Intaj Energy Audit Technical Consultant

Background: Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. The agency pursues its mission through emergency relief services, sustainable community development, civil society and economic development initiatives. Mercy Corps has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s and currently has offices in Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Working in Lebanon since 1993, Mercy Corps has implemented community development programs focused on promoting economic development and increased opportunity for disadvantaged communities, while responding to emergencies as they emerged in the country.  In 2012, the program portfolio shifted in response to the massive refugee influx from Syria and Mercy Corps in Lebanon has solidified its emergency response programming while integrating longer-term development programming by focusing on key sectors: Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Governance and Conflict, and Livelihoods.    Purpose / Project Description: With funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Mercy Corps has initiated INTAJ (Improved Networks, Training and Jobs), a program to support vulnerable communities in the Beqaa and the North governorates in addressing their economic needs.     Mercy Corps has identified crosscutting constraints to jobs growth in Lebanon that affect market actors at the individual, business and market levels of economic production.  In order to stimulate sustainable jobs growth, INTAJ will address these constraints through a series of activities during a 6-month pilot phase to identify successful intervention strategies that are potentially scalable and transferrable.    Interventions at the business level will include a significant portfolio of sub-grants and technical assistance to an expected 20 small and medium enterprise (SME) business beneficiaries, in order to reduce risk and strengthen the ability of beneficiaries to grow their workforce.  Technical assistance will be geared towards improving management and operations, enhancing competitiveness and assisting companies to access new markets, and/or market segments, with the ultimate aim of creating more jobs.  INTAJ business beneficiaries are expected to vary in size and by industry, ranging from small service sector companies to larger industrial firms.   Mercy Corps has identified high energy costs as a major factor in SME performance in Lebanon.  Mercy Corps is seeking qualified consultants to provide technical assistance to the INTAJ program team for the implementation of energy audits for a range of firms throughout Lebanon.  INTAJ will offer the energy audits to help business owners understand options to reduce costs through the installation of energy efficient and renewable energy solutions.  In addition, Mercy Corps will seek to facilitate access to renewable energy financing schemes, through such programs as the Ministry of Energy and Water’s LCEC, which will also require the completion of technical and financial documents by qualified firms.   Consultant Objectives:   The objective of the consultancy is to support the INTAJ program team in the implementation of energy audits for up to 20 relevant business beneficiaries. The consultant will assess a range of businesses for up to 100 days Level of Effort between 1 November 2015 to 16 March 2016. The consultant may be asked to travel throughout Lebanon, including but not limited to Beqaa, South, and/or North Lebanon.  The level of effort needed per business is expected to vary on a case by case basis, to be discussed and coordinated with the program team.   For each selected SME, the Consultant will: Draft an energy audit TOR for tender Prepare a pre-assessment report to be used in the energy audit Assisting in the technical evaluation of the bidders Review technical offers and support in setting the technical requirements of the proposed measures Provide technical oversight of the energy audit activities including economic viability assessments of renewable energy options Prepare required documentation to access the LCEC renewable energy program, as needed Recommend SMEs for further technical assistance or in-kind grant renewable energy support, including providing detailed specifications required for procurement Conduct trainings for relevant SME staff, as requested by Program Manager and Technical Advisor Work with the INTAJ program team to ensure that recommendations are aligned with value-for-money objectives and financially feasible.   Consultant Deliverables: The Consultant will complete: Energy audit TOR for public tendering, Energy pre-assessments reports for up to 20 SMEs, as needed Economic feasibility study for renewable energy options selected in energy audits Required LCEC documentation for relevant SMEs Provide monthly activity reports while contributing to key project documents   Qualifications: BS in engineering; MBA or other advanced degree preferred 10 years of experience in the field renewable energy and energy efficiency 5 years of experience in design, operation, and full project development of renewable energy technologies 5 years of experience in implementation of energy efficiency studies and economic feasibility analysis Relevant professional certifications highly preferred Fluent Arabic speaking and writing skills. Additional strong English skills preferred   The consultant will provide/share all types of reports to the Technical Adviser(s) of INTAJ Project   The Consultant will work closely with: INTAJ Program Manager, project managers, field coordinators, and Economic and Market Development Sector Lead.   Submission guidelines: Applicants are requested to submit the following documents by email to reception@lb.mercycorps.org. Please mention the title “INTAJ Renewable Energy Technical Consultant” in the subject of the email.   1)      Consultant’s CV 2)      List of consultancies conducted in the last three years. Please include: Client name Brief description of services performed Client phone number and email Number of days worked Substantiated daily consulting rate A scan/copy of applicant’s registration at the Ministry of Finance. In case applicant cannot provide this document, and is selected for this consultancy, Mercy Corps will deduct the 7.5% services tax imposed by the Ministry from submitted invoices. N.B:  Interested firms are also encouraged to apply. Applicants firms are requested to submit the following documents by email to reception@lb.mercycorps.org. Please mention the title " INTAJ Renewable Energy Technical Consultancy Firm” in the subject of the email.  2 References A scan/copy of the firm’s registration at the Ministry of Finance. In case the firm cannot provide this document, and is selected for this consultancy, Mercy Corps will deduct the 7.5% services tax imposed by the Ministry from submitted invoices.   Payment: In bank checks or wire transfer, after the successful delivery of the service based on monthly invoices and timesheets submitted (to include work days and hours. 8 hours = full day and 4 hours = half a day), with an approved consultant deliverable report.   Incidentals, including transportation, per diems and communications costs, will not be covered separately by Mercy Corps, as they should be included in the consultant’s daily rate.   Other Considerations: Mercy Corps reserves the right to hire multiple consultants under this scope of work, or none at all.  INTAJ will review applications on a rolling basis, so applicants are encouraged to submit applications at any time.  Only those applications found most promising will be contacted by INTAJ.  Target response time will be one week from the date of submission.