Historique

Project Title: UNDP-GEF Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the medium-sized project titled Promotion and upscaling of climate-resilient, resource efficient technologies in a tropical island context (PIMS 4913)

Introduction

This is the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the UNDP-GEF Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the medium-sized project titled Promotion and upscaling of climate-resilient, resource efficient technologies in a tropical island context (PIMS 4913) implemented through the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change, GOS-UNDP-GEF Programme Coordination Unit, which is to be undertaken in March 2018. The project started on the 13th June 2014 and at the time of the TE will be in its fifth year of implementation. This ToR sets out the expectations for this TE.  The TE process must follow the guidance outlined in the document Guidance For Conducting Terminal Evaluation of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects (http://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/GEF/UNDP-GEF-TE-Guide.pdf).

Project Background Information

The project was designed to address, in part, Seychelles dependency on imported oil to meet its energy needs (90% of the primary energy supply comes from imported fuel, with imports of fuel for electricity generation alone accounting for 12% of the total government budget). This heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels places heavy pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves, exacerbates state budget deficits, and poses major energy security concerns, both in terms of access to supplies and pricing. A market for energy efficient appliances is developing in the Seychelles. However, this market has been constrained in many ways, including: a lack of consumer awareness about EE appliances, extremely limited purchase options for EE appliances (apart from energy saving lights), the inability of consumers to get bank loans or store financing for the purchase of high-value EE appliances (such as air conditioning units, refrigerators/freezers, and washing machines), and the absence of any standards or labelling schemes or requirements for EE appliances in the country.

For this reason, the GEF project is providing technical assistance for regulatory, standards setting, educational, data collection and training needs to help set the stage for the growth of the energy efficient appliances market in the country. In addition, the project provides critical catalytic support to programs designed to provide concessionary financing for energy efficient appliances and water saving devices, specifically the Seychelles Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program (SEEREP), a financing scheme for the residential sector to purchase EE appliances, and a credit facility of the Development Bank of Seychelles (DBS) to provide concessionary finance for the adoption of EE technologies in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME loans scheme).

The project plays a critical facilitating role for these financing programs, through development of the necessary policy frameworks, providing capacity building for financial institutions, banks and other participants to enable their participation in the programs, and increasing public awareness about the programs and the opportunities and options for end users to purchase resource efficient technologies with concessionary financing.

The project is categorized under four components.

Component 1 of the project addresses policy, institutional, legal/regulatory and financial frameworks and covers Energy Efficiency technologies (EE’s) in general. The project has undertaken targeted activities to revise the legal and policy frameworks to Energy efficiency technologies in the country and to prioritize the development of MEP’s for those appliances, and to establish regulations and clarify other institutional responsibilities for oversight and technical support of EE’s.

Component 2 addresses enhancing national awareness of the benefits of resource efficient appliances and verified behaviour change across targets groups regarding reduced energy and water use; Demonstration Projects and Trade Fair for residential energy efficient appliances and water saving devices.

Component 3 addresses platforms established for training of technicians in the installation, operation and maintenance of residential resource efficient technologies as well as making provisions for capacity of key stakeholders to improve, monitor and enforce the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS)  and new energy labelling scheme.

Component 4 addresses the regulations in place (linked to financing schemes) for safe disposal on non-EE residential appliances as well as the development, communication and enforcement of finaicing incentive for underserved consumers accessing specially designated financial products for purchase of RSE  appliances.

The project is for four years (2014-2018) and was granted a no cost one-year extension. It has a budget of US$ 12,025,203 with a GEF grant of US$ 1,770,000 and planned co-financing of US$ 10,28255,203.  The project is managed by the GOS-UNDP-GEF Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) of the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (MEECC), and implemented in association with the Seychelles Energy Commission (SEC) and other stakeholders.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Objectives Of The TE

The TE will assess progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes as specified in the Project Document. The TE would also asses the project’s strategy and its risks to sustainability.

