CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Terms of Reference (ToR) for engagement of Technical Experts (generic/non-sector specific)

About CDRI:

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

Vision

"CDRI seeks to rapidly expand the development and retrofit of resilient infrastructure to respond to the SDG of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work."

Mission

"To support countries to upgrade their systems to ensure disaster and climate resilience of existing and future infrastructure."

Impact (that CDRI aims to achieve)

By 2050, over US$10 trillion of new and existing infrastructure investments and services are resilient to natural hazards and climate change through enhanced capacity, informed policy, planning, and management, leading to improved quality of environment, livelihood, and life of over 3 billion people.

CDRI Mandate & Value Proposition

CDRI has been envisioned and established as a global network to advance the agenda, support coordinated action among stakeholders, and focus on bringing voices from vulnerable geographies and populations to international policy forums. Internationally agreed-upon goals in the SDFRR, the SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement provide the foundational framework that guides the Coalition's vision and mission.

As a global partnership, the Coalition aims to ensure that the investments of its members and partners are aligned and well-coordinated in support of the shared ambition of disaster and climate resilience of new and existing infrastructure. The two unique yet interconnected roles that CDRI shoulders in this direction are:

  • A Strong Coalition Driving Collaborative DRI Action: In 2024, CDRI stands as a partnership of 39 national governments and seven international organizations. The Coalition enjoys robust political support, which propels its efforts to advance the interests of its members and partners.
  • A Solution-Focused Centre of Excellence for DRI: As a Centre of Excellence for DRI, the Coalition strengthens the individual and collective capacities of its members and partners by aggregating and sharing knowledge, brokering need-based partnerships, and strengthening capacities through collaborative learning and action.

CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Strategic Work Plan 2023-2026

CDRI's Strategic Work Plan 2023-26 describes the broad contours of its priority actions and planned initiatives in the next four years. The Strategic Work Plan sets out a clear direction for the Coalition to pursue a transformational agenda for DRI in response to a changing risk landscape and evolving on-ground realities of its members. In the next four years, the Coalition will continue to leverage the expertise of its Member Countries and partners to develop context-specific, innovative solutions for resilient infrastructure towards the achievement of national priorities and global commitments of its members.

With the strategic work plan for 2023 – 2026, CDRI has set out the following strategic outcomes.

Strategic Outcome 1: A strong Coalition that has the membership, resources, and global leadership to drive global, national, regional, and local DRI action.

Strategic Outcome 2: Global DRI research, Coalition-led peer engagement, and CDRI-curated and generated knowledge promote risk-informed policy and practice.

Strategic Outcome 3: Enhanced capacities of government, private enterprises, and communities to implement post-disaster recovery and DRI action at scale.

CDRI Head Quarter (Secretariat)

The CDRI headquarter is established in New Delhi, India, to act as the Secretariat of the Coalition. The Secretariat functions under the direction of the International Governing Council and Executive Committee to implement the programmes of CDRI.

Background

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) implements projects and technical studies internationally. CDRI projects delve include technical aspects across a broad range of sectors, themes, and geographies.

The purpose of the empanelment of Technical Experts is to create a pool of experts to support CDRI's Strategic work plan to draw on as required as It is not possible nor reasonable for CDRI to have staff as experts in all areas permanently, given the highly specialized nature of technical competence required across project cycles of several sectors, including but not limited to power, telecom, transport (seaport, airport, waterways, railways) urban, health, high mountain, water, Disaster Risk Financing, Research, Knowledge Management, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Capacity Development, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL)and other relevant areas of CDRI's Operation.

Objective

The purpose of the empanelment of Technical Experts is to create a pool of experts to support CDRI's Strategic work plan to draw on as required.

CDRI
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Technical Expert – Definition

A technical expert is an individual who possesses advanced knowledge, skills, and experience in a specific specialist area(s), allowing them to provide in-depth analysis, problem-solving, and guidance within that particular field.

An expert demonstrating considerable international experience in at least 5 countries across two UN geographic regions (from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, and Oceania) will meet the criteria for international technical experts and the outlined rates. All other experts will come under the purview of National experts.

The Technical Expert must:

(iii) have professional qualifications and demonstrable experience aligned with the mandate and needs of CDRI, as per the Terms of References (ToR).
(iv) have no conflict of interest, financial or otherwise, or duty which conflicts or may conflict with his or her functions as a Technical Expert.

Terms of Empanelment Contract

CDRI will empanel Technical Experts (National & International) for an initial duration of two (2) years period. Empanelment will normally be related to a specific need identified by CDRI, and in these cases, the empanelment contract may be renewed for another 2 years upon satisfactory performance during that period.

