Background

The International consultant for transfer of knowledge from the Czech Republic for backstopping and support to the development of the Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina will contribute to the successful implementation of the Biomass Energy for Employment and Energy Security in Bosnia and Herzegovina Project (2016–2019) financed by the Czech Development Agency. The Project aims to further strengthen and enhance the energy safety of rural communities throughout the Country, while fostering the development of enterprises for processing locally available wood biomass, and setting up sustainable partnerships, that contribute to the economic development of micro-regions.
The Project will improve the population’s living standard by contributing to the reduction of the CO2 emissions because of increased renewable energy.
The Project duration is 36 months and its budget amounts to EUR 886 000.
The planned activities can be grouped into three main and inter-linked components, as follows:

  • Component 1: Policy development for sustainable wood biomass utilization in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
  • Component 2: Quality and availability of the wood biomass energy carrier increased for heating purposes due to the adoption and use of updated wood biomass processing methods;
  • Component 3: Business models and financing schemes developed and enabled for investments in wood biomass infrastructure projects / Implementation of demonstration projects.

The Project outcome is: “Higher renewable energy share in the BiH energy mix as a part of the global new sustainable development agenda”.
This outcome is directly linked to the SDG 7 related to ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. More specifically to target 7.2 – to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by the year 2030.
Furthermore, this initiative contributes to the achievement of the SDG 13 (Climate action) as responsible and sustainable forest management, including the sustainable utilization of wood biomass potentials, represents one of the cornerstones of endeavors to adapt to climate change.
Finally, the initiative is related to SDG 15 (Life on land) as it refers to sustainable management of forests as the dominant terrestrial ecosystems both at planet Earth and Bosnia and Herzegovina (more than 50% of the country territory is covered with forests).
 

Duties and Responsibilities

Component 1 of the Project (Policy development for sustainable wood biomass utilization in Bosnia and Herzegovina), activity 1.2 (Development of effective policies and legislation framework) aims to develop a comprehensive overview of potential policy and legislative framework amendment recommendations. In addition, this activity includes development of a Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina, focused on the forestry operational practices and methods, management operations and best available technologies to contribute to facilitation of increased use of wood biomass including involvement of wide variety of stakeholders from the relevant sectors.
It is necessary to emphasize that currently there are no clear forest governance mechanisms in Bosnia and Herzegovina providing the essentials of a wood biomass market – the security of supply of wood biomass to ensure the reliability of continuous supply for the required demand, i.e. required quantity and quality. Namely, more and more is invested in heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure and refurbishment of buildings which contain fuel-switch projects (from fossil to wood biomass). As a result, the demand for higher energy carrier quantity and quality (in terms of net calorific value) increases. However, due to lack of developed, adopted and enforced forest governance mechanisms, which is one of the key enabling points for assuring a balanced supply/demand environment within Bosnia and Herzegovina’s wood biomass market, it is of high importance to introduce best practices and operational methods within the fragmented forest governance and thus create standardization and a systematic approach to forest governance, while enabling a better business environment for wood biomass supply (in combination with right legislative environment in place). This initiative is directly linked to the facilitation of optimal use of wood biomass by creating a guide which will take into consideration forestry operational practices and methods, management operations and best available technologies including involvement of wide variety of stakeholders from the relevant sectors.
Having this in mind, the objective of this consultancy is to transfer valuable Czech experience in this field which will contribute to increased quality and pave the way for practical use of the Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Based on the strong commitment and engagement of relevant state and entity ministries responsible for environment domain (including forestry), the ultimate outcome of this initiative will be a knowledge product, which will be institutionalized by relevant authorities, thus serving as a pioneer framework for forestry practice in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Purpose of the consultancy

As per the Project Document and in agreement with the Project Board, it is planned to engage a local service provider to lead the implementation of this activity. The local service provider will be a company (or a group of local consultants) selected with the task to develop the “Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina”. The Guide should be prepared in English language and have a strong emphasis on the practical use. Draft version of the Guide will be translated to local languages and delivered to relevant stakeholders for review and approval. A short draft of the further steps, how to use the Guide in the practice will be included.
Therefore, the purpose of this consultancy is to transfer valuable Czech knowledge in sustainable utilization of wood biomass by embedding lessons learnt, adequate practices and practical recommendations within the “Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and pave the way for practical use of the Guide in the future. The added value of Czech expertise would consist of knowledge transfer in relation to the current renewable energy circumstances in the EU, current forestry best practices in the Czech Republic, accession process related to targets of renewable energy and how Czech Republic has adopted to the requirements of EU in this sense. Detailed structure and topics of the Guide will be discussed and approved with the CO of the UNDP in Bosnia and Hercegovina and other selected stakeholders.
The Consultant will also ensure overall backstopping in the process. Ultimately, the preparation of the Guide shall be prepared based on the rich experience of the Czech Republic and in cooperation with relevant stakeholders from different forest-related sectors, i.e. agriculture, environment protection – particularly segment of nature protection, wood processing etc.
The selected international consultant is expected to closely coordinate with the Project Manager of the “Biomass Energy for Employment and Energy Security” project, funded by the Czech Development Agency. To enable effective cooperation between the local service provider and the contributions by the international expert, the Project will facilitate regular exchange of information and close interaction between these sides in the process of design of the Guide.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The international consultant for transfer of knowledge from the Czech Republic for backstopping and support to the development of the Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina will work under the direct supervision of the Project Manager of the “Biomass Energy for Employment and Energy Security” project, funded by the Czech Development Agency, who will approve and confirm the quality of outputs, to complete all activities specified in this Terms of Reference.

Scope of work:

The selected international consultant will be responsible for accomplishment of following tasks:

Backstopping for development of a methodology for development of the “Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina” which should focus on:

  • Forestry operational practices and methods, management operations and best available technologies;
  • Involvement of wide variety of stakeholders from relevant forest-related sectors, i.e. agriculture, environment protection – particularly segment of nature protection, wood processing etc., including the state and entity level institutions responsible for forest-related sectors (responsible ministries and agencies) as well as stakeholders active at local level (enterprises responsible for forest management, forest offices, relevant NGOs, representatives of wood processing companies etc.). This segment should also include development of appropriate questionnaires to assess knowledge increase on practices and technologies for sustainable utilization of wood biomass;

Development of a detailed content of the Guide including but not limited to following aspects that have to be taken into consideration while developing best practices of wood biomass utilization:

  • Ecological aspects of forest stands/ecosystems – protection of forest ecosystems stability and biodiversity protection (i.e. which amount of wood residues is to be left in the forest and which amount is to be removed), the influence of wood biomass utilization on other functions of forest ecosystems (recreation, wildlife, watershed protection etc.);
  • Market opportunities for wood biomass products – analysis of opportunities for increasing revenues by diversification of products portfolio of forest management enterprises (e.g. including wood biomass as a market product), analysis of trends of forest product markets (export and import as well as domestic use);
  • Wood biomass utilization and transport technologies – analysis of harvesting and transportation technologies, assessment of current utilization practices, analysis of capacities of forest management companies for biomass utilization (itself or by service providers) etc.;
  • Stakeholders’ involvement in the decision-making process (as an important aspect for assuring the proper use of the Guide in the future) – involvement of stakeholders from the forest-related sectors, i.e. agriculture, environment protection – particularly segment of nature protection, wood processing, etc.

Provision of a plan for stakeholder engagement and consultations, including detail description of strategies and methods to involve representatives of important forest-related sectors and list of relevant stakeholders (to be prepared by selected local service provider). The plan for stakeholder engagement and consultations should be focused at identification and proper inclusion of the various interests of stakeholders during the process of its development as way to assure stakeholders’ involvement during the practical use of the Guide.

Periodic monitoring of quality and dynamics of preparation of the Guide including backstopping and technical support when needed;

Preparation of specific chapters of the Guide, in agreement with selected local service provider. As already given in the Purpose of this assignment, the Guide should be prepared in English language. Draft version of the Guide will be translated to local languages and delivered to relevant stakeholders for review and approval. The translation of the Guide on local languages will be organized by the Project implementation team. Selected local service provider will be responsible for checking the quality of translation. Translations of the draft versions of the Guide shall be send to relevant stakeholders by Project implementation team at least 15 days prior to its presentation. The cost will be fully covered by the UNDP´s Country Office in Bosnia and Hercegovina and/or the Project.

Presentation of the draft version of the Guide on best practices and recommendations to increase utilization of wood biomass in Bosnia and Herzegovina jointly with engaged local experts. The presentation of the draft Guide will be organized as one of the regular meetings of the Bioenergy Working Group (established within Bioenergy Joint Program) with possibility to invite external stakeholders relevant for the preparation of the Guide.


