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UNDP recognizes that the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services and growing risks and impacts of climate change requires the world to urgently invest in a new green development paradigm. Based in UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), the UNDP’s Global Environmental Finance (GEF) Unit’s goal is to assist developing countries to transition to green, low emission and climate resilient development. In line with UNDP’s sustainable development mandate, the UNDP-GEF team works closely with UNDP Country Offices, national and local governments, and UN and other partners to support partner countries in accessing a variety of vertical funds for global environment management (Global Environment Facility Trust Fund (GEFTF), Least Developed Countries Fund, Special Climate Change Fund; Adaptation Fund, Nagoya Protocol Implementation Fund), and combining this with other sources of public and private financing (domestic resources, carbon finance, bilateral vertical funds for global environment management, etc.). This financing is used to develop capacity, remove policy and regulatory barriers, and expand/transform green markets in order to increase resilience, reduce poverty and make green, low emission climate resilient development possible. UNDP GEF Staff are organized into five thematic teams (Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Energy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology; Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development; Water and Ocean Governance; and Chemical and waste) of technical specialists led by Principal Technical Advisors (PTAs). Each PTA supports, guides, and supervises a team of Region-based Senior Technical Advisors (STAs), Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) and Regional Technical Specialists (RTSs).
Based at the UNDP Asia and Pacific Regional Centre, UNDP-GEF Ecosystem and Biodiversity Team in Bangkok provides support to 34 countries in the region as well as to some Arab states. UNDP supported GEFTF financed projects and programmes are designed to help countries achieve outcomes outlined in UNDP’s Strategic Plan, UNDP country programmes, UNDAFs (United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks) and the GEFTF Focal Area Strategies. In line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, these programmes and projects are implemented by national entities - typically a national government agency or department, or on occasion a non-governmental organization or another UN Agency.
The strategic objective of the Ecosystems and Biodiversity (EBD) team is to support the effective management of biodiversity and ecosystem services for Sustainable Development.
To achieve this, the team focuses its efforts on three signature programmes:
- (i) Integrate EBD management into development planning and production sectors to safeguard biodiversity and maintain ecosystem functions that sustain human well-being;
- (ii) Unlock the potential of protected areas, including indigenous and community conserved areas, to conserve biodiversity while contributing to sustainable development; and
- (iii) Manage and rehabilitate ecosystems for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
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Duties and Responsibilities
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Objective
Under overall guidance of the EBD RTA for Asia and the Pacific, and in close collaboration with the country offices (COs), the senior consultants will provide technical support to national and regional governments for development of GEF financed project concepts that meet the standard eligibility criteria of the GEF biodiversity, land degradation and sustainable forest management focal areas, as well as to meet objectives set under the UNDP EBD Strategic Framework (2012-2020) and country programmes in India, Sudan, and Afghanistan
Scope of Work
For this assignment, each Senior Consultant is primarily responsible for the following tasks:
- Engage in consultations with project/programme proponents (governments), UNDP Country Offices (COs) and RTAs, to understand governments needs and agree on a general project scope by undertaking a mission and through telephone/skype communications;
- Support development of project identification forms (PIFs);
- Revise PIFs based on comments received from RTAs, COs and the governments before internal UNDP submission and GEF submission;
- Revise PIFs based on comments received from internal UNDP review and GEF Secretariat as applicable;
- Undertake a social and environmental screening procedure (SESP) of the PIFs using the standard UNDP SESP template;
- Work with COs to formulate a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) Initiation Plan, for the development of the full project document, detailing how PPG provided by GEF will be utilized;
- Provide technical support to the COs and project counterparts on specific technical issues related to project implementation.
Expected Outputs and Deliverables:
The expected outputs from this assignment are:
- UNDP technically cleared PIFs with SESP for India, Afghanistan and Sudan / Expected Due Date : December 2015 (India), January 2016 (Afghanistan), March 2016 (Sudan).
Institutional Arrangement
The consultant will report to the UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisors for Biodiversity and Ecosystems for Asia and the Pacific. He/she will work closely with other staff in the UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, UNDP Country Office staff and government counterparts.
Review Time Required:
Contract Duration:
- October 2015 – March 2016 (Up to 33 working days).
Duty Station:
Expected Places of travel:
- Possibly one (1) mission to India, Travel and other related expenses will be arranged by UNDP.
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Competencies
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- Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
- Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
- 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;
- Comprehensiveness knowledge of the Ecosystem and Biodiversity or closely-related field projects in developing countries;
- Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
- Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
- Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
- Positive, constructive attitude to work.
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Required Skills and Experience
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Education:
- Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Management, Economics and other social sciences or a closely-related field.
Experience:
- At least 12 years of relevant experience in Ecosystem and Biodiversity or closely-related field projects in developing countries;
- Demonstrable experience with project development, implementation, management and monitoring and evaluation of sustainable development projects, in particular in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystem management and agrobiodiversity conservation;
- Demonstrated technical and intellectual skills in substantive area (biodiversity management, landscape management, wildlife management and enforcement, protected area management, forest management);
- Experience in the policy development processes associated with environment and sustainable development issues;
- Experience in supporting governments in Asia, particularly the governments of the country of assignment is a strong asset;
- Demonstrated ability to manage relationships and develop and maintain strategic partnerships;
- Demonstrated leadership, facilitation and coordination skills;
- Demonstrated entrepreneurial abilities and demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner;
- IT literacy, familiarity with e-presentation techniques and ability to operate with on-line web-based applications.
Language:
- Fluency in written and spoken English;
- Knowledge of local languages of the country of assignment is an asset.
Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:
Consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum Amount.
The total amount quoted shall include professional fee only. UNDP will arrange travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration.
Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:
- Deliverable 1: Upon approval of the technical approach and workplan for the assignment - 10% of total contract amount;
- Deliverable 2: Upon successful completion of mission and submission and acceptance of a project framework as per the GEF PIF template. - 30% of total contract amount;
- Deliverable 3: Upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the deliverables- 60% of total contract amount.
In general, UNDP shall 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 event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.
Evaluation Method and Criteria:
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:
Cumulative analysis
The award of the contract will 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 (70%) and financial criteria (30%) specific to the solicitation.
Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 500 points):
- Criteria 1: Education - Max 50 points;
- Criteria 2: Demonstrable experience with project development, implementation, management and monitoring and evaluation of sustainable development projects, in particular in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystem management and agrobiodiversity conservation - Max 150 points;
- Criteria 3: Demonstrated technical and intellectual skills in substantive area (biodiversity management, landscape management, wildlife management and enforcement, protected area management, forest management) - Max 150 points;
- Criteria 4: Experience in the policy development processes associated with environment and sustainable development issues - Max 50 points;
- Criteria 5: Experience in supporting governments in Asia, particularly the governments of the country of assignment is a strong asset. - Max 50 points;
- Criteria 6: Language - Max 50 points.
Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 350 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Documentation required:
Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:
- Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
- 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;
- Financial Proposal using the template provided by UNDP.
Annexes:
For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to brh.gef.procurement@undp.org
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