Terms of Reference

Project

Carbon Calculator Developer: Mainstreaming Green Growth In DTI Planning Processes

Expertise

Category

Advisory Support, Level E

Location

Duty Station

National Capital Region, Philippines

Contract Length

Start Date

28 August 2017

End Date

31 May 2018

Part-time/Full-time

Part-time with intermittent basis

Contract Value        

Daily Rate

N/A (Deliverable-Based Consultant)

Days Estimated

20 days (Intermittent Level of Effort)

Total Fees

USD 4,000

Specifics of Recruitment

Introduction:

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a new international organization committed to strong, inclusive green growth. It assists developing and emerging countries with integrating their ambitions for strong economic performance and environmental sustainability with the goal of bringing about poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.  Headquartered in Seoul, GGGI was established by treaty in June 2012 at the United Nations Rio+20 Conference by an initial group of 18 nations who share the organization’s vision. To date, there are total of 26 Member Countries who joined the organization.

In the Philippines, GGGI is implementing the Ecotown Scale-Up Project: Climate Resilient Green Growth Planning at the Provincial Level in partnership with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to promote sustainable local economic development and climate resilience in the Provinces of Palawan and Oriental Mindoro and among concerned National Government Agencies. Aligned with this initiative, the GGGI entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to promote green growth among the private sector and within the agency through three (3) areas of collaboration, namely: a.) Developing a Business Case for Greening MSME Operations; b.) Mainstreaming Green Growth in the DTI Planning Process; and c.) Capacity Building for DTI Green Growth Advocates.

Objectives/Purpose of the Assignment: 

In support of Mainstreaming Green Growth in the DTI Planning Process, the GGGI intends to engage the services of a Carbon Calculator Developer (Consultant)to work intermittently in developing a “Web-Based Carbon Calculator” that will broadly disseminate information and educate internal and external stakeholders about the need for collective efforts to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions at the individual and organizational levels. The consultant will work closely with the designated GGGI Staff, the DTI Planning and Management Service, the DTI Information Systems Management Service, and the DTI-Human Resource and Administrative Service. The assignment is expected to result in an operational “Web-Based Carbon Calculator” that is customized to the Philippine setting and one that will influence individual and organizational practices, within the DTI, to contribute to reduction in GHG emissions.

Scope of Work: 

Individual Work Plan. Upon contract signing and prior to conducting technical activities, the consultant will prepare and submit an Individual Work Plan presenting his understanding of the TOR; his approach to the assignment; and the relevant timeline. The said work plan will be reviewed and agreed with GGGI, the DTI-Planning and Management Service, DTI-Information Systems Management Service, and the DTI-Human Resource and Administrative Service to ensure that the objectives of the assignment are understood by the parties and planned activities are synchronized with GGGI and DTI expectations. Expected Output: 1.) Individual Work Plan

Part 1: Analysis of Existing Carbon Calculator Programs. The consultant will examine and familiarize with current web-based carbon calculator programs to understand among others, the scope, assumptions used, functions, interface and effectiveness with the end view of preparing a “Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model” for the envisioned “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”. In pursuing this task, the consultant will prepare an Assessment Report and Recommendations presenting the results of his examination of the popular carbon calculator programs indicating among others: a.) Strengths and limitations of said programs; b.) Suggestions on how to build on said programs to develop the envisioned “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”; c.) Proposed scope of the envisioned “Web-Based Carbon Calculator” to indicate the areas where GHG emissions will be interactively measured; d.) Level of customization to the Philippine setting indicating the variables and the indicators to measure and customize; and e.) Other aspects necessary to support the comprehensiveness of the Assessment Report. In pursuing this task, the consultant is expected to conduct research and develop operational familiarity with the formula, computations and metrics used in estimating the GHG contributions of key activities, particularly those that will be captured in the envisioned “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”.  The consultant will present the result of his Assessment Report to GGGI, DTI and concerned National Government Agencies such as the CCC, among others. Expected Output: 1.) Assessment Report and Recommendations

Part 2. Developing Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model for “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”. Based on the result of Part 1, the consultant will prepare a Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model for the “Web-Based Carbon Calculator” presenting its proposed features, such as the scope/activities to measure, modules for each measured aspect, intended users, data input requirements, outputs, function, and results processing, among others. In developing the said Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model, the consultant is expected to propose options to allow DTI to select the appropriate combination of features and functionalities to suit their requirements. The consultant will conduct consultations with the GGGI and the concerned DTI units to secure inputs to the Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model until this is finally approved by GGGI and DTI. Relative to this, the consultant will also examine the appropriate programming language to ensure consistency with that used by the DTI, particularly in view of intentions to link or even embed the said Carbon Calculator in the DTI webpage. Expected Output: 1.) Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model (with report, diagram and schematics) for the “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”

