Background

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Administration

To apply, interested persons should upload the Technical Proposal (if applicable) and CV to “UNDP Jobs” by navigating to the link below and clicking “APPLY NOW”, no later than the date indicated on the “UNDP Jobs” website. Application submitted via email will not be accepted: -

                UNDP Job Site – https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=74628

NOTE: The Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to “UNDP Jobs”.

If requested by the Procurement Unit, the Financial Proposal should be submitted to procurement.bb@undp.org within 24 hours of a request. Failure to submit the Financial Proposal will result in disqualification.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.bb@undp.org prior to the application deadline date, ensuring that the reference number above is included in the subject line. The UNDP Barbados & the OECS Procurement Unit will post the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to: -

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=40911

A detailed Procurement Notice and all annexes can be found by clicking the above link.

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St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a multiple island nation consisting of 32 Islands and Cays. The mainland, the largest island at 34,462 ha and 105 km of coastline, is volcanic with rugged mountainous topography and short transitions areas between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Within approx. 6 km, this SIDS extends in elevation from sea level to the highest point of 1234 m (La Soufriere, an active volcano that last erupted in 1979) in the north, and to 932 m (Mt. Brisbane) in the south.

St Vincent has a diverse biodiversity with multiple endemics, and consists of approximately 1,150 species of flowering plants, 163 species of ferns, 7 species of amphibians, over 18 species of reptiles, including 4 endangered sea turtles, over 150 species of birds, and 22 species of mammals including 12 species of bats, 25 species of freshwater fish, crayfish and crabs, 25 species of diplopods, 220 species of arachnids, over 2000 species of insects, 35 terrestrial crustaceans, 800 marine and 75 terrestrial species of mollusks.

Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, St. Vincent and the Grenadines faces significant threats to these biodiversity and ecosystem services. These are primarily related to habitat destruction and fragmentation from unsustainable agricultural capital development practices that have contributed to a 3-5% rate of annual forest destruction; invasive alien species (IAS) and disease, which have been adversely affecting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems; and climate change, which has led to an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, leading to adverse impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and economic growth.

In attempting to address these threats, several major barriers have been identified related to the lack of sufficient regulatory and institutional framework for PA management and landscape level planning (INRM), insufficient personnel, technical capacities and resources for expansion of the PA estate and conservation of its biodiversity and insufficient awareness, planning and technical capacities for landscape level resource management. To address these challenges, the   Conserving Biodiversity and Reducing Land Degradation Using a Ridge-to-Reef Approach project will implement the following components:

•             Strengthening the institutional framework for Protected Areas, Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Land Use, including improved policy, legal, regulatory, planning and financial systems.

•             Establishment and effective management of new and existing PAs with legally recognized and demarcated boundaries

•             Integrated watershed management measures in R2R setting to reduce threats to upstream PA and downstream MPA/MMA and develop alterative livelihoods and businesses

•             Knowledge management for SLM, CSA and biodiversity conservation that improves technical capacities, raises public awareness and changes behaviors

A Project Preparation Grant (PPG) has been approved by the GEF Secretariat to support development of a full-sized project (FSP) that must be submitted no later than September 1, 2018.

This PPG preparatory phase aims to finalize the formulation of project arrangements, enabling stakeholder consultation and supporting the collection of data for the formulation of baseline and complementary activities. Careful analysis is necessary to determine how the project will contribute most effectively to environmental impacts across two focal areas, Biodiversity and Land Degradation. The final output of the initiation plan will be a UNDP project document and GEF CEO endorsement template, both will be submitted to the GEF Sec within the agreed upon timeframe and with all the supporting documentation required; including co-financing letters.

Duties and Responsibilities

The National Technical Coordinator will carry out tasks as necessary to facilitate the process of gathering relevant information for the development of the project document with support and guidance from the National Working Group. Specific responsibilities include:

1. Obtaining and coordinating technical inputs, reports, data, complementary initiatives, inter alia, ensuring that the PPG team has the necessary information and documentation;
2. Liaising with national stakeholders to support Project Development Expert to obtain budget figures as necessary and support multi-annual planning of project activities and in securing institutional commitments as co-financing letters and the letter of endorsement;
3. Gathering information on coordination with other projects and information sharing with other projects in the country;
4. Leading the organisation of the PPG inception and validation workshops, intermediate consultations, convening all relevant stakeholders at national and community levels;
5. Arranging stakeholder meetings to agree on project management arrangements;
6. Having knowledge of the local context, support the development of a robust project management and institutional arrangements framework, including Project Board and Project Management Unit composition;
7. Providing logistical and coordination support as needed on the ground to facilitate completion of the project document.

Institutional Arrangements

The National Technical Coordinator will report directly to the UNDP Programme Manager for Energy and the Environment in the Sub-Regional Office for Barbados and the OECS and will work in close coordination with the PPG team, particularly with the Project Development Expert and the GEF Operational Focal Point. The candidate will communicate on the progress of the work, any challenges being encountered or risks foreseen, mitigation measures proposed or taken, and where UNDP/national support may be required. Outputs produced will undergo review for certification of acceptance

Deliverables

The Coordinator is expected to have the appropriate software, equipment, facilities or access to such as relevant to complete the required services. The Coordinator will operate from their usual base in SVG.

The contract price is a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the duration specified herein. The Financial Proposal will include all fees and costs associated with the execution of the contract, including professional fees, travel, equipment and all other expenses that will be incurred during the execution of the work.

Payment will be remitted subject to the approval of final deliverables by UNDP, and based on the contractor’s price proposal. Expected deadlines and proposed payment allocations are as follows:

Competencies

• Good organisational skills, proven experience in coordinating with national stakeholders and expert teams, organising multi-stakeholder consultation processes, gathering documentation of resultsod understating of national policy and institutional structures, and ability to advise on institutional capacities and relations
• An appreciation  of national policy and institutional structures, and ability to advise on institutional capacities and relations
• Fully proficient in the following software applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Excellent verbal and writing communication skills in English

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• At least an undergraduate university degree in applied natural sciences (e.g. natural resources management, environmental management), or other relevant discipline

Experience

• At least 3 years of work experience in natural resource planning and management, climate change adaptation, agriculture or any closely related field
• Previous experience in background research, providing technical coordination and synthesis reporting for similar assignments would be a distinct asset
• Working experience with the project stakeholder institutions and agencies would be an asset
• Knowledge of and experience in operational modalities and procedures of UNDP and/or GEF would be a distinct asset

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

2. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

3. Financial proposal

• Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Lowest price and technically compliant offer 

When using this method, the award of a contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as both: 

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and 

b) offering the lowest price/cost 

“responsive/compliant/acceptable” can be defined as fully meeting the TOR provided.  

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation