Request for Proposals Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts 1 July 2016

1. INTRODUCTION The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) seeks a qualified consultant to guide the conceptual development of guidance for sector-level greenhouse gas accounting for policies and actions in the transport sector (the “component”, or “guidance document”). The component is one of ten components that comprise the methodological framework ICAT will develop to help countries measure and assess the GHG, sustainable development and transformational change impacts of their climate policies and actions. The final product will be a published guidance document that helps countries estimate the GHG impacts of their climate policies and actions. The shape and form of the guidance document are yet to be determined, but the document may be akin to a more comprehensive version of the sector guidance already available for the WRI GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard, or may be a hybrid of that standard and a CDM methodology. This document has six further sections and an appendix. Section 2 provides an overview of ICAT, and Section 3 describes the methodological framework and the development process. Section 4 sets out the scope of work for the consultant, followed by the deliverables, and milestones and timelines, in sections 5 and 6, respectively. Section 7 provides the process for submitting proposals. An appendix gives information on the proposed structure of the guidance document that comprises the component.

2. INITIATIVE FOR CLIMATE ACTION TRANSPARENCY The Paris Agreement marks a historic turning point in global action on climate change. It commits all countries to play a part in limiting global temperature rise and adapt to the changes already occurring, and requires them to increase their efforts regularly over time. In response to the Paris Agreement, countries are devising strategies to implement their “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs) through various policies and actions. In order to show that they are achieving their goals, countries will need a way to measure and demonstrate their progress. However, many countries lack the tools and well-designed institutional

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts arrangements to comprehensively assess the impacts of national climate policies and actions. There is no common methodological framework to measure, report and verify progress. In response to this need and the call to support improved transparency and capacity building under the Paris Agreement, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) in 2015 founded the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency. In early 2016 ICAT was joined by the Italian Ministry of the Environment (IMELS) and ClimateWorks Foundation. ICAT will develop tools and provide support that will ultimately improve the availability and quality of data and enable countries to promote efficient, cost-effective policies. The Initiative is taking a two-pronged strategy. First, ICAT is building a methodological framework for countries to transparently measure and assess the greenhouse gas, sustainable development and transformational change impacts of climate policies and actions. Second, ICAT will build expertise and capacity in developing countries by working closely with governments, public agencies, higher education institutions and civil society bodies. After mapping out relevant institutions and stakeholders within each beneficiary country, ICAT will support domestic capacity-building programmes by developing resources, organising trainings and creating opportunities for knowledge sharing and lessons learned among countries. Implementing partners of the initiative are UNEP DTU Partnership (UDP), Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and World Resources Institute (WRI). The Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance and Rainforest Alliance are also supporting partners and will contribute to specific aspects of the initiative. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) manages the trust fund through which the work is funded.

3. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 3.1

Methodological Framework

The methodological framework will include the following components:      

   

Energy -- sector-level accounting for the greenhouse gas impacts of policies and actions Transport -- sector-level accounting for the greenhouse gas impacts of policies and actions Agriculture -- sector-level accounting for the greenhouse gas impacts of policies and actions Forestry -- sector-level accounting for the greenhouse gas impacts of policies and actions Sustainable development -- guidance for assessing the sustainable development impacts of policies and actions, including social, environmental and economic impacts Transformational change -- guidance for assessing the extent to which policies and actions bring about transformation to low carbon and sustainable pathways and disrupt business as usual highcarbon development Stakeholder participation -- guidance on involving stakeholders in the design of policies and actions, and the assessment of their impacts Finance -- guidance on designing, implementing and assessing policies and actions to best access sources of finance Verification -- guidance on approaches for verifying the impacts of policies and actions Non-State action -- guidance on integrating the impacts of non-state and subnational action into national mitigation assessments

2

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts

In addition, there will be a Framework Guide which will be the entry-point for users of the framework. The document will introduce the methodological framework and its objectives, and describe the various components of the framework and how they are used. The Sustainable Development component is budgeted with the largest level of effort, followed by the Sector-Level and Non-State Action components. The components will be designed to work together in a flexible way with all elements being optional, and will leverage existing methods and approaches.

3.2

Development Process

Each component will be developed via a technical working group comprised of 10-20 experts from government, civil society, academia and business. Over the course of the drafting process, the guidance document will be issued for public consultation, and pilot tested in 20+ countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America & Caribbean with whom we are working (though not all components will necessarily be tested in all countries). The consultant will serve as the technical lead for the development of the component, comprised of detailed methodological accounting guidance for specific sub-sectors and/or policies and actions. The consultant will participate in preliminary discussions and take part in initial decisions, including what type of guidance to develop, and the selection of sub-sectors, policies and / or actions from the following: urban planning, emission standards, tax based on efficiency/emissions, fuel efficiency standards, transport demand management, mass rapid transit, bus rapid transit, electric vehicles or freight.

