BBRSO31022: Watershed/ Landscape Management Expert SVG

Background

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Administration

To apply, interested persons should upload the combined Technical Proposal (if applicable), CV and Offeror’s Letter to “UNDP Jobs” by navigating to the link below and clicking “APPLY NOW”, no later than the date indicated on the “UNDP Jobs” website. Application submitted via email will not be accepted: -

The UNDP Job Site ONLY

NOTE: The Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to “UNDP Jobs”.

If requested by the Procurement Unit, the Financial Proposal should be submitted to procurement.bb@undp.org within 24 hours of a request. Failure to submit the Financial Proposal will result in disqualification.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.bb@undp.org within three (3) days of the publication of this notice, ensuring that the reference number above is included in the subject line. The UNDP Barbados & the OECS Procurement Unit will post the responses two (2) days later, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to: -

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=41637 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work)

A detailed Procurement Notice, TOR, and all annexes can be found by clicking the above link.

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The system allows the upload of one (1) document ONLY – should you be required to submit a Technical Proposal and CV, these documents along with the Offeror’s Letter should be combined and uploaded as one

UNDP shall endeavour to provide such responses to clarifications in an expeditious manner, but any delay in such response shall not cause an obligation on the part of UNDP to extend the submission date of the Proposals, unless UNDP deems that such an extension is justified and necessary.

St Vincent and the Grenadines has a diverse biodiversity with multiple endemics, and consists of approximately 1,150 species of flowering plants, 163 species of ferns, 7 species of amphibians, over 18 species of reptiles, including 4 endangered sea turtles, over 150 species of birds, and 22 species of mammals including 12 species of bats, 25 species of freshwater fish, crayfish and crabs, 25 species of diplopods, 220 species of arachnids, over 2000 species of insects, 35 terrestrial crustaceans, 800 marine and 75 terrestrial species of mollusks.

Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, St. Vincent and the Grenadines faces significant threats to these biodiversity and ecosystem services. These are primarily related to habitat destruction and fragmentation from unsustainable agricultural capital development practices that have contributed to a 3-5% rate of annual forest destruction; invasive alien species (IAS) and disease, which have been adversely affecting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems; and climate change, which has led to an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, leading to adverse impacts on ecosystems, livelihoods and economic growth.

In attempting to address these threats, several major barriers have been identified related to the lack of sufficient regulatory and institutional framework for PA management and landscape level planning (INRM), insufficient personnel, technical capacities and resources for expansion of the PA estate and conservation of its biodiversity and insufficient awareness, planning and technical capacities for landscape level resource management. To address these challenges, the  Conserving Biodiversity and Reducing Land Degradation Using a Ridge-to-Reef Approach project will implement the following components:

• Strengthening the institutional framework for Protected Areas, Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Land Use, including improved policy, legal, regulatory, planning and financial systems.
• Establishment and effective management of new and existing PAs with legally recognized and demarcated boundaries
• Integrated watershed management measures in R2R setting to reduce threats to upstream PA and downstream MPA/MMA and develop alterative livelihoods and businesses
• Knowledge management for SLM, CSA and biodiversity conservation that improves technical capacities, raises public awareness and changes behaviors

A Project Preparation Grant (PPG) has been approved by the GEF Secretariat to support development of a full-sized project (FSP) that must be submitted no later than September 1, 2018.

This PPG preparatory phase aims to finalize the formulation of project arrangements, enabling stakeholder consultation and supporting the collection of data for the formulation of baseline and complementary activities. Careful analysis is necessary to determine how the project will contribute most effectively to environmental impacts across two focal areas, Biodiversity and Land Degradation. The final output of the initiation plan will be a UNDP project document and GEF CEO endorsement template, both will be submitted to the GEF Sec within the agreed upon timeframe and with all the supporting documentation required; including co-financing letters.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

The Watershed/Landscape Management Expert will have specific role and inputs to the following outputs as defined in the PIF.

Specific responsibilities include:

Component 2: Establishment and Effective Management of New and Existing PAs

Component 3:  Integrated watershed management measures in R2R setting to reduce threats to upstream PA and downstream MPA/MMA

• Report on Ecological Conditions at Targeted Terrestrial PA Units

This will involve assessment of the conditions within the project watersheds, including maps, assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services, land/resource uses, potential global environmental benefits, and threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services. This would include environmental impacts of unsustainable land management practices in watershed, in particular related to biodiversity loss, land degradation, climate change, unsustainable forest management and coastal and marine pollution.

Management Effectiveness Report

Baseline report on Management Effectiveness for SLM and CSA, including capacities, resources, procedures, financing, etc., including a summary of barriers to improved management. Report will include:

• a review and analysis of capacity needs (technical, financial, equipment, knowledge) associated with incorporation of SLM practices and technologies
• capacity development strategy that incorporates recommendations for SLM technologies and practices to promote through project intervention in order to reduce negative environmental impacts
• training and technical needs to support adoption of these technologies and practices
• awareness and understanding gaps identified related to SLM and CSA techniques, and biodiversity in the integrated landscape. Include summary description of proposed project activities specified to proposed intervention areas, including identification of identification of potential partners; a list of specific activities and their estimated costs; and potential co-financing resources.
• Analysis of capacities and data availability freshwater and saltwater quality monitoring and advisory capacities. Determine if baseline can be established during PPG phase or should be a task in inception phase, what technical and technological requirements needed for this.

