UNDP Jobs - 49543- Process Engineering Specialist in Sludge Digester

Process Engineering Specialist in Sludge Digester Start-up and Operation in the NNWWTP

Location :

Nicosia, CYPRUS

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

21-Sep-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Since 2001, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been responsible for the implementation of the EU funded Programme “Partnership for the Future (PFF)” in Cyprus. The PFF aims at contributing to the peace-building process in Cyprus through different levels of intervention, including urban infrastructure rehabilitation.

UNDP is implementing as “Employer”, on behalf of the two communities, a project for the construction of a new Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) at Mia Milia / Haspolat in Cyprus. This will, provide a modern, high-tech plant with an average daily flow capacity of 30.000 m3/day to accommodate the future needs of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, in addition to resolving environmental problems relating to the existing plant, which is due to be decommissioned. The proposed new plant uses MBR process technology and includes sludge digestion and methane gas re-use in CHP units.

The project uses the FIDIC Yellow book general conditions of contract for plant / design & build (1999) and was started in 2010. The construction is now approaching completion. It is now necessary at this stage at the end of the DNP to finalise certain issues and procedures to bring the project to a conclusion.

It is expected that the Consultant will provide services in two ways:

By visiting Cyprus on mission for a finite period to carry out investigations & reporting, provide support to the Employer, etc;
By providing home-based assistance by responding to questions, providing review/opinion on documents, etc.;

In this context, the Consultant will work on behalf of the Employer, UNDP to deliver the objectives and support to the Project described in these Terms of Reference.

The primary tasks of this consultancy are:

Review and analyse the reports & data available concerning the sludge digestion process and the associated problems - produced by the Contractor;
Visit the WWTP and assess the situation with regard to the sludge digestion, the lack of stabilization and the related process issues;
Recommend actions, tests etc to determine the cause of problems and the recommended remedies;

The working location for mission(s) to Cyprus will be at the Engineer’s Site offices and/or the UNDP-PFF offices, both in the northern part of Cyprus, of the island at Nicosia, Cyprus.

Duties and Responsibilities

Review and comment on sludge digestion at the WWTP after investigation of situation;
Evaluate the reports and available information for cause of problems with sludge digestion, process design and remedial action; plus consideration of affected items and processes;
Evaluate the operation of the WWTP and its compliance & suitability with the intended design purpose, in the context of the sludge digestion process;
Visit the WWTP and assess the situation with regard to the sludge digestion, the lack of stabilization and the related process issues;
Recommend actions, tests, investigations etc to determine the cause of problems and the recommended remedies;

Summary of Key Functions:

Written & oral advice to the Employer;
Reports as required including but not limited to assessment of Contractor’s submittals, Specialist’s advice on the problems, their causes and action to be taken to confirm the causes and the remedial action recommended;
Expert advice on attribution of responsibility for causes (Employer/Contractor) and extent of liability for remedial action(s).

Estimated number of working days for this work is expected to be 15 working days or less over a 6 month period initially, as per:

Home office based: up to 5 days;
Site visits: up to 10 days – in 2 trips;
This estimate will be kept under review according the situation.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Competent in analyzing and making recommendations on sludge digestion process, determining causes of problems and recommending remedial actions;
Computer literacy (Microsoft packages);
Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Good problem-solving skills; ability to apply good judgment in the context of assignments given; ability to plan own work and meet tight deadlines; attention to detail;
Fit and active for any necessary site-based activities;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure;
Demonstrates integrity by behaving according to UN’s values and ethical standards;
Excellent analytical and document drafting skills and ability to gather, analyse and evaluate facts and to prepare and present concise oral and written reports.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced qualifications in relevant discipline such as M.Sc. process engineering.

Experince:

Practical experience in anaerobic sludge digester start-up operation and troubleshooting;
Minimum 7 years of postgraduate experience;
Process engineering expertise in respect of anaerobic digestion theoretical assessment, calculation, design and implementation;
Knowledge activated sludge treatment with nutrient removal;
Eexperience with MBR is an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English is a prerequisite.

Application:

Interested Consultants must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Motivation/Cover letter: Letter providing detail and reference information in support of your application and CV. In particular, the letter shall highlight and explain the direct knowledge and experience of the candidate in the startup, operation, optimization and troubleshooting of anaerobic sludge digesters, as well as more general experience in wastewater treatment process with special reference if available to MBR activated sludge / effluent separation in conjunction with anaerobic digestion of excess sludge;
CV/P11 and online application: Applicants are required to submit CV or P11 (Personal History) form together with the online application on http://jobs.undp.org/. The UNDP P11 Form can be downloaded from: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc;
Estimated availability: outline of expected availability for missions as described above during 2014-2015.

Financial proposal: Applicants are requested to submit a financial proposal, detailed as follows:

Fee for working days in Cyprus including all expenses(per-diem);
Fee for day worked in home based office;
Estimated cost of flight to/from Cyprus from Home base.

The rates should be based on the estimated number of days detailed in this term of reference. This may be modified during the Contract duration, according to need.

References:

Contact details of 3 references.

Evaluation

Consultants will be evaluated based on cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive / compliant / acceptable, and;
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation; max. 70 points:

CV and Motivation letter review: 30 points

Educational qualifications defined in the ToR (15 points);
General relevant experience and background as defined in ToR (15 points);

Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the CV desk review (who will score at least 21 points) will be invited for an interview.

Interview/desk review : 40 points:

Practical experience in anaerobic sludge digester start-up operation and troubleshooting (10 points);
Process engineering expertise in respect of anaerobic digestion theoretical assessment, calculation, design and implementation (10 points);
Knowledge activated sludge treatment with nutrient removal; experience with MBR is an asset. (10 points);
Language: Knowledge of English and regional experience (10 points);

Only those individual consultants who obtained at least 70% of points from the interview (28 out of 40) will be considered for financial proposal evaluation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the maximum attainable score in the interview would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Criteria – 30% of total evaluation; max. 30 points
Financial scores will be calculated using the formula [lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30]

General conditions
General conditions of contract for the services of Individual Contractors can be downloaded from:
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf

Payment
UNDP will contract the consultant according to the organization’s RLA/IC rules and regulations. Payment will be made as a lump sum after formal approval of the expected results and inputs outlined in this ToR and approved submission of a Certificate of Payment by the consultant.