Request for Proposals (RfP)

The development of guidance documents, case studies and reference materials to drive replication of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) good practices in Malawi.

IUCN-ESARO

Alliance for Restoration of Ecosytems in Africa (AREECA)

RfP Reference: IUCN-2024-07-P02954-03

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.

IUCN Contact: tenders.rwanda@iucn.org

1. 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 publish this on our website and contact you directly if you have indicated your interest in this procurement (see Section 3.2).

DATE

ACTIVITY

18th July 2024

Publication of the Request for Proposals

25th July 2024

Deadline for submission of questions

26th July 2024

Planned publication of responses to questions

09th August 2024, 23:59 CAT

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

23rd August 2024

Planned date for contract award

30th August 2024

Expected contract start date

1. Please email the IUCN contact to express your interest in submitting a Proposal by the deadline stated above. This will help IUCN to keep you updated regarding the procurement.
2. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
   1. Your Proposal must consist of the following four separate documents:

• Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
• Pre-Qualification Information (see Section 4.3 below)
• 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-2024-07-P02954-03– 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. Pre-Qualification Criteria

IUCN will use the following Pre-Qualification Criteria to determine whether you have the capacity to provide the required goods and/or services to IUCN. Please provide the necessary information in a single, separate document.

Pre-Qualification Criteria

1

3 relevant references of clients similar to IUCN / similar work

2

Confirm that you have all the necessary legal registrations to perform the work

3

How many employees does your organisation have who are qualified for this work?

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. 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:

Description

Information to provide

Relative weight

1

Clarity and completeness of the Proposal

Clear understanding of the assignment objectives and operationalization of the approach and methodology to undertake the assignment (10)

Explanation of the relevance and effectiveness of the methodological approach (5)

15

2

The conceptual and methodological approach

Approaches/methodology suggested in the technical proposal are well-defined, relevant, and correspond to the assignment of the TORs (25)

25

3

Consultants Competencies

Relevant qualification and experience (10)

Expertise of the individual/firm, demonstrated by past work and training. (5)

15

4

Approaches suggested in the technical proposal, including the work plan, are feasible and provide a clear path for successful, on-time, on-budget completion of the work.

Detailed workplan for delivery of outputs (20)

Work organisation, back-up services, quality control, logistics (5)

25

5

Evidence from previous related assignments in Malawi

Brief details of similar/relevant work done in Malawi. (10)

Samples of previous printed work. (10)

20

TOTAL

100%

1. Financial Proposal
   1. The Financial Proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
   2. 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 Proposal.

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

For information only, the price needs to be broken down as follows:

Description

Quantity

Unit Price

Total Price

1

2

3

4

5

6

TOTAL

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 the 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. Pre-Qualification Criteria

Only Proposals that meet all of the pre-qualification criteria will be evaluated.

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 5.3.2) 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 Open Procedure for this procurement. This means that the contracting opportunity is published on IUCN’s website and open to all interested parties to take part, subject to the conditions in Section 7 below.
   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 three or more evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated 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.
   2. 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 then 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

Terms of reference to develop guidance documents case studies and reference materials to drive replication of Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) good practices in Malawi.

1. Introduction

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) is an ongoing process of regaining ecological functionality and enhancing human well-being across deforested or degraded forest landscapes. It involves the restoration of a whole landscape to meet present and future needs and to offer multiple benefits and land uses over time.

Having adopted FLR as a restoration approach, the Government of Malawi has for the last 7 years heightened the implementation of the recommendations in the 2017 National ROAM report by; mobilizing resources, providing the necessary policy and institutional enabling conditions and communicating the progress being made. While these efforts have yielded positive results, there is a need to reflect on and take stock of actions/practices/interventions/inventions deployed in Malawi for the last couple of years to identify and document good or best practices for rapid replication and accelerated scaling-up even as the country races towards the 2030 horizon. By developing clear guidelines for all tested and successful practices/actions/interventions/inventions in the country, policymakers and decision-makers will be informed on the strategic directions for accelerated restoration while at the same time build an important bank of information and reference for practitioners, farmers and landowners. By highlighting effective strategies and approaches these guidelines will lead to improved policy actions, informed planning and resource allocation for large-scale FLR efforts. Further, for FLR to contribute to improved climate resilience reduced pressure on and loss of biodiversity-rich habitats in Malawi, all relevant stakeholders need to have a common vision and common understanding on what works and what doesn’t for Malawi. With clear references and cases studies (successful and georeferenced projects, local and scientific knowledge and success factors), the guidelines will outline step-by-step processes, and essential considerations for successful restoration through identified actions, practices, interventions and inventions

