CONSULTING ASSIGNMENT - ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION

About this position

WORK PACKAGE: ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE ACTION

LOCATION: REMOTE 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 8, 2020

EXPECTED START DATE: NOVEMBER 23, 2020

REPORTING TO: Program Leadership Team

EXPECTED LEVEL OF EFFORT: 30 Days (suggested)

BUDGET AVAILABLE: Up to CAD $22,000 

BACKGROUND 

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit organization with a mission to build a better world for all young people. Our vision is a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world for youth. It is a world in which all young people, especially women and refugees, are empowered to secure a good quality of life for themselves, their families, and their communities. We work towards this mission by delivering programs that enhance education, economic opportunities, and empowerment for youth. We work with a diverse network of students, volunteers, institutions, governments, and businesses around to realize our vision. 

NATURE AND SCOPE

WUSC wishes to identify a consultant - or a small team of consultants - to support our team to advance a number of priorities related to the integration of environmental sustainability and climate action to our programming frameworks, program design, and operations. This includes work that spans both program strategy and operations across the breadth of our programming. An indicative breakdown between program strategy, project management and operations is provided below, but consultants are invited to propose alternative and innovative approaches to this division.

The selected consultant will deliver the following: 

1. Environmental Analysis and Integration Plan for WUSC’s new IGNI+E Volunteer Cooperation program.

2. Recommendations for how to integrate environmental sustainability and climate action into WUSC’s programming frameworks, namely our Theory of Change and thematic programming areas.

3. Provide draft tools to integrate climate action and environmental sustainability into i) proposal development; ii) project Implementation Planning and ii) ongoing Project Management. 

4. Recommendations for improvements and adaptations to WUSC’s current environment safeguard tools, including due diligence tools and processes for environmental impact assessment, taking specific consideration of new and existing GAC policies and requirements.

SPECIFIC TASKS

The breakdown of specific days for each component are an indicative Level of Effort. Consultants can revise these based on their technical approach.

Component 1: Environmental Analysis and Integration Plan for WUSC’s IGNI+E Project (15 days)

WUSC’s IGNI+E Project is a volunteer cooperation program that will harness the knowledge, capacity and expertise of skilled Canadians through 1200 volunteer assignments in order to build the capacity and performance of 70+ partner organizations in 10 countries. IGNI+E is currently completing an inception phase that involves validating the program logic model, country strategies and developing a high level 7 year workplan. To support this process, the consultant will identify key areas of intervention within environment and climate change that can be undertaken by the program. Key tasks associated with the project review include: 1) Desktop document review of IGNI+E documents & resources; 2) Scan of the national context related to Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action for each IGNI+E country - review of national strategic frameworks, strategies, policies, programs and plans for each country, with emphasis on the intersection between environment on youth livelihoods and gender equality, and 3) Consultations with Ottawa and country staff and other stakeholders.

Component 2: Review of WUSC’s Theory of Change (5 Days)

WUSC’s Theory of Change articulates the pathways of change that WUSC believes will contribute towards fulfilling our vision.  The consultant will undertake a desk review of WUSC’s TOC, associated thematic papers, and other relevant documents to provide advice on the integration of environment and climate action into WUSC’s Theory of Change and strategy. WUSC’s programming spans a wide range of interventions and modalities. For this reason, advice should be high level and identify key points of significant leverage for the organization to make a positive contribution to environmental conservation and the fight against climate change. Key tasks associated with the Theory of Change review include: 1) Desktop review of key WUSC documents, especially WUSC’s Theory of Change, Thematic Papers, WUSC’s Age, Gender Equality and Diversity Policy; 2) Review of current practice, tools via staff survey, discussions with key informants/ groups of WUSC personnel; 3) Provide recommendations for how WUSC’s can better integrate environmental sustainability and climate change into its Theory of Change; 4) Identify 2-3 indicators useful to track new environment and climate action elements.

Component 3 : Provide draft tools to integrate climate action and environmental sustainability into i) Proposal development; and ii) Project Implementation Planning and ii) ongoing Project Management (3 days)

In order to embed suggestions made regarding WUSC’s Theory of Change into the program management cycle, the consultant will propose or develop a series of decision support tools to be used at different points of WUSC’s project cycle, with a focus on developing and managing interventions that make a positive contribution towards environmental sustainability and climate action. These tools will assist to identify, during early project phases and in regular project reviews, considerations where programs can integrate a critical environmental and climate change lens with a view to engaging youth and promoting gender equality. Key tasks associated with the project review include: 1) Review of a selected number of WUSC initiative proposals and program documents across WUSC’s portfolio and identify areas where project decision making can be improved; 2) Identify or propose a series of decision-support tools that can aid initiatives to integrate environmental sustainability in i) Proposal development; and ii) Project implementation planning and iii) ongoing project management. 

