Description
The U.S. Embassy in Conakry, Guinea is seeking a qualified legal services provider to furnish non-litigation legal advisory services in the areas of Guinean labor law and Guinean immigration law. The contractor will provide expert legal counsel to support the embassy's operational, administrative, and policy functions related to workforce management and the movement of personnel across international borders. The services are strictly non-litigation in nature and are intended to provide proactive legal guidance, compliance support, and risk mitigation. Some of the key services include:
• Employment Compliance: Advise on applicable domestic and host-country labor laws, regulations, and standards governing the Department's locally employed (LE) staff and other personnel.
• Revision of and Application of Mission Human Resources policies: Routine Mission management notices and regulations must be updated on a regular basis, and legal advice is required to maintain their integrity and alignment with the Local Labor Law.
• Local Compensation Plan: Once the labor law changes are implemented, the LCP will require major changes in addition to the changes already made.
• Ongoing possibility of legal dispute: Post is comfortable administering disciplinary procedures, but due to the complexity of the local labor law, it is prudent to have “for cause” terminations reviewed by an experienced local lawyer.
• Employee involuntary downgrades, reductions in force and/or changes to work schedules: The embassy is in the process of reviewing all position descriptions and reclassifying those that are not up-to-date, and post requires legal advice to explain possible wage changes to affected employees.
• Workplace Policies: Review, draft, and update employment policies, handbooks, and internal regulations to ensure legal compliance.
• Disciplinary & Grievance Procedures: Advise on legally compliant disciplinary processes, grievance mechanisms, and separation procedures.
• Wage & Hour Compliance: Counsel on compensation structures, overtime, leave entitlements, and benefits in accordance with applicable law.
• Workplace Investigations: Provide legal guidance on conducting internal investigations into workplace complaints, including harassment, discrimination, and misconduct allegations.
• Training & Awareness: When necessary, deliver legal briefings or training sessions to Department staff on labor law obligations and best practices.
The contractor will also provide legal advisory services in the areas of immigration law, including visa and work authorization, residency and status compliance, immigration policy analysis, document review and preparation, consular and administrative liaison, repatriation and emergency situations, and training and awareness.
The contract will be for a one-year period from the date of the contract award, with two one-year options that may be exercised at the embassy's discretion. The contractor will be required to submit invoices monthly, itemizing hours worked, personnel assigned, and services rendered. Monthly invoices will be paid or settled on net 30-day terms.