UNDP Jobs - 63820- Long Term Agreement for the Provision of Individua

Long Term Agreement for the Provision of Individual Services of a National Consultant for Engineering Studies and Site Supervision in Palestinian Gatherings in Lebanon

Location :

Beirut, LEBANON

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

25-Feb-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

Arabic English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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

This TOR falls under the UNDP project “Improving Living Conditions in Palestinian Gatherings Host Communities”, which aims at enhancing access to Basic Urban Services BUS (water, sewerage, solid waste management, electricity, roads) and shelter conditions. In addition to the 12 official Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon, a total of 42 Palestinian Gatherings are distributed along the regions of Lebanon, housing Palestinian refugees in the South (Tyr and Saida), North, Beirut and Beqaa (refer to the map in Annex 1). Palestinian Gatherings are informal settlements ‘constituting relatively homogenous refugee communities, such as smaller villages or households living in the same multi-story residential buildings” (fafo, 2003).

Being informal areas, Palestinian gatherings remain excluded from national strategies or local development plans, thus increasing poverty and marginalization of the local refugee communities and the deterioration of the living environment. The forty-two gatherings fall under the municipal domain of twenty-five municipalities; however, municipalities in general do not intervene to provide basic urban services or improve the physical environment in these areas. The lack of municipal intervention is attributed to a number of reasons mainly: lack of financial resources; the security situation in the gatherings mainly adjacent to camps; and most importantly misconceptions that the gatherings are served by UNRWA. In fact, as per UNRWA’s mandate, the Agency’s services targeting refugees living in the gatherings are restricted to education and health coverage. UNRWA’s interventions in terms of basic urban services, including WASH, and shelter self-help Programmes are restricted to the boundaries of the 12 official camps. Due to the lack of service providers, refugees living in the gatherings resort to a number of informal self-help initiatives to access and maintain basic urban services. While these informal practices that are affordable to dwellers ensure their access to some services, the services themselves are inadequate, insufficient and characterized by huge gaps and shortfalls. In addition, they are ultimately connected in an ad-hoc manner to the surrounding municipal networks or to the camps’ networks in the case of gatherings that are adjacent to camps; however no coordination mechanisms exist between the actors.

Since 2012 and with the increased influx of Palestinian and Syrian refugees from Syria, the conditions of the living environment in the gatherings have been dramatically worsening. An estimated 26,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in addition to some 4,000 Syrian refugees are living in Palestinian gatherings, raising the number of dwellers from 110,000 to an estimated 140,000 and exerting unprecedented pressure on the already insufficient and deteriorating basic urban services and infrastructure networks.

After responding to the urgent needs increased by the displacement of new refugees in the gatherings, the need arises today for a more strategic approach that would link emergency response to longer-term sustainable solutions in these host refugee communities.

Such an approach will present more enduring solutions for adequate and efficient access to water and sanitation (WATSAN) services, which would serve the longer-term development needs of the original refugee communities.

Duties and Responsibilities

In order to investigate and design effective and sustainable water and sewage systems in selected Palestinian gatherings, the services of an engineer with experience in Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) projects are required. On a retainer basis, and under the supervision of the Project Manager of the “Improving Living Conditions in Palestinian Gatherings Host Communities” Project, the National Individual Consultant (IC) will recommend and assess the feasibility of WATSAN projects in selected Gatherings based on his/her experience as well as the particular context of the selected areas of implementation.

Tasks and Activities

The individual consultant will achieve the following tasks/activities:

Task 1: Technically assess the situation and needs in water and sanitation in the gatherings, in consultation with local communities and actors (local committees, municipalities, UNRWA, etc.). These shall include, but not limited to, water source development, water distribution, storage, and treatment; and sewage networks and disposal and treatment facilities and methods;
Task 2: Investigate and recommend the most efficient solutions to implement water and sewage solutions in selected areas to ensure efficiency and sustainability. These could include new technologies or more traditional methods that are environmentally friendly;
Task 3: Assess the feasibility and components of WATSAN projects to be implemented, in consultation with local actors;
Task 4: Produce engineering studies (BoQs, illustrations, maps, etc.) and bidding documents in line with UNDP procurement guidelines. All technical designs should be in line with national regulations and projects. The consultant should advise UNDP accordingly (e.g. need for EIAs, designs in line with other projects being implemented by CDR in surrounding municipalities, etc);
Task 5: Assists in assessing proposals submitted by contractors when required and make sure they correspond to the standards mentioned in the engineering studies and bidding documents;
Task 6: Review and approve the schedule of Works submitted by the contractor;
Task 7: Acknowledge, on behalf of the project, receipt of materials that will be delivered by suppliers (if any); and make sure that the final count of the materials (received by contractors) is adequate to the bill of quantities and Standards and Specifications;
Task 8: Supervise the implementation of works on the ground and make sure that works are compliant with the Standards and Specifications; provide technical guidance to the contractor and approve any changes in the work plan or BoQs along the course of implementation;
Task 9: Prepare weekly progr;ss reports to the Project Manager and check and approve payments for contractors according to finished works.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application.

Competencies

Funcrional Competencies:

Proven specialized experience in water and sanitation projects and solutions;
Familiarity with relevant technical standards, norms, and current best practices and technologies;
Detailed knowledge of the Lebanese context and market.

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree in civil engineering, mechanical engineering or related field in engineering.

Experience:

Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.

Languages:

Proficiency in Arabic and English.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete.