INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY EXPERT TERMS OF REFERENCE

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY EXPERT TERMS OF REFERENCE Country/Location: UNDP Office, Vientiane, Lao PDR Description of assignment: Short Term to develop the Environmental Impact Assessment Agriculture and Forestry Guidance Note Project Title: Poverty-Environment Initiative in Lao PDR Phase II, Output 3 Type of Contract: International Consultant Period of assignment/duration: 3.5 months, max. 30 working days from 3 February to 16 May 2014 (10days in Vientiane, 20 days home based) Starting Date: 3 February 2014 Deadline for submission of 28 January 2014 proposals 1. Background Through the joint UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI), UNDP is supporting the Government of Lao PDR to implement PEIs Framework, which aims to contribute to poverty reduction and improved wellbeing of poor and vulnerable groups through mainstreaming environmental programming into the national development processes. Output 3 of the PEI aims to improve effectiveness of environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) of the investment projects, particularly for agriculture and forestry plantation sector, as a safeguard for sustainable and climate-resilient development. The main partner is the Department of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (DESIA), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). One of the proposed ways to achieve the objective is to support DESIA in elaborating and implementing series of the ESIA related guidelines. 2. Objective of the Assignment Qualified international consultant will be hired to develop and train on the application of the Guidance Note for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Agriculture and Forestry Plantations (further referred to as the Guidance Note). Implementation of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Lao PDR legal framework is supported by the following guidelines: guidelines on the EIA / IEE report preparation / writing (applied by the investor / company), EIA / IEE review guidelines and the EIA / IEE monitoring manual (used by the DESIA to review the quality of the company s ESIA report and its implementation respectively). In addition, the PEI is elaborating the so called Standard Environmental and Social Obligations (SESO) for the AF Plantations, the Annex to the Concession Agreement (CA) for AF Sector, to be utilized by MONRE DESIA, investment project developer / owner, as well as the Investment Management Authority (MPI) in the process of negotiating and

2 implementing of the environmental and social obligations to be followed throughout investment project life cycle. The Guidance note will be the technical document complementary to and supporting the application of the documents mentioned above. It will provide mainly the information on the key environmental and social issues and impacts typically caused by the AF plantations, the key legally set obligations, norms and standards, the AF project s owners shall follow, the range of impact prevention and mitigation plans and actions the project owner shall implement to address the specific impacts and the indicators to measure their effectiveness. It will be based on the national laws, regulations and guidelines as well as on the relevant internationally applied principles and guidelines for sustainable forestry and agriculture, such as the Stewardship Forestry Certificate, FAO Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and others. The Guidance Note will be used by: - Companies, environmental consultants / consultancies conducting AF plantations EIAs and IEEs, MONRE DESIA staff at the central, province and district levels responsible for review and monitoring of the AF projects EIAs and IEEs, Ministry of Agriculture - Other line agencies and public (mass organizations, NGOs, public) interested in or to be affected by the AF projects 3. Scope of work In consultation with the PEI Project Team, the DESIA technical team and UNDP, the consultant will perform the following tasks: Elaboration of the assignment work plan; Desk review of the relevant literature and documents, including the Lao PDR EIA, agriculture and forestry legislation, guidelines, reports, and applicable international standards and guidelines. Consult relevant stakeholders (others than listed above) such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and others; Elaborate the guidance note along the following outline: - Policy, legal (national and international) and Lao PDR institutional framework; - AF Plantation projects planning cycle, such as land clearance, land/soil preparation, planting, harvesting, re-planting, land rehabilitation, and the related stages of EIA / IEE; - Key environmental and social issues typically associated with the AF plantations; - AF Plantation-Specific Environmental and Social Impacts and Mitigation Measures; - Sector-specific technical and management plans; - Standards and indicators for monitoring the AF plantations social and environmental impacts and their operation compliance with respective legal and regulatory framework - List of the compensations and related development plans and committees the company and government are obliged (by the national legislation) to develop and establish - to support the well-being of the project affected and interested communities; - Model of the EIA and Environmental and Social Management and Monitoring Plan (ESMMP) Review Report (following the structure of the general EIA / IEE review guidelines Consult and present the draft guidance note to DESIA (and eventually to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and other relevant stakeholders) and revise the document accordingly Elaborate the training material and deliver 1 max. 2 days training on the guidance note to the selected DESIA staff 2

