Procurement Notices

Country: Philippines

Description of the Assignment: Waste, including marine litter, is one of the most pressing issues in the Philippines and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This complex challenge requires a systemic approach and a shift to a circular economic model. With the generous support of the Government of Japan, UNDP Philippines is supporting the government in achieving its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) through enabling and accelerating the country’s transition to circular economy (CE). By doing so, it will help the country achieve economic, social, and environmental goals, while also grasping the potential for substantial and accelerated reductions in GHG emissions across all sectors, while also supporting recovery from the pandemic.

The project, which entails a demonstration of how CE can be implemented at the city level, is expected to benefit national government agencies, local government units (LGUs) in the target cities, participating private sector companies (including micro and small enterprises), academic and science organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), informal waste collectors as well as communities and households through access to data and utilization of data platform, policy support at national and subnational level, CE solutions/business models, partnerships, and knowledge exchange, capacity building. This will be delivered through three main outputs: 

1.       Output 1 (DATA ANALYTICS AND POLICY): Data-driven and gender responsive analytical systems and policies developed to support the transition to a circular economy in support of NDC.

2.     Output 2 (DEMONSTRATION IN CITIES): Portfolio of solutions implemented to promote gender responsive circular economy models.

3.     Output 3 (PARTNERSHIPS AND KNOWLEDGE): Partnerships established and knowledge and lessons shared at local, national, and regional levels.

The Philippine government recently passed the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Law or Republic Act 11898, entitled “An Act Institutionalizing the Extended Producer Responsibility on Plastic Packaging Waste, Amending for this Purpose Republic Act 9003, Otherwise Known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000”. The law aims, among others, to “institutionalize the extended producer responsibility mechanism as a practical approach to efficient waste management, focusing on waste reduction, recovery and recycling, and the development of environment friendly products that advocate the internationally accepted principles on sustainable consumption and production, circular economy, and producers’ full responsibility throughout the life cycle of their product”.

In this regard, the UNDP, upon the request of DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), is providing technical assistance in the formulation and operationalization of the EPR Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and the National Framework for EPR as part of the Climate-ACE Project. The EPR IRR has been issued in January 2023 through DAO 2023 – 02.

To operationalize the EPR Act provisions, DENR-EMB is tasked to formulate and issue the EPR Procedural

Manual on the compliance monitoring and evaluation of EPR programs and on the required submission of annual compliance reports by Obliged Enterprises, Collectives, or Producers Responsibility Organizations (PROs), in accordance with the EPR Act provisions.

An EPR Procedural Manual is a resource for DENR and stakeholders that establishes guidelines and protocols for the key requirements, processes and systems required under EPR Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations to facilitate effective implementation.

The Consultant, in close coordination with DENR and UNDP, shall carry out the following tasks:

• Develop an Inception Report describing the approach, methodology, proposed annotated outline of the manual, and workplan for completing the assignment, in coordination with DENR-EMB and other relevant DENR units and other agencies, as necessary
• Analyse the EPR requirements, systems and processes
• Develop an annotated outline of the procedural manual
• Identify any significant data gaps and request this information;
• Conduct/participate in meetings, workshops, consultations with DENR and relevant stakeholders to enable defining the Procedural Manual components/sections
• Draft the EPR Procedural Manual, which also include the standard templates, forms, and/or tools for each section of the manual.
• Present the manual in a validation workshop with relevant stakeholders
• Revise the manual based on comments from stakeholders
• Finalize the EPR Procedural Manual, to include relevant annexure/templates endorsed by DENR
• Draft appropriate legal instrument to operationalize the EPR Procedural Manual. 
• The Consultant will be supported by the DENR and other experts in developing the Procedural Manua