Background

Impact of climate change is increasingly becoming visible. In South-East Asia, where much of food production depends on good weather, increasing unpredictability of the arrival of the monsoons and increasing incidents of extreme weather events such as floods, cyclones and long dry-spells, are already having a heavy toll on small-holder farmers who are least equipped to prepare for the impact of climate change. Despite rapid economic growth the region has witnessed in the last few decades which pulled millions of households out of poverty, many small-holder farmers in this region are still excluded from various social services and safety nets and oftentimes one external shock is enough to nudge them back to poverty.

At requests from the Governments of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar, UNDP has supported these countries in accessing international climate change funds and establishing initiatives that support small-holder farmers in adapting their livelihood systems to a changing climate. The three country initiatives have been designed reflecting country-specific contexts and needs, and yet, there are some commonalities across all: helping farmers diversify their livelihoods, increasing access to freshwater for livelihoods, testing improved crop varieties or improved methods of livelihoods, and building capacity among farmers.

The initiatives in Cambodia and Lao PDR have been ongoing for the last 3-5 years while the one in Myanmar is starting this year. They offer an important insight as to what imminent climate change risks small-holder farmers are facing and how these Governments are using international climate change funds in supporting them to cope with such risks.

Cambodia and Lao PDR share many environmental and climate characteristics that govern the livelihood patterns. In general, rice production remains the backbone of rural economy and livelihoods in large part of the countries. The rice production largely rely on rainfall as well as seasonal flooding and recession of the Mekong river or its tributaries. On the other hand, in Myanmar, especially the Dry Zone which is the focus of the initiative, water scarcity preclude the option of rice production and people engage in the production of peas, beans, maize sesame and groundnuts as well as livestock rearing.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective:

The objective of the assignment is to produce a video that captures:

  • Developmental impacts that the initiatives have brought about in Cambodia and Lao PDR in terms of poverty reduction and building livelihoods that are more resilient to climate change; and
  • Existing difficulties associated with sustaining livelihoods in the Dry Zone of Myanmar in the fact of climate change and how the new initiative will address them.

The video should be human-centered. Especially in Myanmar, the video should be shot in such a way that another video can potentially be produced in 3-4 years from now demonstrating the impact of the initiative.

Scope of Work:

The Producer will be responsible for delivering the following products:

  • One 50-minutes video program aimed to raise awareness to climate change impact on Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar and introduce UNDP climate change adaptation projects in the country;
  • One 1-2 minute long trailer for the program;
  • All raw footage shots from the three countries.

The video should be produced according to the following narrative:

Climate change in Mekong: Ensuring food security 

More frequent floods and droughts in the Mekong region intensify in recent years. Climate change is no longer just a threat here, it’s affecting the lives of millions who rely on the river’s natural resources. By 2030, over 40 percent of the Mekong Delta will be contaminated by salt water, reducing agricultural productivity significantly.

In Laos, the majority of agricultural land accounts for production of rice, but with changes in weather patterns, thousands of tonnes of rice are damaged every year. To adapt to these challenging conditions, Lao is cultivating new types of climate-resilient rice to cope with the harsh conditions. Lemons and sweet bamboo are being introduced to diversify crops.

Cambodia lost seven percent of its forest coverage over the past 12 years. Deforestation is an import factor in climate change. To keep the rice yield, farmers in Cambodia have been learning to adapt. Digging wells, building dikes, check-dams, reservoirs are among the adaptation options that are commonly available to farmers. Two types resilient rice varieties are introduced which can withstand 10 days more of too much or too little water. People plant different crops for diversification.

Myanmar is trying to catch up to adapt to climate change. Home to a quarter of its 58 million population, the central dry zone is falling short on food production. With low and increasingly erratic rainfall and frequent droughts, deforestation, land degradation, local livelihood is threatened by the impact of climate change. Myanmar is starting to catch up by cultivating drought-resilient crop and fodder varieties, and develop post-harvest processing and storage systems.

Competencies

  • Ability to work both independently, against tight deadlines;
  • Demonstrate an ability to undertake independent problem solving;
  • Show initiative and enthusiasm for the consultancy;
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
  • Be knowledgeable of UN system ideas and objectives;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

The Project Video Producer shall have the following qualifications:

Education:

  • Secondary/high school (minimum).

Professional experience:

  • At least 2 years of relevant experience and thorough understanding of all programme-making techniques, including directing and editing skills;
  • Proven track record of producing videos for international media on issues like climate change, poverty reduction and other relevant themes, preferably in developing countries.

Language requirement:

  • Fluency in English is essential.

Institutional arrangement:

The consultant will report to Regional Technical Advisors based in Bangkok as well as UNDP Country Offices in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.  The Country Offices and Project Team will provide logistical support during the field assignment.

Contract duration:

The duration of the assignment should be specified by the bidder and presented in the proposal.

Duty station:

Home-based with travel to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.

Price proposal and schedule of payments:

The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and includes all cost components required to perform the deliverables identified in TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. Payment will be made upon the completion of the deliverables/outputs as per below percentage.

  • First payment : 25% of total contract value upon the submission of workplan the implementation method for conducting Mekhong Video Production;
  • Second payment: 45% of the total contract value upon the submission of One 50-minutes video program aimed to raise awareness to climate change impact on Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar and introduce UNDP climate change adaptation projects in the country and One 1-2 minute long trailer for the program;
  • Third payment:  All raw footage shots from the three countries.

Evaluation method and criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall 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 for evaluation, 70% (maximum 500 points):

  • Criteria 1 : Story proposal (70%, 250 points);
  • Criteria 2 : Camera/Editing gear proposal (30%, 150 points);
  • Criteria 3 : Previous work experience (10%, 50 points)
  • Criteria 4 : Proposed filming and editing days (10%, 50 points)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 350 technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation, 30% (maximum 100 points).

 Documentation required:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

  • Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II;
  • 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 proposal, including a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
  • Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered.

Annexes

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to brh.gef.procurement@undp.org.