Result of Service

The ultimate result of the consultant’s services is the provision of nationally grounded technical and analytical support that enables the development, validation, and initial application of a country-specific digital governance framework for the power sector, supporting effective and inclusive digital transformation of integrated and smart grid systems.

Work Location

n/a

Expected duration

1 year

Duties and Responsibilities

This consultancy is undertaken in the framework of the United Nations Development Account project “Policies for inclusive and digitalized power grids in countries with special needs in the ECE, ESCWA, and ESCAP regions”. The project is jointly implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), with ECE serving as the lead implementing entity. The project supports six beneficiary countries—Belarus and Tajikistan (ECE region), Iraq and Jordan (ESCWA region), and Mongolia and Georgia (ESCAP region)—which share a number of structural challenges in the power sector. These include aging and often centralized electricity infrastructure, limited grid flexibility to integrate decentralized and variable renewable energy resources, gaps in digitalization of grid planning and operations, and constrained institutional and regulatory capacity to manage the digital transformation of energy systems in an inclusive and coordinated manner. Across the target countries, digitalization efforts in the power sector remain uneven and fragmented, with underdeveloped governance frameworks related to data management, interoperability, cybersecurity, institutional coordination, and regulatory oversight. Without coherent and country-specific digital governance frameworks, investments in smart grid technologies and digital tools risk remaining ad hoc, short-lived, or insufficiently aligned with national development priorities. At the same time, there is significant potential for technological leapfrogging through responsible and inclusive digital transformation of integrated power systems. The project responds to these challenges by supporting the development of harmonized yet country-tailored digital governance policy frameworks to enable the modernization and digitalization of power grids. Under Output 1.1, the project supports mapping and diagnostic exercises of existing digitalization efforts, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacities in the power sector to identify gaps and opportunities. Building on these findings, national digital-governance frameworks—tailored to each country’s energy context—will be developed. Under Output 1.2, the project supports the organization of an inaugural meeting and capacity-building activities for policymakers, regulators, and utilities, focusing on practical application of digital governance principles and international best practices. Under Output 1.3, the project supports the development and validation of country-specific digital governance frameworks and policy toolkits, providing actionable guidance to support implementation and institutionalization at the national level. In this context, ESCAP, in close coordination with ECE and ESCWA, is engaging national consultants in each beneficiary country to support national-level mapping and diagnostics, adapt global and regional best practices to local regulatory and institutional environments, contribute to the development of country-specific digital governance frameworks for the power sector, and provide practical guidance to support their implementation. National context Georgia’s energy sector has achieved considerable progress in recent years, marked by liberalization of electricity markets, enhanced regional interconnections, and growing investment in renewable energy. Hydropower remains the backbone of the system, supplying approximately 75 per cent of electricity generation, while wind and solar are beginning to expand under in Article 11 of The Law of Georgia on Promoting the Generation and Consumption of Renewable Energy Sources and the resolution Support Scheme for Production and Use of Energy from Renewable Sources and Capacity Auction Rules, introduced in 2024. Despite this progress, Georgia’s power system continues to face structural challenges related to aging infrastructure, seasonal variability in hydropower output, and limited integration of digital technologies across grid operations. The national transmission network, operated by the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE), covers nearly all population centers and is interconnected with neighboring countries, positioning the country as an emerging hub for regional electricity trade. However, many substations and distribution assets still rely on legacy control systems, with uneven automation and limited interoperability between SCADA, data-management, and forecasting platforms. Seasonal demand and supply imbalances—particularly during winter—strain system reliability and require costly electricity imports. The Government of Georgia has adopted a forward-looking framework for energy-sector modernization through the Law on Energy and Water Supply (2019), the Energy Strategy of Georgia (2020–2030), and the Digital Georgia Transformation Strategy (2021–2025). Together, these policies emphasize energy security, renewable integration, and digital transformation of infrastructure. The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission (GNERC), and GSE are leading efforts to upgrade grid operations and deploy advanced metering and data-analytics systems. Nonetheless, gaps remain in regulatory harmonization, cyber-resilience, and data governance, particularly regarding interoperability standards and institutional coordination between electricity market operators, regulators, and utilities. This project will support Georgia in addressing these gaps by helping develop a national digital-governance framework for the power sector, aligned with the country’s ongoing market reforms and renewable-energy expansion. Through capacity-building and technical guidance, the project will enable policymakers and utilities to apply digital-governance principles to improve forecasting, demand-side management, and asset monitoring, while enhancing inclusivity and gender responsiveness in energy-sector planning. Strengthened digital governance will also improve the reliability of cross-border power exchanges, increase transparency, and contribute to the resilience of Georgia’s energy system. Several development partners are supporting Georgia’s transition. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are financing grid-modernization and renewable-integration projects; the European Union provides technical assistance for electricity-market liberalization and cybersecurity in energy infrastructure; and UNDP is implementing programmes on green energy and digital innovation. This project will complement these efforts by introducing harmonized governance frameworks and capacity-building on digital transformation—linking modernization of Georgia’s power system with inclusive and sustainable development objectives. Objective Under the supervision of the Section Chief of the Energy Division of ESCAP (Project Manager), and in close coordination with UNECE, ESCWA, the international consultant, and designated national focal points, the consultant will coordinate and provide substantive technical leadership for national-level inputs to Outputs 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. The consultant will draft and consolidate national analytical and technical materials, facilitate stakeholder consultations, and support validation processes. Final deliverables, including the country-specific framework and toolkit components, will be co-developed with national stakeholders and subject to technical review and quality assurance by the UN regional commissions and the international consultant. The consultant will work closely with UN regional commission staff and the international consultant to deliver Outputs 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3. The consultant will provide national technical leadership for the country workstream, while UN staff and the international consultant will provide guidance, technical review, and quality assurance, including ensuring consistency and alignment across the six beneficiary countries. The consultant will: 1. Lead and coordinate the national-level mapping and diagnostic assessment of digitalization efforts, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacities in the power sector, including stakeholder consultations and validation of findings (OP1.1); 2. Draft and refine, in consultation with national stakeholders, the country-specific digital governance framework for the power sector, incorporating guidance and comments from UN staff and the international consultant and ensuring alignment with the project’s harmonized approach across countries (OP1.1); 3. Support the technical preparation and follow-up of the international inaugural meeting and related capacity-building activities for policymakers, regulators, and utilities, including preparation of national inputs and presentation materials as required (OP1.2); 4. Draft and support the validation of country-specific inputs to the digital governance toolkit and related implementation guidance, co-created with national stakeholders and finalized following technical review by UN staff and the international consultant (OP1.3). A main objective of this consultancy is to ensure that proposed governance frameworks and toolkit inputs are practical, implementable, and aligned with national development, energy, and digitalization priorities, while remaining consistent with the project’s cross-country methodology and quality standards. Duties and responsibilities – Phase I The consultant will undertake the following tasks: Mapping, diagnostics, and national framework development (OP1.1)

