United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund Tender

1.   Background & Rationale   Mongolia Is Experiencing Unprecedented Impacts From Climate Change – With The Annual Mean Air Temperature Increasing By 2.24°c Since 1940 – Triple The Global Average. The Warmest 10 Years In Last About 80 Years Occurred Since 2000. According To The Third Report Submitted To The Unccc, Climate Changes That Have Occurred In Mongolia Include: Number Of Frost Days Decreased By 15 And Number Of Summer Days Increased By 19; Consecutive Hot Days Increased By 13; Plant Growing Duration Increased By 19 Days In All Regions Of The Country; Sum Of Active Heat For Plant Grow (+100c) Increased By 150-3600c; 832 Rivers, Streams, Lakes, Springs Dried Out Since 1940 Led To Decrease Of Total Water Area By 1202km2; Precipitation Decreased By 7% In The Warm Season And Increased By 22% In The Cold Season And Consecutive Days Without Precipitation Increased By 22. Climate Projections Indicate That These Changes Are Set To Intensify.   As Nomadic Livestock Herding And Non-irrigated Arable Farming Are Both Very Much Dependent On The Weather, The Situation Poses Challenges For The Country’s Agriculture Sector, Which Accounts For One-tenth Of Gdp, 8.4 Percent Of The Country’s Exports And Employs One-third Of The Labor Force (report, Mofali, 2018).   While The Current Level Of Access To Food Is Meeting Mongolians’ Basic Dietary Needs, Climate Change Could Potentially Threaten This Picture By Adversely Affecting Agricultural Production. Key Challenges In This Regard Include Rangeland Degradation Caused Not Only By A Warming Climate But Also By Inadequate Regulations, Policies And Management; A Shortage Of Professional Personnel In State Agricultural Institutions That Enforce Climate Change Adaptation Policies; And Insecurity Of Land Tenure For Traditional Herders To Access Grazing Lands.   Nationally Determined Contribution (ndc) Of Mongolia To The Paris Agreement On Climate Change Is Developed, And It States The Following Scenario For The Ghg Emission In The Agriculture Sector: The Total Ghg Emission Which Was 94.6 Thous. Tons Co2eq In 2010, Has A Growing Trend To Reach 245.1 Thous. Tons Co2eq In 2030, Expanding By 2.6 Times.  The Majority Of The Ghg Emission Of The Agriculture Sector Energy Consumption Or 65-70% Of Emission Is Attributed To Farming.   Expansion Of The Mining Industry As Well As Large-scale Infrastructure Development Threatens The Area Of Productive Agricultural Land Which Has Already Declined By Roughly 1.28 Million Acres Since 2013.   According To Latest Estimates By Fao, In Mongolia, 400,000 People (or 12 Percent Of Total Population) Still Do Not Have Access To Sufficient Dietary Calories To Lead A Healthy And Active Life; And There Has Been No Progress On This Count In The Last 5 Years. On The Other Hand, Child And Adult Overweight And Obesity Is On The Rise. Child Overweight Levels Have Risen From 6.7 Percent In 2006 To 11.7 Percent In 2016; Adult Obesity Has Risen From 16.3 Percent In 2012 To 19.5 Percent In 2016 And Prevalence Of Anemia Among Women Of Reproductive Age (15-49) Has Risen 16.3 % In 2012 And 19.5 % In 2016. Studies Also Suggest That Food Insecurity In Mongolia Is Higher In The Capital City Compared To Smaller Towns And Rural Areas.   Transitional Dietary Patterns Form Traditional Food Towards A Highly Processes  Food Have Led To A Changing Face Of Malnutrition In Mongolia As People Migrate To Capital City In Search Of Productive Employment And Better Income Opportunities But Instead Get Caught Into The Web Of Seasonal Informal Employment, Higher Reliance On Markets For Meeting Food Needs And Vulnerability To Market Shocks, Exacerbated By The Increased Availability And Affordability Of Low‐quality Processed Foods High In Sugar, Fat, And Salt  (nns 2017). General Observation Provides That Consumption Of Red Meat, Refined Grains, And Whole-fat Dairy Are High, And That Of Fruits, Vegetables (except Potato), Eggs, Nuts And Seeds, Fish And Poultry, And Whole Grains Are Low, Integrated Data On Mongolian Diets Are Lacking, And Nutritional Risks Are Poorly Quantified. It Makes Difficult To Develop Evidence-based Nutrition Strategies And Associate It With Growing Urbanization And Changing Demographics.   