Background
Acronyms:FSP: Full-size project
ITE: International technical medical waste expert consultant
NPEs: National project experts
PDCC: Project Document Coordinating Consultant
POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants
PPG: Project Preparation Grant
U-POPs: Unintentional Persistent Organic Pollutants
A Project preparation grant (PPG) – as per GEF terminology – has been approved as funding is required to finalise the Full-size project (FSP) for an Africa Regional healthcare Waste project. This FSP would start in 2014. The project on “Reducing UPOPs and Mercury Releases from the Health Sector In Africa” will focus on 4 countries, as per the approval of the GEF Council: Ghana, Madagascar, Tanzania and Zambia.
The PPG is necessary in order to refine the project's objectives, outcomes, and outputs as well as the work plan, budget and timeline for each of the five project components. The PPG grant will be applied to finance consultations, assessments and assistance provided by national project consultants and technical experts, for the purpose of improving baseline scenario mapping, further defining the project activities, determining an appropriate execution modality, securing co-financing resources, and ensuring the cost-effectiveness and global benefits of the project.
The PPG’s budget is USD 200,000 and it is aimed to be completed by December 2013. The PPG and the FSP are under the Chemicals focal area as it relates to POPs which are covered by the Stockholm Convention, and will also aim at reducing mercury usage in the medical sector. As details of the administrative aspects of the project's design are scrutinized, an appropriate project execution modality for the FSP will be finalized. The project concept for the FSP was approved (PIF) as well for a total amount of nearly USD 6.5 million and would start, if endorsed by the GEF, in 2014.
The objective of this contract is to be the International technical medical waste expert consultant (ITE) during the PPG phase while the project documents for GEF and UNDP are being coordinated by the Project Document Coordinating Consultant (PDCC). The ITE will support the work of and report to the PDCC in all technical matters and will work in close coordination with the PDCC. The ITE will be under supervision of the Project Manager with project formulation oversight in the Bratislava regional centre (BRC) of UNDP.
Duties and Responsibilities
The ITE will be in charge of the following tasks:
- Develop technical guidances for the National project experts (NPEs) on the methodologies, structuring of data, preliminary assessments and required outputs and generally support the PDCC on technical aspects of the project, both on dioxins/ furans and mercury subjects;
- Provide all technical background prior to to the missions of the PDCC and remains available for technical backstopping during those missions;
- In coordination with the PDCC, provide technical support to the NPEs during their research, data collection and preliminary assessments;
- In coordination with the PDCC, review data and assessments and provide guidance on data and assessment gaps;
- May seek outside technical expertise on areas where she/he feels this outside expertise will be beneficial to the preparation of the project documents from a technical point of view;
- In close consultation with the PDCC, the NPEs and the Country Offices, identify project stakeholders to establish partnerships for effective FSP implementation and leveraging of co-finance resources;
- Provide technical support to the NPEs and national stakeholders in their selection of model facilities and central treatment facilities;
- Assist the PDCC, NPEs and Country Offices, as required, in organizing national meetings and consultations with stakeholders in the countries;
- Work with project partners on a preliminary list of service providers and companies/manufacturers whose technologies meet the BAT/BEP guidelines and international standards;
- Assist the PDCC in developing a preliminary consultants roster for the FSP stage;
- Assist the PDCC in consolidating the technical data and in drafting the Project Documents (UNDP and GEF formats) for the FSP.
- The ITE will participate in periodic conference calls with the PDCC and NPEs and can be asked to provide direct feedback to the project management team in BRC;
- A review of the progress on output delivery will be done by the middle of the PPG implementation, i.e. estimated by August 2013. The ITE will be asked to provide inputs to the PDCC in this review. Based on the summary provided by the PDCC, a brief analysis of the progress will be made by the project manager responsible for Project Formulation Oversight, and will be reviewed by the MPU team. Issues that could potentially delay the final completion and submission of the Project document will be flagged and corrective action will be proposed. This review will be shared with the Project Management Board in BRC.
