Institutional Consultancy Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on WASH (Organization registered on Nepal only ) Extended Deadline 14th July 2016
1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
Climate change is one of pressures on water resources and livelihoods in Nepal. Nepal's mountainous and challenging topography and socio-economic conditions make it a highly vulnerable country to climate change. The deterioration of the natural resources has contributed to constant rural poverty and migration to urban areas and even other countries. A report prepared by Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (2011) shows that Nepal has about 225 billion m³ in water resources, but concerns have been raised over declining water, particularly during the dry season (ADB), as total estimated ice reserve in Nepal’s Himalaya between 1977 and 2010 has decreased by 29 percent (129 km3).
Under various climate change scenarios for Nepal, mean annual temperature rise in Nepal is projected to be between 0.4 to 0.6 Celsius per decade. Annual precipitation reduction is projected to be in a range of 10 to 20 % across the country (Source: INDC (Draft Final), MoPE, 2016). As a result, the nation may see a 10 percent GDP loss from glacier melts and climate extremes. This means that if the trend remains unchanged, the economic losses to Nepal could amount to 2.2 percent of annual GDP by year 2050 widening to 9.9 percent by the end of century. But if mitigation and adaptation steps are taken, the damage could be limited to around 2.4 percent of GDP by 2100.
Water-related climate risks arise from too much water to too little water or too much water. The occurrence of rains, floods and droughts are expected to increase with a changing climate. Water related disasters are expected to increase in both frequency, scale and intensity, as the whole global water cycle are affected by changes in climatic patters. This translates into negative impacts on drinking water availability and quality that affects the human health, sanitation and hygiene services and practices which ultimately linked to productivity and livelihood of the population.
Considering these potential impacts, Nepal has included climate change as part of commitments to the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. Nepal’s policy framework and action plan related to climate change reflects its commitment to the international treaties. The Climate Change Policy, National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) is some of the policy guides which were prepared in this line and are also relevant to the WASH sector. A renewed momentum is gaining with the agreements at CoP21 to bring global warning below 2 degrees and improve adaptation initiatives and financing.
There is a consensus that water sources, both surface and ground water, have been depleting over the years. The studies carried out in Tanahun, Makwanpur and other similar locations confirm this observation. Existing WASH facilities were also reported to be dysfunctional as a result of poor maintenance, design period or damage due to exposure to hazards and climate change is also considered one of the reasons for this. Despite some ground observations, however, there is no systematic national level study, which shows the impacts of climate change on WASH facilities both in qualitative as well as quantitative terms. With this background the WASH stakeholders and Joint Sector Review 2014 recommends that a comprehensive study on the impacts of climate change is very necessary and timely. The Terms of Reference (ToR) has thus been developed to initiate this process.
2. GOAL / OBJECTIVE
The main objective of the assignment is to assess the impacts of climate variability on water sources, water supply system, sanitation and hygiene in Nepal in order to recommend appropriate climate resilient policies, plans and programmes.
The specific objectives of this study are:-
a. Conduct mapping of WASH services (i.e. water sources, water supply systems etc.) in selected district. The output will be an inventory as the baseline information (location with GPS coordinates, yield, water quality etc) of current WASH services and systems will be documented.
b. Identify at least 5 WATSAN facilities at risk applying standard selection criteria
c. Carry out Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Planning (VA and AP) of identified at-risk WATSAN facilities
d. Identify and document community and districts level experiences and coping mechanisms of impacts of climate change on WASH services
e. Review the enabling policy frameworks, policies and guidelines at the national and local levels and recommend appropriate climate adaptation practices, measures and technologies for the sector
f. Provide district level overview on impacts of climate change on WATSAN facilities with recommendations on immediate improvement measures for each facility.