At Global Level, Many Sources State That Climate Change Affect All Four Dimensions Of Food Security And Will Have An Impact On Human Health, Livelihood, Food Production, Distribution Etc. It Is Also True That People Who Are Already Vulnerable And Food Insecure Are Likely To Be The First Affected. The Assessment On Impacts Of Climate Change On Nutrition And Food Security Would Be Useful To Identifying Or Weighing Other Roles It Is Playing Relative To Other Drivers Such As Urbanization, Shifting Dietary Preferences, Natural Resource Management Policies And Trends, Trade Policy Settings Etc.   Unicef Mongolia, Therefore, Is Looking For International And National Institutions To Provide Quality Technical Support.   2. Purpose   The Joint Fao-unicef Mongolia Assessment On The Impact Of Climate Change On Food And Nutrition Security Aims To Following Objectives:   I)   Assess How Climate Change Has Been Impacting Food And Nutrition Security In Mongolia Including Household Food Security Through Access To Safe, Affordable, And Sufficient Food; Child Feeding And Care Practices; And Environmental Health And Access To Health Services; And How This Impact Would Evolve In The Near And Long Term Future If Nothing Is Done;   Ii)  Define The Risk Profile Of The Country In Relation To Climate Impacts On Food And Nutrition Security;   Iii) Propose Interventions And Policy Recommendations To Enhance Adaptive Capacity And Reduce And/or Mitigate The Risks Of Climate Change -related Food And Nutrition Insecurity Among The Most Vulnerable Communities.   3.   Expected Deliverables & Tasks   The Team Of International And National Contractors Are Expected To Perform The Following Work Assignments:        Activity:           1    Agree On The Assessment Implementation Methodology: Experts’ Team Of Selected International And National Institutions Agree On The Methodology And The Implementation Approach With The Joint Team Of Unicef Mongolia And Fao Mongolia.   Deliverables: Inception Report With Detailed Work Plan Agreed With The Joint Team Of Unicef Mongolia And Fao Mongolia. Estimated Period: 23 November 2020 (remote- 1 Week Tentatively)     Activity: 2    Evidence Generation: Data Collection And Review On How Climate Change Has Been Impacting: ·    Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes At The Household Level And Interventions Along The Food Value Chain That Can Counter The Impacts (given National And Subnational Data Available); ·    Traditional Dietary Patterns In Relation To Increasing Overweight And Obesity Trends ·    Disease Trends, Access To Health Services, Women Workload, Child Caring Practices And How This Impact Undernutrition And Overweight ·    Existing Coping Strategies And Identify Barriers And Opportunities For Improving Food And Nutrition Outcomes At Household And Community Level; Deliverables: Draft Analysis Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes, And Existing Coping Strategies Estimated Period: 14 December 2020, (3 Weeks Tentatively)        Activity: 3    Inform Unicef Mongolia And Fao Mongolia Country Programmes By: ·    Developing The Potential Climate-risk Informed Nutrition Indicators For Inclusion Into Country-level Programming For Fao And Unicef To Make Them More Climate-smart -    Climate-smart Nutrition Index For Mongolia ·    Quantifying The Risk Of Impacts On Child Wasting And Stunting As A Result Of Climate-related Impacts On Nutrition In Mongolia, Both Due To Long-term Climatic Change And Short-term Extreme Weather Events ·    Identification And Mapping Of Geographical Zones Within The Country That Are Particularly Vulnerable To The Negative Effects Of Climate Change On Nutrition (climate And Undernutrition/overnutrition Hotspots) ·    Understanding Of Coping Mechanism And Climate Adaptations Options Used By The Affected Households And What Are Their Effects On Under Nutrition, Overweight And Other Health Outcomes - For Scaling Up. ·    Validation And Adaptation Of The Unicef – Climate Environment Strategic Framework To The Mongolia Context Deliverables: Draft Narrative Describing Followings Elements To Inform Unicef And Fao Mongolia Country Programming: ·    Climate-smart Food Security And Nutrition Index/indicators For Mongolia ·    Risk Of Impacts On Child Wasting And Stunting As A Result Of Climate-related Impacts In Mongolia ·    Map Of Vulnerable