UNDP Jobs - 49785- International Expert for the Bike Line Design Proj

International Expert for the Bike Line Design Project

Location :

At least 60% in Almaty, Kazakhstan; 40% home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Oct-2014

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

October 2014 – April 2015 (25 working days)

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

The UNDP has initiated the “City of Almaty Sustainable Transport” Project (CAST) with support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Objective of the CAST project is to reduce the growth of the transport-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the City of Almaty, while simultaneously improving urban environmental conditions by 1a) improving the management of public transportation; 1b) improving management of air quality in Almaty; 2) building capacity in Almaty to holistically plan and implement improvements in the efficiency and quality of public transport; 3) building capacity to holistically plan and implement integrated traffic management measures in Almaty City; and 4) implementing a demonstration project that raises awareness and increases knowledge of sustainable transport.

The project will support achievement of GEF-4 Strategic objective-CC 5: Promoting Sustainable Innovative Systems for Urban Transport with a particular emphasis on “non-technology” options, such as planning, traffic management and modal shift to low-GHG intensive transport modes. The global objectives of CAST will be to facilitate GHG reductions through these modal transport shifts. As a consequence, urban mobility will improve through the use of efficient transport modes of lower carbon intensity and increased fuel efficiency of a modernized bus fleet.
The CAST bicycle pilot route project aims to promote cycling as a mode of transport in the city of Almaty and to bring state of the art expertise in cycle planning to the city in order to learn from the experience and reproduce the output elsewhere in the city.

Detailed design was made by Witteveen+Bos Caspian LLP company during December 2013-May 2014 based on extensive consultation with local stakeholders. At the start of the project various route options were analyzed and together with representatives of cyclists, Akimat and UNDP a route for the pilot project was chosen. The purpose of bicycle infrastructure is to make cycling safer, more direct and more attractive for cyclists. Therefore UNDP requested contractor to present best international practice in the design project. Essential for a good design of a cycle route is a proper planning of motorized transport in such a way that cycling is taken into account. Therefore, in the planning and design of the bicycle pilot route, also changes are made for motorized traffic.

The total length of the current pilot route is 5.0 km: 3.7 km on Timiryazev Street and 1.3 km on Baytursinov Street. Bus stops for the BRT 1 corridor were not included in the design of the pilot bicycle route. This needs to be done as part of the integrated detailed design of the BRT route.

Design of the bike line made by Witteveen+Bos company for this route should be adopted by local engineering companies to the BRT 1 detailed design project and to follow state expertise requirement what is under development now.
Cycling infrastructure should be of top quality. The project was designed according to international standards and International experience demonstrates that narrower traffic lanes than are commonly used in Kazakhstan lead to lower speeds, more disciplined driving behavior and safer traffic.

Local companies responsible for development of detailed design of above mentioned sections in accordance of local road design standards haven’t experience in design of NMT infrastructure and required additional external technical assistance.

Successful implementation of pilot projects within the framework of CAST project work plan requires substantial assistance from the International Expert on bike line design , who will able work as a project quality reviewer and provide professional advice/solution to the local engineering company and Akimat during design phase.

Duties and Responsibilities

The International Expert will work as a project adviser and provide professional advice/solution to the local engineering company and municipality in frame of the pilot project design phase.

Scope of work:

Provide professional clarifications on the overall design principles and specific solutions proposed during the conceptual design of the pilot bike line developed in frame of CAST project in 2014;
Provide expert support to the local engineers and review of appropriate design options for the NMT infrastructure along whole BRT 1 corridor (incl. city centre);
Provide expert support in review and evaluation of the draft and final design documentation, for submission to the Akimat or State expertise; Assist in preparation and delivery of presentations for stakeholders or communication champagne;
Provide professional advice to the project manager/Akimat regarding implementation modalities for this specific pilot project or extension of NMT network. Some assistance should be reserved for discussion of design options with stakeholders.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
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.

Functional competencies:

Excellent written communication skills, with analytic capacity;
Ability to synthesize relevant collected data and findings for the preparation of quality analysis and reports.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree in civil engineering; Master degree is advantage Comprehensive and proven knowledge of planning, operation and management support systems for public transport (conceptual and technical).

Experience:

At least 10 years of international experience in the field of Urban Transport Planning associated with non-motorized infrastructure; Proven knowledge of operational processes, procedures and standards in public transport;
Sound knowledge of international best practices on NMT design and experience in knowledge transfer;
Prior working experience in preparation and implementation of NMT in CIS countries and knowledge of local urban roads regulation is an advantage;

Language requirements:

Full proficiency in English both written and verbal, including ability to review, draft and edit design documentation;

Application process:

Interested individual consultants must submit proposal, including the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Signed UNDP P11 (CV) form, including past work experience in similar projects and links (if applicable) to some articles/review developed by contractor and published in the professional magazines;
At least two reference letters from former clients (related to NMT associated projects);
Offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the individual contractor (IC) assignment (incl. breakdown of cost in USD);
Cover letter to UNDP with short description of similar consultancy assignments and other relevant information.

Note:

For complete information about this vacancy, including detailed tasks and responsibilities, full and detailed description of the evaluation procedure which will be applied, as well as templates of P11 and Offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability for the individual contractor (IC) assignment (incl. breakdown of cost in USD), please refer to the Terms of Reference and the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice published at the UNDP Kazakhstan website, section: Vacancies, subsection: Individual Contracts. Please follow the application instructions described therein.