4. SCOPE OF WORK 4.1

General

In its role as Secretariat for the component, VCS will manage the development process for the component, facilitating and coordinating meetings, conference calls and follow-up for both the Technical Working Group and the Drafting Team. VCS will bring its expertise in framework and standards development to its management of the component to ensure quality and consistency across all chapters and the component’s integration into the methodological framework. The Governance Plan and Terms of Reference, Development of Methodological Framework describes in detail the roles and responsibilities of the Secretariat, Drafting Team, Technical Working Group, as well as the Review Group, Pilot Test Group and the ICAT Governance Bodies. The consultant will guide the component’s strategic direction and conceptual development. In collaboration with VCS, the consultant will determine the scope and approach for the guidance document, while ensuring compatibility with the structure of the WRI GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard.1 The intention is that the Policy and Action Standard informs the development of the guidance document by providing a stepwise guide for its development. The provisional chapter structure for the guidance document is provided in Appendix 1. The bulk of the work for this role will take place during the first 6-9 months focusing on the development of the first draft of guidance, while the remainder is expected to require a much lower level of effort. The consultant will work with VCS to develop a project plan with deliverables, keeping in mind the milestones

1

WRI GHG Protocol Policy and Action Standard

3

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts and timeline set out below. The consultant will serve as the chair of both the Technical Working Group and the Drafting Team, and provide input on the selection of members.

4.2

Drafting Team

The Drafting Team develops text for the guidance document that comprises the component. The Drafting Team can be seen as the core of the Technical Working Group; it is the group of individuals that leads the conceptual thinking of the Technical Working Group and develops proposals and draft text for the guidance document. The consultant will work together with VCS to determine and fine-tune tasks and responsibilities (in respect of the Drafting Team) based on their interest and expertise. The tasks and responsibilities are somewhat flexible, allowing the consultant to determine the extent to which they undertake research and writing themselves, or delegate to members of the Drafting Team with relevant experience. Principal tasks and responsibilities are likely to include the following:        

4.3

Serve as chair of the Drafting Team Convene Drafting Team from among the Technical Working Group members and determine chapter leads Guide VCS in the review of relevant existing guidance, tools, methodologies and practices Guide VCS in the production of a synthesis of existing guidance available for the relevant subsectors, policies and/or actions Identify gaps in existing methodological guidance after assessing the above synthesis, in order to determine the focus for the guidance document Develop proposals and presentations on key technical topics for Technical Working Group discussions, if needed Develop initial draft text for sections of the guidance document for review and discussion by the Technical Working Group Assist VCS in writing the final guidance document

Technical Working Group

The Technical Working Group contributes to the development of the technical content for the guidance document. It advises the Drafting Team on technical topics and provides feedback on draft chapters. The consultant will work together with VCS to determine and fine-tune roles and responsibilities (in respect of the Technical Working Group) based on their interest and expertise. As with the Drafting Team, the consultant may choose to delegate tasks to Technical Working Group members with relevant expertise. Principal tasks and responsibilities are likely to include the following: 

Serve as chair of the Technical Working Group



Guide the Technical Working Group on the initial strategic direction of the guidance document:  Participate in preliminary discussions and decision-making on what type of guidance to develop and what form the final product will take  Work with Technical Working Group to select sub-sector, policies and/or actions for detailed methodological guidance Guide the Technical Working Group on the conceptual development of the guidance document:



4

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts  

Lead conference calls to discuss key technical topics with, and gather feedback from the Technical Working Group

Lead conference calls to review draft text. Assist VCS in responding to feedback on draft chapters from the Governance Bodies and Review Group (see Governance Plan and Terms of Reference, Development of Methodological Framework for a description of these)

5. DELIVERABLES The main deliverables for this assignment are subject to discussion and agreement between VCS and the consultant. There will be a number of intermediary deliverables that need to be agreed upon, which are likely to include the project plan, draft outline, outline text, and support to VCS on the delivery of final versions for public consultation and final publication.

6. MILESTONES AND TIMELINE The duration of the development process for the component is expected to be from August 2016 to December 2018. An indicative timeline for key milestones is given below.

