Background

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) (www.thegef.org) unites 183 member governments—in partnership with international institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector—to address global environment issues. An independently operating financial organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants. Since 1991, the GEF has provided US$12.5 billion in grants and leveraged US$58 billion in co-financing for 3,690 projects in 165 developing countries. Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP) the GEF has made more than 20,000 grants totaling about US$1 billion to civil society and community-based organizations.

The GEF International Waters (IW) focal area targets transboundary water systems, such as shared river basins, lakes, groundwater and large marine ecosystems. The IW portfolio comprises 242 projects to date and some US$1.4 billion of GEF grants invested in 149 different countries. This investment has leveraged about US$8.4 billion in co-financing.

UNDP GEF Kura Project “Advancing Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) across the Kura river basin through implementation of the transboundary agreed actions and national plans” will be implementing the Strategic Action Program for the Kura River Basin in partnership with the Governments of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The SAP is framed around four agreed Ecosystem Quality Objectives (EQO) which are:

• To achieve sustainable utilization of water resources to ensure access to water and preserve ecosystem services;
• To achieve water quality such that it would ensure access to clean water for present and future generations and sustain ecosystem functions in the Kura river basin;
• To achieve and maintain ecosystem status whereby they provide essential environmental and socio-economic services in a sustainable manner in the Kura River Basin; and
• To achieve mitigation of adverse impacts of flooding and climate change on infrastructures, riparian ecosystems and communities.
• The GEF will support priority activities towards these objectives. The GEF funded SAP implementation Project has the objective “to integrate water resources management in the Kura river basin to address water-energy-food-ecosystem security nexus through the implementation of agreed actions in the SAP”.

There will be five components to support the countries to achieve this objective.

These are:

• Establishment of effective cross sectoral IWRM governance protocols at the local, national and transboundary levels in the Kura Basin;
• Strengthening national capacities to implement multi-sectoral IWRM in the Kura basin;
• Stress reduction projects and pre-feasibility studies to identify investment opportunities for improving river system health;
• Targeted stakeholder education and involvement projects to empower stakeholders in implementing local / national / transboundary actions in support of SAP implementation;
• Enhancing science for governance by strengthening the monitoring, information management and data analysis systems for IWRM;
• The Kura River Project has entered the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) phase—a designated period to design and develop the project’s activities within these five components. The project proposal received approval from the GEF Council in October 2014. The PPG phase is implemented under the authority of the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and planned for completion in 2015. Outputs during the PPG phase will be the full-sized project document.

The PPG Phase will be conducted in four interlinked stages to be undertaken by a team of national and international consultants to serve as the PPG Team.

The four stages are:

Baseline Strategic Development, to include: development of integrated, dynamic framework strategies for institutional development; stakeholder involvement and education; water ecology management; water nexus methodology; harmonization and experience sharing; capacity building for enhanced water management, including use of water nexus; information management and decision support system development; water use efficiency and enforcement; pollution abatement; and gender mainstreaming.

This first stage will also include update of the situational analysis, prepare and share the draft Project Results Framework (PRF) with stakeholders, and integrate activities with related initiatives

The second stage will focus on institutional arrangements, monitoring and evaluation, with financial planning and co-financing to include: Define management arrangements; prepare a detailed multi-year budget; develop multi-year work plan; develop project results framework and text; complete GEF focal area tracking tool; define monitoring and evaluation (M&E) Plan; define the sustainability plan; explore multilateral/bilateral co-financing opportunities; and, collect co-financing letters

The third stage will consist of Stakeholders Meetings and Validation Workshops. This will include all efforts to: consult with individual stakeholder; hold national stakeholder meetings to review PRF; and, hold regional stakeholder validation workshop to review and agree PRF and institutional arrangements.

The fourth stage is the Finalization of Project Document, which will require that the PPG Team: draft the UNDP Project Document, obtain official endorsement letters; and, develop the GEF CEO Endorsement Request letter.

Duties and Responsibilities

In order to produce these outputs, the Senior Technical Capacity Building Expert, will be responsible for supporting the development of the full-size Project Document, in accordance with UNDP/GEF guidelines. He/she will report directly to the UNDP-GEF International Waters Regional Technical Advisor in Istanbul. The Senior Technical Capacity Building Expert will work closely with and is responsible directly to the Regional IWRM Plan and FSP Development Expert to develop the PPG outputs.

The key outputs of this assignment are:

• (1) Provision of inputs for the Final Project Document with Framework Strategies to optimize project outputs, and all required annexes;
• (2) Assess current status and provide guidance on key aspects of the required capacity building and technical enforcement issues in line with stakeholder suggestions;
• (3) Advising Regional IWRM Plan and FSP Development Expert regarding project budget, work plan, and ToRs for capacity development and technical enforcement.

