UNDP Jobs - 65709- Lead Consultant for Preparing Benchmarks and Indic

Lead Consultant for Preparing Benchmarks and Indicators for Disaster Score Card (DSR)

Location :

New Delhi with Travel to States, INDIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

16-May-2016

Application Deadline :

01-May-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

120 days spread over eight (8) months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

120 days spread over eight (8) months

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

India’s geo-climatic conditions as well as its high incidence of poverty and socio-economic vulnerability, make the country highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Disasters strike the country with regular frequency, causing massive human and economic losses. Natural hazards such as droughts, floods, earthquakes, cyclones, landslides, avalanches, and forest fire, etc. strike the country on a regular basis. In addition to major disasters such as the earthquakes in Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir, and tsunami in South India, a very large number of smaller disasters have been seriously impacting life and livelihood of the affected population across the country. Out of 35 states and union territories in the country, 27 are prone to different disasters. According to the Working Group Paper on Disaster Management for the 12th five year plan, in the past 30 years, the country has been hit by approximately 25 major disasters apart from heat waves, cold waves and heavy winds affecting large parts of the country. It is noticed that the human and economic losses from disasters are enormously high in India as compared to other developing nations of the world. According to a World Bank, direct losses from natural disasters have been estimated to amount to up to 2 per cent of India’s GDP and up to 12 per cent of central government revenues.

Enhancing resilience is one of the underlying message of the recently approved Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also articulate the need to ensure resilience of physical infrastructure and social systems. In India, while disaster preparedness has been receiving emphasis, which has helped in reducing loss of lives, the damage to assets and resultant losses have been increasing.

Over the last two decades the central and state governments have taken numerous steps to strengthen their disaster management systems. However, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) initiatives across states and implementation of the provisions in the Disaster Management Act 2005 vary considerably. Some of the states have been proactively taking the DRR agenda forward while others have been lagging behind due to one or the other reason. Given that the India is vulnerable to multi-hazards, it is proposed to prepare a Disaster Score Card comprising of a set of benchmarks and indicators for assessing both the risks of disasters and the resilience both in rural and urban areas. This initiative would help in improving disaster preparedness, directing investments, making financial allocations, etc. It would help in identifying areas where special interventions are needed in order to reduce the annual GDP loss due to disasters and to support risk informed development, prioritize investments besides providing concrete policy options. The scorecard would help private sector, NGOs and financial institutions in customizing their investments and provision of services including risk insurance mechanisms. In the long term this would help in ranking of the states which could serve as criteria to guide allocation of resources (not just limited to funds) for disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Annual or biennial Disaster Risk Reduction Report for the country can also be prepared based on the analysis of the information collected through these benchmarks and indicators.

This initiative will bring together and build on the extensive experience in the country on a diverse range of DRR aspects including policy & planning, institutional strengthening, preparedness & capacity development, coordination, engagement of all stakeholders in different phases of disaster management, community mobilization etc. The Ministry of Home Affairs has therefore decided to develop a set of benchmarks and indicators for Disaster Score Card by involving different stakeholders like central government departments, state governments, local authorities, community, civil society as well as the private sector and has requested UNDP to facilitate the entire process.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted an Advisory Committee to guide the process of formulation of Disaster Management Score Card under the GoI-UNDP Project on Enhancing Institutional and Community Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change”-(2013-2017) under the Chairmanship of Joint Secretary (DM),MHA. In its first meeting the Advisory Committee decided that experts from various relevant sectors should be involved in the study to develop benchmarks and indicators. It also advised that preparedness and capacity development should go beyond and not restrict to DRR and social parameters which enhance resilience of a community should be included. It further advised that while preparing benchmarks and indicators for Scorecard, Human Development Index (HDI), SFDRR Indicators and India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) should take into account.

In this context, UNDP is looking for a Lead Consultant to provide support to the UNDP and the Ministry of Home Affairs in finalizing the concept and develop benchmarks and indicators. The consultant will work with a group of experts which would include economist, statistician and DRR experts as required.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Individual Consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the Advisory Committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He/she would be responsible for carrying out the following tasks in consultation with the Emergency analyst, UNDP:

Based on desk review and concretize the objective and scope of the scorecard initiative;
Formulate approach & methodology for developing the benchmarks and indicators for the Scorecard;
Suggest composition of the Working Groups for the preparation of benchmarks and indicators;
Suggest experts required for supporting the preparation of benchmarks and indicators with their terms of reference;
Identify key stakeholders and experts for consultations for a pan India study to develop the DRR Country Report;
Develop background papers and assist in organizing stakeholder consultations at the national and state levels;
Review and finalize reports of the Working Groups;
Develop benchmarks and indicators based on the desk review, Working Group reports and stakeholder consultations;
Support in pilot testing of benchmarksand indicators in select states/UTs;
Finalize benchmarksand indicators based on pilot testing;
Develop guidance note for collecting, compiling and analyzing field level data;
Develop User Guide for Scorecard;
Develop terms of reference for the pan India study for developing the Scorecard and DRR Country Report;
Support in conducting the first study to develop the Score Card and DRR Country Report;

Schedule of Work:

Submission of Inception Report containing objectives, scope, approach, methodology and timelines within 4 weeks from the date of signing of the contract;
Submission of list of experts and suggestive members of the Working Groups within 6 weeks from the date of signing of the contract;
Submission of Background Papers for national and state level consultations within 8 weeks from the date of signing of the contract;
Submission of reports of Stakeholder Consultations Workshops – within a week after the workshop;
Submission of reviewed reports of the Working Groups within 16 weeks from the date of signing of the contract;
Submission of draft benchmarks and indicators within 20 weeks from the date of signing of the contract
Submission of report of pilot testing of benchmarks and indicators along with draft User Guide and Guidance Note – within 28 weeks from the signing of the contract;
Submission of the final version of report containing benchmarks and indicators, User Guide and Guidance Note within 4 weeks after receiving comments from UNDP/MHA.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards

Functional Competencies:

Good communications and organizational & interpersonal skills;
Ability to coordinate and facilitate consultations.
Ability to work independently to fulfill assigned tasks;
Excellent analytical and writing skills;
Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture;
Working knowledge of computers including MS Office package is essential;

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications:

Masters in any discipline having relevance to development.

Work Experience:

Minimum 20 years’ experience in public administration, disaster risk management, emergency/crisis management or related discipline;
Proven experience in consulting, research and critical assessment;
Proven experience of supervising or conducting studies and producing analytical reports;
Experience in working with Government/ UN organizations will be preferred.

Payment Schedule:

On submission of Inception Report : 25%
On submission of Consultation Workshop reports: 25%
On submission of draft report, draft User Guide and draft Guidance Note: 25%
On submission of final versions of Report, User Guide and Guidance Note : 25%

Documents to be submitted:

Proposed Work Plan for undertaking the Assignment with approach & methodology;
Detailed CV with contact details of three references;
Financial Proposal specifying per day consultancy fee. Prior approved travel expenses will be reimbursed as per actuals in line with UNDP rules.

Language Requirement:

Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

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%.

Shortlisting would be done based on the following criteria:

Relevant Experience - 35% Marks;
Proposed Work Plan for undertaking the Assignment - 35% Marks;
Financial - 30% Marks.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% point would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

For any clarifications, please write to deepak.gera@undp.org

Any kind of miscellaneous charges i.e. internet, phone etc. would not be reimbursed;
Individuals working with institutions may also apply, contract would be issued in the name of institution for the specific services of individual;
Please note proposals without financial proposal will not be considered;
CV , Financial and proposed work methodology must be clubbed in one file for uploading;

The consultants must bring his/her own computing equipment.