stipulated by the standard.
   • Plan the necessary implementation steps to obtain accreditation.
2. Deliver two training courses, each accommodating approximately 25 employees from food testing laboratories, for a total of around 50 participants.
3. Administer pre- and post-training surveys to assess participants’ learning and knowledge acquisition.
4. Conduct a facilitator evaluation survey to gauge the quality of the courses.
5. Provide the necessary training materials to the TraSa team at least 10 working days before the training. These materials should include the course agenda, PowerPoint presentations, evaluation surveys, and any other relevant documents.
6. Sign the course participants’ certificates, provided by the TraSa team, and distribute them upon course completion.
7. Produce a training report that covers essential information, including the training dates, objectives, topics covered, and recommendations for future training to enhance the capacity of laboratory staff in implementing ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

All deliverables should be presented in Spanish and in an editable format. The proposed delivery dates are approximate.

Deliverable 1. Workplan (to be provided within one week after contract signing)

The workplan must contain a schedule of activities, which will be used by the TraSa technical team throughout the assignment to keep track of progress. The document should include the following:

• An Excel or Word document listing all activities required for the assignment, organized in chronological order.
• Time estimates for each activity.
• Estimated delivery dates for each deliverable.

This deliverable must be sent by email and presented (in a virtual of physical meeting) to the IESC and NTCF lab working group technical teams. The technical team will provide written comments within 3 business days of submission. The consultant(s) will provide the final version of this deliverable no later than 2 business days after receiving comments from the technical teams.

Deliverable 2. Course Agenda (to be delivered approximately three weeks after contract signing)

This deliverable must consist of a Word document of at least 5 pages and should include but not be limited to the following:

1. A brief description of the facilitator’s profile, including areas of expertise and experience.
2. Learning outcomes, module list, and module content descriptions.
3. Target audience for the course.
4. Participant prerequisites.
5. Detailed agenda for the training courses, specifying dates, start and finish times, durations, topics within each module, exercises, evaluation surveys, and breaks. The agenda should include but not be limited to the following:

• The list of topics within each module to be taught.
• The exercises and practical cases to be carried out.
• The participants’ evaluation survey.
• The facilitator evaluation survey.
• The coffee breaks and lunch breaks.

This deliverable must be sent by email and presented (in a virtual of physical meeting) to the IESC and NTCF lab working group technical teams. The technical team will provide written comments within 3 business days of submission. The consultant(s) will provide the final version of this deliverable no later than 2 business days after receiving comments from the technical teams.

Deliverable 3. Training Materials (to be delivered approximately five weeks after contract signing)

This deliverable is composed of various sub-deliverables as indicated as follow:

1. PowerPoint presentations to be used throughout the entire course.
2. The participants’ evaluation surveys in a Word document (except otherwise agreed between TraSa technical team and the offerors).
3. The facilitator evaluation survey in a Word document (except otherwise agreed between TraSa technical team and the offerors).
4. A handbook for participants, of at least 10 pages, in Word which contains all the teaching resources of the course.
5. Any other material to be used during the training courses.

The Word and PowerPoint files must be prepared in accordance with the following specifications:

• The texts must be written in Spanish, coherent, free of spelling mistakes, and consistent in style and font. Font size, line spacing, heading levels and formats, margins, page headings, and paragraph alignment should be consistent throughout the documents.
• The sources consulted and used must be duly referenced.

This deliverable must be sent by email and presented (in a virtual or physical meeting) to TraSa and NTCF lab working group technical teams. The TraSa technical team will provide written comments within 3 business days of submission. The offeror will provide the final version of this deliverable no later than 2 business days after receiving the comments from the TraSa technical team.

Deliverable 4. Training Course Execution Report (to be delivered approximately seven weeks after contract signing)

This deliverable must consist of a Word document of at least 3 pages, which should include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Training dates and durations.
• Number of participants.
• Covered topics.
• Results of participant and facilitator evaluation surveys.
• Recommendations for future training.

This deliverable must be sent by email and presented (in a virtual or physical meeting) to TraSa and NTCF lab working group technical teams. The TraSa technical team will provide written comments within 2 business days of submission. The offeror will provide the final version of this deliverable no later than 1 business day after receiving the comments from the TraSa technical team.

The assignment is expected to commence in February 2024, with a maximum completion timeline of two months, including training preparation, course delivery, and reporting.

Applications will be assessed based on the criteria and weights detailed below:

1. Offeror’s personnel experience and capacities: 2-page limit. Possible points: 70

   • The offeror must include a description of the individuals or personnel who would directly work on the assignment. CVs and certification should be sent as attachments and do not count within the page limitations. The description should be short and only contain relevant experience/education, and is limited to 2 pages per CV. Personnel experience and capacities are scored on the following:

     • Degree in a relevant field: Higher university degree (master’s or doctorate) in laboratory management, quality assurance or a related field. Alternatively, candidates with a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) will be considered if they have at least 5 additional years of experience in the relevant field.

     • Experience with ISO/IEC 17025 audits: Extent to which the offeror is experienced with audits to assess compliance of laboratories against ISO/IEC 17025.

     • Training Experience: Extent to which the offeror has experience conducting training for laboratories to prepare their personnel for the implementation of ISO/IEC 17025 management system.

     • ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Auditor Team Leader: It is preferable that the trainer has completed a formal ISO/IEC 17025 training and currently holds the role of an auditor team leader. Supporting evidence may include a communication from the accreditation body to which the trainer belongs as an Auditor Team Leader, or a copy of the official directory of the accreditation body where the Auditor Team Leader is listed.

2. Technical approach: 3-page limit. Possible points: 30

The technical approach will be scored based on its effectiveness to meet the requirements of the assignment. It should demonstrate a clear approach to how the offeror will carry out the assignment including but not limited to:

• • Training Modules Description: An outline of the training modules including a description of their content and intended learning outcomes.

  • Training Methodology: A description of the methodology that will be employed for the training, providing insight into how the training will be conducted effectively.

  • Training Course Duration: Specify the duration of the training course and the breakdown of the training schedule.

Interested candidates should attach the following documents in their application. Applications are due 10:00 AM on December 13, 2023:

1. Letter of intent.
2. Offeror’s personnel experience and capacities, as detailed above.
3. Technical proposal for the consultancy’s development.
   1. Estimated total number of working days required for the consultancy.
   2. Daily fees and total costs.
   3. Proposed Gantt chart with number of estimated days of effort (with travel schedule as needed).

IESC provides comprehensive support to experts before, during, and after their anticipated assignment in the Dominican Republic. Support includes:

• Arranging and reimbursing all travel and logistical expenses provided by IESC, including airfares, visas, medical examinations, travel insurance for medical evacuation and emergencies, and transit expenses.
• Project management and supervision from the headquarters in Washington, DC.
• Translation and communication support.

About the Organization

IESC is a leading U.S. nonprofit organization that fosters private sector development in the economically developing world. Since 1964, we have delivered lasting solutions that have resulted in more than 1.5 million jobs in 137 countries. We partner with businesses, cooperatives, entrepreneurs, jobseekers, and governments to sustainably build capacity, create jobs, and grow enterprises, sharing proven skills and experience that improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities around the world. Our major funders today are the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), among others.