To do this the Senior Technical Capacity Building Expert will assist the Regional IWRM Plan and FSP Development Expert and will carry out the following tasks:

• Review and provide inputs to the draft Project Results Framework to include components, outcomes, activities, indicators, baseline, target for end of project, source of verification, risks and assumptions;
• Provide inputs for the draft framework strategies for: capacity building for enhanced water management, including use of water nexus; information management and decision support systems; water use efficiency and enforcement; pollution abatement; and, gender mainstreaming;
•  Assess and update the IWRM Capacity Needs Assessment and technical enforcement status from the National IWRM Plans produced in the 2011-2014 phase of the project;
• Liaise with stakeholders to build strong country ownership of the project and support for project efforts;
• Organize and Co-Chair (together with Regional IWRM Plan and FSP Development Expert) 2 national stakeholder workshops to review and collect comments on the proposed project activities to ensure agreement is reached at the national level among key stakeholders, and to facilitate discussions between stakeholders groups to enhance benefits. Organize 1 Regional Stakeholder Validation Workshop to be chaired by the RTA from the Istanbul Regional Hub to ensure that project will meet the national and transboundary priority needs of the countries and to ensure that project partners and in agreement on the implementation arrangements for the project;
• Advise on the development of the FSP multi-year work plan and budget proposal;
• Provide additional inputs as required to fulfill the duties to ensure successful finalization of the project document.

Assignment Deliverables:

Group A: 

• Inputs into the draft Project Results Framework to include components, outcomes, activities, indicators, baseline, target for end of project, source of verification, risks and assumptions;
• Inputs to the outline structure for interlinked framework strategies.

Group B:

• Framework strategies for: Institutional development; capacity building for enhanced water management, including use of water nexus; information management and decision support systems; water use efficiency and enforcement; pollution abatement; and, gender mainstreaming;
• Integrated draft framework strategies for: Institutional development; stakeholder involvement and education; water ecology management; water nexus methodology; and, harmonization and experience sharing;
• Inputs into the recommended management arrangements for project implementation and M&E plan;
• Inputs into the recommended sustainability plan specific to capacity building and enforcement;
• Co-chair National and support to regional workshop including inputs into agenda, participants lists, and meeting minutes;
• Regional situational analysis specific to capacity building and enforcement.

Group C:

• Comments to finalize: FSP multi-year work plan and budget proposal,; Recommendations for the Final M&E Plan; Recommendations for the Final sustainability plan; Final Project Documents including all annexes in line with UNDP/GEF Requirements.

Estimated duration: approximately 34 working days

The consultancy will be for approximately 34 working days over a period estimated from 2 March 2015 to 31 December 2015. 
Group A deliverables will be due by 15 April 2015;
Group B deliverables will be due by 15 July2015;
Group C deliverables will be due by 15 December 2015;
These dates will be flexible based on extenuating circumstances and agreement with the UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor, International Waters, Europe and CIS.

Institutional Arrangements:

• The Consultant will be home-based; with travel to Georgia and Azerbaijan for stakeholder consultations and return for Regional Stakeholder Validation Workshop to be chaired by the RTA from the Istanbul Regional Hub;
• The Consultant will be contracted and supervised by the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub;
• The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
• Payments will be made per deliverable. The quality of the final documents will be evaluated by the UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor, International Waters, Europe and CIS. If the quality does not meet standards or requirements of the UNDP/GEF, the consultant will be asked to rewrite or revise (as necessary) the document before proceeding to payment. In that sense, payments shall be made upon delivery and approval by the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor, International Waters, Europe and CIS. Payment will be based on acceptance of the following: Deliverable Group A (20% of total contract amount); Deliverable Group B (40%). Deliverable Group C (40%).

Travel

The consultant is expected to undertake 2 mission travels to the region. The first trip of approximately 20 days will be to meet with stakeholders in both Azerbaijan and Georgia (combined mission for 2 countries, each country for 10 days) and to conduct national stakeholders meetings. The second trip will be for the Regional Stakeholder Validation Workshop, tentatively in Baku, for approximately 5 days inclusive. UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub will facilitate the consultant in obtaining the necessary visa as needed.
The Consultant will be responsible for all personal administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, visa, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copies incurred in this assignment. For this reason, the contract is prepared as a lump sum contract.

Competencies

Corporate  Competencies: 

• Excellent communications and networking skills and the ability to work in a team;
• Strong interpersonal and negotiating skills;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment; and
• Sound judgment and discretion.

