SOW for To Review NEA GESI Strategy and Operational Guideline

USAID Urja Nepal

Scope of Work (SoW)

REVIEW GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION 

STRATEGY and OPERATIONAL GUIDELINE 2020 

OF 

NEPAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY 

Background:

Nepal is endowed with immense potential for generation of electricity from hydropower, solar and wind resources. Development of quality sectoral policies and regulatory frameworks, building high performing electric utilities, strong private sector engagement and robust cross border power trades are essential to capitalized on Nepal’s energy potential which can in turn contribute towards the country’s prosperity. Urja Nepal supported by the American people through United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP builds upon the achievement and lessons of USAID’s Nepal Hydropower Development Program in supporting to develop the energy sector of Nepal. Urja Nepal aims to create a financially viable electricity sector that provides affordable, reliable, and secure power and enables the entry of private sector investment into the Nepal market through four objectives: 

Objective 1: Utility Performance and Relevant Sector Policies are Improved

Objective 2: Advanced Energy Systems Deployed

Objective 3: Increased Private Sector Engagement

Objective 4: Cross Border Electricity Trade between Nepal and its Neighbors Advanced

USAID Urja Nepal is committed to gender equality; human right; women, minorities and youth empowerment and meaningful engagement of men and youths in addressing these issues. The event as a milestone in targeting active and meaningful engagement of men and youths to end gender inequality. This concept note sets the foundation for a transformative initiative aimed at achieving gender equality in Nepal's energy sector. By engaging men and women employees, the GESI initiative will foster a more inclusive, supportive, and productive GESI friendly workplace in Public and Private sectors including Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and its line agencies. Based on the demand, the event will be focused on the Foundational concept of GESI, GESI mainstreaming and its importance in inclusive development.

Introduction:

In 2015, Nepal adopted its new constitution which emphasizes the need to develop energy for economic development. A central focus of Nepal ‘s constitution is a strong commitment to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), with the aim to achieve gender equality, proportional inclusion, participation and social justice‖ for its people. At the same time, Nepal is a signatory to various international conventions and is legally committed to gender equality and social inclusion. The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG 5 in particular, underscores that gender equality and the empowerment of women are integral to the achievement of sustainable development. In line with these mandates, the government has made it a priority to implement policies and programs that involve women, Dalits, Adivasi Janajatis, Madhesis, Muslims, People with Disabilities and other excluded communities in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of sectoral policies, plans and programs. 

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), established in 1985, has a mandate to generate, transmit and distribute power by planning, constructing, operating and maintaining all generation, transmission and distribution facilities in Nepal's power system. Moving forward, some of the NEA ‘s priority areas are to reduce operational costs, increase self-generation and expand the distribution system. In all of these areas, it will be critical for the NEA to address gender and social inclusion issues in its engagement with beneficiaries and the public as well as in the institutional set up. 

In line with its commitment to gender equality and social inclusion, the NEA has developed this Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy and Operational Guidelines for mainstreaming and institutionalizing GESI considerations in its overall portfolio and operations. The development and adoption of the GESI Strategy and Operational Guidelines is in accordance with Article 35 of the Nepal Electricity Authority Act, 2041 (1984), which allows the NEA to frame necessary byelaws without prejudice to this Act, for the purpose of managing its business. The Guideline is accompanied by a GESI Manual, which provides necessary support documents including questionnaires, reporting formats as well as good practice examples from around the world. 

Overall Objectives: 

The specific objective of this assignment is to 

• Promote Gender Equality: Create a balanced and equitable GESI friendly workplace by addressing gender biases and promoting equal opportunities for men and women in NEA.
• Promote Inclusivity: Identify opportunities, international case studies, and practices to promote inclusivity, particularly for minorities (religious, caste, or ethnic) and people with disabilities
• Engage NEA’s Employees: Encourage male and female employees to actively participate in gender equality and Social Inclusion initiatives
• Enhance GESI friendly Organizational Culture: Foster an inclusive and supportive organizational culture in NEA that values diversity and gender equality.

