UNICEF Thailand is seeking a qualified national institution (company, academic institution, and/or foundation) with capacity to lead and convene expertise in varied areas of education, economics, environmental and climate change research, and climate-proof infrastructure and design.   Background Thailand is recognized as highly vulnerable to climate variability and change due to increasing natural hazards, such as heavy rainfall, floods, and droughts, as well as sea level rise which impacts the country’s coasts. It ranks 50th in the global Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) with a value of 6.2, a combination of increased risk of climate and environmental factors (8.4) and relatively reduced child vulnerability (2.3). Building on the CCRI, the national assessment of impact of climate change and environmental degradation on children (UNICEF & TDRI 2023) further highlights exposure to different types of climate hazard (heat, cold, floods, and droughts hazards) within Thailand; and the uneven distribution of risks across provinces with the North-eastern and Southern regions of Thailand facing the highest risk of climate change after incorporating children-related factors. Climate shocks such as droughts and floods have an unequal impact on children’s development, affecting their nutrition and learning access and progress – from early childhood education to secondary education, with poorest children most affected . Climate-related erosion of learning and education attainment translates into lower future earnings and productivity, especially for the poor. Research has shown that each additional year of schooling is associated with a 10 percent increase in earnings. As climate shocks reduce education attainment, well-being, and future earnings are likely to suffer, perpetuating cycles of poverty and limiting social mobility across generations. The significant physical and social footprint of schools and education systems places them in a unique position to adapt and effect change. Inadequate regulations around procurement and school design alongside decision-making around school infrastructure can exaggerate vulnerability or increase adaptation and resilience. In addition, climate change education in the classrooms helps young people understand the impact of global warming and learn how to adapt to climate change; and creating spaces for peer learning and motivate young people to climate action. Despite the growing evidence, most countries, including Thailand are yet to adopt comprehensive measures to adapt and reduce the negative impacts of climate change on education. UNICEF Thailand is working with the Ministry of Education to map and address information and knowledge gaps in the sector to better inform a sector-wide approach to build a resilient and climate-smart education system. To date, UNICEF has commissioned two studies scope and assess the interrelated dimensions of a climate-smart education system relating to a) data analysis, risk indices construction and development of hazard maps and b) landscape analysis of education policy and planning, coordination, curriculum, and school-based teaching-learning initiatives. However, a deep dive into the adequacy of school infrastructure to mitigate and adapt to climate vulnerability is yet to be conducted.   Objectives, Purpose & Expected results There is a wide range of extreme weather events that can impact on the infrastructure of schools in Thailand, including floods, storms and rising sea levels, water scarcity, air pollution and extreme temperatures. UNICEF is commissioning a study to scope and diagnose how best can public school infrastructure in Thailand integrate climate change mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability considerations. To conduct the study, UNICEF is seeking a qualified national institution (company, academic institution, and/or foundation) with capacity to lead and convene expertise in varied areas of education, economics, environmental and climate change research, and climate-proof infrastructure and design. The objective of the study is to develop a framework and methodology for assessing the varied disaster and climate risks for public school infrastructure and the planning and prioritization of interventions to strengthen infrastructure related disaster and climate resilience . The study will be informed by the previously commissioned research referenced earlier, especially on data, climate education risk index, and hazard maps. It is also expected to build on existing Disaster Risk Reduction policies and other related mechanisms and networks within the education sector can provide a critical foundation to upgrade to climate resilient education infrastructure.   Description of the assignment The objective is to develop a framework and methodology for assessing disaster and climate risks for public school infrastructure and the planning and prioritization of interventions to strengthen infrastructure climate resilience. This will involve: a. Secondary review of existing school infrastructure database, design principles, regulations for school infrastructure, and infrastructure-related budgets/budget lines (including operations and maintenance and associated costs), school recovery records, and local green and climate adaptive design elements already in use (e.g., solar use, alternative construction material and potential savings). Considering education service delivery is the responsibility of multiple ministries in Thailand, this review will involve a scan across Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior, local government and other agencies. b. Supplementary data collection via online survey/select site visits to schools under different jurisdictions and with varied school size and varied/different levels of disaster and climate risks to address identified knowledge gaps in the secondary review. c. Hold and lead stakeholder workshops with local school architects and design engineers, climate change professionals, Thailand School Safety Network stakeholders, and education and school staff and students to analyse opportunities and prioritize interventions to improve education infrastructure resilience. This should also include the degree to which schools can adopt low carbon approaches to minimize waste and incorporate renewable energy within existing policies, initiatives, and budgets to create more savings. d. While schools are not themselves a major contributor to climate change , they are uniquely positioned to function as models for the deployment of clean energy technology a part of green schools and climate change adaptation. e. Based on outcomes of c., develop tools and resources to support school-based and: • Localized compendium of promising physical adaptation and resilience measures for classrooms and schools, including costing the measures and potential benefits for both identified and those not identified climate hazards that schools face locally ; • Guidance aimed at the education decision-makers and school community to accompany the compendium which provides accessible and comprehensive information to support upgrading to climate resilient infrastructure in basic education. • Templates for School/education Service Area Self-Assessment and Climate Adaptation Plans .   Deliverables and Timeline Deliverable 1 - Project kick-off meeting – to have a shared understanding of the study's purpose, objectives, and proposed strategies. - Inception Report in English in Word document (25-30pages) and Powerpoint presentation– with a clear strategy, plan, and methodology to deliver the objective and the accompanying deliverables, including timeline, roles and responsibilities, and risk mitigation around lack of data and information etc. Estimated timeline of delivery: February 2025 Estimated working days: 10 working days. Deliverable 2 - Draft report in English in Word document (25-30 pages main narrative report, excl. annexes) and PowerPoint presentation on existing school infrastructure and design principles/green and climate adaptive design. Estimated timeline of delivery: March 2025 Estimated working days: 20 working days. Deliverable 3 - Draft report and PowerPoint presentation in English and Thai on localized and costed compendium of promising green and adaptive, retrofitting, and resilience measures for classrooms and schools in Thailand. Estimated timeline of delivery: April 2025 Estimated working days: 20 working days. Deliverable 4 - Draft report and PowerPoint presentation in English and Thai on climate adaptation and mitigation design guidelines for school infrastructure specific to local contexts and specific climate hazards, and template for School Self-Assessment and Climate Action Plans. Estimated timeline of delivery: mid-May 2025 Estimated working days: 20 working days. Deliverable 5 - Final reports of Deliverable 3 and 4 Estimated timeline of delivery: mid- June 2025 Estimated working days: 5 working days. NB: Number of working days and the timeline are an estimate, bidders are requested to include a detailed timeline and the number of working days in their proposals.   Location and Duration • The contract duration is tentatively from January to May 2025. All deliverables are expected to be completed within 5 months. • The detailed timeline will be agreed between the awarded contractor and UNICEF. • The assignment will be mostly completed at the contractor’s premises, and it is expected that the contractor is based in Thailand. The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for its completion, including any travel arrangements. • Travel is expected based on the geographic focus defined in the methodology. The cost of travels needs to be included in the proposal. • If safety concerns are present due to COVID-19 restrictions or any emergency events, the FGDs and KII will be conducted virtually, and a contingency plan should be in place. For full details, please refer to the attached Terms of Reference. This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM). By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html . In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission. Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering. Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated. All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender. Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to Tongchanok Sonsawangphol at [email protected] with CC to: [email protected] - no later than 27 December 2024 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline. The closing date of e-submission on UNGM is 8 January 2025 at 10:00 AM Bangkok time. We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline. Best regards, UNICEF Supply team