NAP-2: National Consultant to conduct market research for introducing new climate services in the Republic of Moldova.

Vacancy Number: Pr21/02240

Location:Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline: 09 Jun 2021, 13:00 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:
16 Jun 2021, 18:00 (GMT+2:00)
Starting date: 16 Jun 2021
Reference to the project: Advancing Moldova's National Climate Change Adaptation Planning Project
Expected Duration of Assignment:June 2021 – February 2022, 50 working days
Submission Instructions:

Proposals should be submitted online by pressing the "Apply Online" button, no later than 9 June 2021.

Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: pavel.gavrilita@undp.org. UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.

Supporting Documents:
Terms of Reference
Procurement Notice
OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP CONFIRMING INTEREST AND AVAILABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR (IC) ASSIGNMENT
UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Contacts:

Mr. Pavel Gavrilita.

pavel.gavrilita@undp.org


Background

Climate change is already profoundly impacting the conditions for resource availability and agricultural activities. Over the last decade, the country has experienced several extreme events, such as droughts and major floods, along with the cumulative effects caused by increased mean temperature and the uneven distribution of precipitation throughout the year, which have had negative consequences on the country's economy, and its population wellbeing and health. Severe droughts are recurring more frequently, causing significant economic losses. The increasing scope and intensity of extreme events have also resulted in increased frequencies of high-risk situations. By 2050, an increase of 2–3ºC in the average temperature, an additional 32 days that exceed the current maximum temperature by 10%, and another 12 days with zero precipitation are projected.

The Government sees the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process as key to achieving the adaptation objectives outlined in its 2014 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova and its 2020 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), as well as the continued mainstreaming of climate change considerations into its policies and budgeting processes. Therefore, the proposed project supports the Republic of Moldova's Government in advancing the second cycle of its National Adaptation Planning process (known as NAP-2). The outcomes of the NAP-2 national adaptation planning processes are:

  • Outcome 1: To strengthen and operationalize the national steering mechanism for climate change adaptation (CCA);
  • Outcome 2: To improve the long-term capacity on planning and implementation of adaptation actions through CCA technologies;
  • Outcome 3: To improve the mainstreaming of climate change adaptation through the increased alignment of national development priorities in the priority sectors (forestry, health, energy, and transport).

The project will contribute to UNDAF, 2018-2022 outcome #3 (The people of Moldova, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from enhanced environmental governance, energy security, sustainable management of natural resources, climate, and disaster-resilient development). Additionally, the project will contribute to the UNDP Country Programme Output 3.3 (National and sub-national governments have improved capacities to integrate resilience to climate change and disasters into development plans and practices to reduce population's vulnerability). Other than that, the project will contribute to the National Development Strategy "Moldova 2030" by ensuring resilience to climate change by reducing risks related to climate change and by facilitating adaptation in six priority sectors - agriculture, water resources, health, forestry, energy, and transport.

The preliminary work under the first cycle of the NAP (known as NAP-1) supported developing a NAP as a process, conceptualizing and developing its elements, including the national steering mechanism, and laid down the groundwork towards long-term adaptation planning. Despite the progress, significant gaps remain in integrating climate change considerations into many of the national priority sectors' development policies and their associated budget priorities. National appropriations for CCA remain limited.

The NAP-2 goals will be achieved within two parallel implementation tracks. The first track implemented by UNDP expands and deepens the national approach developed under the NAP-1 and strengthens synergies both vertically, at different levels of the governance, and horizontally, between the sectors affected by climate change to reduce duplication of efforts, pool scarce resources for efficient use, and ensure a coherent and comprehensive approach to the integration of CCA responses into development planning. In contrast, the second track will focus on adaptation in the agriculture sector and will be concurrently implemented under FAO's auspices.

The National Designated Authority has coordinated with the UNDP and the FAO country offices to ensure the complementarity and congruency of the activities and exchange, as appropriate. By its very nature, the NAP-2 will facilitate the integration of CCA into existing strategies, policies, and programs and establish a strong foundation for the integration of methods, tools, and information systems in day-to-day planning activities to inform decision-makers on the climate risks effectively and to enable the informed formulation of resilient projects and financing strategies.

Statistical analyses show that the loss of life and property caused by hydrometeorological disasters has increased in recent decades. It is also reported that the frequency and severity of the weather, climate, and water-related hazards causing disasters have been increasing due to climate change. The losses from hydrometeorological and climate disasters can be prevented or mitigated by predicting severe weather and climate conditions causing disasters by issuing early warnings for decision-makers, disaster managers, and the public.