Component 4: Develop or update WUSC’s current environment management and safeguard tools, including due diligence tools and processes for environmental impact assessment, taking specific consideration of new and existing GAC policies and requirements (7 days)

As WUSC seeks to reduce our own carbon footprint, a key element of this consultancy will undertake a review of WUSC’s current operational guidelines and propose environmental management tools relevant to our program and operational management cycle. These will include, for example, procurement policies, travel guidelines and environmental impact assessments.  Key tasks include: 1) Gather and review current management tools used by WUSC, including those related to due diligence, environmental impact assessment and procurement; 2) Review WUSC’s existing environment policy; 3) Propose revisions to environment policy and a series of operational tools as agreed upon with management.

DELIVERABLES

Component 1

• Six Country Summaries including:

  • context analysis

  • list of key stakeholders with whom the project can partner, learn from - including (but not limited to) actors in each country that intersect between youth and women’s economic opportunities, gender equality, and environmental sustainability

• Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action Strategy for IGNI+E, including the following strategic priorities:

  • Capacity strengthening support for partners 

    • Environmental mainstreaming (technical support)

    • Environmental program development (technical support)

    • Environmental assessments (organisational support)

    • Environmental policy development (organisational support)

    • Greening of physical partner spaces (organisational support) 

    • Other 

  • Targeting and support for greener initiatives through the Partner Innovation Fund

  • Carbon-offsetting to reduce the project’s carbon footprint

  • Recruitment of Canadian Volunteers (identification of recruitment opportunities)

• A workplan

• Draft environmental sustainability strategy and plan for IGNI+E 

• Recommendations for WUSC (10 pages)

Component 2

• Summary recommendations for WUSC’s Theory of Change in the form of a small report (4-5 pages)

• Half day staff debrief workshop/training on environmental strategy and WUSC’s Theory of Change

Component 3

• Report summarizing recommendations for program design, program inception and program management (5 pages)

• 2-3 Decision support tools for use in program design and inception

Component 4

• Report summarizing recommendations for program operations (5 pages)

• Revised Environmental Impact Assessment and Due Diligence Tools

• Revised WUSC Environment Policy (3 pages)

TIMELINES & DELIVERABLES

Tasks - Indicative Deadline

Proposal submission deadline - November 8th

Signing of contract with WUSC - Week of November 23

Inception meeting - Week of November 23

Submission of workplan - November 30

Review and feedback from WUS - December 7 

Deadline for submission of Component 1 deliverable  - December 20

Deadline for submission of Component 2 deliverable  - January 22

Deadline for submission of component 3 deliverable - January 29

Deadline for submission of component 4 deliverable  - February 5

Debriefing and team training  - Week of February 8

Completion of assignment - February 15

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of Government of Canada, specifically, Global Affairs Canada policies and tools with regard to environmental sustainability 

• Climate action and environmental sustainability expertise in an international development context

• Background and understanding of at least one of WUSC’s Thematic Areas of Education, Economic Opportunities, Empowerment, and Durable Solutions for Refugees Youth.

• Understanding of good practice in International Volunteer Cooperation.

• Understanding of and commitment to gender equality.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please send an application package including:

• CV of Lead Consultant and other key consultants on the team

• 2-3 page technical proposal outlining the understanding of the assignment, approach to be undertaken and past experience

• Budget and financial proposal

• 2 samples of previous similar work

• 2 references

EVALUATION CRITERIA 

The objective of this call for consultants is to identify a respondent that will provide the best overall value to WUSC within the available budget parameters. While price is a significant factor, other criteria will form the basis of our award decision, as more fully described below. 

• Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Terms of Reference. 

• Relevant past performance and experience of the firm or individual consultant. 

• Samples of work or references of two previous clients for whom similar work was performed. 

• Cost, including an assessment of level of effort. 

• Identification of the consultant(s) who will be engaged on the project and a short bio for each outlining their experience in this field. 

WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion and sexual exploitation and abuse of any form.  

Full Applications should be emailed to: jdonovan@wusc.ca

Only electronic proposals will be accepted.