Biodiversity Finance Advisor for BIOFIN Phase II – Implementation of Biodiversity Finance Plan

Background

Overview:

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in October 2012, launched the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) as a new global partnership seeking to address the biodiversity finance challenge in a comprehensive manner – building a sound business case for increased investment in the management of ecosystems and biodiversity, with a particular focus on the needs and transformational opportunities at the national level.

During BIOFIN Phase II (2018 – 2022), BIOFIN is supporting the Royal Thai Government and other key stakeholders from the private sector and civil society in implementing Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity.

• Thailand’s Finance Plan for Biodiversity identifies a mix of suitable biodiversity finance solutions to reduce the biodiversity finance gap in Thailand. The last component of the BIOFIN process is the implementation phase. The BIOFIN national teams make a selection between the prioritized finance solutions and provide technical support for their implementation.

Biodiversity finance solutions will provide impacts designed to reach national biodiversity targets (i.e., NBSAP, 20-year National Strategy, etc.) through four main results:

1. Generate revenues, i.e. any existing or innovative mechanism or instrument that can generate and/or leverage financial resources to allocate to biodiversity. Examples include the attraction of impact investment in conservation projects, etc.;
2. Realign current expenditures, i.e. any measure that can reorient existing financial flows towards biodiversity.
3. Avoid future biodiversity expenditures, i.e. any measure that can prevent or reduce future investment needs by eliminating or amending existing counter-productive policies and expenditures.
4. Deliver financial resources more effectively and efficiently, i.e. any measure or instrument that can enhance cost-effectiveness and efficiency in budget execution, achieve synergies and/or favour a more equitable distribution of resources.

BIOFIN Thailand, together with a diversity of actors and experts, has developed the prioritized set of finance solutions for biodiversity which are now undergoing implementation (2018 – 2022). Finance solutions that are seen as the most promising and realistic were chosen and judged as being significant in terms of ‘impact on biodiversity’ and ‘impact on finance’ as well as ‘likelihood of success’. ?

Thailand’s prioritized Biodiversity Finance Solutions are the following:

1. User charges
2. Environmental trust fund
3. Conservation license plates
4. Realignment of local government budgets for biodiversity
5. Ecosystem service bond
6. Biodiversity impact investment
7. The Lion’s Share
8. Nutrient trading
9. Biodiversity offsets
10. Earmarking for urban green space

The objective of Phase II is to support Thailand with the implementation of the Biodiversity Finance Plan and related finance solutions (see Annex I).

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of the Assignment

During Phase II, Thailand will implement prioritised Biodiversity Finance Solutions endorsed by the Project Steering Committee and BIOFIN Global team.  The objective of this assignment of the Biodiversity Finance Advisor is to support BIOFIN Thailand in implemention of prioritised finance solutions, including developing and implementing innovative finance solutions. S/he will conduct technical analysis and gather evidence to support BIOFIN Thailand in order to persuade the government, prospective investors and stakeholders on the opportunity of implementing the Plan and investing in biodiversity. In close consultation with (i) BIOFIN Thailand National Steering Committee, (ii) BIOFIN Project Management Unit of UNDP Thailand and (iii) Global BIOFIN Core Team, the Biodiversity Finance Advisor will coordinate with BIOFIN Thailand to initiate activities related to the country implementation strategy/ pilot projects.

Scope of Work

The Biodiversity Finance Advisor for BIOFIN Phase II – Implementation of Biodiversity Finance Plan will play a key supporting role in technical aspects and coordinating with the National BIOFIN Coordinator and other contributing experts in order to implement the prioritised finance solutions in Thailand.

The scope of work is as follows:

1. Complete finance solutions proposals /pilot project development for BIOFIN Thailand’s Phase II;
2. Conduct feasibility assessments of prioritised finance solutions and on topics related to the pilot project formulation on BIOFIN Finance Plan and other matters that may arise;
3. Assist and support the National BIOFIN Team Leader with strategic advice and coordinating finance solutions implementation.
4. Draft supportive documentation, technical notes or speeches for the National BIOFIN Team Leader and Government partners.
5. Establish and maintain effective relationship with government partners, civil society, and private sector entities within area of responsibility.
6. Contribute to effective coordination and cooperation within BIOFIN Thailand which includes informing team members of day-to-day development, emerging opportunities and challenges, and provides recommendations accordingly in a timely manner.
7. Extract lessons learned from implementation of prioritised finance solutions and share with a wide group of stakeholders.
8. Reporting and updates provided to UNDP, government, global BIOFIN team, etc.
9. All missions/ workshops/meetings organised in line with workplan and well documented.
10. Support the BIOFIN regional conference in Thailand, including preparation of materials, presenting and networking activities.

See Annex I: Executive summary of the Biodiversity Finance Plan for Thailand  

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The expected outputs and deliverables:

• 1st deliverable: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) Realignment of local government budgets for biodiversity. 30 April 2019
• 2nd deliverable: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) Biodiversity impact investment. b) Ecosystem service bond.  Participation as the resources person at the BIOFIN exhibition on the International Biodiversity Day. 31 May 2019
• 3rd deliverable: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) The Lion’s Share. 30 June 2019
• 4th deliverable: Support the launch of the impact investment platform for biodiversity linking investors with projects through activities such as a specific Biodiversity Impact Investment Day or join up with the SET Social Impact Day.  31 July 2019
• 5th deliverable: Presentation of recommendations report and up-scaling plan for (1) User Charge (2) Environmental Trust Fund Finance Solutions (Koh Tao pilot project) 31 August 2019
• 6th deliverable: Organise the BIOFIN regional Workshop hosted in Thailand. 30 September 2019
• 7th deliverable: Finalize materials for ‘Training of the Trainers’ in LGU pilot sites on the BIOFIN process, budget reporting, Monitoring & Evaluation, etc. 31 October 2019
• 8th deliverable: Oversee the design and support the launch of the Biodiversity Impact App. 30 November 2019
• 9th deliverable: Finalize all relevant documentation for Ministry of Finance (MOF) approval for Ecosystem Service Bond. 31 December 2019
• 10th deliverable: Design communications strategy for the Lion’s Share launch. 31 January 2020
• 11th deliverable: Design social marketing campaign for the general public regarding launch of conservation license plates in Thailand. 28 February 2020
• 12th deliverable: Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanism with reporting system to ensure environmental trust fund is used for specific objective. 31 March 2020

Institutional Arrangement:

The Biodiversity Finance Advisor will report to the Global BIOFIN Core Team and UNDP’s Inclusive Green Growth and Sustainable Development Unit in UNDP Thailand. He/she will work in close collaboration the National BIOFIN Coordinator in PMU and other Biodiversity Finance Advisors of BIOFIN Thailand.

Duration of the Assignment:

01 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 with a total 180 working days.

Duty Station:

The consultant will be Bangkok-based, working at UNDP Country Office, Bangkok Thailand with expected travel within Thailand and Asia Pacific

For any unforeseen official mission apart from this TOR mentioned, the Consultant will be requested to submit the concept note of mission for approval by UNDP’s BIOFIN Thailand 07 days prior to undertaking any mission in Thailand or aboard. The concept Note will elaborate the key points as follows:

1. mission purposes,
2. main activities,
3. tentative programme,
4. list of mission members, and
5. expected outputs.

 The complete document (max 2 pages) will be sent to the Project Management Unit of BIOFIN Thailand for approval.  Upon receipt of approval from the National BIOFIN Coordinator, the Consultant should arrange his or her own travel as planned. Upon completion of the mission, the Consultant shall submit the following documents:

1. Mission report
2. List of persons met
3. Summary of cost incurred for reimbursement.

 For any unforeseen travel cost incurred, the Consultant shall be responsible for an advance payment.  The reimbursement shall be proceeded in accordance with the UNDP procedures upon submission of the mission report. The reimbursed cost shall be transferred directly into the registered bank account of Consultant under the UNDP vendor system.  After submission of complete document, the reimbursement process shall be done within 10 working days.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Technical Competencies:

• Analytic capacity and demonstrated ability to process, analyse and synthesise complex, technical information;
• Proven ability to support the development of high quality knowledge and training materials, and to train technical teams;
• Proven experience in the developing country context and working in different cultural settings.

