Background

Disaster Risk Reduction Data Analyst to Develop an Integrated Solution of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA, RDNA and DevLIVE+ Toolkits 

• Project Title: Early Recovery Project

1. Project 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 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.

Disaster response and recovery in the Philippines have 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 hardest hit are the most vulnerable on account of high exposure, inability to adapt, and weak socio-economic capacities. Those needing specifically targeted interventions include persons with disabilities, women, and children, informal settlers in the urban areas, upland dwellers and indigenous communities, small farmers, and fishermen.

In addressing these, disaster assessment is essential to quantify the situation by data. Multiple disaster assessment toolkits have been developed for various purposes and an integration solution is needed for better sustainability and simpler deployment.

The IT-enabled Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (iPDNA), supported by DFAT, UNDP Crisis Bureau, and the Bangkok Regional Hub, has been deployed for Typhoon Kammuri in December 2019 and the Taal Volcanic Eruption in 2020 in support of the NDMO. Realizing the fruitfulness of its deployment, it was decided to enhance the iPDNA capability. iPDNA is currently being tailored for the integration and deployment of the COVID-19 response in the Philippines context and a National Consultant is hired to support the process.

UNDP has developed a Household and Building Damage Assessment (HBDA) Toolkit to support authorities in crisis-affected countries around the world, to assess residential and non-residential infrastructure, and collect timely data to inform decisions. The HBDA will also inform prioritization for risk-informed rehabilitation and rebuilding.

Early Recovery Needs Assessment (ERNA) has been deployed by UNDP in various nations and focuses on understanding the recovery needs for the host community and the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), while understanding the causes for, actors engaged in, and capacities for early recovery and social cohesion in the south, thereby enabling early recovery programming with a view to bridging the ongoing humanitarian operation with medium-term recovery and development programming in the south.

Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDNA) is a response tool providing a quick “snapshot” of the disaster situation within the first 72 hours, thus, determines the type and extent of damages brought about by hazards, including its secondary threats, the critical needs of the affected population, and the local response capacities. It seeks to provide authorities and humanitarian actors the most pressing life-saving requirements. It has been deployed in the Philippines by OCD after various disaster events.

The Development through Local Indicators and Vulnerability Exposure Database (DevLIVE+) is a system and a tool that is used to collect, organize, visualize and manage baseline data and information on the household, building structures, and production areas for monitoring access to and delivery of basic services, assessing vulnerabilities and exposures to hazards and risks and creating development pathways toward sustainable and progressive communities. The DevLIVE+ generates socio-demographic profiles, not only at the municipal or barangay level but up to the household level, including a typology of houses. It also provides disaggregated data by sex, age, work, educational attainment, or spatial location through charts, lists, or even map locations that would facilitate analysis in crafting the local land use and development plans. Considering that significant socio-economic indicators can be captured related to access to basic services among others, local decision-makers have found the tool essential in resource allocation, prioritization of barangays and delivery of services, or justify their programs, projects, and activities using the DevLIVE+ to improve the conditions of communities who are most vulnerable, left behind, and lacking in access to government services.

In this context, an integrated digital solution of various DRR assessment toolkits would be an opportunity to explore in the Philippines. This assignment will contribute to embarking on a digital transformation by the integration of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA, and RDNA disaster assessment tools as well as DevLIVE+ at the Global level and its piloting in the Philippines context.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives and Scope of Work

The objective of this assignment is to assess indicators compatibility of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA, RDNA and DevLIVE+, carry out an indicator adjustment plan with a data reuse strategy, and develop a strategy to include ERNA in RDNA. The Consultant shall work closely with the System Developer and the Climate Action Team.

Based on the output of this assignment, the System Developer shall digitalize ERNA and develop an integrated solution of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA and RDNA disaster assessment toolkits with function of importing data to and from DevLIVE+; the Consultant shall provide general technical support to the System Developer on system development, pilot deployment and training activities.

