Background

Building Resilience to disaster and climatic risk is one of the corporate priorities of UNDP. Over last four decades, UNDP Bangladesh has been working with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) together with other development partners to implement GoB’s priorities in climate change adaptation and mitigation. UNDP’s support strategy to GoB involves both adaptation and mitigation with specific focus on readiness for accessing and utilizing effectively the available international climate finances.

UNDP Bangladesh is preparing to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in developing project proposals for submission to the climate financing schemes in 2015 and 2016. Among the issues being considered as subject for a project proposal is Strengthening National Adaptive Capacity through Climate Resilient Rural Housing in Coastal Bangladesh.

The Context of the Project:

Coastal Bangladesh, which is inhabited by 35 million people – 20 % of Bangladesh’s total population - is one of the most exposed regions of the world to storm surge and sea level rise.  With a changing climate, people living in the coast are becoming more exposed to cyclones, tidal surges, salinity intrusion and persistent waterlogging (ibid). With most parts of coastal Bangladesh only just above sea level, whenever surge height exceeds 1 meter, there is a high risk of mass inundation leading to mortality, significant economic losses and displacement. Using the Bay of Bengal hydrodynamic model, the World Bank estimates that cyclone exposed areas in Bangladesh will increase by 26% and the affected population would grow as high as 122% by 2050.

The rural housing sector in Bangladesh regularly experiences significant losses due to climate-induced extreme events, particularly on the coast. Since 1970, roughly 300,000 houses were fully and half a million partially damaged by flood, cyclone, river erosion and tornados each year. Only one in every three homes in Bangladesh is made of concrete, with the remaining non-concrete 70% significantly more vulnerable to climate-induced disaster shocks. In rural Bangladesh, private housing is used not only as a domicile, but also for storage of livelihood and economic assets. As a result, damage to private housing accounts for the major portion of the economic loss associated with climate induced disasters in Bangladesh.

Even a conservative estimate of the five major disasters since 1998 puts the value of the damage cause by these events at roughly 15% of GDP. Half of this economic damage has been incurred in the housing sector. A conservative estimate gives the total value of the loss of housing stock as USD 800 million (GoB and World Bank)

In the 2007 category 4 cyclone Sidr alone, the number of heavily affected houses were 1,522,077, of which over 564,967 houses were totally destroyed and 957,110 houses were partially damaged. Two years after Sidr, assessment reveals, , only 5% of the destroyed housing had been rebuilt to a satisfactory standard,, indicating the huge response gap and poor peoples’ inability to manage current and future risks. The poor and marginalized sections of the coastal communities can’t afford to build back better and more climate-resilient because of their limited financial ability. Moreover, the fact that many people do not have ownership of their own land acts as a major disincentive for them to invest in housing.

The Concept of the Project:

Therefore, the proposal is to build nation-wide capacity on climate resilient housing for the poor and vulnerable people in the coast of Bangladesh.

It aims to fulfill the following objectives (to be tested and confirmed):

• To transform national housing programmes, policies and funding mechanisms to take into account climate change;
• To enhance the climate change adaptive capacities of around 1 million most vulnerable coastal people by introducing resilient housing concepts and technologies;
• To provide resilient housing for 20,000 most-vulnerable households, with a focus on female-headed households, in 400 selected villages in eight coastal districts.

The project will be primarily an adaptation project, although the housing constructed should provide for low carbon use features. The unique nature of the housing has to be climate resilient, low cost, low carbon, socially and culturally inclusive, build in safer and high lands, and expandable as habitat. The housing programme will also explore possibilities of engagement of private sectors with market and insurance instruments. This rural housing project has to be based on the lessons from previous rural housing schemes for vulnerable people. The project should have a strong paradigm shift potential in the overall public and private sector investment in rural housing towards a climate resilient, economically, environmentally and socially feasible and low carbon rural housing in Bangladesh. The project will be implemented in eight coastal districts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective

The Environmental Expert will work in a high profile team which is put together to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a project proposal on climate resilient housing in Bangladesh for submission to a fund. His/her main role would be to make sure that study integrates all environmental aspects in the Feasibility Study Report and the project proposal as per UNDP policies and procedures

The consultants would deliver two outputs:

• The EIA report based on an agreed format with UNDP;
• High quality input to the consultant team for development of the feasibility study and Project Proposal that should be prepared as per the format provided by UNDP).

Scope of Work

A Seven (7) member team is envisaged to be recruited by UNDP.  The Environmental Expert will closely work with and assist the Team Leader to carry out an Environmental Impact of the proposed intervention on the project locations.

