Background

Project Title: Accelerating Disaster Risk Reduction and Enhancing Crisis Response through Digital Solutions

Description:

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and typhoons. Climate change has increased the scale and frequency of disasters in the Philippines with an average of twenty (20) typhoons affecting the country each year. The current CoVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for a more integrated approach that considers the resilience of the country’s health systems to minimize overall impacts on the economy and the welfare of the marginalized. The interface of disasters, conflict, and pandemic in areas such as the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) also offers an opportunity to develop custom built approaches for this conflict sensitive region.

Disaster response and recovery in the Philippines has been largely focused on infrastructure reconstruction while socio-economic recovery has been more challenging. Risk reduction and humanitarian and recovery measures have not been systematically integrated, which has eroded resilience building efforts each time a new crisis occurred. As a result, the country’s poverty reduction efforts have often been compromised. Among those hardly hit are the most vulnerable on account of high exposure, inability to adapt, and weak socio-economic capacities—many of which needing specifically targeted interventions .

It is recognized that government cannot address all these challenges alone, as such there is a need to support government partners for digital readiness to future disasters with a focus on an inclusive and human centric approach; identify gaps and needs to implement data-driven decision making in the Philippines; support government partners in performing digital transformation and data integration; contribute to the ongoing efforts of UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub to strengthen disaster risk reduction and recovery by improving digitalization of disaster data; and provide baseline information towards the initiative of UNDP Country Office in Philippines to innovate in linking existing DRR and climate databases for informed decision making.

In this regard, UNDP Philippines is hiring a National Consultant to undertake a mapping and analysis of vulnerable groups2 in the country and produce a report with recommendations for future interventions, in support of the Digital Readiness Strategy in the Philippines.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The financial proposals from possible candidates should be expressed in lump sum amount inclusive of all financial costs related to this engagement (i.e. professional fees X number of working days, communications including internet). Travel expenses to project-related meetings and workshops outside of Metro Manila shall be paid for by the Project based on the UNDP DIM Rates, and should not be included in the financial proposal.

Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the Individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the Contractor must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during contract duration.

The Payment terms are as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The Project will hire a National Consultant with the following five (5) objectives:

1. To conduct a rapid scoping and collation of relevant data and information on vulnerable groups in the country that are available in UNDP and other organizations, and identify relevant organizations working to reduce the disaster risks of vulnerable groups.

2. To organize and facilitate stakeholder consultation/s (face-to-face or virtual), with support from UNDP CO. The activity should aim to seek inputs from vulnerable groups, government civil society, private sector academia, think tanks, other UN agencies, international development organizations, and/or other relevant organizations to identify and gain an understanding of who are the most vulnerable, the multiple risks these groups and facing and their priority needs, and the barriers and opportunities for developing digital solutions targeted at the most vulnerable. This consultation will guide the scope of the mapping and analysis process, which may include identification of two to four vulnerable groups3 to undertake detailed mapping and analysis, the geographical area of study, the hazard types, and/or specific sectors or issues to focus on.

3. To develop, in close coordination with the UNDP BRH Regional Consultant for Output 2 , the methodology for the mapping and analysis, and realistically finalizing the deliverables of this consultancy within the timeframe.

4. To conduct a rapid mapping and analysis of vulnerable groups in the country , which is gender sensitive, e.g., if one of the vulnerable groups identified is persons with disabilities, the mapping and analysis should examine the different barriers faced by people with different types of disabilities (physical, vision, hearing, speech, cognitive or psychosocial) in anticipating, coping with and recovering from disaster risks. Where possible, other intersectionality should also be examined, such as age, educational level, income level, type of employment, ethnicity, etc. Multiple and intersecting barriers should also be considered, including physical barriers, information and communication barriers, attitudinal barriers, and legal and policy barriers. The analysis should highlight the causality relationship between the vulnerable sector and direct and indirect access to various digital services for DRR.

5. To organize and facilitate a final workshop (face-to-face or virtual), including suggesting specific individuals/organizations who should be invited to the workshop. The workshop should aim to share the findings and next steps, and seek any further inputs and recommendations from relevant individuals/organizations, particularly on potential digital solutions for empowering vulnerable groups, or potential areas to focus on to address main barriers and priority needs.

The mapping and analysis of vulnerable groups should be able to answer the following questions, among others:

1. Where are they located? Based on their location what is their disaster risk level? To what threats or hazards are they vulnerable to?

2. What are the barriers (physical, informational, attitudinal, legal, etc.) they face in anticipating, coping with and recovering from disaster risks?

3. Why are they not receiving the information needed to reduce disaster risks, and recover faster and better?

4. For those who receive risk information why are they not able to act on information to reduce disaster risks, and recover faster and better?

