National Consultant on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Analytical Processes and Operations for the Philippines National Coast Watch Center

BACKGROUND

The Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports member states, including the Philippines, in the capacity building of its maritime law enforcement agencies with a view to increase operational capacity to exercise control over maritime zones, develop and increase maritime domain awareness, and promote information sharing and White Hull diplomacy in the Southeast Asian and Pacific regions.      

Maritime security is a growing priority area for coastal states due to increasing incidence of maritime and transnational crimes being recorded. The waterways along the tri-border area between the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia are known to be a key hub for maritime criminal activity in Southeast Asia and a well-known transit zone for weapons and explosives and principal logistics corridor for local and transnational terrorist groups as well as kidnap for ransom. The Philippine government is cognizant of its role in safeguarding its strategic maritime interests by appropriately enforcing maritime security in its territorial waters.

Through the establishment of the National Coast Watch Center (NCWC), significant strides have been made to strengthen maritime domain awareness (MDA) in the Philippines, particularly in the Sulu and Celebes Seas where increased coordination and better synergy of efforts among maritime law enforcement (MLE) agencies are being established at a national and regional level. UNODC/GMCP is supporting these collaborative efforts by hosting a series of regional forums such as the Contact Group on the Sulu and Celebes Seas—a trilateral mechanism bringing together maritime law enforcement agencies from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia to strengthen cooperation and response to maritime threats in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, which include kidnap-for-ransom and facilitation of terrorism support activity.

MDA technology is advancing rapidly and becoming an integral part of maritime surveillance and law enforcement capability. GMCP initiatives on MDA technology focuses on three broad areas, (i) regional maritime information fusion mechanisms, (ii) developing terrestrial technology to augment the MDA picture, and (iii) developing dark targeting and behavioral analysis capability. The role of the NCWC in monitoring the Philippine maritime domain is highly significant and it is crucial to provide support to the Center to fulfill its mandates through various capacity and capability-building initiatives.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of the assignment is to assist in the surveillance of the Philippines’ maritime domain by employing relevant technologies and capacity building activities to increase capabilities.

The UNODC seeks a consultant to provide substantive direction, guidance and recommendations in developing MDA capabilities and capacities for the NCWC.  In particular, the consultant shall:

• Provide overall support in the preparation and procurement process of the MDA enhancement initiative by ensuring that the equipment and corresponding systems are fully operational; and
• Provide mentorship and guidance to NCWC personnel on various MDA systems.

SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall supervision of the UNODC GMCP Programme Coordinator (Southeast Asia and the Pacific) based in Bangkok, the consultant will perform the following tasks for the period 12 July – 31 August 2021:

Deliverables – 10 Days

• Provide support to the procurement of MDA enhancement equipment by identifying appropriate technologies/ equipment to use and assisting in the crafting of technical specifications.

Deliverable B – 10 Days

• Provide an assessment report on the current MDA capabilities of NCWC, identify areas that would necessitate additional support, and provide necessary recommendations. Preferably the study is to be done with field visits, but due to the global public health crisis, homebased research is acceptable.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

The following tasks and deliverables table shall guide the Consultant’s work:

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT

The consultant will perform its work under the supervision and report directly to the Regional Programme Coordinator of Southeast Asia and the Pacific of the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC.

The consultant will work closely with the GMCP Team, in particular, the UNODC National Programme Officer (Global Maritime Crime Programme) based in Manila.

Expected tangible and measurable outputs:

• Deliverable A- Provide support to the procurement of MDA enhancement equipment by identifying appropriate technologies/ equipment to use and assisting in the crafting of technical specifications.

• Deliverable B- Assessment report on the current MDA capabilities of NCWC and provide necessary recommendations

Duty Station: Manila, Philippines

The consultant will be home based during this consultancy. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work and travel of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government. Field work, meetings, and coordination shall be done in compliance with community quarantine policies.

Duration of work: 20 working days from July to August 2021 (schedule of report submissions and other related document are indicated in the Expected Outputs and Deliverables clause)

Regular updating/ reporting to the designated coordinator assigned for the particular project is as stated above.

Travel: UNODC will cover the costs related to travel, including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses in cases when necessary travel is required.

Note: It is understood that the consultant would not hold UNODC responsible for any unforeseen or untoward incident during the duration of the consultancy service. It is mandatory that the consultant secure his/her own insurance coverage during the conduct of the consultancy. The IC will report to UNODC the progress of the tasks agreed upon and closely consult with UNODC in carrying out the assignments.

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE SUCCESSFUL INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis/Combined Scoring:

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight: [70 points]

* Financial Criteria weight: [30 points]

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 out of 70 points will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

SCOPE OF PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The Contractor should send the financial proposal based on a lump-sum amount for the delivery of the outputs identified below. The total amount quoted shall be “all inclusive” (daily professional fees X number of person-days, communications, transportation, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor should be factored into the final amount submitted in the proposal. Travel, as deemed relevant by UNDP and compliant with government guidelines on community quarantine, will be arranged and paid for by UNDP and should not be included in the financial proposal.

Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the Contractor must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during contract duration.

The contract price will be fixed output-based price. Any deviations from the output and timeline will be agreed upon between the Contractor and UNDP. Payments will be done upon satisfactory completion of the delivery by target due dates. Prior to release of payments, outputs will be certified by the Senior Policy Advisor of UNODC.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

1. Duly accomplished Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the IC that indicates the all-inclusive lumpsum contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided; If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP;
2. Financial Proposal (Annex 2 of Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability)- use UNDP Template
3. Personal CV or P11 Personal History Form, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;  

Offerors must upload in one (1) file the aforementioned documents.

Templates for a) P11 Personal History Form and b)  Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal (Annex 2 of same document) are available through the link below. UNDP General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contractors  are also available:

http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU

Incomplete submission of required documents may result in disqualification.

Please see deadline of submissions above.

In view of the volume of applications UNDP receives, only successful offerors will be notified.

ANNEXES TO THE TOR

    https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/piracy/index.html

    https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/piracy/pacific-ocean.html