Terms of Reference: Capacity Building & Model DPR for Springshed Management in SABAL project: Eastern Ghats

Summary Information

RA Department: Impacts Program: GEF UNEP ILM Project India project

Location(s):    Andhra Pradesh, India

Commitment: Desired end-date March 31st, 2026

Desired start date and duration: July 7th, 2025, duration 9 months

Under direction of: Senior Technical Associate, A.P. and Project Manager

About the Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests to make responsible business the new normal. We are building an alliance to protect forests, improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities, promote their human rights, and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.  We envision a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.

The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.

For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about. 

Overview

This RFP pertains to the Rainforest Alliance led GEF-UNEP Integrated Landscape Management India project “Transforming agricultural systems and strengthening local economies in high biodiversity areas of India through sustainable landscape management and public-private finance”.  The purpose of the project is to achieve a transformation of land management into sustainable agricultural systems and attainment of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), biodiversity conservation and improved rural livelihoods in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. It aims to reduce land degradation, conserve biodiversity and ensure the flow of ecosystem services in priority landscapes in these States through a holistic programme of policy reform, sustainable agricultural practices, multi-stakeholder landscape governance, market development and public- private finance.

The United Nations Environment Programme is the lead GEF Implementation Agency, in collaboration with IUCN as GEF co-Implementing Agency. Project activities will be executed by Rainforest Alliance. Rythu Sadhikara Samstha and Foundation for Ecological Security. Through this integrated approach, the project aims to deliver significant Global Environmental Benefits in both the states:

·       It will directly impact 1,150,000 ha of agricultural land, including restoration of 75,000 ha of degraded land, and

·       Manage 100,000 ha of land for biodiversity and LDN, including conserving 25,000 hectares of HCVF.

·       It will directly benefit an estimated 770,000 people (304,000 women), of which 765,000 are farmers and farm workers and 5,000 are other beneficiaries

The project is implemented in Eastern and Western Ghats with focus on ten microlandscapes with intensive activity on policy, demonstration, sustainable land, water and biodiversity management leading to land degradation neutrality, through empowered community led groups, MSLMB (Multi Stakeholder Level Management Bodies).

Consultancy Scope of Work

Main Objectives

The assignment is focused in three districts of Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh namely ASR, Manyam Parvatipuram and Vizianagaram districts which cover five of the eight micro-landscapes of SABAL project. The objective of the assignment is to build capacities of organizations, stakeholders in SABAL project on springshed management by:

1.     Identification of para workers with Rainforest Alliance, RySS and its partner agencies, line departments who can be trained in aspects springshed management as laid down by NITI Aayog.

2.     Sensitization for all line departments keenly associated with springshed management.

3.     Develop five DPRs in three micro-landscapes (D-Gonduru in ASR district, K. G. Pudi in Vizianagaram district and Kondabaradi in Parvatipuram Manyam district),which can be used for furthering springshed management in the Eastern Ghats of AP. It will be finalized by Rainforest Allaince and its partners for implementation.

Activities

To achieve the above objectives, the firm will work with Rainforest Alliance staff, project partners, and multi-landscape stakeholders. The firm is expected to carry out the following activities:

1.     Prepare a workplan, specifying activities and timeline;

2.     Become familiar with the project document and other relevant documents, documents to be requested from RA by the firm lead

3.     Identify key para-workers from RA, RySS, SABAL partners organizations, and line department and prepare a strategy to train team on spring-sheds

4.     Develop a draft Framework for training and modules

5.     Facilitate preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR)

6.     Adjust the framework to address peer-review comments

7.     Prepare a strategy to develop five DPRs for springshed in three districts i.e., A.S.R., Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram Manyam districts

Deliverables

General Terms and Conditions for Request for Proposal

·       Applicants must provide all requisite information under this RFP and clearly and concisely respond to all points set out in this RFP. Any proposal, which does not fully and comprehensively address this RFP, may be rejected.

·       Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by RA.

·       Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.

·       RA reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.

·       RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement. 

·       All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.

·       It is the responsibility of every bidder to identify any information of a confidential or proprietary nature contained in its proposal so that it may be handled accordingly. However, RA cannot guarantee confidentiality.

Selection Criteria and qualifications

The firm should comply with the following minimum qualifications:

Proposal Process and Format

Interested consultants or consultant firms should submit their proposal including the following:

1. Statutory Requirements: Upon request, the consultant should supply all required legal documents as may be required by RA and/or local law, e.g.  work permit, bank details, registration details, tax documents etc. When opportunity is restricted to a specific location, only candidates authorized to work in the location will be considered.

2. Technical proposal requirements: Proposals should contain the following:

o   Letter of interest

o   Consultant team profile describing expertise and experience (if a Consultant Firm)

o   Proposed approach, methodology, activities and timeline for activities and deliverables, with at least three recent references.

o   List of previous engagements that addresses the above experience desired

o   Current C.V.(S)

o   Contact details of recent references (specify number needed; always ask for email and phone number)

3.     Financial proposal requirements: This will be a fixed price consultancy. Financial proposals should include

a.     Itemized costs (in USD) and basis for costing (i.e., specify previous rates)

b.     Total budget needed to complete all Deliverables.

The letter of interest, technical, and financial proposals should be applied via the link provided on the HireHive portal, by 30/06/2025 (IST 18:00 pm). In case of any queries email may be sent to   vpatibandla@ra.org ; cc to: srajan@ra.org ; with the subject line “Capacity Building & Model DPR for Springshed Management in SABAL project: Eastern Ghats”  

Application procedure:

For the online submission on the Hire Hive platform, upload the required inputs as follows on the application link. 

-        Name: Name of the Lead Contact of your Organization for this Assignment

-        Address: Physical address of your organization

-        Current organization: Mention your organization.

-        Current Title: Title of the Lead Contact of your Organization

-        Email and phone of the Lead Contact of your Organization

-        In the CV / Resume section: Put all three documents- letter of interest, technical, and financial proposal into one file and upload as a single document.

-        Concept note: concept note on springshed including methodology and Budget

-        Working knowledge: Experience of working in Eastern Ghats

All the above-mentioned details should be incorporated into a single document and the same may be uploaded via the link on the Hire Hive portal

Any questions and clarifications related to this RFP should be sent to the email mentioned above. All proposals must be submitted to srajan@ra.org with the subject “Capacity Building & Model DPR for Springshed Management in SABAL project: Eastern Ghats”.

Finalists will be notified of their selection by 06/07/2025. 

Contact person for questions by 30/06/2025

Ms. Vinuthna Patibandla - vpatibandla@ra.org

Mr. Rajan Sudalai; srajan@ra.org

Deadline for submission of proposals 03/07/2025

Thank you for your interest in working with the Rainforest Alliance