UNDP Jobs - 56121- International Consultant Civil Engineering

International Consultant Civil Engineering

Location :

Chisinau, MOLDOVA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-May-2015

Application Deadline :

12-May-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English Russian

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

The Moldova-Ukraine common border (total length = 1222 km) consists of 955 km of green border and 267 km of blue border and represents one of the most problematic border segments in the region, being used by irregular migrants heading westwards, whereas the adjacent border area is vulnerable to border and related crime, such as smuggling. The self-proclaimed Transnistrian republic has been for the last twenty-three years a grey area increasing the risks of illegal activities in the region, particularly along the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. The Transnistrian segment on the Ukraine-Moldova border is a serious obstacle for the passenger and cargo flows between two countries, increasing the role of the Border Crossing Points outside Transnistria and raising the demand for their use.

Palanca international road border crossing point (BCP) is one of the BCPs between Moldova and Ukraine that experiences a high workload due to the passenger and cargo traffic avoiding Transnistria. It was built in 1998 and is located at the Moldovan side of the border on the edge of Palanca village, Stefan Voda district (150 km away from Chisinau - the capital city of the Republic of Moldova). At present, border guard and customs controls are carried out at three places (by control authorities of Moldova at ‘Palanca’ BCP and by control authorities of Ukraine at ‘Mayaki’ BCP which is located 3,5 km from BCP Palanca and ‘Udobne’ BCP’ which is located 4.3 km from BCP Palanca). A 7.6 km portion of the Ukrainian highway Odessa-Reni between Mayaki and Udobne passes through the territory of the Republic of Moldova. This highway is an important road infrastructure and transport corridor that links Odessa and major cities from the region, as Belgorod-Dnestrovsk, Reni, and Kilia.

On the basis of the Agreement from 1997 the Palanca BCP operated as a Jointly Operated Border Crossing Point from March 1997 until August 2001, when the Ukrainian party unilaterally terminated the “Joint Border Control” operation. As a consequence, in 2001 Mayaki (UA) and Udobne (UA) BCPs were established at the two sides of the transit road with the aim of carrying out checks by the Ukrainian border control agencies in these places to ensure that the predominantly domestic traffic did not illicitly cross into Moldova.

The establishment of Palanca Jointly Operated Border Crossing Point (JOBCP) on the territory of the Republic of Moldova will resolve the problem of the internal Ukrainian traffic, because all types of cross-border control of both countries will be fulfilled in one place, namely at Palanca JOBCP, without further control at ‘Mayaki’ BCP (Ukraine) and ‘Udobne’ BCP (Ukraine).

Through this project we plan to build and equip a modern JOBCP in compliance with the EU standards, this will contribute to removing currently existing in BCP Mayaki and BCP Udobne restrictions on the cargo of goods under the groups 1-24 of the Combined Nomenclature of Goods (transportation of animal, plants and food stuff made of them) imposed by the Ukrainian part due to the limited control capacity for these types of goods. The technical design is planned to be finalized by the end of 2015 followed with the construction works for the period 2016-2018.

In this regards UNDP is seeking to hire an experienced international civil engineering consultant to conduct independent and professional periodic monitoring and checks of the quality, cost-efficiency and timeliness of the construction works starting with contracting of the design company and ending with commissioning of the BCP Palanca to the beneficiaries.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be hired throughout the project to provide engineering/technical expertise and advisory services as following:

Provision of advice to UNDP on the selection of the company for the technical design services, to be contracted through an open tender based on a Request for Proposals. The task will be documented in a report to UNDP;
Conduct an independent technical expertise/verification of the technical design of BCP Palanca in line with international good practices and relevant to the local context. This task will be conducted through at least 2 verification missions to the Republic of Moldova.

The technical expertise/verification should be made as to confirm/infirm whether the technical design is developed in conformity with:

The Terms of Reference of the RFP;
International best practices in the area of designing civil constructions, where appropriate to the local context and conditions;
Provide specific assistance in compilation of the documentation for organization of the international tender for construction works. Under the task the consultant will be responsible for drafting/editing of specific parts and/or entire chapters of tender documentation, as well as provide overall guidance and corroboration of the tender documentation and specifications;
Provision of advice to UNDP on the selection of the company for the construction works to be contracted through and open international tender based on Request for Proposals. The task will be documented in a report to UNDP;
Conduct an independent technical expertise/verification of all the construction works throughout the project duration according to the technical design and specifications. This task will be conducted through at least 3 verification/check-up missions per year until finalization and commissioning of the BCP Palanca.

The technical expertise/verification of the construction should be made as to confirm/infirm whether the works and processes are in conformity with:

Terms of Reference/Scope of Work of the construction works;
Technical design, including all specifications, norms and regulations, bill/list of quantities and Cost Estimates;
International best practices, including FIDIC Red Book conditions, in the area of building of civil constructions (border crossing points- if applicable/reasonable), where appropriate to the local context and conditions;
Provide specific written recommendations to UNDP and its partners on each of the phases of the works with the view to improve the overall processes and ensuring the overall sustainability of project activities, especially in the areas of quality standards, construction norms, border management procedures, cost-efficiency and timeliness of the construction works of the BCP Palanca.

Competencies

Knowledge and competencies:

Deep knowledge of standards and principles of international construction contracts and business processes;
Experience in working with national authorities and international organizations;
Working experience in oversight of construction works of border management infrastructure is a strong asset;
Considerable experience in the preparation, negotiation and administration of contracts and in the settlement of claims and dispute resolutions. (FIDIC Red Book conditions).

Abilities & skills:

Proven ability to plan, work and deliver on agreed deadlines;
Demonstrated interpersonal and diplomatic skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders and to present ideas clearly and effectively;
Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master degree or equivalent in technical/engineering/constructions studies or other relevant field.

Experience:

Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the area of supervision of constructions, infrastructure development projects in the area of state Border Crossing facilities, provision of engineering advisory services.

Language:

Fluency in English, command of Romanian and/or Russian languages will be a strong asset.