Project ID: P147839

Project Title: Pacific Resilience Program

Borrower Bid Reference: FJ-SPC-291876-CS-INDV

Published Date: 25-Jan-2023

Details:

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY - FIJI

PACIFIC RESILIENCE PROGRAM (PREPI & II)

PROJECT ID: P147839 & P163699

Assignment Title:  Individual Consultant – Implementation Closure Consultant

Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): FJ-SPC-291876-CS-INDV

This Request for Expressions of Interest follows the General Procurement Notice for this project that appeared in dgMarket online Oct 15, 2015.

The Pacific Resilience Programme (PREP) is a series of projects funded by the World Bank and implemented at the regional and national level by the Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Island Forum Secretariat and Samoa, Tonga, Marshall Islands and Vanuatu.

SPC invites eligible Individual Consultants to express their interest in providing consultancy services to prepare the project – Implementation Completion Report.

The Terms of Reference for the Assignment is attached.

 It is anticipated that the Consultant will commence as soon as possible until March 2024 based on the lump-sum contract with payment against acceptance of deliverables.

PREPI and PREPII now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services (attach curriculum vitae with description of experience in similar assignments, similar conditions, etc.).

The criteria for selecting the Consultant are:

ESSENTIAL:

• A minimum of a post graduate degree in education, governance, finance, management, administration or other relevant fields from a recognised University,
• At least 5 years’ experience writing Implementation Completion Reports for the World Bank Projects and/or international funds. Experience with projects in the Pacific Island context would be advantageous.

DESIRABLE:

• Demonstrated multi-stakeholder coordination experience particularly in the Pacific context,
• Experience in preparing high quality analytical reports in English,
• A sound knowledge of the World Bank’s guidelines and operating procedures,
• Excellent understanding of the social and economic aspects of vulnerability and community-based approaches to development and/or climate resilience,
• Proven experience and skills in developing and applying participatory approaches to generate data for analysis, 
• Good understanding of climate change and disaster risk in the Pacific Islands and its relevance to different development sectors,
• Demonstrated capacity in working effectively with national and international staff showing an emphasis on seeking consensus, balance diverse tasks simultaneously, to being self-motivating within a team structure and effectively managing resources under his/her responsibility.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers January 2011, revised July 2014 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900 to 1700 hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, by mail or e-mail) by 4pm, (Fiji Time), 17th February 2023.

FJ-SPC-291876-CS-INDV

The Pacific Community

Private Mail Bag

Suva

FIJI

Email: [email protected]

A copy of your Expression of Interest should be sent to [email protected]

_______________________________________________________________

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position:                                  Consultant – Implementation Completion Report

ID:                                            FJ-SPC-291876-CS-INDV & FJ-SPC-291878-CS-INDV

Location:                                Remote /Suva, Fiji.

Duration:                                July 2023 – March 2024

Expected date of Start:        July 2023

BACKGROUND

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) cover approximately 40 million square kilometres of the world’s largest ocean and include some of the smallest nations, in terms of their population sizes and land masses. They are among some of the most vulnerable nations in the world, being highly exposed to the adverse effects of climate change and natural hazards. The annual economic loses is due to disasters in PICs is increasing exponentially and recently it has been estimated to be US$1.075 billion or nearly 5% of the combined GDP of PICs[1]. When seen in disaggregate, some PICs are losing more than 10% of their annual GDP due to disasters[2]. The impact of disasters to PICs are not only threatening their long-term development gains but is also having severe impact on other social sectors, exacerbating existing inequalities in societies thus increasing the vulnerability of the poor and the marginalized groups to not only future disasters but also reinforces the cycle of poverty over generations to come.

PACIFIC COMMUNITY (SPC) RESILIENCE WORK

The Pacific Community has been working in the resilience area in a number of areas applying collective capabilities in science, knowledge and innovation to serve the people of the Pacific in their efforts to attain sustainable development. SPC is the premier scientific and technical intergovernmental organisation in the Pacific with the commitment to developing a resilient Blue-Pacific.

The Pacific Community key focus areas in building resilience include policy to action, data, statistics, knowledge, innovation and research, capability and influence as the centre for support to the countries. Climate change and disaster management is the greatest challenge facing the Pacific Island countries. SPC provides scientific and technical support in climate change and resilience building, including implementing flagship programmes including multi-sectoral approaches for the regional public good. SPC’s accreditation to the Green Climate Fund and the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific puts it in good standing to building resilience in our communities.

An integrated approach and strategic efforts through SPC delivered programmes will ensure more strategic partnerships with technical expertise, resource mobilisation and financial sustainability in our resilience work. SPC provides leadership and support for the regional climate and disaster resilience agenda. The responsibilities cover the following focal areas: resilience and climate action, natural resources and biodiversity, food systems, equity education and social development, sustainable economies and livelihoods, planetary health and scientific and technical expertise.

