Procurement Notices

Project Title

Project Preparation Grant: Protecting priority coastal and marine ecosystems to conserve globally significant Endangered, Threatened, and Protected marine wildlife in southern Mindanao, Philippines

Project Description   

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) in its the 7th replenishment (GEF-7),  with a view to maintain or improve ecosystem services, land productivity, food security, and to increase the resilience of the land and the populations dependent on it, provides supports to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) concept.  Similarly, the GEF-7 Biodiversity Focal Area programming responds directly to the GEF7 Four-year Framework of Program Priorities agreed by countries at CBD COP-13, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011-2020. Specifically, the proposed Biodiversity Focal Area is built around achieving the Four-year Programs three objectives: (i) Mainstream Biodiversity Across sectors as Well as Within Production Landscapes and Seascapes, (ii) Reduce Direct Drivers of Biodiversity Loss, and (iii) Strengthen Biodiversity Policy and Institutional Frameworks. Moreover, the GEF to continue and further enhance means to harness opportunities for leveraging synergies among the Rio Conventions and other relevant multilateral environmental agreements.

In line with the GEF-7 strategic synergistic programming for Land Degradation and Biodiversity, the project “Protecting priority coastal and marine ecosystems to conserve globally significant Endangered, Threatened, and Protected marine wildlife in southern Mindanao” aims to strengthen management effectiveness and address underrepresentation of Marine Conservation Areas designed to conserve Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) marine wildlife and sustain ecosystem services for human well-being.

The project will contribute to the conservation of globally significant biodiversity by conserving priority habitats and ecosystems to secure viable populations of globally significant ETP MW through the use of MCAs as mechanisms to implement conservation activities. The project will create GEBs by supporting the protection of habitats for, and reducing direct pressures on, a number of ETP MW species, including the dugong, three species of marine turtles, Cetaceans, whale sharks, and manta rays. In addition, important coastal and marine ecosystems and their services will be conserved. Coral reef diversity is high in all of the project sites (e.g. at least 25 genera of hard and soft corals are found in Pujada Bay ); these reefs are critical habitat for numerous marine species, and a significant percentage of people living in the project sites rely on the health of reef ecosystems to sustain their livelihoods and improve their well-being. 18 species of seagrass have been identified in the Philippines (9 in Pujada Bay ); seagrass ecosystems are important nurseries for various marine species, critical food sources for dugongs, marine turtles, and other marine herbivores, and provide carbon sequestration and coastal protection services; their conservation is critical in the face of coastal development and unregulated upland practices that can negatively impact their functioning (i.e. through silt and sediment flows). The health of seagrass beds is directly tied to mega-herbivores like dugongs and marine turtles, which can influence biomass, increase productivity, and microbial nutrient cycling, lead to higher leaf growth and ultimately provide the mechanisms for meadow recovery. The project will help to conserve mangrove ecosystems (including approximately 85 ha of mangroves in Pujada Bay ) that serve as habitat for juvenile marine species, including fish and crustaceans, and as food and income sources for local communities. Mangrove forests are also carbon sinks and have been found to sequester more carbon compared to any other ecosystem; disturbing them will result in high greenhouse gas emissions.  The project will also conserve beaches and coastal forests that act as barriers against winds and waves and help to prevent coastal erosion, including in areas that contain nesting sites of marine turtles such as Dahican Beach in Mayo Bay. At the same time, the project will help communities that depend on these ecosystems for ocean-based tourism, fisheries, and other natural resource-based livelihoods to sustain their ways of life and become more resilient to the damaging impacts of climate change.

The project will also support the goals and targets of a number of International Environmental Agreements, including species conservation objectives of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS); the CBD Aichi Targets 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 and 14; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 14.2, 14.4, 14.7, 15.5 and 15.7. The project also will assist the Philippines in achieving its commitments in Regional Action Plans and Agreements that support GEBs, including the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Plan of Action (RPOA), and the Comprehensive Action Plans of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-region, in particular the Action Plan for Marine Turtles, Marine Mammals, Sharks, and Climate Change.

Table 1. brief description of the Project’s objectives, grant amounts, components, project location, and the PPG team composition

UNDP, in collaboration with the Governments of the Philippines, seeks to engage a qualified National Gender and CEPA Specialist.

