Background

National Consultant – Biogas Potential Assessment in Timor-Leste

Type of Contract:             Individual Contract

Languages Required:     English

Duration:                             45 working days over 3 months from 1 October 2018 – 31 December 2018

Location:                             Based in Timor-Leste.

Application Deadline:  27 September 2018

Please note that UNDP is not in the position to accept incomplete applications - please make sure that your application contains all details as specified below in this notice.

1. Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), acting as an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is providing assistance to the Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communication (MoPWTC) and in particular to National Directorate of Renewable Energy (NDRR) to implement the Promoting Sustainable Bio-energy Production from Biomass (SBEPB) in Timor-Leste project.

One of the major challenges for Timor-Leste is to pursue economic development without creating additional burdens on natural resources thereby preserving ecosystems that are critical to maintaining the quality of life and providing environmental services to society. The country is rich in diversified natural forests with a forest cover of nearly 58% of total land area (14,900 square km) of the country. According to FAO, Timor-Leste is losing 1.16% of forests annually or 11,200 ha per year during 1990-2010. The area under plantations has remained stable at 43,000 ha during the period from 2000 to 2010. However, the latest forestry survey conducted by Japan’s Aid3 reported that the annual deforestation rate between 2003 and 2010 is estimated at 1.73% that is much higher than the prediction of FAO. Assuming this alarming trend persisted in the following decades, 17.3% of the forests in the country would have disappeared in 2021 and all forests would have disappeared by 2071. Natural resources play a pivotal role in the lives of people in the Timor-Leste with 75% of the population (140,635) living in rural areas and over 70% employed by the agriculture and forestry sector. The Strategic Development Plan 2011–2030 commits to establishing inclusive development, while the Program of the Fifth Constitutional Government (2012-2017) has set a goal of creating opportunities for all in a fair and inclusive manner. As the Timorese government aspires to transform from subsistence agriculture into a productive and market economy, safeguards must be in place to avoid creating ever increasing economic development and demographic pressure on the natural resource base.  

A report on the urban, peri-urban and urban associated rural areas of Timor-Leste is currently on the brink of a large-scale fuel poverty crisis. Internal migration to urban areas (specifically the capital Dili), poor enforcement of legislation and widespread poverty are some of the main contributing factors to fuel poverty and degraded natural resources. These trends are rapidly heading towards a state where over-extraction and insufficient re-planting of trees is threatening both people’s ability to afford fuel wood for cooking and their ability to easily attain it in other ways. Coupled with this humanitarian issue, the deforestation and forest degradation that occur as a symptom of people’s reliance on wood fuel (+90% of the population) is threatening the sustainability of the natural environment and its ability to perform ecological services in and around Dili. 

Project Description

Targeted to address the above mentioned problems, the Sustainable Bioenergy Production from Biomass (SBEPB) Project with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Timor-Leste (GoTL) the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other funding partners focuses on the promotion and use of biomass energy resources for the provision of energy access and services in rural areas. Overall, the Project is expected to result in a reduction of annual biomass/fuel wood consumption in Timor-Leste through the gradual utilization of biomass-based energy systems and efficiency improvements in the rural areas of the country as influenced by the Project. The Project will facilitate the widespread application of biomass-based energy systems, particularly for economic and social uses in the country’s rural areas. The reduction of GHG emissions through the use of more efficient fuel wood technologies and sustainable biomass energy generation in the country will contribute to global GHG emission reductions. 

SBEPB project is a four-year program contributing to the reduction of greenhouse emissions through removal of barriers to sustainable production and utilization of biomass resources in Timor-Leste and application of biomass energy technologies to support local economic, environmental and social development.  The objective of the project is designed to achieved through enhancing the capacity of all relevant public and private stakeholders, developing policy and legal bioenergy frameworks for the promotion of energy efficient and low carbon end-use appliances and scaling up of 20,000 improved cook stoves (ICS) in the country. The project is assisting the Government of Timor-Leste in mainstreaming sustainable biomass energy in policy formulation and consequently helping in mitigating the national emission of greenhouse gases resulting from deforestation and the use of non-renewable biomass. The project is envisioned to increase Timor-Leste’s access to clean bioenergy and also create employment through inclusive businesses.

Based on the above strategic considerations, the Project focuses on three major components: 

• Component 1: Policy and Institutional Support for Deployment and Commercialization of Advanced Bio-energy Technologies. 
• Component 2: Bio-energy Investments Promotion - Sustainable Bio-energy Technology Demonstration & Market Development
• Component 3: Capacity Development and Market Transformation

Duties and Responsibilities

2. Description of Responsibilities

Government of Timor-Leste and development partners have piloted a number of (at least 33) biogas plants in different municipalities of Timor-Leste – Liquica, Bobonaro, Baucau, Viqueque, Oecusse, Manatuto and Aileu. Unfortunately most the biogas plants established so far are not fully functional. During the project inception of the SBEPB project, this issue was highlighted by several stakeholders. The second project board meeting also focused on importance of assessing the existing biogas plants for commissioning future activities related to Biogas in Timor-Leste. Following the request from the GoTL, UNDP-GEF Biomass project commissioned an assessment of the biogas plants in 2017. Key findings of the assessment concluded that technical knowledge and know-how of properly installing a biogas plant in Timor-Leste is currently very limited. Following a further discussion with CNEFP, CNEFP agreed to provide space and involve their technical staffs in biomass related technical activities supported by the project. So, in the 3rd project board meeting, the project decided to install a biogas plant at CNEFP (centro Nacional de Emprego e Formacao Professional) located at Tibar with a target to set it up as the demonstration biogas plant for Timor-Leste. CNEFP is a public institute with its own decree law No. 04/2009 established with purpose of providing and promoting vocational training and develop local human resources.

Based on the above background, the advertised assignment is expected to:

1. Train technical staffs of CNEFP and other GoTL stakeholders on Biogas;
2. Supervise and monitor installation of the biogas plant at CNEFP.

Specific Tasks

1. Technical trainings of the CNEFP and relevant technical staffs from GoTL and other stakeholders

• Design of a training plan on biogas installation in the context of Timor-Leste based on the biogas assessment of Timor-Leste, 2017.
• Deliver the training for the technical staffs at CNEFP

1. Roadmap for Biogas in Timor-Leste

• Technical guidance, supervision and monitoring of Installation of the targeted biogas plant at CNEFP.

Expected Deliverables:

The key products to be delivered are as follows:

1. Detailed Assignment Workplan (within 1 weeks of start of the assignment)
2. Technical trainings for CNEFP and relevant GoTL staff on Biogas (within 30 October 2018)
3. Technical supervision for installation of the biogas plant (20 December 2018)
4. Final report (31 December 2018)

Payment for Services

The international Capacity Development and Project Design Specialist shall receive payment in three installments from UNDP as follows:

1. 20%        upon preparation and acceptance of the assignment work plan (within first week of assignment)
2. 30%        upon completion of technical trainings; (within 30 October 2018)
3. 50%        upon completion of the biogas plant installation and final report submission; (within 20 December 2018)

Responsibility for Expenses and their Reimbursement

This is a lump sum assignment. The Consultant will be responsible for all personal administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copies incurred in this assignment. Any other assistance required for the consultant including technical support for mapping, modeling and local consultant support needs to be built in in the consultant’s daily rates. UNDP will provide travel support in Dili and for field missions out of Dili, in Timor-Leste.

Competencies

Responsibility for Managing the People and the Work Plan

The principal responsibility for managing the consultant will lie with the Chief Technical Advisor of the SNC project under overall guidance of the Head of Sustainable Development Unit. The consultant will closely work with the SNC PMU and National Directorate of Climate Change, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment and the technical Working Group on Climate Change Adaptation. The timeframe and duration of activities are estimated to be broken down as follows:

Required Skills and Experience

. Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Mechanical / Chemical / Energy engineering, Applied Science, Agriculture, Livestock or Environmental Science;
• A post-graduate degree (MSc, MPhil, PhD, etc.) in the related field will be an added advantage

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years work experience in the biogas sector;
• Should have sound knowledge on biogas technology and good experience in construction of different types of digesters;
• Experience in national/provincial biogas plans/programmes with state sector, non-state sector and community engagements;
• Previous consultancy experience in donor funded or NGO projects, biogas in particular, will be an added advantage;
• Experience in conducting capacity building programmes and similar activities;
• Should demonstrate the ability to effectively work towards the project’s objective and expected outcomes;
• Should have strong interpersonal and good communication skills and competence in handling expected work scope’s external relations at all levels;
• Good computer literacy including Microsoft Office.

Languages

Excellent English and Tetun writing skills are essential.

4. Evaluation of Applicants

• Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;
• Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Combined Scoring method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal;
• Combined weighted scoring: Technical (70%); Financial (30%).

Detailed Evaluation Criteria

General Conditions of Contract for the ICs:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.

UNDP Personal History form (P11):

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc.

5. Application procedures

Qualified candidates are requested to apply by 27 September 2018 17:00 (GMT+9) by sending their application packages to procurement.staff.tp@undp.org with the subject line “UNDP/GEF Project on Rio Conventions”.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a Technical Proposal 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, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. ( templates can be downloaded from http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=49949  );
• 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 – in home office and on mission, travel – international and local, per diems and any other possible costs), preferably according to the following template [ please note, the below is only a template that needs to be followed to prepare the worksplan and budget].

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, office costs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. 

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

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://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=49949

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Prepared by: ____________________