3. SPECIFIC TAKS/ PROCEDURES
The selected districts for this study are Mustang and Dolakha (Mountain region); Accham, Bhaktapur, Dadeldhura and Jajarkot (Hill region) and Saptari, Dhanusha and Nawalparasi (Terai region). Based on the available information or already completed works, the assignment covers following activities:-
a. Review the enabling policy frameworks, policies and guidelines at the national level and focus on local level policy documents, if any.
b. Preparation of inventory of all WASH facilities covering whole district with systems serving more than 50 households of the selected district in consultation with D-WASH CC. It includes mapping water supply and sanitation facilities of VDCs and Municipalities by use of standard template prepared for this study. It includes preparation of baseline information of selected system using modern technologies like GPS, Water Quality Test kits etc. The information includes but not limited to specify location of system (with GPS readings and administrative information), available yield at source, water quality (pH, turbidity, e-coli in hilly region and iron, arsenic and e-coli in terai region in all samples). All water schemes serving more than 50 HHs will be considered for the study. In some cases, if the district has less than 10 said water schemes, then other small water schemes should be selected for the study.
c. Selection of at least five major systems (water supply schemes, sanitation facility of related component) using standard selection criteria considering system’s exposure to climate effects, coverage, population, transmission lines, natural disasters etc.
d. Conduct Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Planning (VA and AP) of 5 selected water and sanitation facility using standard method. If the VA & AP has been conducted in some districts, the scope of work will be to assess the gaps and validate data in said district/s.
e. Collect at least 20 years meteorological information (at least min./max temperature and precipitation) of the selected district and provide overview of the indicative climate variability/change analysis at district level.
f. Document community experience on impacts of climate change on WASH through Key Informant Interview, Focus Group Discussion, interaction with local people etc.
g. Organise, plan and conduct a Consultative Workshop in Kathmandu to present the findings and final report (participation approximately 50 people)
h. Prepare a final consolidated report of all 9 districts and separate district wise impact assessment report including findings and recommendations. The recommendations should include appropriate climate adaptation practices, measures and technologies for the sector at district level.
4. DELIVERABLES
The study shall commence on effect from the date of signature by both the Parties. The consultant should accomplish all listed activities within six month’s period starting from contract signing date. The proposed dates and deadlines to carry out the study are:
1. An Inception Report and detailed methodology and work plan/questionnaire/information collection tools by end of 2 weeks after signing the contract
2. Field work completion report by end of 4 months
3. Draft report by end of 5 months
4. Finalization of Report by end of 6 months
All information and deliverables should be provided in both soft and hard copies.
5. Duration of the contract
The contract will be awarded for six months from the signing of the contract
7. PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Payment will be tied to specific deliverables and will be made only upon satisfactory completion and acceptance by UNICEF.
a) First Installment (35%)
Inception Report and detailed methodology and work plan/questionnaire/information collection tools by end of 2 weeks after signing the contract
b) Second Installment (25%)
Field mobilization update report by end of 2 months after signing the contract
c) Third Installment (25%)
First draft report and presentation by end of 5 months
d) Fourth Installment (15%)
Submission of final report by 4th week of 6th month
8. LOCATION/WORKING CONDITIONS
The firm will work from its own office. The firm will report to the working team of GoN/DWSS/UNICEF/WHO/OXFAM on a monthly basis and as required for clear guidance and smooth completion of the study.
9. Qualifications and Experience Required
9.1 Organization
The consulting firm or research institution must be registered with Government of Nepal with at least three years standing and should be able to present recent audited financial reports. The firm should have minimum 3 years relevant experience and proven track record of research work in the similar field e.g conducting assessments on climate change and WASH issues either at international, national or district level (combinations of expertise in climate science, hydrology, social assessment, water engineering and research). Capability to conduct parallel study at different districts/ecological regions with centralized coordinating unit.
9.2 Key personnel
The minimum team anticipated to undertake the assignment are as shown below, however the Institution can provide alternative and/or additional profiles to fulfil the requirements as detailed in this TOR.
The team should comprise of a core team at centre and separate teams for each district. This is a minimum estimated team and the tenderer can propose additional resource to fulfil the assignment if they feel it is required.
A Core team
A.1 Team Leader (Estimated Input -6 month)
· Minimum master’s degree in environmental or water supply engineering.
