Background

In 2015 the world adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), marking a historic shift in the global development agenda. A major focus moving forward will be the implementation agenda, particularly bottom-up local actions and solutions to achieve results across the range of environmental sustainability issues addressed in the SDGs. This project seeks to establish the enabling environment to make this happen in Kuwait.

The passage of this new global agenda converges with the enactment of Kuwait’s new Environmental Protection Law (EPL) (Law No. 42 of 2014), which sets an ambitious vision to scale-up environmental protection results across all sectors of development. The new law is a critical turning point for environmental governance in Kuwait, setting a more ambitious vision for environmental sustainability and providing the Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KEPA) an enhanced mandate to set implementing regulations, seek actions by sectoral Ministries, and achieving improved environmental compliance and enforcement.

The project supports a set of two strategic outputs meant to set an enabling environment for implementation of the new EPL: (1) Capacities for Effective Participation in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), (2) Environmental Information Systems enhanced including the use of statistics and indicators for measuring EPL implementation.

The project goal is to support the improvement of the sustainable management of the environment and natural resources in Kuwait and to contribute towards the development and implementation of comprehensive and integrated environmental strategies and policies for Kuwait based on the EPL and Kuwait’s commitments under the MEA and SDGs.

  To enhance Kuwait’s capacities and readiness to meet its commitments under a set of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) within the context of the national development plan, the Kuwait Environment Public Authority is embarking on designing National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and related initiatives. This exercise will help Kuwait  (a) To reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience; (b) To facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the assignment is enhance vulnerability assessments and prioritization for NAP actions

Under the supervision of the Kuwait Environmental Governance Initiative (KEGI) Project Manager, and the UNEP international consultant on NAP, the consultant will assume the following key functions:

• Gather/synthesize results of the working groups of the 2nd national communication impacts & vulnerability assessments
• Design Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) for Kuwait
• Rank climate change risks and vulnerabilities
• Plot risks and vulnerabilities onto maps to illustrate vulnerabilities
• Identify and categorize adaptation options at multiple scales to address priority vulnerabilities
•  Appraise individual adaptation options including economic, ecosystem and social costs and benefits, and possibilities for unintended (positive and negative) impacts of adaptation measures
•  Apply decision analysis to identify adaptation priorities at the sectoral and subnational levels

The consultant will collaborate with the Adaptation Working Group to agree on Multi-Criteria Analysis and Climate Vulnerability Index. Outcome of the vulnerability assessment to project on a GIS Map by KEPA.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will report to the Kuwait Environmental Governance Initiative (KEGI) Project Manager, and coordinate with the UNEP international consultant leading the National Adaptation Plan on climate change.

Duration of the Work

30 working days
Expected to be present during the official working hours KEPA/UNDP

Duty Station:

KEPA, UNDP – Kuwait 

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

1. The financial proposal submitted shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. The financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, living allowance, and the number of anticipated working days).

Travel: All envisaged travel and other related costs must be included in the financial proposal.

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:

Cumulative analysis

Total score=Technical Score + Financial Score.

Technical Criteria weight - 70%, 700 scores maximum 

Financial Criteria weight - 30%. 300 scores maximum

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 490 from 700 point in the Technical part of evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The selection of candidates will be done in 3 stages:

1st stage: Prior to detailed evaluation, all applications will be thoroughly screened against eligibility criteria (minimum qualification requirements) as set in the TOR in order to determine whether they are compliant/non-compliant.

2nd  stage: Evaluation of technical proposals

Short-listed candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 490 points (70%) at the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

3rd stage: Financial evaluation

Cumulative analysis will be used based on the following methodology: All the offers of individual consultants who scored 490 (70% from 700) and more points during the desk review are acceptable for financial evaluation. The lowest financial qualified proposal receives 300 points and all the other technically qualified proposals receive points in inverse proportion per the formula:

The candidate achieving the highest cumulative score for both Technical and Financial evaluations will be recommended by the Evaluation Committee for contracting.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals.

1. Technical Proposal
2. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
3. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
4. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services, but may be omitted for support services [Note: this is optional for support services]; 
5. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.  If an Offeror 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 Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 

Links for the documents to be submitted:

• P11  http://www.kw.undp.org/content/dam/kuwait/documents/Procurmenet/P11%20modified%20for%20SCs%20and%20ICs.doc
• Template for Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal; http://www.kw.undp.org/content/dam/kuwait/documents/Procurmenet/Template%20for%20Confirmation%20of%20Interest%20and%20Submission%20of%20Financial%20Proposal.docx

Competencies

• Possess a solid understanding of the institutional arrangements and resources required to carry out the scope of works
• Demonstrate flexibility in the event adjustments are required based on the findings, both at the organizational and technical levels, for successful implementation of the consultancy.
• Experience in working with government institutions in GCC countries/Arab region and UN, is an added advantage;
• Demonstrate competence presenting information and consulting with stakeholders
• Strong communication, drafting, presentation and reporting skills; 
• Written and spoken proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic language will be an added value.
• Identifies stakeholders’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

• Minimum requirement is a Bachelor Degree in one of the following, or related, fields: Environmental Policy/ Climate Change/ Environmental Science/ Environmental Economics.

II. Years of experience:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in environmental science/ climate change/ environmental policy with familiarity in the following climate change issues: 
• The National Communications process (preferably worked in the development of the 2nd National communication of Kuwait in one of the priority sectors).
• Climate vulnerability Assessments and Vulnerability Index Design
• tools and process used for categorizing adaptation options at multiple scales towards addressing priority vulnerabilities.
• adaptation options appraisal tools and processes including economic, ecosystem and social costs and benefits.
• decision analysis process towards identifying adaptation priorities at the sectoral and subnational levels.