UNDP Jobs - 60984- International Consultant for PIF Preparation of th

International Consultant for PIF Preparation of the CCCD Project

Location :

Bissau, GUINEA-BISSAU

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

26-Oct-2015

Application Deadline :

22-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

17 working days

Languages Required :

English Spanish Portuguese

Expected Duration of Assignment :

17 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

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), acting as an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is providing assistance to the Secretary of State for the Environment (SEA) of Guinea-Bissau in the preparation of the GEF pipelining documentation (PIF and PPG for project “Development of a Sound Environmental Accounting and Monitoring System in Guinea-Bissau”). The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a technically sound and eligible PIF for the projet that fits well with the government’s relevant priorities and policies.

Among Guinea Bissau’s human/intangible, produced capital and natural capital, the proportion of natural capital is exceptionally high (close to 50% by World Bank estimate). The country has also preserved a large portion of its nature while its economic activities give the ranking as one the poorest in the world, making the conventional accounting particularly unfit for national planning.

While the country has elaborated various plans and reports to safeguard the environment and promote sustainable development, including the National Adaptation Programme of Action (2006) and Second National Communication on Climate Change (2011), much difficulty remains in mainstreaming the subject of the environment and in taking stock of the country’s wealth. No systematic efforts have been made to evaluate the natural capital or the ecosystemic functions that the country enjoys or provides to the outside world. An environmental accounting system – that incorporates environmental dimensions to traditional national accounting – would require cooperation among various agencies and actors across fields, but there is little coordination and cooperation as of date. In fact, the evaluation conducted in 2011 on the national capacity for environmental management cites as major drawbacks the following:

The lack of integrated information system on the environment on a national scale; (ii) the insufficiency of indicators on sustainable environmental management; and (iii) the lack of recognition of the link between degradation of the environment (including natural resources) and the national economy. Finally, participatory approach is not well understood among the government technicians and political decision makers as a sine qua non in project formulation and implementation. Guinea-Bissau has recently launched REDD+ readiness programme, which would require the same capacities as for the establishment of a comprehensive environmental accounting and monitoring system for the country.

In sum, the country will greatly benefit from establishing a reliable environmental accounting and monitoring system which allows presentation of the state of the environment in terms understandable to political decision makers, both national and international, and regular updating of such evaluation. However, the human and institutional capacities are extremely weak and governmental institutions are unable to carry out the task of establishing such a system on their own. The project will aid the country in strengthening the capacity to plan its future for sustainable development by establishing an important and useful tool for that purpose.

Duties and Responsibilities

Conduct a mission in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (7 working days, excluding travel) in order to:

Assess the capacity and the goals in short-, medium- and long-term of the country in environmental accounting and monitoring (i.e., generation and updating of various data) so that the project will address as accurately as possible the needs and propose feasible solutions under this project;
Identify projects currently under execution that would support this project; and,
Enable the project to provide a bridge to future actions in this area.

If judged necessary by the consultant, travel to the regions may well be included.

Hold at least two teleconferences with the UNDP Istanbul Regional Technical Advisor and the UNDP CO team in Guinea-Bissau, preferably one before the mission in Bissau and another after the first draft of PIF.

Maintain regular email communications with the RTA, the CO team and, if applicable, the other stakeholders in Guinea-Bissau, posing specific questions that will allow the completion of information gaps and the development of the project logic;
Based on the existing documentation and with the aim of thoroughly completing an eligible PIF in the correct template/format, obtain the necessary information and:

Develop, in an iterative manner, the project logic and strategy, based on the principles of incremental reasoning and starting with the Project Framework of the PIF, under the guidance of the UNDP Regional Technical Advisor, defining thereby the project objective, outcomes (or proxy indicators) and outputs. Based on the logic and strategy, propose indicative allocations for the GEF funds and co-financing per project component.

Identify the barriers to achieving the project objective and elaborate on them;
Within a logical framework approach, develop and describe the project outputs and outcomes for the biodiversity and land degradation in the PIF using clear and results-oriented language that is typical of such documents. This will be part of the narrative part;
Provide an assessment of the required costing for the different activities;
Estimate the available co-financing for the activities;
Describe in succinct terms the socioeconomic benefits to be delivered by the Project at the national and local levels, including consideration of gender dimensions, and how these will support the achievement of global environment benefits (GEF Trust Fund. As a background information, read the following: Mainstreaming Gender at the GEF.);
Assess project risks and briefly propose mitigation measures. This can be presented through a simple matrix with three columns (risk, rating, mitigation measures);
Outline the coordination with other related initiatives (in generic terms and to the point, noting that here the information is on projects, programmes and initiatives);
Identify key stakeholders likely to be involved in the project, including government, civil society organizations, local communities, private sector and academia, discussing briefly their respective roles, as applicable. This should be kept short but to the point;
Propose a set of PPG activities and types of consultants needed for completing the required PPG activities;
Submit the required products in English to the UNDP Istanbul Regional Centre Regional Technical Advisor and the CO.

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

Competencies

Excellent English writing skills.
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;
Excellent knowledge of GEF CCCD/CB2 Project Cycle.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Advanced University degree (Master’s or higher) in the fields of environmental management, public administration or relevant related fields.

Experience:

At least 7 years of relevant professional experience;
Proven experience in developing/implementing similar projects – preferably in the region;
Previous successful experience in development and approval of the PIF;
Previous experience with UNDP is a great advantage;
Experience of work in the region is an asset;

Language Qualifications:

Excellent English Language writing skill;
Good Knowledge Portuguese or Spanish are strongly recommended.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

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

Curriculum vitae, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references;
A brief (2-4 page) technical proposal, detailing how the candidate will conduct the mission in Guinea-Bissau to collect what kind of information to be used for which purposes under PIF writing;
Financial proposal, which includes the mission costs and preferably consists 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).

Financial Proposal:

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 specific 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.

Technical Evaluation Criteria:

Advanced University degree (Master’s or higher) in the fields of environmental management, public administration or relevant related fields - 5pts;
Proven expert knowledge in the GEF CCCD/CB2 Project Cycle - 10pts;
At least 7 years of relevant professional experience and proven experience in developing/implementing similar projects - preferably in the region -15pts;
Previous successful experience in development and approval of the PIF - 10pts;
Previous experience with UNDP is a great advantage - 10pts;
Experience of work in the region is an asset - 10pts;
Excellent English writing skills and competencies in Portuguese or Spanish are strongly recommended - 10pts;
Technical proposal - 30pts.