The PPG will support all the preparatory work required to draft and finalize all the documentation required by the GEF for CEO Endorsement. The PPG phase will be underpinned by a participatory approach, with regular consultation and working meetings with all key PPG stakeholders throughout the PPG phase. Specific attention will be given to gender issues by undertaking a gender analysis to ensure optimal involvement of women in, and beneficiation from project interventions.

Institutional Arrangement

The National Gender and CEPA Specialist and CAP Programme Analyst will work under the guidance of the National Lead and will report to the CAP Programme Analyst. The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment. S/he is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability during the PPG tasks.

Payments will be made upon submission of a certification of payment form, and acceptance and confirmation by CO and RTA, and outputs delivered. If the quality does not meet standards or requirements, the consultant will be asked to rewrite or revise (as necessary) the document before proceeding to payment.

Duration of Work

The expected duration of work is estimated to be 30 working days spread over 12 months.

Duty Station

• The Consultant will be Philippines-based with mission(s) to the project sites;
• For meetings related to the project, UNDP will cover all costs of three (3) trips to and from Metro Manila, if the Consultant’s duty station is outside Metro Manila;
• The Consultant will travel to the Project sites, the COVID19 travel restrictions permitting. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work and travel of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government. Field work, trainings, meetings, and coordination shall be done in compliance with community quarantine policies;
• Any necessary mission travel must be approved in advance by the CO focal point;
• The BSAFE course must be completed before the commencement of travel;
• Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
• Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/; 
• The UNDP CO will be responsible for  making his/her site travel arrangements and will shoulder related expenses in line with UNDP travel policies;
• 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, before travel and will be reimbursed based on the provision of supporting documentation.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

• The Consultant should send the financial proposal based on a lump-sum amount for the delivery of the outputs identified below. The total amount quoted shall be “all-inclusive” (professional fees, medical insurance, communications, transportation, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor should be factored into the final amount submitted in the proposal. Travel, as deemed relevant by UNDP and compliant with government guidelines on community quarantine, will be arranged and paid for by UNDP and should not be included in the financial proposal. Breakdown of the financial proposed should be reflected on page 4 of the template provided
• Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the Contractor must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during contract duration
• The contract price will be fixed output-based price. Any deviations from the output and timeline will be agreed upon between the Contractor and the UNDP.

Payments will be done upon satisfactory completion of the delivery by target due dates. Outputs will be certified by the environmental focal point in UNDP Philippines prior to the release of payments

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the National Coastal and Marine Resources Management Specialist and the Programme Analyst of Climate Action Programme (CAP), the National Gender and CEPA Specialist shall:

Role

The National Gender and CEPA Specialist will be a gender and social inclusion expert with experience in-depth gender analysis. S/he fully considers the different needs, roles, benefits, impacts, risks, differential access to and control over resources of women and men (including considerations of intersecting categories of identity such as age, social status, ethnicity, marital status, etc.), as well as identifies appropriate measures to address these and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Consultant will lead the assessment of the current level of awareness of key stakeholders regarding ETP MW, MCAs, and biodiversity conservation, among others, as well as awareness of related policies and procedures, issues and threats in the project sites. S/he will prepare a CEPA Assessment Report with recommendations on important elements for the development of a CEPA Strategy and Action Plan, inclusive of behavioural change communication methodologies that will be further developed during implementation. The Consultant will propose mid-term and end-of-project targets and indicators for monitoring gender and CEPA project targets.

Responsibilities

The list below outlines the key responsibilities and deliverables of this contract. The PPG Initiation Plan for these projects provides further and more detailed guidance regarding the responsibilities of the prospective PPG team and must be consulted accordingly.

1. Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews (Component A): Prepare inputs and support the required analyses/studies, as agreed with the GEF PPG Team Leader, including:

CEPA:

• Conduct stocktaking of existing knowledge management systems and databases and existing CEPA strategies and programs, and use best practices for developing the project’s knowledge management approach, activities, and structure; to coordinate with the National Policy and Capacity Development Specialist; 
• Carry out consultations with communities at demonstration landscape to assess level of understanding and capacity to understand and integrate environment and gender concerns;
• Based on findings above, prepare a CEPA Assessment Report with recommendations on important elements for the development of a CEPA Strategy and Action Plan that will be fully developed during the implementation phase;
• Work with the Stakeholder Engagement and ESS Specialist in the assessment/analysis of stakeholders’ awareness, perceptions, beliefs, practices, and systems in relation to marine biodiversity conservation; and
• Propose the elements of an appropriate participatory monitoring and evaluation approach for CEPA, which will be further developed during project implementation