Functional Competencies: 

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Demonstrated familiarity with or, ideally, work experience in GEF International Waters and specifically in the CIS region;
• Demonstrated familiarity with transboundary waters issues and national IWRM plan priorities in the CIS region;
• Demonstrated familiarity with priority issues in the Kura River basin, including water sector, environmental sector, national and regional institutional structures and future development plans;
• Demonstrated familiarity with modern integrated approaches to capacity building and technical enforcement for enhanced water management, including: use of water nexus; information management and decision support systems; GIS systems and mathematical modeling approaches for water management, including water use efficiency and enforcement; applied pollution abatement technologies and compliance mechanisms; and, gender mainstreaming, based on proven experience in all of these areas;
• Demonstrated familiarity and sensitivity to wider regional economic development trends shaping water resource management in the Kura Basin.

Management and Leadership:

• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors;
• Remains calm, in control and composed even under pressure;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Communicates effectively with staff at all levels of the organization;
• Acts with tact and diplomacy;
• Proves outgoing and comfortable in handling external relations at all levels;
• Demonstrates compelling communication skills and cross-cultural effectiveness;
• Demonstrates experience in bilateral and/or multilateral negotiations, and negotiating and training / facilitation skills; and
• Possesses the ability to convey difficult issues and positions to senior officials, proven political judgment, sensitivity to local cultures.

Professionalism:

• Capable of working in a high pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Able to work independently and remotely with minimal supervision;
• Able to accept direction and constructive criticism from team members and authorities in a positive and respectful manner;
• Exercise the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Capacity to submit high quality deliverables under time constraints.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree in water resource engineering, or related fields required. Advanced degree focusing on hydrological modeling a strong advantage. (Criteria A - max 10 pts.).

Experience:

• At least 10 years of demonstrated experience in development and oversight of technical capacity building programs for water managers in multi-sector governmental settings including application of technical enforcement and compliance approaches;
• Experience in development of integrated national and transboundary water resource management strategies in the CIS; Experience in Azerbaijan and Georgia within the past 7 years with an emphasis on transboundary water quality monitoring challenges and proposed solutions an asset; (Criteria B - max 10 pts.);
• Demonstrated experience in working with UN, World Bank or GEF through multiple sectors/ministries; experience with the UN, World Bank or GEF at the highest governmental levels in both national and transboundary contexts an asset; (Criteria C - max 10 pts.);
• Desired experience in capacity building programs includes: integrated water management for agriculture, energy, municipal water supplies; information management and decision support systems for integrated sustainable water management; GIS and remote sensing techniques in water resources management focusing on the use of mathematical models in integrated water resources management and water use efficiency for supply and demand models; (Criteria D - max 20 pts.);
• Experience in application of economic approaches to integrated natural resources management. Additional preference for experience in environmental flows calculation, application of pollution abatement using environmental engineering or experience with constructed wetlands projects; (Criteria E - max 10 pts.);
• Proven success in working with gender mainstreaming for water management projects in interdisciplinary teams, managerial experience of gender mainstreaming efforts at national and regional levels an additional asset; (Criteria F - max 10 pts.)

Language: 

• English is the working language for this assignment; therefore excellent English is required.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a 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 (P11 desk reviews and interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only those candidates who obtained at least 70% of points in each step of the process technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) will be considered for financial proposal evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points
Criteria A – max points: 10
Criteria B – max points: 10
Criteria C – max points: 10
Criteria D – max points: 20 (interview)
Criteria E – max points: 10 (interview)
Criteria F – max points: 10 (interview)

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Only those candidates who obtained at least 70% of points in each step of the process technical (P11 desk reviews and interviews) will be considered for financial proposal evaluation.

Application Procedure:
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why the individual considers him/herself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Duly completed and signed P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV;

Financial Proposal - specifying a total all-inclusive lump sum amount in USD currency for the tasks and missions specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount per deliverable groups and travel related costs of planned missions.
A lump sum in USD per deliverable.
Deliverable group A (20% by 15 April 2015) - (enter No. of Working days); (enter rate in USD).
Deliverable group B (40% by 15 July 2015) - (enter No. of Working days); (enter rate in USD).
Deliverable group C (40% by 15 December 2015) - (enter No. of Working days) - (enter rate in USD)
Total Lump sum: {enter total No. of Working days) - (enter Total lump sum)

A lump sum in USD per travel (up to 25 days)
1st mission to Azerbaijan and Georgia (20 days)
International travel (round trip): {enter costs)
Local Travel: {enter costs);
DSAs for Tbilisi (10 days) - (enter costs)
DSAs for Baku (10 days) - (enter costs)
Total Travel costs for the 1st mission -(enter costs)

2nd mission to Azerbaijan (5 days)
International travel (round trip) - (enter costs)
DSAs for Baku (5 days) - (enter costs)
Total Travel costs for the 2nd mission: {enter costs}.

A total lump sum in USD currency for approximately 34 working days and travel costs for 2 missions of approximately 25 days: {enter amount in words and in numbers indicating currency}
Incomplete proposals may not be considered.

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...).

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org .
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.