Background

Sri Lanka is currently facing an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions. The crisis was caused due to acute fiscal, and balance of payment imbalances caused by weak macro management policies and made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. The economic crisis has undermined Sri Lanka’s considerable socioeconomic and human development achievements over the past several decades. Poverty and inequality are expected to have widened considerably with a particular impact on the highly vulnerable, women and youth. The crisis has exposed the people of Sri Lanka to four principal security concerns: energy security, food security, social security, and financial security. Among them, energy security is currently the most acute, impacted by both availability and affordability concerns. There are widespread shortages of essential fuel items – gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and LP gas. The country has also been enduring regular power cuts. The lack of foreign exchange for imports of fossil fuels has been the main reason for the crisis. Long queues for fuel are experienced in almost all parts of the country with frequent violence in filling stations. The government has also raised fuel prices considerably. The energy crisis has had ripple effects on all sectors of the economy whilst also undermining essential social services such as health and education.

In this backdrop, UNDP Sri Lanka seeks to complement the Government of Sri Lanka’s (GOSL) relief efforts, within which, the conditions for achieving and sustaining the country’s longer-term development needs will be set. The inability of the country to meet the demand for energy creates a host of interlinked challenges within Sri Lanka’s current socioeconomic context. Lack of energy has become a bottleneck for revenue generation, crippling production systems, livelihoods and value chains, and supply systems. UNDP Sri Lanka’s proposed strategy for interventions in the broader energy sector, including transportation, seeks to address the country’s immediate energy security concerns and pave the way for long-term sustainable economic growth, and also provide a greener, cleaner transition to renewable energy by reducing the dependency on imported fossil fuels in an equitable manner.

Under the overall guidance of the Policy Specialist and Team Leader – Climate and Environment Team, and under the direct supervision of the Programme Coordinator, the Consultant will work on providing inputs to the development of a concept note focused on strengthening the public transport system by exploring the possibility of mainstreaming electric Tuk-Tuks (e-tuk-tuks), through the conversion or replacement of the existing fleet of tuk-tuks contributing to economic recovery through green development, enhancing the resilience of those worst-affected by the socioeconomic crisis, and advancing the energy security of the country.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of the assignment is to provide inputs on financing and insurance for the acceleration of electrification of e-tuk-tuks.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will 

• Provide inputs and assist in finalizing the concept note that has been prepared for the incubation phase for the pilot demonstration of e-tuk-tuks. The incubation program will test the practical, financial and social viability of e-tuk-tuks and define a viable system to replace the majority of the active fleet.
• Provide inputs on finance and insurance to develop a concept note to be submitted to the Government of Italy for the acceleration phase of electrification of the active current fleet of Tuk-Tuks into electric vehicles (EVs).
• Carry out the necessary coordination between Financial House Association and Insurance Association Sri Lanka to facilitate the necessary dialogues to implement the incubation phase and develop the acceleration phase
• Critically analyse the financial model developed for e-tuk-tuks by UNDP in consultation with relevant stakeholders and provide recommendations on  financing models for the acceleration phase
• Consult the Insurance Association and conduct an assessment of the available insurance policies available for electric vehicles and propose suitable insurance models and provide recommendations to be considered during the acceleration phase of e-tuk-tuks to accommodate the requirements for insurance
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Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Duration of the Work

• The envisaged duration of the consultancy is for a period of 20 days and shall commence from October 2022, and shall expire on satisfactory completion of the consultancy, but not later than 31st of December 2022.

Competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and the internet in conducting research;
• Outstanding communication, project management, and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications

• At least a Bachelor's Degree in Financing or any other related field

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the financing sector
• Strong expertise in  financial strategies, schemes,  and evaluation on hire purchase, leasing etc
• Experience in coordinating projects with government counterparts
• Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily
• Experience in providing development support to government and private sector counterparts
• Previous experience in working with international organizations and ideally on development projects/programs
• Excellent analytical skills; very good interpersonal skills and ability to work with a multitude of stakeholder environments

Language requirements

• Fluency of the English language is required

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on…

Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per the below percentages:

• Deliverable 1 - Report on the financing models for acceleration phase of e-tuk-tuks:50% of the total contract amount
• Deliverable 2 - Report on the assessment and recommendations of insurance for e-tuk-tuks: 50% of the total contract amount

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging, and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology…

Cumulative Analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of the set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%). The financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

• Criteria 1 - Bachelor’s Degree in Financing or any other related field – 8 points
• Criteria 2 - At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the financing sector – 10 Points
• Criteria 3 – Proven experience in  financial strategies, schemes,  and evaluation on hire purchase, leasing – 10 points
• Criteria 4 - Experience in coordinating projects with government agencies– 10 points
• Criteria 5 - Excellent analytical skills; very good interpersonal skills and ability to work with a multitude of stakeholder environments – 10 points
• Criteria 6 - Assessment of approach/methodology to assignment (if applicable) – 15 points
• Criteria 7 - Experience in providing development support to government and private sector counterparts – 7 points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply please access UNDP Jobs site http://jobs.undp.org.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload a maximum of one document:

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
2. Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
3. Technical proposal, including a) a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment; and b) a methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.
4. Please send the Financial Proposal separately to the following e-mail address: consultants.lk@undp.org  stating the vacancy number/position in the subject line using the annex II given below.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered.

Annexes

• Annex I - Individual IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex II – Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to awandi.kohilawatta@undp.org

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workplace, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.