Palau CBIT MRV Individual Consultant for NDC Tracking and Reporting

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The GGGI is co-executing the Palau Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) Project with the Palau Office of Climate Change (OCC), with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the GEF Implementing Agency.

The CBIT project’s objective is to strengthen the climate transparency system of Palau in order to meet the requirements of the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) under the Paris Agreement through three project components: 1) strengthening gender-responsive institutional arrangements for ETF, 2) establishing GHG inventory systems, and 3) strengthening the MRV system for tracking climate actions and support. The project is designed to address key barriers to climate transparency, including limited institutional capacity, insufficient data management systems, and gaps in technical expertise for tracking and reporting of GHG emissions/ removals, Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) progress as well as climate support receive and needed.

In response to the above, the Palau OCC, with the support of GGGI, seeks to engage an individual consultant to support the strengthening of Palau’s national monitoring, tracking and reporting on climate actions by developing the necessary tools, templates and protocols, and building the capacity of national stakeholders, to improve climate transparency reporting and long-term ETF implementation. The selected consultant will consider the ongoing transparency efforts by OCC and align their work with the initiatives such as Palau’s first Biennial Transparency Report preparation and Climate Finance Capacity Support Program.

To achieve the project objectives, GGGI is looking for a qualified consultant to support the GGGI and the Palau of Climate Change in strengthening the implementation of the ETF in climate action reporting. The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following:

• Prepare a scoping report assessing data requirements and methodologies for tracking the progress made in implementing and achieving the NDC.
• Review and finalize formal Data Sharing Agreements for key data providers to facilitate robust, consistent data flows for NDC progress tracking.
• Design data collection templates and protocols for tracking NDC progress.
• Facilitate training workshops for government staff and relevant stakeholders on NDC progress tracking.

The consultant will work in close collaboration with the Palau CBIT Project Officer under the overall guidance of the CBIT Project Manager, and in close coordination with the Palau OCC, relevant line ministries and agencies. The consultant will ensure that all training will ensure balanced gender representation through targeted outreach, encouraging participation of women staff. The Consultant will undertake the following tasks and deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Scoping paper on NDC progress tracking data requirements and methodologies

The consultant will prepare a scoping paper that defines the data, indicators, and methodological requirements needed to track progress in implementing and achieving Palau's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and NDC 3.0 targets, in alignment with the Modalities, Procedures and Guidelines (MPGs) for the Enhanced Transparency Framework under Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. The paper will begin by establishing what needs to be measured against each NDC target as well as mitigation actions, policies and measures across sectors, then assess the extent to which current data sources, reporting systems, and methodological frameworks can meet the ETF requirements. The report will identify gaps between what is needed and what is currently available, identify and provide potential data providers for each data and indicator requirement, and recommend relevant methodologies and indicators that could be applied to meet Palau's specific NDC progress tracking needs. The findings will serve as the foundational reference for subsequent deliverables under this assignment, informing the development of data collection templates and protocols under deliverable 2.

Deliverable 2: Data Sharing Agreements and consultation workshops

The consultant will review the existing Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs) already developed by the OCC, assess their coverage against the NDC progress tracking data requirements identified under Deliverable 1, and update or develop DSAs to address any gaps found. The updated DSAs will ensure that all key data providers for the NDC progress tracking data are governed by clear, and operationally effective data-sharing arrangements. The consultant will update or develop the DSAs through consultations/workshops with relevant institutional stakeholders to ensure the DSAs reflect each agency's mandates and data management requirements.

The consultant will incorporate feedback and agreed revisions emerging from the consultations/workshops to produce the finalized version of the DSAs. The consultant will also produce a consolidated consultations report documenting the consultation processes, key discussions, feedback received, and agreed revisions made to the DSAs.

As the CBIT project also includes a parallel workstream on GHG inventory led by a separate consultant, where the data provider for GHG inventory-related data is the same agency as for the NDC tracking data, the consultant shall work closely with the CBIT Project's GHG Inventory Consultant to consolidate data sharing arrangements under a single agreement, avoiding duplication and ensuring consistency across both reporting streams.

