Relevant Experience:
- Masters in Environmental Science/Environmental Management and any other relevant degree
- Five years of professional work experience, particularly in developing IEEs, EMMP and EIA
- Experience with Govt. department related to EPAs would be preferred
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to speak English, Urdu and preferably Sindhi languages
- Understanding of food processing plants preferred
Job Description:
The USAID Project requires the services of a consultant to develop the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Reports of one Dried Mango Unit, one Fresh Mango Infrastructure Agreement and one Fruit and Vegetable Pulping Unit and obtain a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sindh EPA) situated in Karachi, for the USAID Firm’s Project Dried Mango, Fresh Mango and Fruit & Vegetable Pulping Sector.
Dried Mango:
The USAID Project’s dried mango sector strategy that was completed in 2011, found that Pakistan has significant potential and possesses the necessary resources to achieve success in the dried mango industry. Labor is abundant, underutilized, and less expensive than major competitors in Thailand and the Philippines. Furthermore, international market demand for dried mango products indicates that there is a huge potential export market for Pakistani products. The project’s primary target market for dried mango products is the U.S., which imports more than USD 50 million of dried mango products from Thailand and Philippines. In years 4 and 5, the project will build upon its earlier efforts by supporting local processors to adopt standardized production protocols in newly established mango drying facilities. The project will achieve this target through its interventions in capacity building trainings and exposure trips to other dried mango producing countries. The project will continue completing and operationalizing four pilot dried mango facilities, one in Sindh and three in Punjab. These facilities will be equipped with driers and other tools and laboratory equipment required for efficient operations and quality production of dried mangoes
Fresh Mango:
Pakistani mango farmers have partnered with USAID to maximize their yield, improve product quality, and implement better handling and packaging techniques to reach new high value export markets. Infrastructure Upgradation Agreements (IUAs) were signed with 15 farmers, 6 in Sindh and 9 in Punjab, to build pack houses, all of which have been completed and are operational. USAID, under this cost share agreement, has provided mango processing lines, blast chillers and cold storage equipment, de-sapping equipment, plastic harvesting crates, water filtration plants and generators. USAID has also provided assistance to farmers for achieving GlobalGAP and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certifications under a separate cost-share agreement. To date, USAID has successfully completed GlobalGAP certification for 26 mango orchards. In addition to this assistance, the project’s training program is designed to reach exporters, agriculture extension workers and a greater mass of small farmers in rural Punjab and Sindh to improve orchard care and harvesting techniques. The project has also assisted participation in international fruit exhibitions and conducted buyer-seller meetings as part of its efforts to improve mango sales and create opportunities for employment.
Fruit and Vegetable Pulping:
The USAID-funded project is providing assistance to organizations operating in the fruits and vegetable pulping sector to facilitate product and process improvement, skills up-gradation, certification (e.g. HACCP), local and export market linkages and plant up-gradation/modification, with the ultimate objectives of enhancing quality, cost competitiveness, export as well as local sales to high end markets. Firms has selected seven fruit and vegetable pulping operators from five districts in Punjab province (Okara, Khanewal, Multan and Chiniot), plus Karachi district in Sindh province to provide broad based assistance in business development and capacity building. USAID Project assistance includes provision of technical assistance and in-kind procurement in all of the aforesaid areas. Operators receiving project assistance must contribute under a cost-share arrangement in certain interventions such as plant improvement, certification and industry exposure visits. The project is assisting seven pulping units, five of whom are receiving additional assistance through machinery upgrades. The facilities are being converted from a single line to multiline facilities so that they can obtain HACCP certification. Pulping facilities will increase their plant utilization and produce products which meet international market standards and requirements by converting to multiline facilities and obtaining HACCP certification, thereby improving production and creating export opportunities. Moreover, two pulp exporters pulp will also be included in the program to receive export related assistance.
For the survey part, the consultant will be required to conduct pre- assessments of the three facilities and collect and analyze the data regarding environmental and social compliances. The study will also require the consultant to meet and coordinate with the relevant project personnel in the Karachi and Lahore offices of the USAID Project and relevant government officials and stakeholders of the facilities/projects. The successful individual/firm shall read, but not be limited to, perform the following tasks:
- Visit sites and conduct surveys of the projects in Karachi; carry out assessments of environmental situations and geographic locations of the sites
- Monitor all quality standards that are of significant importance for developing the IEE reports and ensure compliance as per the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (PEPA 1997) and National Environmental Quality Standards 2000 (NEQS 2000)
- Take pictures of the specific sites and provide descriptions/captions for each picture and provide to project staff on a CD-R
- Collect all relevant documents from the stakeholders and provide technical support to ensure successful completion of these documents for completing the reports and meeting all IEE requirements
- Collect IEE review fees from the USAID Project for submission to Sindh EPA; after submission of fees, the deposit slip shall be handed over to relevant project staff
- Complete all necessary documents, such as, affidavits, lab tests and environmental mitigation and monitoring plans for the three projects in order to finalize the respective IEE reports
- Complete EMMP and IEE of the projects and submit these to the relevant project staff for review and finalization. The consultant may also be required to give presentations as required by project staff.