- By estimated November 2013 a review and follow-up on the mid-term assessment will be made to determine whether the Project Document can firmly be anticipated to be submitted by December 2013 to the GEF. In case this is necessary, a PPG extension request will be prepared for clearance by MPU/Chemicals and UNDP-GEF for submisison to the GEF Secretariat.
The expected output is: Provide all adequate technical support to the PPG phase so that the final two Project Documents (GEF and UNDP formats) prepared by the PDCC are judged of adequate technical quality for submisison to the GEF.
Conditions of work:
- The ITE reports to the UNDP MPU team in the Bratislava regional centre.
- The ITE will work in direct link with both the PDCC and with the NTEs and will be in charge of the technical backstopping in the project document preparation team.
- This assignment is home-based. Travel to project countries is not expected. The ITE will be asked to be reachable for teleconferences on regular basis, including with the 4 participating countries.
Competencies
Functional competencies:
- Ability to work in a team;
- Capacity to transfer technical knowledge to others in simplified terms and to integrate them in broader documents;
- Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
- Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations, and to meet tight deadlines;
- Strong analytical and writing abilities;
- Understanding of the technical and policy interlinkages.
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:
- Undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree in a health-related, environmental-related, or social science field. Graduate degree in same field(s) would be an asset.
Experience:
- Demonstrated experience (5 years) and expertise in international and relevant hospital waste management approaches, including experience in the design and implementation of sustainable, relevant, hospital-specific waste minimization and management programs;
Demonstrated experience in management and coordination of occupational and environmental health; - Familiarity with best techniques and practices in minimizing healthcare waste, setting up sustainable medical waste management practices, economic and environmental impacts of medical waste management technologies;
- Established expertise of Project-relevant training programs: Demonstrated capacity to be a trainer and to develop educational material in the healthcare field;
- Familiarity with U.N. project management processes;
- Strong expertise in awareness-raising about health care waste management and the phase-out of mercury from healthcare facilities and the healthcare sector;
- Knowledge of hospitals and health systems in developing countries; Experience in meeting with healthcare providers, hospital administrators, policymakers, governmental and intergovernmental partners;
- Previous work experience in Africa is an advantage;
- Familiarity with national and international public health, occupational health, and environmental organizations, in particular, World Health Organization, Health Care Without Harm, World Federation of Public Health Associations, and the Global Environment Facility is desirable; in particular, familiarity with the goals and procedures of international organizations, in particular the procedures and regulations of the UNDP, WHO and GEF;
- Experience in the writing and editing of environmental health-related reports and other professional materials;
- Knowledge of chemicals management and persistent organic pollutants;
- Familiarity with the requirements of the Stockholm Convention and Best Available Techniques / Best Environmental
- Practices draft guidelines. Good knowledge of sound waste management and u-POPs management, sound knowledge of international best technologies and practices;
- Experience in implementing similar programmes is an advantage.
Language skills:
- Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;
- Knowledge of French an asset, particularly for the work with Madagascar.
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should 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 a pre-determined set of weighted technical P11 desk reviews and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
“Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation”.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 65 points:
- Criteria A: Technical knowledge on health care waste management and on mercury – max points: 15
- Criteria B: Relevant Project Management Experience - max points: 15
- Criteria C: Knowledge of UNDP procedure and GEF requirements for Project Development – max points: 5
- Criteria D: Experience in developing countries and in particular in Africa - max points: 10
- Criteria E: Knowledge of chemicals management and persistent organic pollutants - max points: 5
- Criteria F: Contacts and experience with potential project partners – max points: 2
- Criteria G: Knowledge of French – max points: 2
- Criteria H: Relevance of the methodology proposed – max points: 5
- Criteria I: Quality of the cover letter – max points: 2
- Criteria J: Academic Qualifications/Education – max points: 2
- Criteria K: Experience in implementing similar programmes – max points: 2
Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 28 points
Application procedures
Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:
- Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
- Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees
(blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV. - Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs).
- Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials
*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...).
Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. Milestones for payment will be discussed and agreed with the selected candidate.
Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs
Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.