Civil Engineer

Terms of Reference Civil Engineer ASSIGNMENT:
Rehabilitation of agriculture infrastructures (agricultural road and irrigation canal) in central Akkar JOB CATEGORY:
Civil Engineer
Consultancy DEPARTMENT:
Food Security and Livelihood Department (FSL) DURATION AND PERIOD OF ASSIGNMENT:
30 non-consecutive days
(7 days in September and 23 days in November/december 2022) LOCATION:
Akkar Governorate (central Akkar) 1- BACKGROUND
1.1 – PUI PROGRAMMING:
Since 2012, PUI has developed an integrated response to populations affected by the Syrian crisis. The PUI mission is currently leading activities in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, Saida, Akkar and T5 governorates.
In 2020, in line with the LCRP, PUI focuses on increasing self-sufficiency among vulnerable populations (both host and refugee), through safe, stable and sustainable livelihood and food security opportunities. PUI project designs and interventions include:
● Identifying employment and self-employment opportunities for vulnerable target groups
● Provision of short-term employment opportunities through labour intensive construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructure and community assets
● Support in launching and developing income generating activities based on market assessment findings, along with the provision of technical support and material assistance;
● Supporting the targeted populations on self-reliance and self – improvement through capacity building activities.
1.2 - PUI PROGRAMMING IN LEBANON:
PUI has been implementing activities in Lebanon since 1996, first supporting Palestinian refugees with targeted livelihood activities (professional toolkits, trainings, support to small business development) living in the Southern Palestinian camps of Saida.
Since 2016, PUI has provided Emergency Cash Assistance to target vulnerable populations in the Saida, Jezzine and Nabatieh districts, and throughout Akkar governorate. Results of these interventions showed that the existing needs are high, and stressed the importance of improving resilience capacities of displaced Syrians and vulnerable Lebanese given their high vulnerability to shocks.
More recently, PUI has developed an integrated assistance focused on the Syrian refugee population, vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian refugees from Lebanon (PRL) and Syria (PRS). Interventions include Wash, Shelter, Infrastructure, Health, Livelihoods and Protection activities.
In 2019, PUI implemented two projects funded by BPRM and the WFP to support access to employment and income generation for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian nationals. In the frame of these projects, PUI provides Market-Based Skill Trainings, Work Based learning opportunities and Job Counselling services.

In 2020 PUI, through CIAA funding, has followed FSS and LH sector recommendation distributing vouchers as cash assistance modality for farmers and gardeners, deciding in this way to support their capability to have access to decent livelihood conditions and minimum food consumption. Additionally, PUI has promoted a more long-term approach investing in developing training curricula for farmers and gardeners with the technical support of LARI (Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute).
1.3 CIAA PROJECT SMALL BRIEFING:
Based on the urgent need to support the agriculture and livelihood opportunities for farmers in the current economic situation in Lebanon, PUI is implementing a new intervention targeting the farmers and communities in Akkar governorate, funded by CIAA.
PUI will support 2,350 individuals through actions promoting food economy and resilience, as well as 980 individuals through activities designed to fight malnutrition. This project will be implemented in Akkar governorate for one year, and was designed based on PUI’s technical expertise and long term presence and acceptance in the area of intervention.
The program foresees an integrated approach between different sectors (food security, livelihood, health and nutrition) and different strategies for the intervention, combining emergency response activities (distribution of inputs) with more long-term capacity building activities (training curricula for farmers and home-gardeners).
Moreover, the program will also include the rehabilitation and maintenance of farmers’ greenhouses and small/medium size community agricultural infrastructures , guaranteeing access to livelihood for farmers. The project will include a CFW component that would provide temporary job opportunities to Lebanese and Syrian workers and promote social cohesion.
Project title: “Strengthening the resilience of farmers and households with vulnerable pregnant/lactating women in Akkar governorate through a comprehensive and integrated food security livelihood and nutrition intervention”.
Direct beneficiaries:
Actions leading to food autonomy and resilience: 2,350 individuals
Actions leading to fight malnutrition: 980 individuals
Total number of direct beneficiaries: 3,330 individuals
2- CONSULTANCY
2.1 – BACKGROUND AND FOCUS ON THE AREA OF INTERVENTION
The protracted impacts of the Syria crisis on Lebanon continue to hinder the ability of vulnerable refugees and host communities to meet their immediate food needs and livelihoods in a context exacerbated by soaring food prices, lack of income sources and dwindling supplies. A succession of recent shocks and stressors (economic and financial collapse, COVID-19, Beirut port explosions) have incapacitated state institutions to deliver on essential services, plunged ever greater numbers into poverty and vulnerability and increased people’s reliance on humanitarian assistance to make ends meet. In 2022, the Food Security and Agriculture sector is stepping up its support to ensure the food, nutritional and livelihood needs of some 2 million vulnerable individuals—among Lebanese host communities, displaced Syrians, Palestinian refugees from Syria, Palestine refugees in Lebanon and refugees of other nationalities—are adequately met.
The 2021 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) in Lebanon estimates that nine in ten Syrian refugee households currently live in extreme poverty, with the highest concentrations in Akkar, Baalbek-El Hermel and Bekaa. The