The AREECA project in Malawi is keen on building capacities of local facilitators and extension workers to implement viable land use options at the landscape level, and improve the quality of planting material for forestry, agroforestry, and agricultural production. This project is part of Malawi’s commitment to restore 4.5 million hectares of degraded and deforested land as part of the AFR100 and Bonn Challenge initiatives.

With this assignment, AREECA seeks to produce guidelines for best practices in the country and produce communication materials for case studies – within AREECA and beyond – and tell a story of success factors to inspire more efforts towards 2030 and beyond. Further, to ensure successful dissemination of the said materials and any other FLR knowledge in the country, this assignment will involve the development of a FLR communication strategy touching on AREECA but also acting as a living document for general FLR communication in the country up to 2030 (five-year strategy). Working closely with the national programme officer, regional communication officer and the regional programme coordinator, the consultant will consult widely with the government officials and authorities, renown conservation/ecosystem restoration experts in Malawi, Panorama programme leads (IUCN & GIZ), key FLR players and stakeholders in Malawi, and AREECA consortium members in all the 4 AREECA countries.

Requiring basic knowledge in FLR and or ecosystem restoration, proven knowledge and skills in developing communication strategies, content and materials the consultant will also be required to identify and validate communication channels through which various materials will be disseminated.

1. Objective

The objective of this assignment is to develop best/good practices guidelines backed up with cases studies and reference materials that will serve as a resource for individuals and organizations seeking to implement effective restoration solutions in Malawi. This means addressing current communication gaps and enhancing information documentation, management, sharing, utilization, and learning among FLR stakeholders.

By leveraging the strengths within technical departments and capitalizing on opportunities across various partners involved in FLR efforts and initiatives, the developed guidelines will facilitate effective communication, foster collaboration, and ensure the success and sustainability of FLR in the country.

A national FLR communication strategy is a priority document to be developed together with editing, branding, printing, and publishing of key AREECA reports including the reports on harmonisation of laws and policies for FLR, the Adopt a Forest initiative and development of value chains and strengthening market access. The number of copies for these reports will be discussed and agreed during contract negotiations. Other communication materials related to case studies and or best practices – whether digital or print – will be discussed, developed, and validated and the number copies must be agreed upon during the contract negotiations.

Strategic objectives of the assignment

• To foster meaningful engagement with key stakeholders to cultivate active and collaborative partnerships in the development of the documents and reference materials while ensuring stakeholder insights and contributions are valued and integrated.
• To develop guidance documents that will foster information sharing, knowledge dissemination, and meaningful engagement with FLR stakeholders and the broader public.
• To ensure that guidance documents have compelling key messages tailored to various target audiences, are clear, impactful, and gender-sensitive and youth oriented.

1. Scope of Work

The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks with reference to all FLR related documents in Malawi including the specific reports that are ready for printing and publishing:

