Interim Evaluation of the Africa Cocoa Fund in West and Central Africa
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.
We work towards making responsible business the new normal through our certification program, tailored supply chain services, landscape and community work and advocacy.
For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/about.
Overview
The Rainforest Alliance has set up a three-year, $5 million fund to support cocoa farmers and help preserve the local landscapes in West and Central Africa. The ACF also support select sustainability projects for cocoa farmers and their landscapes beyond our certification requirements, to achieve further positive impact.
Since August 2020, the African Cocoa Fund has financed in 3 phases, 47 projects for more than 75,000 producers from 62 groups. These projects mainly focus on sustainability themes, namely:
· A1. Addressing child labour
· A2. Geodata – location points and polygon collection
· A3. Digitisation of IMS and traceability system
· A4. Agroforestry and shade implementation
In order to have an effective tool (ACF) at the service of producers and the application of its standard, Rainforest Alliance has planned to carry out an Interim Evaluation of the ACF Program in West and Central Africa. This evaluation aims to assess the program´s performance and management, and to draw recommendations with a view to improving the ACF´s effectiveness and efficiency.
As such, RA is launching this call for applications for the selection of a consultant or a consultancy firm to carry out Interim Evaluation of the ACF Program in West and Central Africa.
Objectives and key questions to be addressed by the interim evaluation.
Assess ACF's performance (effectiveness and efficiency), including its intervention strategy, and management structure in supporting target producers and communities build their capacity on the RA 2020 certification standard and beyond. Propose solutions for improvement.
Specific objectives
Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of ACF's strategy.
This involves:
1. Evaluating the effectiveness of the various processes for deploying the ACF strategy, in particular:
Beneficiaries selection process
The project co-creation process
Candidate selection Process
The process for reviewing and approving IP/C funding allocations
Communication strategy and media
Respect for the principles of the ACF
Assessing the level of progress made towards the program’s main outputs, outcomes and impacts as indicated in the project’s logical framework.
Identifying technical and financial gaps and opportunities for improvement project´s technical and financial management.
Analyze the contribution of ACF (strength, issues/ risks, and opportunities) to deliver impact at the desired speed and scale to the Rainforest Alliance’s 2023-2030 strategy.
Deliverables
The following are the Review´s deliverables:
General terms and conditions for request for proposal
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.
All documents should be delivered in English.
Consultant selection criteria
The Consultant or Consultant Firm should have:
Proposal Process and Format
Applicants are requested to submit their application by e-mail to Patrick BALIFI at Pbalifi@ra.org with the title “ACF – Interim Evaluation” before 15th January 2024. The following documents must be included:
Two-page cover letter providing a summary of the consultant’s relevant experience, expertise and contacts.
A clear concise practical proposal on how to carry out the work, including methodology and timelines.
The proposal also needs to clearly state what will be needed from Rainforest Alliance to ensure smooth delivery and conclusion of the consultancy within the stipulated timeframe.
A financial proposal should be submitted in US dollars and include basis for costing i.e. previous rates. clearly outlining consultant fees (daily rates), number of days for proposed activities, travel and logistical expenses.
Updated CV(s) of the consultant or consultant team (as Annex)
All documents need to be in English.
Thank you for your interest in working with the Rainforest Alliance