Scope of Work:

The contractor will undertake the following tasks:

1. Comprehensive Assessment and Review of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Strategy and Operational Guidelines 2020

Conduct a comprehensive review of the status of NEA’s GESI Strategy and find out the areas for improvement through consultations in the workshops. Analyze relevant policies, regulations, legal frameworks, literatures, reports and documents that demand GESI for Transformation in NEA.

2. Gap Analysis NEA’s GESI Strategy and Operational Guideline 2020

Identify specific gaps and challenges within the existing NEA’s GESI Strategy, focusing on the NEA’s perspective, including both men and women. Adopt participatory approaches to ensure diverse perspectives for GESI mainstreaming in NEA.

3. Assessment of Current Mechanisms in NEA for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

4. Identification of Gaps and Challenges in NEA’s internal fund flow systems including allocation of dedicated yearly budget on GESI

5. Identify and analyze gaps in applying GESI lens focusing on marginalized groups, women in rural settings engaged in energy sector, LGBTQI+, People with Disabilities.

6. Design Capacity Development Roll Out Plan to implement GESI Strategy in work within NEA’s mandate, and NEA can share new GESI strategy across the organization through appropriate channels.

7. Validation and Feedback

Organize a validation workshop with NEA personnel and experts to share preliminary findings and proposed solutions to mainstream GESI in NEA (energy sector) collected from the consultations and the training workshops. Gather and incorporate feedback from participants to refine and finalize the GESI recommendations. Ensure transparency and accountability in the validation process.

8. Final Report

Submit the final report incorporating the feedback in the Draft report to the Urja Nepal, along with an executive summary and presentation slides and other hard and soft copies. Also, include a brief Monitoring framework on GESI so that GESI will be built into the regular monitoring systems in NEA for complement and strengthen. 

Deliverables:

1. Inception Report on NEA’s existing GESI Strategy and Guideline 2020: Outline of methodology, work plan, timeline and consultancy days and per day Fee.
2. Gaps found in the existing NEA’s GESI Strategy 2020, focused on GESI Mainstreaming
3. Draft Report: Preliminary findings and proposed activities for mainstreaming GESI.
4. Final Report: Comprehensive report on ANNEXES for NEA’s existing GESI Strategy and further recommendations
5. Validation Workshop Report: Summary of feedback from NEA’s male and female, particular those from minority backgrounds; based on the consultations 
6. Presentation Slides and Resource Materials: Summary of key findings and proposed activities 

Timeline:

The project is expected to be completed within 30 days of the commencement date.

Qualifications: 

The Consultant should possess:

• At least Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Electrical Engineering and other academic disciplines in energy sectors
• Professional experience in assessing and designing GESI Policy, Strategy and GESI activities in the energy sector
• Extensive experience in conducting workshop and Training programs, particularly in energy sector.
• Proven track record in and participatory research, conducting workshops and consultation methods.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely.
• Familiarity with the gender dynamics, socio- economic and socio-cultural context of Nepal is highly desirable.

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Understanding of the Scope of Work (SOW) and project objectives.
• Methodology and approach to achieving the project goals.
• Relevant experience and qualifications of the Consultant.
• Detailed work plan and timeline, demonstrating the ability to meet the deadlines.

The proposal must be submitted by 20th November 2024 to be considered in the bidding process.

Other requirements:

• The Consultant is expected to submit proposal in English language only.
• The Consultant is expected to strictly adhere to the timelines proposed for this assignment completion. Any delay in any of the deliverable shall be reported and aligned with Urja Nepal in advance. 
• The deliverables must be acceptable to Urja Nepal. 
• The Consultant should at all times of the assignment possess the copyrights (licenses in the case of software packages) of the documents, photographs, technical papers, standards used in the study. All documents need to be treated with confidentiality. The consultant may be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that uses an Urja-provided template.

Contact Information

For inquiries, please contact:

Narayan Shrestha

Urja Nepal

nshrestha@urja-nepal.com

+977 980 116 0972 / 9851040880

Note: This SoW does not constitute a commitment on the part of Urja Nepal to fund any proposed assignment