National Consultant for Identification, Design and Preparation of BoQs for Establishment of Tree Nursery Specialist
Position Circumstances
- Career Category: Advisor / Individual Consultant
- Schedule:Short-term
- Salary: N/A
Post Level: Forest Management and Development Studies
Assignment Title: Identification, Design and Preparation of BoQs for Establishment of Tree Nursery Plots at Six Strategic Locations Specialist in Siem Reap province
Contract Type: National Consultant Contractual Agreement
Duty Station: The Consultant will be home-based, work at GDPS/MOE if required with frequent travel to the six target districts in Siem Reap Province to undertake field activities.
Expected Place of Travel: Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
Assignment Duration: Output-based payment for 70 working days, with the assignment expected to commence in October 2026 and will be completed by February 2027
Reporting Line: National Project Manager and Project Coordinator
Objectives of the Assignment
Overall Objective
The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide the technical, operational, and institutional basis for the establishment and sustainable management of six tree nursery plots. This will be achieved by assessing and selecting suitable sites; consulting and coordinating with relevant local authorities, communities, landowners, and other stakeholders; identifying suitable community-based organizations (CBOs) to operate and manage the nurseries; and preparing site-specific technical designs, engineering drawings, detailed Bills of Quantities (BoQs), cost estimates, technical specifications, and other necessary documentation to support the public bidding and implementation processes.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Inception and Planning
- Review relevant project documents, technical standards, environmental and social requirements, and applicable laws and regulations.
- Conduct an inception meeting with key stakeholders to confirm the scope, objectives, methodology, deliverables, and implementation arrangements.
- Develop a detailed work plan, methodology, stakeholder engagement approach, and criteria for nursery site and CBO selection.
- Identification and Assessment of Nursery Sites
- Identify and assess six suitable sites for the establishment of tree nurseries based on agreed technical, environmental, social, legal, and operational criteria.
- Assess land ownership and availability, including land owned or made available by CBOs; road accessibility; water availability; soil conditions; topography and slope; watershed characteristics; flood and drought risks; drainage; proximity to community forests and target communities; environmental and social risks; site security; availability of utilities and construction materials; and potential for future expansion.
- Conduct the necessary site investigations, including site measurements and assessments of water sources, existing irrigation and drainage systems, existing infrastructure, access routes, site boundaries, and other physical and environmental constraints.
- Prepare a site assessment report for each selected site, including photographs, geographical coordinates, key findings, identified constraints, recommendations, and justification for site selection.
- Identification and Selection of CBOs
- Develop transparent and objective criteria for identifying and assessing potential community-based organizations (CBOs) to manage and operate the six nurseries.
- Assess the legal status, organizational and management capacity, land/site access, relevant experience, financial and record-keeping capacity, ability to mobilize labor, capacity for infrastructure maintenance, seedling production and distribution capacity, participation and inclusion of women and youth, and potential for long-term sustainability.
- Prepare a CBO assessment and recommendation report for each nursery location.
- Submit the recommended CBOs to the relevant project management and/or approving authority for review and approval.
- Consult and coordinate with relevant government authorities, community and traditional leaders, landowners, beneficiary communities, CBOs, technical departments, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Confirm community interest and participation, land availability, management arrangements, and other operational considerations.
- Facilitate and document the required community and landowner agreements, permissions, and authorizations.
- Engineering Design and Drawings
- Prepare detailed engineering designs and technical drawings suitable for construction, cost estimation, and contractor pricing.
- Develop practical and cost-effective nursery layouts for each site, taking into account the required production capacity, availability of local materials, climatic conditions, site characteristics, and operation and maintenance requirements.
- Ensure designs include, as applicable, seedling production areas, propagation and germination areas, shade structures, potting and growing-media preparation areas, water supply and storage facilities, irrigation systems, drainage systems, composting areas, storage facilities, fencing and gates, pathways, loading and unloading areas, work and office shelters, sanitation facilities, and other necessary infrastructure.
- Prepare a complete design package, including site plans and layout plans, general arrangements, nursery bed layouts, fencing and gate details, shade structures, water supply and irrigation systems, storage facilities, drainage systems, foundations, structural and construction details, sections and elevations, and electrical and plumbing drawings where required.
