Two National level scoping and project inception consultants

Background

1. The project “Market transformation for solar energy PV acceleration” will support Albania sustainable development and accelerate implementation of the NDC action plan towards achieving the overall enhanced target. It will further support the transition process towards diversification from hydropower and promote alternative sources of renewable energy by 2030 42 % of renewable energy (rather than large hydro) in gross final energy consumption”. Main objective is to remove the market barriers and facilitate penetration of solar PV through enabling the policy framework, availability of financing mechanisms, ensuring supply of reliable technology and services leveraging experience, material, and resources, leveraging also on Japanese expertise and know-how for its expansion in Albania reaching a direct installed capacity of 1000 kW Solar PV within the lifetime of the project in 10 municipal buildings (1500 people-direct beneficiaries with new access to green energy and 250 people trained/educated and informed). In terms of indirect contribution, the project will contribute to the achievement of the national target of installed capacity of 490 MW solar PV in 2030, translated into 1600 new green jobs.
2. The COVID-19 crisis has hit the Albanian economy severely, with a sharp decrease in tax revenue, an upsurge in debt, and loss of jobs, at the same time, the country was still recovering from the late 2019 earthquake. To address such challenges, the Ministry of Finance and Economy offered support to private businesses and employees affected by the COVID-19 crisis, under the Economic Recovery Programme.

As governments take urgent action to address COVID- 19 and its related impacts, there is an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate transition to green and resilient economies that keeps warming below 1.5oC, while also advancing the goal of more equitable and inclusive societies. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other related climate change plans (e.g., National Adaptation Plans and Long-Term Strategies) can serve as an important lighthouse to guide countries’ recovery efforts in greening these economic stimulus plans.  Countries’ climate pledges have already outlined how to transition to green and resilient pathways that help spur economic growth and job creation, while aligning with national development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP launched its Climate Promise in September 2019, with the aim to support at least 100 countries to enhance their NDCs ahead of COP26.  Since its inception, the Climate Promise has become the world’s largest offer of support on NDC enhancement, supporting over 115 countries in partnership with over 35 partners. Recently, UNDP initiated a new component of the Climate Promise which specifically aims to scale-up its offer to help countries leverage climate action for stronger COVID-19 recovery and sustainable development. The integrated approach builds on UNDP’s extensive portfolio on climate change and development, and its role in leading the UN system’s support to help countries cope with the socio-economic impact of the health crisis.

Albania is among the recipient countries.  As part of the Climate Promise global initiative UNDP has supported Albania to submit its more ambitious and robust NDC with an Action Plan to support interventions to achieve the 20.9% target by 2030. In terms of Mitigation, the NDC relies on the comparison between a Business-as-Usual scenario and a mitigation scenario considering mitigation measures in the main emitting sectors of the economy: Energy, Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-use, and Waste. Projections rely on macro-economic assumptions such as GDP and population forecast but also on historical trends, strategies and plans endorsed at the national level. Albania revised NDC was registered at UNFCCC on 12 October 2021. Albania is among those countries who pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030 (through the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use) and support clean energy as part of the countries’ efforts during United Nations COP26 summit in Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.

UNDP will provide targeted support for incorporating NDC measures into recovery plans and budgets with focus on Forestry and Energy, advocating those measures that target improvements for women, youth and other vulnerable people. The new intervention aims at:

•            providing technical assistance and guidance in (1) improving sustainable forest management and (2) efficient practices of consumption including fuelwood harvest, which consumption is considerable in the energy balance of the households and service sectors with regards to heating, cooking, and hot water provision 

•            marketing and promotion identifying and targeting market strategies that can help accelerate recovery, addressing product diversification, and recommendations and guidelines

•            Promoting efforts to halt deforestation, prevent forest degradation and increase forest area through investment in forestry-related jobs as part of COVID-19 economic recovery stimulus packages, including afforestation, reforestation, conservation, watershed protection, agroforestry, and urban forestry jobs.

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Two National Consultants will be recruited to provide technical support to the Project manager to go through and finalize the inception phase of the Projects. In essence, the responsibility of the recruited consultants is to ensure that the overall technical direction of the projects in this phase is maintained and flexibly adapted to meet the practical challenges faced during implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The recruited consultants will work closely with the Project Manager, under the overall supervision and guidance by the UNDP CO. Specifically his/her tasks include but are not limited to:

• Get familiar with the project document, i.e., objectives, outcomes, outputs, monitoring indicators, planned activities and sub-activities including project work plan and monitoring and evaluation plan.
• Get familiar with the development policies, programs and projects that are new and under way with regards to the (i) climate change issues in Albania and (ii) Energy Sector with focus on Solar PV sub-sector and provide for the Situational analysis and country demand identification.
•  Get familiar with the development policies, programs and projects that are new and under way with regards to the (i) climate change issues in Albania; (ii) Forestry sector and (iii) Biomass/energy sector and provide for the Situational analysis and country demand identification.
• Contribute with any new development to update accordingly the Project Document to report on changes in the project environment since the project was submitted.
• Support the Project Manager in organizing the implementation of the different sub-components of the project at the inception phase, including the launching of the project and its initiation.
• Drafting of the Annual Work Plan divided in quarterly timeframes (September 2022-March 2023) detailing the activities and progress indicators that will guide implementation of the Project.
• Finalizing of Terms of Reference for the experts (national and international ones) to provide to provide specific consultancy services as per the project document.
• Identify the national and local stakeholders in the frame of the Project’s implementation.
• Support the Project Manager in arranging co-operation with the current project partners and, as applicable, in establishing new, additional national and/or international partnerships to support the project goals and objectives.
• Provide advice on the required institutional, legal and regulatory changes to support the reaching of the stated outcomes of the project and provide other required advice on the successful implementation of the specific project subcomponents and activities by drawing from the international lessons learnt and best practices.
• Assist with the organization of the project launching and events.
• Drafting of the Project Inception Report.

 

Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

The total duration of assignment will be up to 30 working days in the period between September-October 2022. Throughout the assignment the consultants will work in close collaboration and report to the Project Coordinator, under the overall supervision and guidance by the UNDP CO.

Expected outputs and deliverables

#	Key Deliverables	Timeline
1	Situational analysis and country demand identification as per the outputs of the Project	15 days upon contract signature
2	Updated project document and Annual Work Plan	30 days upon contract signature
3	ToRs for the major consultancies to be undertaken during the project	45 days upon contract signature
4	Draft Project Inception Report	60 days upon contract signature

Competencies

Core competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Display cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

 

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as a member of a team and to work under pressure.
• Excellent relationship management.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation, and reporting skills.
• Fluency in English.
• Familiarity with the specific UNDP requirements is considered as an asset.
• Excellent reporting skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree (Masters level or higher) in engineering, natural sciences, environment sciences, economic development, agro- environment, sustainable development, or relevant fields.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of work experience with technical expertise in energy, forestry, climate change, environment, economic development, or relevant with special attention to management and planning.
• Good knowledge on the Government of Albania climate change, energy and forestry policy and legal initiatives from the last 5 years.
• Strong capacity for independent and innovative research working with limited amount of data in developing country contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to deal with and build collaboration among national stakeholders in the management of local level activities.

 

Language:

• Full working knowledge of English language is essential.

 

Evaluation Procedure

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would consider both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

• Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications / candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)
• And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max points: 70

Criteria A -30% or 30 points: Relevance of work experience with the assignment

Criteria B -20% or 20 points: Education Background

Criteria C- 20% or 20 points: Previous work experience with Albania’s environment and climate change initiatives, or relevant

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max points: 30

 

Application Procedure 

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. 

The application should contain: 

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. 
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability & Detailed Financial Proposal - please fill in the attached form. Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser)
• Example: (kindly refer to the example below when filling out the Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability

[INCORRECT] An all-inclusive daily fee of [state amount in words and in numbers indicating currency]

[CORRECT] (Select Here and elaborate) [X] A total lump sum of [state amount in words and in numbers, indicating exact currency], payable in the manner described in the Terms of Reference.

IMPORTANT: Applicants that possess a NIPT Please Clearly State if your Financial Offer is VAT INCLUDED or VAT EXCLUDED

• Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees. Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser)

• Financial Proposal in ALL (Albanian Lek)*- Specify a Total Lump Sum in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this announcement. The attached template may be used - Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser) Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall consider various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services). 

• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport. 

• Beneficiary contact details (next of kin)
  • Beneficiary's Contact Person's Name:
  • Title (Mr/Mrs/Ms):
  • Address:
  • Telephone:
  • Email:

 

*Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should be both part of your application. 

How to Submit the Application: 

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below: 

• Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs). 
• In the P11 Form make sure to include Email Addresses of the Persons who are willing to provide References on your experience in working with them.
• Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded. 
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement). 
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;” 
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above). 

• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system. 

Due to large number of applications, we receive, we can inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process. 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.