THE PACIFIC RESILIENCE PROGRAM (PREP)

PREP I

The Pacific Resilience Programme (PREP) is a series of projects that include complimenting activities implemented at the national and regional level aimed at increasing resilience of participating countries (Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu). The project is funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) providing technical support to support nationally implemented PREP projects with overall coordination through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). The overall objective of the SPC PREP I project is to “Strengthen early warning and resilient investments of participating countries”. The three main focal areas are as follows:

Component 1: Strengthen early Warning and Preparedness.

• Impact-based forecasting;
• Strengthening preparedness for response; and
• Post Disaster Recovery. 

Component 2: Risk Reduction & Resilient Investments

• Strengthening multi-hazard risk information systems and development of decision tools;
•  Testing Applications and Decision Support Systems for Resilience Planning and Investment at National Level; and
•  Innovative knowledge sharing to strengthen investment planning.

Component 4: Project and Programme Management

• Programme/Project Implementation Support.

Implementation period is scheduled to close on 31 October 2023 with a budget of approximately USD9.5 million. The verification of expenditures is undertaken through annual audits of the PREP accounts by independent auditors in accordance with the financial reporting requirements of the PREP project. The audit period is from 1 January to 31 December each year.

PREP II

The SPC Pacific Resilience Programme (PREP) II complement activities implemented at the national and regional level aimed at increasing resilience in Marshall Islands. The project focuses on coastal protection in Marshall Islands and aims to “Strengthen early warning systems and climate resilient investments in shoreline protection”. The regional activities provide technical assistance to Marshall Islands with a special focus on building capacity and provide scientific assessments to support the nationally implemented PREP project. The two key focal areas include support to the National Disaster Management Office and post disaster assessments including strengthening coastal management and protection. One of the key activities is the aggregates resource assessment work that will involve marine surveys to inform Government on sustainable management of the resource. The project covers the following areas:

            Component 1: Institutional Strengthening, Early Warning and Preparedness.

• NDMO capacity building and post disaster needs assessments.
• Scholarships in the resilience area.

Component 2: Strengthening Coastal Resilience

• Strengthening integrated coastal risk management.
• Sustainable sources of aggregates.

Component 4; Project and Programme Management

• Project Implementation Support.

Implementation period is scheduled to close on 30 May 2023 with a budget of approximately USD4.14 million. A possible 12-month extension may be awarded with a new closure date of March 2024 conditional on progress of the aggregates study.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of the assignment is to prepare a project Implementation Completion Reports for PREP I and II in accordance with the requirements of the World Bank Completion Report Evaluation Guide, that requires a comprehensive and objective evaluation of the progress since the commencement of project implementation. This includes the completion of the expected objectives, project outputs, results and impact, issues, lessons learned, and recommendations based on the PREP’s performance.

The PREP Implementation Completion Report should contain the following:

1. Description of the project story line, including the context, rationale, and relevance of objectives during preparation and at completion;
2. Assessment of the outcome of the operation against the agreed objectives, with a focus on providing evidence of the achievement of the operation’s objectives along with the contribution of the supported activities and outputs to the project’s development outcomes (pls include web-links to the various reports, knowledge products and media outcomes)
3. Assessment of the key factors and events pertaining to the Bank, SPC, other partners, and the external environment during preparation and implementation, that affected performance and outcomes;
4. Evaluation of the SPC and Bank team’s performance during the preparation and implementation of the operation with special emphasis on lessons learned that may be helpful in the future; and
5. Sustainability of the effort, including likely support from the Bank, other development partners etc.

SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The consultant is to develop an Implementation Completion Report that meets the requirements of the SPC PREP project in providing a comprehensive understanding of the project. In developing the report, the SPC PREP project will provide the consultant with the relevant materials and data needed to complete the report, ensuring that the consulting organization can communicate and consult with the specific implementation units of the project, as well as the project stakeholders, and provide necessary administrative support to complete the report. The report should include, but is not limited to, the following:

Project basic information data sheet. Summarize the basic information of the project, key dates, rating results, framework analysis of results (indicators), reorganization statements and payment status;

Study the background, development. Introduce the background of the project, the development goals and key indicators of the project, the components of the project, and the design goals.

Summary and explanation of the main output results of each project component. The evaluation will consider and assess all activities that have been implemented under the Project. It should examine the performance of the project in accordance with its results framework noting that the project’s results were revised following a Mid Term Review (MTR). The evaluation should cover the PDO, PDO level Indicators and Intermediate Result indicators for each component presented in the PAD and later in a revised Results Framework post-MTR. The Consultant will compare planned outputs/ outcomes of the project to actual outputs/ outcomes and assess the results to determine their contribution to the attainment of the PDO.

Identify and document how effectively key project implementation issues were addressed and risks were managed. Identify and document lessons learned during project implementation and providing a lessons learnt report with support from the PCU, project partners and consultants.

Evaluation results. Assess project-related goals, design and implementation, project development goals and achievement of goals, rationality of overall results and beneficiary survey results summary and/or stakeholder workshops. Arrange a survey or use the results of each subproject monitoring report to reflect the beneficiaries of the project. The results are summarized in this report.

DELIVERABLES & TIMEFRAME

PREP I

The engagement will be from July 2023 and be completed by early October 2023 and is expected to commit approximately 40 working days to deliver outputs. The Consultant will be responsible for producing and submitting the following deliverables:

Inception Report (End of Week 1 following Contract Commencement)

The Consultant will submit and present an Inception Report at the end of the first week following contract award.  The report will include but not be limited to: a proposed schedule of work, summary of desk review of project documents, major milestones on deliverables, methodologies to be used and approach for stakeholder and beneficiary engagement.

First Draft Implementation Completion Report (late August 2023)

The Consultant will provide a written draft report in English in electronic form using MS Word with accompanying PowerPoint presentation to the PREP Project Manager. The draft report should synthesize the results of the stakeholder consultations. Notwithstanding the synthesis of results, the report should also record individual stakeholder responses The PREP Project Manager will determine a date and time for a presentation of the report to be made to the SPC Disaster Risk Management Team Leader and SPC Management. Questions/queries raised by the PREP Project Manager, and SPC officials will need to be adequately addressed by the Consultant prior to the submission of a revised version of the report. The PREP Project Manager may also choose to share the draft report with other stakeholders and so the views of the collective will be provided to the Consultant.

Revised Draft of the Implementation Completion Report (Mid – late September 2023)

The Consultant will submit a revised draft report in MS Word that addresses the feedback from the PREP Project Manager, SPC officials and other stakeholders that may be consulted

Final Report (By early October 2023)

After adequately addressing the revisions and comments by the PREP Project Manager, the Consultant will submit a final draft Implementation Completion Report in MS Word and final accompanying PowerPoint presentation.

 PREP II

The engagement will be from November 2023 and be completed by early March 2024 and is expected to commit approximately 40 working days to deliver outputs. The Consultant will be responsible for producing and submitting the following deliverables:

Inception Report (End of Week 1 following Contract Commencement)

The Consultant will submit and present an Inception Report at the end of the first week following contract award.  The report will include but not be limited to: a proposed schedule of work, summary of desk review of project documents, major milestones on deliverables, methodologies to be used and approach for stakeholder and beneficiary engagement.

First Draft Implementation Completion Report (late December 2023)

The Consultant will provide a written draft report in English in electronic form using MS Word with accompanying PowerPoint presentation to the PREP Project Manager. The draft report should synthesize the results of the stakeholder consultations. Notwithstanding the synthesis of results, the report should also record individual stakeholder responses The PREP Project Manager will determine a date and time for a presentation of the report to be made to the SPC Disaster Risk Management Team Leader and SPC Management. Questions/queries raised by the PREP Project Manager, and SPC officials will need to be adequately addressed by the Consultant prior to the submission of a revised version of the report. The PREP Project Manager may also choose to share the draft report with other stakeholders and so the views of the collective will be provided to the Consultant.

Revised Draft of the Implementation Completion Report (Mid – late January 2024)

The Consultant will submit a revised draft report in MS Word that addresses the feedback from the PREP Project Manager, SPC officials and other stakeholders that may be consulted

Final Report (By early March 2024)

After adequately addressing the revisions and comments by the PREP Project Manager, the Consultant will submit a final draft Implementation Completion Report in MS Word and final accompanying PowerPoint presentation

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The Consultant will be contracted under a lump sum contract and payments made based on identified/approved finalized deliverables.

The schedule of payment for the engagement is as below:

PREP I

PREP II

Payments will be made on acceptance of deliverables.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

ESSENTIAL:

• A minimum of a post graduate degree in education, governance, finance, management, administration or other relevant fields from a recognised University,
• At least 5 years’ experience writing Implementation Completion Reports for the World Bank Projects and/or international funds. Experience with projects in the Pacific Island context would be advantageous.

DESIRABLE:

• Demonstrated multi-stakeholder coordination experience particularly in the Pacific context,
• Experience in preparing high quality analytical reports in English,
• A sound knowledge of the World Bank’s guidelines and operating procedures,
• Excellent understanding of the social and economic aspects of vulnerability and community-based approaches to development and/or climate resilience,
• Proven experience and skills in developing and applying participatory approaches to generate data for analysis, 
• Good understanding of climate change and disaster risk in the Pacific Islands and its relevance to different development sectors,
• Demonstrated capacity in working effectively with national and international staff showing an emphasis on seeking consensus, balance diverse tasks simultaneously, to being self-motivating within a team structure and effectively managing resources under his/her responsibility.

REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES AND LOGISTICAL SUPPORT

The Consultant will report directly to the PREP Project Manager and will work closely with staff of the SPC PREP Project Coordination Unit.

The PREP Project Manager will be responsible for providing guidance to the Consultant and will ensure the provision of the required logistics and administrative support. SPC will provide office space for any time to be spent in Fiji, access to internet and printing facilities.

----End----

[1] ESCAP (2020) The Disaster Riskscape across the Pacific Small Island Developing States: Key Takeaways for Stakeholders. ST/ESCAP/2880

[2] ibid

Organization/Department: Pacific Community

Name: George Beck

Address: Pacific Community Geosciences Division Private Mail Bag, GPO Suva, Fiji Islands

City:

Province/State:

Postal Code:

Country: Fiji

Phone: +679 3381377

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.spc.int