Local Consultant for LASEP

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. More information about P4I is available at www.partnershipsforinfrastructure.org
Brief Activity Background
Australia and Lao PDR have initiated the Laos-Australia Sustainable Energy Partnership (LASEP) with the goal of contributing to a more sustainable, reliable, and profitable energy sector. This will be achieved through improved planning and decision-making within the Government of Laos (GoL) by fostering greater evidence-informed policy and planning processes to support the energy transition. The partnership focuses on energy sector planning and the energy transition, underpinned by a better understanding of all options for energy supply.

The LASEP Memorandum of Subsidiary Arrangement (SA) was signed on May 15, 2023, followed by the inaugural Program Steering Committee (PSC) meeting on August 10, 2023, which approved a work plan extending to December 31, 2025.

To support the sustainability, reliability, and profitability of the energy sector in Lao PDR, LASEP activities are incorporating energy resilience, with a focus on disaster and climate change resilience. Key activities include:

• Activity 1.2: Exploring the role of energy regulators in building energy resilience.
• Activity 1.3: Strengthening resilience and integrated energy planning practices.
• Activity 2.2: Building resilience through rooftop solar PV deployment and diversifying energy supply.

This Activity (Activity 1.4: Supporting GoL to improve energy resilience in Lao PDR) complements these initiatives by outlining additional measures for Australia to assist the GoL in developing a more resilient energy sector. Falling under the energy sector planning workstream of LASEP, Activity 1.4 aims to enhance planning and resilience outcomes within Lao PDR’s energy sector and foster an enabling policy, regulatory, and market environment to attract increased investment.

The objectives and scope of Activity 1.4 are informed by discussions with the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and Electricite Du Laos (EDL) during the LASEP team’s visit to Vientiane from March 25 to 28, 2024. The Department of Energy Policy and Planning (DEPP) will lead this activity, with significant involvement from other departments, particularly EDL.

This activity consists of two components:

Component 1: Grid Infrastructure Resilience:

• Assess and identify measures to strengthen grid resilience against natural hazards and climate change impacts.
• Develop a prioritised indicative action plan.

Component 2: Institutional Preparedness:

• Enhance institutional preparedness for natural hazards and climate change by developing a Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP) for the power sector.

The local consultant’s work will focus exclusively on in-country support for Component 2: Institutional Preparedness, working closely with the LASEP in-country team on supporting the activity lead on this component, Victoria Bannon, to collectively serve the overall objectives of Activity 1.4.
Task Purpose
The purpose of this task is to support the implementation of Component 2 and perform related tasks in Lao PDR, under the leadership of Victoria Bannon, who is the lead panelist on Component 2. The local consultant will work collaboratively with Victoria Bannon, the LASEP in-country team, as well as the consultants leading Component 1, and DRRCC panels as needed, to achieve the activity objectives. This includes ensuring milestone achievements aligned to the agreed timeline, facilitating collaboration with government stakeholders, and delivering high-quality outputs that enhance institutional preparedness.
Scope of Work
Under the direction of the activity lead, Victoria Bannon, 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 if appropriate.
• Support the activity lead of Component 2 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 activity lead of Component 2 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 activity lead of Component 2 in the preparation of a concept note for the Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP) which set out the broad purpose, scope, principles, structure and level of detail, for consultation with the relevant working group(s) and other stakeholders.
• Support the activity lead of Component 2 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.

Indicative Timeframe
April 2025 – September 2025

Activity
Tentative Timeline

Support with initial scoping, detailed workplan and stakeholder engagement.
April 2025

Support with literature review of national, regional and international materials and good practices and guidance.
April-May 2025

Support with the preparation of capacity-building workshops and facilitate knowledge exchange to strengthen institutional knowledge and preparedness for energy sector continuity planning.
June-July 2025

Support with the concept note on the Continuity of Operation Plan (COOP) based on consultations with stakeholders and in collaboration with the team from Component 1.
July-August 2025

Support with the final COOP and facilitate stakeholder workshop to finalise the COOP.
August-September 2025

Governance / Contact
Main contacts:

• Victoria Bannon, Activity Lead, Component 2

• Inthanongsone Inthavongsa, LASEP Team Lead

Support:

• Upe Heenetigala, DRRCC Portfolio Country Manager for Lao PDR

• Cheryl Lee, Activity Manager
• Soukmano Manivong, LASEP Senior Energy Program Officer
• Sounisa Khammoungkhoun, LASEP Program Officer
• Becky-Jay Harrington, Head of Climate and Inclusion

The local consultant will mainly coordinate with Victoria Bannon and LASEP in-country team for feedback and updates during the Activity, as well as visibility and to streamline coordination with GoL counterparts. Tasking inputs will be managed on a call-down basis as required for this specific task. Any changes to the estimated input days or timeframe should be communicated to the DRRCC Portfolio Manager, Climate and Inclusion Lead, and LASEP Team Lead.

Check-in Procedure

A check-in will occur between the local consultant and Becky-Jay Harrington, Upeshika Heenetigala, or Inthanongsone Inthavongsa upon reaching 50% utilisation of the allocated days to ensure progress is on track and any issues are promptly addressed.

Supporting Information 

• P4I Onboarding Pack (including program logic)

• P4I GEDSI Strategy and Indigenous Compendium 

• P4I GEDSI Resource Kit 

• P4I and GEDSI Info Pack

• P4I Service Delivery Framework (SDF)