Request for Proposals (RfP)

Short-term Consultancy – GEF CEO ENDORSEMENT- Strengthening BMM-IUCN Collaboration for Gamsberg BOA- Advancing Biodiversity Reporting and Project Insights

IUCN Eastern and Southern African Regional Office (ESARO), South Africa Country Office

RfP Reference: IUCN-24-05-P2

Welcome to this Procurement by IUCN. You are hereby invited to submit a Proposal. Please read the information and instructions carefully because non-compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Proposal from this Procurement.

1. REQUIREMENTS
   1. A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment 1.
2. CONTACT DETAILS
   1. During the course of this procurement, i.e. from the publication of this RfP to the award of a contract, you may not discuss this procurement with any IUCN employee or representative other than the following contact. You must address all correspondence and questions to the contact, including your proposal.
3. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
   1. This timetable is indicative and may be changed by IUCN at any time. If IUCN decides that changes to any of the deadlines are necessary, we will contact you.

DATE

ACTIVITY

15 May 2024

Publication of the Request for Proposals

16 May 2024

Deadline for expressions of interest

17 May 2024

Deadline for submission of questions

20 May 2024

Planned publication of responses to questions

31 May 2024

Deadline for submission of Proposals to IUCN (“Submission Deadline”)

5 June 2024

Clarification of Proposals

15 June2024

Planned date forcontract award

20 June 2024

Expected contract startdate

1. Please email the IUCN contact to confirm whether or not you are intending to submit a proposal by the deadline stated above.
2. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
   1. Your Proposal must consist of the following three documents:

• Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
• Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
• Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)
  1. Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [IUCN – BMM South Africa – bidder name]. The bidder name is the name of the company/organisation on whose behalf you are submitting the proposal, or your own surname if you are bidding as a self-employed consultant. Your proposal must be submitted in PDF format. You may submit multiple emails suitably annotated, e.g. Email 1 of 3, if attached files are too large to suit a single email transmission. You may not submit your Proposal by uploading it to a file-sharing tool.

Proposals must be prepared in English.

IMPORTANT: Submitted documents must be password-protected so that they cannot be opened and read before the submission deadline. Please use the same password for all submitted documents. After the deadline has passed and within 12 hours, please send the password to the IUCN Contact. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process. Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission.

1. Eligibility

Not applicable

1. Technical Proposal

The technical proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately, quoting the relevant criteria reference number (left-hand column).

Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCN’s discretion. Where CVs are requested, these must be of the individuals who will actually carry out the work specified and meet the eligibility criteria stated above in Section 4.3. The individuals you put forward may only be substituted with IUCN’s approval.

IUCN will evaluate technical proposals with regards to each of the following criteria and their relative importance:

Criterion

Weighting

1.

Concept and methodology

45

1.1

Clarity and completeness of the tender

5

1.2

Proposedapproach and methods, including workplan

40

2.

Qualifications and Experience of proposed consultants

30

2.1

Team leader/portfolio manager

20

2.2

Other key staffto be employed on the project

10

3.

Track record

25

3.1

Environmental law experience in South Africa

10

3.2

Experience in implementing No Net Loss/Net Gain biodiversity approaches with the private sector

5

3.3

Strong interpersonal consultation skills for delivering of quality outputs through teamwork

10

TOTAL

100

1. Financial Proposal
2. The financial proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety to a maximum of USD 30,000.
3. Prices include all costs

Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs, insurances, taxes (except VAT, see below), fees, expenses, liabilities, obligations, risk and other things necessary for the performance of the Terms of Reference or Specification of Requirements. IUCN will not accept charges beyond those clearly stated in the Financial Proposal. This includes applicable withholding taxes and similar. It is your responsibility to determine whether such taxes apply to your organisation and to include them in your financial offer.

1. Applicable Goods and Services Taxes

Proposal rates and prices shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax.

1. Currency of proposed rates and prices

All rates and prices submitted by Proposers shall be in USD.

1. Breakdown of rates and prices
   1. Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be considered in the evaluation.
   2. Your proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for a period of 90 calendar days following the submission deadline.
   3. Withdrawals and Changes

You may freely withdraw or change your proposal at any time prior to the submission deadline by written notice to IUCN Contact. However, in order to reduce the risk of fraud, no changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the submission deadline.

1. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
   1. Completeness

IUCN will firstly check your proposal for completeness. Incomplete proposals will not be considered further.