Furthermore, it must be considered that the assessment of the meteorological, hydrological, and climate data, products, and services, particularly long-term climate statistics, as the decisive criteria for all sectoral planning and applications will provide extreme contribution for risk reduction, increasing the structural and social resilience against disasters, and sustainable development of the country.

It is obvious that the service delivery capacity of the State Hydrometeorological Service (SHS) must be improved by making necessary investments in human resources, technological infrastructure, and research capabilities in order to ensure the provision of required products and services for the public and private sectors, and for the wellbeing of whole Moldovan community.

By considering this fact, it will be crucial to make the relevant government authorities and decision-makers fully understand the socio-economic benefits provided by hydrometeorological services to allocate required resources for improving and maintaining the service delivery capacity of the SHS. 

This assignment will increase the awareness of the importance of hydrometeorological services for all socio-economic sectors and activities among the government authorities, decision-makers, and public. For this purpose, the project will contract an international consultant to conduct a socio-economic assessment of the hydrometeorological services based on the products and services provided, particularly potential climate services, by considering the impact of climate change on socio-economic sectors. In addition, he/she will work closely with the respective national partners, including state institutions, local authorities, civil society, and international organizations.

Scope of work

In line with the increasing needs of the developing world, it has become necessary to provide high-quality meteorological, hydrological, and climate services for the users who are demanding these services. Today, all activities and applications of socio-economic sectors are very much in need and could benefit from meteorological, hydrological, and climate services. This assignment's main objective is to increase awareness of the importance of hydrometeorological and climate services for the country's economic development and to introduce new climate services on the market.

Specific tasks:

The National Consultant will work in close cooperation with the Project pool of consultants and Team Leaders. Under the project manager's supervision, the consultant will support the international consultant to conduct a socio-economic benefit analysis of climate services. The specific tasks are presented below:

  • Support International Consultant (IC) in development of a conceptual framework for the study by considering the study's purpose, services provided by SHS, main sectors to be assessed, and methodology to be used;
  • Support IC on collecting data and information on the existing climate services provided by the SHS and other data and service providers, existing service delivery capacity of the SHS, gaps to fill, and challenges to overcome for advanced climate services;
  • Maintain efficient communication and engagement with SHS and other relevant stakeholders;
  • In collaboration with an international consultant, make an analysis of existing and potential users of climate services in Moldova by considering sectoral based needs and potential improvements in climate services;
  • In collaboration with an international consultant, prepare a report on the existing service delivery status of the SHS with the proposed activities for improvement of the climate services in the light of best practice examples from the other countries and international organizations;
  • Provide data and information to the international consultant to identify opportunities for introducing new climate services on the market as well as for the assessment of the socio-economic benefits and cost-benefit analysis for the proposed climate services;
  • In collaboration with an international consultant, analyze the engagement of the users in the process of climate service delivery and develop proposals for increasing the contribution of the users in this process by considering the conditions in Moldova, particularly for main stakeholders;
  • In collaboration with an international consultant, organize three consultation workshops to understand the sectoral utilization and needs of current users and non-users of main stakeholders in selected sectors and make them fully aware of the importance and benefits of climate services for their applications;
  • In collaboration with an international consultant, develop the report on the socio-economic benefits of the climate services in Moldova, including cost-benefit analysis and improvement of the user engagement in the climate service delivery process.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualification:

  • University degree in law, environment, social studies, or other fields relevant to the assignment.

Experience:

  • At least 4 years of proven professional experience in conducting a socio-economic impact and benefits analysis;
  • At least two assessment/analyses performed in close cooperation with a pool of experts;
  • Demonstrated experience in risk management and early warning systems;
  • Demonstrated experience in collecting and interpreting data from different stakeholders;
  • Working experience in at least one of the sectors (energy, water, health, transport, or forestry);
  • Demonstrated work experience with national/local authorities, CSOs, academia, and other stakeholders groups and stakeholder’s engagement;
  • Demonstrated work experience with UNDP and other international organizations.

Competencies:

  • Extensive knowledge of the climate-related political framework, especially in climate change adaptation;
  • Excellent organizational skills and a proven ability for multi-disciplinary analysis;
  • Familiarity with reports and guidance documents prepared by international organizations on the socio-economic benefits of the hydrometeorological services.

Language requirements:

  • Fluency in English and Romanian is required for this assignment, Russian is and asset.

Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular, respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status. Please mention in CV if you belong to the group(s) under-represented in the UN Moldova and/or the area of assignment.

UNDP Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Documents to be included

Applicants shall submit the following required documents:

Offeror's Letter confirming Interest and Availability with the financial proposal (in USD, specifying the total lump sum amount). Financial proposal template prepared in compliance with the template in Annex 2.

CV, including information about experience in similar assignments;

Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself the most suitable for the assignment.

 

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 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.