Antecedentes

The UNDP project objective is to provide Uzbekistan’s rural population with improved, affordable and environmentally friendly living conditions. The project seeks to transform the rapidly growing rural housing sector in Uzbekistan towards a more sustainable and low-carbon development pathway by designing, piloting and scaling-up a green mortgage market mechanism, which will boost the demand for low-carbon housing among the Uzbek rural population. The use of GEF funds for the green mortgage mechanism will leverage substantial government and private investments in the housing sector and develop an innovative product that can be replicated broadly in Uzbekistan by the Government and other sources of climate financing

The proposed project consists of four inter-linked outcomes. They relate to introducing a green mortgage scheme for rural housing (Outcome 1), strengthening domestic supply chain and the capacity to design and construct efficient and low-carbon housing (Outcome 2), strengthening policies and regulations, particularly building codes for rural housing and rural settlements (Outcome 3), and raising public awareness about benefits and advantages of energy-efficient and low-carbon housing (Outcome 4).

By achieving these outcomes, the project will create a favourable market environment and scalable business model for investment in both energy-efficient and low-carbon rural housing.

The Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) will advise the project team directly in effective and timely project implementation. The CTA will provide overall project advisory services and technical assistance to PM, Project Task Managers and other project consultants. The responsibility of the CTA is to ensure that the overall thematic/technical direction of the project is maintained and flexibility adapted to meet the practical challenges faced during the implementation of the project.

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Head of Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC), and direct supervision of Project Manager, the CTA will work closely with project Task Managers, international and national consultants.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Thematic functions:

Component 1: Green mortgage market mechanism to scale-up demand for low-carbon housing

Outcome 1.1: Green mortgage scheme is in place and provides incentives to homebuyers to invest in houses that feature low-carbon design and technologies

• Provide hands-on recommendations on elaboration and efficient introduction of green mortgage scheme based on advanced international experience and practices;
• Provide guidance on determining and modifying, as necessary, acceptable terms and conditions for the green mortgage scheme;
• Provide support in documenting and disseminating experiences.

Outcome 1.2: Financial institutions have capacity to design and operate dedicated financial products for low-carbon housing

• Provide review and guidance in developing, modifying, if necessary, and conducting a training needs assessment for the residential lending sector, as well as establishing a system for “on-call” expert assistance to bank branches issuing green mortgages, based on advanced international experience and practices in this area;
• Coordinate the work with international experts to develop a training curriculum;
• Provide recommendations in development and dissemination of outreach publications and other media products in order to promote green mortgage scheme, EE and low-carbon design and technologies.

Component 2: Construction and domestic supply chain for low-carbon housing and settlements

Outcome 2.1: Energy-efficient and low-carbon houses are demonstrated, and their designs are available for replication

• Provide input and hands-on recommendations on promoting EE and application of renewable energy (RE) sources during development of EE house, Low-Carbon house, and Nearly-Zero Energy house designs, taking into account the advanced international experience and best practices in this area and assessments of estimated cost and energy performance;
• Provide support and guidance on monitoring and auditing actual, year-round energy performance, construction costs, and user energy costs (with an effort to cover two heating seasons by the end of the project for the first houses receiving green mortgages) in relation to a baseline RHP houses in similar conditions; as well as issuance of energy labels for these buildings on the basis of data collected;
• Provide inputs and recommendations in documenting activities and preparation of a lessons-learned report with recommendations on how to expand good design, financing, and labeling practices to a broader share of RHP-financed housing and to rural housing more generally.

Outcome 2.2: Rural developers, homebuilders, and homeowners have improved access to EE and RE technologies.

• Provide guidance on development and conducting a technology needs assessment (TNA) for rural houses and community infrastructure; and recommendations on identifying a short list of high-priority EE and RE technologies from the TNA;
• Provide inputs/comments to a market study report on assessment of the state of the market, an actor analysis and mapping of actors, a supply chain analysis (including the analysis of potential sister supply chains), and an assessment of market barriers for these high-priority technologies. This detailed report will be duly presented to the Government with specific recommendations on technology promotion in the context of its Roadmap for Increasing Energy Efficiency for 2015-2019
• Provide recommendations in development and dissemination of outreach publications and other media products in promotion of EE and RE technologies.