1. Technical Evaluation
   1. Scoring Method

Your proposal will be assigned a score from 0 to 10 for each of the technical evaluation criteria, such that ‘0’ is low and ‘10’ is high.

1. Minimum Quality Thresholds

Proposals that receive a score of ‘0’ for any of the criteria will not be considered further.

1. Technical Score

Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 4.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your proposal’s overall technical score.

1. Financial Evaluation and Financial Scores

The financial evaluation will be based upon the full total price you submit. Your financial proposal will receive a score calculated by dividing the lowest financial proposal that has passed the minimum quality thresholds (see Section 5.2.2) by the total price of your financial proposal.

Thus, for example, if your financial proposal is for a total of CHF 100 and the lowest financial proposal is CHF 80, you will receive a financial score of 80/100 = 80%.

1. Total Score

Your proposal’s total score will be calculated as the weighted sum of your technical score and your financial score.

The relative weights will be:

Technical: 70%

Financial: 30%

Thus, for example, if your technical score is 83% and your financial score is 77%, you will receive a total score of 83 * 70% + 77 * 30% = 58.1% + 23.1% = 81.2%.

Subject to the requirements in Sections 4 and 7, IUCN will award the contract to the bidder whose proposal achieves the highest total score.

1. EXPLANATION OF PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE
   1. IUCN is using the Invitation Procedure for this procurement. This means that only invited bidders may submit a proposal. IUCN typically invites from four to six bidders to submit a proposal.
   2. You are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this procurement. Please email the IUCN Contact (see Section 2), taking note of the deadline for submission of questions in Section 3.1.
   3. All proposals must be received by the submission deadline in Section 3.1 above. Late proposals will not be considered. All proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated by a team of two or more evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in in this RfP. No other criteria will be used to evaluate proposals. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose proposal received the highest Total Score. IUCN does, however, reserve the right to cancel the procurement and not award a contract at all.
   4. IUCN will contact the bidder with the highest-scoring proposal to finalise the contract. We will contact unsuccessful bidders after the contract has been awarded and provide detailed feedback. The timetable in Section 3.1 gives an estimate of when we expect to have completed the contract award, but this date may change depending on how long the evaluation of proposals takes.
2. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROCUREMENT
   1. To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RfP and the Attachments.
      1. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant proposal.
      2. Any incomplete or incorrectly completed proposal submission may be deemed non- compliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process.
      3. IUCN will query any obvious clerical errors in your proposal and may, at IUCN’s sole discretion, allow you to correct these, but only if doing so could not be perceived as giving you an unfair advantage.
3. In order to participate in this procurement, you must meet the following conditions:

• Free of conflicts of interest
• Registered on the relevant professional or trade register of the country in which you are established (or resident, if self-employed)
• In full compliance with your obligations relating to payment of social security contributions and of all applicable taxes
• Not been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection
• Not bankrupt or being wound up
• Never been guilty of an offence concerning your professional conduct
• Not involved in fraud, corruption, a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism, or any other illegal activity.
  1. You must complete and sign the Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
  2. If you are participating in this procurement as a member of a joint venture, or are using sub- contractors, submit a separate Declaration of Undertaking for each member of the joint venture and sub-contractor, and be clear in your proposal which parts of the goods/services are provided by each partner or sub-contractor.
  3. Each bidder shall submit only one proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture. In case of joint venture, one company shall not be allowed to participate in two different joint ventures in the same procurement nor shall a company be allowed to submit a proposal both on its behalf and as part of a joint venture for the same procurement. A bidder who submits or participates in more than one proposal (other than as a subcontractor or in cases of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all the proposals with the bidder’s participation to be disqualified.
  4. By taking part in this procurement, you accept the conditions set out in this RfP, including the following:
• It is unacceptable to give or offer any gift or consideration to an employee or other representative of IUCN as a reward or inducement in relation to the awarding of a contract. Such action will give IUCN the right to exclude you from this and any future procurements, and to terminate any contract that may have been signed with you.
• Any attempt to obtain information from an employee or other representative of IUCN concerning another bidder will result in disqualification.
• Any price fixing or collusion with other bidders in relation to this procurement shall give IUCN the right to exclude you and any other involved bidder(s) from this and any future procurements and may constitute a criminal offence.

1. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION
   1. IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN as part of this procurement will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your proposal in line with the procedure explained in this RfP, and for the maintenance of a clear audit trail. For audit purposes, IUCN is required to retain your proposal in its entirety for 10 years after the end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when requested.
   2. In the Declaration of Undertaking (Attachment 2) you need to give IUCN express permission to use the information you submit in this way, including personal data that forms part of your proposal. Where you include personal data of your employees (e.g. CVs) in your proposal, you need to have written permission from those individuals to share this information with IUCN, and for IUCN to use this information as indicated in 8.1. Without these permissions, IUCN will not be able to consider your proposal.
2. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint or concern regarding the propriety of how a competitive process is or has been executed, then please contact procurement@iucn.org. Such complaints or concerns will be treated as confidential and are not considered in breach of the above restrictions on communication (Section 2.1).

1. CONTRACT

The contract will be based on IUCN’s template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect particular requirements from the donor funding this particular procurement.

1. ABOUT IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 1,000 staff with offices in more than 50 countries.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples’ organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

www.iucn.org https://twitter.com/IUCN/

1. ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 Specification of Requirements / Terms of Reference

Title: Strengthening BMM-IUCN Collaboration for Gamsberg BOA: Advancing Biodiversity Reporting and Project Insights

Objective of the Consultancy

This consultancy has the following objective(s):

1. Facilitate Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement Implementation: Provide expertise and support to ensure the effective implementation of the Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement, while ensuring full compliance with South African and Northern Cape environmental regulations. Duration: 10 days.
2. Develop Integrated Biodiversity Strategy: Collaborate with stakeholders to craft an inclusive biodiversity strategy that integrates future expansion plans and aligns with overarching climate and environmental commitments. Duration: 10 days.
3. Provide Strategic Advice on Corporate Biodiversity and Climate Commitments: Offer strategic guidance on reviewing and implementing long- and medium-term corporate-level commitments related to biodiversity conservation and climate action. Duration: 7 days.
4. Compile Lessons Learned Document: Consolidate insights and experiences gained from facilitating the implementation of the Gamsberg Offset Agreement into a comprehensive lesson learned document. Duration: 2 days.
5. Support Transition to IUCN ESARO Office: Facilitate a smooth handover of the collaboration with BMM to the IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), including organizing and disseminating relevant documentation and addressing any queries. Duration: 10 days.

Background

Project Reference: P03719

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

www.iucn.org

https://twitter.com/IUCN/

About the Project

In 2021 IUCN and BMM entered the second phase of their collaboration. The overall objective of the collaboration is to maintain and improve the BMM’s performance in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management and ensure that BMM standards align with global best practice. To reach this objective, IUCN will provide BMM with strategic and expert guidance and work together with the company to resolve on site/operational mining issues in order to ensure better biodiversity outcomes and review corporate standards and policies relating to biodiversity and carbon management to ensure commitments and targets for environmental performance are both ambitious and rigorous.

Specific outcomes for the 4-year collaboration include:

• the Biodiversity Offset Agreement and other offsets and compensation measures are effectively implemented.
• biodiversity management obligations are met, and biodiversity goals achieved.
• Effective and regular monitoring of biodiversity is conducted, and performance evaluated.
• Increased awareness on of the broader community especially in mining, conservation, and regulatory actors in Southern Africa through the sharing of the lessons learnt from the partnership.
• Improved biodiversity strategy at landscape level, involving with other private sector organisations active in the landscape. 6. Increased knowledge in the national and regional mining sector about inclusive approach to biodiversity and carbon management. This will include working with IUCN members, both NGOs and regulatory authorities to implement biodiversity management.

Moreover, the partnership endeavors to aid the company in charting a course towards fulfilling its public pledge of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This will involve a thorough review and contribution to BMM’s carbon management plan, ensuring alignment

Description of the Assignment

In light of BMM’s ambitious expansion endeavors, encompassing potential new mine sites and smelter development, the IUCN team is poised to extend support to BMM in discerning the biodiversity implications, avenues for enhancement, mitigation strategies, and compensatory measures associated with these planned expansions. The overarching aim is to assist the company in proactively managing biodiversity-related risks and leveraging opportunities stemming from expansion initiatives, thereby fostering optimal outcomes for local and regional biodiversity conservation.

