UNDP is recruiting an International Consultant to be based in Tonga to undertake the function of a Recovery Advisor and Coordinator in response to the massive volcanic eruption in January 2022 some 65 kilometers from the main Tongan island of Tongatapu resulted in a tsunami that affected a high proportion of the population of Tonga, impacting housing, livelihoods, infrastructure and agriculture to some degree, for around 80% of the total population.  Following the tsunami, an extensive outbreak of COVID-19 led to a total lockdown of the country which, in combination with a state of emergency and a nightly curfew, severely restricted movement.  Nevertheless, emergency response measures were initiated to support the immediate needs of people following which attention has turned to the provision of recovery, to restore lives and livelihoods, to build back better and to strengthen resilience as a contribution to risk-informed development.

UNDP’s recovery strategy has the objective of promoting a risk-informed recovery process focused on restoring and improving the social and economic fabric of Tonga (building back better) while establishing the basis for more resilient development with strengthened anticipatory governance capacities.  UNDP has an active involvement in delivering development on the ground in Tonga through established projects and these provide the platform for its recovery support to Tonga following the volcanic eruption and tsunami.  UNDP’s recovery strategy is built around the provision of more immediate, short-term inputs such as livelihoods support and restoration of social welfare services followed by more extensive recovery actions focusing on the restoration of community infrastructure and ecosystems, renovation of housing and settlements and support to governance systems.  UNDP works closely with and is guided by national and local government departments, international partners, NGOs and CBOs.  Its recovery strategy is for three years with an estimated budget of USD $4 million.

The situation in Tonga has been complicated by an extensive outbreak of COVID-19 which spread rapidly in the country once humanitarian assistance started to arrive.  The country has spent an extensive period in lockdown as a result of COVID-19 which it is only now emerging from.  Contact with communities affected by the volcano and tsunami has been very limited until recently and assessment data is now becoming available.  The IC will be expected to lead UNDP’s recovery programme in Tonga, coordinating the different components and liaising closely with Government of Tonga, UNDP project areas and the Resident Coordinator’s Office among others.

Scope of Work

Guided by UNDP’s established Recovery Strategy for Tonga and by the objectives and outcomes of UNDP’s development portfolio in Tonga, the IC will be expected to:

• Lead the sound strategic direction of the UNDP Recovery Strategy, based upon the existing and emerging recovery and development priorities of Government of Tonga, multi-stakeholder assessments of recovery needs and identification of opportunities for and cooperation with UN and other agencies and IFIs.  The Recovery Strategy should be aligned and coordinated with other CO programmes and those of other UN agencies to exploit potential synergies and encompass the needs and priorities of women and other vulnerable groups producing results that can be tracked, monitored and reported on.
• Provide overall management support to the UNDP Tonga Recovery Operation and coordinate the Recovery Programme team to ensure quality delivery in the design and formulation of ongoing recovery activities, effective monitoring and evaluation and adjustment of programme priorities and the preparation and dissemination of reports on activities, outputs and outcomes, including reports to donors.
• Support strategic partnerships and resource mobilisation for the Recovery Programme with cooperation from the relevant departments of the UNDP Office for the Pacific through the ongoing development of a partnerships and resource mobilisation strategy, creation and coordination of partnerships with UN agencies, IFIs, government institutions and multi and bi-lateral donors including leadership of the multi-agency Recovery Working Group, elaborate areas of actual and potential programmatic cooperation and cost-sharing based on Tonga’s recovery needs and agency and donor briefs and priorities. 
• To provide strategic advice and capacity development and facilitation of knowledge sharing, to advocate for support to the strengthening of national recovery and DRM capacity, to identify and disseminate international best practice on and lessons learned from recovery practice globally, to contribute to knowledge networks and communities of practice and to support the capacity development of UNDP country office staff and other stakeholders.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The IC is expected to provide the following deliverables:

Institutional Arrangements

• The IC will report to the Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji, through the Team Leader of UNDP’s Resilience and Sustainable Development Programme in the Pacific Office in Fiji who will be overall Project Manager.
• Fortnightly progress reports will be submitted by the IC to be circulated internally to all UNDP personnel and projects directly concerned with the implementation of the Recovery Programme.
• The IC is expected to collaborate closely with UNDP projects based in the Pacific Office in Fiji, that have a direct role in the implementation of Tonga’s recovery and to provide the coordination between them.  The IC is also expected to work closely with the relevant Government of Tonga Ministries, with other UN agencies implementing recovery, with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, and with affected communities, NGOs and CBOs.
• The IC will be expected to consult with specific UNDP project areas, as appropriate, for additional support and knowledge from across the Pacific Region.  Also, strong links with UNDP Communication Office is Suva will be expected to ensure the production of knowledge products and promotional material about the recovery programme.
• Government of Tonga, together with UNDP, will provide office space for the IC and  contribute local travel and workshop costs, etc.  UNDP will recruit a national consultant to work alongside the IC.

Duration of the Work

• The duration of the contract is 6 months. Work is expected to commence on 1st July 2022 and to be completed by no later than 31st December 2022.
• UNDP will require 2 weeks from delivery to review each deliverable and provide feedback and clearance. 
• Prompt implementation of the project is necessary to support a recovery process which is already underway, to ensure the maintenance of momentum and to expedite the need for TRAC expenditure to be completed in a timely manner.

Duty Station

• The IC’s duty station will be Nuku’alofa, Tonga, with missions to other communities and islands as deemed appropriate.
• The IC will be expected to report to the UNDP Pacific Regional Office in Suva, Fiji, once a month during the contract for programme review meetings.  Whether travel to Suva is necessary in each case or whether some meetings can take place virtually is to be determined.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Comprehensiveness knowledge of disaster risk management and preferably its application in the Pacific Region;
• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research;
• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Educational Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in economics, planning, development, environmental management, disaster risk management or similar.

Experience

• Minimum number of 10 years of work experience in disaster recovery coordination. Recovery project management, risk informed, development-based disaster risk management.  Experience of its application in the Pacific Region preferred.

Language requirements

• Fluency of English language is required;
• Knowledge of Tongan would be an asset.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The IC 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 a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:

• Deliverable 1: First progress/monitoring report on the implementation of UNDP Recovery Programme for Tonga - 20% of total contract amount.
• Deliverable 2: Second progress/monitoring report on the implementation of UNDP Recovery Programme for Tonga - 20% of total contract amount.
• Deliverable 3:  Third progress/monitoring report on the implementation of the UNDP Recovery Programme for Tonga - 20% of total contract amount.
• Deliverable 4:  Final report on the implementation of UNDP Recovery Programme for Tonga with an assessment of lessons learned and recommendations for future programming including the integration of recovery into ongoing risk-informed development and resilience strengthening - 40% of total contract amount.

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on cumulative analysis.  The award of the contract shall 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 set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

• Criteria 1 Relevance of Education – Max 10 points
• Criteria 2 Language, computer literacy - Max 10 Points
• Criteria 3 Relevance of experience in recovery and disaster risk management - Max 25 points
• Criteria 4 Relevance of experience of Tonga and/or Pacific region  – Max 15  points
• Criteria 5 Relevance of experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams – Max 10Points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
• Personal CV, 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.
• Technical proposal, including a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
• Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II.

Note: Successful individual will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.

Incomplete and joint proposals may not be considered. Consultants with whom there is further interest will be contacted. The successful consultant shall opt to sign an Individual Contract or a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) through its company/employer with UNDP.

Annexes

• Annex I - Individual IC General Terms and Conditions
• Annex II – Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to elena.wakolo@undp.org