The following will be the key tasks of the expert:

• Review and describe the design and technological options to the proposed house construction and other investments (access road, water supply, sanitation, energy appliance, raw materials etc.) proposed in the concept note and prepare their environmental and social impact profile in relation to geographical and ecological context;
• Determine the category of the assessment in consultation with UNDP following GoB’s and UNDP’s guidelines, rules and procedures (which ever is of higher standard);
• Identification of key environmental and social impacts in the proposed locations where the project will be implemented, which should include establishment of baseline condition (i.e. physical, biological and socio-cultural environment);
• Assess the impact of the project on the IECs;
• Carefully review relevant local rules and regulation of the GoB, and in relation to UNDP policies and procedures. It should also include GoB’s regional and international obligations;
• Suggest Environmental and social impact mitigation measures (EMPs) for reducing the likely impact and to fulfil the requirements of likely funding source(s);
• Recommend adjustment in the design and technological options, and construction process that is environmentally and socially suitable and resilient to climate change in the coast.

 The indicative specific tasks to carry out the EiA for the assignment:

Become familiar with:

• Past and existing projects of GoB and UNDP focused on resilient housing, post-disaster shelter and housing construction, climate change and disaster risk reduction mainstreaming in policy, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and other areas;
• The proposed project concept and underlying assumptions and justifications;
• Main stakeholders in the proposed project to check understanding;
• UNDP guidelines for development of environmental and social safeguards.
• Assemble and review available studies, reports and data to establish baseline;
• Determine feasibility and crucial factors for the success and sustainability of the proposed project;
• Conduct site visit and consult with communities and local authorities.

The team of consultants will be contractually accountable to UNDP and the issues related to process and deliverables (outputs) also needs to be endorsed by UNDP.

Deliverables:

• A revised pre-Feasibility Study report;
• A final EiA Report;
• A final Project Proposal (as a team).

Timeframe and Deadline:

The assignment will be for a priod of total 30 working days from its commencement and shall be completed by 15 September 2015.

Documents

The Consultants will prepare and submit the documents mentioned above at the end of the assignment. The format for Programem Document should be agreed at the beginning of the assignment and cleared by the task force. Further work, or revision of the documents, may be required if is considered that the report does not meet the TOR, there are errors of fact or the document is incomplete or not of an acceptable standard.

Supervision and Perfoemance Evaluation

The team will work closely with the Committee formed by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and UNDP. The consultant/s will report directly to the Assistant Country Director, Climate Change, Environment and disaster Cluster of UNDP Bangladesh.

Inputs

UNDP will provide office space and transport for the consultant as required and also arrange meetings, consultations, and interviews and ensure access to key officials as mentioned in proposed methodology. DSA will be provided for travelling outside Dhaka (if required) as per rules of UNDP

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;
• Ability to engage with high ranking Government Officials and provide policy advisory support services;
• Good understanding of disaster management in South Asia / Bangladesh, including field experience;
• Full conceptual and practical understanding of activities, legal framework of the government.

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;
• Excellent writing skills in the compilation of high level quality documents in English language.

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:

• Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Management or most relevant field.

Experience:

• At least 10 years’ of working experience in EIA, and preferably in housing or similar sector;
• Strong project development and proposal writing skills of national scale programme;
• Substantial experience in development policy analysis involving using quantitative and qualitative methods;
• Working experience in government ministries/ departments and UN / international organizations;
• To level knowledge on global good practices in resilient technologies especially in rural housing in developing countries;
• Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar feasibility studies in the region/Bangladesh;
• Good understanding of climate financing scheme guidelines.

Language:

• Excellent English writing and editing skills.

Payment to the consultant:

The Consultant will be paid as per the following payment schedule based on the certification of the contract adsministrator

• 1st payment (20% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of workplan, methodology and approach;
• 2nd payment (10% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of the Revised pre-Feasibility Study report;
• 3rd payment (40% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of A final Feasibility Study Report;
• Final Payment (30% of the Total Contract Amount) - Upon submission of the final Project Proposal and  successful completion of the assignment.

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):

• Past experience in conducting EIA in the developing countries/Bangladesh - 30 marks;
• Past work in Climate change adaptation in South Asian/developing countries - 10 marks;
• Understanding of various housing approaches in climate change context - 15 marks;
• Project development experience for UN agencies/ international organization / donor funded projects - 30 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.

Important note for Applicants:

Interested applicants are requested to submit their financial proposal along with the application. Please note that, application in this system allows to attach only one document. Interested candidates are requested to prepare their CV's and Financial Prioposal as one document and upload that single document (CV + Financial Proposal) while applying.

The template for Financial Proposal can be found in the below link:

http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Jobs/Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal-Template%20for%20Confirmation.docx

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.