National Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Sustainable Finance Specialist

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Introduction

Description of the Assignment:

Objective

The Project will engage a National PPP Sustainable Finance Specialist to lead the review and enhancement of the Sustainable Financing Manual for PPP Projects (the “Manual”) developed in-house prior to its publication as a PPP knowledge product. The Manual will serve as an investment readiness guide that enables the PPPC and implementing agencies to structure PPP projects capable of attracting financing from domestic and international providers of sustainable finance.

Specifically, the Manual shall strengthen the capacity of the PPPC and implementing agencies to:

• improve the investment readiness and bankability of climate-smart and nature-positive PPP projects;
• identify and access appropriate sustainable finance instruments throughout the PPP lifecycle;
• align PPP projects with the requirements of commercial lenders, institutional investors, multilateral development banks (MDBs), development finance institutions (DFIs), impact investors, and sustainable capital markets; and
• mobilize private sector investments that generate climate, biodiversity, and social outcomes

1. The review and enhancement shall include:A stocktaking of sustainable finance instruments, facilities, and financing mechanisms relevant to PPP projects in the Philippines, including green, climate, biodiversity, blue, blended, sustainability-linked, ESG-linked, and transition finance, validating the instruments currently addressed and extending coverage to those not yet included.
2. An assessment of the eligibility requirements, investment criteria, environmental and social safeguards, disclosure requirements, reporting obligations, and due diligence expectations associated with relevant sustainable finance instruments, identifying key considerations across these instrument categories
3. A review and refinement of guidance on integrating sustainable finance considerations throughout the Philippine PPP lifecycle, from project identification and development to structuring, procurement, implementation, monitoring, and post-award management—building upon existing PPPC tools and guidelines.
4. An expanded treatment of guidance on transforming climate, environmental, biodiversity, and social development objectives into investable and bankable PPP opportunities.
5. Identification of at least four priority sectors where sustainable finance application is most feasible, together with sector-specific guidance on financing options, project structuring, and investment readiness, validating the Manual's existing illustrative cases against this prioritization and refining or supplementing them as needed. For each priority sector, at least one existing PPP pipeline project shall be identified and used as an illustrative example to demonstrate the application of appropriate sustainable finance instruments and financing structures.
6. Guidance on enhancing the bankability of NbS and climate-smart PPP projects, including approaches such as ecosystem service valuation, natural capital valuation, avoided-cost methodologies, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), carbon and biodiversity markets, concessional finance, blended finance, guarantees, viability gap funding, and other innovative financing mechanisms.
7. Updated and/or expanded case studies and illustrative financing pathways demonstrating how PPP projects can access and combine different sustainable finance instruments.

Scope of Work

Given the indicative scope of the revised manual, the PPP Sustainable Financing Specialist will undertake the following tasks:

• Conduct a technical review of the Manual to assess its content, structure, technical rigor, alignment with international sustainable finance practices, and applicability relative to the objectives of this assignment (see Annex A).
• Conduct inception meetings with the PPPC and UNDP to validate the objectives, scope, methodology, workplan, and overall design of the Manual.
• Prepare an Assessment Report summarizing the review of findings and setting out the recommendations, proposed outline, enhancement framework, methodology, and workplan for the revised Manual.
• Conduct desk research on domestic and international sustainable finance policies, instruments, standards, taxonomies, and investment practices relevant to PPP projects.
• Design and facilitate at least two (2) consultation workshop/s, focus group discussions, interviews, or other stakeholder engagement activities with government agencies, development partners, financial institutions, and relevant experts to gather inputs and insights on financing PPP projects that generate sustainable outcomes.
• Review existing PPPC knowledge products -- the NbS in PPP Toolkit, Gender and Development Toolkit, Safeguards Guidebook, and other relevant manuals and project-support tools) and position the Sustainable Financing Manual as a complementary resource that builds on these resources.
• Develop the revised Manual, incorporating the findings of the assessment, desk research, and stakeholder engagement activities.
• Prepare the activity design, presentation deck, and exercises for one (1) Training of Trainers (ToT) on the Sustainable Financing Manual.
• Conduct one (1) ToT for PPPC personnel to demonstrate the application of the Manual and strengthen institutional capacity for cascading the guidance across implementing agencies.
• Revise and refine all draft outputs based on comments and recommendations from the PPPC, UNDP, and key stakeholders.
• Develop a concise three-slide presentation on Sustainable Financing for PPP Projects that can be integrated into existing PPPC training programmes and capacity-building modules.

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in management, business administration, finance, economics, socio-economic development or other related fields.

Experience

At least five (5) years of demonstrated experience in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects or in mobilizing private sector finance for adaptation, nature-based infrastructure, and green building tools

At least three (3) years of experience in capacity building and institutional development in the field of PPP, infrastructure investment, or private sector financing, Experience in work focusing on nature-based solutions and sustainable investments/ financing is an advantage

Sample Work

Submission of at least one qualified sample written work on PPP, sustainable investment/ finance, climate change, NbS and/or other relevant work

Language

Has excellent level of proficiency in English and Filipino is required. (Pass / Fail)

Period of assignment/services: 52 person-days spread over seven (7) months

Duty Station: Metro Manila

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