DIVERTING WASTE BY ENCOURAGING REUSE AND RECYCLING (DAWERR) Call for Consultancy | Technical Editor

Under the USAID-funded Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity (The Activity), ECODIT is seeking to engage, on a consultancy basis (individual) /Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA), a Technical Editor to assist the team in drafting technical reports and deliverables.

BACKGROUND

On June 30, 2020, USAID/Lebanon awarded ECODIT the Diverting Waste by Encouraging Reuse and Recycling (DAWERR) Activity, a five-year project that will establish sustainable and replicable integrated solid waste diversion and valorization solutions in rural areas of Lebanon, leading to improved social and economic well-being for Lebanon’s population. The Activity aligns with USAID/Lebanon’s desire to introduce financially sustainable solutions that increase the reuse, recycling, and monetization of solid waste to reduce the amount of solid waste that goes into landfills. The Activity has the following three objectives:

1. Build the capacity and commitment of municipalities to provide improved solid waste management (SWM) services either directly or indirectly;
2. Empower communities to sort at the source and participate actively in various stages of the recycling value chains (RVCs); and
3. Develop successful business models that create green economic opportunities and generate net incomes along the value chains.

The Activity’s period of performance is from August 1, 2020, to July 31, 2025.

During the Life Of the Activity (LOA), ECODIT prepares and submits various technical notes and reports to USAID, as well as contract deliverables, including Quarterly Performance Reports, Annual Work Plans, and Annual Reports. Accordingly, it can be very time-consuming for local Field Office (FO) team members who are constantly busy implementing activities in the field to prepare high-quality English deliverables that meet USAID and ECODIT standards. ECODIT has implemented a review process for all reports that includes a review by ECODIT’s Home Office (HO) project management support team (communications and technical teams). Even with this support, there are times when reviewing and editing those reports and deliverables exceed the capacity of the HO and FO staff to finalize them in a timely fashion.   

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

The purpose of this SOW is to provide DAWERR with on-call support for technical editing during times of high demand. Specifically, the Consultant shall provide technical editing of selected project documents, including technical reports or contract deliverables such as work plans and progress reports to produce high-quality documents in English that meet USAID and ECODIT standards. The overall objective of this SOW is to ensure that DAWERR always has the capacity to produce high-quality documents/deliverables in English.  ECODIT is engaging the Consultant to support the DAWERR team with the following activities:

• Upon receipt of the fully executed Consultant Agreement (CA), the Consultant shall contact the COP and/or his designee and HO team members to arrange a kick-off call to discuss the services to be provided.
• Immediately following the kick-off meeting, the Consultant shall review ECODIT guidelines and processes for report preparation in English, as well as previous reports/deliverables prepared under DAWERR. 
• Under the direction of the COP and/or his designee, and in coordination with designated HO staff, the Consultant shall edit selected documents to mainly ensure the following:  
  • Content is clearly relevant to the report’s purpose;
  • Content is clear, coherent, easy to read, and focuses on the report or section objective;
  • Content follows a logical flow that presents and builds on concepts and ideas;
  • The report clearly references earlier points if building on ideas from previous sections; 
  • The report does not repeat details from previous sections; a clear reference is sufficient; and
  • The report uses the same words to refer to the same concepts.

ECODIT also will share with the Consultant “ECODIT Minimum Quality Standards for a Written Deliverable or Report”, and other guidance documents upon CA signature.

• Under the direction of the COP and/or his designee, the Consultant shall provide assistance with document preparation to DAWERR technical staff and subcontractors/grantees, as needed.  

DELIVERABLES AND LEVEL OF EFFORT

The period of performance (POP) for this assignment is December 16, 2022, to December 31, 2023. The level of effort (LOE) over the POP is not to exceed 152 hours. The Consultant will conduct all activities under the technical direction of the COP, in coordination with DAWERR FO team and HO staff (as needed). The consultant may also be asked to liaise with DAWERR subcontractors, including Compost BALADI, Berytech, and ECODIT Liban, as requested by the COP. As directed by the COP, the consultant shall submit edited/revised documents (track changes and clean versions) by the deadline. The Level of Effort (LOE) for edits/revisions on each document and the deadline for submission are to be agreed upon with the COP before the commencement of work.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The Consultant is expected to have the following experience and skills to be able to perform the tasks under this SOW:

1. An advanced university degree in Environmental Sciences, Journalism, Communications, English, Literature, or any other related field; 
2. Proven experience as a technical writer and/or editor on scientific or technical topics - environment including SWM is a plus;  
3. Advanced MS Office skills;
4. Exceptional attention to detail;
5. Ability to work independently and with a team;
6. Ability to adhere to deadlines;
7. Strong interpersonal skills in English; and
8. Excellent written communication skills in English.