Geographical Zones To The Negative Effects Of Climate Change ·    Mongolia’s Context Specific Climate Environment Strategic Framework Estimated Period: 4 January 2021, (2 Weeks Tentatively)      Activity: 4    Draft Recommendations On Following Set Of Interventions: ·    Interventions Targeted At Government Cross-sectoral Policies Across Ministries Of Food And Agriculture, Health, And Environment, Etc. And For Inclusion Into Their Policies; ·    Recommendation Of Climate-smart Policies/ Laws That Are Needed To Ensure Nutrition Outcomes Of Households Sustained Against Short And Long-term Climatic Impacts; ·    Financial Interventions: Budgetary Interventions At Household, Local And National Levels Necessary To Target Relevant Subsidies Or Price Controls To Ensure Adequate Nutrition Outcomes; ·    Social Interventions: Risk Mitigation Activities That Can Be Led At Household Levels And For Inclusion Into Existing Educational Curriculum And Skills-based Training, Cash Transfer Programmes Etc. Deliverables: Draft Advocacy Sheets On Proposed Set Of Legal/policy Interventions, Financial Interventions And Social Interventions      Estimated Period: 11 January 2021, (1 Week Tentatively)      Activity: 5    Conduct A Workshop On Review And Agreement On The Draft Analysis Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes And Policy Recommendations     Deliverables: Na Estimated Period: By 15 January 2021, (0.5 Week Tentatively)      Activity: 6    Finalize The Draft Analysis Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes And Proposed Set Of Legal/policy Interventions, Financial Interventions And Social Interventions      Deliverables: Final Draft Analysis Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes And Policy Recommendations     Estimated Period: 29 January 2021, (2 Weeks Tentatively)      Activity: 7    Draft The Final Report Of The Consultancy Service. Deliverables: Final Report Estimated Period: 5 February 2021, (1 Week Tentatively)     4.   Payment Schedule Deliverables: Inception Report With Detailed Work Plan Agreed With Unicef/fao Mongolia Joint Team.         Date Of Delivery: 23 November 2020      The Amount To Be Paid: -   Deliverables: Payment 1 Will Be Made Once Receiving The Draft Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes, And Existing Coping Strategies Date Of Delivery: 14 December 2020 (15 Workdays Upon Acceptance Of The Report)     The Amount To Be Paid:   40% Of Total Agreed Fee   Payment 2 Includes The Following Deliverables: Deliverables: 1.   Draft Narrative To Inform Unicef And Fao Mongolia Country Programmes; 2.   Proposed Set Of Legal/policy Interventions, Financial Interventions And Social Interventions Date Of Delivery: 11 January 2021 (15 Workdays Upon Acceptance Of The Deliverables)    The Amount To Be Paid: 30% Of Total Agreed Fee       Payment 3 Includes The Following Deliverables: Deliverables: 1.   Final Draft Analysis Report On Climate Change Impact On Food Security And Nutritional Outcomes And Policy Recommendations; 2.   Proposed Set Of Legal/policy Interventions, Financial Interventions And Social Interventions 3.   Final Report      Date Of Delivery: 5 February 2021 (15 Workdays Upon Acceptance Of The Deliverables)     The Amount To Be Paid: 30% Of Total Agreed Fee       Payment Will Be Made After Submission Of Deliverables, Subject To Certification Of Satisfactory Completion By The Supervisor.  The Number And Date Of Draft Submissions Required Is Subject To Change Pending Forthcoming Guidance And Adjustments To Timeline From Contract Supervisor.   5.   Penalty Clause Unicef Reserves The Right To Withhold Up To 30% Of The Total Contract Fee In The Case That The Deliverables Are Not Submitted On Schedule Or Do Not Meet The Required Standard.   Copyright And Ownership Of All Documents.   6.   Duty Station:   Given The Covid-19 Pandemic Context, It Is Anticipated That International Experts Will Be Working Remotely, While National Experts Will Be Working In Country (ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) – 10.5 Weeks Tentatively.   7.  Travel International Consultants Will Be Working Remotely Given The Context Of Covid-19. In Case There Would Be A Possibility For A Mission Of The International Consultant To Mongolia, This Will Be Considered And Discussed During The Assignment. If The National Consultants Are Required To Travel Locally In Mongolia, The Travel Will Be Issued Based On Un Rate As Per The Latest Travel Policy. Consultants Will Be Fully Responsible For His/her Travel, Health, And Life Insurances.   