Background

Since 2014, The United Nations Development Programme through its Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) Project, has been supporting the Royal Thai Government in articulating the financial resources it needs to maintain a healthy biodiversity portfolio in-country. In particular, BIOFIN in collaboration with the Office of National Economic and Social Development Council, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning and the Bureau of the Budget, have conducted the following assessments:  1) Policy and Institutional Review (PIR); 2) Public and Private Biodiversity Expenditure Review (PBER); 3) Assessment of financial needs (cost and gap analysis of implementing Thailand’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)).  These assessments significantly contributed to the development of a Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP).

Based on insights gained from the results of the three BIOFIN assessments, the Biodiversity Finance Plan acknowledges the importance of tapping additional financing to support the biodiversity agenda of Thailand, mainly through its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). This Plan is cognizant of the parallel challenges that could not be addressed by generating financing alone: thus, the Plan transcends the focus on generating additional resources and also identifies a range of “finance solutions” that leverage finance, fiscal and economic tools and strategies to improve the outcome of biodiversity objectives in the country.  The Biodiversity Finance for Thailand is to implement innovative finance solutions in four priority areas of intervention in Thailand including: sustainable tourism, financing for protected areas and wildlife, improved guidelines for local government budgets and increased private sector engagement. The Plan contributes to Thailand’s development not only for achieving it international targets under the Convention on Biological Diversity, but also for mobilizing resources to implement the National Biodiversity Strategic and Action Plans.

UNDP Thailand recognizes the importance of gender considerations to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the NBSAP and will give due consideration to the integration of gender into its work in line with the BIOFIN’s Gender Action Plan (BIOFIN-GAP) and UNDP gender guidelines and the 2015-2020 CBD Gender Plan of Action.  UNDP will continue its efforts to promote gender equality and develop capacities contributing to the national gender equality agenda and SDG 5.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The National BIOFIN’s Gender Action Plan Consultant under the supervision of the Project Manager of BIOFIN Thailand and the Gender Advisor of UNDP Thailand will:

a. Develop BIOFIN’s Gender Action Plan with annual outputs to facilitate implementation of activities that promote gender equality and women’s empowerment for each finance solution.  This will include mechanisms/measures/interventions to support gender equality integration into biodiversity planning mechanisms and capacity building activities including the development/formulation of gender-responsive legislation/strategies/policies to address gender and biodiversity related issues.  The Action Plan will also identify a finance solution with a specific additional impact on gender and contribute to development of specific activities that would enhance participation, empowerment, leadership and institutional strengthening;

b. In relation to the Gender Action Plan, conduct participatory gender analysis (geographical area/community/island) to fully consider the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks and access to/control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.) for the finance solutions.  This will include collection of gender responsive baseline data relevant to finance solution planning, implementation and monitoring; identification of the share of female and male direct beneficiaries and work with the BIOFIN team using findings from gender analysis to develop a gender-responsive plan or engender existing activities;

c. As needed, conduct consultations with key stakeholders including women organizations on the gender issues related to the project and collect stakeholders’ feedback and incorporate these comments into the project results framework and the Gender Action Plan;

d. Assess potential negative impacts of the project on gender equality and specific activities to mitigate and/or minimize them and incorporate into UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards process;

e. Ensure that the M&E system of the project can provide gender-disaggregated data and analysis;

f. Provide guidance and recommendations to the design of proposed policies and to related training programs;

g. In cooperation with the BIOFIN project team and the Gender Advisor of UNDP Thailand, develop at least 3 gender-responsive or comparative case studies development with inputs from project partners;

h. Attend relevant project meetings and workshops/exercises; and

i. Submit reports as required by the National Steering Committee of BIOFIN Thailand and UNDP.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables:

Institutional Arrangement

The Project Manager shall directly supervise and approve and accept the output/s of consultant.

Based on the table above, outputs will be submitted to the Project Manager of BIOFIN Thailand and the Gender Advisor to UNDP Thailand in the dates indicated.  At different points during project implementation, he/she is expected  to liaise/ interact/ collaborate/ meet with the BIOFIN team members and with other relevant stakeholders. 

Duration of the Work

15 May– 15 December 2020 with a maximum of 105 working days

Duty Station

Home-based in Thailand with expected travels to Koh Tao Island and Surat Thani province at least 3 missions during the contract period.

Within 2 weeks of the consultant’s submission of his/her outputs to the Project Manager and Gender Adviser shall provide their comments.  Should there be further comments, the revised output shall be submitted within a week.  Should there be no comments, the Project Manager shall endorse the consultant’s output/s for approval.

The Project Manager shall directly supervise the National BIOFIN’s Gender Action Plan Consultant  and approve his/her output.

The National BIOFIN’s Gender Action Plan Consultant is expected to liaise/interact/collaborate/meet with the national and global (as necessary) BIOFIN project team, and UNDP.  As needed, the project management associate of BIOFIN Thailand shall provide administrative assistance to her/him in order for her/him to accomplish all requirements.

Competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in gender issues, gender development, sustainable development or related fields.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of practical working experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment and sustainable development
• Experience in carrying out participatory gender analysis; collecting and formulating gender responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data and preparing gender responsive project analysis; and developing gender action plans
• Demonstrated expertise in gender issues in the environment or biodiversity management/conservation
• Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments in Thailand and civil society organizations including community organizations
• Experience in facilitating gender responsive stakeholder meetings

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The contract will be based on Lump Sum

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum. 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 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.

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, compliant and accept in general condition will be evaluated;

·        The financial proposal shall specify a lump sum fee;

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 100 points)

·        Criteria 1:  Relevance of education – Max 25 points

·        Criteria 2: Years of experience in gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment and sustainable development – Max 35 points

·        Criteria 3: Experience in carrying out participatory gender analysis; collecting and formulating gender responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data and preparing gender responsive project analysis; and developing gender action plans – Max 10 points

·        Criteria 4: Demonstrated expertise in gender issues in the environment or biodiversity management/conservation – Max 10 points

·        Criteria 5: Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments and civil society organizations including community organizations – Max 10 points

·        Criteria 6: Experience in facilitating gender responsive stakeholder meetings – Max 10 points

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

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 (as per link attached below).
• 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.
• Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II (as per link attached below). Note: 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 form and related documents, please follow the link below:

https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=64532