FIJI: PROJECT COORDINATOR CONSULTANT - ENERGY

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

• Project: Accelerating Solar Mini-grid deployment in Fiji
• Duty Station: Suva, Fiji (remote working possible)
• Contract Duration: 28^th October 2024 – 14^th March 2025
• Number of Workdays (estimated): 62.5 days
• Consultant Level: 4
• Total Fees: 25,000 USD

 

This position is based in Suva, Fiji (with the possibility of remote working), within the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Office at the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics. The Project Coordinator Consultant will work alongside the project manager and assist in the coordination and implementation of the project components, under the “Accelerating Solar Mini-grid Deployment in Fiji” project. 

The project is supporting the Fiji Rural Electrification Fund (FREF) by conducting preparatory activities to identify Solar mini-grid sites, conduct feasibility assessments, complete preliminary technical designs and power engineering, provide geospatial mapping, compare ownership and operation models, and assess financial viability of remote, rural and maritime sites in Fiji. FREF is situated in the Department of Energy in the Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Meteorological Services.

This will start with geospatial databases of all 300 sites in Fiji that lack access to reliable and affordable electricity. A total of 75 prioritized sites will be visited for community engagement and detailed feasibility assessments. These site assessments will include analysis of technical models, geospatial site planning, sustainable business models, climate change impact assessments, and ownership and operation models. Public tenders will be prepared for a public bid for mini-grid construction, operation, and maintenance.

The project is funded by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and is lead and implemented by Arizona States University (ASU), in consortium with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and XENDEE Corporation. The Consortium is leveraging ASU and XENDEE’s technical expertise with GGGI’s in-country capacity and partnerships to create tenders for FREF, designed for U.S. export and implementation of solar and storage components, back-up generators, inverters, controllers, metering infrastructure, demand side management and distribution network equipment.

 

The project coordinator consultant, under the guidance of the project manager, will support project implementation from a technical perspective. The primary role of the consultant is to work closely with relevant government ministries and departments, local government, province and district officers and community leaders to consult, organize and conduct site visits in selected remote rural communities under the project. He or she will apply specialized conceptual knowledge regarding renewable energy, energy efficiency, community development, and participatory approaches and will assist in the coordination and implementation of project activities with the consortium team members.

The project coordinator will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Establishes good working relations and works closely with project partners, relevant ministries and departments, local government and target remote rural communities.
• Review project activities, develop activity plans and timeline.
• Collect data and carry out project reporting using GGGI templates and online systems.
• Support the implementation of specific parts of a project under guidance of his/her manager.
• Provide technical input to support project output delivery.
• Support country-level communications and outreach campaigns for the project

 

The overall deliverables of the project are listed below as per the project scope of work. Throughout the project, the consultant shall work closely with GGGI and ASU and discuss tasks, plans, content, and activities as they progress. The consultant must work closely with the GGGI project manager and other vendors/consultants to ensure that the deliverables stated under the contract are performed and completed with the highest level of quality. 

Task	Responsibilities
Task 1: Inception Planning	Confirm the project scope, objectives, and deliverables. This should also include an overview of the project timeline and budget. Identify all key stakeholders, understand their roles and responsibilities, and develop strategies to engage them throughout the assignment. Create a detailed project schedule, including key milestones and deadlines for tasks and deliverables. A Gantt chart or project schedule will be helpful to visualize the timeline. Develop a communication plan for key stakeholders, outlining the communication channels and frequency. Identify potential risks that could impact the project and develop strategies to mitigate them.
Task 2: Financial Report & Policy and Regulatory Review	Work with ASU and take Lead in identifying of all relevant policy and regulatory stakeholders, and associated formal and informal laws and policies that affect project work; Lead identification of policy and regulatory barriers and create options to overcome  Assist the GGGI team and work with ASU on the Financial Report development
Task 3 : Development Impact Assessment & U.S. Sources of Supply	Work with ASU and relevant stakeholders to co-create concepts of progress, impact measures, baseline parameters, and success criteria  Work with ASU in the review of available Fiji government promotional measures, incentive mechanisms, and tax credits available to the Project; Assist with understanding laws and opportunity space for US-Fiji joint ventures; Curate list of vendors and service providers from Fiji
Task 4: Implementation Plan	Assist in planning personnel and personnel qualifications, timelines, environmental and social assessment activities, permitting, recommended contracting and procurement methodologies, and diesel generator phase out guidance to enable solar mini-grids to be constructed with no major impact (e.g. extended outages) to community during construction; Lead preparation of tender documents for 75 prioritized mini-grid sites
Task 5: Final Report	Assist ASU in the preparation of executive summary; Assist and work with ASU in the authoring of Final Report containing all the findings, recommendations and conclusions related the SOW; Assist in revising final report as needed

