Position
Local consultant for Laos-Australia Sustainable Energy Partnership (LASEP)
Duration
May – September 2025 (15 days)
Location
LAO PDR
Reports to
Component 2 Lead and LASEP Team Lead
Closing date
20 May 2025
About P4I
Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) is an Australian Government initiative partnering with Southeast Asia to drive sustainable, inclusive, and resilient growth through quality infrastructure. P4I partners with Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
P4I works with partners to strengthen infrastructure decision-making and practice across the transport, energy, utilities and telecommunications sectors. P4I’s focus is on the early stages of the infrastructure lifecycle, including planning and prioritisation, financing strategy, and procurement.
The four main services offered by P4I are linkages with Australian government agencies and other institutions, technical and policy advice, infrastructure project advice and knowledge-sharing and learning.
As the foundation of quality infrastructure, P4I also integrates gender equality, disability, and social inclusion, and disaster risk reduction and climate change considerations into all activities.
Delivered through a single team, P4I is led by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in collaboration with Ernst & Young, Adam Smith International, The Asia Foundation and Ninti One. P4I has a head office in Bangkok, with other staff located around the region.
Scope of Work
Under the direction of the Component 2 Lead, through the LASEP in-country team, the consultant will undertake the following activities under Component 2 of this Activity:
- Engage with government stakeholders (MEM, EDL, and other relevant agencies) to confirm the scope and workplan for Component 2 to ensure alignment with national priorities and capacities.
- Support establishment of a working group involving MEM, EDL, and other stakeholders to oversee and guide the implementation of Component 2 activities and/or participate in the working group established to oversee the project activities of Component 1 and 2 if appropriate.
- Support the Component 2 Lead in conducting a literature review and analysis of:
- existing practices, agreements, and institutional frameworks related to disaster management and operational continuity in the Lao power sector; and
- regional and international guidance and best practices on institutional preparedness and continuity planning for the power sector.
- Support the Component 2 Lead in facilitating and delivering the capacity-building workshops to strengthen institutional knowledge and preparedness for energy sector continuity planning. Workshops will incorporate international best practices and tools tailored to the Lao PDR context.
- Support the preparation and facilitation of knowledge exchange sessions to introduce and discuss global examples of effective energy sector resilience strategies and continuity planning.
- Support the Component 2 Lead in the preparation of a concept note for the Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP) which sets out the broad purpose, scope, principles, structure and level of detail, for consultation with the relevant working group(s) and other stakeholders.
- Support the Component 2 Lead in the finalisation of the COOP, including:
- Facilitating a desktop exercise with relevant stakeholders to test the suitability of the draft COOP based on the most likely disaster scenarios and identify any gaps or challenges to be addressed. Refine the COOP based on feedback and results from this exercise.
- Facilitating a stakeholder workshop to present the finalised COOP, gather feedback, and provide recommendations for ongoing improvement, including potential areas for future collaboration and capacity building.