Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Papua New Guinea Programme is conducting a Request for Information to identify specialised entities in the fields of Conducting Assessment Study in Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding.

It is the intention of UNDP-PNG to launch a Request for Proposal (RFP) subject to the outcome of this Request for Information. Therefore, Specialized Consultancy Firm/Entities are encouraged to fill in the attached herewith Questionnaire which will assist UNDP-PNG to better understand the relevant market and level of interest in participating in the bidding process.

Background on the Project: The impact of climate change-related hazards in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been increasing in intensity and frequency. Further impacts from climate change include the loss of food gardens due to extensive flooding (both in coastal and riverine areas) combined with extended periods of drought. The rising sea level is causing some of PNG‘s islands to be gradually submerged. Salt water intrusion is affecting groundwater particularly in the islands and in coastal areas, threatening domestic water supplies and agriculture. With the onset and multitude of climate change impacts, the country‘s economy, environment and people are becoming more vulnerable and are at risk of not meeting basic human development needs. Climate change puts at risk the achievement of the goals set out in PNG‘s major development plans.

Flooding in the coastal areas is one of the most important climate change related hazards in the North Coast and the as settlements are usually located in the coasts, particularly the provincial capitals of East Sepik (), (Madang), Morobe (), Northern and Province. Similarly, in the hinterland areas, climate change-related inland flooding is the most pressing hazard with the largest potential for wide-spread damage.

In order to enhance the adaptive capacity of communities to make informed decision about and adapt to climate change-driven hazards a joint project titled ‘Enhancing Adaptive Capacity of Communities to Climate Change-related Floods in the North Coast and Islands Region of PNG’, was launched by the United Nations Development Programme and Office of Climate Change and Development’s (OCCD). The project is being implemented in five provinces namely East Sepik, Madang, Morobe, New Ireland and Northern Province which have been identified as most vulnerable to climate change related coastal and inland flooding (OCCD,2010). One of the key components of the projects is to establish inland and coastal flood Early Warning Systems (EWS) in the selected provinces of North Coast and Island regions. An effective EWS system is crucial to minimizing damage in the event of a disaster. Access to information about the probability of a hazard and the extent of damage it could cause is therefore imperative. Such a process requires not only technical and sophisticated This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 1 of 6

Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in Papua New Guinea warning systems but also established and responsive line of control for dissemination of warnings or alerts to communities. The ability to communicate early warnings to communities in Papua New Guinea is a special concern given the remoteness of communities with limited communication access.

The Papua New Guinea National Weather Service (PNG NWS), has the responsibility of meteorological observations and maintenance of climate data and the observation systems. However, forecasting, prediction and detection capacities remain insufficient. Currently, there are limited meteorological observation stations and the assessment is that these stations are insufficient in terms of spatial distribution for real time weather monitoring, interpretation and forecasting of warnings. In addition, PNG NWS’s information gathering and computational power are limited and the existing internet connectivity is very slow for ensuring timely transmission and receipt of meteorological information.

The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is the lead agency for inland flood mitigation in terms of conducting hydrological monitoring, however the Department lacks the necessary resources and capabilities to engage in flood monitoring and forecasting activities. This includes lack of observation and transmission system, information processing and management system, and communication systems. National Disaster Centre (NDC) which is the lead agency for Disaster Risk Management in PNG is responsible for issuance of early warnings to authorities and the general public. NDC works closely with technical agencies such as Rabaul Volcano Observatory, Geophysical Observatory, Port Moresby Geoengineering, National Weather Service, Department of Environment and Conservation. These agencies are responsible for monitoring and evaluation of specific hazard threats and share information with NDC. NDC has established standard operating procedures (SOPs) and through its Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) provides warnings to provincial authorities and public on the onset of a hazardous event. However the capacities, procedures and protocols in place to generate early warning information and disseminate warning especially for inland and coastal flooding are almost nonexistence. The early warning systems and procedures at the provincial and sub-provincial level are weak due to lack of communication facilities for conveying the warnings to communities, who often live in remote and isolated areas with very limited access to communication facilities. The procedures and protocols for early warning dissemination at the sub-national level is unclear and in most cases the warnings do not reach the communities.

In the above context the project seeks to enhance the capacity of various agencies involved in inland and coastal flooding by evaluating, selecting and implementing various options with the view of establishing an integrated Early Warning System for inland and coastal flooding through conducting an assessment in the 5 pilot provinces: (East Sepik (Wewak), Madang (Madang), Morobe (Lae), Northern and New Ireland Province). The frequency and magnitude of inland and coastal flooding has increased over the recent past and is perceived to This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 2 of 6

Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in Papua New Guinea be a major hazard in the years to come. Please refer to Annex B for details on Scope of Work and Deliverables.