 The consultant shall report to and work closely with the project manager. The consultant must always work as part of a team with GGGI, ASU and other consultants. Microsoft PowerPoint and Word products must be delivered using GGGI templates provided.

 

Deliverables:

All the deliverables listed below will work in tandem and must remain open to changes as requested by the government. The timelines for these deliverables will be from the time of signing until the project's completion report which is set to be submitted by consultant by March 14th, 2025.

1. Deliverable 1: Inception report, including

• Project Overview, 
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan (identification of key stakeholders, roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder, stakeholder engagement strategies), 
• Assignment Timeline (assignment phases and milestones with Gantt chart or project schedule, including key deadlines and deadlines for tasks and deliverables), 
• Communication Approach for Key Stakeholders (communication channels and frequency)
• Identification of main risks to this assignment and risk mitigation strategies 

 

2. Deliverable 2:

• Lead in authoring Financial Report & Policy and Regulatory Review report with potential regulatory barriers, potential actions to mitigate barriers, and recommendations as per task 2.
• Assist with the Financial Report and provide guidance on the development of the report.

 

3. Deliverable 3:

• Assist in authoring the development impact assessment report as per Task 2 above.
• Provide information on Fiji vendors and suppliers to complement data being obtained on U.S. suppliers as per Task 3 above.

 

4. Deliverable 4:

• Assist in implementation plan and lead Tender development that covers 20 sites from the 75 sites as per Task 3 above by December 31^st, 2024.
• Assist in implementation plan and lead Tender development that covers 55 sites from the 75 sites as per Task 3 above by March 31^st, 2025.

 

5. Deliverable 5: Assist in overall executive summary and the Final and closing of Report.

 

All the consultant’s work products developed and used for this project will be transferred to and become the property of the Global Green Growth Institute.

Due to the nature of the consultancy, the individual consultants shall provide, at his/her own cost, the equipment and supplies necessary to satisfactorily complete all the deliverables.

The consultant shall be paid the consultancy fee upon completion of the following deliverables. Please note that the contract currency and payments will be made from GGGI HQ in Seoul, Republic of Korea in US Dollars into the consultant’s bank account. As such, the actual amount received in local currency will be subject to the exchange rates and any fees applied by the local bank, which is beyond GGGI’s control. Payments from GGGI HQ are done every Thursdays only. The time it takes for the payment to show up in your personal bank account is subject to your bank’s processing timelines, which is beyond GGGI’s control.

Deliverable #	Description	Expected Deliverable Date, after signing of contract	Payment %
1	As per Deliverable 1	2 weeks after signing	15%
2	As per Deliverable 2	6 weeks after signing	30%
3	As per Deliverable 3	12 weeks after signing	20%
4	As per Deliverable 4	14 weeks after signing	25%
5	As per Deliverable 5	18 weeks after signing	10%
TOTAL			100%

 

• Degree in a relevant field, such as public administration, project management, development economics, community engagement, environmental studies/natural resources, development studies, engineering, education, etc.
• At least 5 years relevant experience (international development, community development, project management, etc.)
• Exceptional analytical and quantitative skills, alongside strong synthesis and strategic thinking skills
• Experience in the energy sector, particularly renewable energy, energy efficiency, or climate change projects is an advantage.
• Project delivery experience, including managing the delivery of results on time and on budget.
• Candidate must have excellent communication and writing skills in English.
• Fluency in iTaukei language is required, and fluency/familiarity with other local languages/dialects would be an advantage.
• Experience is working and travelling to remote rural communities in Fiji.
• Candidate must have an excellent standard of computer literacy, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and online tools (e.g. SharePoint, Dropbox, etc.)

 

Date to close is 13^th October 2024. 11:59PM Korean Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered Application. Cover Letter, and CV must be sent in English. A consortium, or a firm may not be engaged for the individual consultant assignment.

 

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.