- Ensure that all drawings include appropriate dimensions, scales, materials, specifications, and sufficient construction details to facilitate accurate costing and implementation.
- Bills of Quantities and Technical Specifications
- Prepare site-specific Bills of Quantities (BoQs) and engineer's cost estimates based on current, reasonable, and locally applicable market rates.
- Ensure that the BoQs are fully consistent with the approved technical drawings and specifications and include clear descriptions of works, appropriate units of measurement, quantities, components, and properly justified provisional sums and contingencies, where applicable.
- Prepare clear and comprehensive technical specifications covering materials, workmanship, construction standards, quality control, testing requirements, methods of measurement, and acceptance criteria, in accordance with applicable procurement requirements.
Expected Profile of Candidates
Languages:
- Khmer - Fluent
- English - Good
Qualifications:
- Master's Degree in Forest Management, Natural Resource Management, Tree Nursery Engineering, Development Studies, Agroecology, Environmental Science, or another closely related discipline
Work History:
- Relevant professional experience, preferably with demonstrated experience in forestry, reforestation, forest restoration, environmental management, or related development projects for 7 years as a minimum
Skills & Knowledge:
General & Technical Skills
- Demonstrated practical experience in tree/forest nursery establishment, planning, design, and development.
- Proven ability to conduct site identification, assessment, and suitability analysis for tree nursery establishment.
- Proven experience working with Community Forestry and identifying, assessing, and selecting suitable community-based organizations (CBOs) for project implementation.
- Demonstrated experience in conducting field assessments across multiple sites and translating site-specific findings into technically appropriate, practical, and cost-effective designs.
- Experience in preparing technical drawings, nursery layouts, infrastructure plans, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), technical specifications, and cost estimates.
- Experience in the design of small-scale construction and infrastructure, including water supply and irrigation systems, fencing, shade structures, access paths, seedbeds, drainage systems, storage facilities, and other related nursery infrastructure.
- Demonstrated experience in designing nursery components, including seedbeds, germination areas, potting and growing-media preparation areas, shade houses, hardening areas, storage facilities, fencing and gates, access paths, drainage systems, and irrigation systems.
- Experience in determining appropriate nursery capacity, spatial requirements, workflow, and functional zoning based on production targets and site conditions.
- Ability to integrate practical operational considerations into nursery designs, including labor movement, material handling, water access, drainage, maintenance, security, and potential for future expansion.
- Demonstrated experience in assessing site conditions, including land area and topography; soil and drainage conditions; flooding and erosion risks; environmental conditions; security and land-use considerations; and the availability of electricity and other utilities, where relevant.
- Experience in comparing alternative sites and documenting site-specific design considerations and recommendations.
- Experience in preparing nursery site plans and layouts, including nursery boundaries and zoning, seedbeds and production areas, shade structures, irrigation and water-distribution systems, drainage systems, fencing and gates, internal roads and access paths, storage facilities, and other support infrastructure.
- Proficiency in using AutoCAD or equivalent CAD software to produce clear, accurate, and technically usable engineering drawings and layouts.
- Demonstrated experience in preparing detailed and itemized Bills of Quantities (BoQs) for tree nursery and small-scale infrastructure works, covering, as applicable, construction materials, labor, equipment, water supply and irrigation infrastructure, fencing, shade structures, earthworks and drainage, and other nursery facilities.
- Experience in developing realistic and implementable cost estimates based on current and locally applicable market rates in Cambodia.
- Ability to verify quantities, unit rates, assumptions, provisional sums, and total costs to ensure consistency, accuracy, and completeness of cost estimates.
- Demonstrated professional experience in one or more of the following areas: reforestation, forest restoration, landscape restoration, agroforestry, biodiversity conservation, environmental management, community forestry, tree-planting programs, or natural resource management.
- Good understanding of how nursery design, infrastructure, and seedling production requirements support subsequent tree planting, restoration, reforestation, and landscape restoration activities.
- Language Requirements: Excellent Khmer and strong English communication and technical report-writing skills