· Minimum 15 years general experience working in water supply, DRR and climate change, environmental management, of which 3 years must be related with climate change
A.2 WASH Expert (Estimated Input -2.5 month)
· Minimum master’s degree in civil or water supply engineering.
· Minimum 10 years general experience, of which 5 years must be related with study on WASH issues
A.3 Climatologist (Estimated Input -1 month)
· Minimum master’s degree in climate science, hydrology, meteorology.
· Minimum 10 years general experience, of which 3 years must be related with analysis and modelling of climatic data and projections
A.4 Sociologist (Estimated Input -1 month)
· Minimum master’s degree in sociology or related subject
· Minimum 10 years general experience, of which 3 years must be related with field research and social data analysis
A.5 Data Analyst (Estimated Input -1.5 month)
· Minimum master’s degree in relevant subject. Minimum 10 years general experience, of which 3 years must be related with data entry and analysis
B District Team (one for each district)
B.1 District Coordinator (Estimated Input -3 month)
· Minimum Bachelor’s degree in environmental science/engineering or civil engineering.
· Minimum 5 years general experience, of which 3 years must be related with studies on WASH and/or environmental issues, preferable climate change
B.3 Lab technician (Estimated Input -2 month)
· Minimum intermediate degree in health science.
· Minimum 3 years general experience, of which 1 year must be related with lab analysis
B.4 Enumerator/Overseers (Estimated Input -2 month)
· Minimum intermediate’s degree in relevant subject Minimum 3 years general experience, of which 1 year must be related with data collection
It is anticipated that each District Team should be located in the relevant district. It is therefore anticipated that very limited funding will be consequently needed for travel. Anticipated that Core Team should travel to the districts as required throughout the assignment to provide oversight. Details of this oversight should be included into the response to this RFP.
Adequate resources must be provisioned for support staff, travel, communication and other logistics as required for the contract duration.
10. PROJECT SUPERVISION
The research agency’s work will be supervised by the working team of GoN/DWSS/UNICEF/WHO/OXFAM.
11. STRUCTURE AND EVLUATION PROCESS
Each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. In making the final decision, UNICEF considers both technical and financial aspects. The Evaluation Team first reviews the technical aspects of the offer, followed by review of the financial offers of the technically compliant vendors. The proposal obtaining the highest overall score after adding the scores for the technical and financial proposals together, that offers the best value for money will be recommended for award of the contract.
12. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL
The Technical Proposal should include but not be limited to the following:
- Detailed Methodology / approach to requirement detailing how to meet or exceed UNICEF requirements for this assignment
- Company Profile
Ensure to include information related to the experience of the company as required and outlined in item 9.1 of this document.
- Details of similar assignments undertaken in last three years including the following information:
o Title of Project
o Year and duration of project
o Scope of Project
o Outcome of Project
o Reference / Contact persons
- Title and role of each team member
- Proposed work plan showing detailed sequence and timeline for each activity and man days of each proposed team member
- CV of each team member (including qualifications and experience)
Ensure to include information related to the qualifications and experience of each proposed team member as required and outlined in item 9.2 of this document.
- Any project dependencies or assumptions
13. FINANCIAL PROPOSAL
The Financial Proposal should include but not be limited to the following:
Bidders are expected to submit a lump sum financial proposal to complete the entire assignment based on the terms of reference. The lump sum should be broken down to show the detail for the following:
- Resource costs: Daily rate multiplied by number of days
- Estimate of travel costs
o Costs for Core Team to travel to the districts
- Equipment Rental and/or Testing Kit
- Workshop Costs
o Pre Study Orientation
o Focus/Community discussions at each district
o Consultative Workshop in Kathmandu for approximately 50 people
Bidders are required to estimate travel costs in the Financial Proposal. Please note that i) travel costs shall be calculated based on economy class fare regardless of the length of travel and ii) costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed the applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as propagated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC). Details can be found at http://icsc.un.org
(Please note the institution or company register under Nepal can only be quilfied for the Tender )