| Overview : Consultancy Proposal (CV & Financial proposal Template ) should be uploaded to UNDP Jobshop website (https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm) no later than, 17th June 2019 (Fiji Time) clearly stating the title of consultancy applied for. Any proposals received after this date/time will not be accepted. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to procurement.fj@undp.org. UNDP will respond in writing or by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants. Incomplete, late and joint proposals will not be considered and only offers for which there is further interest will be contacted. Failure to submit your application as stated as per the application submission guide (Procurement Notice) on the above link will be considered incomplete and therefore application will not be considered. NOTE: Proposals must be sent through UNDP job shop web page.Canidates need to upload their CV and financial proposal -using UNDP template Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted If the selected/successful Candidate is over 65 years of age and required to travel outside his home country; He/She will be required provide a full medical report at their expense prior to issuance to contract. Contract will only be issued when Proposed candidate is deemed medically fit to undertake the assignment. INTRODUCTION
This is the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the UNDP-GEF Midterm Review (MTR) of the full -sized project titled “Implementing a Ridge to Reef approach to Preserve Ecosystem Services, Sequester Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods in Fiji” (PIMS 5216) implemented through the Ministry of Waterways and Environment (MWE), which is to be undertaken in 2019. The project started on the October 4, 2016 and is in its third year of implementation. In line with the UNDP-GEF Guidance on MTRs, this MTR process was initiated after the submission of the second Project Implementation Report (PIR). This ToR sets out the expectations for this MTR. The MTR process must follow the guidance outlined in the document Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects (http://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/GEF/mid-term/Guidance_Midterm%20Review%20_EN_2014.pdf). 2. PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Fiji GEF 5 STAR R2R project’s objective is to preserve biodiversity, ecosystem services, sequester carbon, improve climate resilience and sustain livelihoods through a ridge-to-reef management of priority water catchments on the two main islands of Fiji. The project will run for four years (2016 - 2021) with GEF budget of USD 7.39 million and substantial co-financing from Fiji Government, Private Sector, UNDP and Conservation NGOs. To achieve this objective, the project shall make interventions at two interconnected levels: national (Project Outcomes 2.2, 3.1, 3.2) and catchment level (Project Outcomes 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1), and cross cutting (Project Outcome 4.1). Based on careful consideration of the scope for implementing a Ridge-to-Reef integrated catchment management approach in Fiji, six priority and model catchments were identified for inclusion in the project – these are three catchments on the main island of Viti Levu, viz. Ba River, Tuva River and Rewa (Waidina River /Rewa Delta) and three catchments on the second largest island of Vanua Levu, viz. Labasa River, Tunuloa district and Vunivia River. The project will address critical gaps and needs in biodiversity conservation for terrestrial and marine ecosystems and threatened species including need for improved financial sustainability for protected areas and locally managed marine areas (Component 1); enhanced ecosystem services in the six catchments, especially increased carbon sequestration in forests, including mangroves/blue carbon (Component 2), integrated catchment management approach involving improved management of water, soil and agro-ecosystem resources (Component 3), and strengthen knowledge and awareness of R2R management and technologies, and associated environmental and socio-economic benefits within the national stakeholders and local communities (Component 4). 3. OBJECTIVES OF THE MTR The MTR will assess progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes as specified in the Project Document, and assess early signs of project success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made in order to set the project on-track to achieve its intended results. The MTR will also review the project’s strategy, its risks to sustainability. 4. MTR APPROACH & METHODOLOGY The MTR must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The MTR team will review all relevant sources of information including documents prepared during the preparation phase (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, UNDP Environmental & Social Safeguard Policy, the Project Document, project reports including Annual Project Review/PIRs, project budget revisions, lesson learned reports, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the team considers useful for this evidence-based review). The MTR team will review the baseline GEF focal area Tracking Tool submitted to the GEF at CEO endorsement, and the midterm GEF focal area Tracking Tool that must be completed before the MTR field mission begins. The MTR team is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach[1] ensuring close engagement with the Project Team, government counterparts (the GEF Operational Focal Point), the UNDP Country Office(s), UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisers, and other key stakeholders. Engagement of stakeholders is vital to a successful MTR.[2] Stakeholder involvement should include interviews with stakeholders who have project responsibilities, including but not limited to UNDP Fiji Pacific Office, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, Government executing agencies, senior officials and task team/ component leaders, key experts and consultants in the subject area, Project Board, project stakeholders, academia, local government and CSOs, etc. Additionally, the MTR team is expected to conduct field missions to Fiji, including the following project water catchment demonstration sites of Ba River, Rewa-Waidina River and Tuva in the larger island of Viti Levu. And the Labasa, Vunivia and Tunuloa catchments of Vanua Levu. The final MTR report should describe the full MTR approach taken and the rationale for the approach making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach of the review. 5. DETAILED SCOPE OF THE MTR The MTR team will assess the following four categories of project progress. See the Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects for extended descriptions. (http://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/GEF/mid-term/Guidance_Midterm%20Review%20_EN_2014.pdf) i. Project Strategy Project design: Review the problem addressed by the project and Review the relevance of the project strategy and Were lessons from other relevant projects properly incorporated into the project design? Review how the project addresses country priorities. Review country ownership. Was the project concept in line with the national sector development priorities and plans of the country (or of participating countries in the case of multi-country projects)? Review decision-making processes: were perspectives of those who would be affected by project decisions, those who could affect the outcomes, and those who could contribute information or other resources to the process, taken into account during project design processes? Review the extent to which relevant gender issues were raised in the project design. See Annex 9 of Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects for further guidelines. If there are major areas of concern, recommend areas for improvement.
