UNDP Jobs - 59394- Long Term Agreement: Climate Change Adaptation Mai

Long Term Agreement: Climate Change Adaptation Mainstreaming and Local Development Planning/Budgeting Specialists, UNCDF-LDFPA-Local Climate Adaptive Facility (Up to 6 Positions)

Location :

Home Based with Travel to Countries Where LoCAL Operates in Africa, Asia and the Pacific

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

09-Oct-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English French

Expected Duration of Assignment :

intermittent basis, up to 3 years

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

UNCDF works with local and central government institutions to improve the capacity of local governance institutions in planning, public expenditure management, procurement and delivery management and other areas related to the application of development capital and other resources.

UNCDF is supporting an expanding portfolio of programmes in all regions that provide capital resources to local governance processes to enable them to meet the challenges of poverty reduction, the Millennium Development Goals and climate change. These programmes promote local level public financial management and decentralized governance responses to these challenges.

In Asia – Pacific and Africa, the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility Project of UNCDF (hereafter referred to as “LoCAL”) aims to promote climate change resilient communities and economies by increasing financing for and investment in climate change adaptation at the local level in least developed countries.

LoCAL focuses on the delivery of three outputs that will directly contribute to increasing local governments’ access to climate finance and building resilience to climate change:

Output 1 – Climate change adaptation is mainstreamed into local government’s planning and budgeting systems;
Output 2 – Increased awareness and support for the role of local government in climate change adaptation;
Output 3 – Increased amount of finance available to local governments and local economy for climate change adaptation and resilience.

The LoCAL approach entails into capacity building of local governments and operates through Performance Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG).

LoCAL works in three phases.

Phase I: Following scoping, the first phase entails testing in a small number (2-4) of local governments. Phase I is usually financed directly with the LoCAL global project seed capital and has a budget of less than USD 250,000. It can include co-financing from government or other partners. Phase I introduces the Performance-Based Climate Resilient Grant (PBCRG) over one or two fiscal cycles; it tests the minimum conditions and performance measures of the PBCRG and the relevance of the menu of investments (eligible adaptation measures). It provides the necessary experience and lessons for the refinement of the approach and the design of phase II in conjunction with the appropriate national authorities and partners. Countries under phase I include Benin, Bangladesh, Mali, Mozambique, Lao PDR, Niger, Nepal, Solomon Islands and Ghana.

Phase II: Phase II takes place in around 5% to 10% of local governments (of the appropriate tier) in a country. Phase II is usually financed by UNCDF together with financing partners and has a budget of up to USD 5 million. Funding can come directly through the LoCAL project or through parallel financing if government or other development partners make resources available to the LoCAL methodology. The purpose of this phase is to demonstrate the effectiveness of LoCAL and create the conditions for a full national rollout of the approach. Countries under phase II include Bhutan and Cambodia.

Phase III: Phase III consist of a full national rollout of the PBCRG in the country based on the results and lessons of the previous phases. It is gradually extended to all local governments (of the appropriate tier). Phase III is expected to be financed by central government through a re-adjustment of the architecture of existing resources to enable financing of local adaptation, as well as through financing from international organizations, financing institutions and funds such as the Green Climate Fund.

Information about us may be found at www.uncdf.org and www.local-uncdf.org

The portfolio of national LoCAL initiatives in Africa, Asia and the Pacific required technical advice and support in the field of climate change adaptation mainstreaming into local development planning and budgeting.

UNCDF hereby seeks a group of experienced development professional to support the portfolio expansion of LoCAL programme under Long Term Agreement with individual consultant (up to 6 positions) for engagement in area of Climate change adaptation mainstreaming and local development planning/budgeting process for the period of 3 years from January 2016 – December 2018.

The assignment will focus its activities on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and in exceptional cases can provide support to other developing countries. Support in this specialization will be required for all LoCAL projects in Africa, Asia and the Pacific as well as for the region and for global office for thematic activities related to Climate change adaptation and Local Government.

This solicitation is for a Long-Term Agreement (hereafter referred to as “LTA”) for three years. “LTA” refers to a mutual arrangement whereby the selected individual consultant will provide services as required, over a specific period of time based on a separate specific TORs for the specific assignment. An LTA specifies the unit price, scope of work, allowing for a framework agreement to be used when the services are needed.

LTAs are framework agreements that do not imply a financial commitment from UNCDF. Financial commitments will be established on an ad-hoc basis every time services are requested within the scope of the LTA and a specific contract will be issued for each specific assignment.

