Background

UNDP has committed to ensuring appropriate environmental and social safeguards are in place to strengthen the quality and sustainability of its programming. One key component of this is UNDP’s project-level environmental and social screening p4)rocedure which was rolled out in 2012.  The screening procedure is one piece of a broader process to strengthen the social and environmental sustainability of UNDP programming. The screening procedure is being phased in and it was agreed that after the first year of implementation the procedure would be revised or developed further as needed, based on the lessons learned from implementation. Also, an assessment of demand for longer-term support and capacity building will be made, including the need for:
  • additional human and/or financial resources;
  • an online training/certification program;
  • additional tools to support the screening and the environmental assessment processes.
UNDP is now seeking the support of a consultant to conduct a review of lessons learned from the implementation of the screening procedure; identify recommendations to strengthen the tools usability and application; revise the screening guidance and tool accordingly; and contribute to outreach and awareness-raising.

Duties and Responsibilities

Output 1: Summary report of the first year implementation of the screening procedure and lessons learned (approximately 10 pages, estimated 20 days level of effort by early June)
 
Prepare a summary report of the first year of implementation of the screening procedure, highlighting key activities, lessons learned and recommendations for ongoing implementation. This will include the following activities:
  • Review and summarize the activities that have been conducted over the last year to roll out the new screening procedure. 
  • Identify as many completed screening templates as possible through review of the online screening tool and outreach to UNDP’s Regional Bureaus and key vertical fund units.
  • Review completed screening templates and summarize the outcomes, noting which environmental and social issues may have been identified through the screening process and how these have been addressed. Review to determine if there were any potential issues in the interpretation of the screening questions to identify recommendations for further clarification and refinement of the guidance and tool. 
  • Develop a questionnaire to send out to those who have conducted a screening to obtain their feedback on lessons learned and the results of the process. Review and summarize the responses and conduct additional follow-up as needed.
  • Conduct a limited number of interviews (up to 7) with key staff who have been involved in implementing the screening procedure to obtain more detailed feedback.
  • Review the questions that have been received from UNDP staff over the last year through the help desk as well as through the webinars to identify key areas where additional guidance may be needed.
  • Review the results of UNDP’s Results Oriented Annual Reporting for 2012 related to use of UNDP’s environmental and social screening procedure.
  • Meet with each of UNDP’s Regional Bureaus to identify regional issues related to operationalization of the screening procedure and to identify portfolios with higher social and environmental risks.
  • Meet with those leading UNDP’s overall processes related to quality assurance of programming to ensure the screening procedure is fully aligned with and linked to these broader processes.
  • Prepare a brief (approximately 10 page) summary report as well as support the preparation of briefing materials for presentation to UNDP’s senior management. The report will reference key lessons learned and also highlight recommendations related to capacity development needs, areas where further guidance or clarity is required in the tool, and human and financial resource and institutional implications for ongoing implementation.
Output 2: Elaboration of UNDP’s Social and Environmental Quality Standards (estimated 20 days level of effort by end of August)
 
UNDP has recently consolidated its various social and environmental requirements into a set of ten quality standards. These quality standards are high-level policy statements that are included in the POPP and includes standards related to climate change, biodiversity, pollution prevention, human rights, gender, indigenous peoples and others. The consultant will support the elaboration of these by conducting the following, working closely with UNDP’s compliance and grievance specialist:
  • Draft and finalize two page documents on seven of the quality standards (excluding those for human rights, indigenous peoples and involuntary resettlement which will be drafted by UNDP’s accountability and grievance specialist) introducing the mandate and background of the quality standard, objectives, scope of application, requirements and relevant tools/guidance.
Output 3: Revision of the screening procedure based on lessons learned from application and alignment with UNDP’s social and environmental quality standards (estimated 20 days level of effort by end of August)
 
Based on the results of the review of the first year of implementation and the elaborated social and environmental quality standards the consultant will conduct the following activities:
  • Suggest revisions to UNDP’s Environmental and Social Screening Procedure guidance document and screening tool. 
  • Incorporate additional inputs from UNDP colleagues (including the Steering Group, cross-practice working group, compliance and grievance mechanism colleagues and UNDP’s GEF team)
  • Some specific gaps to be addressed include clarified guidance on the use of national systems, application of the screening procedure in joint programming contexts, accountability and grievance, human rights and indigenous peoples’ issues, and alignment with UNDP’s social and environmental quality standards and overall quality assurance framework for project management. 
Output 4: Support capacity building and awareness raising (estimated 20 days level of effort by end of September)
 
The consultant will support internal capacity building, outreach and awareness raising related to the environmental and social screening procedure by conducting the following activities:
  • Contribute to the development of the UNDP web-based toolkit for social and environmental sustainability of programming
  • Support the development and planning for a high-level meeting to launch the UNDP web-based toolkit for social and environmental sustainability of programming and a subsequent workshop with key UNDP staff on the quality standards, screening procedure and toolkit. The high-level meeting and workshop will be held in June/July 2013.
  • Select a small sample of screened projects (3-5), resulting in different screening outcomes and cutting across the spectrum of work that UNDP engages in, to be highlighted as case examples. Draft brief summaries of these case examples to be used widely in communications, outreach, webinars, etc.
  • Update the Frequently Asked Questions
  • Update the webinar presentation and talking points which has previously been developed to introduce staff to the screening procedure. The updated webinar presentation will include some case examples (based on the drafted cases referenced above)
  • Support the drafting of key outreach messages related to the screening procedure that can be used by UNDP senior management.
Institutional Arrangement:
The consultant will report to the EEG Programme Specialist and submit an invoice for payment, upon completion of each output.
 
Duration of Work:
The contract will go through 31 October 2013 with an anticipated level of effort of 80 days.
 
Duty Station:
The consultant will be home-based and office-based (in New York). Preferably the consultant will be available to be office-based at least part-time. Applicants who are not based in New York will need to plan for 3 trips to New York for one-week each during which time they would work full-time in the office. 
 
Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:
  • The consultant will receive a lump sum payment upon successful delivery of each output indicated in this Terms of Reference (ToR), as cleared by the UNDP Programme Specialist.
  • Applicants are requested to provide an all-inclusive[1] price proposal for each of the outputs listed in the ToR. 
  • Travel for applicants not based near New York City will be covered and arranged by UNDP for each of the required trips in accordance with the UNDP travel rules and regulation.
The term ‘all inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal

Competencies

  • Technical expertise in environmental and social safeguards, including environmental and social impact assessment, human rights and indigenous peoples.
  • Demonstrated excellence in clear, concise and convincing writing and communication skills
  • Highly organized with strong analytical and research skills
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team and process
  • Familiarity with the UN System, in particular UNDP

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • Masters degree in field related to international development, with specific academic background related to social and environmental sustainability
Work Experience:
  • More than 15 years experience related to social and environmental sustainability and impact assessment in an international development context
Language Requirements:
  • Excellent drafting skills in English, proficiency in other official UN languages an advantage (particularly French and Spanish).
Criteria for Selection of Best Offer:
The selection will be based on a combined scoring method – where the qualifications will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30%. The 70% rating will be based on how well the applicant meets the minimum qualifications/competencies described above.
 
Application Instructions:
 
DO NOT APPLY ON THIS SITE.  This notice serves only to advertise the Terms of Reference for this assignement.  To apply, applicants must go to the Procurement Notice - http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=11237  All relevant information including documents required for submission can be found on this procurement notice.
 
FC: 23300