Final corrections of the respective chapter of the Guide, as per comments received.
This specific activity is planned to last from October 2018 to June 2019.
It is envisaged that the level of effort for these tasks will not exceed 20 expert days, including at least one mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The assignment will not require presence in the UNDP premises.
The assignment will include regular consultation/clarification meetings of international consultant with Project implementaton team and selected local service provider through a conference call.

Deliverables/outputs
# Deliverables / outputs # of expert days per task Due date  Percentage of payment from total contract amount

  • Detailed methodology for preparation of the Guide (in cooperation with a selected local service provider from Bosnia and Herzegovina) and questionnaires to assess knowledge increase on practices and technologies for sustainable utilization of wood biomass, prepared and approved by the Project manager. The methodology should include aspects of: a) forestry operational practices and methods, management operations and best available technologies; b) methods for involvement of wide variety of stakeholders from relevant sectors, which are applicable and transferrable for Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2 October 12th 2018 10%;
  • Based on the agreed methodology (Deliverable 1, point a), a detailed content of the Guide (including but not limited to the aspects given in the sub-chapter Scope of work of this ToR) developed and approved by the Project Manager. 2 October 19th 2018 10%;
  • Based on the agreed methodology (Deliverable 1, point b), a Work plan for stakeholder engagement and consultations developed and approved by the project manager. The plan for stakeholder engagement and consultations should be focused at identification and proper inclusion of the various interests of stakeholders during the process of its development as way to assure stakeholders’ involvement during the practical use of the Guide. 2 October 26th 2018 10%;
  • High quality technical backstopping provided for the development of the Guide, evidenced in writing (e.g. through email correspondence, written inputs, etc.)  4 Until the end of the assignment 20%;
  • In agreement with selected local service provider, a specific chapter of the Guide is prepared. 6 January 21st 2019 30%;
  • The draft version of the Guide is presented to and validated by relevant stakeholders. 2 Exact date will be agreed during the preparation of the Guide  10%;
  • Final corrections of the respective chapter of the Guide, as per comments received. 2 After the presentation of draft version of the Guide 10%.

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;
  • Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

  • Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in a team;
  • Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
  • Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
  • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
  • Excellent public speaking and presentation skills.
     

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education

  • A Master’s degree in fields related to environment, natural resources, renewable energy, or other closely related field;
  • PhD would be considered an asset.

Experience

  • At least seven (7) years of experience with the preparation, implementation and/or consultation of wood biomass or forestry projects;
  • At least five (5) years of technical experience with forestry related projects;
  • Experience in working with a wide range of stakeholders (private, government, etc.);
  • Experience in development of toolkits, guides, strategies in field of sustainable forest management is an advantage;
  • Experience in tasks related to access to finance in field of forestry management is also an advantage;
  • Relevant experience in similar projects implemented in the Czech Republic is preferred and would be considered an asset;
  • Proven analytical skills and ability to conceptualize and write concisely and clearly, evaluated based on the submitted methodology.

Languages Requirements

  • Fluency in both written and spoken English (excellent writing, editing and communication skills) demonstrated in submitted one-page English segment of any relevant study/publication/written document compiled to assess language skills.
  • Fluency in the local languages would be considered an asset.

Other Requirements

  • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities; Excellent organizational, time management and facilitation skills, evaluated based on the submitted methodology.

Documents to Be Included When Submitting the Proposals
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Proposal:

  • Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
  • Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work

Financial proposal;

Personal CV including relevant past experience and at least 3 references.

Financial Proposal

  • Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diem, and number of anticipated working days).

  • Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP does 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.


Evaluation
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for the Final Evaluation.

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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 a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

  • * Technical Criteria weight-70%
  • * Financial Criteria weight- 30%


Technical evaluation criteria
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 point would be considered for the Financial Evaluation
Criteria Weight Max. points
Technical

Criteria A

  • Methodology (document which contains brief explanation on approach to conduct the work) 40% 40

Criteria B

  • Proven analytical skills and ability to conceptualize and write concisely and clearly; evaluated based on submitted methodology 15% 15

Criteria C

  • Excellent organizational, time management and facilitation skills; evaluated based on submitted methodology. 15% 15

Criteria D

  • Ratings based on shortlisting criteria (Academic qualifications/education;  professional experience; Prior work experience with UNDP/UN agencies; Knowledge of English 30% 30

Financial
Price offer from candidate (lump sum offers in BAM, calculated using prevailing UN exchange rate) 30% 30

Applicants are required to submit an application including:

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

  • For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy;
  • Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.