UNDP Jobs - 50889- International Consultant

International Consultant - Disaster Management Lesson Learned Study for Early Recovery Facility (ERF) Project

Location :

Dhaka (with field visit outside Dhaka), BANGLADESH

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Nov-2014

Application Deadline :

08-Nov-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

41 working over a period of 4 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

41 working over a period of 4 months

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

Early Recovery Facility (ERF) is aimed at promoting national ownership of the post disaster recovery process through fullest possible engagement of national and local authorities in the planning, execution and monitoring of recovery actions with UNDP assistance. It will mobilize resources to prepare, plan and implement interventions to ensure that the people affected by disasters recover and seek development gains. ERF will support the national and local government in developing policies and plans for full recovery. Such support will be provided through systematic assessment of recovery needs, coordination amongst various agencies, preparation of an early recovery plans/framework and human resource support wherever necessary. ERF will promote equity, social inclusion and transparency in promoting recovery policies and plans. It will advocate people’s participation in recovery planning, and promote policies and programme which do not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religion, age, disability etc.

As part of input to the updating of National Plan for disaster Management led by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR), ERF is initiating the study to feed into the National Plan for Disaster Management (2016-2020).

This consultancy to support UNDP Early Recovery Facility (ERF) in undertaking a thorough review of preparedness, response and recovery measures carried out following major floods and cyclones in past ten years since 2005 and draw lesson learned.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective:

The overall objective of the study is to review and draw lessons learned from the past major disaster events (floods and cyclones). The study will focus on “what worked” and “what did not work well” on disaster preparedness, response and recovery interventions; and identify best practice that can be shared widely.

The study will be led by an international consultant and supported by a national staff member. A Task Team led by the Government will oversee the study and provide necessary guidance.

Scope of Work:

Lessons learned will be extracted for disaster events which have taken place in Bangladesh in the past 10 years. The list will be developed during phase I, but is expected to include large scale disasters, such as cyclones, as well as low-profile disaster events such as flash flooding and persistent disasters like waterlogging in the southwest. By studying a range of disasters it is hoped that this study can provide some understanding of how the DM community prepares for and responds to these different disasters.

The focus of this work will be programmatic lessons learned. This will be delineated by each of the relevant sector. Information for each of the sector will be broken down in terms of the three key areas of preparedness, response and recovery.

A matrix will be developed to assist in analysis of key aspects and learning from the different disasters that become the focus of the study. This matrix will include the following areas;

Preparedness:

A preparedness snapshot of the affected areas per disaster event, to include metrics on available evaluations;
An overview of how agencies measure and analyze whether preparedness activities enable communities to better cope with specific disaster events;
Matrix of what preparedness activities worked / didn’t work, including early warning systems.

Response:

A response snapshot of the affected areas per disaster event, to include metrics on available evaluations;
What information was used to design programmes, including scale, targeting ,timing and appropriateness of responses;
Matrix of activities which worked / didn’t work;
Analysis of impact over different timeframes.

Recovery:

A recovery snapshot of the affected areas per disaster event, to include metrics on available evaluations;
Appropriateness /contribution of interventions to address recovery or reconstruction need?;
Were response and recovery activities linked, where appropriate, into ongoing development activities in affected communities?

Recommendations:

Recommendations for areas of improvements in terms of preparedness, responses and recovery interventions. This section may also highlight areas for further sector specific study to fully understand how to capture lesson learning and to improve preparedness, response and recovery.

Expected Outputs with Timeframe:

Development of detailed methodology, Work plan and time schedule - 5 days;
Review secondary data and literature - 10 days;
Information collection from various level including communities and analysis of the data (The study will include both secondary and primary data collection.) - 20 days;
Report writing - 5 days;
Presentation of the report - 1 day.

Total 41 working days over 4 months.

Impact of Results:

The key results have an impact on the overall success of the country programme and reaching UNDAF/ CPD goals. In particular, the study findings and recommendations will feed into future disaster management plans and programmers. This study will further aim to bring understanding to the development impact of disaster events and contribute to resilience building efforts.

Institutional Arrangement:

The incumbent will work under the overall guidance and supervision of ERF Project Manager.

Duration of the Work and Duty Station:

The assignment duration will for 41 working days spread over a period of 4 months. The incumbent will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh with required field visits outside Dhaka.

Final Products/Services:

The deliverables from the assignment will include:

Methodology and work plan;
Tools for undertaking the study;
A draft outline of report to be followed.
There will be a report for each different disaster event and one overarching report. These reports should be practical in nature and usable for the target audience.

Proposed Schedule of Payment for the Consultancy;:

UNDP shall effect payments, by bank transfer to individual consultant’s bank account, upon acceptance by UNDP (in consultation with ERF) of the deliverables specified in the ToR. Payments will be made in tranches based on the following percentages and milestones:

1st Payment (20% of total contract value) - will be paid after submission of Methodology and Work plan;
2nd Payment (30% of total contract value) - will be paid after collection of primary information/data;
3rd Payment (30% of the total contract value) - will be paid after presentation of the report;
Final Payment (20% of total contract value) - will be paid after submission of final report.

Terms:

The selected individual will prepare and submit the work plan for approval and report progresses based on agreed time line, to the ERF Project Manager;
Payment for services of the contractor will be made upon satisfactory certification by the ERF Project Manager and will be remunerated by the ERF project.

Inputs:

In order to produce deliverables stipulated, the consultant will bear all necessary costs relating to required logistics, travel, meeting, food, report preparation and also the cost of office premises for themselves. UNDP will only pay the Lump Sum cost for this assignment mentioned in the contract.

Competencies

Functional competencies:

Professionalism

Flexibility to make ad-hoc changes as and when the need arises;
Ability to perform under stress;
Willingness to keep flexible working hours.

Teamwork

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations as a team member, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect;

Communication

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

corporate competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Disaster Management / Social Science / Political Science or relevant field from recognized university.

Experience:

At least 8 (eight) years’ programme management experience in disaster response and recovery;
Knowledge and/or practical experience of research and impact studies;
Knowledge and/or practical experience of working with government organisations, NGOs, CSOs, donors, and the UN organizations;
Evidenced ability to gather and critically analyze qualitative and quantitative data;
Ability to design/utilize appropriate evaluation tools with knowledge of data gathering techniques and demonstrated ability to understand and analyse collected data;
Experience in participatory approaches to evaluations;
Experience of working in relevant field in South Aisa is an advantage.
Experience in working effectively in a multicultural environment..

Language:

Fluency in speaking and writing in English.

Evaluation Of Candidates:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis: The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. When using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will 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.

**Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% marks i.e. 49 marks in the Technical evaluation would be considered for Financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation Criteria (Total 70 marks):

Knowledge and experience in research and conducting review / assessment / evaluation / study - 30 marks;
Demonstrated experience in humanitarian / recovery program / projects implementation in multifaceted context - 20 marks;
Experience of working with government, donors, NGOs and UN organizations - 10 marks;
Understanding of gender sensitivity and aspects in humanitarian and recovery interventions - 10 marks.

Financial Evaluation (Total 30 marks):

Financial proposals from all technically qualified candidates will be scored out 30 marks based on the formula provided below. The maximum marks (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal. All other proposals will receive points according to the following formula:

p = y (µ/z)

where:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.