Country X: Small Scale Housing Construction and Community Level Economic
Development Project
Terms of Reference
for
a PIU Environmental Specialist
Background
[The project has 2 components: (1) construction or rehabilitation of housing (individual units
and small apartment blocks) for low income households in the target Municipalities; and (2)
matching grants made to self-help groups in the target community to assist them to start or
expand income-generating enterprises. Both components will be implemented on an on-demand
basis, based on the submission of sub-project proposals by eligible Municipalities (Component
1) or self-help groups (Component 2). Eligibility criteria for receiving financial support from
the project are set out in the Project Implementation Manual (PIM).
A Project Implementation Unit (PIU) has been established within the Ministry for Local
Economic Development (Community Development Department) to lead the implementation of
the project. The PIU’s responsibilities as set out in the PIM include: (i) outreach to eligible
stakeholders to inform them of the availability of funds, eligibility criteria and application
process; (ii) evaluation and approval of sub-project proposals; procuring the services of
contractors and managing/supervising construction and rehabilitation works (Component 1); (iii)
disbursing small grant funds and ensuring proper use and accounting of funds disbursed
(Component 2); and (iv) regular reporting to Government and the World Bank on project
implementation. Among it’s key responsibilities of the PIU is ensuring compliance of the
project with national environmental laws and regulations and with World Bank environmental
and social Operational Policies (“Safeguard policies”), as envisaged by the Loan Agreement and
set out in the Environmental Management Plan Framework (EMPF). In order to fulfill this
responsibility, the PIU intends to hire a dedicated Environmental Specialist .
Objective
The objectives of the assignment are:
to assist PIU to ensure environmental compliance of the project with the EMPF throughout
project implementation;
to support project beneficiaries (Municipalities and grant recipients) to identify and manage
environmental issues (including environmental health issues) associated with sub-projects they
propose, including assistance in preparing sub-project level Environmental Management Plans as
appropriate;
to serve as main PIU liaison with the World Bank on matters related to environmental impact
management in general, and implementation of the EMPF in particular; and
to build in-house environmental management capacity of the Ministry for Local Economic
Development, Community Development Department.
Scope of Services
The Environmental Specialist shall be guided by the provisions of the project EMPF. Specific
tasks to be implemented by the PIU Environmental Specialist are as follows:
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Provide assistance to the PIU and applicant communities in screening of proposed microprojects and assigning environmental category;
Visit proposed micro-project sites to assess baseline conditions and potential site-specific
impacts;
Advise on anticipated environmental impacts and possible mitigation measures, and on
the relevant type of environmental review to be undertaken and documentation to be
prepared (e.g. sub-project specific Environmental Assessment and/or Environmental
Management Plan);
review sub-project specific environmental documentation and give recommendations as
needed, to applicant communities and designers, for finalizing the documents;
Participate in evaluation of sub-project proposals and advise on environmental eligibility
and acceptability of proposals, based on guidance provided in the EMPF and on personal
experience ;
Working with PIU Procurement staff, ensure that environmental compliance is
incorporated as appropriate in contracts for goods and services (mainly civil works
contracts) and ensure that contractors are fully aware of their responsibilities in this
regard;
During implementation of the approved sub-projects, undertake regular environmental
monitoring and supervision in order to verify whether and how provisions of the project
EMPF and sub-project specific EMP are followed by all relevant stakeholders (designers,
contractors, beneficiaries);
Report regularly to the PIU Director in writing on the results of monitoring visits,
promptly identify any environmental issues or cases of incompliance, and make
recommendations for dealing with those issues. In conjunction with the PIU Director,
discuss compliance status and measures to re-establish compliance with contractor s
and/or beneficiaries as appropriate, including agreeing on specific steps and timing for
any remediation/corrective actions;
Along with other PIU staff, certify completion of each sub-project and report on overall
environmental compliance (contribution to sub-project completion reports);
Closely collaborate with technical staff and engineers of the PIU to ensure that
environmental measures are incorporated at all stages of sub-project preparation and
implementation, including site selection, sub-project design, preparation and evaluation
of bidding documents and bids, preparation and supervision of contracts;
Provide contribution to the PIU’s regular progress reports on the project implementation;
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Undertake awareness raising activities for the PIU staff, other interested staff of the
Ministry, and potential beneficiaries. This can be done by series of workshops where
potential environmental issues and good environmental management practices can be
presented;
Respond to requests from the World Bank and other legitimately interested parties for
information and documentation relating to environmentally related aspects of the project
Reporting Requirements and Timing
The Environmental Specialist will report to the PIU Director, and collaborate with technical
experts/engineers of the PIU. Unless otherwise required, the Environmental Specialist will
provide monthly reports to the PIU Director on overall environmental compliance of the project.
The position of Environmental Specialist is full-time, for the entire duration of the project.
Requirements for the Local Environmental Specialist
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Resident of Country X, ability to communicate freely in the local language, verbally and
in writing;
University degree in a relevant field (e.g. environment; civil engineering; natural science;
etc., with demonstrated interest and experience in environmental management and
environmental sustainability);
Demonstrated experience in development and/or management of community level
infrastructure projects, with particular emphasis on environmental aspects;
Demonstrated experience in supporting demand-driven small scale enterprises, with
particular emphasis on environmental aspects;
Demonstrated experience in preparation of Environmental Assessments / Management
Plans and environmental awareness/capacity building programs for governmental
organizations, NGOs and/or local communities;
Previous participation in economic development work with international organizations is
preferred;
Excellent interpersonal and communications skills;
Demonstrated ability to work in a team;
Willingness to travel frequently nationwide to support preparation and carry out ongoing
monitoring/supervision of sub-projects;
Possessing sound Information Technology (IT) skills, in particular experience with
WinWord and Excel programs (MS Office).
A working knowledge of the English language would be an added advantage.