Supply of GEF 7 Medium-Sized Project, Nepal Request for Proposals (RfP) GEF full-size project preparation, Nepal NOTE: Due to a clerical error regarding the submission deadline for Proposals in the original RfP, IUCN has decided to accept Proposals received by 30th May 2020. Proposers who have already submitted their Proposal will also be allowed to amend and re-submit their Proposals, although this is not required. Proposals already received and not amended will be considered equally to new or amended Proposals and will in no way be disadvantaged. If you wish to amend your Proposal, please re-send a complete amended Proposal by 30th May 2020 and notify IUCN to disregard the previous Proposal you have submitted. Such amendments must be sent from the same email address as the original Proposal. IUCN Office for Asia, ARO Issue Date: 16 April 2020 Closing Date and Time: 30 May 2020 IUCN Contact : Country Office Nepal mailto: [email protected] and IUCN GEF & GCF Coordination Unit [email protected] PART 1 – INSTRUCTIONS TO PROPOSERS AND PROPOSAL CONDITIONS 1.1. 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 950 staff 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/ IUCN: Request for Proposals Page 1 of 36 Supply of GEF 7 Medium-Sized Project, Nepal 1.2. Summary of the Requirement IUCN invites to submit a Proposal for the preparation of the full sized project and GEF CEO endorsement request for the following medium sized project: Restoring the degraded watershed and livelihoods of Lakhandei river basin through Sustainable Land Management. (GEFID 10469). The detailed Terms of Reference can be found in Part 2 of this RfP. 1.3. The procurement process The following key dates apply to this RfP: RfP Issue Date 16 April 2020 Confirmation of Intention to Bid 24 April 2020 (Preferred) RfP Closing Date and Time 30 May 2020, Midnight Kathmandu, Nepal (GMT +5h45) Estimated Contract Award Date 15 June 2020 1.4. Conditions IUCN is not bound in any way to enter into any contractual or other arrangement with any Proposer as a result of issuing this RfP. IUCN is under no obligation to accept the lowest priced Proposal or any Proposal. IUCN reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time prior to contract award. By participating in this RfP, Proposers accept the conditions set out in this RfP. Proposers must sign the “Proposer’s Declaration” and include it in their Proposal. 1.5. Queries and questions during the RfP period Proposers are to direct any queries and questions regarding the RfP to the above IUCN Contact. No other IUCN personnel are to be contacted in relation to this RfP. Proposers may submit their queries no later than 30 May 2020, Midnight Kathmandu, Nepal (GMT +5h45). As far as possible, IUCN will issue the responses to any questions, suitably anonymised, to all Proposers. If you consider the content of you question confidential, you must state this at the time the question is posed. 1.6. Amendments to RfP documents IUCN may amend the RfP documents by issuing notices to that effect to all Proposers and may extend the RfP closing date and time if deemed appropriate. 1.7. Proposal lodgement methods and requirements Proposers must submit their Proposal to IUCN no later than Midnight Kathmandu, Nepal (GMT +5h45) on 30 May 2020 by email to: [email protected] and [email protected]. The subject heading of the email shall be RfP – GEF 7 Nepal MSP - [Proposer Name]. Electronic copies are to be submitted in PDF and native (e.g. MS Word) format. Proposers may submit multiple emails (suitably annotated – e.g. Email 1 of 3) if attached files are deemed too large to suit a single email transmission. 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 no later than 8 am Kathmandau, Nepal (GMT +5h45) on 31 May 2020, please send the relevant password to the same email address as used for submitting your Proposal. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process. Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission. Proposals must be prepared in English and in the format stated in Part 3 of this RfP. 1.8. Late and Incomplete Proposals IUCN: Request for Proposals Page 2 of 36 Supply of GEF 7 Medium-Sized Project, Nepal Any Proposal received by IUCN later than the stipulated RfP closing date and time, and any Proposal that is incomplete, will not be considered. There will be no allowance made by IUCN for any delays in transmission of the Proposal from Proposer to IUCN. 1.9. Withdrawals and Changes to the Proposal Proposals may be withdrawn or changed at any time prior to the RfP closing date and time by written notice to the IUCN contact. No changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the RfP closing date and time. 1.10. Validity of Proposals Proposals submitted in response to this RfP are to remain valid for a period of 90 calendar days from the RfP closing date. 1.11. Evaluation of Proposals The evaluation of Proposals shall be carried out exclusively with regards to the evaluation criteria and their relative weights specified in Part 3 of this RfP. PART 2 – THE REQUIREMENT Background on the project Following approval by the CEO of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) of the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) of USD 50, 000 value , IUCN will implement the project development phase of the following medium- sized project: Restoring the degraded watershed and livelihoods of Lakhandei river basin through Sustainable Land Management.. This project will be funded through the land degradation focal area of the GEF, up to USD 1.5 million and is expected to mobilize USD 7 million in co-financing. The approved project is presently in the form of a concept (Project Identification Form (PIF) in Annex 1. Following the project approval cycle of the GEF, this PIF must now be fully developed into the following required documents: • IUCN-GEF Project Document (ProDoc) including all annexes (budget, work plan, M&E plan, procurement plan, co-financing letters, gender analysis and action plan, relevant ESMS documents) • Government of Nepal - Ministry of Forests and Environment's technical endorsement letter • Government of Nepal - Ministry of Finance (NDA)'s endorsement letter • GEF CEO Endorsement Request (CEO-Doc) The project concept is in Annex 1 of this RfP. Terms of Reference The Consultants who will be awarded this contract will be responsible for preparing the GEF CEO Endorsement request and the Project Document including all annexes for the above-mentioned project. This will consist of the following: 1) Scoping and consultation - Conducting situation analysis, including socio-economic and socio-political analysis, analysis of the policy, institutional and legislative framework (including land tenure), and of local governance of natural resources and respective rights (data should reflect the conditions of the project site, wherever relevant) - Conducting analysis of the targeted agriculture value chains, of relevant aspects of the insurance sector and the finance sector (e.g. microfinance and other relevant financing instruments for agriculture and targeted value chains) - Preparing stakeholder analysis (including at project site level) for planning stakeholder involvement for designing the project (see IUCN ESMS Guidance Note) IUCN: Request for Proposals Page 3 of 36 Supply of GEF 7 Medium-Sized Project, Nepal - Conducting consultation with relevant stakeholders including consultation with local government (Lalbandi Municipality 12, 13 and 14 of Sarlahi district; and Marin Rural Municipality 3, 4 and 5 of Sindhuli district), Provincial government (Province 2 and 3, and Federal government levels for policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and mainstreaming lessons learned from the project; and document the consultations appropriately; - Identifying potential project partners, including the executing agency, existing projects on the ground and those proposed, and proposing collaboration and synergies with these projects - Confirming co-financing opportunities - Undertaking mapping of target areas, identification of sites and target communities - Preparing preliminary risk analysis - Drafting logical framework with disaggregated gender indicators values, the theory of change and the baseline for the GEF Core indicators of the project - Conducting inception workshop for the project preparation phase 2) Project design 2.a) Problem analysis - Verifying the brief information provided in the PIF and analyse in detail including: . Watershed restoration problems in the LRB . Root causes of Lakhandei watershed degradation, including climatic and anthropogenic factors .