Conduct the national mapping and diagnostic assessment of digitalization efforts, regulatory frameworks, and institutional capacities in the power sector, using the project’s shared methodology and reporting template applied across all six beneficiary countries.
Undertake a structured desk review of relevant laws, regulations, strategies, standards, and institutional mandates related to digital governance, smart grids, data governance, interoperability, and cybersecurity responsibilities in the power sector.
Collect, validate, and synthesize evidence through stakeholder engagement (regulators, policymakers, utilities, and other relevant actors), including interviews/consultations as needed, to document ongoing digitalization initiatives, operational practices, and capacity constraints.
Produce and submit the national mapping and diagnostic report (including required tables/annexes per the common template), summarizing key findings, gaps, opportunities, and priority areas for governance improvement.
Draft and iteratively revise the country-specific digital-governance framework for integrated and smart grid systems, tailored to the national energy context and informed by the diagnostic findings; incorporate feedback from national stakeholders and technical review from UN staff and the international consultant to ensure quality and cross-country consistency. Inaugural meeting and national capacity-building workshops (OP1.2)
Prepare national technical inputs and presentation materials for the international inaugural meeting (e.g., national baseline slides, speaking notes, and concise briefs) and support follow-up documentation of feedback relevant to the framework/toolkit.
Support the design and delivery of the national capacity-building workshop for policymakers, regulators, and utility managers, including contributions to the agenda, case-based exercises, and session materials aligned with project guidance and international best practices.
Develop country-relevant training inputs (slides, exercises, and reference materials) that translate digital-governance principles into practical application for regulators, policymakers, and utilities, aligned with the harmonized approach across countries.
Document post-training follow-up actions by proposing a short set of practical next steps for participating institutions (e.g., priority policy actions, institutional coordination actions, and capacity needs) to support retention and application of training content. Harmonized policy toolkit, consultations, and validation/endorsement (OP1.3)
Provide country-specific inputs to the harmonized policy toolkit, including regulatory recommendations and an implementation roadmap that reflects national priorities, institutional capacities, and constraints, while aligning with the project’s harmonized structure across countries.
Facilitate iterative national consultations to co-create and refine the framework/toolkit recommendations with stakeholders, ensuring recommendations are actionable and grounded in national realities.
Support preparation and delivery of national validation workshop(s), including briefing materials and presentations, and produce a concise validation summary capturing key feedback, agreed adjustments, and action items.
Support the endorsement and ownership process by documenting how stakeholder inputs were addressed in the final framework/toolkit package and identifying practical steps for institutionalization (as feasible within the consultant’s scope). Quality and alignment
Ensure deliverables are practical and implementable, aligned with national development, energy, and digitalization priorities, and consistent with responsible and inclusive digital transformation principles.
Coordinate closely with UN staff and the international consultant throughout, responding to comments and revisions and ensuring outputs remain comparable across the six countries. The above outputs will be delivered under Phase I. Successful delivery will qualify the consultant for Phase II activities under a new or renewed contract.

Qualifications/special skills

A university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in energy, engineering, economics, public policy, digital governance, or a related field. At least 5–7 years of relevant professional experience in the energy sector, including experience with policy analysis, regulatory frameworks, institutional assessments, or digitalization initiatives in Georgia. Experience working with government institutions and utilities is required. Experience with smart grids, digital governance, or power sector reform is an asset.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English is required.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Georgian National Consultant – Digital Governance for Integrated and Smart Power Grids