5. How has COVID-19 impacted their lives and livelihoods?

6. What are their priority needs, interests, and aspirations?

7. What have been their coping capacities?

8. What are the main channels for accessing information and for communicating? What

   devices are they using and what are they using the devices for (social media,

   entertainment, e-commerce, digital wallet, education, etc.)?

9. What are the barriers they face in access to and use of digital technologies

   (affordability, poor-quality connectivity, lack of awareness, lack of literacy and digital

   skills, lack of relevant content, privacy and security issues, socio-cultural constraints)?

10. What solutions (digital and non-digital) for crisis response and resilience building exist

    or are being designed for vulnerable groups? Which solutions are most effective?

    What are the lessons learned?

11. What are the barriers (physical, informational, attitudinal, legal, etc.) they face in

    participating in the co-design of DRR/CCA solutions, governance and decision-

    making?

12. What mechanisms or opportunities are in place that enable them to participate in the

    co-design of DRR/CCA solutions, governance and decision-making?

13. For countries where there is ongoing or recent disaster recovery programmes, what

    measures are in place to ensure inclusion of vulnerable groups in decision-making and in accessing the assistance from the programmes?

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The main output of this consultancy will be a report on the Mapping and Analysis of Vulnerable Groups (MAVG) for CCA-DRR in Support to the Digital Readiness Strategy in the Philippines.

Institutional Arrangement

For the duration of the contract, the National Consultant will be under the direct supervision of the UNDP CO CAPT Leader and Project Manager.

The consultant will also be under the overall guidance of the UNDP BRH Regional Consultant for Output 2.?

Duration of Work

The expected duration of work is twenty-five (25) working days spread over two (2.5) months, from 1 February 2021 to 15 April 2021.
The UNDP CO will review and give comments on outputs maximum of four (4) working days after output presentation (or submission if presentation is not necessary).

Duty Station

Duty Station: Manila, Philippines (with possible travel within the country).

The Consultant is expected to work remotely and provide his/her own laptop, work space, internet connection for the work requirement. In light of the CoVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work and travel of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government and in compliance with community quarantine policies.

Currently, no possible locations of field works/ duty travel are expected. Regular reporting and presence at office during work is not expected.?

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN mission, vision, values, and ethical standards
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Promotes UNDP’s agenda in meetings

Other Competencies

• Ability to work in close collaboration with a group of national and international experts, to meet strict deadlines and plan the work according to priorities;
• Demonstrates capacity to plan, organize, and execute effectively;
• Initiative, good analytical skills, mature judgment and ability to work under tight schedule while respecting deadlines achievement, ethics and honesty;
• Ability to establish effective working relations in a diverse environment
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Builds strong relationships with internal and external clients;
• Demonstrated ability to function in a team environment and to deal with complex multi- stakeholder environment
• Good ability to use information and communication technologies as tools and resources;
• Excellent written communication and presentation/public speaking skills, focus on results, ability to interact productively in a teamwork environment

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

The technical evaluation will be based on the criteria below. The Offeror must obtain the minimum technical score of 70 points in the technical qualification criteria to qualify and be shortlisted.

The National Consultant should meet the following minimum qualification:

Education:
? Minimum bachelor’s degree in development studies, gender studies, international

relations, political science, social science, disaster risk reduction, risk management, ICT for development and/or other related fields.

Experience

• At least three (3) years previous work experience on international development, with focus on increasing access to risk information for vulnerable groups, and/or related initiatives

• At least three (3) years previous work experience working with or for government agencies on relevant initiatives

• Completed a minimum of one (1) qualified/ comparable project on vulnerability mapping,

  DRR, digitalization for development, and/or related initiatives Language

• Proficiency in English and Filipino

Recommended Presentation of Offer

For purposes of generating Offers whose contents are uniformly presented and to facilitate their comparative analysis, it is best to recommend the preferred contents and presentation of the Offer to be submitted, as well as the format/sequencing of their presentation. The following documents may be requested:

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

2. 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;

3. Financial Proposal 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.

Criteria for Selection of Best Offer

The technical evaluation will be based on the criteria below. The Offeror must obtain the minimum technical score of 70 points in the technical qualification criteria to qualify and be shortlisted.

Only applications with minimum 70 points will be qualified for the financial evaluation.

The combined scoring method where the qualifications will be weighted 70% and combined with the price offer which will be weighted 30% shall be adopted.

Offerors must upload in one (1) file the aforementioned documents (1-6). Templates for a) P11 Personal History Form and b)  Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability are available through the link below. UNDP General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contractors  are also available:

http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU

Incomplete submission of required documents may result in disqualification.

Please see deadline of submissions above.

In view of the volume of applications UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.