ToR: Consulting services for a study on Climate Resilience and Adaptation of Health Facilities in the Global South

Context

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) is a quasi-international organization working with leaders in government, the private sector and civil society to drive further, faster action toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to sustainable energy by 2030, and the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate warming to below 1.5° Celsius.

Achieving these goals will require a radical rethink of the way we produce, distribute, and consume energy. SEforALL is at the heart of this foundational shift to ensure no one is left behind. Drawing on data and evidence, we identify a critical path to success in achieving SDG7.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011. Now an independent organization, we maintain close links with the UN, including through a relationship agreement, partnerships with UN agencies and with SEforALL's CEO acting as the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. These roles include advising the UN Secretary General and his staff on issues relating to sustainable energy and implementation of SDG7 and supporting the coordination of sustainable energy issues in the United Nations system.

The ambitions of SDG7 are extraordinary. Aiming to achieve them in the context of the Paris Agreement on climate change involves transformation at a scale never undertaken before. Swift action must be taken by Leaders in governments, private sector companies, institutions, financiers, development banks, unions, communities, entrepreneurs, and civil society. As we enter the final decade to achieve SDG7, SEforALL has strategically chosen to strengthen global agenda-setting while expanding its activities to an engagement model that prioritizes data-driven decision-making, partnerships with high-impact countries and implementation on the ground. The new SEforALL three-year business plan outlines “results offers” that scope out our planned interventions and demonstrate to our funding partners the impact of their support. 

Objective

SEforALL is seeking the services of a Consultancy to share the current trends (status) in climate proofing health facilities in the Global South and recommendations/best practices on how to further enhance the same in response to climate change related hazards such as hurricanes, cyclones, droughts etc. The study is meant to contribute to guiding governments and their development partners in mainstreaming and financing climate resilience in energy use and built infrastructure for healthcare facilities in the Global South. The consultancy is expected to pick three countries from diverse geographies (e.g. SIDS in Caribbean, South-East Asia, Africa, South Asia etc) to cover the scope of this work and extrapolate findings and recommendation/conclusions on a broader scale based on the analysis in the three countries and available global resources. The study is being commissioned by Sustainable Energy for All’s (SEforALL) Powering Healthcare program. 

Background on Powering Healthcare 

SEforALL’s Powering Healthcare (PHC) program provides the impetus and solutions needed by governments and their partners to increase investment in and the sustainability of health facility electrification in the Global South. PHC does this by:

• Building an investment case for powering healthcare to ensure access to affordable, adequate, reliable, sustainable, and climate friendly power in healthcare facilities is prioritized as a necessary input to achieving public health and energy/climate goals.
• Creating the core ‘building blocks’ to deliver distributed clean energy solutions to healthcare facilities at scale and in a sustainable, climate friendly manner.

To advance these objectives, PHC focuses on:

1. Data and research: Building the evidence base for powering healthcare facilities, particularly in the areas of sector intelligence/mapping and impact research;
2. Solutions and Innovations: Developing the new ideas and tools (related to, e.g., business models, policy and quality assurance) needed to facilitate wide-scale and sustainable adoption of distributed clean energy solutions in healthcare facilities; providing finance to de-risk investments and spur innovation in electrifying healthcare facilities.
3. Advocacy and Leadership: Strengthening political and technical cooperation and knowledge exchange among health and energy players; raising awareness and educating stakeholders on the need and opportunity to provide better health services by powering healthcare facilities.
4. Country-level support: Providing strategic and technical advisory services to governments.

