CS1: PRF Consultant for Project Prioritization, Readiness, and Pilot-testing, Preparing the Sustainable Road Infrastructure Investment Project

Sector: Urban Development

Country: Federated States of Micronesia

PRIMEX fielded an International Environmental Safeguards Specialist (ESS) who undertook the screening of each subproject and prepared the necessary initial environmental examinations (IEEs) for the ensuing project. The ESS : (i) reviewed and updated the draft IEE for the pilot project after further detailed design and ensured monitoring and reporting in compliance with national laws and ADB’s safeguard requirements; (ii) reviewed the scope and activities of the proposed subprojects and screened their potential impacts on the environment to determined the environmental categorization for each subproject in the tentative list; (iii) prepared the screening applications (with prescribed checklists) as required by state authorities (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]) for each subproject that will be formally submitted to EPA by the DTC&I; (iv) identified all permits, licenses and approvals/clearances required for the construction and operation of the project including which stage they are required, timeframe to obtain, and who will have primary responsibility for obtaining them (Department of Finance and Administration [DOFA], DTC&I or contractor etc. – to be documented in the section of the IEEs covering policy, legal and administrative framework); (v) In consultation with the EPA, developed the IEEs for each state based on subprojects that is to be prepared for the ensuing ADB-financed project(s); (vi) established the environmental baseline and conducted surveying and testing as necessary to benchmark the physical, biological, and socioeconomic conditions properly and fully. This would include maps clearly identifying locations of ecological values and sensitive receptors; (vii) upon completion of the baseline, prepared the necessary environmental assessment documentation as well as the requisite Environmental Management Plan (EMP) which include measures to prevent/avoid or mitigate adverse environmental impacts predicted to occur during the construction periods, and incorporated as specific actions in the scope of civil works contract; (viii) after detailed design of each subproject, updated the EMPs reflecting any conditions on IEE approval required by EPA and prepared draft method statements for other management plans such as traffic management and health and safety plans (to be integrated into EMP) as required, and ensured that bidding documents will include EMP (including guidelines for the management of COVID-19 in the workplace and on construction sites as released by the World Health Organization); (ix) supervised the inclusion of mitigation actions required during the design phase as prescribed in the IEE and EMP and incorporated proposal for environment monitoring which includes quantities and cost estimates; (x) monitored and reported on the impact of project actions on the environment, and any reported grievances during implementation, to be documented in quarterly progress reports in a format consistent with ADB’s project performance reporting system, and semi–annual safeguard monitoring reports indicating progress achieved, with key implementation issues and solutions; (xi) during evaluation of bids, assisted in reviewing of contractor bids, in respect of response to environmental management provisions; (xii) in coordination with the social and gender specialist in the team, assisted DTC&I in public consultations with stakeholders and disclosed relevant project information including draft safeguard documents in accordance with ADB’s Safeguard Policy Statement (SPS) and Access to Information Policy; (xiii) identified specific training needs for DTC&I safeguard staff or consultants on all aspects of environmental assessment and management and delivered necessary capacity building trainings at the project level; and (xiv) submitted draft safeguard documents to DTC&I and ADB and finalized and incorporated comments.