Specific tasks are as follows:

Indicators Compatibility Assessment

• Assess indicator compatibility of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA, RDNA and DevLIVE+;
• Carry out an indicator adjustment plan in consideration of gender equality and data reuse;
• Carry out a strategy that imports DevLIVE+ data to disaster assessment toolkits as baseline information;

Design of An Integrated Solution

• Support the System Developer in designing the technical architecture of the proposed integrated package of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA, RDNA and DevLIVE+ toolkits;
  • Separate toolkits with one integrated/interconnected database are preferred;
  • Including an automatic data export module for Common Operational Datasets (CODs)
  • Importing data from DevLIVE+ to disaster assessment toolkits as baseline information;
• Carry out a clear Data Flow Diagram that characterizes data sharing across toolkits and identifies the gap to having an integrated solution;
• Explore the feasibility to include ERNA in RDNA and carry out a strategy for integrated ERNA/RDNA;
• Support the System Developer in designing and developing a cloud-based ERNA/RDNA digitalization toolkit;
  • KOBO or ODK-based designs are preferred;
  • Offline functionality is required for non-Internet scenarios;

Technical Support for Pilot Deployment and Capacity Building

• Support the System Developer in testing deployment and adjustments;
• Provide technical support in iPDNA, HBDA and ERNA/RDNA pilot deployment as well as DevLIVE+ data import for at least one disaster event [hydro-met, earthquake];
• Conduct one (1) webinar session / on-site training session on ERNA/RDNA deployment, in collaboration with the System Developer;
• Conduct one (1) webinar session / on-site training session on HBDA deployment, in collaboration with the System Developer;
• Conduct one (1) webinar session on findings of this assignment;
• Support the System Developer in developing an Operation/User Manual for deployment and operation of the integrated solution including data syncing.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Institutional Arrangements

The Consultant shall report to the Focal Person that is supervised by the Team Leader of the Climate Action Programme Team of the Philippine CO, and work very closely with the System Developer of the integrated digital solution development in the execution of the assignment.

Technical supervision shall be provided by the Technical Working Group (TWG) composed of personnel from the Crisis Bureau, the Bangkok Regional Hub and the Philippine CO. The TWG shall review outputs/deliverables and determine whether to accept them within ten (10) working days after submission. The work shall be coordinated with the Regional Programme Accelerating Disaster Risk Reduction and Enhancing Crisis Response through Digital Solutions and the Country Programme Recovery and Resilience Building in the Philippines.

The Consultant should work closely with the HBDA team to seek clarification and any technic, and with technical teams engaged with ERNA/RDNA, iPDNA retrofitting and DevLIVE+ development. The outputs shall be delivered through a participatory approach, engagement with government, involving training sessions and focus group discussions with team members.

Duration of Work

It is estimated that the work shall involve a total of 60 person-days spread over six (6) months; commencing April 2021 and ending in September 2021.

Duty Station

The engagement is home-based and for accessibility and availability to allow for discussions and reporting on the progress of activities, regular online meetings shall be conducted. The Schedule of these meetings will be discussed post-award.

The Consultant will not be required to be based in Manila or to report to the office regularly, but a status report on the outputs shall be expected from time to time or when per requirement basis.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

Only applicants who will obtain 70 out of 100 obtainable points will be considered qualified and shortlisted.

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 person-days, supplies & materials, reproduction, communications including internet).

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 the contract duration

The contract price will be a fixed output-based price. Any deviations from the output and timeline will be agreed upon between the Contractor and UNDP.

Payments will be done upon satisfactory completion of the delivery by target due dates. Outputs will be certified by the Team Leader of the Climate Action Programme Team of the Philippine CO prior to the release of payments.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability (UNDP template);
• Personal Curriculum Vitae, indicating all past experiences from similar projects as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references with contact information;
• 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.
• At least one (1) sample work related to any of the following themes: indicator compatibility assessment of different datasets, humanitarian need assessments, disaster impact assessment, demographic surveys, disaster risk reduction, or relevant fields. The sample work must show the applicant’s expertise in data analytics or harmonizing indicator compatibility.

Incomplete submissions may result in disqualification.

Criteria for Selection of Best Offer

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.

Templates for a) P11 Personal History Form and b)  Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal (Annex 2) 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 the deadline of submissions above.

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