Objectives of the assignment

The objective of this consultancy is to support the LoCAL portfolio of programmes to integrate climate change adaptation into local development planning and budgeting by providing technical assistance to beneficiary countries in respect to:

Supporting the implementation of phase I in selected countries, at the various stages of the process (i.e. assessments and planning; financing and budgeting; implementation of adaptation measures; performance assessments and reporting);
Supporting the design of phase II in selected countries taking into account experience and lessons learned in the countries and by LoCAL more broadly;
Scoping candidate countries, assessing the conditions to successfully launch and implement a LoCAL project in the countries.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope fo Work

Working under the direct supervision of the LoCAL Project Managers, in close collaboration with the governments and UNCDF regional and country teams, the consultant will be responsible for providing high quality technical support to programmes including:

Supporting the implementation of LoCAL phase I in selected countries, at the various stages of the process (i.e. assessments and planning, financing and budgeting, implementation of adaptation measures, performance assessments and reporting) including:

Identifying needs and (technical and management) capacities of local and national stakeholders involved in LoCAL;
Reviewing available local climate change information and vulnerability and adaptation assessments and highlighting gaps in terms of information, systems or guidance;
Supporting the development of climate change adaptation plans and programmes;
Supporting the integration of climate change adaptation in local development plans, investments plans and projects and budgets;
Supporting the selection and costing of adaptation measures in line with the LoCAL investment menu and their inclusion in the local investments plans and budgets;
Supporting the strengthening of public financial management systems for climate change (ex. creation of budget codes, development or revision of guidelines and manuals, integration of climate change in tendering, procurement and delivery processes, reporting practices);
Developing performance assessment manuals for performance-based climate resilient grants (PBCRGs) with a view to inform and/or be integrated in the national inter-governmental fiscal transfer systems;
Promoting participatory approaches at all steps of the process;
Supporting the strengthening of institutions and systems in the various above mentioned areas of work;
Documenting experiences, lessons learned and best practice, thereby contributing to the development of knowledge and communication products.

Supporting the design of phase II in selected countries taking into account experience and lessons learned in the countries and by LoCAL more broadly by:

Collecting and reviewing LoCAL experiences and lessons learned;
Reviewing and making recommendations to revise as appropriate the key elements of the LoCAL approach (minimum conditions, performance measures, triggers for fund transfers, investment menu, roles of partners and stakeholders, financial circuit used for the LoCAL grant transfer).

Carrying out scoping missions to selected countries assessing the conditions to successfully launch and implement a LoCAL project in the countries, with a focus on understanding/assessing:

Needs and (technical and management) capacities of local and national stakeholders Ecosystems’ and populations’ vulnerabilities;
Decentralization strategies and inter-governmental fiscal transfer systems;
Climate related institutions and strategies;
Local governments awareness and capacities for climate change adaptation planning and mainstreaming into local development planning and budgeting;
The potential for technical and financial partnerships; and
The commitment of local government and central agencies to LoCAL.

Carrying out other relevant tasks.

Final products:

A descriptive and analytical back to the office report following each assignment that provides full details of the mission schedule, copies of substantive inputs produced and recommendations for follow up action;
“Substantive reports and other inputs as requested by the LoCAL Project Managers based on the ToR of the specific assignment as mentioned below.”

Monitoring and progress control

The consultant will report to LoCAL Project managers. A schedule of days worked, outputs produced and costs incurred will be monitored by the LoCAL Project Managers in close consultation with the Regional/Country Technical Advisor/Programme Officer in the regional and country offices.

Specific Terms of Reference (TORs) which indicate a set of clear deliverables, budget and timelines will be prepared, agreed and approved by UNCDF prior to each assignment and/or mission.

In performing the tasks, the incumbent will, inter alia, undertake, organize or facilitate consultations, training and planning workshops, and on-the-job learning.

Job type: Long-Term Agreement (LTA) as part time based on specific assignment and deliverables. Under the LTA, a Terms of Reference (TORs) which indicate a set of clear deliverables, budget and timelines will be prepared, agreed and approved by UNCDF prior to each assignment and/or mission. The payment will be made based on satisfactory completion of assignment and submission of deliverables under the specific assignment, and within the terms of approved ToRs.

Duration:

Minimum number of worked days per 1 year per 1 consultant: 30 days, and for 3 years 90 days;
Maximum number of worked days per 1 year per 1 consultant:100 days, and for 3 years 300 days.