1. Development of a national FLR communication strategy.
2. Set clear and measurable communication goals and objectives aligned with FLR outcomes for Malawi.
3. Develop a national FLR communication strategy that outlines key messages, target audiences, communication tools and channels, timelines, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. Identify and prioritize key issues, interests, and opportunities for stakeholder engagement in FLR initiatives.
4. Review and edit, brand, print and support the publication of various AREECA reports.
5. Review and or edit and brand the draft document on the FLR financing mechanism – Adopt a Forest Initiative document, print and support its publication.
6. Edit, format, brand, print and support the publication of reports on harmonisation of laws and policies and FLR value chain and market access analysis. Using info-graphs and other creative mind-mapping techniques prepare high-level policy briefs from the reports to inform and influence action from decision makers and strategically advocate for supportive policy frameworks and legislative measures at various government levels, leveraging effective advocacy and lobbying strategies to increase commitment and tangible support for FLR actions and initiatives.
7. Develop guidelines/guidance document on best practices in Malawi with clear proven references, cases studies and success stories.
8. With reference to the IUCN- WRI 2014 Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology, 2017 National FLR Assessment, 2022 Restoration Barometer data, recent restoration stock-take by IUCN & World Bank produce FLR standards and procedures for implementation at landscape level.
9. the identification and documentation of 10 good practices in the country for publication on the PANORAMA Solutions platform in consultation with IUCN and GIZ.

NB: Where printing is required, the consultant will agree with the Programme Officer on the number of copies depending on the budget of this assignment and prevailing market conditions for print services.

1. Expected Outputs/deliverables and duration.

The conformity of the deliverables will be assessed and confirmed by IUCN. The assignment will be conducted within Seventy (70) days from the date of contract signing.

The following will be the expected outputs of the assignment:

• A national FLR communication strategy and implementation plan, including suggested visuals such as infographics, video scripts, and printed materials, for validation by key stakeholders.
• Branded, printed, and published reports and policy briefs as mentioned in the ToR.
• High level communication materials with info-graphs and other mind-mapping/inspiring creatives (print & digital) for key success stories, good/best practices and or inventions within AREECA and beyond.

Deliverable

Details

Deadline

Inception report and detailed work plan

An inception report showing a clear understanding of the ToR for the assignment, workplan and agreed deliverable including number of communication materials to go for printing.

10 days

Draft guidance documents

• Drafts of the guidelines outlined in the ToR
• Other relevant documents based on the details of scope of work above.

40 days

Validation workshop

• Printing of samples for validation
• Validation workshop to present, discuss and get stakeholder feedback on the developed documents

5 days

Final report of the assignment and guidance documents

• Final report (EN), both in word and power point presentation format, in alignment with IUCN

15 days

1. Payment Schedule

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

Deliverable

Milestone payment

1. Inception report and detailed work plan

30%

1. Draft guidance documents

40%

1. Final report of the assignment and guidance documents.

30%

1. Supervision and reporting

The consultant will work closely with IUCN, FAO, the department of forestry, the department of land resources conservation and agriculture extension services and other relevant stakeholders for the assignment. The consultant will engage the above institutions and provide periodic progress reports. He or she will be reporting to AREECA Programme Officer- Malawi and AREECA Programme Regional Coordinator – ESARO.

1. Required qualifications and experience.

The consultant will be required to have:

• Advanced degree in the field of Mass Communications, or other relevant fields.
• Ten (10) years and above working knowledge and experience in FLR or similar field, with competent team members.
• Extensive experience in developing, designing, production and publishing communication products.
• Strong analytical skills, including capacity to synthesise academic literature and desk review.
• Proven skills in drafting high quality reports.
• Experience in doing similar work in Malawi and familiarity with the key stakeholders is a strong asset.
• Experience and knowledge of sustainable agriculture and tree/forest conservation practices in productive landscapes.
• Ability to communicate (Verbal and written) in Chichewa and English

1. Technical Evaluation Criteria

The technical evaluation will be made using the following criteria and maximum points:

Criteria

Information to provide

Relative weight

Clarity and completeness of the Proposal

Clear understanding of the assignment objectives and operationalization of the approach and methodology to undertake the assignment.

15

The conceptual and methodological approach

Approaches/methodology suggested in the technical proposal are well-defined, relevant, and correspond to the assignment of the TORs

25

Consultants Competencies

Relevant qualification, experience, and expertise of the individual/firm, demonstrated by past work and training.

15

Approaches suggested in the technical proposal, including the work plan, are feasible and provide a clear path for successful, on-time, on-budget completion of the work.

Detailed workplan

30

Evidence from previous related assignments in Malawi

Brief details of similar/relevant work done in Malawi.

15

Total

100%

How to apply

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