Services to be rendered by the Technical Experts

Based on the programmatic & institutional requirements, the TEs may be engaged to provide the following services to CDRI, but not limited to;

  • Provide assistance in the review and evaluation of technical documents including scope of work, methodologies, findings, technical feasibility, financial aspects, and recommendations;
  • Review bid documents, Terms of Reference and Scope of Work for initiatives to be launched under CDRI including scoring of technical proposals;
  • Provide advice on technical, project planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and project close-out;
  • Participate in meetings, training, workshops, field visits, or any other services as per the role suitability of the Technical Experts as required by CDRI.

Specific Task Work Order to Technical Experts

  • For specific & individual assignments, detailed Terms of Reference through a specific task work order with a timeline will be provided on a

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Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

case-by-case basis, spelling out the scope of the assignment, deliverables, and number of days of engagement required by the TE.

  • The Procurement Team will issue the "Work Orders" in coordination with the respective focal point of CDRI programs.

Taxation & Payment Terms

  • It is as per the policy of CDRI. The rates for both national and international TEs will be inclusive of income tax and goods and services tax (GST) as applicable in India.
  • Payments to TEs will be made based on per-day rates (as per CDRI policy) (half day (4 hours) / full day (8 hours) as per the levels defined below in Annexure 1.
  • Additionally, travel and DSA as per CDRI policy may be applicable subject to the specific requirements of the assignment.

Definition of Levels

The following are the definitions of different levels:

Level A: Expert with more than 5 years of relevant experience and appropriate qualifications. This level is established for the engagement of support services not available in the Organization related to projects or technical tasks of a narrow scope for which limited technical skills or experience are required.

Level B: Expert with more than 10 years of relevant experience and appropriate qualifications. This level is typically used for projects of moderate complexity with either broad scope or limited depth or restricted scope and considerable depth that have an impact on the performance of systems, processes and team(s) within the Organization. This level is typically used for individuals with a specialized degree or training and several years of relevant experience in one of the substantive, technical and/or administrative fields of the Organization.

Level C: Expert with more than 15 years of relevant experience and appropriate qualifications. This level shall be authorized to engage an individual with extensive relevant professional experience requiring specialized or technical knowledge and skills. Individuals at this level will be expected to develop new approaches, techniques or policies and/or design guidelines, standard operating procedures and a project's theme. Individuals would be engaged in projects of broad scope and considerable depth that will have an impact on the overall execution of programmes or services of a function or various interrelated areas. Expected outputs of the consultancy at this level may relate, inter alia, to providing technical support; leading group dynamics; and undertaking report drafting or project-wide proposals.

Level D: Expert with more than 20 years of relevant experience and appropriate qualifications. This level shall be authorized to engage highly specialized individuals with extensive relevant experience and the highest level of expertise in the corresponding area of work or programme for which they are engaged. The individual's

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Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

services, work and recommendations, for example, may form one of several contributions to the accomplishment of a crucial programme or service or functional area of a broad scope, involving high complexity and impact. Some of the expected deliverable outputs would primarily relate to the following: providing functional leadership and expert advice, preparing intricate and complex technical papers to working groups; undertaking the drafting of reports or proposals for projects of a large scale or a broad scope. The individual's assigned duties may relate to large-scale programmatic and operational activities involving large commitments of staff and funds.

Level E: Expert with more than 25 years of relevant experience and appropriate qualifications. The level is reserved for essentially very exceptional arrangements related to services and work to be obtained from a well-known, worldwide authority in a highly specialized area. Normally, these types of engagements may result in programmatic and/or operational activities involving either large commitments of staff and funds or an exceptionally complex programmatic scope, which would carry a significant organizational impact on delivery in terms of strategy, operational reengineering and planning analytics, usually of an unusual complexity and/or sensitive nature.

Key admissibility criteria and the minimum requisites

A. Education Criteria

  • Advanced university degree (equivalent to postgraduate) in the field relevant to the study.
  • Doctorate / PhD degree in the field relevant to the study is desirable.

B. Experience Criteria

  • Relevant professional or academic experience in the field and technical area relevant to the study/project/initiative.
  • Experience in conducting technical reviews of project documents globally.
  • Experience in similar roles for the UN, World Bank, private sector, or international development and multilateral organizations.
  • Experience in having written widely in the fields and provided high-level advice globally.

C. Language Proficiency:

  • Fluency in English.
  • Knowledge of any of the 6 UN official languages other than English will be an asset.
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