Duty station and expected places of travel: Home based with extensive travel to countries where LoCAL operates including following but not limited to:

Africa: Benin, Ghana, Mali; Mozambique, Niger and possible 3 more countries (Preliminary Assessments and Scoping Missions to be conducted and finalized);
Asia and the Pacific: Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tuvalu and possible 3 more countries (Preliminary Assessments and Scoping Missions to be conducted and finalized).

The schedule of travel will be agreed on with the incumbent according to the requirements of each programme country.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all persons fairly without favoritism;
Shows strong corporate commitment;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNCDF and UNDP;
Sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from differing social and cultural perceptions.

Functional Competencies:

Strong analytical and writing skills and track record in producing relevant reports and other communications and knowledge materials;
Strong communication and interpersonal skills and experience in organizing and facilitating consultations and workshops;
Ability to work in an environment where appropriate infrastructure and systems are not well established.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Postgraduate degree in Environmental Science or Management, Engineering in Climate Change Adaptation, Public & Development Financing, Macroeconomics & Fiscal Management, Public (Financial) Management, International Development, Urban Planning, Economics or other related fields.

Experience:

At least 10 years of professional experience in the fields of local development, decentralization and/or environment and climate change adaptation with a specific emphasis on local or climate governance, adaptation and development planning, public financial management/budgeting, climate finance, and/or climate change mainstreaming;
Experience in capacity development and institutional strengthening in developing countries, ideally in the context of decentralization processes and/or climate change adaptation;
Experience with performance-based grants and similar tools like budget support, ideally for climate change adaptation;
Experience of working with other development partners, especially in the area of local development, decentralization and/or environment and climate change adaptation with a specific emphasis on local or climate governance, adaptation and development planning, public financial management/budgeting, climate finance, and/or climate change mainstreaming;
Work experience in Africa and/or Asia and the Pacific, ideally working with a number of the LoCAL countries.

Languages:

Fluency in English and/or French is required;
Fluency in both and knowledge of Portuguese is an asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit offer comprising of:

Personal profile including

CV and P.11 including past experience in similar projects;
1 page of cover letter describing why the candidate is the most suitable for the assignment;
Confirmation of availability to take up assignments;
Name and contact details of 3 references.

Technical Proposal (4 pages maximum):

Track Record and Experience outlining experience of direct relevance to the assignment (1 page maximum);
Approach and methodology for how the consultant will achieve the Terms of Reference of the project keeping in mind the appropriateness to local conditions and project environment (3 pages maximum).

Sample of written work or publications related to the assignment especially on areas of capacity development and institutional strengthening in least developing countries, ideally in the context of decentralization processes and/or climate change adaptation, performance-based grants and similar tools like budget support, ideally for climate change adaptation.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the proposal will be the combined scoring method (70% technical and 30% financial).

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultants 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.

Total maximum obtainable score for Technical proposal = 100 points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum score of 70 points under technical evaluation will be considered for the financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria:

Education as per required qualification - 10 Points;
Years of professional experience in the fields of local development, local governance, local government planning, fiscal decentralization, public financial management/budgeting planning -10 Points;
Years of professional experience local climate governance, local environmental planning, and climate change adaptation and development planning, climate finance, and/or climate change mainstreaming - 10 Points;
Proposed approach and methodology for the assignment , conceptual framework adopted appropriate for the task - 10 Points;
Demonstrate the exceptional skill in capacity development and institutional strengthening in least developing countries, ideally in the context of decentralization processes and/or climate change adaptation (submission of relevant reports and other knowledge materials) - 15 Points;
Demonstrate the exceptional skill and experience with performance-based grants and similar tools like budget support, ideally for climate change adaptation (submission of relevant reports and other knowledge materials) - 15 Points;
Work experience and proven track record for the ability to work in LDCs in Africa and/or Asia and the Pacific, ideally working with a number of the LoCAL countries - 10 Points;
Experience of working with other development partners, especially in the area of local development, decentralization and/or environment and climate change adaptation with a specific emphasis on local or climate governance, adaptation and development planning, public financial management/budgeting, climate finance, and/or climate change mainstreaming - 5 Points;
Strong writing, communication and interpersonal skills- 5 Points;
Experience in organizing and facilitating consultations and workshops -5 Points;
Fluency in English and/or French is required. Fluency in both and knowledge of Portuguese is an asset - 5 Points.

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where;
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Please note that: Financial offers would be requested from the technically qualified applicants.

Contract award

Up to 6 candidates obtaining highest combined scoring in the final round of evaluation will be offered to enter into a Long Tern Agreement with UNCDF under this procurement notice. The successful candidates under this LTA will be selected for specific assignments based on availability, geographical preferences, and language ability.