Background

Overview:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in October 2012, launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) as a new global partnership seeking to address the biodiversity finance challenge in a comprehensive manner – building a sound business case for increased investment in the management of ecosystems and biodiversity, with a particular focus on the needs and transformational opportunities at the national level.

During BIOFIN Phase II (2018 – 2022), BIOFIN is supporting the Royal Thai Government and other key stakeholders from the private sector and civil society in implementing Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity.

• Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity identifies a mix of suitable biodiversity finance solutions to reduce the biodiversity finance gap in Thailand. The last component of the BIOFIN process is the implementation phase. The BIOFIN national teams make a selection between the prioritized finance solutions and provide technical support for their implementation.

Biodiversity finance solutions will provide impacts designed to reach national biodiversity targets (i.e., NBSAP, 20-year National Strategy, etc.) through four main strategies:

1. Generate revenues, i.e. any existing or innovative mechanism or instrument that can generate and/or leverage financial resources to allocate to biodiversity. Examples include the attraction of impact investment in conservation projects, etc.;
2. Realign current expenditures, i.e. any measure that can reorient existing financial flows towards biodiversity.
3. Avoid future biodiversity expenditures, i.e. any measure that can prevent or reduce future investment needs by eliminating or amending existing counter-productive policies and expenditures.
4. Deliver financial resources more effectively and efficiently, i.e. any measure or instrument that can enhance cost-effectiveness and efficiency in budget execution, achieve synergies and/or favour a more equitable distribution of resources.

BIOFIN Thailand, together with a diversity of actors and experts, has developed the prioritized set of finance solutions for biodiversity which is now undergoing implementation (2018 – 2022). Finance solutions that are seen as the most promising and realistic were chosen and judged as being significant in terms of ‘impact on biodiversity’ and ‘impact on finance’ as well as ‘likelihood of success’. ?

Thailand’s prioritized Biodiversity Finance Solutions are the following:

1. User charges
2. Environmental trust fund
3. Conservation license plates
4. Realignment of local government budgets for biodiversity
5. Ecosystem service bond
6. Biodiversity impact investment
7. The Lion’s Share
8. Nutrient trading
9. Biodiversity offsets
10. Earmarking for urban green space

The objective of Phase II is to support Thailand with the implementation of the Biodiversity Finance Plan and related finance solutions (see Annex I).

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective:

During Phase II, Thailand will implement prioritised Biodiversity Finance Solutions endorsed by the National Steering Committee and BIOFIN Global team.  The objective of this assignment is to implement the prioritised finance solutions in the pilot site of Koh Tao Island, Surat Thani province. S/he will help establish the sub-Project Management Unit based in Surat Thani province and lead the implementation of the finance solutions –user charge and conservation trust fund.

In close consultation with the National BIOFIN Team Leader, the Implementing Manager will coordinate with BIOFIN of UNDP Thailand and other contributing consultants to implement the Finance Solutions in Thailand.

Koh Tao finance solution will be implemented through:

1. User charge: Increasing sources of revenue for coral reef & species rehabilitation and management and pollution management in Koh Tao Island

Concise description: Koh Tao is one of the 10 World’s Best Learn-to-dive Destinations . While the island is visited by approximately 300,000-500,000 visitors/year, its natural capital within both terrestrial and marine environments requires very well-functioning and effective management to ensure the island’s sustainable future.Through consultation with local stakeholders, the finance solution will implement a new model of earmarking revenue collected from user charges in order to ensure an effective revenue stream for biodiversity conservation. Specifically, the finance solution – termed an ‘environmental management charge’ – is to be imposed on visitors to Koh Tao.Strong interest and political will of the Koh Tao Municipality, local businesses, and civil society groups, together with the strong brand-name of Koh Tao as the world diving destination and its rich biophysical resources all offer great potential for ensuring uptake of the finance solution.The expected financial impact is substantial. For the pilot project in Koh Tao, the rate proposed is THB100/visitor , which would amount to approximately THB50 million (USD 1.5 million) in revenue per year based on the number of tourist visits to Koh Tao. Key lessons learned will be shared from the pilot project with other tourism island destinations that do not have the status of a Protected Area. Furthermore, existing Marine Protected Areas will also benefit from the experience of collecting user charges that are earmarked for specific conservation activities.

