The “Nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) for low-carbon end-use sectors in Azerbaijan”

Project’s objective is to reduce the annual growth rate of GHG emissions from the energy end-use sectors. The project will target 3 (three) energy end-use sectors, namely buildings, transport and associated gas capture. The “Energy efficient buildings” component of the project will aim to improve the energy utilization efficiency in buildings by promoting the energy conserving design of new buildings and enhancing the efficiency in the operation of existing buildings. The realization of this objective will be facilitated through the demonstration of building energy efficiency technologies, systems, and practices. Training events will be arranged to provide opportunities for both government and private sector practitioners to gain the knowledge of implementing EE (energy-efficiency) projects in existing buildings. The training will also aim to develop local expertise to undertake the feasibility (assessment of energy savings, and environmental and economic benefits) of energy efficient (EE) technology applications in the construction of new buildings.

The specific objective of project is to support State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) in the implementation of its climate change mitigation strategy by promoting and upscaling GHG mitigation measures through a programmatic NAMA approach in the low carbon end-use sectors. SOCAR, being in the core business of oil & gas production, processing and distribution, is a major energy user and greenhouse gases emitter and will act as the main stakeholder of project and implementing partner to further the company’s long-term sustainable development strategy. It will simultaneously target the country’s institutional & policy framework, address appropriate mechanisms and result in activities to realise significant GHG emission reduction achievements in the long term. The other key institutional stakeholders for this project are as listed below:

• Ministry of ecology and natural resources (MENR);
• National climate change center (NCCC);
• Ministry of energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Even though the knowledge of energy-efficient buildings exists to some extent among the construction firms in Azerbaijan, they are generally not applied as they make the projects more expensive. As a result, these firms have neither the experience of implementing EE technologies nor the exact cost savings and related benefits of using them. This requires a change in the way the buildings are designed and built in order to realize the full potential for EE in large-scale residential and other buildings (schools, nurseries, health clinics, office buildings, etc.).

Under the project, a set of actions and expected outputs are planned to improve energy performance in SOCAR’s residential and commercial buildings by reducing their energy consumption and associated GHG emissions.  SOCAR is one of Azerbaijan’s largest single-owners of building stock in Azerbaijan. The total size of usable floor space of residential, commercial/administration as well as social buildings amounts to more than 400,000 square meters. The annual emissions from SOCAR’s existing building stock offers a huge potential for undertaking energy efficiency improvements through retrofitting and installation of improved building technologies. Since 80% of the total residential energy consumption is met by natural gas produced by SOCAR, as a responsible corporate entity it recognizes its responsibility to undertake the EE measures in all the areas of its activities and has entered into a partnership with the UNDP and GEF for this purpose. 

The project will (1) implement activities that will demonstrate best-practice in green building technologies and design practices in building construction, (2) transfer new technologies to Azerbaijani building design and construction and (3) support SOCAR in becoming an important stakeholder in further up-scaling activities under national programs (e.g. "State Programme on the use of alternative and renewable energy sources") to better reflect the building energy efficiency component of existing and new building stock in Azerbaijan. GEF (Global Environment Facility) and UNDP will carry out the procurement and funding of a firm to carry out the energy audit of 2 to 3 buildings.

The project aims to build capability among designers and construction firms to apply EE technologies and measures in the existing and new buildings. SOCAR would directly benefit from this knowledge since, besides constructing and operating its own buildings, it also carries out building sites development and construction and transfers them to the owners (mainly the public sector) after their completion. Green building technologies applied within demonstration projects will highlight the savings due to improved insulation, better windows, and enhanced heating/cooling systems. The application of solar thermal installations (hot water supply), solar PV, heat pumps (heating, ventilation and cooling), etc. will help to demonstrate some of the existing technologies that could be possibly introduced to the Azerbaijani market which will directly impact energy bills and result in cost savings.

Under the overall supervision of project manager and in close cooperation with the lead technical advisor, the international consultant on energy efficient buildings design and GHGs measurement (hereinafter referred to as the IC) will be tasked with the following duties and responsibilities which are to be completed in two phases. A local expert in energy-efficient buildings contracted on a full-time basis will work closely with the IC in the completion of all tasks under this assignment.
Phase I
A step-wise approach given below will be followed by the IC to rank-order the various SOCAR buildings in order of their priority to design/implement EE enhancement measures in them:

• Step 1 – Prepare a profile of buildings sector in SOCAR to determine historical GHG emissions. Using the emissions baselines, forecast emissions from the SOCAR’s present and future buildings under the business-as-usual (BAU) case. The BAU case should factor-in the technological changes on the horizon that could potentially save energy;
• Step 2 – Review the options offered by SOCAR under this component, i.e. review the building offered by SOCAR for their suitability with the project requirements. They should be in compliance with planned outcomes under this component;
• Step 3 – Design a criteria (using GHG reduction potential and associated abatement costs and sustainable development benefits) and use it to evaluate the buildings offered by SOCAR, i.e. evaluate which of them have  highest potential for reductions;
• Step 4 – Validate / Finalize the list of buildings developed in Step 3 with SOCAR, i.e. make accurate selection which building(s) will be selected for implementation.

To define and establish a reference baseline for Buildings sector, the IC will prepare a measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system that is based on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) indicators and adapted to the local conditions and based on realistic target values for each indicator. Some examples of indicators are energy savings, jobs creation, reduced house-hold expenditure, air pollution, GHG emissions, etc. The system will be based on accurate measurement and accounting of actual GHG emission reductions. In undertaking this task, the IC will interact closely with the local MRV expert being engaged on the project.
The IC will develop the scope-of-work of the energy audit firm (EAF) to be selected and funded from the project to undertake the audit of 2-3 SOCAR buildings (residential multi-family house, office or service buildings). The output of EAF’s work, will be critically reviewed and used by the IC to prepare a detailed set of recommendations for SOCAR and UNDP which will entail a scheme of EE improvements, including technical/performance specifications, detailed schedule of implementation and a cost-benefit analysis. These will be used by the project team to hire a firm to make the retrofits.

Phase II

This phase will be initiated after the contract for making the retrofits has been awarded and work is sufficiently advanced.
The tasks in this phase will include the following:

• When complete, the IC shall certify that the retrofits installed in demonstration buildings are in full compliance with the specifications. The IC shall prepare documentation (specifications, cost data, list of sources of equipment and services, etc.) of all the retrofit measures that were done with the objective of using this information on future SOCAR buildings;
• The IC shall present the methodology and train SOCAR personnel to calculate the energy savings and emissions reductions month-by-month for one complete year to determine the actual savings resulting due to installed retrofits.

The IC will develop and deliver a 3-day training program for SOCAR staff on the following topics:

• (a) Implementation of energy audits in buildings which will include practical training;
• (b) Buildings energy management and monitoring systems; and
• (c) MRV practices as applicable to the retrofitted demonstration buildings. This activity will include the design and preparation of training materials and conduct of seminar/workshops/trainings to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan;
• The IC will conduct a 1-day training seminar to be attended by up to 50 architects and builders from SOCAR as well as outside.

The key elements of training will include:

• (a) best practices and standards of EE-enhanced construction of buildings;
• (b) analyzing interim results of designing and finalizing design solutions for improving the energy efficiency of buildings through applying of retrofits and other measures;
• (c) measurement of building energy performance from the use of improved building materials and technology;
• The IC will develop a plan for installing an electronic screen in each demonstration building to disseminate information about the completed project for the benefit of visitors.

Timeframe of the assignment

The consultant will be engaged under the Individual Contract, immediately after the completion of the selection process. The initial contract will be for a period of twelve months not exceeding 50 consultancy days, starting on 1st March 2016. Any further contract extensions will be subject to the overall performance as evaluated jointly by the project manager and Lead Advisor, based on (a) results and impacts of the activities s/he implemented/facilitated, supported and/or conducted; (b) quality of reports, documents and presentations made by the IC, and (c) the relationship s/he developed with the project Tteam and the beneficiaries of project.
Travel: The IC will be expected to provide long-distance advice and in-country consultations. H/she is expected to be able to travel to Baku or elsewhere in Azerbaijan, pursuant to the work plan of project’s activities, 3 times during the first year of his contract. The dates of travel and the actual time spent in Azerbaijan for each visit will be decided by the project manager and is estimated to be a total of 18-20 days. 

