Annex 1- Terms of Reference TOR For the Engagement of a Local NGO through a Responsible Party Agreement (RPA)

Transcription

1 Annex 1- Terms of Reference TOR For the Engagement of a Local NGO through a Responsible Party Agreement (RPA) Project Name: Strengthening Disaster Risk Management Capacities in Lebanon with special focus on Refugee-hosting High-risk local authorities Phase III Reference Number: Type of Contract: Responsible Party Agreement. Subject/Assignment: Empowerment of the Union of Municipalities of Northern Akkar to mitigate the impacts of Forest fires. I. Background The Strengthening Disaster Risk Management Capacities in Lebanon project aims to help the Lebanese Government to develop its disaster risk management (DRM) systems and risk reduction strategy through establishing effective national, regional, local and sectoral setups capable of acting towards the increase of societal resilience against disasters. In 2012, a National Response Framework (NRF) was developed with the technical support of the DRM Unit at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and in collaboration with all concerned ministries and public administrations. As part of the implementation of NRF, the UNDP DRM Unit has been empowering the DRR institutional setup at Ministries, Governorates, Casas, Union of municipalities and municipalities. DRR structures were developed in all Governorates of Lebanon, regional operation rooms were established and regional response plans were set in place. Part of these plans is to establish links with local communities and build capacities to develop local mitigation and response plans tailored to local needs. In 2009, the Lebanese government endorsed a "National Strategy for Forest Fire Management" through the Council of Ministers Decision No. 52 dated 13/5/2009. The overarching aim of the strategy is to reduce the intensity and frequency of forest fires. It focuses on five main pillars: research, prevention, readiness, response and recovery. Accordingly, the forest fire prevention and management plan should be developed in line with the strategy. Akkar is the country's richest region in forests and it is highly exposed to forest fires causing considerable environmental damages and profound impact on the economy and eco-systems of the affected area. Within the DRR context, it is worth noting that environmental degradation is both a driver and consequence of disasters. According to UNISDR, changes to the environment can influence the frequency and intensity of hazards, as well as the exposure and vulnerability to these hazards. For instance, deforestation of slopes often leads to an increase of landslide hazards (UNISDR, 2009b). The DRM structure of the Union of Municipalities of Northern Akkar was developed in coordination with UNDP, roles and responsibilities within the Union were identified. The Union of Municipalities of Northern Akkar includes 10 municipalities (Kobayat, Andket, Chadra, Ouweinat, Aidamoun Cheikh Lar, Nahrieh Boustan El Horch, Remmah, Menjez, Mashta Hassan, Mashta Hammoud). As part of this project, a forest fire prevention and management plan shall be developed and implemented by the selected NGO in line with the National strategy as well as the Governorate s Response Plan. The NGO shall also ensure the sustainability of the DRR structure in Nothern Akkar. 1

2 II. Objectives The main objective of this ToR is to empower the Union of Municipalities of Northern Akkar on research, prevention, readiness, response and recovery from a forest fire, through: 1. Developing and implementing a forest fire prevention and management plan; 2. Building the technical capacities of the Union; 3. Increasing local awareness on forest fires prevention and control. III. Scope of Work and Expected Outputs The Responsible Party will provide technical expertise to the development and implementation of the forest fire prevention and management plan of the union of municipalities of Northern Akkar and ensure the plan s coherence and complementarity with the existing National Strategy for Forest Fire Management and the Regional Response plan. The Responsible Party is expected to achieve the following outputs: 1. Develop a forest fire prevention and management plan for the Union of municipalities of Northern Akkar The plan shall include: - Actions within the five main pillars: research, prevention, readiness, response and recovery; - Roles and responsibilities of concerned stakeholders; - Needed resources. The Plan shall be developed through a participatory approach involving all relevant stakeholders such as the Union of municipalities of Northern Akkar and its 10 municipalities, in addition to representatives from the Governorate of Akkar, the Civil Defense, the Army, the Forest Guards Center of Akkar (affiliated to the Ministry of Agriculture) and the Lebanese Red Cross. The plan shall be approved by the Union of municipalities and its 10 municipalities and shall be endorsed by the Governor of Akkar. 2. Build the technical capacities of the Union of municipalities of Northern Akkar and its 10 municipalities on early intervention in forest fires fighting The local communities should be able to intervene in the first 20 minutes after detecting the first smoke. An intensive training program is required on the tools and techniques of forest fire suppression. 10 persons from each municipality shall be selected by the Responsible Party in close coordination with the local authorities to form 10 forest fire fighting squads. Members should be identified based on specific criteria taking into consideration health conditions, age, physical capabilities, availability during fire season, etc. The 10 established squads shall be trained by the Responsible Party on tools and techniques of forest fire prevention and control, noting that each squad should be trained for a minimum of four full days to cover the training module. The responsible party shall be responsible of all logistics and operational costs related to the trainings. By the end of the trainings, the members of the squads should be able to: - Communicate the preventive measures required to limit the impact of the forest fires in the area; - Identify the high-risk zones in Northern Akkar region; - Understand fire behavior and intervene in the early stages of the forest fire fighting operations and master different techniques such as basic procedures and methods of fire attacks; usage, operating and maintenance of manual tools and PPE; building fire lines, usage of water and water hoses, procedures after fires, safety measures; - Work in close collaboration with the Civil Defense and capable of using the equipment of the big fire trucks of the civil defense; 2

