Background

The Global Support Programme is a UNEP and UNDP implemented programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility, which provides support to non-Annex I Parties in order to prepare quality National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Update Reports (BURs) submitted to the UNFCCC. This five-year programme has the following three outputs: i) strengthened technical and institutional capacities of non-Annex I Parties to report on NCs, and BURs, as well as in identifying priority areas of support for the implementation of national contributions (INDC), consistent with national development plans and that meet the Convention objectives, ii) established national systems/frameworks of documenting procedures and processes for NC and BUR reporting under the UNFCCC, and iii) high quality and timely reporting on NCs and BURs by non-Annex I Parties. GHG inventories are a key component of both the NCs and BURs, and among other services provided by the GSP to non-Annex I Parties, there is the opportunity for review of draft GHG inventory reports before submission to the UNFCCC and review by the ICA. 

In this regard, UNDP is seeking the expertise of a Consultant for Technical Review to perform reviews of:

  • National greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories that are included in draft National Communications and Biennial Update Reports before their submission to the UNFCCC for the GSP.
  • Key products to the establishment of strengthening of national GHG inventory system for the priority areas of support for the implementation of national contributions (INDC) (e.g., manuals of procedures, GHG inventory databases, training products, etc.)

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective

The consultant will conduct a detailed assessment of the national GHG inventories and national inventory system products. S/he is responsible for producing timely review reports of a high quality, while conforming to overall standards of style that have been set for previous reviews.

The reviewer will check for calculation errors when spreadsheets are provided, and will identify areas for improvement or further work.

National GHG inventories:
For the reviews of national GHG inventories, the consultant will:

  • Review the national greenhouse gas inventory, in a timely manner, verifying that the data has been calculated transparently;
  • Provide written comments on discrepancies in the inventory, including explanations of the possible sources of error;
  • Provide written references of the data sources used to review the inventory;
  • Provide additional input to the review, where needed.

The consultant should follow up the UNDP guidance to review national GHG inventories (to be provided before commencement of the work). The review reports must contain the following sections:

  • General comments: it will provide a general overview on the completeness, consistency, and transparency of the national GHG inventories;
  • Detailed comments by sector: it will include a detailed assessment of the inventory for each section. The assessment will highlight any errors, inconsistency and data gaps, and will provide recommendations to improve the inventories.

The consultant will prepare one consolidated report per country of approximately 20 pages, depending on the quality of the inventory reviewed. The consultant /reviewer will provide further clarification or additional information on the review if requested by the GSP’s Manager. The review of each GHG inventory shall not take more than 5 working days per each country.

National GHG inventory system products:

For the review of national GHG inventory system products, the consultant/reviewer will follow the same approach as described above for the national GHG inventories, but also make recommendations on how inventory products could be further improved as an input to a national inventory improvement strategy.

The timeframe for the review of GHG inventory system products will be agreed with the GSP Coordinator on a case-by-case basis, due to the diversity of products to be reviewed.

Outputs:

  • Review of up to four national GHG inventory databases;
  • Review of up to two “pilot” inventories;
  • Review of up to three national manuals of procedures (each ~150 pages in length);
  • Review of up to four training programmes;
  • Review of up to five reports documenting national inventory systems;
  • Up to 50 technical review reports of the GHG inventories of countries that, under the overall umbrella of the GSP, request for the technical review of their NCs or BURs on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Development of up to six training programmes at the national level.

Institutional Arrangements:

  • The Consultant will report to, and be directly supervised by the GSP Coordinator, based in Istanbul, Turkey;
  • The estimated level of effort is up to144 working days from January 2018 – December 2019, spread across various intermittent assignments on call-basis. However, UNDP does not warrant that any quantity of services will be purchased during the term of the Individual Contract, as this will depend on forthcoming needs;
  • The contract will be for a fixed all-inclusive daily fee;
  • Once the contract is signed, if there is a specific assignment, the GSP Coordinator would contact, by email, the Consultant informing of specific deliverables and timeline;
  • The consultant must advice within 3 working days whether s/he is available to deliver the requested service;
  • The consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
  • The consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own work station (i.e. Laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
  • Payments will be made upon submission of the detailed time sheet and certification of payment form, and acceptance and confirmation by the GSP Coordinator on days worked and outputs delivered. If the quantity does not meet the standards or requirements, the consultant will be asked to rewrite or revise (as necessary) the document before proceeding to payment.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

  • Demonstrated comprehensive technical knowledge related to estimation and technical review of national GHG inventories;
  • Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities;
  • Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
  • Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
  • Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
  • Positive, constructive attitude to work;
  • Excellent human relations, coordination, planning and team work skills;
  • 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 adaptability.

Functional Competencies: 

  • Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations
  • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
  • Exceptional communication and organizational skills
  • Proven ability to manage projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education: 

  • An advanced post-graduate university degree in climate change, statistics, engineering, environmental science and/or energy related fields.
  • Training on reviewing national level GHG inventories is an advantage but not a requirement.

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of experience demonstrated experience in application of IPCC methodologies for preparation of GHG inventories, ideally in developing countries;
  • Experience of at least five years in providing technical review services of national GHG inventories and inventory system products, including written reports to developing countries according to the guidelines of the UNFCCC and IPCC
  • Demonstrated experience in the use of reporting tools UNFCCC as input for planning and decision-making.
  • Experience working in an international environment, particularly with non-Annex I Parties to UNFCCC is highly valued. 

Language skills: 

  • Fluency in English 
  • Fluency in Spanish and French is a distinct asset.

Evaluation of Applicants:
Individual contract applicants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. 

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
  • having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. 

Only candidates who will get at least 70% of points in the desk review will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria: 70% of total evaluation (max. 70 points):

  • Criteria A: An advanced post-graduate university degree in climate change, statistics, engineering, environmental science and/or energy related fields (maximum 10 points);
  • Criteria B: Training and knowledge on the review of GHG inventories at the national level (maximum 5 points);
  • Criteria C: Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in application of IPCC methodologies for preparation of GHG inventories, ideally in developing countries (maximum 15 points);
  • Criteria D: Experience of at least 5 years in providing technical review services of national GHG inventories and inventory system products, including written reports to developing countries according to the guidelines of the UNFCCC and IPCC (maximum 15 points);
  • Criteria E: Experience in the use of reporting tools UNFCCC as input for planning and decision making (maximum 10 points);
  • Criteria F: Experience working in an international environment, particularly with non-Annex I Parties to UNFCCC (maximum 5 points);
  • Criteria G: Fluent in English (maximum 7 points.);
  • Criteria H: Fluency in Spanish and French (maximum 3 points.);

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation (max. 30 points).

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

  • Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. 
  • Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from  http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV and mention past experience in at least 3 similar projects
  • Financial Proposal* in USD - specifying fixed all-inclusive daily fee 
  • Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF attachment as the system only allows upload of one document. 

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination, personal security needs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). 

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. 

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process