Context of Assignment

Solar energy, in particular, along with other renewables presents a key opportunity to provide clean, reliable, quickly dispatchable, scalable, and cost-effective electricity to health institutions that wouldn’t otherwise have access to reliable electricity.  Providing important, high-quality social services, such as healthcare, is virtually impossible without access to reliable electricity in health facilities. Yet, power is unavailable or unreliable in the majority of health care facilities, particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia. Approximately, 1 billion people across these regions rely on health facilities either with no access to power or unreliable power. This is largely because many public institutions are in remote areas and characterized by poor surrounding infrastructure and low energy demand, making them financially unattractive to traditional energy service providers. Moreover, many public institutions rely on diesel generators for electricity, thus contributing to environmental pollution and climate hazards and making costs sensitive to fuel price. Unreliable access to electricity is jeopardizing the health of hundreds of millions of people, especially women and children who often bear the brunt of inadequate primary health care services. Further, immunization (for e.g., COVID-19) is significantly hindered without access to electricity in health facilities. This was highlighted during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, SDG 3, 7, and 13 are deeply connected.

Climate adaptation and resilience has become increasingly important worldwide as climate change leads to more severe and more frequent climate-related hazards. It is particularly relevant to small island developing states (SIDS) such as those in the Caribbean, given their geographic locations. The resulting economic impacts are significant, catastrophic in some instances, and the power systems are particularly vulnerable, thus exposing sectors such as health, agriculture, education that are dependent on the energy sector for reliable service. In 2017, hurricanes Irma and Maria ripped through the Caribbean with 185-mph winds. These storms impacted nine Caribbean islands, reportedly the first time in recent history when this many islands were hit simultaneously. Hurricane Maria damaged about 98 percent of the power transmission and distribution (T&D) network in Dominica. In Barbuda, Irma destroyed the entire electricity grid and severely damaged the island’s generation assets. Standalone solar systems, often found in remote areas in developing countries, were also impacted. The resulting disruptions to essential services and productive sectors have far-reaching impacts on the economy (both in urban and rural areas) and can instantly reverse decades of infrastructure progress. Without timely action, the energy sector in many countries will remain extremely vulnerable to future climatic impacts, thus affecting critical sectors such as health, education, agriculture, industries etc.  In the health sector, health care facilities of all tiers including hospitals and central vaccine stores in big cities can be impacted by climate hazards. Thus, health systems need to guard against climate risks in both the urban and rural areas.

Scope of Work 

This study will highlight the status and trends in climate proofing health facilities in the Global South, including in urban and rural areas. It will also provide recommendations, best practices, and emerging trends on how to further enhance climate resilience in response to climate hazards such as hurricanes, cyclones, droughts, etc. Climate-resilient health facilities have systems and measures that can pre-empt, withstand, recover and adapt to climatic shocks, such that they can quickly rebound and continue to function at a stable capacity to provide health services to priority populations. The consultancy is expected to pick three countries[1] from diverse geographies for this scope of work (e.g., SIDS in Caribbean, South-East Asia, South Asia, Africa etc) and further extrapolate findings, recommendations, and conclusions more broadly by leveraging the analysis from the three focal countries, as well as secondary research.

The scope of work should cover the following topics for the three countries. Consultants are welcome to provide more suggestions in their bid.

A.    Climate risks to energy infrastructure for powering healthcare

• What are the greatest climate-related threats in these countries (based on past experiences and future predictions)? (e.g. hurricanes, heatwaves, drought)
• What is the impact (past and expected) of these climate-related threats on the energy infrastructure of health facilities?
• What is the impact (past and expected) of these climate-related risks on energy consuming medical equipment and cold chain equipment (e.g. solar direct drive refrigerators, grid connected refrigerators at health facilities)? 
  Areas of impact include physical, economic, and healthcare service delivery.