Gender:

• Conduct baseline analysis on the gender dynamics in professions dependent on coastal and marine natural resources; the number of men and women, and youth in the project sites; and their roles, responsibilities and priorities in coastal and marine resource use and interactions with ETP MW;
• Conduct a participatory analysis of the impacts of decreasing coastal and marine resources, including ETP MW, on the livelihoods of women and men;
• Carry out consultations with communities at demonstration landscape to assess level of understanding and capacity to understand and integrate gender concerns;
• Draft the Gender Analysis and Action Plan to identify gender-appropriate site interventions and work closely with the GEF PPG Team Leader to ensure its findings are meaningfully integrated into the project’s strategy, theory of change and results framework;
• Advise on gender responsive stakeholder analysis and consultations and ensure that they are complete and comprehensive;
• Support the completion of any additional studies that are determined to be needed for the preparation of the ProDoc and all other final outputs as guided by the PPG Team Leader; and
• Provide support to the Stakeholder Engagement and Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist on the SESP formulation.

Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request and Mandatory Annexes as well as project specific annexes (Component B):

• Gender Analysis and Action Plan and budget to guide gender mainstreaming during project implementation;
• CEPA Assessment Report with recommendations on important elements for the development of a CEPA Strategy and Action Plan that will be fully developed during the implementation phase;
• Participate in consultations, workshops, meetings etc. and provide inputs to management arrangements
• Review and verify proposed Gender and CEPA Outputs and Indicators based on the information gathered during the PPG-Phase and, where appropriate, propose new ones for each Outcome, and establish baselines and targets to be monitored and tracked during implementation, for inclusion in the Results Framework, as appropriate;
• Work with Stakeholder Engagement and ESS Specialist and other National Consultants in the review and verification of Core Indicators, especially Core Indicators 11, whose calculation will benefit from additional information obtained on the socio-economic profiles of inhabitants residing in the project sites as well as the biogeographic extent/reach, policy/capacity development  (to allow for a more detailed and realistic calculation of the number of direct beneficiaries (segregated for male and female beneficiaries); and
• Work with the GEF PPG Team Leader to ensure relevant findings on Gender Analysis and CEPA assessments are meaningfully integrated into the project strategy, theory of change and results framework, and its implementation are monitored as appropriate

Validation Workshop (Component C):

• Contribute to the validation workshop; and
• Support all necessary revisions that arise during the workshop, as appropriate.

Final Deliverables:

• Gender Analysis and Action Plan and budget to ensure gender mainstreaming during project implementation;
• CEPA Assessment Report with recommendations on important elements in the development of a CEPA Strategy and Action Plan that will be further developed during implementation;
• Mid-term and end-of-project targets and indicators for monitoring stakeholder engagement, gender mainstreaming, and CEPA; and
• Appropriate inputs to the final UNDP-GEF project document based on guidance from the PPG Team Leader

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

• Demonstrable experience in the technical area of biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management, sustainable development, or closely related area. Specific experience in Integrated Landscape Management, Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Commodity Production, or similar is an asset;

• Demonstrable experience with GEF project development, implementation, and/or evaluation, including the formulation of biodiversity conservation projects with capacity development elements.

Functional Competencies:

• Able to communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience simply and concisely.

• Capable of working in a high- pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;

• Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
• Exercises the highest level of responsibility and be able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues responsibly and maturely;
• Works well in a team;
• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback; and
• Fluent English language (both oral and written) and excellent communication and presentation skills, particularly in the preparation of written documents.

Required Skills and Experience

Offers will be evaluated based on the combined scoring method :

• Technical qualifications = 70%
• Financial Proposal =    30%

For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based on the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points):

Applicants who will only receive 70 points from the assessment of the CV will be qualified for the assessment of the Financial Proposal.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

Offerors must upload in one (1) file the documents below at the given link https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=92681

You may download the editable version of the Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the IC by clicking on this link: http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU

1. Duly accomplished Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the IC that indicates the all-inclusive lumpsum 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;
2. Financial Proposal (Annex 2 of Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability). The financial proposal shall specify an all-inclusive lump sum fee. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal must additionally include a breakdown of this daily fee (including all foreseeable expenses to carry out the assignment).
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;

In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.