Background

Project Title:
UNDP GEF “Mainstreaming biodiversity into the management of the coastal zone in the Republic of Mauritius” PPG.

Project Description: 

Context and Objectives of Project:

Mauritius forms part of the Western Indian Ocean Islands, one of the 25 internationally recognized biodiversity ‘hotspots’. The tropical climate, topography and history of isolation, has resulted in the evolution of a diverse biota with a high degree of endemism. Terrestrial biodiversity is forest-dependent. However, much of the extant forest has been lost: land clearance and forest degradation has already impacted more than 90% of Mauritius Island’s land surface.  Marine biodiversity is in a better condition, but is also threatened. Extensive reef systems surround all of the islands of the archipelago. Rodrigues, in particular, harbours a large reef expanse, three times the size of the island.

Most of the useable land on the island of Mauritius has been put to production use. In spite of the extensive degradation and transformation that has occurred in many areas, coastal ecosystems and adjacent landscapes still maintain their basic ecological functions. The coastal strip provides prime land for habitation, recreation and tourism, while seascapes provide the basis of food provision though fisheries and also the country’s main touristic attraction—beaches, nautical sports etc. Lagoon habitats are especially important in this regard. They contribute to the overall productivity of coastal waters by supporting a variety of habitats, including salt marshes, seagrasses, and mangroves.

A Project Preparation Grant (PPG) has been approved by the GEF Secretariat to prepare a Full-Size Project Document (FSP) for submission under the GEF-5 STAR to prepare a project on the theme of ““Mainstreaming biodiversity into the management of the coastal zone in the Republic of Mauritius”. In this context an International Biodiversity Consultant is required to prepare the FSP, focusing on all components proposed in the PIF, and expected outcomes to be achieved, as outlined in the approved Project Identification Form (PIF).

The project aims at conserving and sustainably managing land across six multi-use coastal and marine landscapes in the Republic of Mauritius (five in Mauritius Main Island and one in Rodrigues).  Together they cover some 150,000 hectares of land- and seascapes and harbour within this area sites that are high in biodiversity values and important for the generation of ecosystem services (e.g. shoreline maintenance, storm protection, soil formation and retention, water provision and flood control). Biodiversity and ecosystem service values are being lost in all six landscapes due to careless coastal developments that reduce and degrade natural habitats, and cause land degradation, undermining ecosystem functionality and resilience, especially in sensitive lagoon areas. These threats are compounded by other anthropogenic pressures that exacerbate degradation (i.e. land-based pollution, climate change). In order to identify focus areas for environmental action in the country, in 2010 the government commissioned a comprehensive, spatially-based study to identify environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs). However, with the exception of forests, the recommendations emanating from the study have not heretofore been implemented and coastal and marine areas have yet to receive due attention.

The objective of the UNDP/GEF project will be to mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into coastal zone management (CZM) and into the operations and policies of the tourism and physical development sectors in the Republic of Mauritius through a ‘land- and seascape wide’ integrated management approach based on the Environmental Sensitive Areas’ (ESAs) inventory and assessment. The project will address the threats to biodiversity in Coastal Wetlands, Shore and Offshore ESAs within the target landscapes through a three-pronged approach:

• Incorporation of ESA recommendations into policies and enforceable regulations pertaining to CZM;
• Effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs);
• Arrest of land degradation in sensitive locations.
  

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work:

The consultants’ team is expected to produce, in a timely manner and in full compliance with the set deadlines, a UNDP-GEF Project Document and a CEO Endorsement document (using the appropriate templates). This will be done by performing the following principal tasks:

• Participation in stakeholder consultations and coordination of overall technical inputs, comments and suggestions;
• Finalization of inputs from individual experts;
• Discussion of outline activities with other consultants and experts;
• Preparation of draft UNDP ProDoc, CEO endorsement request and tracking tool documents based on inputs during consultation and from individual experts;
• Finalization of Project Document based on feedback from UNDP CO/RSC, liaising with individual experts in the team for required inputs/clarifications;
• Assistance with clarifications on comments from GEF Sec review.
  

Technical guidance and support pertaining to the GEF modality (project scoping and budgeting, best practices, knowledge management, partnerships etc.) will be provided by the UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor overseeing the project, by the UNDP-GEF Environment Programme Manager, and by the UNDP Office in Mauritius, which will in addition provide operational support for a fast and effective PPG implementation.