B.    What is climate resilience and what are the current measures?

• Define climate resilience in the context of this assignment.
• What are some of the current measures applied to minimize the effects of climate hazards and build climate resilience for energy infrastructure in health. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Planning - distributed generation, integrating climate adaptation and resilience into national energy plans.
  • Engineering and Design - site specification and relocation of battery banks as needed, materials for power networks and buildings, retractable solar panels.
  • Operations and Maintenance - energy management and governance, vegetation management, remote monitoring.
  • Contingency Planning, e.g. storm preparedness plans.
• What investments have been made for these measures (volume, scope, source of investment, recipient of investment – government, development partner, private sector, NGOs, community-based organizations, etc.) in the selected countries?
• How are investments linked to climate change/energy transition/national health strategy plans (e.g. Energy Transition Investment plans or Just Energy Transition Partnerships) of country governments?
• Who are the key government agencies, development partners, and private sector stakeholders active in climate proofing energy infrastructure in the health sector and how are they collaborating?
• Assess the climate resilience of existing infrastructure using the WHO guidance for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities
• Include a basic checklist of the most important considerations for a typical health facility that could optimize their climate resilience. For example, this could take a similar format to a risk register, where items/risks are rated in terms of potential impact or prioritized to understand the most urgent mitigation/adaptation measures needed.

C.    Moving forward: Opportunities and Barriers

• Recommend further measures that must be taken to minimize the effects of climate hazards and build climate resilience for energy infrastructure in healthcare. Consider the pillars mentioned above while making recommendations and cover innovative practices from other countries that can be applied.
• Size the investments (scope and volume) for the same.
• What are the sources of finance (including climate finance) available to the public sector and which development agencies and private sector actors could be partners for collaboration?
•  Detail the barriers that hinder climate proofing energy infrastructure in the health sector.
• Provide recommendations (based on actual case studies or current initiatives) for overcoming these barriers, including the policy and regulatory environment needed to enable the implementation of building a climate resilience health sector
• To the extent possible, the consultant should extrapolate these findings and recommendations to a broader level representing the Global South.
• Present a practical flow chart or action list for policy makers and development partners to clearly understand and implement climate resilience actions.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to submit:

1. A final report - a word document/ppt of not more than 50 pages covering points A-C detailed in the previous section. A ppt file can be considered, provided the consultant has in-house capacity to produce a well-designed deck with figures and illustrations. This can be confirmed during the inception meeting.
2. A presentation (ppt) of 15 to 20 slides covering the report that can be presented and used for dissemination at conferences and meetings. The presentation should not be text-heavy and should feature figures and illustrations.
3. A summary of the report in not more than 700 words.Approach and Timeline

Approach:

The Consultant is expected to carry out the scope of work through a range of activities, including but not limited to in-person and virtual stakeholder consultations, desk-based research, key informant interviews, analysis of project documents and participation in multi-stakeholder platforms. The consultant should refer to the Energy Transition Investment Plans (ETIPs) and Chilling Prospects Reports developed by SEforALL for some countries.

The selected Consultant will maintain close contact with a designated SEforALL Project Manager (Powering Healthcare) throughout the assignment to facilitate the work and will hold periodical meetings to provide updates to SEforALL, backed by minutes of the meeting. The Consultant must also coordinate with other SEforALL teams such as the Africa Carbon Market Initiative (ACMI) and SEforALL country representatives for relevant inputs. Draft reports will be reviewed by SEforALL; consolidated comments will be provided within a week of receipt. The first full draft will also be shared with external peer reviewers (with an assumed 3 weeks of review).

The Consultant should make a concerted effort to mainstream energy efficiency, clean energy, and gender considerations throughout this assignment, both in the execution of the report and the content of the report. Furthermore, the firm is expected to implement at least 40:60 female to male ratio in their team and submit a copy of gender policies followed by the organization.

Timeline:

The contract is expected to run from June 2024 to November 2024. An expected 80-100 person days effort is expected for this report. The report is expected to be published at COP29, with a final full report submitted to SEforALL by Oct 4, 2024. The deliverables and timeline for this project are as follows:

Language requirements:

The report (word or ppt as agreed during the inception meeting) should be provided in English. The executive summary should be in both English and French.

All content submitted must adhere to SEforALL's writing and branding guidelines, which will be provided during the inception meeting.

Travel:

No travel is expected for this assignment.

