Request for Proposals on Feasibility Assessment of Agroecological Restoration in Forest Landscapes

Invitation for Bids

BTDC-ID: 29508

CLOSING DATE: 03-May-2024

Bid Components

Request for Proposals on Feasibility Assessment of Agroecological Restoration in Forest Landscapes

Contact Details

CONTACT NAME

· Conservation International

EMAIL

· hr-cicambodia@conservation.org

Announcement Description

Conservation International (CI) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization that works to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity. Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership, and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity. We imagine a healthy, prosperous world in which societies are forever committed to caring for and valuing nature, for the long-term benefit of people and all life on Earth.

Conservation International has been working in Cambodia since 2001 and has 23 projects in four landscapes: Tonle Sap; Central Cardamom Mountains; Vern Sai Siem Pang National Park; and Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. CI Cambodia employs 70 staff located across three national offices. Working in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, other international conservation and development organizations, local non-governmental organizations, and the private sector CI Cambodia aims to protect and restore nature to stabilize the climate and improve people’s wellbeing through the development of nature-positive economies.

Conservation International (CI) aims to remove 1 Gt CO2e from the atmosphere by restoring 35 million hectares of land – either directly or through partnerships. CI Cambodia has identified restorative agriculture, agroforestry and agroecology as potential restoration practices that could be implemented within our three forest landscapes.

Bid Components

Request for Proposals on Feasibility Assessment of Agroecological Restoration in Forest Landscapes

CATEGORY:Call for Proposals
LOCATION:Phnom Penh

RFP No: CIC-2024-02

Terms of Reference, Deliverables and Deliverables Schedule

In undertaking the scope of work the contractor will be required to consult with CI Cambodia staff, local communities, government agencies, NGOs, and experts in agriculture, agroforestry, agroecology, and conservation. The contractor will complete the following tasks:

· Assess current agricultural practices and their impact on the environment and local communities in 9 communes total from the three target landscapes, chosen in consultation with Conservation International.

· Review relevant restorative agriculture, agroforestry, and agroecology practices currently practiced in Cambodia.

· Identify potential restorative agriculture, agroforestry, and agroecology practices suitable for the majority of the target villages in the focal landscapes.

· Evaluate and rank the feasibility of implementing the identified practices in terms of:

· Technical requirements – including what expertise and experience is available in Cambodia, how complicated is the practice to set up and what are the ongoing support needs.

· Environment by describing benefits to biodiversity, ecosystem services and resilience. Consider the impact of agricultural chemical use compared to current practice.

· Economic viability – including the costs of establishing – from start-up thought to community management – of each practice within the target communities. Examine the cost/benefit of proposed vs current practices.

· Social acceptability – including barriers that may hinder adoption of new practices, community capacity building requirements, length of commitment required to establish the practice to the point that it is managed by the community with minimal involvement from CI. Also look at benefit sharing within the community.

· Recommend the most feasible restorative agriculture, agroforestry, and agroecology practices for the target villages in each of the focal landscapes.

Please click the attachment below for more details.

Bidder Eligibility

Minimum Requirements

o This consultancy is open to firms that meet the following requirements:

§ Proven experience in conducting feasibility assessments and implementing sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, or agroecology projects.

§ Strong understanding of the ecological and socio-economic contexts of the target areas.

§ Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

§ Lead verifier(s) with expertise in forestry, environmental science, GIS/spatial modeling and remote sensing, conservation/biodiversity, social sciences, and community safeguards.

§ Demonstrated understanding of REDD+ projects under the VCS and CCB Standards

§ Demonstrated professional-level fluency in both oral and written English is required.

§ Ability to perform the field visit and interviews in the local language.

Submission Requirements

Submission Details

1. Deadline. Proposals must be received no later than 3rd May 2024 23.59 ITC. Late submissions will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted via email provided in the contact details. All proposals are to be submitted following the guidelines listed in this RFP.

2. Validity of bid. 120 days from the submission deadline

3. Clarifications. Questions may be submitted to email by the specified date and time in the timeline below. The subject of the email must contain the RFP number and title of the RFP. CI will respond in writing to submitted clarifications by the date specified in the timeline below. Responses to questions that may be of common interest to all bidders will be posted to the CI website and/or communicated via email.

4. Amendments. At any time prior to the deadline for submission of proposals, CI may, for any reason, modify the RFP documents by amendment which will be posted to the CI website and/or communicated via email.

ATTACHMENT

· CIC-2024-02_RFP_Cambodia Agroforestry consultancy