EU-UNDP Project "Consumer Society and Citizen Networks"

Project Number: 00052715

Activity 1.3 Capacity Building Program delivered

Survey of EU consumer satisfaction measurement and use for advocacy purposes

Post Title: International Expert on consumer satisfaction assessment methodology

1. Background

The Consumer Society and Citizen Networks project (CSCN) is a joint initiative of the European Union and UNDP started in 2006

Current situation
Consumers lack reliable and timely information, unaware of existing institutional mechanisms for their rights protection. Only 5% of Ukrainian consumers are ready to actively seek protection of their rights by challenging manufacturers, sellers, or state bodies for providing them with products or services of insufficient quality. As a result, the Ukrainian market is full of unsafe and low quality goods and services. Increasing consumer awareness is the only way to create in Ukraine an effective system of distributing information on product safety and consumer rights protection.

Project mission
Active participation of citizens in the economic life of the country is a prerequisite for stable development of its economy. Well-informed consumers choose quality goods and services that weeds unscrupulous businesses out of the market.

The project’s goal is to enhance civil society role in sound economic governance in Ukraine according to the European standards. Specifically CSCN aims at promoting access of citizens to information on product safety, consumer rights protection, and to results of independent testing, as well as promoting wide public discussion of challenges facing the consumer society in Ukraine.

Areas of activities
CSCN works in three interrelated spheres: (1) knowledge transfer and capacity building of Ukrainian consumer organizations, spreading European practices of independent testing and product safety awareness; (2) providing citizens with access to consumer / economic empowerment information; and (3) access to justice and alternative dispute resolution.

• Knowledge transfer and capacity building
  CSCN will share with Ukrainian consumer rights protection NGOs experience, technology, and knowledge of their European counterparts through study trips, seminars, and learning sessions. The project will promote cooperation between consumer unions, community organizations, consumer rights NGOs, state agencies, local self-government bodies, and private sector to create synergies and contribute to strengthening consumer rights protection in Ukraine.
• Improved access to consumer information
  CSCN will participate in a wide public dialogue on product safety and standards, distributing information materials, holding working meetings and public hearings. The project will launch a comprehensive consumer awareness campaign to improve access of consumers to information on products available on the market and inform citizens of their legal rights and existing institutional mechanisms to utilize them. Relevant trainings for journalists and media representatives will be delivered.
• Access to justice and alternative dispute resolution
  The project will improve access to justice for consumers pursuing complaints on consumer rights violations at local courts by conducting an information campaign targeted at local court judges. Besides CSCN will consolidate, analyse, and publish higher level courts decisions and best advocacy practices in the field of consumer rights protection, promote alternative dispute resolution approach (ADR) and launch pilot advocacy centers.

Benefits for Ukraine
Improved dissemination of information on goods and services available on the Ukrainian market as well as on consumer rights and institutional mechanisms for their protection will boost consumer awareness of citizens getting Ukraine closer to the European standards. The project will contribute to emerging in Ukraine of a knowledgeable consumer able to make informed choices based on information on quality and safety of goods and services and actively seek protection of their rights which in turn will contribute to development of civil society in Ukraine.

The overall project objective is to increase civil society role in sound economic governance in Ukraine according to the European standards. Specifically CSCN aims at promoting access of citizens to information on product safety, consumer rights protection, and to results of independent testing, as well as promoting wide public discussion of challenges facing the consumer society in Ukraine.

The development of a consumer policy is the essential corollary of the progressive establishment of the internal market. The consumer policy needs to be backed by relevant information and data in order to adjust policies and set the appropriate priorities. To support this objective Project will support development and introduction of a set of indicators for consumer satisfaction and for the launch of a pilot survey.

The first objective of the assignment is to provide Project with the overview of EU approaches toward consumer satisfaction assessment (this ToR).

The second objective is to develop a methodology for the construction of consumer satisfaction indicators, which will reflect situation in Ukraine and will allow comparison with the EU countries.

The third objective will be to develop and conduct a pilot survey, based on the proposed methodology.

The output is to provide the Survey on consumer satisfaction measurement in EU Countries. Survey results should be provided in the form of Report and meet the following criteria:

1. Report should cover the history of consumer satisfaction assessment in EU with special emphasis on recent (last decade) developments in different EU countries and on the EU level in general (e.g. EC Project “Development of indicators on consumer satisfaction and pilot survey”, Contract n° B5-1000/03/000382).

2. Report should address the methodology of consumer satisfaction measurement in EU countries: which data is collected, by whom, at what scale, within which sector(s) of economy.

3. Report should pay special attention to the differences between consumer satisfaction indexes in different country contexts; factors, influencing different approaches to consumer satisfaction measurement should be reflected as well.

4. Report should describe the role of consumer satisfaction measurement for consumer policies development and implementation in business and public sectors.

5. Report should describe the provisional action plan for consumer satisfaction index introduction in Ukraine.

4. Activities

In order to obtain this output the executor should:

- Provide an overview of Ukrainian consumer protection system with special attention to existing institutions and potential roles for consumer satisfaction measurement (activity to be performed in cooperation with English-speaking Ukrainian expert)

- Analyze existing models of consumer satisfaction measurement on the level of EU and in EU countries with the established market economies (e.g. Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, etc.)

- Prepare the Report according to criteria from p.3 (see above).

- Deliver the Report to UNDP-Ukraine Project in electronic format (*.doc – file). File has to contain the following sections: Content, Introduction, main Report sections, Conclusions, References and Annexes (if any). File should be printed with Times New Roman font, 12p, with special formatting if necessary. Tables, graphs and pictures are allowed to illustrate the topics of the report.

- After the delivery of the Report Consultant should be ready to answer clarification questions

- Report should be prepared in English

It is expected that this assignment, including the Report preparation, be completed within 15 working days, from which 1 working day should be allocated for clarification e-mail session with Ukrainian Project office.

• Advanced University Degree in a consumer relevant discipline: degrees in Law, Economics, Political Science, Social Sciences and others ;
• Minimum 1 year of professional working experience with consumer satisfaction measurement;
• Minimum 5 years of professional working experience in the area of market monitoring, social research or other relevant field
• Good understanding of the consumer issues and personal commitment and dedication to improving and strengthening the system of the consumer-oriented services;
• Scientific and analytical skills;
• Analytical experience;
• Fluency in English; Russian or Ukrainian is an asset;
• EU national.

Applications (most recent CVs) in English language are to be submitted to the e-mail address vyacheslav.egorov@undp.org

Please indicate "International Consultant, Consumer Society" in the Subject line of your message. Please also mention your current daily fee level in your application/CV.

UNDP will use a transparent and competitive screening process, though will only contact those applicants in whom there is further interest. Applications may only be submitted for specific vacancies. We regret that we will not be able to acknowledge all unsolicited general applications for employment.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST IS OPEN FOR EU NATIONALS ONLY