Procurement Notices

The Marshall Islands is experiencing a severe drought, brought about by the strongest El Niño on record. The communities outside the two urban centers are being severely impacted by these dry weather conditions, and face potential health, environmental, social, and economic hardship, due to persistent dry weather. On the outer islands with the exception of a few locations, water resources are expected to be depleted by end of February 2016. On 3 February 2016, a State of Emergency was declared by the President including the identification of WASH, Health, Food and Agriculture and Logistics as priority clusters. The Government has undertaken an initial rapid assessment and deployed Reverse Osmosis (RO) units to affected communities in some of the atolls. Based on the initial rapid assessment, the RMI Government estimates that approximately 12,231 people, or 23% of the total RMI population, are experiencing severe drought conditions.. Refer to Annex 1 –Terms of Reference for details.

The will support OEPPC in driving the required discussions, consultations, and coordination process to implement this plan in close coordination with UNDP. Refer to Annex 1 -Terms of Reference  for details.

Qualifications:

Minimum educational qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Environment, Political Science, Economics,  Water Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Anthropology, Business Administration, Disaster Risk Management, Geography, International Development and/or any other relevant fields

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in RMI on national and/or local government initiatives
• At least 3 years of  experience in coordinating and managing the development and implementation of initiatives financed by international organizations and/or bilateral donors
• Experience working on initiatives related to water resource management, outer island development is preferred
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Experience coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder processes with very limited timeframes

Competencies:

• Ability to travel (sometimes by boat or small airplanes) to the outer islands
• Culturally and  gender sensitive, friendly, and effective communication skills that is conducive to effective presentations and networking, and building trust required to complete tasks
• Delivers work on time
• Proactive in updating work progress and raising any challenges and proposing practical solutions when delays and/or change of plans occur
• Able to build strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result for the stakeholders and responds positively to feedback; consensus-oriented.
• Highly developed inter-personal, negotiation and teamwork skills, ability to work in multi-cultural environment.
• Sensitive to and can demonstrate diplomacy and integrity within cultural complexities and unique political contexts.

Evaluation

Cumulative analysis

The proposals will be evaluated using the cumulative analysis method with a split 70% technical and 30% financial scoring. The proposal with the highest cumulative scoring will be awarded the contract. Applications will be evaluated technically and points are attributed based on how well the proposal meets the requirements of the Terms of Reference using the guidelines detailed in the table below:

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract may be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weighting; 70%

* Financial Criteria weighting; 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Interviews may be conducted as part of technical assessment for shortlisted proposals.

Evaluation

Offerors must send the following documents.

1. Signed  P11 form including names of at least 2 referees
2. Cover letter setting out:

• How the proposer meets the qualifications and experience required.

iii) Completed template for confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on a Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, 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 be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs.

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.

The P11 form and Template for confirmation of interest and Submission of Financial Proposal is available under the procurement section of UNDP Fiji website (www.fj.undp.org)

Background:

The Marshall Islands is experiencing a severe drought, brought about by the strongest El Niño on record. The communities outside the two urban centers are being severely impacted by these dry weather conditions, and face potential health, environmental, social, and economic hardship, due to persistent dry weather. On the outer islands with the exception of a few locations, water resources are expected to be depleted by end of February 2016. On 3 February 2016, a State of Emergency was declared by the President including the identification of WASH, Health, Food and Agriculture and Logistics as priority clusters. The Government has undertaken an initial rapid assessment and deployed Reverse Osmosis (RO) units to affected communities in some of the atolls. Based on the initial rapid assessment, the RMI Government estimates that approximately 12,231 people, or 23% of the total RMI population, are experiencing severe drought conditions.

Unfortunately, droughts are well known to RMI; only in Majuro, droughts recently occurred in 1970, 1970, 1982, 1992, 1998, 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2016 .  Due to the frequency of drought emergencies, there is strong political and institutional commitment towards disaster risk response and recovery in RMI. However, there are significant limitations in terms of policies, institutions, and capacities in moving towards a holistic and integrated disaster risk management (DRM) mechanism that is more proactive and adaptive than reactive and response oriented. Furthermore, with most of its populated areas lying merely two meters above sea level, the integration of DRM and climate change adaptation is crucial for RMI, so that DRM process can strengthen both disaster and climate resilience through building back better from each disaster experiences.

In order to enhance RMI’s resilience to current and future drought disasters, the RMI government has requested UNDP to support their efforts in developing a proposal to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), “Republic of the Marshall Islands Integrated Water Resilience Program (RIWRP)”. The proposed scope includes both institutional and policy strengthening, as tangible investments that improve access to safe water and climate information in both urban (Majuro and Kwajulein) and rural (other inhabited outer islands) areas of RMI.

There have been various past and ongoing efforts related to enhancing water and disaster resilience in RMI. Therefore, it is important that the additional water resilience and disaster risk resilience measures proposed in RIWAP are based upon the lessons learned from past successes and failures, and scales the best practices in terms of technology, governance mechanisms, capacity development and operations and management.

Objectives:

In light of the above background, RMI government in partnership with UNDP , SPREP and various key water and resilience stakeholders is finalizing a targeted and evidence-based “Technical and Socio-Economic Evaluation of Water Resilience Measures in the Marshall Islands” which will inform the “Republic of the Marshall Islands Integrated Water Resilience Program (RIWRP)” proposal to be submitted the GCF.

In April 2016, an in-country consultations and stakeholder workshop (Annex: workshop report) took place which provided significant inputs to the Evaluation / Assessments that would inform the RIWRP / GCF Project scope.  With the RMI Government and stakeholder aspirations submit a well-developed proposal to GCF for consideration at the February 2017 Board meeting, it is important that the an effective coordination mechanism in place in RMI to drive the proposal development and finalization process which will involve substantial data gathering, in country follow up discussions, briefing of key decision-makers, outer island consultations, and stakeholder discussions. 

The coordination is led by effective leadership under the OEPPC, which serves as the National Designated Authority (NDA) to the GCF.  The Coordination Specialist for RMI Integrated Water Resilience Project Preparation (National Consultant) will support OEPPC in close coordination with UNDP, the GCF Accredited Agency supporting the RMI GCF Proposal, to drive the GCF proposal development and finalization process forward with sufficient stakeholder consultation and engagement that is needed.

The overall objectives of the Coordination Specialist are:

• to support OEPPC and UNDP in ensuring that a good quality GCF proposal is developed
• to enable and facilitate active and meaningful engagement of key stakeholders and beneficiaries in the development process so that the RMI GCF proposal is fully supported and endorsed  through key national stakeholders

Scope of work/Expected Output

• Expectations

At the National Stakeholder Workshop held on 13th April 2016, stakeholders agreed on below key next steps:

Next Steps & Indicative Target Dates

April – June 2016                Data gathering and assessment with stakeholders; Mission to the Atolls / Collection of data; Writing & finalization of the technical and socio-            economic assessment                        

June - Aug 2016                   Writing of the GCF Proposal / Communication with GCF              Gender assessment, economic assessment, social and environmental safeguards process

Aug  2016                              Validation workshop in Majuro / Letter of No Objection from the National Designated Authority

Aug - Sep  2016                    Finalization of the GCF Proposal

Sep  2016                              Submission to UNDP for internal clearance

Oct 2016                               GCF Sec Review Process

                                                GCF Council / Technical Panel Review Process

Mar 2017                              GCF Board Meeting

*RMI internal discussion and agreement amongst key stakeholders and NDA to take place to discuss timelines and management arrangements.

The Coordination Specialist will support OEPPC in driving the required discussions, consultations, and coordination process to implement this plan in close coordination with UNDP.

The Coordination Specialist will do so by perform the following key tasks:

Facilitation and coordination of discussions and dialogue for RIWRP

• Attend, present, and report back from the WASH Cluster meetings
  •  The Coordination Specialist will present and get feedback on key proposals in regard to activities, technologies, locations, costs of interventions, etc under the GCF proposal
  • Prior to each WASH Cluster meetings, the Coordination Specialist will discuss with UNDP (and keep OEPPC informed) about key issues and areas of feedback that would be required from the WASH Cluster meeting.  
• Update / brief key stakeholders of GCF proposal progress and discuss / agree on way forward with strategic decisions that need to be made.  The frequency and format of meeting should be discussed and agreed by OEPPC and Chief Secretary Office.

In addition to OEPPC and UNDP, Key stakeholders include, but not limited to:

• Chief Secretary’s Office
• WASH Cluster
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Majuro Water Service Company
• National Disaster Management Authority
• National Weather Service
• Mayors and local government
• Cabinet (if / when needed)

Key strategic decisions that need to be discussed and facilitated include, but not limited to:

• Final location, quantity, types and costs of investments (both hard (i.e. infrastructure, equipment, etc) and soft (training, awareness raising, policy, etc) to be included in the GCF proposal – this should be discussed and endorsed at the technical level at the WASH Cluster as well as lead agencies that are directly responsible for the implementation and then discussed and endorsed by the wider stakeholder
• Management arrangements including implementing partner / executing agency and responsible partners

• Plan, prepare, organize, and implement the in country RIWRP Validation Workshop (planned in August / September 2016)

Information and data gathering support

• Respond to information and data gathering request by UNDP / Consultants through coordination and follow up with national stakeholders

Outer island consultations and data gathering

• Liaise closely with NDMO (leading drought response) and Ridge to Reef Project Preparation team to see if required outer island consultations and data gathering can be  implemented jointly
• If and when opportunities arise, join outer island mission teams to conduct required baseline information gathering and consultations to gather inputs and feedback in order ensure that proposed interventions under the GCF in respective outer island needs, capacities, and avoiding duplication

Serve as information focal point for the overall RIWRP/ GCF proposal

• Provide strategic oversight, input, and coordination support to various assessments conducted by other consultants and agencies that comprise key supporting documents to the overall proposal. These include, but not limited to:
  • Technical and socio-economic assessment – Carried out by Georg Peterson / UNDP consultant
  • Gender assessment – to be carried out by specialist recruited through SPREP / RTSM
  • Economic assessment – to be carried out by Benoit Laplante / UNDP consultant
  • Environment and Social Safeguards assessment / screening – to be carried out by Peter Wulf / UNDP consultant

• Deliverables, due dates and formats

*Payment will be made on a monthly bases based on the submission and acceptance of the monthly report by UNDP as well as status of fulfilment of deliverables 1), 2) and 4) for the reporting period. Feedback from national stakeholders including OEPPC will be used as an indicator of the Coordination Specialist’s quality of performance.

Resources Provided

• UNDP to provide folder of baseline information gathered so far from relevant stakeholders related to water resilience

Supervision/Reporting

• Work directly under the supervision of UNDP Pacific Office Deputy Team  Leader of Environment, Dr. Winifereti Nainoca and UNDP Regional Technical Specialist Ms. Shoko Takemoto
• Coordinates closely and reports on a daily bases to the Director of OEPPC, Mr. Lowell Alik, UN Joint Presence Office, Mr Terry Keju
• Coordinates closely with and communicates on a regular bases with Chief Secretary Office, WASH Cluster Stakeholders, NDMO and other key stakeholders
• Coordinates and shares information with Ridge to Reef Project Preparation Team members

Payment Schedule (if required):