5

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts

Milestone

Indicative Timeline

Participate in preliminary meetings to discuss selection of Technical Working Group/Drafting Team

August 2016

Complete project plan

August 2016

Develop detailed component outline with proposed structure and chapter titles

September 2016

Develop initial full draft of guidance document for consideration by Technical Working Group

September/October 2016

Submit draft guidance document to Technical Working Group to attain broad agreement among members

November 2016

Assist VCS in the delivery of first draft of the guidance document for public consultation

March 2017

Assist VCS in the delivery of second draft of the guidance document for pilot testing

December 2017

Assist VCS in the delivery of third draft of the guidance document for public consultation

April 2018

Assist VCS in the delivery of final draft of the guidance document for publication

October 2018

7. APPLICATION PROCESS Applicants are requested to submit the following documents (in English): 

Technical proposal, to include an outline of the development approach for the component



A description of the expertise and experience the consultant will bring to the project, including Resumes/CVs of consultant or consulting team (not to exceed two pages each)



Cost proposal, to include total estimated costs and a daily rate

All documents must be submitted to Heather Jacobs via email at [email protected] by close of business on 26 July 2016. VCS will conduct interviews of short-listed candidates and finalize the selection by 5 August 2016.

6

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts

APPENDIX 1: CONTENT OF TRANSPORT SECTOR GUIDANCE The following topics will be addressed in each sector guidance document, maintaining compatibility with WRI’s Policy and Action Standard.

Chapter

Chapter content

Introduction



Overview of component and its relationship to Framework and other components. Includes applicability of the component (scope: the policies and actions, or sub-sectors, to which the guidance is applicable).

Objectives



Objectives of undertaking the assessment of GHG impacts

Overview of steps and key concepts



High-level overview of steps and key concepts in the guidance document

Accounting and reporting principles



GHG accounting and reporting should be based on the following five principles: relevance, completeness, consistency, transparency, accuracy. May include interpretation of principles relevant to the sector

Defining the Policy or Action



Clearly define the policy or action (or package of policies/actions) that is assessed

Identifying Effects and Mapping the Causal Chain

 

Identify all potential GHG effects of the policy or action Separately identify and categorize in-jurisdiction effects and outof-jurisdiction effects, if relevant and feasible Identify all source/sink categories and greenhouse gases associated with the GHG effects of the policy or action Develop a map of the causal chain

  Defining the GHG Assessment Boundary

 

Estimating Baseline Emissions





Include all significant GHG effects, source/sink categories and greenhouse gases in the GHG assessment boundary Define the GHG assessment period based on the GHG effects included in the GHG assessment boundary Define a baseline scenario that represents the conditions most likely to occur in the absence of the policy or action for each source or sink category included in the GHG assessment boundary Estimate baseline emissions and removals over the GHG assessment period for each source/sink category and GHG included in the GHG assessment boundary

7

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts

  



Estimating GHG Effects ExAnte





 

Monitoring Performance over Time



 

Estimating GHG Effects ExPost



 

Apply global warming potential (GWP) values provided by the IPCC based on a 100-year time horizon OR, Identify an equivalent comparison group for each source or sink category included in the GHG assessment boundary Estimate emissions and removals from the comparison group and the policy group over the GHG assessment period for each source/sink category and GHG included in the GHG assessment boundary Apply GWP values provided by the IPCC based on a 100-year time horizon Define a policy scenario that represents the conditions most likely to occur in the presence of the policy or action for each source or sink category included in the GHG assessment boundary Estimate policy scenario emissions and removals of the GHG assessment period for each source/sink category and GHG included in the GHG assessment boundary, based on the GHG effects included in the boundary Apply the same GWP values used to estimate baseline emissions Estimate the GHG effect of the policy or action by subtracting baseline emissions from policy scenario emissions for each source/sink category included in the GHG assessment boundary Define the key performance indicators that will be used to track performance of the policy or action over time (and parameters for ex-post assessment, if relevant) Create a plan for monitoring key performance indicators (and parameters for ex-post assessment) Monitor each of the parameters over time, in accordance with the monitoring plan Estimate policy scenario emissions and removals over the GHG assessment period from each source/sink category and GHG included in the GHG assessment boundary Apply the same GWP values used to estimate baseline emissions Estimate the GHG effect of the policy or action by subtracting baseline emissions from policy scenario emissions for each source/sink category included in the GHG assessment boundary

Assessing Uncertainty



Assess the uncertainty of the results of the GHG assessment, either quantitatively or qualitatively

Verification



Reference to Verification guidance, may not need much more in this chapter

8

Request For Proposals, Technical Lead, Transport Sector-Level Accounting For GHG Impacts

Reporting



Recommend information to report on the results, methodology, and assumptions

Appendices



Guidance on customizing the general guidance to the country level Valuation of impacts Sample templates/formats or Excel-based tools

 

9