IC- International Water Database Development Specialist (WDDS)

Consultant Leadership

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

Description of assignment: International Water Database Development Specialist (WDDS) to: (i) supervise and support the Consultant Firm responsible for design and implementation supervision of the Central Water Management System (CWMS) and Database and (ii) help the National Center for Water Research and Studies to develop, commission and handover the KSA National Water Sector Database.

Project name: Capacity Development and Related Services for an Integrated Sustainable Development and Management of the Water Sector in KSA in the framework of Vision 2030 – SAU10/107888 (IWRM Capacity Development Project)

Period of assignment/services: One-year input, preferably over one year (negotiable)

The Project Implementing Partner is the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), Water. MEWA, Water has the national mandate for integrated water resources management (IWRM) and is organized into five main operational directorates.

The Project Implementing Partner is the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), Water. MEWA, Water has the national mandate for integrated water resources management (IWRM) and is organized into five main operational directorates. [1]

The WDDS will report to the Director of the MEWA, National Center for Water Research and Studies (NCWRS). Designated NCWRS functions are: (i) Conduct and cohere water research in the Kingdom, to achieve NWS 2030 objectives, and establish a national water research strategy, (ii) Establish a national water database for the entire Kingdom (Project Output 7.3) and (iii) Capacity development.

The Saudi National Water Strategy 2030 (NWS 2030) comprises 47 Strategic Initiatives organized under 10 Programs. The Project Outcome is MEWA, Water organizational and technical capacity development with respect to the IWRM mandate of MEWA, Water. The Project comprises 25 sub-outputs grouped into eight main technical Project Outputs (Annex 1).

On 19 October 2020, MEWA, Water Regulation Directorate signed a Contract with Dornier CST Saudi Ltd. (herein the Consultant Firm) for the Supervision of Meters Installation and Design and Supervision of Central Water Management System (CWMS) Implementation.

1. Project Title: MEWA, Water IWRM Capacity Development Project

2. Project Description

The Project Outcome is MEWA, Water organizational and technical capacity development with respect to MEWA, Water mandate for integrated water resources management (IWRM). The eight technical Project Outputs, and their 25 sub-outputs, are summarized in Alatoom. 2019. Annual Project Evaluation. [2]

1. Assignment Purpose

MEWA has a water, hydrogeologic, and hydrologic monitoring network and large record of water sector data including desalination, water transport and distribution, and other institutions within and outside the water sector. The WDDS will supervise and support the Consultant Firm responsible for: (i) design and implementation supervision of the Central Water Management System (CWMS) and Database and (ii) supervision of Water Meter installation. In particular, the IWDS will facilitate delivery of the National Water Database.

Scope of Work

Capacity will be developed and technical services and outputs delivered in three collaborative phases for: (i) initial analysis and synthesis, (ii) database development and (iii) stocktaking and continuation proposal. The second and third phases will be coordinated with the work plan to be agreed between the MEWA, Water Regulation Directorate and its CWMS and Database Consultant Firm. [3]

1. Capacity Development

2. Institutional Arrangements

3. Deputy Minister, Water is responsible for decision-making. However, DM, Water will facilitate a collaborative MEWA, Water IWRM decision-making and capacity development process;

4. Director, NCWRS functions include the National Water Database (Project Output 7.3);
5. The WDDS will report to the Director, NCWRS;
6. It is expected that, a National MEWA WDDS will also be recruited to provide continuity;
7. The Consulting Firm is responsible to the Director, Water Regulation for design and implementation supervision of the CWMS and Database and supervision of meter installation;
8. Together with MEWA, Agriculture, the Water Regulation Directorate is also responsible for improving crop-water productivity to reduce groundwater mining;
9. Once it is commissioned, Director, CWMC will be responsible for the operation of the CWMS;

10. Other important stakeholders include MEWA, Water Directors for Water Resources (Project Outputs 1 and 2), Water Planning (Output 4).

11. Organizational Capacity

In consultation with the Director, NCWRS the WDDS will: (i) supervise and support the CWMS and Database, from its development to implementation including commissioning, and (ii) conduct a parallel participatory MEWA, Water organizational capacity development process. [4]

1.3 Technical Capacity

The NWDS Specialist will also mentor [5] two or three designated MEWA, Water staff members (mentees) and help them to: (i) develop and implement their continuing professional development (CPD) [6] programs and (ii) progressively assume responsibility for database maintenance, upgrade, and security etc.

1. Inception Phase (months 1 to 3 inclusive)

The main purpose and outputs of the Inception Phase will be: (i) initial analysis and synthesis and participatory (ii) elaboration and refinement of the proposed approach and method and (iii) arrangements for its development and implementation during subsequent phases.

2.1.****Initial Analysis and Synthesis

The WDDS will identify and review relevant background documents, including the following reports that will be made available upon mobilization, and assess existing water sector data and IT infrastructure:

1. Diaz. 2017. IWIMS: Integrated Water and Information and Management System;
2. MEWA and UNDP. 2019. Establishment of a Hydroinformatics Unit;
3. CWMC. 2020. AI-Based Decision Support Systems and Business Model;
4. Dornier. 2021. Design and Implementation Supervision of Central Water Management System and Database AND Supervision of Installation of Water Meters: Inception Report etc.

The assessment and synthesis will include review of existing MEWA, Water and other government and private organizations data, including for agriculture, surveying, GIS, Industrial and, and the energy sector etc, their sources and quality and their existing architecture and flow. Agricultural data will include actual crop evapotranspiration estimate by satellite remote sensing image interpretation.

2.2.****Approach and Method

The WDDS will facilitate collegiate elaboration and refinement of an approach and method including:

1. Clarify and refine the purpose and scope of the assignment and its outputs. In particular, clarify which other Project Outputs and MEWA processes including the implementation of NWS 2030 for the entire sector including managing emergency situations
2. Review All technological options in view of the sector technological assessment and data content from legacy to future forecasted rise in data volumes. Those will be prioritized based on set criteria to be established by the specialist.
3. Review and benchmark international water and environmental database practices;
4. Develop criteria for data quality control.

2.3.****Implementation Arrangements

The NWDS will:

1. Prepare a Draft Inception Report (DIR), presenting all the above and following outputs;
2. Contribute to refining the TOR for the CWMC dashboard, and any other IT related TOR;
3. Prepare a detailed approach, method and work plan, with SMART indicators, for:
   1. Interim work, between the first and second phases, and:
   2. The second phase;
4. Present the DIR to a stakeholder consensus workshop and

5. Deliver a Final Inception Report addressing stakeholder feedback received at the workshop. This will include the agreed scenario(s) for development of the agreed database.

6. Database Development (six months input)

The WDDS will work with the Consultant Firm to ensure that their CWMS and Database TOR are complete, comprehensive and suitable to establishing a national water database (NWD). The NWD will efficiently help MEWA, Water and water sector stakeholders to optimize the analysis and decision-making process in a transparent and economically viable manner under the auspices of the NWS 2030. The WDDS will lead collegiate:

1. Development and establishment of database; [7]
2. For the third phase, agree, with MEWA, Water Directors:
   1. The process of launching the database:
   2. Implementation arrangements similar to those described in Section 2.3 above.

4.****Stocktaking and Continuation Proposal

While the initial WDDS contract will be for 12-months input, over 12 to 21 months, the CWMS and Database Consultant Firm Contract is for 38 months. The WDDS will prepare, discuss and agree, on a no-commitment basis: (i) a stocktaking progress report, (ii) revised approach and methodology, similar to Section 3.2 above, and (ii) continuation implementation arrangements similar to Section 3.3 above. The stocktaking progress report will:

1. Link all MEWA Directorates with proper applications for relevant software applications and develop processes and protocols for database maintenance, upgrade, update, and security;
2. Include ongoing refinement, elaboration and specification of MEWA, Water CWMS and Database applications and requirements;
3. Identify any coverage and resource gaps, eg in the Consulting Firm’s Contract, and help fill them either using his/her own expertise or by facilitating recruitment of other specialists.

[1] MEWA, Water operational Directorates are for: (i) Water Resources, (ii) Water Planning, (iii) Water Regulation

and the Centers for (iv) Research and Studies (NCWRS) and (v) Water Management and Control (CWMC).

[2] Available at erc.undp.org/evaluation/documents/download/15238.

[3] As of 12 January 2021, Dornier were about to deliver their draft Inception Report and workplan, present it at their

Inception Workshop and incorporate MEWA, Water feedback into their final Inception Report and workplan.

[4] UNDP. 2015. Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer,

http://content-ext.undp.org/aplaws_publications/2222263/CDG_PrimerReport_final_web.pdf.

[5] RWSN. 2020. Guidance Document for the RWSN Mentoring Programme,

https://rwsnblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/mentoringprogrammeguidance_eng_2020.pdf.

[6] https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/Training-And-Development/Continuing-Professional-Development and

https://www.ice.org.uk/my-ice/membership-documents/continuing-professional-development-guidance.