3 - Coordinate with intervention agencies during fires namely with the Civil Defense, the Lebanese Army, the Internal Security Forces and the Lebanese Red Cross; - Implement recovery measures after fires. 3. Increase local awareness on forest fire prevention and control The awareness component makes an integral part of the forest fire prevention and management plan. As such, at least 2 full-day awareness sessions are to be conducted in each of the 10 targeted communities and the Union on DRR with a focus on forest fire prevention where farmers, land-users and land-owners are the primary target. Audience of the awareness sessions is the local community at large including the Syrian refugees. The responsible party shall be responsible of all logistics and operational costs related to the awareness sessions. In addition, one awareness session is to be implemented in 10 public schools located in the Union (one session per school) on the protection of forests and the DRR educational board game, noting that the local NGO has to use the already developed awareness material targeting children such as the Game Board on DRR and other related publications. IV. Delivery Schedule of the Expected Outputs Expected outputs Forest fires prevention and management plan Build the technical capacities of the Union Awareness on forest fire prevention and control V. Duration of the assignment The overall timeframe of the assignment is 36 weeks effective from the signature of the RPA (Responsible Party Agreement). Time extensions, if deemed necessary, can only be granted through agreement extension. Urgent cases that could justify delays of works are mainly due to security reasons, or conflicts in areas of implementation and extreme weather conditions. VI. Institutional Arrangement The Responsible Party shall coordinate closely with: - UNDP DRM Unit Project Manager; - Union of Municipalities of Northnern Akkar; - Municipalities of the Union; - Akkar Governor s representative; - Other local stakeholders. The roles of each party are identified in the sub-section below: Engaged Responsible Party: - Responsible of all logistics related to the completion of this assignment including Remuneration of Staff / Trainers / Experts / cost of equipment to be procured, installation and maintenance fees of different equipment; all materials and tools required for activities completion; all logistical fees for trainings and sessions; transportation; management fees; rental; communication; food and beverages; accommodation; allowances; etc. 3

4 - Allocate the proper and needed skilled personnel to carry out the project s activities; - Ensure proper reach out to beneficiaries; - Provide required and comprehensive reports on a timely manner (focusing on the impact). The minimum reporting is to include at least 2 narrative and financial reports throughout the implementation period; 1 midterm report and 1 final report; - Respect and allocate proper and adequate visibility and ownership of all project results to UNDP and its donors; - Coordinate all project activities with UNDP s team, the union of municipalities' focal point and governorate focal point. UNDP DRM Unit: - Provide field coordination support through the field officer and focal point within the Governorate of Akkar; - Provide material related to the trainings on DRR awareness (DRR educational game board); - Provide the trained volunteers with personal protective equipment and manual tools for forest fire fighting; - Equip two fire fighting vehicles owned by the Union with required tools; - Follow up, monitor and evaluate the progress of implementing the different activities, ensure their smooth implementation and manage potential risks; - Facilitate meetings at the local level; - Ensure Quality assurance. VII. Required Qualifications Interested NGOs must have the following minimum qualifications: - Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in implementing and monitoring environmental and forest conservation and development projects; - Proven experience in training on forest fires control and management; - Proven experience in supporting local community through building capacities; - Proven experience in coaching and training and raising DRR awareness; - Research analysis and reporting capacity; - Previous cooperation with international UN organizations and / or international NGOs; - Availability of a focal point, facilitators and qualified support staff to coordinate with the Groups and facilitate the implementation and monitoring of the activities; - Availability of an operating office within the Governorate of Akkar; - Ability to mobilize local communities and organize events in areas of implementation. VIII. Required Documents Interested NGOs are requested to submit the following documents: - Technical proposal that describes the methodology and timetable that will be used to complete the assignment as per Annex 3; - CVs of the team composition (trainers and support staff allocated for this assignment); - A breakdown of the allocated budget USD 34,000 and in accordance with Annex 3; - Simplified Capacity Assessment Template (SCAN); - Additional supporting documents requested in the SCAN. 4

5 IX. Budget 1 UNDP is allocating an all-inclusive 2 budget of USD 34,000 for this assignment. NGOs wishing to apply shall present a financial proposal within the allocated budget and shall detail in their proposal the allocation of the budget per task (as listed in the scope of works) as well as all additional fees. X. Payment Terms Payment will proceed as following: - 20% of the contract amount upon developing the forest fire prevention and management plan and receiving the invoice and UNDP acceptance; - 40% of the contract amount upon completion of the capacity building and implementing the forest fire prevention and management plan, submitting related activity report and receiving the related invoice and UNDP acceptance; - 40% of the contract amount upon completion of awareness campaign on forest fire prevention and control and receiving the invoice and UNDP acceptance. XI. Annexes Annex 2: Proposal template. Annex 3: SCAN Template XII. Closing Date of the Submission A completed Simplified Capacity Assessment (SCAN) [Annex 3] and Proposal [Annex 2] with requested supporting documents must be submitted to UNDP Lebanon by no later than 2 weeks. One copy of the documents should be submitted in a sealed envelope to the following address: Contact Person: Procurement Unit Name of Office: UNDP Lebanon Address: Arab African International Bank Building Third Floor, Room # 310 Riad El Solh Street, Nejmeh, Beirut , Lebanon Telephone: Fax: lb.bidding@undp.org 1 Offers exceeding the allocated budget for the assignment can be subject to rejection. 2 Budget allocation would include, for example, but to be limited to: Remuneration of Staff / Trainers / Experts / cost of equipment to be procured, installation and maintenance fees of different equipment; all materials and tools required for activities completion; all logistical fees for trainings and sessions; transportation; management fees; rental; communication; food and beverages; accommodation; allowances; etc. 5