The GEF Council has recently approved the Project Identification Form (PIF) for the Sixth Operational Phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme in India (PIMS# 5530) implemented through UNOPS.  UNDP is now commencing a detailed project preparation phase expected to last approximately six months.  The PIF was approved by the GEF Secretariat on 30 October 2017. At the end of the preparation phase, UNDP will finalize a project document for approval/endorsement by the GEF CEO.

The GEF Small Grants Program has been a fundamental part of the GEF’s support to the production of global environmental benefits and the implementation of the UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD and other multilateral environmental agreements in India since 1994 when the India SGP Country Program was first established. UNDP/GEF recently secured PPG financing for the Sixth Operational Phase of the GEF Small Grants Programme in India. The project aims to enable community organizations in India to take collective action for adaptive landscape management for socio-ecological resilience - through design, implementation and participatory evaluation of grant projects for global environmental benefits and sustainable development. The project will be financed by the GEF Trust Fund. Please see the PIF annexed to this document.

This Initiation Plan (IP) project will provide support towards preparation of the project described in the PIF for the Sixth Operational Phase of the GEF SGP in India, which has been submitted to GEF Council for approval. The IP is financed through a Project Preparation Grant (PPG), which will cover the costs of preparation activities: stakeholder consultations, baseline assessments, and development of a project logframe with defined baseline and indicators, a detailed work plan, and the definition of the management arrangements for the FSP. Consultations will be documented, and all activities will be supported by desk review of support documentation, as appropriate.  The final output of the Initiation Plan will be a UNDP-GEF project document and GEF CEO Endorsement Request ready for submission to UNDP and GEF.  The documents will be compliant with the specific requirements of the GEF and conform to UNDP Operational Policies and Guidelines.

The preparatory phase for the detailed design of this initiative will take place between June 2019 and April 2020, following a detailed Project Preparation Grant (PPG) Initiation Plan (IP), attached as Annex I. During this time, various activities will be undertaken to finalize the design of project documentation that will govern the activities of the proposed GEF-financed project. These due diligence-related activities will build on those undertaken during the development of the concept (Project Identification Form or PIF, attached here as Annex II). A Project Document and a GEF CEO Endorsement Request will be produced in accordance with the various requirements of UNDP and GEF, based on the above information. Comprehensive stakeholder discussions and input will be relied on throughout the design phase.

Please see the approved PIF attached to these TORs for a more detailed description of the GEF SGP in India and its support to community-based climate change mitigation projects, the landscape management approach adopted as a programming framework, and the financial resources available for CCM programming. The project to be developed through this PPG Initiation Plan will enable the programming, design and implementation of community level small grant projects in the four selected landscapes that mitigate climate-related risks to health and well-being. These projects will include demonstration of energy efficiency/renewable energy applications (biomass efficient stoves, biogas, solar energy, micro-hydro, etc.); waste management for energy and improved carbon sequestration/storage through sustainable forest management.

The PPG phase will support the preparatory work needed to refine the design of project activities and to identify the requirements for their implementation. The purpose of the PPG will be to arrange collection and detailed analysis of information regarding State and local governmental development policies and programmes, analysis of the current situation (socio-economic, ecological) in each of the focal landscapes, and to formulate the entire framework and concept of the full-sized project according to the GEF requirements.

This includes the following tasks as per those listed in the Initiation Plan attached to this TOR:

1. Baseline studies.
2. Studies to address any opportunities/risks identified during an environmental and social screening of the project proposal.
3. Identification of specific landscapes for SGP intervention
4. Integration with development plans, policies, budgets and complementary projects.
5. Stakeholder consultations to mobilize and engage CSOs, local communities and other stakeholders during project design to ensure strong national ownership. Negotiate partnerships with on-going projects to align project activities in order to build synergies.  Undertake consultations to secure agreement(s) on project implementation arrangements, including roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities of lead and partner agencies.  Document these consultations in detail.
6. Finalization of project results framework: Further define the results framework with appropriate objective-level and outcome-level quantitative and qualitative indicators, and end-of-project targets.
7. In consultation with UNDP CO, prepare a draft multi-year budget following the standard template provided in the UNDP-GEF project document template that reflects the mandatory requirements of the GEF M&E policy