Deliverable 3: Data collection templates and protocols for NDC progress tracking and reporting, and Training materials

The consultant will develop standardized templates and protocols/standard operating procedures for NDC tracking data collection and reporting, including quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) procedures. The data collection protocols will define clear operational procedures, reporting timelines, and institutional roles and responsibilities for each data provider to support coordinated and consistent reporting. The QA/QC procedures will be integrated throughout, incorporating checks to ensure data accuracy, completeness, and consistency in line with the reporting requirements under ETF. The consultant shall consult with relevant stakeholders for the validation of the templates and protocols.

Furthermore, the consultant will prepare training materials to build national capacity on the ETF requirements, focusing on Section C of the MPGs (Information necessary to track progress in implementing and achieving NDCs under Article 4 of the Paris Agreement). These materials will also support national staff in the technical application of the NDC tracking process, including but not limited to data collection templates and protocols, defining and determining progress indicators, GHG reduction estimations, and compilation processes.  The training materials should provide step-by-step instructions, methodological guidance, and practical examples aligned with international reporting requirements and relevant to Palau's national context. It will serve as a technical reference for national staff and relevant experts in implementing the above templates and protocols. The training materials will be shared with the relevant experts and stakeholders for review and validation.

Deliverable 4: Capacity building training workshops on NDC implementation progress tracking

The consultant will plan and facilitate training workshops for national government staff and relevant stakeholders involved in NDC tracking and reporting. The workshops will draw on the materials developed under deliverable 2, covering the use of templates and protocols for NDC implementation progress and reporting.

The consultant will document each workshop through individual training reports, including outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations across all sessions.

Notes:

• The Consultant will use their own resources (laptop, etc.) during the consultancy service under the project to produce all deliverables.
• All deliverables must be submitted to GGGI and the Palau Office of Climate Change in English.
• Any data and information collected as part of this consultancy must be submitted to GGGI and the Palau OCC, ensuring confidentiality of unpublished government information and complying with GGGI’s and the Government of Palau’s data protection, ethics, and safeguarding policies.
• All reports under this consultancy must be approved by GGGI and the OCC, before payment is made to the Consultant.
• The Consultant shall consider all comments and necessary revisions proposed and provide a final version of the reports reflecting the revisions within 10 working days of the receipt of feedback.
• Electronic versions of deliverables must be compatible with Microsoft Office applications and adhere to GGGI's font and style guidelines. Copies will also be provided to GGGI and the OCC.
• The Consultant will report to the Project Manager of the Palau CBIT project and work in close coordination with PMU & the Palau Office of Climate Change.

The consultant is expected to have the following qualifications:

• A Master's degree in environmental science, environmental policy, climate change, statistics, data analytics, environmental economics, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in MRV systems or climate transparency is required.
• Experience working with and supporting governments on NDC implementation, tracking, or reporting and inter-agency coordination is desired.
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of the ETF, including the National Communications (NCs) and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) is preferred.
• Proven ability to design, plan, and facilitate effective stakeholder engagement meetings and workshops.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to produce clear, effective reports and other publications.
• Strong interpersonal and motivational skills, with sensitivity to the local environment, and the ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to effectively lead and collaborate with people from diverse professional, cultural, and technical backgrounds.

Interested consultants shall submit the following documentation:  

• Curriculum Vitae with a maximum of four pages.
• Cover Letter with demonstration of ability and experience in the deliverables outlined in the ToR.
• Proposed one-page workplan, indicating the applicant’s understanding of the scope of work and approach for the completion of the assignment.

Applications will close on 31 August 2026 12.00AM Korean Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.  Application including Cover Letter and CV must be sent in English. A consortium, or a firm may not be engaged for the individual consultant assignment.

Project: Palau Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) – Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Consultant for NDC Tracking and Reporting
Duty Station: Palau/Remote
Contract Duration: 7 months
Consultant Level: 4
Total Fees: 25,000