2. Environmental trust fund: Improving delivery mechanism towards actions addressing coral reef restoration and management in Koh Tao through the establishment of a Conservation Trust Fund

Concise description: Ample evidence suggests that if people are to be persuaded to participate in new charge schemes – such as that being proposed for Koh Tao– they must be assured that the money they give will be directly re-invested in on-the-ground conservation activities. This requires a mechanism for administering funding which allows for increased transparency, accountability and participation. To this end, the finance solution involves the establishment of an independent Conservation Trust Fund—Blue Guardian Fund for Koh Tao as a mechanism for receiving, retaining and allocating financial resources for coral reef restoration and effective pollution and waste management on the island of Koh Tao. It should be noted that the development of the Blue Guardian Fund responds to interests that have already been stated by decision makers at local and provincial levels, with the overall goal of providing a long-term, stable source of funding to strengthen the objectives of the ‘Strategic Plan: Integrated Coastal Management for Koh Tao’.

Under the UNDP guidance, S/he will represent BIOFIN Thailand as the Implementing Manager of BIOFIN Pilot Project in Koh Tao when engaging with the following key stakeholders:

• Local partners: Koh Tao municipality, the local NGO ‘Save Koh Tao’, and representatives of the business sector located in Island of Koh Tao;
• Regional level: Office of the Provincial Governor of Surat Thani, District Office of Pha-ngan Island;

National level: Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Pollution Control Department, Department of Treasury, Royal Thai Navy, and 4th Army Area Commander.

Scope of work:

The Implementing Manager of BIOFIN Pilot Project in Koh Tao will play a leading role in order to implement the flagship finance solution of UNDP BIOFIN Thailand.

Scope of work under this ToR includes:

• Participate in building and implementing the detailed roadmap and concept as part of the overall framework and methodology of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative.
• Manage the pilot project in Koh Tao and oversee the day-to-day activities of the sub Project Management Unit (Sub-PMU) related to the management and implementation of the pilot project.
• Consult closely with the BIOFIN National Team Leader and lead local BIOFIN staff (Field Coordinator) and other consultants (Legal expert, Payment gateway expert, M&E specialist, Trainers of BIOFIN process, etc.) when implementing any planned activities at the pilot project.
• Provide overall supervision of pilot project activities and arrange for public consultations as required.
• Participate and represent the BIOFIN Thailand as a non decision-making member in Koh Tao and serve as the secretariat to the Koh Tao Foundation Committee during the implementation period of the pilot project in Koh Tao (2019 – 2021).
• Draft Terms of References if any additional consultant needed for pilot project management;
• Monitor progress on planned activities and provide feedback to BIOFIN National Team Leader on regular basis, and coordinate with other contributing consultants to achieve the overall roadmap of project implementation plan for Koh Tao.
• Undertake high-level communication/advocacy with national, regional and local levels; and in case the National BIOFIN Team Leader cannot attend any function, the implementing manager will represent the BIOFIN Thailand to local and provincial stakeholders in Surat Thani.
• Supervise the sub-PMU staff the preparation of progress reports, financial reports, project completion report and other reports that may be required by UNDP BIOFIN.
• Supervise the sub-PMU staff in the performance of their respective duties and ensures the efficient functioning of the sub-PMU and ensure that clear working arrangements are established for collaborating with the local government unit on all management matter.
• Lead the development of work plans, workshops and periodical meetings in Koh Tao.
• Identify implementation arrangements and needed resources to implement the BIOFIN Pilot Project in Koh Tao and ensure proper management of funds acceptable to the UNDP procedures as well as the procurement of goods, works and service.

The Implementing Manager will report directly to the BIOFIN National Team Leader in UNDP Thailand which will facilitate resolution of any internal delays to implementation.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

A consultant will be responsible for majors tasks with expected deliverables/products:

Task # 1: Prepare the planned activities to implement the finance solutions in Koh Tao as a result of roadmap developed from an inception workshop for implementing the biodiversity finance solutions in Koh Tao Island, Surat Thani province

• Mapping all stakeholders with clear analysis on detailed activities for implementing the pilot project
• Designing the now, near-future, and long-term actions in accordance with the roadmap
• Identifying human and financial resources needed for the implementation of pilot project in accordance with Koh Tao Roadmap
• Follow up with the legal expert with regards to implementation of the Koh Tao Pilot Project.

Task # 2: Monitoring the completion of legal and organizational framework for environmental management charge in Koh Tao

• Review and follow up on the tasks of the legal expert regarding the institutional and legal issues for Koh Tao Municipality.
• Lead the discussion together with the Legal Expert for an issuance of the Municipal Ordinance for collecting environmental management charge in the Island of Koh Tao.
• Lead the discussion with Surat Thani Provincial Office regarding the endorsement of the Municipal Ordinance
• Ensure a completion of legal framework as per roadmap.
• Raise any issues to the National Team Leader related to regulatory documents as required.

