UNICEF Thailand is seeking a qualified institutional contractor (company, academic institution, and/or foundation) with demonstrated expertise in disability inclusion, inclusive and special education, and assistive technology to conduct a “Landscape Mapping and Systems Analysis of Assistive Technology (AT) for the Education of Children with Disabilities in Thailand”.    Background The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) states that inclusive education is a fundamental right for all children. Article 7 of the CRPD obliges States Parties to take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by children with disabilities on an equal basis with other children.  In Thailand, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2008, Article 5, indicates that person with disabilities has the right to free education, including access to technology, assistive device, media, services and other essential supports[1].  Assistive technologies have become a central tool for facilitating the participation of children with disabilities in mainstream education, and in 2007, the Thai Ministry of Education promulgated a Ministerial Regulation outlining the definition of assistive technology and affirming the entitlement of students with disabilities to access assistive devices, educational media, specialized services, and other essential support mechanisms to facilitate their learning and development[2]. Despite this strong policy foundation, persistent disparities in access and participation remain. Thailand’s 2022 Disability Survey indicates that only 60 per cent of children with disabilities aged 5–17 attended school, compared with 97 per cent of children without disabilities. Attendance rates decline steeply across age and gender, reflecting systemic challenges in ensuring sustained access, participation, and learning for students with disabilities[3]. Assistive technology (AT) is a critical enabler for participation in education[4]. It includes assistive products, tools, services, and systems that support children with functional difficulties to access curriculum, communicate, engage socially, and demonstrate learning[5]. AT ranges from low-tech devices to digital and software-based learning supports. When appropriately identified, provided, and supported, AT reduces barriers, enhances independence, and operationalizes Thailand’s commitments under CRPD and SDG 4. However, AT ecosystems are inherently complex. Effective provision requires coordinated policy frameworks, functional assessment pathways, procurement and financing systems, trained personnel, and mechanisms for maintenance and follow-up. In Thailand, responsibilities are distributed across multiple ministries and agencies, and current AT access pathways vary widely across regions and school types. Local innovation exists but is not systematically integrated. Global AT markets are also evolving rapidly, making system readiness an important factor in enabling sustainable access. Against this background, UNICEF seeks to commission an institutional consultancy to generate a consolidated evidence base and system-level diagnosis of Thailand’s AT landscape for education. The goal is to support policy coherence, strengthen implementation systems, and inform actionable reforms that improve equitable access to AT for children with disabilities.   Objectives, Purpose & Expected results UNICEF Thailand is seeking a qualified institutional contractor (company, academic institution, and/or foundation) with demonstrated expertise in disability inclusion, inclusive and special education, and assistive technology to conduct a “Landscape Mapping and Systems Analysis of Assistive Technology (AT) for the Education of Children with Disabilities in Thailand”.  The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen national understanding of the assistive technology (AT) ecosystem for education in Thailand and to provide actionable, context-specific, and feasible policy and programmatic recommendations that can guide government ministries and partners in advancing inclusive and equitable AT access. The primary objectives are: Map the current AT landscape in Thailand’s education sector - a) document existing AT products, services, and delivery mechanisms available to children with disabilities; b) identify responsible institutions, regulatory frameworks, financing and procurement pathways, training arrangements, and school-level implementation; & c) describe coverage, quality, and integration of AT across different school settings (mainstream, inclusive, special, vocational, and non-formal). Develop a classification framework for AT in education - a) review the Ministry of Education’s approved list of AT and related educational supports; b) classify AT by function (access vs learning support), type (hardware/software; low-/mid-/high- tech), user profile (disability type; functional difficulty; age; education level), intended use (individual vs institutional); & c) clarify boundaries between AT for education and AT for health, including implications for regulation, financing, and responsibility[6]. Benchmark against global good practices - a) conducting a comparative analysis with at least three countries (regional peer, upper-middle-income comparator, and aspirational peer); b) identify models of AT governance, financing, procurement, assessment, service delivery, and innovation; c) assess applicability to Thailand, including conditions required for adaptation. Analyse AT provision, use, and system performance - a) examining trends in AT availability, accessibility, quality, usability, and affordability across different education settings; b) conduct purposively sampled primary data collection (qualitative and/or quantitative) to understand institutional practice and variation; & c) identify systemic enablers and bottlenecks, including those related to budgets, human resources, regulatory frameworks, procurement practices, and assessment and referral pathways. Engage stakeholders and end-users - conduct participatory sessions with children and youth with disabilities, caregivers, teachers and school administrators, personnel from Special Education Centres, service providers, and Organizations of People with Disabilities (OPDs) – to capture lived experience, usability insights, unmet needs, and perceived priorities. Develop actionable policy and programme recommendations – a) provide clear, feasible, and prioritized recommendations for policy reform, service delivery improvements, financing, procurement, regulation, capacity development, innovation, and monitoring; b) include indicative sequencing (short-, medium-, long-term), institutional responsibilities, and feasibility considerations; & c) Align recommendations with relevant frameworks, including the WHO–UNICEF Priority Assistive Products List and ATScale[7]. A comprehensive final report with aligned with all above objectives is expected at the end of this consultancy.  The primary audience for the project is UNICEF and the national line ministries - Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development and Human Securities and other relevant agencies - working to promote equitable access to quality education of children with disabilities in Thailand.     Description of the assignment The scope of work focuses on understanding how Thailand’s assistive technology (AT) system for education functions in practice - across policy, financing, procurement, assessment, delivery, and use. The consultancy is expected to use analytical tools which combine policy and system analysis, comparative international review, and participatory stakeholder engagement to understand how assistive technology is delivered and used across Thailand’s education system. This exercise will scope assistive technology which is entitled to children with disabilities and children with functional difficulties by laws, legislation, policies, regulations, and publicly funded of each country.  The exercise does not include assistive technology in the market which children or families buy at their own expense. But, given this rapid evolution, the work must not only document the current landscape but also identify system capacities and limitations that determine whether new, emerging, or scalable AT solutions can be integrated sustainably into the education sector. The methodology emphasizes a mixed-methods approach that combines a structured secondary review with targeted primary data collection.  Primary data - both qualitative and quantitative - will be purposively collected to capture real practices, bottlenecks, and decision pathways across different settings; it is not intended to be nationally representative or to estimate prevalence. Instead, the methodology focuses on triangulating policies, administrative practices, institutional experiences, and user perspectives to produce a system-level diagnosis and identify practical opportunities to strengthen equitable AT access. This study is expected to provide crucial and actionable evidence, system-based insights that ministries can directly use to strengthen planning, budgeting, regulation, procurement, training, and service delivery to increase access to and use of AT to support education of children with disabilities in Thailand.  It is expected that the duration of this assignment will be 8 months from March 2026. During this time, all tasks and deliverables shall be completed based on the specific timeline agreed between the awarded contractor and UNICEF. Bidders are required to outline the proposed specific timeline in the technical proposal submission.   Deliverables and Timeline The objectives of the study are both distinct and linked. Hence, despite the deliverables being scheduled in a linear timeline as below, the work processes are expected to be implemented both sequentially and concomitantly as per what is considered fit for the study. Deliverables*   Indicative timeline INCEPTION (estimated 25 working days) Project kick-off meeting             March 2026 1.    Inception Report highlighting the shared understanding on agreed deliverables and their format, methodology, process, and timelines. An inception validation meeting with the reference group should be conducted, and feedback from this meeting must be incorporated into the final inception report.         April 2026 2.    Draft report on policy and system review, landscape mapping in Thailand and International comparative analysis against at least three countries case studies. At least one round of revision based on comments from reference group.             May 2026 DEVELOPMENT Phase I (estimated 40 working days) 3.    Primary data collection tools for site visits, interviews / envisioning sessions/focus groups            June-July 2026 4.    Draft analysis on AT provision, use, and system performance and policy and programmatic recommendations to promote a more sustainable and inclusive AT integration in Thailand’s education system. At least one round of revision based on comments from reference group.    August-September 2026 FINALIZATION (estimated 15 working days) 5.    In-person presentation of major findings to stakeholders September 2026 6.    Final report which contains: a.    Policy and system review, landscape mapping of Thailand’s AT, international comparative analysis, analysis on AT provision, use, and system performance and policy and programmatic recommendations b.    Executive summary of final reports (max 20 pages) c.    Presentation of major findings of the study               October 2026 * All deliverables must be available in Thai language.  The inception report, the presentation and the executive summary of final report must be available in both Thai and English language.   Location and Duration The assignment duration is foreseen from March – October 2026, during which time all tasks are expected to be completed and all deliverables achieved. The detailed timeline will be agreed between UNICEF and the awarded contractor. Bidders are expected to include their specific timeline in the technical proposal, which is subject to review and approval by UNICEF. The assignment will be mostly completed at the contractor’s premises. The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for its completion, including any travel arrangements. Travel is expected based on the geographic focus defined in the methodology. If safety concerns are present due to any restrictions, the FGDs and KII will be conducted virtually, and a contingency plan should be in place.   Mandatory and Desirable Qualification Requirements This contract will be awarded to an institution. If a consortium of two or more institutions submits a joint bid, a lead institution must be named. The lead institution will serve as the sole point of contact with UNICEF for contract management purposes. Qualification for institutional contractor The contractor can be based either outside or in Thailand and must be registered and legally permitted to carry out the required tasks. (applicable to the contractor and any sub-contracted institution/individual under the lead contractor) A minimum of five (5) years of direct experience in applied research, including demonstrated partnerships with government agencies, education authorities, or schools.  The experience in applied research in Thailand is considered an asset. Demonstrated capacity and experience of conducting research on inclusive education, children with disabilities, or assistive technology in Thailand, including robust quality assurance mechanisms to ensure high-quality research products. Understanding of and commitment to human rights-based approaches to programming, including gender equality, equity, and non-discrimination. Demonstrated capacity to deliver high-quality, ethical research aligned with UNICEF’s research standards, including data protection and informed consent protocols. Capacity to travel and work in the provinces, to be determined, to engage with relevant stakeholders. Strong professional and policy writing skills, along with the ability to conduct research in Thai and submit concise reports in both English and Thai. Strong research, problem-solving, organizational skills, and the ability to deliver results under tight deadlines. Experience in working with UN agencies, international organizations, or donors is an asset.   For full details, please refer to the attached Annex B - Terms of Reference. This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM). By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html . In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission. Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering. Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated. All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender. Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to: [email protected] - no later than 3 March 2026 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline. The closing date of e-submission on UNGM is 10 March 2026 at 10.00 AM Bangkok time. We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline. Best regards, UNICEF Supply team