Eligibility Criteria, Qualification and Experience Requirements

• Eligibility Criteria: Registered company/legal entity with a minimum of 3 years’ experience in the subject area (scanned copy of the Certificate of Incorporation to be submitted).
• Bank Details Form.

Organization(s) Requirements:

Organizations or Consortia wishing to submit a proposal should:

• Demonstrate an understanding of climate mitigation and resilience/adaptation relevant to the energy sector in Global South counties including SIDS nations.
• Demonstrate experience in publishing deliverables or managing projects related to climate resilience in ‘Global South’ countries including SIDS nations.
• Show a deep understanding of contextual issues around energy infrastructure in the Global South and its relevance to powering healthcare. 
• Have experience working across multiple time zones and with multiple stakeholders. 
• Experience working with an international organization such as the UN and World Bank or equivalent will be considered an advantage. 
• Must have experience managing relationships with key stakeholders in the energy and climate domain, including national Governments, development partners, and private sector actors.
• Demonstrate experience delivering high-quality reports and other written products.

Team Qualifications and Expertise:

• Team lead must have an advanced University degree in energy, climate, finance, development economics or a closely related field for this assignment.
• Team lead must have a minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in international development or public policy with specializations in climate resilience for the energy sector.
• Team lead must have experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects. 
• The team must have and demonstrate relevant experience in the following areas: energy access, powering healthcare, climate resilience.
• Practical experience designing and implementing off-grid solar programs/projects in energy access deficit countries particularly in the Global South including SIDS nations.
• Team must have experience producing content suitable for external communication, for example reports and presentations.

Bidding Process

Proposals can also be submitted as a single entity and consortia. Interested and qualified bidders should submit one Technical Proposal and one Financial Proposal as separate documents. Proposals must be submitted either in PDF of PPT format and should include the following:

Technical Proposal

• Brief background about your organization and the year it was founded.
• The organization’s experience in carrying out similar work including relevant skills, qualifications, and knowledge.
• Your understanding of the assignment and a work approach/methodology. Any deviations from the Terms of Reference should be clearly indicated. Timing of activities, and a work plan of the main and sub activities to be carried out.
• A detailed risk register along with mitigation strategies.
• Three (3) relevant organizational/client references from the last three years.
• At least 2 summaries of similar work/projects the organization has supported.
• CVs of key personnel. 
• Copy of gender policies followed by the leading organization.

Financial Proposal, outlining the costs associated with carrying out the scope of work, including:

• Labour costs (personnel, daily rates, LOE).
• Other costs.
• All costs must be in USD and inclusive of all taxes.

 Evaluation and Conflict of Interest

• Bidders are requested to disclose and explain any potential conflicts of interest. 
• The evaluation of proposals will be based on a 75 – 25 split for technical proposal and financial proposal, respectively. Details of the evaluation criteria are attached as Annex I.

Submission of Proposals

Please submit your proposal to procurement@seforall.org by 27 May 2024, 17:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST). In case of questions or queries contact SEforALL at procurement@seforall.org.

Annex I – Evaluation Criteria

1.    Compliance with eligibility criteria: Pass/Fail

2.    Technical Evaluation Criteria

Organization/Consortium qualifications: 20 points  

• Relevant organizational experience in developing deliverables or managing projects related to climate resilience in the energy sector in Global South countries (including SIDS nations). (7 points)
• Relevant organizational experience in issues around the energy sector in the Global South and its relevance to powering healthcare. (7 points)
• Relevant organizational experience in working with international organizations and partners in the energy and climate resilience space. (6 points)

Technical work: 35 points

• Approach and methodology. (25 points)
• Proposed timeline. (10 points)

Team Composition: 20 points

• Minimum requirements met by the team. (5 points)
• Expertise offered by the overall team and its structure in line with the scope of work. (10 points)
• Gender balance. (5 points)

Minimum technical passing score is 55 points  . Firms who pass the min. passing score will be considered for the commercial evaluation.

3.    Commercial Evaluation Criteria

• Budget and Cost-effectiveness: 25 points