Team(s) of consultant(s) to undertake a study on the strategic relevance and approach for a Multi-Donor Trust Fund in the Democratic Republic of Congo

I. CONTEXT

Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN) is one of Europe’s leading organizations in rainforest protection, with more than twenty years of experience and a wide network of partners in all major rainforest regions. RFN works to preserve rainforests and their ecosystem services, while promoting the rights of Indigenous peoples and other local communities to their traditional lands and resources.

With the aim to speed up action for protection and better management of the most intact forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), RFN will lead the setting up of an Indigenous People and Local Community Forest Facility, hereafter the “Facility”, which will support the establishment of effective, equitable, rights-based management regimes for high-integrity forests. This Facility will focus on creating integrated mosaics of Indigenous/community land tenure and protected areas, recognized and supported in government-endorsed spatial and jurisdictional plans. It will enable greater engagement by civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local communities in forest management and forest governance, upholding the integrity of forest ecosystems while developing forest economy models. The aspiration is that the Facility should evolve into IPLC-led finance mechanism that will enable the direct involvement of IPLC, as rights holders, in the planning, implementation and evaluation of projects, and ultimately in the Facility governance, decision-making and financial management.

While the Rainforest Foundation Norway will initially incubate the Facility as a program, the institutional architecture of the Facility is expected to evolve over time with a progressive transfer of authorities to IPLCs representatives.

The Facility must ensure:

• that resources flow primarily to the communities and others responsible for forest management,

• full participation of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and broader civil society in development of strategies and in the decision-making process,[1]

• observance of the principle of free, prior and informed consent,

• involvement of key local stakeholders in large-scale collaborative processes with government agencies (for example the provincial integrated REDD+ programs, or PIREDDs), and

• leverage of opportunities available to communities within current laws and policies.

In 2022, a scoping study explored possible modalities for the Facility and concluded a trust fund mechanism that could receive funding from diverse donors was an avenue to be further explored. Funds could be received in the form of an endowment, long-term sinking funds, or as part of project-based funding, all of which would need to be held and managed to ensure the long-term viability of the Facility, while providing funding for activities on the ground.

II. OVERALL OBJECTIVE

Under the coordination of the Rainforest Foundation Norway and the Facility Secretariat, the selected consultant (or team) will present a series of options that can be considered by RFN regarding establishing an IPLC financing facility for the DRC. This should entail:[2]

1. Assess suitable trust fund models that meet the Facility’s theory of change and core principles. For each model, or scenario, the consultant(s) [3] share an analysis and recommendations on strategic relevance (in term of IPLC’s participation, sustainability of funding, impact on rights-based protection of high-integrity forests), legal feasibility, financial implications (incl. localization of funds, endowment funds, taxation), attractiveness to philanthropic and multi/bilateral donors, and institutional implications of setting up the Facility as a multi-donor trust fund. Consultants will weigh in risks and opportunities of setting the Facility as a standalone multi-donor trust fund or as a window of an existing one, including key criteria to consider for choosing one or the other model, and a recommendation for the Facility.
2. The consultant(s) will assess the pros and cons of setting up a Fund in the DRC versus outside the country and look at the benefits of one country over another.
3. Propose the outlines of a process to legally establish and register the fund. Indicate the process to setting up the Fund (based on options outlines), the timeline, and the projects costs involved in establishing the Facility. Those processes will reflect the inclusive and highly participatory nature of the[4] [5] Facility.
4. Propose required evolutions to be made to the current institutional model and estimate the needed expertise, resources, and costs to establish and run the Facility as a funding institution.
5. Conclusions and recommendations will be presented during a workshop in a form that will facilitate decision making by the Facility’s stakeholders.
6. A final report covering answers and recommendations against points 1 to 3 and integrating observations and comments shared in the workshop (4.) will be delivered,

III. SELECTION CRITERIA

The study shall be carried out by one consultant or a team. The qualification of the consultant – or combined qualifications of the team members – shall as a minimum constitute 10 years’ experience from working on relevant issues. Suitable consultant(s) will have in-depth knowledge and expertise on: 1. multi-donor trust funds and similar pool[6] fund mechanisms, 2. establishing and operationalizing trust funds through participatory approaches in complex environments, 3. DRC institutions and context, 4. forest and climate, community-based forest management and conservation.

Among the proposed individuals/teams, RFN will select the candidate(s) that provide best value for money based on a consideration of a) to what extent the team are well suited for the task, emphasizing in-depth expertise (including academic work and/or implementation) and the relevance of the specific technical expertise and experience of the team member(s), b) the proposed methodology and c) the total cost of the proposal.

IV. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

Tenderers will be ranked according to a score based on the following criteria:

• Understanding of the assignment: 10%
• Methodology :30%
• Past experience: 20%
• Team competency: 20%
• Budget: 20%

V. HOW TO APPLY

Candidates interested in submitting a proposal should register by the 6^th of December by clicking “apply for this job” button. Upload files under “additional files”.

Candidates must submit the following:

– CV of all consultants in the team, and a summary (maximum two pages combined) of their qualifications.

– Proposed methodology and timeline, max 2 pages.

– A financial offer, including daily fees based on 8 working hours per day. If team members have different fees, the expected division of labour between them must be indicated. Include any other costs necessary to carry out the review. Travel costs will be agreed separately, based on economy class travel, and compensated according to Norwegian government travel regulations.

– At least two references (including contacts) for similar work.

Questions regarding the assignment can be submitted to kevin@rainforest.no and answers will be shared with all registered candidates.

Contract supervision: Department of International Programs, Rainforest Foundation Norway

Main contact: Kévin Sasia, RFN Senior Advisor

VI. ELIGIBLE TENDERERS

i) Tenderers must provide information on their legal form and ownership structure.

ii) Tenderers shall be excluded from participation in a procurement procedure if:

(1) they are bankrupt, are having their affairs administered by the courts, or have suspended business activities.

(2) they or persons having powers of representation, decision-making, or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a final judgment.

(3) they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct.

(4) they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established, or those of the country where the contract is to be performed.

(5) they or persons having powers of representation, decision-making, or control over them have been convicted for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization or money laundering by a final judgment.

(6) they make use of child labor or forced labor and/or practice discrimination, and/or do not respect the right to freedom of association and the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining pursuant to the core conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

iii) Tenderers shall confirm in writing that they are not in any of the situations listed above. CELCOR reserves the right to investigate any of the situations listed above if it has reasonable grounds to doubt the contents of such confirmation.

iv) Contracts shall not be awarded to tenderers which, during the procurement procedure:

(1) are subject to a conflict of interests.

(2) are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required as

a condition of participation in the tender procedure or fail to supply this information.

[1]in development of strategies and in the decision making process

[2]will present a series of options that can be considered by RFN with regard to establishing a IPLC financing facility for the DRC.

[3]For each model, or scenario, the consultants…..

[4]A couple of things here. consultants should assess the pros and cons of setting up a Fund in the DRC versus outside the country and to look at the benefits of one country over another. Want to be clear what is meant by the DRC context. Given that funds will be disbursed in the DRC should propose mechanism for deployment of funds (and involvement of local stakeholders) for each of the proposed models or scenarios, including the model of the embedded Fund.

[5]NOTE.this should be for under point number 1. I realize it it poorly placed

[6]pooled fund, or multi-funding window funding institutionst