Results Framework/Logframe: Undertake a critical analysis of the project’s logframe indicators and targets, assess how “SMART” the midterm and end-of-project targets are (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound), and suggest specific amendments/revisions to the targets and indicators as necessary. Are the project’s objectives and outcomes or components clear, practical, and feasible within its time frame? Examine if progress so far has led to, or could in the future catalyse beneficial development effects (i.e. income generation, gender equality and women’s empowerment, improved governance etc...) that should be included in the project results framework and monitored on an annual basis. Ensure broader development and gender aspects of the project are being monitored effectively.Develop and recommend SMART ‘development’ indicators, including sex-disaggregated indicators and indicators that capture development benefits. ii. Progress Towards Results Progress Towards Outcomes Analysis: Review the logframe indicators against progress made towards the end-of-project targets using the Progress Towards Results Matrix and following the Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects; colour code progress in a “traffic light system” based on the level of progress achieved; assign a rating on progress for each outcome; make recommendations from the areas marked as “Not on target to be achieved” (red). - < >
TIMEFRAME ACTIVITY 17th July 2019 Application closes 25th July 2019 Select MTR Team 26th July 2019 Prep the MTR Team (handover of Project Documents) 29th July – 1st August 2019 Document review and preparing MTR Inception Report 2nd – 5th August 2019 Finalization and Validation of MTR Inception Report- latest start of MTR mission 6th – 23th August 2019 (14 days) MTR mission: stakeholder meetings, interviews, field visits 26th August 2019 Mission wrap-up meeting & presentation of initial findings- earliest end of MTR mission 27th August – 10th September 2019 (10 days) Preparing draft report 11th – 24th September 2019 Incorporating audit trail from feedback on draft report/Finalization of MTR report (note: accommodate time delay in dates for circulation and review of the draft report) 25th September 2019 Preparation & Issue of Management Response 26th September 2019 (optional) Concluding Stakeholder Workshop (not mandatory for MTR team) 27th September 2019 Expected date of full MTR completion Options for site visits should be provided in the Inception Report. MIDTERM REVIEW DELIVERABLES
# | Deliverable | Description | Timing | Responsibilities | 1 | MTR Inception Report | MTR team clarifies objectives and methods of Midterm Review | No later than 1 week before the MTR mission: 5th August 2019 | MTR team submits to the Commissioning Unit and project management | 2 | Presentation | Initial Findings | End of MTR mission: 27th August 2019 | MTR Team presents to project management and the Commissioning Unit | 3 | Draft Final Report | Full report (using guidelines on content outlined in Annex B) with annexes | Within 1 week of the MTR mission: 10th September 2019 | Sent to the Commissioning Unit, reviewed by RTA, Project Coordinating Unit, GEF OFP | 4 | Final Report* | Revised report with audit trail detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final MTR report | Within 1 week of receiving UNDP comments on draft: 27th September 2019 | Sent to the Commissioning Unit |
*The final MTR report must be in English. If applicable, the Commissioning Unit may choose to arrange for a translation of the report into a language more widely shared by national stakeholders. MTR ARRANGEMENTS The principal responsibility for managing this MTR resides with the Commissioning Unit. The Commissioning Unit for this project’s MTR is UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji. The commissioning unit will contract the consultants and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements in Fiji for the MTR team. The Project Team will be responsible for liaising with the MTR team to provide all relevant documents, set up stakeholder interviews, and arrange field visits.
TEAM COMPOSITION
A team of two independent consultants will conduct the MTR - one international team leader (with experience and exposure to projects and evaluations in other regions globally) and one local expert from Fiji. The consultants cannot have participated in the project preparation, formulation, and/or implementation (including the writing of the Project Document) and should not have a conflict of interest with project’s related activities. The selection of consultants will be aimed at maximizing the overall “team” qualities in the following areas: Recent experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies (10%) Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios (10%); Competence in adaptive management, as applied to Climate Change Adaptation (10%); Experience working with the GEF or GEF-evaluations (0%); Experience working in the Pacific region (5%); Work experience in relevant technical areas for at least 7 years (10%); Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and climate change adaptation; experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis (5%). Project evaluation/review experiences within United Nations system will be considered an asset (5%); A Master’s degree in environment, development studies, geography, or other closely related field (10%).
PAYMENT MODALITIES AND SPECIFICATIONS 10% of payment upon approval of the final MTR Inception Report 30% upon submission of the draft MTR report 60% upon finalization of the MTR report
Proposal Submission Offerors must apply through UNDP Job shop (https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm) and upload the following mandatory documents. i) Signed CV including names /email contacts of at least 3 professional referees. ii) Cover letter setting out: A statement of how the applicant meets the qualifications and experience requirements. iii) Completed template for confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Applicants 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 Individual Consultant´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the Individual Consultant 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 Individual Consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the event of unforeseeable travel that is not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective UNDP business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. Template for confirmation of interest and Submission of Financial Proposal is available under the procurement section of UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji website (www.pacific.undp.org) Women candidates are encouraged to apply Interested Candidates must accept UNDP General Terms and Conditions for Individual Consultants Successful candidate will be required to complete the BSAFE course prior to undertaking any travel related to this consultancy ( online security awareness training). https://training.dss.un.org/course/category/6
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