Consultant - Transboundary Projects, Mekong River Commission

Mekong River Commission 

The role of MRC is to promote and coordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries’ mutual benefit and the people’s well-being

 

MRC Secretariat is now recruiting a highly qualified consultant for the following consultancy

 

International Consultant for the preparation of Revised Project Documents and Develop Joint Single Project Implementation Plans for Transboundary Projects supported by World Bank to the MRC

Consultant type	:	International Consultant (Individual)
Programme / Division	:	Mekong Integrated Water Resource Management Project
Work location	:	Office of the MRC Secretariat in Vientiane, Lao PDR with the possibility of travel to other MRC Member Countries
Contract type/ Duration	:	40 working days from July - September 2013

 Main tasks of this consultancy are, with support from national consultants of the four MRC Member Countries, to revise as necessary the project documents and to develop in details the project implementation plans (PIP) of five captioned projects.

 

Description of the Assignment

1.1          General

The projects described in the previous section were developed through discussions by the participating countries, and reflect an agreed basis for the work they want to be undertaken. These initial Project Documents were developed through AusAID support and were endorsed by the Project Steering Committee for the M-IWRM Project in May 2012.

The World Bank support to the MRC was approved by the Board on 8 March 2012, but only became effective on 17 August 2012 – and funds to initiate the work were made available in late November 2012. The project teams for each of the projects then began developing Project Implementation Plans (PIPs) and opening Imprest Accounts to enable the flow of funds. These PIPs recognised the logistical difficulties in managing and implementing these projects through the National Mekong Committees separated in different countries, as well as an important ethos of the MRC – that the countries participate on an equal basis.

The PIPs developed therefore reflected an equal split of the available funds and largely separated the actions required by the participating countries. The PIPs did not clearly spell out the project management arrangements, the oversight required by the M-IWRM Project Steering Committee nor the role the M-IWRM Project team at the MRCS should play.

A World Bank Implementation Support Mission conducted in January-February 2013 highlighted a number of issues that should be addressed, before they could proceed with supporting these projects;

• The current draft project document [for each project] is, in general, a good start but may need substantial revision and elaboration. 
• A joint single PIP should also be prepared for each transboundary activity to determine the detailed actions for the 12 months as an implementation plan for the project document mentioned above.
• These PIPs should be signed off jointly by the concerned countries and the MRCS.

•       The current resource allocation, which divides the available resources mechanically into half for each country, is not necessarily the best means of delivering the desired results.

It was therefore decided to suspend activities on the projects until these issues could be addressed in a four months Inception Period. The exception was the Tonle Sap / Songkhla lakes project which had developed a single PIP and which had initiated work on this basis. This Inception Period would be supported through joint workshops to firstly introduce the process and, towards the end of the process, to endorse the final PIPs for submission to the next World Bank Implementation Support Mission. This process could also be supported by consultancy services. These Terms of Reference describe an assignment to prepare these PIPs for all 5 projects outlined above, through the appointment of a single international senior consultant with considerable experience in designing and implementing World Bank supported projects. To facilitate the preparation process, this consultant will be supported by national transboundary projects’ consultants in the four countries who will, after completion of the task by the international senior consultant, follow up with PIPs’ implementation in the joint countries.

The overall objective of this assignment is therefore to deliver the final joint single PIP for each project. The following principles must underlie this process;

• The joint single Transboundary PIPs must be fully consistent with the revised (existing +additional) Project Document (PD) for the World Bank support to the MRC.
• They must be based on the existing agreed Project Documents for each project;
• They must describe a single project, addressing commonly agreed transboundary (or communication) issues, making optimal use of a single pool of resources;

•         They must maximise the synergies available between the projects, as well as other work being undertaken by the MRC, and where appropriate, the skills available in the MRC.

•         Each respective joint single transboundary PIP must be signed by three parties, co-countries and M-IWRMP.

