International Expert in the institutional process assessment and modelling of the General Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations of Chisinau Municipality.

Vacancy Number: Pr20/01975

Location:Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline: 03 Mar 2020, 14:00 (GMT+2:00)
Starting date: 20 Mar 2020
Reference to the project: Moldova Sustainable Green Cities - Catalyzing investment in sustainable green cities in the Republic of Moldova using a holistic integrated urban planning approach
Expected Duration of Assignment:30 working days till May 2020
Supporting Documents:
Terms of Reference
Procurement Notice
Offeror's Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability
UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Contacts:

Mr. Alexandru Rotaru.

alexandru.rotaru@undp.org


Background

The objective of the “Moldova Sustainable Green Cities” project is to catalyze investments in low carbon green urban development based on an integrated urban planning approach, by encouraging innovation, participatory planning, and partnerships between a variety of public and private sector entities. 

The strategy of the project is to create, launch and support a new institutional mechanism called “Green City Lab” (GCL) as a vehicle for encouraging and supporting new innovative measures and approaches in addressing the urban development challenges and barriers

The project, therefore, will support the design, launching, and establishment of the Green City Lab to become the leading knowledge management and networking platform, clearinghouse, an facilitator of financing various green urban development projects,   and a source of innovations and expertise to catalyze sustainable low carbon green city development in Moldova with a mission to transform Chisinau and other cities/towns in Moldova into modern green and smart European cities with improved quality of life for their citizens, while also demonstrating opportunities for sustainable economic growth.

The Green City Lab is expected to be a self-sustaining entity, operating on a commercial basis (as part of the UNDP in initial stage/ or separate independent entity), that does not rely on technical assistance funding alone so that by the end of the project it can continue to operate and grow.

The project’s objective will be achieved through three key outcomes as follows:

Outcome 1:  Fully operational and sustainable Green City Lab recognized by the key stakeholders as the leading innovation, knowledge management and networking platform and a source of expertise for catalyzing sustainable low carbon green city development in Moldova with secured funding to continue its operation after the UNDP/GEF project closure. 

The Contractor will be assigned with the implementation and advisory services for the achievement of the outputs falling under this outcome.

Outcome 2:  Successfully completed pilot/demonstration projects facilitated by the GCL (described in detail in the project document) with related monitoring, reporting, and verification of the results in the areas of:

  • integrated and participatory urban land use and mobility planning;
  • residential building energy efficiency and renewable energy use;
  • resource-efficient waste management.

Outcome 3: Knowledge management and M&E to facilitate learning, scaling up and replication of project results.

Besides the standard UNDP M&E procedures and requirements, this component encompasses monitored and evaluated overall results of the project and lessons learned with compiled KM materials, recommendations for the removal of the identified complementary barriers, including institutional and regulatory improvements, and related public outreach and TA to scale up, replicate and mainstream the project results.

Scope of work

The Municipality of Chisinau (MoC) has committed to reorganizing the General Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations (GDAULR) with a view to increasing the efficiency of sustainable urban planning and development, regulation and supervision, by developing a proposal for optimization of GDAULR’s structures and duties, which are:

  • inline with:
    • the objectives of the sustainable planning and development of the municipality;
    • the European practices and recommendations;
  • with a view to implementing the work processes digitization for the x “life events” (related to GDAULR and GDAULR’s interoperability with other MoC directorates and other institutions) up to stage 4 of sophistication (transaction).

At least the following life events shall be considered:

  • ability of the GDAULR to implement and monitoring of the strategical documents related to territorial development and land use (spatial) planning taking into account the existing urban situation and the economic dynamics of Chisinau municipality, as well as the management of the x events that represent the core interactions of the citizens and the business with the public administration (MoC/ GDAULR), as follows:
    1. urban development strategies, policies, programs, and projects:
      • monitored strategic objectives, programs, projects, urban indicators;
    2. urban documentations and related regulations:
      • monitoring during the entire lifecycle of the public consultation process;
    3. planning permission (urbanism certificate);
    4. construction licence;
    5. approvals for seasonal terraces or other seasonal constructions;
    6. certificates about the provisions of the urban documentation regarding the communications network and its implications on the urban or building stock development;
    7. different networks pre-coordination approvals;
    8. approvals for protected built areas and monuments;
    9. issuing certificates and permits for advertising; development and implementation of the municipal Strategy on Advertising Development in line with the urban development and the economic dynamics of Chisinau;
    10. maintenance of functional municipal cadastre:
      • development, updating, and maintenance (including in electronic version);
      • electronic archiving;
    11. protected sites and objects (monuments, etc.).
  • transparency during the consultation processes;
  • inspection and control in following construction legislation.

For more information please consult the Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualifications:

  • University Degree in architecture or urban planning, IT, public administration and other connected fields

Experience:

  • At least 7 years of experience in architecture and/or urban planning or other connected fields;
  • At least 5 years of experience in the implementation of information systems and modeling of institutional processes/changing business processes within central and local governments;
  • At least 3 confirmed examples of expertise and the necessary capacity for implementation of public administration workflows in similar institutions, modeling organizational processes using information tools; and proven knowledge about the business processes specifically for GDAULR. The candidate shall include in the CV the list of projects they participated evidenced by recommendations from project beneficiaries or any other similar document.

Competencies:

  • Experience in preparation of written reports in an accurate and concise manner in English;
  • Good analytical and problem-solving skills and the related ability for adaptive management with prompt action on the conclusion and recommendations coming out from the assignment;
  • Computer literacy (Word, Excel, Internet, PowerPoint).
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English; knowledge of Romanian or Russian would be an asset.

Documents to be included

Applicants shall submit the following four documents:

I. Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability;

II. Personal CV, including information about past experience in similar assignments and contact details for referees (at least 3);

III. Brief description of an approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment, as follows: 

  1. A description of the technical approach in the implementation of the project in question, the proposed methodology, the ways to ensure the inclusion of all requested components.
  2. A description of the risks of project implementation and the measures to minimize such risks and reduce the effects in case any risk factor events arise
  3. A Work plan of service performance.
  4. At least the following aspects shall be detailed:
  • project management;
  • the organization, including the roles and requirements of the client;
  • how the experts envisage the process of communication with the beneficiary and the expectations;
  • the beneficiary’s contribution to the smooth implementation of the project within the proposed implementation stages:
    • name and duration of activities within the project;
    • the sequence of activities and their inter-relation;
    • the project milestones.
  • the approach to the reporting activities and the content of the deliverables.

IV. Financial proposal (in USD, specifying the total lump sum amount as well as the requested amount of the fee per day). Financial proposal template prepared in compliance with the template in Annex 2.

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 fees, taxes, travel costs, accommodation costs, communication, and the number of anticipated working days).