Component 3: Policy and regulatory reform to enable the scale-up of low-carbon housing and settlements

• Outcome 3.1: Appropriate policy and regulations, such as minimum-energy performance standards (MEPS), are in place to enable scaled-up construction of low-carbon housing and settlements.
• Provide guidance and inputs to development of a road map for the adoption of standards and certification of EE, Low-Carbon, and Nearly Zero-Energy residential buildings or another relevant designation for low-emissions buildings;
• Provide recommendations on compilation of technical recommendations for the strengthened MEPS, agreeing on targets (taking various climatic zones, availability of construction materials and cost-effectiveness considerations into account) taking into account the advanced international experience and best practices in this area;
• Oversee support in undertaking any revisions or modifications necessary based on feedback and submitting final proposed MEPS and other designations to Gosarchitectstroy;
• Provide review and guidance on development and submission of recommendations on a “nearly zero-energy building” designation.

Outcome 3.2: Gosarchitectstroy and its territorial divisions have the capacity to appraise standard EE/low-carbon home design under the green mortgage scheme and ensure compliance with new building codes and the minimum energy performance standards in them.

• Provide specific recommendations to Gosarchitectstroy on the organization of building codes enforcement based on the advance international experience, via:
  • review of functional responsibilities of UMDPO and its regional branches in building code enforcement;
  • conducting a training needs assessment and stocktaking of lessons learned from previous trainings provided in the public buildings sector;
• Act as an expert/lecturer during missions to Uzbekistan and provide management training on new roles and responsibilities;
• Provide concrete recommendations on development and launch of a training-of-trainers programme for in-service training on MEPS and code compliance and building certification/labeling for inspectors and architects from design agencies;
• Provide review and guidance on (i) development, drafting, publishing, and dissemination of official guidance manuals on energy-efficient design solutions, calculation methods, including spreadsheet-based software for calculating building energy performance, and interpretation of the code, based on the best international practices, as well as (ii) delivery of seminars for architects and engineers on EE design, construction, and the content of revised codes;
• Provide recommendations in development and dissemination of outreach publications and other media products in the area of scaling-up construction of EE/low-carbon housing and settlements.

Outcome 3.3: Land-use plans and zoning regulations incorporate efficient resource use and climate considerations.

• Provide guidance and hands-on recommendations for:
  • conducting a detailed regulatory analysis of master plans and APOTs in participating rural areas to identify specific barriers to the use of efficient siting for rural communities;
  • selecting a pilot community and propose innovative approaches to settlement planning in the preparation of the APOT; 
  • siting to maximize efficient resource use in rural areas to enable the gains;
• Act as an expert/lecturer during missions to Uzbekistan and provide trainings on the best international experience in the area of rural land-use practice that is sensitive to climate change considerations and encourages minimizing GHG emissions, in order to strengthen capacity of at least five land-use planning officials in the central office of the State Committee on Land Resources, Geodesy, Cartography and National Cadastre and at least one staff member in each of its 14 regional offices.
• Provide recommendations in development and dissemination of outreach publications and other media products in the area of efficient land-use plans and zoning regulations.

Component 4:  Marketing and promotion of low-carbon rural housing and settlements

Outcome 4.1: Rural homebuyers are aware of the benefits and advantages of low-carbon housing.

• Provide comments and recommendations to a capacity needs assessment, including a baseline survey of awareness among rural homebuyers and other rural residential energy consumers;
• Provide support on development of communications and partnership strategy;
• Provide specific recommendations in:
  • development and dissemination of outreach publications, video materials and other media products (TV, radio spots);
  • creation of a rural resource center to showcase EE and renewable technologies, working closely with project staff and consultants to use the center to support training and outreach;
  • development of the survey, conducted to assess changes in knowledge and awareness-raising;
• Act as an expert/lecturer to disseminate information regarding project’s activities and goals at various forums, such as seminars, training sessions organized for various target audiences: experts in architecture and construction, journalists, and international community;
• Review and edit materials drafted for publishing in local, regional and international mass-media;
• Serve as a liaison with international media outlets and professional organizations specializing in the issues of architecture and construction, as well as EE technologies and climate change; based on information provided by project personnel, draft at least 1 article (per year, per outlet) to be published in these outlets;
• Provide recommendations in development of project’s imagery, as well as various informational products aimed at raising its visibility, such as brochures, news bulletins, web-pages;
• Provide recommendations in formulating the findings and achievements of the project to be presented to national organizations for future replication and scaling-up.