Deliverables and Timeframe

The following deliverables and indicative schedule are expected from the consultancy contract. The final schedule will be agreed upon in the beginning of consultancy assignment. All deliverables should be submitted to UNDP by the consultant in the English language.
Phase I (including 1 visit of up to 5-6 days duration to Azerbaijan).
Timeframe (6 months): March 1 to August 31, 2016 (20 working days).

Deliverables and payments (as percentage of total amount of contract):

• Submission and acceptance of a report including a short-list of SOCAR buildings in order of their priority for implementing the EE enhancement measures, as outlined in the task in para 1 above (15%);
• Submission and acceptance of proposed MRV system, as specified in para 2 above (15%);
• Submission and acceptance of report and recommendations based on a review of the Energy Audit, as outlined in para 3 above (10%);
• Phase II (including 2 visits of up to 5-6 days each to Azerbaijan)
• Timeframe (6 months) - September 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017 (30 working days);
• Deliverables and payments (as percentage of total amount of contract);
• Successful completion of tasks outlined in paras 4 and 5 above (30%);
• Successful completion of two training programs and a plan for the setting up of information centre, as outlined in paras 6, 7 & 8 above (30%).

Submissions of applications
Interested individuals must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Methodology: All applicants shall submit a detailed methodology indicating phases, tasks, methods, techniques, time, resources, accessibility and tools to be applied for successful completion of assignment;
• Financial proposal for implementation of the assignment in a form of the offeror’s letter to UNDP confirming interest and availability. Template of the financial proposal form is given as annex to this request for proposals;
• Upon selection, a detailed work-plan of acceptable quality will be submitted by the selected candidate prior to actual signing of the contract;
• The names and contact information of at least 3 references must be provided who are familiar with recent work performed relating to energy management of buildings.
• Interested offers are requested to submit their applications by February 28th, 2016. The application should contain a duly completed Personal History Form (P11) that can be downloaded from: http://www.me.undp.org/content/Azerbaijan/en/home/operations/jobs.html
• Please, follow the link below to the "Annex" Template for Confirmation of Interest, that contains information on which documents your complete package should include and which should be duly signed, dated and included into your applicatiion: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dzix3ywco7kdde6/Template%20for%20Confirmation%20of%20Interest.docx?dl=0
• Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
• 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.

Functional Competencies:

• Specialized knowledge of energy conservation and energy efficient technologies such as bilding atomation sstems, rtro-cmmissioning, energy efficient design and energy efficient lighting and equipment;
• Hands on experience in the installation, test and commissioning, energy audits and contracts management of energy related bildings projects;
• Strong knowledge in energy and GHG standards and in international measurement and verification protocols;
• Demonstrates strong analytical skills and consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Development and operational efectiveness:

• Ability to apply peer reviewer guideline production procedures;
• Ability to analyze technical requirements in energy efficiency and energy management applications;
• Strong analytical skills.

Management and ladership:

• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Supports teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors.

Education:

• Advanced degree (master’s level, equivalent or higher) in building science and/or thermal engineering or other relevant areas. The candidate shall also have knowledge of economics and policy regarding energy efficiency in buildings.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of practical experience in designing energy-efficient buildings and energy management of buildings; Experience of GHG inventories of buildings and setting up MRV systems;
• Good knowledge of best world practices on designing of building envelops, heat-ventilation-conditioning systems;
• Experience in drawing up materials and implementing workshops, awareness training and seminars;
• Working experience in CIS countries.

Language:

• Fluency in written and oral communication in English;
• Knowledge of Russian or Azerbaijani will be an asset.