Geographical Information System (GIS)/ Municipal Expert

Project background

MASAR for Local Governments is a programme funded by the EU MADAD trust fund. The overall aim of the programme is to strengthen the long-term resilience of targeted subnational governments and their host, refugee and IDP populations to deal with displacement. Subnational governments in Iraq and Lebanon have been the first to be confronted by the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis: increased pressure on local services, competition for local employment opportunities, eroding social cohesion, faster urbanisation trends, rent-seeking behaviour and inflation due to externally injected funds in the local economy, and so forth.  MASAR for Local Governments, therefore, focuses on the urban setting, which is the background of processes of displacement, investment, employment and service delivery. Displacement has a fast-forward effect on urbanisation, and it also greatly affects the relationships of cities and towns with their more rural surroundings.

The programme in Iraq aims to help municipal and governorate bodies in Dohuk and Ninewa. In Lebanon, the programme aims to help governorates of Baalbek-Hermel, Akkar, coastal plain north of Tripoli and their unions of municipalities to deal with accelerated urbanisation caused by the crisis. MASAR has three objectives:

• To improve the capacities of subnational governments to engage in holistic, area-based planning and consider different scenarios that respond to the needs of host, refugee and IDP populations.
• To improve service delivery to generate greater social stability outcomes, based on the needs of host, refugee and IDP populations.
• To empower subnational governments and service providers to facilitate local economic development and to have better access to municipal investment that benefit the extension of safe public services and create economic opportunities for host, refugee and IDP populations.

This programme will mobilise municipal experts from Iraq/Lebanon and Europe to assist their Iraqi and Lebanese colleagues. This may involve advice, training, coaching and mentoring in planning units or service departments, mixed with concrete pilot projects. For example, they may help to design roads and street layout for future needs or realise a sorting station for solid waste.

Aim of this assignment

A GIS municipal expert/ firm will be hired by the project to assist the project team in designing a customised approach for the use of the specific scope of GIS in the Dreib area based on a profiling exercise conducted with the municipalities and unions. This includes ensuring the preparation and the effective implementation of appropriate GIS systems that covers 4 to 6 specific areas of intervention (to be decided upon in consultation with the mayors).

The expert/ firm will conduct a focused profiling exercise (that aims at identifying institutional framework and mandate, demographic data, cadastral survey, human and technical resources, IT systems and legal aspects related to land classification and zoning, educational/healthcare/institutional and other public services), capacitate the technical teams at the UoMs level, and develop and implement the GIS systems.

The expert/ firm will develop the capability of the concerned offices in using GIS in spatial and strategic planning and development including its incorporation as a tool to promote good governance practices and facilitate the implementation of the access to information law.

The expert/consultant will coordinate closely with the PCPM’s Front Officer and MASAR team.

Key Responsibilities

The expert is responsible for developing the assessment tools, conducting the assessments as per the following main responsivities:

• Generic Capacity Needs Assessment
• Technical Needs Assessment
• Technical Training requirements
• Coordinating with the key stakeholders (mayors, head of municipalities/ unions, municipal and union staff) in cooperation with PCPM Outreach Officer
• Reporting & recommendations

Main activities

• Assess the UoMs’ capabilities and readiness (including the readiness of the unions to establish an engineering and development department);
• Field visits to each UoMs to conduct a focused profiling exercise (that aims at identifying institutional framework and mandate, demographic data, cadastral survey, human and technical resources, IT systems and legal aspects related to land classification and zoning, educational/healthcare/institutional and other public services) for the targeted UoMs; 
• Conduct a needs assessment of the human resources capacity, of the IT infrastructure gaps and needs (hardware equipment and software)
• Set the criteria of selection of the municipalities/ unions for GIS implementation (e.g. based on available capacity);
• Set the eligibility criteria and prerequisite requirements (e.g. available software, hardware, municipal/ union staff skills) for the development of a Capacity Building approach and outline an area-based planning capacity building programme. ;
• Propose integration of GIS system and its area of focus into the current planning capacities and existing resources and information management of the assessed municipalities in coordination with the steering committee.
• Suggest the system to be implemented where feasible and draft the technical specifications of the GIS systems for the selected municipalities/ unions;
• Develop technical specifications and tender documents for required hardware if needed;
• Submit a detailed project document and plan of action;
• Prepare a draft and final report on the consultancy;
• Undertake any other necessary tasks that the Project Management assigns.

Outputs / Deliverables

The expert will provide to the Front Officer the following outputs/deliverables:

• Reference materials, assessment tools (grid and questionnaires used during the assessment of the municipalities/ unions);
• GIS assessment and requirements based on each municipality/union profile assessment results;
• Technical specification for procurement;
• Workplan of the suggested systems to be implemented where feasible (customised to the specific municipality/union) and a detailed project document (a narrative that explains the rationale of the work plan);
• Outline of the capacity building programme on area-based planning, including GIS.

Reporting requirements

The expert will work in close collaboration with the Front Officer. The reporting should consist of at least:

• Final report on consultancy

Minimum qualifications

The minimum qualifications and skills of the expert are:

1. Education:

• Higher education degree (Masters level) in GIS or postgraduate degree in strategic planning and spatial development, GIS or a related field;

2. Professional Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in GIS planning and development;
• Extensive knowledge with Lebanese municipal context and development processes and institutions;
• Proficiency in report writing, case studies and other related documentation.
• Conducted at least three similar consultancies preferably in Lebanon, 
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in teaching, training;
• Cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural skills (religion, ethnicity, gender);
• Experience in conducting training and preparation of training materials/ curriculum;
• Proficiency in English and Arabic

3.   Competencies

• Reliability: fulfilling obligations in a highly responsible manner;
• Self-Control and maintaining composure;
• Attention to details, proper information management;
• Tolerance and adaptability.