Communication:

• Communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

Professionalism:

• Capable of working in a high pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

Teamwork:

• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

The following minimum qualifications are required:

• In-depth knowledge of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative and its methodology
• Bachelor or Master levels with degree in Politics, Economics, Finance, Environment, Social sciences and/or other related fields;
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in developing and implementing biodiversity finance-related projects, including analysis of resources/ environment and economic linkages.
• Prefer experiences on research and feasibility studies for biodiversity;
• Familiar and up-to-date with global and national issues on biodiversity conservation and related areas;
• Demonstrated experience in communications work in the context of biodiversity finance
• Previous affiliation/experience working in the UN or UNDP is an advantage;
• Excellent English writing and speaking;
• Obtain or have residence is Thailand is desirable.

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payment :

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on 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 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:

Deliverables	Percentage of payment
Deliverable 1: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) Realignment of local government budgets for biodiversity	8.5%
Deliverable 2: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) Biodiversity impact investment. b) Ecosystem service bond.  Participation as the resources person at the BIOFIN exhibition on the International Biodiversity Day	8.5%
Deliverable 3: Completion of a feasibility study on prioritised biodiversity finance solutions, namely, a) The Lion’s Share	8.5%
Deliverable 4: Support the launch of the impact investment platform for biodiversity linking investors with projects through activities such as a specific Biodiversity Impact Investment Day or join up with the SET Social Impact Day	8.5%
Deliverable 5: Presentation of recommendations report and up-scaling plan for (1) User Charge (2) Environmental Trust Fund Finance Solutions (Koh Tao pilot project)	8.5%
Deliverable 6: Organise the BIOFIN regional Workshop hosted in Thailand	8.5%
Deliverable 7: Finalize materials for ‘Training of the Trainers’ in LGU pilot sites on the BIOFIN process, budget reporting, Monitoring & Evaluation, etc.	8.5%
Deliverable 8: Oversee the design and support the launch of the Biodiversity Impact	8.5%
Deliverable 9: Finalize all relevant documentation for Ministry of Finance (MOF) approval for Ecosystem Service Bond	8.5%
Deliverable 10: Design communications strategy for the Lion’s Share launch	8.5%
Deliverable 11: Design social marketing campaign for the general public regarding launch of conservation license plates in Thailand	7.5%
Deliverable 12: Develop monitoring and evaluation mechanism with reporting system to ensure environmental trust fund is used for specific objective	7.5%

The consultant will responsible for all expenses related to the assignments including, travel costs, meetings, and publications or any equipment/materials required.

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

The criteria which shall serve as the basis for evaluating offers are as follows:

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 to the required qualifications; 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 100 points)

Criteria	Percentage
Relevance of Education or Degree	20%
Profound knowledge of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative and its methodology; experiences with global and national issues on biodiversity conservation, biodiversity finance solutions and Thailand’s Biodiversity Finance Plan.	40%
Experiences on research analysis and feasibility study	20%
Communication skills for biodiversity finance	20%
TOTAL	100%

Only candidates obtaining 70% of the total technical points will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documents to be included when submitting the proposals:

Interested individuals must submit the following documents /information to demonstrate their qualification, experience and suitability to undertake the assignment.  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 and financial proposal using the template provided in Annex III.
• 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.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The shortlisted candidates may be contacted and the successful candidate will be notified

ANNEXES

Annex I - TOR_ Biodiversity Finance Advisor for BIOFIN Phase II – Implementation of Biodiversity Finance Plan

       Annex I-I - Executive summary of Thailand’s Biodiversity Finance Plan

Annex II- General Condition of Contract

Annex III - Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal

All documents can be downloaded at : http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=53368