Under the overall supervision of the UNDP CO, the International Consultant and the Upgraded Country Programmes Global Coordinator, the Local Consultant will assist the International Consultant to: design the GEF Full-sized Project (FSP); draft the FSP document and CEO Endorsement template (and associated Annexes and documentation) based on the GEF-endorsed Project Identification Form (PIF), and inputs provided by all partners. With the International Consultant s/he will ensure that the FSP meets the GEF strategic priorities under the multi focal area.  Under the supervision of the International Consultant, s/he coordinates the PPG phase and is fully responsible to the UNDP and Global UCP Coordinator for quality control and preparation of all reports and documentation on time for GEF CEO Endorsement.

The Local Consultant is expected to undertake at least one mission to each of the proposed landscapes to meet with CSOs and main stakeholders regarding the baseline study, stakeholder analysis, inception workshop, data collection and other project preparation tasks. In addition, the consultant will undertake the following activities in close cooperation with the GEF SGP NC, International Consultant, UCP GC, and/or UNDP CO in India during the PPG phase:

Under the coordination of the PPG Team Leader and in collaboration with other PPG Team members, participate in and support the PPG process, research, field mission, project design development and the preparation of the ProDoc/GEF CEO Endorsement Request package, taking a lead on the aspects related to Climate Change. The consultant will support the team leader in carrying out following tasks:

Deliverables

Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews (Component A): Prepare inputs and support the required analyses/studies, as agreed with the PPG Team Leader, including:

1. Prepare inputs for the baseline/situational analysis for the full-size project (FSP). This will include a precise definition of baseline projects, activities, budgets, goals and co-financial links to GEF outcomes; definition of GEF incremental value per outcome and output; and presentation of results of the incremental cost-analysis in matrices;
2. Support the stakeholder analysis and consultations and ensure that they are complete, comprehensive and gender responsive;
3. Support the preparation of the gender analysis and action plan;
4. Support the action points, including risk assessments, from the UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) at the PIF stage (“pre-screening”) are fully implemented during the PPG, and support the iterations of that screening in an iterative fashion throughout the PPG, as appropriate;
5. Support the identification of the project sites, with documentation of selection criteria;
6. Support the completion of any additional studies that are determined to be needed for the preparation of the ProDoc and all other final outputs

Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request and Mandatory and Project Specific Annexes (Component B): Prepare inputs and support the development of final PPG deliverables, as agreed with the PPG Team Leader.

Validation Workshop (Component C):

1. Contribute to the validation workshop; and
2. Support all necessary revisions that arise during the workshop, as appropriate.

Duration of the Work:

The duration of the consultancy is 42 days within the period from July to December 2019

The total duration of the project preparation will be approximately a period of 25 weeks starting July 2019, and shall not exceed five months from when the consultant is hired. 

Duty Station:

Home-based; India UNDP Country Office, with field visits to four regions in country as described in the PIF.

Travel:

1. The Basic Security in the Field II and Advanced Security in the Field courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
2. Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director.
3. Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/
4. All related travel expenses will be covered and will be reimbursed as per UNDP rules and regulations upon submission of an F-10 claim form and supporting documents.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree or higher on Environment conservation or management
• Minimum 10 years of demonstrable experience in the technical area of either developing or implementing project on Natural Resource Management;
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Hindi;

Evaluation Method and Criteria: 

• Technical: 70 Marks
• Financial: 30 Marks

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Criteria for Technical Evaluation would be as under:

Educational Qualification - 20 Marks;
Relevant Experience - 35 Marks;
Suitability for the assignment - 15 Marks. 

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

Submission of Proposal:

CV with 03 reference

Financial Proposal

Notes:
As system allows uploading only one file, please merge above-mentioned documents to be submitted as part of application into one (1) single PDF document and upload.

Application may not be accepted, if all the above listed documents are not submitted.

The following documents can be accessed, clicking the link:

General Conditions for Individual Contract 
http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/procurement/UNDP%20General%20Conditions%20for%20Individual%20Contracts.pdf

Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment, including Financial Proposal template 
http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/careers/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Offerors-Letter-UNDP.pdf

For queries, please email to: ic.india@undp.org