QUESTIONNAIRE: Reference No. 2/14 - EWS

Name of Consultancy Firm: Year of establishment: Yeas in existence: Country of registration: Name of contact person: Email address of contact person:

1- Does your firm conduct assessments/studies related to Early Warning Systems (EWS), including experience in the development of guidelines and manuals and maintenance and operationalization of early warning systems? Please list past experience of handling similar assignments.

Country Year Client

Please add rows as necessary

2- Please indicate the value and description of the latest three top projects you have worked on in the past five years: Name of the Brief Description of the Number of Number & Client Duration Total project project Or Achieved Results Specialized Name of Pilot of the Budget in Consultants Cities/ project USD Involved Provinces as applicable

This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 3 of 6

Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in Papua New Guinea

3- Please indicate the value and description of top three projects in the past five years related to Early Warning Systems. Name of the Brief Description of the project Number of Number & Client Duration Total project Or Achieved Results Specialized Names of of the Budget in Consultants Pilot Cities/ project USD Involved Provinces as applicable

4- What was your yearly financial turn over for the last two years? Year Turn Over Amount in USD 2012

2013

5- If you were to be awarded a contract for this type of services do you see any obstacles that could hinder you from successfully undertaking such an assignment or from gathering the required information on these 5 pilot provinces in PNG? If you answered yes, please explain in detail.

6- Please indicate if you foresee the need to sub-contract another company/entity in order to successfully complete the assessment? If you answered yes, what would be the sub- contractor responsible for?

7- Would you expect some facilities to be provided by UNDP for such an assignment that would facilitate your achievement for this type of assessment? Or would you expect a kind of in-country assistance to be provided by UNDP to successfully complete such an assignment? If you answered yes, please explain in detail what type of facilities do you expect and why?

This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 4 of 6

Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in Papua New Guinea

8- What kind of technical expertise, human resources and operational capacity is required to conduct an assessment for Early Warning System? Please list the required consultants’ specialization for conducting such an assessment?

9- Did your firm conduct training of administrative functionaries, communities and other stakeholders in maintaining and operating Early Warning Systems ? If you answered yes, please elaborate.

10- Does your firm have working experience with the United Nations? If you answered yes, please indicate which UN agencies with description of provided services.

11- Would you be interested to submit an offer for the required services if UNDP-PNG decides to launch a Request for Proposal?

12- Is there any missing information related to description of requirements that you think forms an important part and needs to be further elaborated in Annex B? Please explain what types of information or further elaboration is required?

13- What do you think would be the minimum time requirement or duration to complete such an assessment?

14- If you were to be awarded a contract, will you require an advanced payment? If you answered yes, please explain why?

15- Do you have any other relevant comments related to the subject matter not covered in the above questions that you would like to share or please share any additional comments relevant to the proposed assessment?

…………………………………………………………………...……… End of Questionnaire

This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 5 of 6

Request for Information for Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in 5 Pilot Provinces in Papua New Guinea

Please send your brief company profile together with your answers to this questionnaire to the following e-mail address: [email protected]

Maximum size: 5MB per e-mail. Please indicate Questionnaire Reference number in the subject e-mail: “Reference No. 2/14 – EWS”.

Deadline for Receipt of Questionnaire together with a brief company profile and any relevant documents is CoB, Monday, 18thAugust 2014 PNG Time.

This is merely a Request for Information research and UNDP is under no obligation to send a Request for Offer under this research. Please note information provided in this Research will be treated as confidential information that will be used for UNDP’s internal evaluation purposes of the related market. Please also note that the provided information does not in any way qualify or disqualify a company to participate in the bidding process in case a tender document is issued. Your clear answers will assist UNDP in better understanding the related market. Page 6 of 6

ANNEX B

Description on Scope of Work, Tasks and Deliverables

Assessment of Early Warning System for Inland and Coastal Flooding in East Sepik (Wewak), Madang (Madang), Morobe (Lae), Northern and New Ireland Province in Papa New Guinea

1. SCOPE OF STUDY: The purpose of this study is to assess the status of EWS and emergency communication network for inland and coastal flooding and provide recommendations for the improvement of the same and/or establish new systems. Specifically, the study will cover the following:

• To take stock of existing capacities of relevant departments and agencies involved in monitoring, generation and dissemination of early warning related to inland and coastal flooding. This will include not only the agencies responsible for forecasts and warnings but also intermediaries (radio, TV and other communication channels) and end users of ‘early warnings’. • Identify gaps in the existing early warning systems and procedures including areas where capacity needs to be enhanced including scientific and technical mechanisms, coordination and management of the information systems and effective information dissemination capabilities at different levels for effective monitoring and dissemination of inland and coastal flood early warnings. • To recommend the hardware and software requirement to enhance the data observation, forecasting, monitoring, processing and management, and early warning dissemination capacities of various agencies at different levels • To recommend a set of actions to be undertaken and corresponding resources requirements that needs to be undertaken to establish/enhance EWS for inland and coastal flooding in Papua New Guinea. • To identify human and knowledge capacity constraints and provide recommendations for training, specific to an agency or a sector. • Based on the assessment, provide recommendations on nominating reputable suppliers where hardware and software can be procured with provision of regular update and systems support.

2. KEY ACTIVITIES AND TASKS: • Map stakeholders (government, non-government, regional and international) currently involved in EWS for inland and coastal flooding. • Review and map the current and planned projects for improving early warning systems for inland and coastal flooding in all 5 pilot provinces

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• Visit the five (5) pilot provinces and selected flood prone communities to review the existing EWS protocols and systems and identify gaps, improvements and opportunities for enhancing EWS at the sub-national and local level. • Review the mode of collecting/generating data and information related to coastal and inland flooding, monitoring, and transmitting it to other agencies, particularly the provincial government and communities • Review the data and information processing and management facilities used in the five pilot provinces and the consistencies that exist with the relevant agencies and sectors. • Review the technical design/structure and efficacy of existing early warning system for inland and coastal flooding. This will include an assessment of early warning agencies, communications networks, protocols for issue of warning, and transmission to the people. • Review the technologies involved in the early warning system for inland and coastal flooding including network design, technical specifications, up-time performance standards, connectivity and integration with all the important facilities and installations. • Review the mode and reach of the warning especially last mile connectivity and dissemination plan through mass media, print and audio-visual. • Review the messages disseminated through the EWS: on timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy, and simplicity parameters. • Review the efficacy, adequateness and spatial distribution of monitoring and observation sites for inland and coastal flooding and recommend additional observation/monitoring sites for enhancing coastal and inland floods. • The consultancy firm shall conduct a workshop to present the findings of the study.

3. KEY DELIVERABLES: No. Description 4.1 A detailed work plan referring to the set of activities, assigned team, and expected timelines under each province. 4.2 Conducting an Inception workshop and submitting an inception report following preliminary consultation with different stakeholders. The inception report needs to present the key issues in the exercise and possible solutions, as well as present the revised work plan, after consulting with relevant stakeholders. Inception report will include brief analysis on the early warning systems (including the forecasting, monitoring and dissemination) for inland and coastal flooding. 4.3 A comprehensive draft report including non-technical executive summary covering the content as follows: • A comprehensive well-structured mapping of EWS agencies and departments for coastal and inland flooding. • A comprehensive well-structured mapping of EWS projects/programs for coastal and inland flooding. • A comprehensive analysis of existing protocols/mechanisms for monitoring, forecasting and dissemination of warning for inland and coastal flooding.

Annex B - Early Warning Systems Page 2 of 3

• A comprehensive analysis with clear identification of gaps, improvements and opportunities for enhancing EWS for inland and coastal flooding • A comprehensive analysis outlining the capacity and resource requirement (both hardware and software with detailed specifications) for relevant agencies and departments for enhancement of data observation, monitoring and forecasting and dissemination of warning for inland and coastal flooding hazards. • A detailed analysis of human resources capacity covering technical expertise, data and information processing and management, and the ability to interpret raw data and information to useable forms. • A comprehensive analysis outlining various options for effective early warning dissemination to the last mile. • A set of recommendations outlining required improvements of EWS at the provincial and sub-provincial levels. • A well-structured analysis recommending a set of actions with indicators (milestones) and corresponding resources requirements that need to be undertaken to enhance EWS for inland and coastal flooding in PNG. 4.4 • An Appendix containing: List of recommended equipment under each Province (that comply with World Meteorological Organization “WMO” standards) Detailed specifications including any relevant requirements related to Eco labels and certifications and other requirements as applicable. Bill of quantities including all associated costs such as installation, labor, maintenance, after sales services…etc…. for each Province separately List of recommended reputable suppliers (with contact details) for hardware, software and other required equipment for the establishment of a functioning EWS. 4.5 • Conducting a national stakeholders workshop to present all the outputs such as the synthesis report, to explain methodologies used, to present and validate the findings and explain the implications to stakeholders. 4.6 • Submission of the final report including 50 hard copies and a soft copy

Annex B - Early Warning Systems Page 3 of 3