In conducting the consultancy, the International Lead Consultant is expected to:

• Provide expertise on the design of the full project (FP) taking into account international best practices and lessons learnt from technology transfer projects elsewhere;
• Review relevant literature, including technical reports, feasibility studies, project reviews, etc;
• Review reports prepared by other consultants in the project development team;
• Meet with relevant stakeholders, which will include Government, private sector, multilateral development banks, UN organizations, non-governmental organizations, local communities, and others;
• Guide the inputs of other local and international experts working for the projects and finalizing the project design and presentation as elaborated under the PPG;
• Coordinate the project development team (consisting of national and international consultants);
• Conduct workshops with all relevant stakeholders, to build partnerships and collaboration and raise awareness, as needed;
• Participate in field visits, as needed included including a site visit to Rodrigues;
• Prepare all detailed budgets in line with GEF requirements and take into account: co financing, international best practices and lessons learnt from technology transfer projects elsewhere;
• Lead the workshops for the logical framework analysis and preparation of project’s M&E plan;
• Establish clear project outputs and activities and schedules and work plan;
• Draft the relevant sections of the project document relating to his/her expertise;
• Contribute to the work of the team in the preparation, as deemed appropriate, of the relevant Terms of Reference, Specifications for works and services to be carried out under the project and to be annexed to the project document as submission to GEF;
• Be responsible for the timely preparation and submission of the FSP no later than 11 April 2015.
  

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The consultant shall be responsible for the following, in collaboration with the consultants’ team and stakeholders:

• Review of Project scope and strategy – inception workshop;
• Review of technical reports on the ESAs, MPAs, wetlands, past project reports in the project areas etc. ;
• Review of policies and legislation relevant to ESAs, wetlands, coastal zone management;
• Review of institutional arrangements in respect of ESA management including Human, Technical and Financial resources, as well as coordination mechanisms and their effectiveness;
• Studies to address any opportunities/risks identified during an environmental and social screening of the project proposal in collaboration with the Gender and Social Inclusion Expert;
• Site visits, including a site visit to Rodrigues, to assess the relevance and accuracy of past reports, and identification of specific sites for intervention in collaboration with the consultants’ team;
• Completion of GEF Biological Diversity and Land Degradation Tracking Tool;
• Consultation with stakeholders on the activities required in each area (ESAs, MPAs), including Gender and Social Inclusion aspects;
• Review of reports and actions for the Grand Baie Wetland Specifically and design of a way forward with full costs and justifications;
• Development of an agreed logical framework or project planning matrix defining the project goal, objective, outcomes and outputs, with the relevant indicators (with baseline & target values), means of verification and critical assumptions, in collaboration with the project stakeholders;
• Finalization of  implementation plan along with institutional structure & manpower plan for project implementation, monitoring and knowledge dissemination;
• Provision of support for stakeholder consultations at two workshops (inception and validation);
• Definition of monitoring and evaluation (M&E):  A detailed M&E work plan will be developed, including clear identification of responsibilities and accountabilities, as well as an appropriate M&E budget. The plan will be based on the standard template provided in the UNDP-GEF project document template that reflects the mandatory requirements of the GEF M&E Policy;
• Finalization of project results framework:  Further definition of the results framework with appropriate objective-level and outcome-level quantitative and qualitative SMART indicators, and end-of-project targets. Special attention will be made to include socio-economic and sex disaggregated indicators;
• Design of activities to be included in the project document through discussions with the stakeholders in the Tourism Sector;
• Detailed design of the project activities which are incremental compared to baseline activities and based on the outputs of LFA workshop;
• Detailed assessment of the risks, opportunities, market demand and justification for establishing mechanisms proposed under the project;
• Definition of sustainability plan:  The sustainability plan will outline the principles and guidelines for ensuring the long-term sustainability of project achievements, particularly the financing schemes. It will also outline an exit strategy, seeking the continuation of key activities/achievements without the need of long-term international financing;

Preparation of final ProDoc & CEO Endorsement Request. Four key deliverables will be included in these docs:

• A detailed project strategy, including baseline summary, barrier analysis, incremental cost analysis, cost-effectiveness, and risks;
• A detailed LFA and agreed log frame;
• A detailed budget (TBWP), and (iii) a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan.

Preparation of all the deliverables as per the payment schedule.

The Consultant shall be remunerated in accordance with the following time schedule and deliverables:

Deliverables/ Outputs: Upon Signature of Contract.
Tentative Dates: 11 August 2014.
Fee (%):10%.

Deliverables/ Outputs:  Inception report based on inception workshop.
Tentative Dates: 15 September 2014.
Fee (%):10%.

Deliverables/ Outputs: Analytical report on Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Mauritius and Rodrigues in the coastal zone and Institutional responsibilities
Tentative Dates: 15 November 2014.
Fee (%): 15%.

Deliverables/ Outputs: Draft project document based on comments by all stakeholders, as required.
Tentative Dates: 15 December 2014.
Fee (%): 25%.

Deliverables/ Outputs:  Final project document, based on comments of GEF as required.
Tentative Dates: 11 April 2015.
Fee (%): 25%.

Deliverables/ Outputs:  Completion of assignment i.e. approval by the GEF.
Tentative Dates: July 2015.
Fee (%): 15%.

All reports will be submitted in draft (for comments) and then final form, following incorporation of all comments and suggestions by the reviewing team and the Steering Committee described in the Reporting section. The reports have to be approved by the UNDP, the MOI before payment is effected.

Institutional Arrangement:

The project preparation phase will be executed through the Direct Execution modality of UNDP. While the project team will be contracted by the UNDP and the Mauritius Oceanography Institute and the participating Ministries will have a key role to play.

