Terms of Empanelment

The professional activities of CINP consultants and CIEB shall not be permanently exclusive to any one partner, member, beneficiary, vendor or program level consultant. The firm shall have complied with local laws of registration and audit requirement before due date and must support their reporting level activities through transparency charter by whatever name called. However, they shall be advised to develop a charter called “Assessable Transparency Operational Charter (ATOC)” to demonstrate the control frameworks adopted by the firm over CINP reporting to CMDP and CINP Program Management Team (CPMT).

The firm shall at all times maintain the highest ethical standards in the professional work undertaken and, in the matters related to CINP affairs, act solely in the interests of the CMDP, CPMT, and CINP Ethical Board (CEB). The firms shall also act as ‘The Joint Committee’ of two independent firms to bring in synergies to the CINP assessment related professional consultation. The firms shall have independent registration under the same act to seek such registration. However, none of the firms shall at any time or for any purpose misrepresent itself by the use of any title, symbol or form of words or whatsoever in order either to lend false authority of the other firm or to any representatives of the second parties, as long as the committee itself holds itself out to be the first party, to the transaction or contracts to which they are parties, or to mislead CINP stakeholders.

Where the firm is a subsidiary or Partner Assessment Firm (PAF) of one of the professional consulting firm of the CMDP, who has been awarded long term contract to provide professional quality and assurance services; all such relationships shall be declared to the CMDP through a valid formation of the ‘ The Joint Committee’ at the outset of the contract by following a valid Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) given due effect to by the members of the committee in writing with adoption of general Intellectual Property Right Service Mark (ISM) for quality and assurance collaboration as signing authorities to transparency charter (ATOC), by whatever name called; and the firm shall not enter into any exclusive arrangement during the active period of professional consultation service with CMDP for any of the clients, whosoever, which would detract from the objectivity of the quality and assurance services to be rendered by the firm during the contract periods.

The firm (s) shall maintain the confidentiality of CINP transactions and not disclose the confidential information concerning the CINP, and

1. Its stakeholders, management office, partners, members, vendors, activities, program data, research and office disseminated data, data existing at partner entities, community data; and

2. Assessment reports including annexures, contact information and details, contract service records, progress reports, program site information, contract source documents and unique identification numbers, program action plans and initiatives, intellectual property right and service marks (ISM), list of participant and program partners, list of beneficiaries, non-disclosure agreement (one-way, two-way, in-and-out), financial information, fund disbursements and disposals, program allocations, program IDs, templates, analyses, tables and routines, strategic plans and papers, CPAA information, inference logics, consultant directories and personal contact information including email address, vehicles hired or CMDP deployed, outsourcing contract and arrangements at all levels, financial account identifiers (FAI), expiration dates, registration details such as corporate identification and tax residence number, program and delivery schedules, and such other information having direct or indirect impact on the affairs of CMDP.

The CMDP shall have in place suitable measures which are designed to monitor the adherence to its code of conduct. Issues related to compliance shall be dealt with at the program level decisions made by CMDP or CEB.

The CMDP shall not give permission to publicize the guidelines and codes unless otherwise approved by CEB. The professional consultation contract shall be issued only upon the submission of all the documents by the prospective firms to the complete satisfaction of CPMT. However, a copy of the contract may be issued unconditionally to parent assessment firms, who are rendering their professional quality and assurance services by the formation of Joint Office-Joint Committee for collaborative quality and assurance services. The applicability of contract shall be governed by Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct (COPEC).

The professional consultation contract, hereinafter referred to as such contract, shall be awarded to the individuals or firms, who shall work on a probationary basis in the capacity of CINP consultants or CIEB for a period of six month from the first day of signing of such contract. During the probationary contract, the CINP consultants and CIEB shall work on provisional basis, whose fitness for continuation shall be determined by the CPMT on the recommendation of CMDP or CEB.

The renewal of such contract shall be primarily conditioned and dependent upon satisfactory execution, delivery and performance of the contract and it shall be within exclusive discretion of CMDP to determine whether the professional consultation service under such contract are satisfactorily performed, which shall also be guided by the context of established behaviors and standards for regularization and continuation of such contract which include, among others, the following criteria: dependability, trustworthiness, efficiency, initiatives, attitude towards work, honesty, respects for senior consultants and colleagues, cooperation, client’s responses, judgment, punctuality, quality of work, educability, articulateness, and professionalism subject to full adherence to COPEC.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall additionally encourage to assist program level consultants to develop their skills and progress their careers with significant value assigned to the contribution made, which requires CINP consultants and CIEB to communicate clearly, effectively, and positively about FPLAs and outcomes thereof by observing due respects to the local customs, practices, social beliefs, and ambitions of the community followed by high reverence for the matters of conscience and diversity in their widest sense.

The violation of minimum standards of COPEC at program, reporting, and assessment level shall constitute breach of COPEC and shall tantamount to gross misconduct or misfeasance on the part of CINP consultants and CIEB irrespective of the nature of the contracts.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall accept work for which they are qualified and have the capacity to undertake, which shall be communicated to CPMT by formal ‘Expression of Interest’, provided that they shall be allowed to enter into alliances to acquire such competence and organisation.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall, prior to undertaking a client assignment, shall provide in writing the scope, extent and the manner in which they will undertake the professional consultation services. The firm shall not accept an assignment with a scope so limited that it is aware that the CPMT would receive either ineffective advice or advice so incomplete, that will have to seek further advice.

Where the CINP consultants and CIEB wish so to employ the assistance of another professional bodies organisation and/or experts, hereinafter referred to as unrecognized entities, it shall be obligatory for them to inform the CPMT and obtain its acceptance by formal agreement; ensure that the work of such unrecognized entities are verified and that they are capable enough to apply the standards set out in the contract, and provide the scheme how such unrecognized entities shall extend their support to the CINP consultants and CIEB to the extent to which they shall be regarded as competent outsourced partner.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall ensure that they adhere to and remain always compliant with quality control procedures for effective rendering of professional consultation services. They shall be required to maintain the quality of source documentation, work in harmony with the CINP perspectives of the CMDP, and undertake the joint evaluation or assessment of the services rendered by them.

The CPMT shall reserve exclusive rights to terminate such contract, even prior to the expiration of such contract, for any of the just and legitimate causes necessitating such termination or failure on the part of CINP consultants and CIEB to satisfactorily meet and comply with expected behaviors and standards, conditions and requirements underlying such contract, in which case the CINP consultants and CIEB shall be entitled to their remuneration remaining due till the last day of their actual service.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall be in requirement to comply with all the existing rules, regulations, and policy relevant to such contract, which may be issued from time to time, including but not limited to the governing order and discipline of professional works, honesty, safety of the documents, observance of works assigned, CINP protocols, use of CMDP resources, and access to matters of confidentiality in relation to outcome of the findings, and such other rules as may be deemed necessary in the conduct of the works so assigned and reporting thereof.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall remain visible to the official web portal of the CPMT until the expiration of full terms of such contract, and be provided the benefits that is or may be granted to the extent allowed by the policy of CMDP and those provided by law. The firms rendering professional consultation services in the capacity of joint committee members shall be allowed to act in dual capacity - one in the capacity of professional firm and another as an independent CINP consultant and CIEB.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall, after signing such contract, agree that all records and documents pertaining to CINP and FPLA, and transaction and affairs related to CINP shall remain absolutely confidential and an unauthorized disclosure or a reproduction of the same shall amount breach of confidentiality to constitute sufficient ground for immediate termination of such contract and producing reasons for civil and criminal liability, thereof.

In case, the CINP consultants and CIEB wish to terminate its contract, they shall apply for such termination by notifying CPMT at least thirty (30) days prior to deemed receipt of such application with an official email and undertaking in writing, which shall be responded by CPMT within thirty (30) days of such deemed receipt of the application. The termination of the such contract shall not relieve CINP consultants and CIEB of the duty and obligations pending as on the date of such termination.

The deemed receipt of application shall mean the application, which is submitted to the CPMT with an undertaking furnished therewith applying for termination of the contract by the CINP consultants and CIEB. It means that that there shall be furnished an undertaking of termination of such contract within 30 days from the date of submission of the application requesting for the termination of the contract. Hence, the effective period to materialize the termination of the contract shall be 60 days.

The restrictive covenant of the contract underlying COPEC shall comprise of the following:

1. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall be restricted from disclosing any information about CINP and FPLA including level of funding to any persons except where such disclosure of information is part of the routine responsibilities under such contract, and which is required so to be disclosed in the assessment reports such as Gross Vendor’s Quotations (GVQ -VMPG complied), Disbursed to CAB (DCAB), As Appropriated for CINP (AAFC), and Ready For Disbursements (RFD). Such information may, however, be provided to the firm acting in the capacity of member to the joint committee formed and constituted in terms of sub-clause 5, when such reports affect the responsibility of both firms.
2. The information under sub-clause 24 shall include, without limitation, CINP and FPLA related information with respect to CINP Bid-Price (CBiP) and the terms underlying GVQ, DCAB, AAFC, CBiP and such other terms upon which CABs are funded and need so be divulged with prior approval of CPMT.
3. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall not divulge the design, implementation, and articulation of CINP plans, schedules, and other inputs without prior intimation to CPMT and in a manner inconsistent with COPEC.
4. The CINP consultant and CIEB shall not accept any remuneration or compensation, which disentitle them from accepting such remuneration or compensation in such capacity of consultants and CIEB.
5. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall make full disclosure of their interest or holding in multiple entities, and shall make specific disclosures of their conflict of interest with Prospective Partner Entities (PPE)/List of Prospective Vendors (LPV) or other stakeholders of CINP (Conflict of interest shall refer to any situation where personal interests of the CINP consultants and CIEB may conflict with professional or public interests, or where their obligations towards a second party affect their ability to uphold their obligations to a third party).

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall avoid conflict of interest and disclose any personal interest which may affect the decisions taken at FPLA, ensure that the PPE and CINP stakeholders, as appropriate, are informed in writing of any past, current or future conflict of interest that may be, or may become, an actual, or in their best judgement, a perceived conflict of interest, and consider for each potential professional consultation service the possibility of creating a conflict of interest, or the perception of such conflict, and, if such conflict is identified, they shall take all reasonable steps to protect the interests and confidentiality of each relationship amongst PPE and LPV, and act reasonably and justifiably in identifying and resolving conflict of values, including those of an ethical nature.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall respect their office timing, while on professional consultation or any assignment thereunder; and report timely to the nearest point of departure while leaving on such consultation or assignment.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall take actions to develop professional trust, such as sharing of useful information and making good on commitments; act consistently so that CINP staffs, practitioners, and consultants are surprised by breakthrough outcomes; demonstrate integrity by keeping confidence and showing concern for others at work.

CINP consultants and CIEB shall have full knowledge of the CINP-g issued by the CPMT, pay high and reasonable attention to the working papers available in the records of the beneficiaries (PPE, LPV and Stakeholders) at FPLA; and follow legitimately the instructions of the CPMT, CMDP, and CEB.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall meet and arrange meetings with beneficiaries of CINP (accredited program builders) to discuss and define what is expected of them; ensure that all PPE are treated equitably by giving equal considerations; help resolve problems and praise good performance; adhere to COPEC, and demonstrate respect for all consultants and facilitators working at par by recognizing their strength and contributions.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall know their Right, Power and Authority (RPA) to manage the CINP, the resources they have created or been offered or made available; create and deliver records and documents in an organized file system; gather sufficient appropriate evidence before arriving at final conclusions to influence further the quality of the outcomes of the group performance through collective discussion; perform series of review of the works by generating reasonable number of print-outs to validate the results obtained, and consider the RPA of total work-force at program level to know the outcomes obtained at CINP reporting and assessment level.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall attend to trainings, seminars, workshops, meetings, and discussions organized by the CPMT and CMDP; express the best opinion out of the knowledge possessed during the course of contract; avoid insubordination, negligence, falsification of documents, use of incorrect and unreliable data, infraction of published work rules, and repetition of specific errors; try to create a disciplined work force; and gain the highest confidence on the outcomes of the assignment they have completed by obtaining solid understanding of the subject matters and the reporting requirements.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall record and validate the statement when they interrogate CINP stakeholders of the program outcomes; learn quickly and try to gain an understanding what exactly is happening in CIDA; express clearly, confidently and loudly their inability to take up the assignment awarded and give brief reasons for such incapacity; help out LPV to make them understand the requirements and request them to implement the requisite and desirable changes to the extent possible by creating a positive work environment; and identify the resource persons representing LPV to share their valuable ideas, news and views; and respect the meals and foods respectfully offered to them by the PPE, LPV, volunteers, and consultants.