1. The WDDS will work with contractors, MEWA, Water and any government and private entities to closely supervise

the establishment of the national water database and ensure its integrity, resilience, efficiency, and security with

the highest international IT standards while fulfilling its purpose primarily data supporting the process of IWRM

and the implementation of the NWS 2030.

Duties and Responsibilities

The WDDS will supervise and support the Consultant Firm responsible for design and implementation supervision of the Central Water Management System (CWMS) and Database. In particular, the WDDS will facilitate delivery of the National Water Database by ensuring that the database design is in line with the highest up to date technological standards, ensuring that a protocol is established to quality control the data, and put the database in the production mode in a way that ensures its integrity and security. Detailed TOR are in Annex 1.

Description of assignment: International Water Database Development Specialist (WDDS) to: (i) supervise and support the Consultant Firm responsible for design and implementation supervision of the Central Water Management System (CWMS) and Database and (ii) help the National Center for Water Research and Studies to develop, commission and handover the KSA National Water Sector Database.

Project name: Capacity Development and Related Services for an Integrated Sustainable Development and Management of the Water Sector in KSA in the framework of Vision 2030 – SAU10/107888 (IWRM Capacity Development Project)

Period of assignment/services: One-year input, preferably over one year (negotiable)

Expected Outputs and Deliverables [1]

Deliverable/Output

Input

Latest Delivery

Acceptance

Final Inception Report

3 months

End month 03

Director, NCWRS

Database development

6 months

End month 15

Director, NCWRS

Stocktaking and Proposal

3 months

End month 21

Director, NCWRS

[1] Outputs, inputs and delivery dates to be coordinated with Consulting Firm CWMS and Database workplan.

MEWA, Water prefer a continuous 12-month input (ie 12-months input over 12 months). However, it will

consider spreading the 12-month input over 21 months (ie three-months on and three-months off).

Competencies

Competencies:

i.Required Certifications and knowledge:

a.Certification in database from reputable institution such as ;

b.;

c.have worked in establishing a quality-controlled database for a large corporate or government organization from raw data;

ii. In-depth, comprehensive and practical experience in data-generating instrumentation, remote telemetry transmission; reception, and data format adaptation across stakeholders

iii. Excellent oral communication and written reporting skills in English and, ideally, Arabic.

Demonstrated ability to mentor national counterparts and develop their technical capacities.

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications: PhD (preferable) or MSc in a database development-related IT area, preferably with some academic background in earth sciences.

II. Years of experience: At least 10 years of practical experience, in database development in earth or environmental sciences, with a strong background in water practices for the process of IWRM

EVALUATION

Cumulative analysis: The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable and b) having the highest score. Weighted technical scores below will be evaluated on the basis of short-listed candidates: (i) CV, (ii) proposal and (iii) interview. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 60 technical points (75%) will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Criteria

Weight

Maximum Point

Technical

Academic qualifications [1]

20

Practical water database development

40

Practical water database applications [2]

20

Financial

20

[1] General IT and specific water database development and application.

[2] General Hydroinformatics and hydrogeological and hydrological database applications, specifically for integrated

water information and management systems, and remote sensing data and GIS etc.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

The financial proposal will specify the monthly fee, travel expenses and per diems quoted in separate line items, and payments are made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked.

Travel: All envisaged travel costs must be included. This includes all travel to join duty station and repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, in writing, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal explaining why they are the most suitable for the work?

2. Financial proposal indicating whether a candidate is available for: (i) 12-months continuous input or (ii) 12-months intermittent input over up to 21-months (ie 3-months on and 3-months off).

3. Personal CV including experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

4. Academic degrees and certificates will be required for a successful candidate to obtain an entry visa

IC Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Inter…vailability

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l7u6ias27yb809g00gcs3/IC-Offerors-Letter-to-UNDP-Confirming-Interest-and-Availability.docx?dl=0&rlkey=332zsrdw4qt1938oktt2hq91r

P11 Form

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pjo05gfx3u8yaz30hd1c3/P11-Personal-History-Form.doc?dl=0&rlkey=6nf4u5jw1xmrmfyl180gpfbdc

IC GT&C

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qqt2iv7ob7x5e1p/IC%20GT%20and%20C.pdf?dl=0

Submssion Form

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3d8sm732nn2agykt3twic/PSU_-Individual-Contract_Offerors-Letter-to-UNDP-Confirming-Interest-and-Availability-1.docx?dl=0&rlkey=ur5gjx17df5b8i8v0q337h9i2

Apply now

Added 3 years ago - Updated 3 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org