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.

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia 

About the program: GREAT is an innovative, market-oriented program funded by the Australian Government and working in Son La and Lao Cai provinces in northwest Vietnam. The program works with innovative and forward-thinking commercial businesses, as well as government partners, to identify and unlock economic opportunities for ethnic minority women producers and entrepreneurs.

https://equality.aus4vietnam.org/

A strategic opportunity for the right business partner

Objective

The objective of the GREAT program is to work with one or more sector partners to test, develop and operationalise innovative business ideas that seek to transform the medicinal plant commodity sectors from low value conventional production toward GACP-WHO compliance to access potential markets in Son La and Lao Cai and open up mutual opportunities for ethnic minority women producers and pharmaceutical industry business investors. This is an ambitious agenda that seeks to build strong and effective partnerships between sector leaders and ethnic minority women suppliers and requires both innovation and a commitment to the medicinal plant commodity sector in northwest of Vietnam.

The GREAT program is seeking to support business initiative and innovation and would like to hear from those willing and able to try new ways of working with small scale producers and cooperatives and who are prepared to invest in successful models to develop the medicinal plant commodity sector in northwest Vietnam. The right business partner(s) will have the following expertise and interests:

• A track record in the production, supply and/or manufacture of medicinal plant products from northwest Vietnam
• Extensive knowledge, know-how and networks in the medicinal plant commodities sector and supply chains in Vietnam, particularly the northwest
• A track record of working with ethnic minority producers and cooperatives and/or in the development and support of supply chains characterised by large numbers of small scale producers
• Feasible business plans (under implementation or to be implemented) that seek to develop the GACP-WHO medicinal plants production areas Son La and/or Lao Cai
• Willingness and capacity to co-invest in supply chain development and production support

If the above applies to you or your organisation, then GREAT would welcome your Expression of Interest:

Your commitment: partnering with GREAT, provincial stakeholders and ethnic minority producer communities, particularly women, to pilot solutions for the development of the medicinal plant commodities sector in northwest Vietnam, including co-investing in the form of expertise, resources and finance.

GREAT’s commitment: supporting selected partners with critical resources including technical expertise and co-financing mobilise producers, build production and semi-processing capability and develop mutually beneficial production and off-take arrangements to drive quality, growth and resilience in the sector.

Background

Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) is an Australian Government initiative partnering with Southeast Asia to foster inclusive growth through sustainable infrastructure. P4I works with and provides services to Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The focus is on infrastructure planning and prioritisation, procurement, and policy and regulation, using either rapid or longer-term infrastructure advisory services, government partnerships, and regional learning and networking. All services include the cross-cutting priorities of gender equality and social inclusion, and disaster risk reduction and climate change.

Delivered through a single cohesive team, the initiative is led by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in collaboration with Ernst & Young, Adam Smith International, The Asia Foundation and Ninti One. P4I has a regional hub in Bangkok, with staff in Canberra and each target country location.

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia