Background

Human survival and well-being depend upon biodiverse, healthy ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. However, this biodiversity is under major threat due to multiple factors including climate change, land degradation and desertification, unsustainable urban and industrial expansion among others. To address global biodiversity loss, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognizes the importance of and need for new and additional financial resources.

Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), a global programme of UNDP, was launched in 2012, in response to the identified need by the CBD to have better and adequate information to assess current expenditures and financing needs for countries to implement their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

BIOFIN provides an innovative methodology for countries to measure their current biodiversity expenditures, assess their financial needs for biodiversity conservation in the medium term and identify most suitable finance solutions to reduce their national biodiversity finance gaps. BIOFIN was launched in India in May 2015. It is led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), hosted by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and managed by UNDP India.

One of the important components of BIOFIN is implementation of innovative financial solutions to mobilize resources towards biodiversity conservation. Financial technology (Fintech) is used to describe new tech that seeks to improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services. ???At its core, fintech is utilized to help companies, business owners and consumers better manage their financial operations, processes, and lives by utilizing specialized software and algorithms that are used on computers and smartphones.

Fintech has transformed the way businesses, markets and the global economy operates by disrupting traditional transaction models, streamlining processes and offering innovative products to business as well as end consumers. The past 2 decades have seen India emerge as a global leader in the IT sector. Combined with a young demographic dividend with advanced formal training computing and technology systems, and the government’s push to promote entrepreneurship, Fintech is well poised as one of the key growth sectors in the country, both in terms of supply and demand as well as an enabling policy framework.

From the perspective of biodiversity conservation, fintech has an important role to play. Some of the key areas include:

• Deploy digital biodiversity data for improved monitoring of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) indicators for use in financial decision-making.
• Lower the threshold for consumer action and incentivize biodiversity-friendly behaviour.

Enabling more biodiversity assets to reach capital markets

Duties and Responsibilities

The individual consultant will work under the guidance of Chairman, National Biodiversity Authority and Head, Natural Resource Management & Biodiversity, UNDP India to develop a detailed implementation strategy and plan for ‘Piloting Fintech Solutions under the BIOFIN programme, with the following key tasks:

• Undertake a detailed analysis of green fintech initiatives globally and identify opportunities/ initiatives that can be replicated or adapted in the Indian context.
• Organize 2 consultations with the following indicative stakeholders to identify fintech solutions that can be implemented within the project period:
  • Banks
  • Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)
  • Venture Capital (VC)/ Pension Funds
  • Fintech companies
  • Education and training institutions in banking, finance, IT, environment and public policy
  • Insurance companies
  • Stock exchanges
  • Conservation organizations (with a focus on conservation-tech companies)
• Prepare a detailed report on the Indian fintech ecosystem and identify entry points for biodiversity mainstreaming activities, including a database of ‘Green Fintech’ companies with operations in India.
• Highlight, areas where Fintech solutions can help in streamlining Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) process, and identify solutions and partners to implement the same.
• Develop a 3-year implementation roadmap for shortlisted solutions and prepare 5 detailed proposals for shortlisted solutions towards resource mobilization
• Provide content to communications team for development of knowledge collaterals

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Building and managing strategic partnerships

• Identifies common interests and goals and carries out join initiatives with partners
• Establishes, builds, and sustains effective relationship, partnerships and alliances with private sector, foundations, and other agencies
• Makes effective use of resources and comparative advantage to strengthen partnerships

Advocacy

• Brings visibility and sensitizes decision makers to relevant emerging issues
• Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for advocacy work

Client Orientation

• Demonstrates an understanding of client/ partner/ donor perspective and strives for high quality client-oriented services
• Establishes smooth relationship and enabling environment between clients and service providers

Leadership and Management

• Candidate must beresults driven and solution oriented, is able to work under pressure
• Ability to identify problems, propose solutions and take immediate corrective measures
• Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
• Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches
• Results based management
• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
• Demonstrates ability to generate innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision

Required Skills and Experience

Required Experiences, Competencies and Skills

Applicants shall demonstrate sufficient capacities to carryout activities to a high standard. The successful applicants will have:

• At least a master’s degree in social science, development studies, business management or a relevant field.
• At least 8 years of work experience in private sector companies, with exposure to CSR
• Strong private sector contacts, across different sectors, and business type (SMEs, MNCs etc.);
• Experience in engaging with senior management at private corporates;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Strong interpersonal skills, networking and managerial capacity;
• Ability to multitask and monitor several projects on a daily basis;
• Ability to take initiative to develop new strategies;
• Excellent inter-personal and technical communication (oral, written, and visual) skills with high level English language writing skills are essential.

Core skills:

• Sound knowledge of partnership management tools and instruments and utilises these regularly in work and assignments
• Strong evidence of resource mobilization experience in the development sector

Language Requirements:  

Good command of English both written and spoken

Duration of Assignment: 6 months

Terms of Payment:  

Project Location:  The position will be home based with pre-approved travel to attend meetings & workshops, if required.

Reporting requirements:    

Consultant will be reporting to the Chairman National Biodiversity Authority and Head, Natural Resource Management & Biodiversity (UNDP India)

Evaluation Criteria

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as responsive to the requirement. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation;

•          Technical Criteria weight - 70%;

•          Financial Criteria weight – 30 %

Technical Criteria (70% of the total evaluation) based on the following parameters

• No. of years of work experience – 20%
• Educational qualifications – 10%
• No. of assignments completed on Fintech – 20%
• No. of assignments completed on application of technology based solutions in nature conservation – 20%

Financial Criteria: (30% of the total evaluation) based on the total all-inclusive lump sum amount for the professional fee for tasks specified in this announcement

Financial Proposal:

Technically qualified consultants will be requested to submit their daily fee rate i.e. consultants who score more than 70% i.e. 49 marks with respect to the above-mentioned evaluation criteria. Consultant should not specify their consultancy fee on their CV or with the submission. The CV will not be evaluated further in case the consultant submits the same.

Documents to be submitted by Consultants

1. Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual Contractor Assignment
2. Updated and signed P-11 form for ICs
3. No Financials (Daily Fee) to be submitted at this stage

Note:

1. Any kind of miscellaneous charges i.e. internet, phone, relocation charges etc. would not be reimbursed.
2. Travel, lodging and boarding as per UNDP rules subject to prior approval.
3. Individuals working with institutions may also apply, contract would be issued in the name of institution for the specific services of individual.