Evaluation Approach & Methodology  

The TE must provide evidence- based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The TE Consultant will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Environmental & Social Safeguard Policy, the Project Document, project reports including Annual Project Review/PIRs, project budget revisions, lesson learned reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the MTR Consultant considers useful for this evidence-based review). The TE Consultant will review the baseline GEF focal area Tracking Tool submitted to the GEF at CEO endorsement, and the midterm GEF focal area Tracking Tool that must be completed before the TE field mission begins.  The TE Consultant is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach  ensuring close engagement with the Project Consultant, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), the UNDP Country Office(s), UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisers, and other key stakeholders.

An overall approach and method for conducting project terminal evaluations of UNDP supported GEF financed projects has developed over time. The evaluation should include a mixed methodology of document review, interviews, and observations from project site visits, at minimum, and the evaluators should make an effort to triangulate information. The evaluator is expected to frame the evaluation effort using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact, as defined and explained in the UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects. A set of questions covering each of these criteria have been drafted and are included with this TOR (Annex C). The evaluator is expected to amend, complete and submit this matrix as part of an evaluation inception report, and shall include it as an annex to the final report.  

Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful TE Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to: MEECC (executing agency), PCU (ceded the role of executing the project by the MEECC), SEC (implementing agency), Project Board, key project stakeholders (Public Utilities Corporation, Ministry of Finance Trade and Blue Economy, Development Bank of Seychelles, Seychelles Bureau of Standards, Land and Waste Management Agency, Seychelles Institute of Technology, Sustainability for Seychelles, Private Importers/ companies), residential and business end users, etc.
The final TE report should describe the full TE approach taken and the rationale for the approach making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach of the review.

Team Composition

The terminal evaluation will conducted by an independent international evaluator.  The consultant shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects.  Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage. The evaluator selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have conflict of interest with project related activities. The international evaluator will be responsible for the final deliverable of the TE inception report, draft report, and final report. 

Compétences

The evaluator must present the following qualifications:

• Technical knowledge in the targeted focal area (Climate Change Mitigation CCM);
• Competence in adaptive management, as applied to renewable energy and CCM projects;
• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and renewable energy; experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
• Excellent communication skills; demonstrable analytical skills.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education

• An advanced degree (Masters level or higher) in climate change mitigation, renewable energy, or a related subject.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in climate change mitigation and energy;
• Knowledge of and/or experience with UNDP and/or GEF;
• Previous experience with results-based monitoring and evaluation methodologies;
• Experience working in Small Island Developing States.

Language

• Fluency in English.

Evaluator Ethics

Evaluation consultants will be held to the highest ethical standards and are required to sign a Code of Conduct (Annex E) upon acceptance of the assignment. UNDP evaluations are conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG 'Ethical Guidelines for Evaluations'

Payment Modalities And Specifications

• Following submission and approval of TE Inception Report – 10%;
• Following the presentation of initial findings at end of in country Mission – 20%;
• Following submission and approval of the 1st draft terminal evaluation report – 30%;
• Following submission and approval (UNDP-CO and UNDP RTA) of the final terminal evaluation report – 40%.

Application Process

• Applicants are requested to apply online http://jobs.undp.org by 10th March 2019. Individual consultants are invited to submit applications together with their CV. The application should contain a current and complete C.V. in English with indication of the e-mail and phone contact.
• UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that will take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged
• to apply using the template  provided by UNDP;
• CV and a Personal History Form (P11 form );
• Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment (max 1 page);
• Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc.), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template. If an applicant 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 applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.  

Incomplete applications will be excluded from further consideration.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal:  Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% as described below and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring.

The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

Important Note:

• Interested offeror is strongly advised to read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice/TOR, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/ 
• For more detail about term of references, general terms and conditions of IC and templates to be included when submitting offer;
• Interested offerors above the age of 65 and requiring travelling: UNDP regulations require, at their own cost, to undergo a full medical examination including x-rays. Medical evaluation documentation does not need to be submitted with the other requested documents listed above, but will be requested should the candidate be chosen;
• Interested offeror is required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system, because the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system;
• Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary.