Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial

Consultant Team Leader for Biogas Market Study

Hivos seeks qualified candidates for the position of Consultant Team Leader for Biogas Market Study.

Background

In 2009, HIVOS together with the Indonesia Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) initiated the Indonesia Domestic Biogas Program (IDBP) or known as BIRU program (Biogas Rumah/BIRU), a program that promotes and facilitates the utilization of household biogas by the community through market mechanism. In 2012, Yayasan Rumah Energi joined the initiative as program implementor with the mandate of pushing the market mechanism for biogas.

The objective of BIRU is to provide access to clean cooking for communities that lack access and affordability for energy for cooking. According to a study conducted by SNV in 2008 stated that the potential for domestic biogas utilization in Indonesia could reach 1 million units with fair IRR for farmers as target users and final beneficiaries. Earlier in the BIRU implementation, the target users of domestic biogas come from cattle farmers spread throughout the provinces with the highest producing cattles.

In order to kick start the biogas market, the strategy of BIRU is to facilitate the enabling conditions which later became the backbone of the BIRU program which consist of:

  • Technical design and standardization of BIRU digesters (concrete fixed come model and Polyethylene model)
  • Develop well-trained and certified workforces to construct BIRU digesters, known as Construction Partner Organizations/CPO
  • Build partnerships with local cooperatives and credit unions to provide micro loans to biogas users which are mainly farmers and cattle farmers
  • Ensuring the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the installed BIRU digesters through After Sales Services and mandatory O&M training to users
  • Establishing incentive scheme to CPOs through carbon credits generated by the emission reduction from the utilization of biogas
  • Maintaining robust database and impact measurement through Annual Biogas Users Survey conducted by an independent third party.

As per December 2019, the number of installed BIRU digesters stood at 24,769 units spreads across BIRU’s operation areas which consist of Lampung, West Java, East Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Banten, Central Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi and South Sulawesi. Since its inception, BIRU has over 115,000 beneficiaries with 1,444 trained workforce and attracting investments sourcing from the government, private sector, donors, loans and user contribution to the amount of over IDR 200 billion.

Entering into its 10th year of implementation, the initiative has harvested lessons learned and achievements over the years such as creating new variant of biogas to reach out to urban households. As policy, technological advancement, business models, consumer behaviour and willingness and ability to pay are constantly changing so does the landscape for the BIRU program. Furthermore, BIRU partners would like to upgrade its strategies in order to scale up the initiative adjusting to new developments. Several aspects that need to be analyzed in depth are to include technology advancement and the use of Internet of Things (IoT), redefining or expansion of market segments, streamlining business process, upgrading business models and options of financing scheme that involves fintechs.

Hence the BIRU partners are looking for a consultant to conduct a Market Feasibility Study (Market Study) for scaling up domestic biogas utilization in Indonesia. Once the Market Study has been completed, it can be used to attract larger scale investment for biogas, hence creating and driving the biogas market.

Objective

The objective of the Market Study is to provide in-depth analysis and options on how to scale up domestic biogas in utilization in Indonesia. Scaling up can be defined as expanding the numbers of current biogas technology that BIRU produces and/or to utilize different technology and models that can reach out to wider potential biogas users.

Scope of work

The consultant’s scope of work includes:

  1. Short overview of trends, lessons learned and best practices in international domestic biogas markets in Asia and national programs initiated by SNV/Hivos market development approach and lessons to include enabling policies, fiscal and non fiscal incentives, use of technology and business model that are relevant for the Indonesian market.
  2. Provide analysis and recommendation on options for the appropriate biogas technology advancement including biodigester model, biogas stoves, biodigester constructors (CPOs) partners of BIRU and external to BIRU (e.g. ATEC, Sure.co and PT Sven) The chosen technology must be aligned with BIRUs mission of providing access to clean cooking for households both in rural, peri urban and urban market.
  3. Provide feasibility and recommendation on the use of Internet of Things (IoT) and the Pay as you Go model that fit with the domestic biogas market segment in Indonesia by taking into account the biogas users profile including geographical area, ability and willingness to pay, energy access for cooking, competition of other cooking fuels (LPG, firewood)
  4. Provide analysis and recommendation on the viable business model, financing scheme and investment cost that take into account the type of technology, users profile, cost of applying IoT within the Indonesia landscape, Pay as you Go model and other contributing factors.

Key Responsibilities

The consultant is expected to carry out the following responsibilities:

  1. Liaise with BIRU partners, MEMR and other relevant Ministries/Agencies
  2. Liaise with international and/or national biogas industry players (private sector, NGO, universities) who can potentially drive the investment for biogas scale up
  3. Liaise with BIRU field officers, microfinance partner, etc.
  4. Closely coordinate with Team Leader on findings, workflow, final report and final presentation together with the Biogas Technical Consultant.

Deliverables

The Consultant assignment will submit the following deliverables:

1) Presentation and contribute to a draft skeleton of the final report is expected to be done by July 23rd, 2020. The Consultant will contribute to a Draft Final Report, covering the scope of work in this ToR, and lead the presentation of its findings. The comments and suggestions from this meeting will be incorporated in the Final Report.

2) Contribute to Final Report, finalized and submitted by no longer than August 14th 2020. This includes key assessments and recomendation as describe in the SoW based on:

  • Desk research and internal interview
  • Stakeholder interview
  • Indonesia market assessment and future trends analysis

Qualifications

Both national and international Individual consultant and a consulting firm (“Consultant”) are invited to lodge their bids for the project. The consultant is expected to have the following qualifications:

  1. A master degree in the field that is relevant to the objective of the study including but not limited to engineering, finance, environmental studies, energy, ICT, etc.
  2. At least 10 (ten) years’ experience in conducting feasibility studies for rural development projects either locally (Asia) or globally with experience and knowledge in biogas sector is preferred
  3. Excellent knowledge on technology advancement and ICT knowledge in relation to household (cooking) energy services in developing countries.
  4. Excellent oral and report writing in English

Location of Assignment

Considering Covid-19 situation, the study will be maximizing remote and online outreach to relevant stakeholders and obtaining data/information required as effective as possible

How to apply?

Interested applicants should send a proposal (methodology, material/content, timeline, and proposed budget) and CV/resume to [email protected] no later than 26 June 2020 with Biogas Market Study as the subject of the email.

Please be sure to compile all CVs into one document and send it along with one proposal if you are applying as a team. An application without a proposal will not be accepted

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

For more information about Hivos Southeast Asia, visit https://www.hivos.org/

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