8.  Timeframe:  3 Months   Start Date:    16 November 2020         End Date:  20 February 2021   9.   Qualifications Of The Contractor   Qualifications Required:   International Institution As A Team Leader ·    Lead Researcher Must Have An Advanced University Degree (masters Or Phd) In One Of The Following Disciplines: Nutrition, Agriculture Economics, Environment, Climate Change, Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Food Security, Social Or Public Policy, Development Economics Or Other Relevant Social Science With Strong Experience In Climate Change Studies. ·    The Institution Must Possess At Least 5 Years’ Experience In Studies, Reviews And Baseline Assessments In Nutrition, Food Security, Health, Environment, Social Research With An Emphasis On Climate Change. ·    Cvs Of Involved Professionals Should Be Made Available Upon Submission Of A Technical Proposal. ·    Experience Required: With At Least 5 Years Of Demonstrable Experience In Nutrition, Food Security, Environment Research, Assessment, Studies, Or Review Of Development Programmes, Experience In Conducting Studies/research On Climate Change; Experience As Main Writer Of An Assessment, Research, Reviews; ·    Language: Excellent Knowledge Of Written And Spoken English. ·    Competency: Good Skills In Grasping The Very Complex Project Situation In A Short Time Frame. ·    Excellent Analysis Skills In Writing Assessment Reports With Constructive And Practical Recommendations. Good Audience‐oriented Communication, Teamwork And Presentation Skills.   National Institution As A Team Member ·    Researchers Must Have A Master’s Degree Nutrition, Food Security Environment, Climate Change, Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Agriculture Economics, Social Or Public Policy, Development Economics Or Other Relevant Social Sciences. Researchers Must Have A Strong Understanding And Experiences In Designing, Implementing, Monitoring The Assessment, Review And Or Studies, ·    Experiences: At Least Five Years Of Experience Of Relevant Experience In Nutrition, Food Security, Environment, And Climate Change At The National And/or International Level In Design, Implementation And Monitoring Of The Studies, Reviews And Assessments. Knowledge And Experience In The Un System, Relations Or Past Contacts With Government Department And Ngos Would Be An Advantage. ·    Language: Excellent Knowledge Of Written And Spoken English And Mongolian. ·    Competency: Good Observation And Analytical Skills In Grasping The Very Complex Project Situation In A Short Time Frame. Excellent Skills In Writing Reports. Good Audience‐oriented Communication, Teamwork And Presentation Skills.   10.  Evaluation Criteria   Criteria      Points    A. Technical Proposal -  70 Points 1. Overall Concord Between Requirements And Proposal -     10 Points 2. Proposed Methodology And Approach - 40 Points 3. Experience And Qualifications Of Key Personnel Inclusive Of: -    Experience In Designing And Implementing Assessments, Reviews And Research Especially For Nutrition, Food Security, Environment And Climate Change -    Detailed Knowledge Of Issues Related To The Climate Change Impact On Nutrition And Food - 20 Points   B. Financial Proposal -  30 Points Only Proposals Which Receive A Minimum Of 49 Points (70%) Under A Technical Evaluation Will Be Considered Technically Compliant.   11.  Management Arrangements   This Undertaking Will Be Managed And Overseen By The Nutrition Officer Of Unicef Mongolia And The Assistant Representative Of Fao Mongolia On The Agreed Upon Outputs/deliverables Of The International And National Contractors, Upon Which Payments For Their Services Shall Be Based. All Materials Produced Or Acquired Under The Terms Of This Consultancy Shall Remain The Property Of Unicef And Fao Mongolia. Unicef And Fao Mongolia Furthermore Retain The Exclusive Right To Publish Or Disseminate Assessment Reports Even After The Termination Of This Consultancy. Frequency Of Performance Review:  Formal Performance Assessment Shall Be Conducted At Every Stage Of The Contract Payment