World Bank estimates that more than half of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line,2 with over a third estimated to be extremely poor—or ‘food poor’. Poverty rates among Palestinian refugees from Syria and Palestine refugees in Lebanon are 87 and 65 per cent, respectively.
The crises have touched every aspect of people’s lives, with access to food as one of the most pressing. The decline of employment opportunities and decrease of incomes, coupled with soaring prices mirroring the depreciation of the Lebanese Pound (LBP),4 have made the purchase of staple food and other basic goods unaffordable. This has pushed 34 percent of Lebanese, 50 percent of Syrian refugees and 33 percent of refugees of other nationalities into food insecurity.
Between October 2019 and October 2021, the national currency lost more than 90 percent of its value. By October 2021, the price of the basic food Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket9 had recorded an increase of 725 per cent, reaching 439,006 LBP per person (2,195,030 LBP per family), equal to 424 percent of a household’s monthly average income.
Lebanon is also at peril. Lebanon’s low foreign currency reserves have hindered food imports, with direct implications on the replenishment of supplies, as the country depends on imports for 80 per cent of its food needs. While retailers and suppliers have managed to navigate these operational challenges, their ability to continue doing so in the future is at risk.
Lebanon’s multiple crises have also hit the agriculture and agri-food sectors, which have now moved to a low-input system resulting in a decline in yields and marketable production. Lebanese small-scale farmers have been particularly affected by high agricultural input costs and low output prices, limited access to traditional forms of credit and reduction of sales due to lower purchasing power. Farmers are increasingly unable to sustain their farming practices, putting at risk the agricultural seasons for 2022. This could lead to a loss of income-generating activities for both vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees, who rely on agriculture as one of the three sectors in which they are legally allowed to work. In 2020, suppliers of inputs and agriculture services contractors were reporting a 40 per cent average decrease in sales, reflecting how farmers are adopting cost-reduction strategies. These have involved cancelling planned investments, decreasing cultivated areas or increasing areas dedicated to lower-cost crops, such as wheat. Estimates suggest a 10 to 15 per cent reduction in cultivated areas and even more with temporary crops under greenhouses. This is leading to an overall production reduction in addition to the adoption of crops requiring less irrigation or using gravity irrigation. In light of fuel shortages and an increase in fuel prices, irrigation places an additional burden on farmers’ input costs. Meanwhile, some Lebanese landowners are turning to subsistence farming to increase their profits. In 2021, the second most recorded reason for collective evictions (five households or more) in northern Lebanon, was the result of land re-appropriation for agricultural purposes, leaving Syrian refugees without alternative shelter options. As subsistence farming appears to be more profitable than the rent collected from informal settlements, it is likely that this trend may continue in 2022.
Lebanon’s compounded crises do not affect everyone equally. According to the 2021 VASyR, female-headed households (FHH), households with members with chronic diseases and those who are unemployed are found to be more food insecure. Twenty-two per cent of severely food insecure households are women-headed, up by seven percentage points compared to 2020 (15%). FHH are consuming a less diverse diet than their male counterparts and are more likely to seek help from friends and relatives to access food, as their average income per capita has plummeted and unemployment rates have increased (42% for women vs. 27% for men). Women’s ability to generate income and improve their livelihoods has also been affected, with the share of job losses among women notably higher than those among men.16 Inequalities are also deepening in the agricultural sector where the majority of employed Syrian women refugees work, and where Lebanese women, despite their role in agriculture production, typically have reduced access to land and resources (loans, credits) and earn approximately half of what their male counterparts earn.17 Furthermore, the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) has registered an increase in sexual exploitation by employers, including in the agricultural sector. Owing to the fuel crisis, vulnerable groups, including women, older persons and persons with disabilities, have

