Background

In close collaboration with national counterparts, the Crisis Prevention and Recovery portfolio targets the following areas:
  • Disaster Risk Management;
  • Mine Action;
  • Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue;
  • Conflict Prevention and Peace building.
In order to implement infrastructure projects in South Lebanon, the services of a civil engineer are required to develop necessary engineering studies of the projects and supervise works on the ground. These projects will be identified and selected together with the local communities along the course of the implementation of each of the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Projects. The services of the civil engineer will be used therefore when needed along the duration of the projects and until the end of February 2015.
 
The main CPR project having activities in South Lebanon that may require the services of a civil engineer is “Towards Sustainable Solutions for Improved Living Conditions of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon” which is jointly implemented by UNDP and UN-HABITAT in partnership with the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC).
 
The project aims at working at the national and local levels to improve dwellers’ access to Basic Urban Services in the Palestinian Gatherings in Lebanon, including the Adjacent Areas (AAs) of Palestinian Refugee Camps. Adjacent Areas represent a category of Palestinian gatherings that are located around the peripheries or official boundaries of Palestinian refugee Camps. Basic Urban Services (BUS) include the sectors of 1) water provision; 2) sewerage; 3) solid waste management; 4) electricity and 5) road networks.
 
With the increased urbanization in Lebanon, Palestinian gatherings have been growing both vertically and horizontally to accommodate for more Palestinian refugees as well as for poor dwellers from other nationalities. Most recently, Palestinian gatherings have been accommodating for more than 30,000 Palestinian and Syrian refugees from Syria. However, these areas remain excluded from national strategies or local development plans, increasing poverty and marginalization of the local communities and the deterioration of the living environment. The exclusion of Gatherings from national and local development schemes is strongly reflected in these areas’ access to basic urban services and infrastructure. Dwellers in the gatherings are generally excluded from basic urban services provided by public service agencies and municipalities in the surrounding areas or from those provided by UNRWA (as per its mandate) within the borders of the camps.

As an alternative mechanism, dwellers in the gatherings resort to a number of informal self-help initiatives to access and maintain these services; which are eventually connected in an ad-hoc manner to the surrounding municipal networks or to the camps’ networks. In order to improve access to BUS in the gatherings, the Joint Programme will implement infrastructure works.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant (civil engineer) will undertake the following tasks and activities under the supervision of UNDP Project Manager:
  • Assess the feasibility and components of infrastructure projects;
  • Produce engineering studies (BOQs, illustration, etc.) and bidding documents when applicablefor infrastructure projects;
  • Assess proposals submitted by contractors and make sure they correspond to the standards mentioned in the studies;
  • Review and approve the Schedule of works submitted by the contractor;
  • Acknowledge, on behalf of UNDP, receipt of materials that will be delivered by suppliers (if any); and make sure that the final count of the materials (received by contractors) should be adequate with the bill of quantities and Standards and Specifications;
  • Supervise the implementation of works on the ground on a daily basis;
  • Provide technical guidance to the contractor and make sure that works are compliant with technical specifications and drawings; approve any changes in the work plan or BOQ along the course of implementation;
  • Prepare weekly progress reports to UNDP and check and approve payments for contractors according to finished works. 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
  • Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Functional Competencies:

  • Knowledge of South Lebanon is essential;
  • Be a strong team player, able to work independently and possessing excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to engage and motivate a wide range of people;
  • Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Degree in Civil Engineering.

Experience:

  • Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience;
  • Previous experience in working with Palestinian communities inside the Palestinian camps or gatherings.

Language Requirements:

  • Proficiency in Arabic and English

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.undp.org.lb/procurement/procurementDetail.cfm