Background

Project Title: Early Recovery Project

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 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. 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 on December 2019 and the Taal Volcanic Eruption on 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 for 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 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 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.

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 90 person days spread over seven (7) months; commencing December 2020 and ending in June 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.

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. transportation/travel to and from residence-Manila and/or within Metro Manila, health insurance for the duration of the consultancy, supplies & materials, reproduction, communications including internet). Travel expenses to project-related meetings and workshops outside of Metro Manila shall be paid for by the Project.

The Payment terms are as follows:

Duties and Responsibilities

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 on developing an integrated solution of iPDNA, HBDA, ERNA and RDNA disaster assessment toolkits with function of importing data to and from DevLIVE+. 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 develop an Operation/User Manual for deployment and operation of the integrated solution including data syncing.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Competencies

Corporate competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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 favoritism.

Functional and technical competencies

• Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines;
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;

Required Skills and Experience

Candidates will be evaluated based on the Combined Rating methodology:

• Technical qualifications = 70%
• Financial Proposal =    30%

For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based on the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points):

Applicants who will only receive 70 points from the assessment of the CV will be qualified for the assessment of the Financial Proposal. 

Recommended Presentation of Offer

Interested applicants 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. 

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

Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.

The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:

• General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contract
• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
• P-11 form

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