The CINP consultants and CIEB shall adhereto following codes of professional ethics and conducts

1. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall avoid conflict of interest and disclose any personal interest which may affect the decisions taken at FPLA, ensure that the PPE and CINP stakeholders, as appropriate, are informed in writing of any past, current or future conflict of interest that may be, or may become, an actual, or in their best judgement, a perceived conflict of interest, and consider for each potential professional consultation service the possibility of creating a conflict of interest, or the perception of such conflict, and, if such conflict is identified, they shall take all reasonable steps to protect the interests and confidentiality of each relationship amongst PPE and LPV, and act reasonably and justifiably in identifying and resolving conflict of values, including those of an ethical nature.

2. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall respect their office timing, while on professional consultation or any assignment thereunder; and report timely to the nearest point of departure while leaving on such consultation or assignment.

3. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall take actions to develop professional trust, such as sharing of useful information and making good on commitments; act consistently so that CINP staffs, practitioners, and consultants are surprised by breakthrough outcomes; demonstrate integrity by keeping confidence and showing concern for others at work.

4. CINP consultants and CIEB shall have full knowledge of the CINP-g issued by the CPMT, pay high and reasonable attention to the working papers available in the records of the beneficiaries (PPE, LPV and Stakeholders) at FPLA; and follow legitimately the instructions of the CPMT, CMDP, and CEB.

5. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall meet and arrange meetings with beneficiaries of CINP (accredited program builders) to discuss and define what is expected of them; ensure that all PPE are treated equitably by giving equal considerations; help resolve problems and praise good performance; adhere to COPEC, and demonstrate respect for all consultants and facilitators working at par by recognizing their strength and contributions.

6. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall know their Right, Power and Authority (RPA) to manage the CINP, the resources they have created or been offered or made available; create and deliver records and documents in an organized file system; gather sufficient appropriate evidence before arriving at final conclusions to influence further the quality of the outcomes of the group performance through collective discussion; perform series of review of the works by generating reasonable number of print-outs to validate the results obtained, and consider the RPA of total work-force at program level to know the outcomes obtained at CINP reporting and assessment level.

7. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall attend to trainings, seminars, workshops, meetings, and discussions organized by the CPMT and CMDP; express the best opinion out of the knowledge possessed during the course of contract; avoid insubordination, negligence, falsification of documents, use of incorrect and unreliable data, infraction of published work rules, and repetition of specific errors; try to create a disciplined work force; and gain the highest confidence on the outcomes of the assignment they have completed by obtaining solid understanding of the subject matters and the reporting requirements.

8. The CINP consultants and CIEB shall record and validate the statement when they interrogate CINP stakeholders of the program outcomes; learn quickly and try to gain an understanding what exactly is happening in CIDA; express clearly, confidently and loudly their inability to take up the assignment awarded and give brief reasons for such incapacity; help out LPV to make them understand the requirements and request them to implement the requisite and desirable changes to the extent possible by creating a positive work environment; and identify the resource persons representing LPV to share their valuable ideas, news and views; and respect the meals and foods respectfully offered to them by the PPE, LPV, volunteers, and consultants.

9. The professional consultation service (quality and assurance service) shall comprise of the following services rendered by CINP consultants and CIEB.