Part 3. Programming and System Development for the “Web-Based Carbon Calculator”.  Considering the approved Business Requirement Document/Conceptual Model, the consultant will proceed with developing the program/system for the “Web-Based Carbon Calculator” using the appropriate software and application. The consultant is expected to have his/her own access to the required and licensed software and application and authorized to utilize the same. In developing the program, the consultant is expected to work closely with the designated staff from the DTI-Information Systems Management Service and conduct a series of consultation with the other concerned DTI units to secure inputs and validate the progress of the programming/system development. The capability, user-interface, user-experience of the said system should be carefully conceptualized such that it: a.) Encourages user patronage; b.) Analyzes and processes user response to formulate key findings that translate scientific results to terminologies that are easily understood by ordinary people and relatable to daily activities. For instance, as the system determines the carbon emissions of an individual respondent (e.g. based on the mode of transportation; power consumption in the office and at home; and others), it should be able to indicate the cost in terms of Philippine Peso and US Dollars, the number of trees (sink) necessary to offset his/her carbon emissions, among others. The system should be designed such that it generally has a “Home Module” that captures the home-based activities of respondents contributing to GHG emissions; and a “Work Module” that captures the work-based activities of respondents contributing to GHG emissions. The intention for having these two modules is for the system to map the respondents according to residence and/or office (e.g. DTI employees) such that the system could later on aggregate and make basic statistical analysis that could be the basis for policy recommendations. For instance, the system should be able to consolidate and analyze the responses of DTI users such it is able to indicate the total GHG contributions of DTI as an agency with the objective of identifying areas where work related practices could be enhanced to minimize emissions. The system should be able to establish trends on a periodic basis to allow DTI to monitor the GHG emissions of a common set of respondents in case it becomes mandatory for DTI to use the system in recording GHG emissions of work related activities (i.e. mode of transportation for official functions; power consumption; and others).

The consultant is expected to pilot run the “Beta Version - Web-Based Carbon Calculator” to test and the system for any issues and secure feedback from users. User acceptance test will also be undertaken at this stage. Based on the result of the pilot run, the consultant will refine and finalize the system into an “Operational - Web Based Carbon Calculator” such that it is ready for official launch. Relative to this, the consultant will lead the discussion with DTI on the possible interface or integration of the said system with the official DTI website and finalize the system based on the agreed arrangement with the DTI. Expected Outputs: 1.) Beta Version of the Web-Based Carbon Calculator; 2.) Operational - Web Based Carbon Calculator

Part 4. Training and Hand-Over. The DTI- Information Systems Management Service will designate a Focal Person who will work closely with the consultant to facilitate technology transfer. While the consultant is responsible for producing the outputs under this Terms of Reference, the DTI Focal Person is expected to be involved in key activities of the consultant such that he/she is able to learn with the end view of being able to serve as Administrator of the Web-Based Carbon Calculator. Towards this, the consultant is expected to mentor the said Focal Person on the key aspects of the system highlighting what is necessary for him/her to administer the system. The consultant will prepare a Basic Administration Manual for the Operational Web-Based Carbon Calculator and conduct a hands-on training for the Focal Person to familiarize with managing the system. Once the training is completed, the consultant will turn-over the system to GGGI and DTI for launching, including the source code for the program, and such other tools necessary for DTI to later on have the ability to modify and improve the Carbon Calculator. GGGI and DTI would have full ownership of the Web-Based Carbon Calculator upon its completion. Expected Outputs: 1.) Basic Operations Manual for the Web-Based carbon Calculator; 2.) Training for DTI Focal Person(s) conducted; 3.) Training Completion Report

Assignment Completion Report. Upon conclusion of the assignment and submission of the concerned outputs, the consultant will prepare an Assignment Completion Report to present how the objectives of the assignment and the ToR have been satisfied.

In performing the assignment, the consultant is expected to coordinate regularly with the GGGI designated staff, the DTI-Planning and Management Service, the DTI- Information Systems Management Service, the DTI-Human Resource and Administrative Service and the identified DTI officials and staff. As necessary, he/she will report to the concerned DTI office at least once a week.  He/she will participate in meetings and discussions relevant to the concerned tasks. He/she is also expected to lead and deliver presentations in selected occasions to share the status of the assignment and solicit inputs from relevant stakeholders. The ownership of the Web-Based Carbon Calculator and all related outputs developed by the consultant will be assigned to GGGI and DTI.   

Output/Reporting Requirements/Deliverables: 

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs per identified timeline below:

 *From date of contract signing 

Qualifications/Experience/Expertise: 

The consultant must demonstrate the following minimum requirements: 

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Programming and other relevant academic discipline related to the assignment;
• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in developing software and programs related to the assignment;
• Demonstrated competence in developing web-based interactive systems; web application development with PHP and MySQL database
• Adept in using the latest computer technologies and familiar with software and programs relevant to the assignment;
• Knowledgeable about climate change issues;
• Basic knowledge of DTI mandate and operations;
• Able to train and mentor staff;
• Ability and experience to build and maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders including Government entities and other development partners;
• Maturity in a time-sensitive environment, and meet deadlines with strong attention to details; and
• Excellent English presentation, writing, communication and networking skills.