Background

In the UNDP Strategic Plan, 2018-2021, cross-cutting approaches that enhance the nimble, innovative nature of UNDP’s service delivery are a priority for the organization as it works to eradicate poverty, accelerate sustainable development, and build resilience. The urgent need to address both rapid urbanization and the risks associated with climate change – both threatening to hinder progress towards achieving the SDGs – requires strategic and efficient coordination across business units within the organization.

 

Globally, and in the Asia-Pacific region in particular, the swift pace of urbanization means that increasingly UNDP is working with country offices, governments, and other partners to address poverty and resilience in the urban context. Demand for integrated, multi-sector, urban support is increasing, and need is high; both government partners and private entities are approaching UNDP seeking opportunities to support innovative urban solutions.

 

In order to meet this demand, there is a need for collaboration and enhanced coordination across UNDP business units to both improve delivery effectiveness and strategically leverage existing opportunities.  There is also a need to identify strategic entry points around UNDPs cross-cutting support to signature solutions envisaged under the Strategic Plan. The portfolio of National Adaptation Plan projects is one key   opportunity to support countries foundational activities to bring urban resilience concerns to climate planning and budgeting national and sub-national levels with national and local authorities support of meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

 

In particular, a bridge between UNDP’s Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development Team at the Bangkok Regional Hub and the Global Environmental Finance Unit can help increase efficiency in identifying and activating future urban resilience programming options.

 

For example, as of 2018, UNDP is a core partner in the ASEAN Smart Cities Network and is engaging with cities in the region to help catalyze public-private partnerships and spur technological innovation. The initial scoping and partner matching work is currently funded via the Network, but UNDP can leverage this exposure as an opportunity to identify and grow a portfolio of urban resilience projects for the future, cultivating relationships with member cities and activating internal and external expertise to deliver impactful, bankable city solutions. However, taking this existing upstream work to the programming stage will take resources: due diligence research and pre-screening of project options, consistent stakeholder engagement, and urban project planning expertise are needed.

 

As another example of how UNDP is able to support countries to tackle the links between SDGs, climate resilience and urban planning and budgeting, UNDP is the delivery partner for readiness projects in countries such as Uruguay, Bhutan and Bosnia Hercegovina that have strong urban components. For example, in Uruguay, urban resilience concerns will be addressed using the sustainable cities initiative as an entry point. In Bosnia-Hercegovina, capacity of municipal authorities will be developed to leverage financial instruments for climate informed investments and in Bhutan, the department of water and the city of Thimphu will prepare climate projections on its water resources availability in order to plan for a manage water.

 

Beyond the ASEAN region, urban areas are hubs for innovation and both the civil and private sector. As UNDP seeks to crowd in private resources to achieve the SDGs, understanding the resilience needs of cities globally – across different urban morphologies and typologies – and articulating how UNDP’s expertise can be applied in developing interventions is a valuable step towards unlocking potential partnership, programming, and funding opportunities.

Duties and Responsibilities

 Objective

The consultant will serve to work collaboratively between the Regional Urban Development team at the Bangkok Regional Hub and the Global Environmental Finance Unit, fostering collaboration and coordinated programming and communications with a particular focus on urban environmental issues and the National Adaptation Plans. By identifying strategic opportunities for programming, partnership and resource mobilization in different urban typologies, supporting Smart Cities Network missions with pre-screening and stakeholder research, and developing knowledge products, the consultant will enhance UNDP’s positioning for urban resilience service delivery in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for supporting the Regional Urban Development team at the Bangkok Regional Hub and the GEF Unit via the following tasks and deliverables:

  1.  Provide technical support to implementation of NAPs projects:

           Bangladesh and Armenia. These two projects are approved in 2018 and are commencing implementation.  This includes technical inputs              for inception planning and preparation, review of terms of reference and scope of work under each outcome, preparation of inception                    package and providing guidance on project implementation as well as substantive issues related to NDCs and NAP linkages (10 x 2 =20              days)

           Moldova, Albania and   PNG. These projects are in advanced phase of review. The consultant will need to prepare project documents and            timelines and support and start up an inception and implementation as these start in 2019.  (15 x 3=45 days)

      2.  NAP portfolio reporting - preparation of baseline surveys for COs, review of M&E frameworks, inputs to progress reports (35 days)

      3.  Finalization of proposals under review: Albania, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, PNG – 3 x 5 =15 days)

      4.  Preparation of Urban proposal with Habitat – 10 days. This requires identification of potential partners, setting up coordination discussions with partner, preparation of a Theory of Change, barrier analysis, identification of countries and sub-national opportunities and development of a concept note in collaboration with UN Habitat. (10 days)

The consultant will be supervised by The National adaptation global support programme, Lead Technical specialist, and will work in close collaboration with the Regional Economics Specialist with the Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development Team at the Bangkok Regional Hub. 

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The breakdown of tasks is anticipated as follows:

         Deliverables

                                            Activities

Support to start up and Inception preparation–

Preparation of agendas, power-point presentations to guide project implementation, lessons learned from other countries. Coordination on timelines with country offices, review of Terms of References, sharing examples of best practices upon request from countries. Bangladesh, Armenia, PNG, Albania, Moldova and PNG

Finalization of NAP proposals

Updating review sheets, addressing comments on advanced proposals, technical editing, checking for consistency

(Albania, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, PNG)

Reporting and monitoring of NAPs portfolio

Supporting country offices for preparation of baseline surveys, reviewing Results frameworks and adding sources of verification and strengthening indicators.

Preparation of concept note for joint programme with UN Habitat

Coordination with Habitat, research on partners, joint mapping of countries, preparation of project concept collaboratively with all team members and managing inputs from all team members at UNDP.

Supporting UNDP’s current work on Smart City Solutions with a focus on potential future long-term programming

·         Support UNDP’s ongoing work both matching cities with innovative technology solutions and scoping solutions via the ASEAN Smart Cities Network with

  • Background research into cities within the network
  • Technical inputs into and development of presentations, communications, and mission materials
  • Internal communication within UNDP and with technical experts to coordinate scoping missions

·         Identification and pre-screening of potential bankable projects for the partner cities

Other tasks

·         Identifying further areas for collaboration between GEF team and BRH Regional Urban Development team (within GEF Sustainable Cities project development processes, for example), coordination/planning, ad hoc requests, etc.

·         Support UNDP GEF and UN-Habitat’s developing program to advance human settlements’ representation in National Adaptation Plans.

·         Supply technical inputs to presentations, concept note, and programming documents as needed.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will be supervised by the UNDP NAP Technical Specialist throughout the consultancy.

Duration of the Work

Up to 125 working day through December 2019

Duty Station

Bangkok, Thailand with possible travel to countries in the region.

Expected places for mission travel

Upto 2 National Adaptation Plans related mission for 5 days per mission (Total 10 days). Possible travel to Bangladesh and Albania.

Competencies

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Educational Qualifications
  • Master’s degree or above in environment, economics, development, urban planning, or a closely related field.

Experience

  • A minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience in designing and managing projects and/or programmes in climate change, urban planning, and/or environmental risk assessment.
  • Experience working on multi-sectoral initiatives, institutional capacity-building, development planning and budgeting, impact measurement and monitoring, and related initiatives in human development and environmental project contexts. 
  • Experience working with and delivering support to governments.
  • Experience working in Asia will be an asset.
  • Experience working in project design and management for climate change adaptation will be an asset.
  • Experience working on project development with city planners and urban stakeholders will be an asset.

Language requirements

  • Excellent English communication and writing skills.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The contract will be based on Daily Fee

Consultant shall quote an all-inclusive Daily Fee for the contract period. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal. If applicable, travel or daily allowance cost (if any work is to be done outside the IC’s duty station) should be identified separately. Payments shall be done on a monthly basis based on actual days worked, upon verification of completion of deliverables and approval by the IC’s supervisor of a Time Sheet indicating the days worked in the period.

In general, UNDP shall 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 event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Travel costs shall be reimbursed at actual but not exceeding the quotation from UNDP approved travel agent.  The provided living allowance will not be exceeding UNDP DSA rates. Repatriation travel cost from home to duty station in Bangkok and return shall not be covered by UNDP.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology;

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%) and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced qualified proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

·         Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;

·         The technical criteria (education, experience, language) will be worth a maximum 100 points. Only candidates who have achieved a minimum of 70 points (70%) from the review of the education, experience, and language will be invited for an interview;

  • The interview will be given a maximum of 100 points (30%). When combined with the technical review of 100 points (70%), only candidates who pass 70% of technical and interview evaluation will be evaluated further.
  • The financial proposal shall specify an all-inclusive daily fee (including number of anticipated working days and all foreseeable expenses to carry out the assignment);
  • Applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score and has accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract. 

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 100 points)

·         Criteria 1: Education qualification - Max 10 points;

·         Criteria 2: Relevant working experience- Max 80 points;

·         Criteria 3: Excellent English communication and writing skills - Max 10 points;

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for interview and Financial Evaluation respectively.

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

·         Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.

·         Personal CV indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

·         Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II. Note: National consultant must quote price in U.S. Dollar that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The shortlisted candidates may be contacted and the successful candidate will be notified.

 

To download TOR and other forms, please click the link below:

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=52037