Task # 3: Establishment of Koh Tao Trust Fund Foundation

• Review the concept note of the environmental trust fund foundation developed by the Legal Expert in order to establish the conservation trust fund in Koh Tao Island
• Provide technical backstopping to Koh Tao Municipality on the establishment of Foundation
• Provide technical consultation to legal expert for structuring of the fund and board members
• Review the regulatory documents—Charter/by-laws and organizational framework developed by the legal expert and provide feedbacks as required

Task # 4:Establishment of the pilot run system for collection of user charge in Koh Tao

• Review the collection process developed during the consultations with local stakeholders
• Identify key players and entry point to start the collection of user charge
• Engage with the Payment Gateway Expert doing the development process
• Pilot run the collection by August 2019
• Report the result of pilot run of environmental management charge and provide Corrective Action, if any
• Prepare the business case to be presented at the BIOFIN Regional Workshop for Eurasia and the Pacific on 24 – 26 September 2019 in Chiang Mai province

Task # 5Training on the proposal development for fund utilization on coral reef restoration and waste & solid management

• Engage a trainer to design the training modules for fund utilization in Koh Tao
• Facilitate the training session in Koh Tao with key participants from all related sectors (gender aspect is one of the indicators)
• Review the report on training output with training materials submitted by the trainer with comments and/or suggestion

The deliverables will be classified as follows:

Institutional Arrangement:

The Implementing Manager of Pilot Project in Koh Tao will report to the National BIOFIN Team Leader under the Team of Inclusive Green Growth and Sustainable Development in UNDP Thailand.

Duration of the Assignment:

24 June – 31 December 2019 with maximum 120 mandays

Duty Station:

Home-based in Thailand with expected places of travel in Thailand, in particular the project site in Koh Tao Island, Surat Thani. For any travel assign by UNDP, the Consultant shall be responsible for an advance payment of the travel cost.  The reimbursement shall be proceeded in accordance with the UNDP procedures upon submission of the mission report. The reimbursed cost based on UNDP’ rule and rate, shall be transferred directly into the registered bank account of Consultant under the UNDP vendor system.  After submission of complete document, the reimbursement process shall be done within 15 working days.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism.

Technical Competencies:

• Analytic capacity and demonstrated ability to process, analyse and synthesise complex, technical information;
• Proven ability to support the development of high quality knowledge and training materials, and to train technical teams;
• Proven experience in the developing country context and working in different cultural settings.

Communication:

• Communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

Professionalism:

• Capable of working in a high pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

Teamwork:

• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

The following minimum qualifications are required:

• Bachelor level with degree in project management, business administration, environmental, social science, and/or other related fields;
• Work experience in project management for at least 7 years;
• Specific experience in Thailand with profound knowledge on Thailand environmental policy and biodiversity management;
• Familiar and up-to-date with national and local programs, projects and initiatives on biodiversity conservation and related areas in the Southern region of Thailand, Surat Thani province, in particular;
• Experience in organizing workshop at local, regional and national levels;
• Proficiency in English and Thai writing and speaking.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payment :

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:

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 advanced by the consultant and be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed once the mission is completed. Travel costs shall be reimbursed at actual but not exceeding the quotation from UNDP approved travel agent.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria:

Total score=Technical Score + Financial Score

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

• Criteria 1 Relevance of Education – Max 10 points
• Criteria 2 Special skills, Language, etc.- Max 5 Points
• Criteria 3 Relevance of experience in specific area (Thailand environmental policy and biodiversity management)– Max 15 points
• Criteria 4 Relevance of experience in project management– Max 25 points
• Criteria 5 Assessment of approach/methodology to assignment– Max 15 Points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

 * Technical Criteria weight; [70%], maximum 70 points

* Financial Criteria weight; [30%], maximum 30 points

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individuals must submit the following documents /information to demonstrate their qualification, experience and suitability to undertake the assignment.

All supporting documents (a-d) must be part of the detailed CV and uploaded as one document

a. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;

b. Personal CV or P11, 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;

c. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;

d. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive maximum service rate supported by a breakdown of costs in Thai Baht, as per template provided.

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

ANNEXES

Annex I- General Condition of Contract

Annex II - TOR_Implementing Manager of BIOFIN pilot project in Koh Tao

Annex III - Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal

All documents can be downloaded at : http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=56016