Project Title

Strengthening Marine Protected Areas to Conserve Marine Key Biodiversity Areas

Project Description 

The project “Strengthening Marine Protected Areas to Conserve Marine Key Biodiversity Areas in the Philippines” or SMARTSeas PH, being supported by UNDP and GEF, is currently implemented through the Biodiversity Management Bureau of Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The project seeks to accelerate the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) and marine protected area networks (MPANs) to include more key marine biodiversity areas and improve MPA/MPAN management effectiveness to reduce the rapid degradation of marine and coastal habitats and alarming biodiversity loss.

Under Outcome 2 of the project (Improved Financial Sustainability of MPAs and MPANs), interventions at the national, MPAN, and individual MPA level were planned to be undertaken to promote cost efficiencies and cost-effectiveness in MPA management, improve and diversify funding sources, enhance capacities for financial and business planning including sound decision making pertaining to resource allocation, and transparent processes for fund management. A functioning system for tracking expenditures and monitoring fund inflows should be in place, firmly supported by an enabling legal and policy framework. The project has formulated four major outputs to achieve this outcome, namely: 

Output 2.1: Benchmark management costs established for MPAs of varying size and potential cost savings or cost efficiencies on average per site identified through consolidation of management functions in MPANs. 

Output 2.2: At least two MPANS (Verde Island Passage and Davao Gulf) implementing financing and business plan targeting increases in revenue generation from the tourism and fisheries sectors. 

Output 2.3 At least five (5) of locally managed MPA in each of five (5) sites have revenue generation schemes in operation, including market-based visitor and service fees for tourism operators, pilot ecological service payments from the fisheries sector and local taxes for conservation and management of key tourism draws.

Output 2.4 MPA financing plans developed and piloted in at least 30% of MPAs in each of five sites, incorporating governance mechanisms to ensure participatory management of revenues and resources involving local communities, local government and national government agencies as appropriate.

Achievement of Outcome 2 targets has been significantly delayed. To pursue delivery of Output 2.3.3, i.e., financial resources for conservation and management of MPAs in five target sites, the Project, as approved by the Project Board, has undertaken Low-Value Agreements (LVGs) on the establishment and/or strengthening of Biodiversity-Friendly Enterprises (BDFEs) of the Project’s Peoples’ Organization (PO) partners.

Institutional Arrangement

The SMARTSeas Project Manager shall directly supervise the Consultant.

At different points during the contract, the Consultant is expected to liaise/interact/collaborate/meet with the SMARTSeas PH Project Team, DENR BMB, and UNDP CO.  As needed, the SMARTSeas PH project staff shall provide logistical assistance to the Consultant in order for her/him to accomplish enumerated outputs.

Duration of the Work

The expected duration of work is estimated to be 87 working days spread over four months. The target date for the start of work is 1 September 2020 and the completion date is 31 December 2020.
 

Duty Station

The Consultant is not expected to report on a daily basis to the Project Management Office based in BMB, Quezon City but shall be available on an on-call basis.  

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Duties and Responsibilities

General Function

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Project Manager, the Enterprise Development Specialist will oversee the implementation of the LVGs in five target sites. He/she will also take the lead in the development of the BDFE Toolkit that will be turned-over to BMB for roll-out, scaling-up, and sustainability of BDFE interventions at the site level.   

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Oversee implementation of the 21 Low-Value Grants/BDFEs by the BDFE Consultants of the Project. The table below summarizes counts and types of LVGs/BDFEs that will be managed by the Enterprise Development Specialist.

2. Provide technical and administrative guidance to BDFE Consultants on ensuring completion of LVGs, taking into account sustainability of these enterprises

3. Consolidate LVG progress reports submitted by BDFE Consultants and submit periodic reports to UNDP CO, including providing inputs to Quarterly Progress and Project Terminal Reports;

4. Conduct periodic Project monitoring field visits/validation, as required and in consideration of the current pandemic situation;

5. With the BDFE Consultants and Project Communications Officer, take the lead in the documentation of LVGs to identify impacts to communities and process lessons learned as well as good practices which BMB can scale-up; and

6. With the BDFE Consultants and Project Communications Officer, take the lead in the development of the BDFE Toolkit and conduct orientation on the Toolkit for Coastal and Marine Division (CMD) and BDFE Core Team of BMB.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

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.

Functional and technical competencies

• Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines;
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;

Required Skills and Experience

Candidates will be evaluated based on the Combined Rating methodology:

• 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

Interested applicants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications at this given link https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=93488. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document. 

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. 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; 
3. At least 2 sample written reports relevant to the post scope of deliverables described in the TOR; and
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total 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. 

Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.

The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:

• General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contract
• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
• P-11 form

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