Outcome 4.2: National and sub-national stakeholders are aware of and able to incorporate climate considerations and energy management into decision-making.

• Oversee support in consultation with stakeholders and beneficiaries to determine priorities for training;
• Provide review and guidance on selection of software and curriculum for settlement-level energy management for use in training and monitoring;
• Act as an expert/lecturer during missions to Uzbekistan and deliver training in 12 regions on energy management, benefits and advantages of EE/low-carbon housing (with the exact number of settlements in each region to be determined in agreement with regional governments);
• Provide comments and recommendations to the strategy for replicating to other settlements in participating districts and other districts;
• Oversee support in documenting the training process and uptake of SLD and energy management concepts after training and 2 years ex post.

Operational functions:

Contribution to Inception Phase, Periodic Review of Project Implementation and Advice on Improvement

• Contribute to the project inception phase, develop inception report and attend inception workshop;
• Weekly or more frequent email and/or Skype/phone exchanges with project management and Task Managers in order to monitor progress, assist in planning, and identify key technical problems (if any) and means for solving them (Skype/phone exchanges to be conducted at least monthly unless project staff state the need for longer intervals between calls);
• Undertake field trips to the project sites during each mission to Uzbekistan, if and when required, in order to make systematic review of the progress and results of each Component of the project based on field evidence;
• Participate, when feasible, in Project Board Meetings and other relevant project meetings;
• Assist in capturing the key lessons and developing a replication plan for other regions and communities in Uzbekistan. As part of the replication strategy, assist in developing replication materials for wider dissemination and application of project results and lessons learned;
• In cooperation with the project team and UNDP CO, develop a suitable project exit strategy, and present it for approval to the Project Board Meeting.

Assistance in Planning, Staff Recruitment, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Provide support and advice for preparation or revision of key planning, monitoring and evaluation documents such as the Annual Work Plans (AWPs), the Results and Resources Framework (RRF), Project Implementation Reviews (PIRs), including CCM TT, progress reports, monitoring and review reports etc.;
• Assist in the development of relevant Terms of References and mobilization of qualified national experts and organizations needed to provide specific consultancy services;
• Support Project Manager in the preparation and implementation of the Mid-Term and Terminal Evaluations (TORs, selection of appropriate candidates, accompaniment of field missions if and when required, discussion with evaluators, development of MTE and TE management responses etc.).
• Provide support and inputs to the project final report (including the best practices, lessons learnt etc.), success stories, etc. in close cooperation with PR/Media company and Task Managers
• Deliver presentation on the project findings, best practices and lessons learnt during the project Final Conference.

Outputs

• Written comments and recommendations with regard to the four thematic functions listed above.  Written work will be supplemented by other requested consultation by phone, Skype, and in person.  Work conducted for this output will be summarized in a biannual written report, prepared in conjunction with Output 2 below.
• Written comments and recommendations on project planning and evaluation documents and reports.  These documents are expected to include, but not be limited to:
  • Inception report
  • Terms of Reference for international/national consultants/organizations to be recruited during 2017-2022
  • Annual Work Plan for the period of 2017-2022
  • Annual Project Reports for the period of 2017-2022
  • PIRs covering period of 2017-2022
  • Mission reports
  • Final Report, including lessons learnt and Exit Strategy
  • Mid-Term and Terminal Evaluations, including MTE and TE management responses.

Written work will be supplemented by other requested consultation by phone, Skype, and in person.  Work conducted for this output will be summarized in a biannual written report, prepared in conjunction with Output 1 above. 

• Reports on missions and/or participation in Project Board Meetings or other meetings.  The CTA shall compose annual (or more frequent) written reports summarizing his or her participation in any missions or meetings undertaken during this assignment.  At least one mission to Tashkent per year for a total of 6 working days each is envisaged.