As a minimum these PIPs should;

• Clearly present the expected results, outcomes and objectives expected by the intervention, emphasising the transboundary or communications aspects of the work;
• Present monitoring indicators for the Results, Outcomes and Objectives, and milestones for the Activities;
• A broad outline of how these would be joint delivered over a 3-year timeframe;
• A detailed 12-month Project Implementation Plan, allocating resources to specific activities;
• The mechanisms for joint delivering and reporting each Activity;
• The mechanisms for the joint single PIP, which is mainstreaming the gender concepts for development;
• Joint practical project management arrangements, which recognise the logistical challenges of the transboundary nature of the work;
• Join financial management arrangements and procurement processes to be followed; and

•         The joint oversight required by the M-IWRM Project Steering Committee and the support required from the M-IWRM Project team and the MRCS as a whole.

1.2            Specific Tasks

The following specific Tasks must be delivered by the Consultant before end August 2013;

Task 1 – Review the existing documents (5 days)

The Consultant must review the PAD, the M-IWRM Project Inception Report, and most recent Progress Reports, as well as the initial Project Documents for all 5 projects.

Task 2 – Discussions with national consultants, MRCS Programmes and World Bank (5 days)

This will include discussions with the national consultants and relevant Programmes in the MRCS working in the same thematic or geographical areas to identify potential synergies. This must include discussions with the Finance and Administration Section (FAS) of the MRCS to propose practical financial management arrangements. Discussions will also be held with the World Bank to identify synergies with their other national activities in the area. This may include a joint start-up meeting will all the project teams.

Task 3 – The Preparation of draft PIPs (10 days)

This task will entail the preparation of joint single draft PIPs for each project, based on the existing documents and discussions in Tasks 1 and 2. This will ensure consistency with the revised PAD, and will outline the broad 3-year implementation plan, as well as those detail activities required in the first 12 months. The consultant, with support from the national consultants, must work closely with MRCS staff familiar with the formulation of the initial project documents. These draft joint single PIPs would also propose project management, financial management arrangements, Gender mainstreaming and joint reporting mechanisms. These will be sent to the NMCs for the next task.

Task 4 – Consultation Workshops with the NMCs (15 days)

This will include a series of 1-day workshop with NMC for consultation on the drafted joint single PIPs to finalise joint single PIP this will finalise the 12-month detail Activities Plan developed in Task 3, indicating the mechanisms for joint delivering and reporting on these Activities, and allocating resources accordingly. The workshop will include discussions on the proposed joint project management arrangements.

Task 5 – Finalise the joint single PIPs for each project (5 days)

The consultant is required to finalise the joint single PIP for each project as per the requirements outlined above, based on the outcomes of the workshops. This may include a joint regional closure workshop outlining the way ahead for the project teams. It is anticipated that these would be delivered by mid-August 2013.

TOTAL – 40 days to be completed by Mid-September 2013

Expected Outputs:

Key outputs of the Consultancy services are:

-          Draft and final versions of Revised Project Documents of Transboundary Projects

-          Draft and final versions of the Project Implementation Plans

In addition, Consultants shall also submit records/proceedings of meetings/workshops, national and regional, undertook during the course of assignment

Qualifications/Requirements:

 

•         Master or higher education in water and natural resources planning/management or related fields with at least 15-year experience in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and in planning and administration of development projects in developing countries;

•         Experience with and good knowledge of the Mekong riparian countries and the Mekong River Basin;

•         Knowledge/experience within development project design, planning, and reporting;

•        Practical experience in preparing and managing development projects and familiarity with World Bank procurement and related regulations;

•         Excellent organizational, coordination, and communications skills;

•        Ability to work, cooperate in an international environment;

•        Fluency in English both spoken and written.

 

The Term of Reference and other information can be obtained at MRC websitehttp://www.mrcmekong.org/ working-with-mrc/employment. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.

 

Application procedures:

The application should include (i) a cover letter outlining clearly how the candidate meets the requirements of the position, (ii) a detailed CV, and (iii) MRC Personal History Form. The position title and section/division must be indicated in the cover letter.

 

The application should be sent to:

Mekong River Commission Office of the Secretariat in Vientiane (OSV)
P.O. Box 6101, 184 Fa NgoumRoad
Vientiane 01000, Lao PDR
Email: mrcs@mrcmekong.org

Closing date for applications:  28 June 2013