The institutional context of the project covers the mandates of various ministries and institutions. From the Government standpoint, the project is led by the Mauritius Oceanography Institute which is responsible for ocean matters in Mauritius. In addition, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security and the Ministry of Fisheries have various mandates which concern the management of ESAs, the management of terrestrial biodiversity and the management of marine protected areas respectively. As tourism is one of the principal parameters of the project, the Ministry of Tourism and Leisure will be involved. Finally, given that one of the landscapes is found in Rodrigues, the Rodrigues Regional Assembly will also be concerned.

The Consultant shall perform a liaison role with government, UNDP, and all stakeholders involved with the project. The Consultant shall work under the supervision of the Steering Committee and shall report to it for the fulfillment of its duties. The Steering Committee (SC) will be composed of high level representatives of the key ministries related to the project. It will provide high-level policy guidance and orientation to the project. The representative of the Mauritius Oceanography Institute will chair the SC.

Representatives from the following organizations/entities will form part of the Steering Committee:

• Ministry of Finance and Economic Development;
• Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; 
• Ministry of Tourism and Leisure;
• Mauritius Oceanography Institute;
• Ministry of Fisheries;
• Rodrigues Regional Assembly;
• Maurice Ile Durable Commission;
• Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security;
• United Nations Development Programme.
  

The principal tasks of the SC are the following:

• Provide high level orientation and guidance for the project.
• Ensure that the project develops in accordance with national development objectives, goals and polices.
• Pay special attention to the assumptions and risks identified in the logframe, and seek measures to minimize these threats to project success;
• Ensure collaboration between institutions and free access on the part of project actors to key documents, land information systems, remote sensing imagery, etc.
• Pay special attention to the post-project sustainability of activities developed by the project.
• Ensure the integration and coordination of project activities with other related government and donor-funded initiatives.
  

Duration of the Work:

• 35 days over 8 months starting in August 2014.

Duty Station:

• Mauritius, UNDP, the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, participating Ministries and Institutions.

Competencies

• Ability to conduct research and analysis and strong synthesis skills;
• Builds strong relationships with national consultants, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to critical feedback; consensus-oriented; 
• Highly developed inter-personal, negotiation and teamwork skills, networking aptitude;
• Regional and national knowledge is highly desirable; 
• Excellent English drafting and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor:

Education:

• Minimum postgraduate degree in Natural Sciences, Ecology, and Biodiversity related subjects.

Experience:

• Proven and extensive international experience in biodiversity projects;
• Experience in GEF Sustainable Land Management projects;
• Proven extensive experience in UNDP/GEF project formulation/design;
• At least 10 years of experience designing and/or implementing project in developing countries; 
• Experience on tourism and eco-tourism issues;
• Experience on wetland restoration;
• Experience in Marine protected areas;
• Experience in Coastal Zone Management, Coastal Erosion, Coastal issues;
• Experience with Environment Information Systems;
• Experience in Environmentally Sensitive Areas projects.

Language:

• Fluent English.
  

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

• The financial offer should be quoted as a lump sum amount, all-inclusive (professional fee, travel by the most direct and economic route, DSA, insurance). 

• The contract price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components. Payments will be effected based on deliverables as per section D above.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

 The following documents are requested:

• Duly completed Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
• Technical offer: Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment (including his/her experience using Financial Planning and Budgeting), and a methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided by UNDP. 
  

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

• The Combined Scoring method will be where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a max. of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%;

Technical Evaluation criteria:

• Education: 15 points;
• Experience in Project Document Preparation: 15 points;
• Relevant Experience in Mainstreaming Biodiversity as applicable to the project: 15 points;
• Experience with UNDP/GEF policies: 15 points;
• IT skills (MS Office): 5 points;
• Reports writing and Presentation Skills: 5 points;
• Total max.: 70 points.
  

Candidates scoring 50 or above will be short-listed.

• The financial offers will be evaluated giving the lowest price proposal 30 marks and marking the other more expensive proposals reverse proportionally to the cheapest offer.
• The final scoring of short-listed candidates will take into account the technical Evaluation and the financial score:
  

Criteria:

• Technical score:

Weight:  70%.
Max. Point:  70.

• Financial score:

Weight: 30%.
Max. Point: 30.

The candidate ranking highest shall be selected.

Annexes to the TOR:

• The Project Identification Form which has been approved by the GEF can be downloaded on the local UNDP website on http://mu.undp.org .

Important note:

• Interested offeror is strongly advised to read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://www.mu.undp.org/content/mauritius_and_seychelles/en/home/operations/procurement/ for more detail about term of references, general terms and conditions of IC and templates to be included when submitting offer;
•  Interested offerors above the age of 62: UNDP regulations require, at their own cost, to undergo a full medical examination including x-rays. Medical evaluation documentation does not need to be submitted with the other requested documents listed above, but will be requested should the candidate be chosen;
• Interested offeror is required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system, because the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system;
• Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary.