Himachal Pradesh Forests for Prosperity Project Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, India Request for Expression of Interest
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Himachal Pradesh Forests for Prosperity Project Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, India Request for Expression of Interest (REoI) for selection of Consultancy firm to review the performance of forestry measures in the Sutlej Basin Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) plan to date and design and implement a comprehensive new monitoring system for CCAT plan implementation in HP. 1. The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD) has applied for financing from the World Bank towards the cost of the HP Forests for Prosperity Project (HP FPP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services. The Project envisage to support forest service provision programs and strengthening the roles of communities and the private sector in forest-related activities, improve the effectiveness of forest management programs and thereby improve the effectiveness of Central government (Govt. of India), allocations to the state for afforestation. The Project Development Objective is “To improve the governance, management, and community use of forests, pastures, and watersheds at selected sites in Himachal Pradesh”. 2. The HPFD has constituted a Project Monitoring Unit (PMU) w.r.t. HP FPP to work with World Bank to effectively formulate and implement the proposed project. 3. The PMU, HP FPP is seeking consultancy from reputed experienced organizations/ firms to review the performance of forestry measures implemented under the Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) plan to date and design and implement a comprehensive new monitoring and evaluation system. The link to the CCAT plan is https://www.hpforest.nic.in/CAMPA The M&E system should be such that it could be used throughout the project cycle – from pre-identification to support planning, during implementation to support adaptive management, and post- implementation to support evaluation. The system will be integrated into the Information and Knowledge Strategy being developed separately. 4. The PMU, HP FPP hereby invites “Expression of Interest (EoI)” from eligible consulting firms (“consultants”) to indicate their interest in above mentioned work. Interested consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the services. The shortlisting criteria are (i) The Consulting firm must have experience of minimum 12 years in consulting field (ii) Must have successfully completed at least 2 assignments of similar nature (Letter of award from employer/Project completion certificate is to submitted); (iii) Past experience of working in and understanding of the state’s social & geographical context preferably experience of working on Sutlej Basin or similar basins, (iv) Preference will be given to those firms who have such experience in externally aided projects of similar nature. 5. The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III (Governance), Clause 3.16, 3.17 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers: Procurement in Investment Project Financing (Goods, Works, Non-consulting and Consulting Services) July 2016, setting forth the World Bank’s policy on Conflict of interest. 6. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub consultancy to enhance their qualifications. The type of association should be clearly indicated. The consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection Based on the Quality and Cost Based Selection (“QCBS”) method set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers: Procurement in Investment Project Financing (Goods, Works, Non- consulting and Consulting Services) July 2016. The detailed Project Description/Activities, Area and ToR can be obtained from the O/o Deputy Project Director, HPFPP, Una, Himachal Pradesh on any working day. “Expression of Interest” documents supporting relevant experience clearly marked with “Expression of Interest for consultancy to review the performance of forestry measures in the Sutlej Basin Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) plan to date and design and implement a comprehensive new monitoring system for CCAT plan implementation” shall reach the o/o Chief Project Director, HP Forests for Prosperity Project, Opposite KVK Una, Santoshgarh road, Rampur, Una, 174303 Himachal Pradesh 01975-225855 (e mail : [email protected]) up to dated 09.10.2018 , 11:45 AM. The REoI can also be submitted through scanned copies of the relevant documents through e-mail: [email protected] .The submitted documents will be evaluated from 12 noon onwards on the same day followed by the evaluation result. All those interested may kindly attend personally or through their authorized representatives. The detailed REoI and Terms of Reference are available at website http://www. hpforest.nic.in/Tenders Chief Project Director HP Forests for Prosperity Project(FPP), Una, HP Terms of Reference for consultancy to review the performance of forestry measures in the Sutlej Basin Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) plan to date and design and implement a comprehensive new monitoring system for CCAT plan implementation Background Forests cover about 21 percent of India’s landmass and have the potential to contribute to growth that is resource-efficient, and low-carbon and to help create jobs in the poorest regions of the country. In the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP), forests are particularly closely linked to the state’s economy. Two-thirds of the state’s area is classified as forest land, and more than one-fourth is under forest cover. The state is not taking full advantage of its forest resources to support economic development and rural livelihoods, however. For one, the quality of forests in HP is relatively low, and as a result, HP was allocated only 2.43 percent of the allocation made based on forest quality under the 14th Finance Commission. The neighboring state of Uttarakhand, with a similar endowment of forest land, received 4.77 percent of the share instead. These lower fiscal transfers from the central government have, in turn, reduced the overall state budget for development programs. Communities and economic sectors that are dependent on forest goods and services (timber, firewood, and fodder, hydropower for sediment retention services and tourism for scenic beauty) are also not benefiting significantly from forests, in part because of low quality. The Himachal Pradesh Forests for Prosperity (HPFP) Project has the following Project Development Objective: To improve the governance, management, and community use of forests, pastures, and watersheds at selected sites in Himachal Pradesh. The HP Forests for Prosperity Project is designed to address: i) the poor quality and density of HP’s forests (caused by increasing pressure on the forests and the low technical and institutional capacity of the HPFD), through a combination of institutional reform, capacity building and investments in the field targeted through a watershed based approach, and ii) the limited community participation and benefit sharing from forest and pasture management. These issues are then addressed through several critical interventions, so that the project can help HP move towards improved forest management and community participation in the medium term, with the outcomes of improved quality of forest and pasture, increased allocation from the finance commission, strengthened climate resilience of forests and pastures and improved livelihoods, job creation and income for targeted communities achievable in the longer term. The total project cost is US$ 62.5 million. The project currently has 4 components (under revision): i) Institutional reforms for integrated watershed management with a focus on HPFD ii) Improved investments in Participatory Forest Management (PFM); iii) Strengthening value chains for NTFPs and other commodities; and, iv) Project Management Component 1 focuses on activities related to the assessment of the institutions responsible for the management of watersheds, and commencement of the reform process of the HPFD, including the implementation of an engagement strategy. Component 2 targets key investments in the forest to optimize the protection of the landscapes, and review of the performance and status of implementation of the State’s Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) plan for the Sutlej basin which specifically targets where interventions will have the most impact in terms of watershed management.Component 3 covers activities related to the economic empowerment of forest-dependent communities through enhanced value addition and market linkages with the private sector for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and agricultural commodities. Component 4 will thread components 1, 2 and 3 together through improved project management. These TORs will support the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD) to (i) review the progress made in implementing the Comprehensive Catchment Area Treatment (CCAT) Plan for the Sutlej Basin and (ii) design a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system for the CCAT Plan going forward. This will lead to improvement in activity planning, execution and monitoring, where quality management principles will be applied to raise the effectiveness of HPFD field activities. The work described here will be complimented by separate TORs covering an institutional assessment of state institutions in the Himachal Pradesh Forest Sector, an IT Strategy, and the development of a Forest Management Information System. This work should closely