Project Scoping

• Define, in coordination with national authorities, other relevant stakeholders and in consultation with the Protected Areas Expert, the areas and preliminary boundaries for project watershed SLM and CSA interventions. This includes sites for CSA demonstration sites to showcase climate resilient agricultural practices and technologies, SLM and land rehabilitation practices, as well as sites for farmers’ field schools. This should include the information the level of land degradation and incorporate information on (1) the socioeconomic situation and on (2) globally significant biodiversity incorporated from the relevant consultant.
• Support the Project Development Expert in obtaining a set of relevant co-financing letters for the SLM related activities of the project (together with Biodiversity and Landscape Management Systems Expert)
• Description of all SLM/CSA related project stakeholders and of stakeholder roles and responsibilities in the full project (together with the PA and Ecosystems Experts)
• Support the definition of LD tracking tool (in collaboration with the PPG team)
• Contribute to the preparation of the GEF Request for CEO Endorsement and to the UNDP projet document (ProDoc)
• Define further technical assessments, assistance and expertise needed to support project implementation on particular deliverables (with preliminary TOR or task lists for support experts)
• Input to the Social and Environmental Standards Procedure (SESP), and Environmental and Social Management Plan (if needed) on relevant standards, as per UNDP guidance, feeding to the Project Development Expert

• Component 1:  Strengthened institutional framework for Protected Areas, Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Land Use

  The tasks will be carried out in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry, which has the primary responsibility for the management of biodiversity, agriculture and natural resource landscape level planning; with a number of other stakeholders mentioned in the PIF, such as the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs (MJLA), which is responsible for all environment related legislation and regulation.

 Institutional Assessment Report

• In coordination with the Protected Areas Institutionalisation Expert, the Watershed and Landscape Management Expert will also undertake:

• Baseline assessment of policy, legal/regulatory, institutional, and financial frameworks for, SLM and CSA approaches, integrated landscape level natural resource management (including watershed-level management), and recommendations for related project activities. Determining gaps in the policy, legal/regulatory and institutional, coordination and financial frameworks, and identifying barriers and weaknesses and providing recommendations for project activities to address these.
• Baseline analysis of natural resources information management system for SLM/CSA aspects: current capacities, procedures and inter-institutional coordination, access and use of information, technical and technological capacity gaps and needs, current use of information for monitoring activities
• Capacity assessment and capacity development strategy for PA system management and for integrated landscape level natural resource management (SLM/CSA, BD conservation) approaches at the systemic level, and carrying out consultations with institutional stakeholders to support the institutional capacity assessments and identification of institutional strengthening needs; completed UNDP Capacity Development Scorecard.
• Identify most appropriate project interventions to strengthen institutional capacities and the institutional framework in output areas of Component 1, including further assessment or technical expertise needs
• Identify further assessment and technical expertise needs to carry out results under component 1
• Support the definition of knowledge management and communication strategies and products on SLM, CSA and watershed management aspects, tailored to users

          Institutional Arrangements

• The Watershed/ Landscape Management Expert will report directly to the UNDP Programme Manager for Energy and the Environment in the Sub-Regional Office for Barbados and the OECS and the Regional Technical Advisor in Panama and will work in close coordination with the other PPG team members. The Expert will communicate on the progress of the work to the ¨PPG Team Leader, any challenges being encountered or risks foreseen, mitigation measures proposed or taken, and where UNDP/national support may be required. Outputs produced will undergo review for certification of acceptance.

• The Expert is expected to have the appropriate software, equipment, facilities or access to such as relevant to complete the required services. The Expert will operate from their usual base and undertake missions to St Vincent and the Grenadines as needed.

  Deliverables

  The contract price is a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the duration specified herein. The Financial Proposal will include all fees and costs associated with the execution of the contract, including professional fees, travel, equipment and all other expenses that will be incurred during the execution of the work.

  Payment will be remitted subject to the approval of final deliverables by UNDP, and based on the contractor’s price proposal. Expected deadlines and proposed payment allocations are as follows:

  Deliverables	Expected deadline	Percentage payment
  Report on Ecological Conditions at Targeted Terrestrial PA Units	3rd month	30%
  PA Management Effectiveness Report	5th month	30%
  Project Scoping and contribution to the draft ProDoc	6th month	15%
  Institutional Assessment Report	7th month	25%

Competencies

• Good analytical and organizational skills of baseline documentation gathering, organization and communication to support experts
• Good understating of national policy and institutional structures, and ability to advise on institutional capacities and relations
• Fully proficient in the following software applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Excellent verbal and writing communication skills in English.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• A graduate degree in agronomy, natural resources management, environmental engineering, water resources management/engineering, or closely related field.

Experience

• At least 4 years of experience working in the preparation and implementation of watershed/landscape management, sustainable agriculture and sustainable land use management, and related initiatives
• Good analytical skills of sustainable land use problems and threats, and experience in management solutions, including multi-stakeholder processes and integrated watershed management solutions
• Experience in designing and conducting stakeholder consultations and ability of defining project strategies and interventions at different levels
• Understanding of results-based management
• Experience in agriculture and SLM related regulatory, policy and planning frames, coordination and information management systems
• Advantage if has experience in plant propagation and germplasm collection management aspects

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

2. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

3. Financial proposal (prepared, but not submitted unless requested to do so)

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

• Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

• Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.  In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

EVALUATION

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should 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 a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight [70%]

* Financial Criteria weight [30%]

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Criteria	Weight	Max. Point
Technical	70	70
Relevance of academic qualifications	15	15
Relevant technical experience	30	30
Regional experience	15	15
Competencies for the assignment	10	10
Financial	30	30