Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
 | The Philippines continues to face challenges in achieving equitable and efficient infrastructure development across its regions and sectors. Specifically, the absence of a standardized and analytically robust tool for measuring, comparing, and monitoring infrastructure development across sectors and regions hinders the formulation of targeted interventions and risks reinforcing regional and sectoral disparities and inefficiencies in resource allocation. Notably, the Economy and Development (ED) Council– Infrastructure Development Committee (INFRACOM) has acknowledged such institutional gaps, underscoring that equity in investment cannot be measured merely in monetary terms, given variations in demand, spatial characteristics, technical feasibility, and sectoral priorities, among others. In response to this challenge, the DEPDev requested the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) assistance through Technical Assistance (TA) 10447 for the Formulation of Sector-Specific Infrastructure Development Composite Indices for Regional Benchmarking in the Philippines by 2026. The DEPDEV is launching this Regional Infrastructure Benchmarking Initiative (the Study) to formulate sector-specific composite indices for measuring and benchmarking the development status of critical infrastructure sectors—transportation, energy, ICT, water resources, urban services, and social infrastructure (e.g., education, and health)—across the Philippines’ administrative regions. This effort aims to provide an investment programming tool to be used for standardized assessment of infrastructure development in the Philippines. The DEPDEV will include the index scores as criteria under the Public Investment Program (PIP) and the Three-Year Rolling Infrastructure Program (TRIP) guidelines to enhance the analytical justification for inclusion and prioritization of programs and projects to be submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for consideration in the National Expenditure Program (NEP). C. Particularly, this data-driven approach will benchmark regional and sectoral infrastructure development, allowing the DEPDEV to identify specific infrastructure gaps and prioritize investment needs across sectors and regions. It will also allow linking public infrastructure investments to the targets of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP), strengthening the entire planning and budgeting cycle, and consequently ensuring public funds are channeled to areas with the greatest need. |
Scope of Work
| Research Associates will be engaged to assist the individual consultant (Lead Study Advisor) and the Infrastructure Index (Infra Index) Team with all inputs towards the Study. The Infra Index Team includes personnel from the DEPDev-Infrastructure Staff (IS), who will provide sector-specific and data analytics expertise for the Study. |
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
| Key duties and responsibilities The Research Associate shall: 1. Coordinate with the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team in conducting a literature review to develop the preliminary conceptual framework for the Study; 2. Under the supervision of the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team, assist in refining the Study’s conceptual framework and identify indicator selection criteria through further literature review and stakeholder consultations; 3. Identify, select, acquire (i.e., through document review, surveys, geographic information system [GIS], field visits, and other applicable data collection methodologies to be identified by the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team), and process data (e.g., ensure data quality, handle missing data, and perform data normalization); 4. Under the guidance of the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team, assist in the development and application of weighting and aggregation methodologies to calculate composite index scores; 5. Assist the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team in conducting uncertainty and sensitivity analyses, analysis of overall index scores and rankings, and formulation of regional profiles; 6. Assist in the preparation of all draft project reports and communication materials, including data visualizations, training materials (as deemed necessary), user guidelines and technical manuals, policy briefs and presentations, and the technical report; and 7. Perform other tasks as may be requested by the Lead Study Advisor and the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team within the scope of the contract. Sector-specific duties and responsibilities The Research Associate is expected to contribute to the overall analysis of the infrastructure sector, but will also be assigned a main sector focus: Water Resources Subsector (covering water supply, sewerage and sanitation, irrigation, and flood management). As such, he/she will collaborate closely with and work under the guidance of the water resources subsector expert from the DEPDev Infrastructure Index Team. Detailed outputs: Monthly report of actual accomplishments and supporting documents (e.g., datasets and project reports). |
Minimum Qualification Requirements
| 1. Bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, applied mathematics, or a closely related quantitative field; 2. Related experience in economic, statistical, and data analysis; 3. Related experience in data collection, cleaning, and management; and 4. Excellent English and Filipino communication and technical writing skills. 5. Relevant knowledge, background (or experience) in energy economics and power systems, or related fields is an advantage. |