3 4. Duration of Assignment, Duty Station and Expected Places of Travel This is a 3.5 months assignment from 3 February to 16 May 2014, with maximum of 30 working days (10 working day in Vientiane, Lao PDR and 20 working days in home-based). This consultancy service is required two missions travel to Vientiane, Lao PDR. 5. The deliverables: i. Final assignment work plan to complete this consultancy service by 7 Feb ii. Final Guidance Note for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Agriculture and Forestry Plantations by 12 April 2014 iii. Training on the guidance note prepared and delivered by 30 April Monitoring and progress control The Consultant will report and submit deliverables to the PEI DESIA Technical Advisor and UNDP PEI Coordinator who will be responsible for the quality control of the final products. 7. Degree of expertise and qualification A. Academic Qualifications: At least master degree and qualification in the area of agriculture, forestry, environmental sciences, natural resource management, or other related field; B. Years of experience: At least 7 years of relevant experience in the area of sustainable agriculture and / or forestry (preferably plantations) planning and management; preferably in Lao PDR or in the Southeast Asia region. C. Competencies: Understanding and knowledge of the Lao and international forestry and agriculture sector: legal and regulatory framework, guidelines, standards and norms for sustainable planning and management. Good understanding of the environmental and social issues and impacts typically associated with the agriculture and forestry projects / plantations. Initiative and ability to organize his/her work independently, but also to work as part of a team. Proven ability to deliver quality output working under tight deadlines. Ability to communicate effectively and to facilitate discussions at the senior level with government officials and the development community. D. Languages: Excellent command of written and spoken English; Knowledge of Lao language (spoken and/or written) an advantage 8. Review time required The consultant is required to submit the final product to DESIA and UNDP per agreed timeframe. DESIA and UNDP is required two weeks for reviewing the final product to ensure the quality of the final products are satisfactory before proceed the payment. 3

4 i. Draft of the Guidance Note for further consultation will be delivered by 7 February 2014 the latest ii. Final Guidance Note will be delivered by 12 April 2014 iii. Training on the guidance note prepared and delivered by 30 April 2014 The dates are tentative and that the final will be agreed with the TA. 9. Scope of bid price and schedule of payment Fix lump sum output -based fees will be paid as per agreed timeframe and satisfactory certification of receipt of outputs by the UNDP and government counterpart, DESIA. Total amount for professional service fee, DSA, international tickets, miscellaneous, visa, and communication cost are included into lump sum amount. Domestic air/ground tickets related activities will be provided separately by the project according to UNDP rules and regulations. Deliverables DSA in Vientiane, round trip air ticket, and relevant travel expense will be reimbursed to the consultant upon arrival Vientiane according to the lump sum financial proposal for travel cost. (first mission 5 working days and second mission is 5 working days in Vientiane) 100% of the total agreed professional fee shall be paid upon competed and submission of: i. Acceptable draft of the Guidance Note for further consultation ii. Final Guidance Note iii. Delivered training on the guidance note prepared and delivered Due date 7 Feb Apr Apr 2014 Note that the dates are tentative and that the final will be agreed with the TA. 10. Requirement for Submission of Proposals and Evaluation Criteria All interested and qualified candidates should apply on-line using the following links: 1) UNDP Lao PDR Country Office website at or 2) UNDP Jobs at Documents to be included when submitting the proposals: Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: 1) Technical Proposal as per Annex III Offeror s Letter to UNDP (i) Explaining why you are the most suitable for the work; (ii) Providing a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work including the work schedule for the delivery of outputs/deliverable; (iii) CV including past experience in similar project and contact reference of at least 3 references for whom you have rendered preferably the similar service; 2) Financial proposal: (i)detailed financial proposal: Lump sum offer with clear cost breakdown against each deliverable. 4

5 Note: 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). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. UNDP accept travel costs not exceeding of an economy class air ticket. Instructions for on-line submissions: 1) Step 1: Please prepare all required documents electronically; 2) Step 2: Combine all documents in ONE SINGLE FILE (preferably in PDF however Word format can be also accepted) and upload to the UNDP Jobs using the links above; 3) Step 3: After that you will receive an auto reply from the UNDP jobs if your offer is received successfully. Incomplete proposals or proposals received after the deadline will be rejected. Evaluation of Proposals: Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology. Evaluation of proposals and award criteria: 1. Short listing of applications will be done based on required experience and qualification mentioned in the Terms of Reference Annex I (TOR); 2. Technical evaluation will be based on the following evaluation criteria: Criteria Weigh Max Points obtainable Technical criteria a. Education / background - In the area of agriculture, forestry, environmental sciences, natural resource management, or other related field b. Skills and experience of a consultant - Proven familiarity with Lao and international forestry and agriculture sector: legal and regulatory framework, guidelines, standards and norms for sustainable planning and management. - Working experience with identifying and analyzing environmental and social issues and impacts typically associated with the agriculture and forestry projects / plantations. - At least 7 years of relevant experience in the area of sustainable agriculture and / or forestry (preferably plantations) planning and management; preferably in Lao PDR or in the Southeast Asia region. - Knowledge of Lao language (spoken and/or written) an advancetage c. Interview d. Proposed work plan and approach to carry out the assignment All aspects of the ToR have been addressed in sufficient detail. - Implementation schedule. - Quality assurance measures. Financial Total points obtainable Evaluation methodology - Cumulative analysis. The award of the contract will be made to a consultant who 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:

6 * Technical Criteria weight; [0.7] * Financial Criteria weight; [0.3] Only a consultant obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical rating would be considered for the financial evaluation. 11. Presence of consultant at the duty station NONE PARTIAL INTERMITTENT FULL-TIME This TOR is approved by : [indicate name of Approving Manager] Signature Name and Designation Date of Signing 6