UNDP Jobs - 60429- Re-advertisement - International Consultant for El

Re-advertisement - International Consultant for Elaboration of National Environment Policy

Location :

Bissau, GUINEA-BISSAU

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-Nov-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

160 working days

Languages Required :

English Portuguese

Expected Duration of Assignment :

160 working days

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

Since independence, the environment and the natural resources in Guinea-Bissau have been managed by various governmental institutions with very little coordination among them. The fragmented situation spills over to the arena of laws and regulations, hindering effective management and governance. In addition, environmental intervention efforts have been concentrated in the coastal areas where much of the country’s biodiversity and natural wealth are found, while the country as a whole is considered one of the poorest and the most vulnerable to climate change but with important contributions to the world´s ecosystems. In view of this situation, the government of Guinea-Bissau considers it essential to formulate a national environment policy and extend the intervention areas in order to effectively manage the environment and natural resources for the purpose of sustainable development. The elaboration of a national environmental policy will be carried out under the project of the Secretariat of the State for the Environment and UNDP, "Strengthening the Capacity and Civil and Political Engagement in in Natural Resource Management" (hereafter called “the project”).

One of the key points in elaborating a national environmental policy is the recognition that the environment is the very foundation of all of our activities, and hence of social and economic development; the policy should not be perceived as one in the field of environment, but one that encompasses all sectors and whose stakeholders are the citizens, straddling social

functions and classes. In order to assure ownership of the policy by the country, which is indispensable for its effective implementation later, consultation and engagement of various stakeholders and their recognition of the transversal nature of the issue are of utmost importance. A national committee and one regional committee for each of the eight regions of the country (Bafatá, Biombo, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabú, Oio, Quinara and Tombalí) – comprising of public administrators, farmers, animal herders, loggers, miners, fishermen, enterprise owners, experts in relevant fields, and other ordinary citizens – will be set up for this purpose. The communication should be two way and complementary; the consultant, the government and UNDP will be outlining the policy based on the “General Principles,” the “Country Specifics” and the “Policy Document Framework” below and the population will be providing on-the-ground details and necessary changes. Three regional meetings in each region as well as four national meetings will be held with the agenda based on the “Policy Document Framework” (or a draft table of contents of the policy document). The first meetings in the regions will launch the process of consultation and engagement, the second meetings will be convened to discuss the first draft policy and its revision, the third meetings to discuss the second draft and its revision. The first national meeting will be held for representatives from the capital to launch the process of consultation and engagement, the second meeting to discuss the first draft policy and its revision, the third meeting to discuss the second draft and its revision, and the fourth meeting for both the national and regional representatives to validate the policy in Bissau.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for the following main tasks:

Organization of a national committee for environmental policy formation and three national meetings with the committee and the population to exchange information on the preliminary policy framework and content, as described in the Background section of the Terms of Reference (Annex I);
Organization of one regional committee in the capital of each of the eight regions in the country (whose capitals are Bafatá, Quinhámel, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabú, Farim, Buba and Catió, respectively) and the three regional meetings with the regional committee and the population to exchange information on the preliminary policy framework and content, as described in the Background section of the Terms of Reference (eight regions of Guinea-Bissau, namely Bafatá, Biombo, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabú, Oio, Quinara and Tombalí);
Elaboration of a national environmental policy in a reiterative manner based on the preliminary policy framework and content, as described in the Background section of the Terms of Reference, and on feedback obtained during national and regional meetings; and
Validation of the final national environmental policy.

For further details, please see Annex I (Terms of Reference).

Competencies

Excellent technical, analytical and editing skills in Portuguese;
Excellent communication skills in Portuguese or Creole;
Strong strategic planning, results-based management and reporting capabilities;
Excellent team player with good interpersonal skills;
Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision;
Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
Ability to accommodate additional demands at short notice;
Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Skills in achieving results through persuading, influencing, & working with others;
Skills in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations; and,
Skills in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced degree(s) (Master or Ph.D.) in the field of ecology, environmental science, rural development, sociology, anthropology, public administration/service, law or any other relevant discipline (Relevant professional experience may be substituted).

Experience:

At least 4 years of experience in public policy related the environment;
Experience in public policy, public administration/service, and other related fields;
Knowledge of environment and development issues in Guinea-Bissau or the wider region;
Working experience in Guinea-Bissau or in the wider region; and,
Experience in working and collaborating with governments in developing countries, and preferably with the UN and other international agencies.

Language:

Excellent knowledge of Portuguese and English both spoken and written;
Good knowledge of French should be an advantage.

Required documents:

Interested candidate consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Cover letter (1 page) explaining interest, suitability and availability (precise dates) for this contract;
Curriculum vitae, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references;
A brief (2-4 page) technical proposal, providing a summary on how the candidate will approach and conduct the work (satisfying the conditions specified in Section 3 Duties and Responsibilities of the Terms of Reference, Annex I) and a timetable with precise dates for all the tasks under this contract;
Financial proposal, preferably consisting of a contract lump sum (with a breakdown including number of days, daily fees, international economy class travel, per diems, etc.). In the case of unforeseeable additional travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses will be agreed upon between the respective business unit and the individual consultant, prior to travel, and will be reimbursed.

For further details, please see Annex I (Terms of Reference).

Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

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.

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Lowest price and technically compliant offer;
When using this method, the award of a contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as both:
Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
Offering the lowest price/cost;
Responsive/compliant/acceptable can be defined as fully meeting the TOR provided.

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, 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 and financial criteria specified to the solicitation;
Technical criteria weight -70;
Financial criteria weight - 30.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 point would be considered for the financial evaluation

Evaluation criteria:

Advanced degree(s) (master or Ph.D.) in the field of ecology, environmental science, rural development, sociology, anthropology, public administration/service, law or any other relevant discipline (Relevant professional experience may be substituted) - 5pts;
At least 4 years of experience in public policy related to the environment - 20pts;
Experience in public administration/service, law and other related fields - 15pts;
Knowledge of environment and development issues in Guinea-Bissau or the wider region - 10pts;
Working experience in Guinea-Bissau or in the wider region - 10pts;
Experience in working and collaborating with governments in developing countries, and preferably with the UN and other international agencies - 5pts;
Excellent knowledge of Portuguese, and working knowledge of English - 5pts;
Technical proposal - 30pts.