A pivotal deliverable will be the formulation of a comprehensive strategic biodiversity management plan, meticulously encompassing the cumulative impacts and potential risks of forthcoming expansion projects. Additionally, the collaboration will uphold existing biodiversity commitments, such as the Biodiversity Offset Agreement for BMM’s Gamsberg operation.

Duration of the Assignment

From 1 June to 30 December 2024

Deliverables and Activities

The consultant will provide the following deliverables and carry out the following activities:

Deliverable/Activity

Description

Deadline

A pivotal deliverable will be the formulation of a comprehensive strategic biodiversity management plan, meticulously encompassing the cumulative impacts and potential risks of forthcoming expansion projects. Additionally, the collaboration will uphold existing biodiversity commitments, such as the Biodiversity Offset Agreement for BMM’s Gamsberg operation.

Facilitate Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement Implementation: Provide expertise and support to ensure the effective implementation of the Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement, while ensuring full compliance with South African and Northern Cape environmental regulations

1 November 2024

Develop Integrated Biodiversity Strategy: Collaborate with stakeholders to craft an inclusive biodiversity strategy that integrates future expansion plans and aligns with overarching climate and environmental commitments. Duration:

30 September 2024

Provide Strategic Advice on Corporate Biodiversity and Climate Commitments: Offer strategic guidance on reviewing and implementing long- and medium-term corporate-level commitments related to biodiversity conservation and climate action. Duration:

30 June 2024

Compile Lessons Learned Document: Consolidate insights and experiences gained from facilitating the implementation of the Gamsberg Offset Agreement into a comprehensive lesson learned document. Duration: 2 days.

30 September 2024

Support Transition to IUCN ESARO Office: Facilitate a smooth handover of the collaboration with BMM to the IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), including organizing and disseminating relevant documentation and addressing any queries. Duration: 10 days.

15 December 2024

Payment Schedule

The Timetable below summarises the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the Consultant.

Deliverable

Milestone payment

Provide Strategic Advice on Corporate Biodiversity and Climate Commitments: Offer strategic guidance on reviewing and implementing long- and medium-term corporate-level commitments related to biodiversity conservation and climate action.

20%

Develop Integrated Biodiversity Strategy: Collaborate with stakeholders to craft an inclusive biodiversity strategy that integrates future expansion plans and aligns with overarching climate and environmental commitments.

Compile Lessons Learned Document: Consolidate insights and experiences gained from facilitating the implementation of the Gamsberg Offset Agreement into a comprehensive lesson learned document.

40%

Support Transition to IUCN ESARO Office: Facilitate a smooth handover of the collaboration with BMM to the IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), including organizing and disseminating relevant documentation and addressing any queries.

Facilitate Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement Implementation: Provide expertise and support to ensure the effective implementation of the Gamsberg Biodiversity Offset Agreement, while ensuring full compliance with South African and Northern Cape environmental regulations

40%

Skills and Experience

The consultant must have the following skills, education and experience as a minimum:

(a) Expertise in South African Environmental Law: Demonstrated experience in navigating South African environmental legislation, particularly in the realms of biodiversity conservation and management.

(b) Implementation of Biodiversity Approaches in Private Sector: Proven track record in executing No Net Loss/Net Gain biodiversity strategies within private sector contexts, showcasing an ability to balance conservation goals with business imperatives.

(c) Facilitation and Stakeholder Engagement: Proficiency in employing effective facilitation techniques and stakeholder engagement methodologies to foster collaboration and consensus among diverse stakeholders.

(d) International Biodiversity Conservation Knowledge: Up-to-date knowledge of global and local biodiversity conservation practices, informed by international experience and familiarity with contemporary approaches in the field.

(e) Understanding of Conservation-Business Nexus: Strong comprehension of the intersection between conservation and business interests, coupled with the ability to strategize on integrating conservation priorities into corporate operations.

(f) Interpersonal and Consultation Skills: Exceptional interpersonal skills conducive to productive teamwork and the delivery of high-quality outputs through collaborative efforts.

(g) Established Professional Network and Reputation: Well-connected within the relevant field, possessing a sterling reputation and garnering recognition and respect from peers for past performance in similar contexts.

(h) Proficiency in English and Writing: Proficient in English language, including outstanding writing skills, enabling clear and effective communication of ideas, strategies, and findings.

Supervision and coordination

The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of Country Representative, South Africa

How to apply

https://www.iucn.org/procurement/currently-running-tenders