increasing difficulties accessing food and tools, which make them more reliant on ‘intermediaries’ and potentially more exposed to abuses and exploitation.
2.3 – SCOPE OF WORK Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the civil engineer is responsible for the design and implementation of the Agricultural Infrastructure (water canal and agricultural road)) rehabilitation in Akkar governorate, qualitatively, quantitatively and in a timely manner. S/he technically guides and monitors the rehabilitation works and is responsible for the regular reporting on the work progress.
Specific tasks of the consultancy: The civil engineer will be on the assignment for 30 non-consecutive days. The reason behind this approach is that the civil engineer consultant needs to do two separate activities a) the design and b) the implementation:
First Activity (design): during the first period (September 2022) - Coordinate with PUI and the municipality to visit the site for 2 - 3 times to understand the context, the project, type of soil, and needs of the community. - Discuss and decide on the works to be done in close coordination with PUI and the community representatives (i.e. municipality) - Specify the different types of works needed like cleaning, excavation, landfill, construction, etc. and specify the party (contractor, municipality, PUI CFW) responsible for each type of works in coordination with PUI - Draft Shop drawings for the different concrete works elements included in the project - Draft a detailed BoQ for the whole project that will be also needed to hire a contractor - Draft a work plan for the contractor (Implementation) - Specify the material, machines and tools needed for the works - Be available to answer the offerors (contractors) questions and provide them with the needed information about the works Second Activity (implementation): during the second period (November/december 2022) - Follow up with the contractor regarding the works that needs to be implemented - Ensure constant presence during the implementation phase to supervise the contractor’s work and ensure that the execution is according to plan, guidelines and quality requirements - Ensure that safety measures are being respected on site - Be ready to answer any technical query coming from the local authority side (if any) - Make photos as evidence of implementation (before, during and after the works) - Weekly report to PUI on the progress of the implementation - Report immediately any delay, problem or other relevant information to the Project Manager. - support PUI in preparing a handover document for the municipality by the completion of the works - Participate in donor visits when requested by the PUI FSL Team
Deliverables
Type of deliverable
Tentative date

Initial Report: narrative about the work performed during the period, a descriptive of the works planned with photos, BOQ of the project with quality specs, Shop CAD drawings, work plan
September 2022
Final Report: narrative on the works done and results achieved including photos before, during and after the works
december 2022 QUALIFICATIONS Mandatory requirements - University Degree in civil engineering, and preferably a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Irrigation or Water related fields. - Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the field of planning and designing of wet utilities (preferably water canals). - Member in the Orders of Engineers & Architects - Excellent written and oral working knowledge in English and Arabic. Technical/Functional Skills - Ability to combine, synthesize and analyze information - Good relational skills with people with different education level, and social and cultural background - Research experience ability to meet tight deadlines - Proven skills of report writing and communication - Experience in solid waste management activities. - Experience in livelihood activities. - Experience in using WaterCAD, AutoCAD, GIS, modelling software and Microsoft Office. Transversals skills: - Well organized; - Conflict resolution and diplomacy experience; - Ability to analyze and suggest improvement; - Ability to take initiative to deal with difficulties encountered in daily work; - Ability to adapt or change priorities according to the changing situation within a mission or the organization itself; - Autonomy, neutrality, hard worker; - Able to manage stress and pressure. Others: - Valid driving license (1 year minimum); - High Knowledge in implementation follow up; - Excellent management and pedagogical skills at field level; - Good knowledge of Akkar area;

- Excellent communication and diplomacy skills to manage relationships in potentially tense situations. Interests: Strong motivation to help people in needs and the humanitarian sector The selection committee will evaluate the Offers based upon their written technical and cost proposals. Each section will be evaluated according to the criteria for evaluations in Section V. Offerors are expected to examine the specifications and all instructions in the RFP. Failure to do so is at the Offeror’s risk. Interested Offerors must provide the following: 1. CAPABILITY AND TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE STATEMENT Demonstrate capabilities and technical experience by providing the following: a. Clear CV b. Cover letter showing previous experience in the subject matter in the target regions c. Technical proposal in response to the above requirements including an illustrative methodology and a timeline for the needed work d. Documentation to verify licensure (MOF registration certificate, etc.) and OEA card registration 2. COST PROPOSAL Offerors will submit a proposed budget with their proposals in a file via email, labeled “Budget Proposal.” The proposed budget will have sufficient detail to allow evaluation of elements of costs proposed, transportation / accommodation will be at the service provider’s expense. Payment Terms: ‐ All invoices should be stamped and signed. ‐ Non‐Registered consultants will be subject to taxes deduction on payment settlement 7.5% for services as per Lebanese MOF regulations (if the consultant is not Lebanese or non-resident in Lebanon) ‐ Payments are processed via (a) Internal wire transfer, (b) Cash withdrawal request ‐ Payments will be issued within 15 to 30 days from date of invoice acceptance -First payment will be paid after the submission and validation of the initial report and the second payment will be paid following the submission and approval of the final report PUI will evaluate proposals based on a best‐value determination; Offerors should submit their most competitive price proposal. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria: ‐ Previous relevant experience in agricultural infrastructures engineering ‐ Highlighted experience in NGO labour intensive programs ‐ Highlighted technical experience in BOQs, executive maps and technical documentations ‐ Proposed budget ‐ Impactful CV/previous references The evaluation committee will review the technical proposal based upon the technical criteria listed above. The cost proposals will be reviewed to ensure they are complete and free of computational errors. The committee will also assess the reasonableness of costs and the cost‐effectiveness of the budget and will determine whether the costs reflect a clear

understanding of project requirements. A contract will be offered to the responsible Service Provider whose proposal follows the RFP instructions and is judged to be the most advantageous to PUI