- Once project staff reviews and approves the EMMP and IEE reports, the consultant will be required to submit the reports to the Sindh EPA for further processing. The consultant will also be required to submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies per IEE report to Sindh EPA (a total of 30 hard copies and 6 soft copies) and also share soft copies with USAID Firms Project staff
- Liaise with the Sindh EPA and reply to any queries that may surface and put forth by the EPA regarding the IEE in a timely manner
- Fulfill any other requirements that are needed to successfully obtain environmental approval from Sindh EPA
- Obtain the NoCs within the assigned time and submit them to the USAID Project
- Collect review fees from the USAID Firms Project for the submission of IEE reports of the remaining two F&V pulping units and five Fresh Mango IUAs; after submission of fees, the deposit slip shall be handed over to the relevant project staff
- Submit the IEE reports after review for the remaining units to Sindh EPA for further processing; submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies per IEE report to Sindh EPA (a total of 70 hard copies and 14 soft copies) and also share soft copies with USAID Firms Project staff
- Liaise with the Sindh EPA and reply to any queries that may surface and put forth by the EPA regarding the remaining IEE reports in a timely manner and fulfill any other requirements necessary for receiving an environmental approval from the Sindh EPA
- Obtain the remaining NoCs within the assigned time and submit them to the USAID Project
This assignment is planned to take place as per a start date of on or around September 30, 2013 and end date of on or around November 30, 2013 hereto for a total of 40 days level of effort (LoE), including travel days. This assignment is based on a 6 working days per week.
Deliverables:
The following are the key deliverables and their associated deadlines. Time line for the LoE assigned for each activity in the table below will be discussed and agreed with the M&E team lead and the consultant.
- Interview and meet with the relevant project staff, review documents of dried mango processor, and design/develop appropriate research methodology such as questionnaires and checklists
- Complete the site visit and monitor air and water emissions; collect all relevant documents from stakeholders for the development of IEE
- Develop the EMMP and IEE report of the unit and submit the draft to the USAID Project for review (format of IEE report is briefly outlined in Annex 1 for reference)
- Submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies of IEE report to Sindh EPA along with IEE review fees and answer any queries put forth by the EPA; share a soft copy with USAID Firms Project
- Respond to all queries of Sindh EPA, if any, and obtain the NoC and lastly, submit to the USAID Project
- Interview and meet with the relevant project staff, review documents of fresh mango IUA, and design/develop appropriate research methodology such as questionnaires and checklists
- Complete the site visit and monitor air and water emissions; collect all relevant documents from stakeholders for the development of IEE
- Develop the EMMP and IEE report of the unit and submit the draft to the USAID Project for review (format of IEE report is briefly outlined in Annex 1 for reference)
- Submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies of IEE report to Sindh EPA along with IEE review fees and answer any queries put forth by the EPA; share a soft copy with the USAID Project
- Respond to all queries of Sindh EPA, if any, and obtain the NoC and lastly, submit to the USAID Project
- Interview and meet with the relevant project staff, review documents of fruit and vegetable pulping unit, and design/develop appropriate research methodology such as questionnaires and checklists
- Complete the site visit and monitor air and water emissions; collect all relevant documents from stakeholders for the development of IEE
- Develop the EMMP and IEE report of the unit and submit the draft to the USAID Project for review (format of IEE report is briefly outlined in Annex 1 for reference)
- Submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies of IEE report to Sindh EPA along with IEE review fees and answer any queries put forth by the EPA; share a soft copy with USAID Firms Project
- Respond to all queries of Sindh EPA, if any, and obtain the NoC and lastly, submit to the USAID Project
- Collect IEE review fees and IEE reports for the remaining two F&V units and five Fresh Mango IUAs; Review and submit 10 hard copies and 2 soft copies per IEE report to Sindh EPA (a total of 70 hard copies and 14 soft copies) along with IEE review fees and answer any queries put forth by the EPA
- Respond to all queries of Sindh EPA, if any, and obtain the NoCs for the remaining units and lastly, submit to the USAID Project
Detailed Scope of Work: ATTACHED
Note: Applicants MUST read the detailed scope of work BEFORE applying.