Deliverables:

• First biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2017; Timeframe January 15, 2018
• Second biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period January – June 2018; Timeframe July 15, 2018
• Third biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2018; Timeframe January 15, 2019
• Fourth biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period January – June 2019. Timeframe July 15, 2019
• Fifth biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2019; Timeframe January 15, 2020
• Sixth biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period January – June 2020; Timeframe July 15, 2020
• Seventh biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2020; Timeframe January 15, 2021
• Eights biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period January – June 2021; Timeframe July 15, 2021
• Ninth biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2021; Timeframe January 15, 2022
• Tenth biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period January – June 2022; Timeframe July 15, 2022
• Eleventh biannual report, covering all the functions and outputs listed in Section III above and executed during the period July – December 2022 and through the end of the project.; Timeframe December 1, 2022
• Report on participation in missions and meetings in Uzbekistan
  • 1st report (2018)
  • 2nd report (2019)
  • 3rd report (2020)
  • 4th report (2021)
  • 5th report (2022)

Within two weeks of completion of mission

Payment Conditions:

This is a lump sum contract that should include costs of consultancy and international travel costs (in-country air ticket costs will be covered by the project), accommodation and meal (DSA or per diems in Tashkent city) and visas costs required to produce the above deliverables.

Payment will be released in 6 installments below upon timely submission of respective deliverables and their acceptance by the Supervisor and UNDP CO.

1st  (15% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverables 1, 2 and 12a

2nd (15% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverable 3, 4 and 12b

3rd (15% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverable 5, 6 and 12c

4th (15% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverable 7, 8 and 12 d

5th (20% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverable 9 and 10

6th (20% of the total contract amount) to be made upon achievement of Deliverable 11 and 12e.

Competencias

• Good understanding of local policies and practices in construction sector.
• Outstanding time-management, organizational and interpe
• Proficiency in the work with Microsoft Packages;
• Ability to work in close collaboration with a group of national and international experts, to meet strict deadlines and plan the work according to priorities;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Good analytical and writing skills;
• Good interpersonal, facilitation and training skills

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• Advanced degree (master's level, equivalent or higher) in the field of energy, housing, spatial planning, climate change mitigation, engineering or building design and construction.

Experience:

At least 10 years of practical experience in:

• development of project  proposals meeting requirements of climate change focus (mitigation) area to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and in particular focused on promoting energy efficiency in buildings;
• overall project advisory services to energy efficiency in buildings projects in Central Asia in effective and timely project implementation to ensure that the overall technical direction of the project is maintained and flexibility adapted to meet the practical challenges faced during the implementation of the project;
• provision of technical guidance on implementation and completion of key project components/activities, inputs on key technical decisions at strategic moments in the project implementation;
• development and delivery of (i) roadmaps on green mortgage scheme,  EE building codes/MEPS, EE building designs, energy audit and management, training programs (ii) project inception and project implementation reports for GEF;
• preparation of the project to Independent Mid-Term and Terminal Evaluations, analysis of results and development of corrective actions, management response as per results of evaluations.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in English, excellent analytical and presentation skills; working knowledge of written and spoken Russian language.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

P-11 form and Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability

• Applicants are required to fill and sign a P11 Form and Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and submit it to the online application

Above mentioned documents can be obtained at http://www.uz.undp.org/content/uzbekistan/en/home/operations/jobs/

Application process

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) and Offeror’s Letter;
• Merge your P11, Offeror’s Letter into a single file;
• Click on the Job Title;
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and click “Submit Application”;
• Upload your forms

You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Note:

• Only shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide a financial proposal.

Financial Proposal

Lump sum contracts:

• This is a lump sum contract. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount. 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 diems, and number of anticipated working days);
• The payment will be made in 6 installments to be issued upon completion and submission of Performance Evaluation Form (PEF) on the works performed as indicated in the terms of reference.

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.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation

The individual consultants will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis methodology.
The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
• Having received the highest score out of the set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
• Technical Criteria weight – 70%;
• Financial Criteria weight – 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points for the Technical Criteria will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.