Designing and piloting a Community Conservation Leadership Training Program for coastal community leaders in partnership with the Fisheries Education 101 views0 applications

Request for Proposals (RfP)

Designing and piloting a Community Conservation Leadership Training Program for coastal community leaders in partnership with the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA).

Coastal and Ocean Resilience, IUCN Tanzania Country Office

RfP Reference: RFP No.IUCN-13-06-P04216-2

Welcome to this Procurement by IUCN. You are hereby invited to submit a Proposal. Please read the information and instructions carefully because non-compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Proposal from this Procurement.

1. REQUIREMENTS
   1. A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment 1
2. CONTACT DETAILS
   1. During this procurement, i.e., from the publication of this RfP to the award of a contract, you may not discuss this procurement with any IUCN employee or representative other than the following contact. You must address all correspondence and questions to the contact, including your proposal.

IUCN Contact: [email protected]

1. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
   1. This timetable is indicative and may be changed by IUCN at any time. If IUCN decides that changes to any of the deadlines are necessary, we will publish this on our website and contact you directly if you have indicated your interest in this procurement (see Section 3.2).

DATE

ACTIVITY

19th June 2025

Publication of the Request for Proposals

24th June 2025

Deadline for expressions of interest

26th June 2025

Deadline for submission of questions

30th June 2025

Planned publication of responses to questions

7th July 2025

Deadline for submission of proposals to IUCN (7th July 2025)

14th July 2025

Planned date for contract award

18th July 2025

Expected contract start date

1. Please email the IUCN contact to express your interest in submitting a proposal by the deadline stated above. This will help IUCN to keep you updated regarding the procurement.
2. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
   1. Your Proposal must consist of the following four separate documents:

• Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
• Pre-Qualification Information (see Section 4.3 below)
• Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
• Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)

Proposals must be prepared in English.

1. Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [RfP Reference – bidder name]. The bidder’s name is the name of the company/organisation on whose behalf you are submitting the proposal, or your own surname if you are bidding as a self-employed consultant. Your proposal must be submitted in PDF format. You may submit multiple emails suitably annotated, e.g., Email 1 of 3, if attached files are too large to suit a single email transmission. You may not submit your Proposal by uploading it to a file-sharing tool.

   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 within 12 hours, please send the password to the IUCN Contact. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process. Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission.

   1. Pre-Qualification Criteria

   IUCN will use the following Pre-Qualification Criteria to determine whether you have the capacity to provide the required goods and/or services to IUCN. Please provide the necessary information in a single, separate document.

Pre-Qualification Criteria

13 reference letters from NGOs addressed to IUCN

2Confirm and submit all the necessary legal registrations to perform the work including:

1. Certificate of incorporation
2. Tax clearance certificate
3. TIN Certificate
4. NBAA Certification
5. Technical Proposal

   The technical proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately, quoting the relevant criteria reference number (left-hand column).

   Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCN’s discretion.

   Where CVs are requested, these must be of the individuals who will carry out the work specified. The individuals you put forward may only be substituted with IUCN’s approval.

   IUCN will evaluate technical proposals with regards to each of the following criteria and their relative importance:

Criterion

Weighing

1.Concept and methodology

65

1.1Clarity and completeness of the tender

• Technical understanding of what a Community Conservation Leadership training curriculum entails, and detailed description of consultant’s understanding of theassignment

25

1.2Proposed approach and methods, including workplan

• Detailed description on methodology to beused to develop and pilot the training curriculum, and broader understanding of the Tanga-Pemba seascape (30)
• Detailed activity plan (10)

40

2.Qualifications and Experience of proposed consultants [If applicable add

separate sub-criteria of specialisms required]

20

2.1Team leader/portfolio manager

• Advanced degree in Natural Resources Management, Marine Science and Ecological Restoration, Marine Governance and Coastal Management, Blue Economy and business management, Fisheries Studies, Knowledge management and Advocacy, Research and Public Policy, Community Development Studies or related discipline (10)
• 10 yearsof work experience (5)

15

2.2Qualification and experience by other key staff (if applicable) to be involved in

the assignment

5

3.Track record

15

3.1Quality and relevance of references provided (Provide at least3 references)

10

3.2Proven history of meeting deadlines

5

TOTAL

100

1. Financial Proposal
   1. The financial proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
      1. Prices include all costs.
      2. Applicable Goods and Services Taxes
      3. Currency of proposed rates and prices

      Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs, insurances, taxes, fees, expenses, liabilities, obligations, risk, and other things necessary for the performance of the Terms of Reference or Specification of Requirements. IUCN will not accept charges beyond those clearly stated in the Financial Proposal.

      IUCN withhold 5% of the professional fee charged as withholding tax payment.

      Proposal rates and prices shall be inclusive of Value Added Tax.

      All rates and prices submitted by Proposers shall be in USD.

2. Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be considered in the evaluation.
   1. Your proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for 90 calendar days following the submission deadline.
   2. Withdrawals and Changes

   You may freely withdraw or change your proposal at any time before the submission deadline by written notice to the IUCN Contact. However, to reduce the risk of fraud, no changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the submission deadline.

3. EVALUATION of PROPOSALS
   1. Completeness
   2. Pre-Qualification Criteria
   3. Technical Evaluation
      1. Scoring Method

   IUCN will first check your proposal for completeness. Incomplete proposals will not be considered further.

   Only proposals that meet all the pre-qualification criteria will be evaluated.

Your proposal will be assigned a score from 0 to 10 for each of the technical evaluation criteria, such that ‘0’ is low and ‘10’ is high.

1. Minimum Quality Thresholds

Proposals that receive a score of ‘0’ for any of the criteria will not be considered further.

1. Technical Score

Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 4.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your proposal’s overall technical score.

1. Financial Evaluation and Financial Scores

   The financial evaluation will be based upon the full total price you submit. Your financial proposal will receive a score calculated by dividing the lowest financial proposal that has passed the minimum quality thresholds (see Section 5.3.2) by the total price of your financial proposal.

   Thus, for example, if your financial proposal is for a total of CHF 100 and the lowest financial proposal is CHF 80, you will receive a financial score of 80/100 = 80%

   1. Total Score

   Your proposal’s total score will be calculated as the weighted sum of your technical score and your financial score.

   The relative weights will be:

   Technical: 70%

   Financial: 30%

   Thus, for example, if your technical score is 83% and your financial score is 77%, you will receive a total score of 83 * 70% + 77 * 30% = 58.1% + 23.1% = 81.2%.

   Subject to the requirements in Sections 4 and 7, IUCN will award the contract to the bidder whose proposal achieves the highest total score.

2. Explanation of procurement procedure
   1. IUCN is using the Open Procedure for this procurement. This means that the contracting opportunity is published on IUCN’s website and open to all interested parties to take part, subject to the conditions in Section 7 below.
   2. You are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this procurement. Please email the IUCN Contact (see Section 2), taking note of the deadline for submission of questions in Section 3.1.
   3. All proposals must be received by the submission deadline in Section 3.2 above. Late proposals will not be considered. All proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated by a team of three or more evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in this RfP. No other criteria will be used to evaluate proposals. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose proposal received the highest Total Score. IUCN does, however, reserve the right to cancel the procurement and not award a contract at all.
   4. IUCN will contact the bidder with the highest-scoring proposal to finalise the contract. We will contact unsuccessful bidders after the contract has been awarded and provide detailed feedback. The timetable in Section 3.1 gives an estimate of when we expect to have completed the contract award, but this date may change depending on how long the evaluation of proposals takes.
3. Conditions for participation in this procurement
   1. To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RfP and the Attachments.
      1. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant proposal.
      2. Any incomplete or incorrectly completed proposal submission may be deemed non-compliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process.
      3. IUCN will query any obvious clerical errors in your proposal and may, at IUCN’s sole discretion, allow you to correct these, but only if doing so could not be perceived as giving you an unfair advantage.
   2. In order to participate in this procurement, you must meet the following conditions:

• Free of conflicts of interest
• Registered on the relevant professional or trade register of the country in which you are established (or resident, if self-employed)
• In full compliance with your obligations relating to payment of social security contributions and of all applicable taxes
• Not been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection.
• Not bankrupt or being wound up
• Never been guilty of an offence concerning your professional conduct.
• Not involved in fraud, corruption, a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism, or any other illegal activity.
  1. You must complete and sign the Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2).
  2. If you are participating in this procurement as a member of a joint venture, or are using sub-contractors, submit a separate Declaration of Undertaking for each member of the joint venture and sub-contractor, and be clear in your proposal which parts of the goods/services are provided by each partner or sub-contractor.
  3. Each bidder shall submit only one proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture. In case of joint venture, one company shall not be allowed to participate in two different joint ventures in the same procurement nor shall a company be allowed to submit a proposal both on its behalf and as part of a joint venture for the same procurement. A bidder who submits or participates in more than one proposal (other than as a subcontractor or in cases of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all the proposals with the bidder’s participation to be disqualified.
  4. By taking part in this procurement, you accept the conditions set out in this RfP, including the following:
• It is unacceptable to give or offer any gift or consideration to an employee or other representative of IUCN as a reward or inducement in relation to the awarding of a contract. Such action will give IUCN the right to exclude you from this and any future procurements, and to terminate any contract that may have been signed with you.
• Any attempt to obtain information from an employee or other representative of IUCN concerning another bidder will result in disqualification.
• Any price fixing or collusion with other bidders in relation to this procurement shall give IUCN the right to exclude you and any other involved bidder(s) from this and any future procurements and may constitute a criminal offence.

1. Confidentiality and data protection
   1. IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN as part of this procurement will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your proposal in line with the procedure explained in this RfP, and for the maintenance of a clear audit trail. For audit purposes, IUCN is required to retain your proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when requested.
   2. In the Declaration of Undertaking (Attachment 2) you need to give IUCN express permission to use the information you submit in this way, including personal data that forms part of your proposal. Where you include personal data of your employees (e.g. CVs) in your proposal, you need to have written permission from those individuals to share this information with IUCN, and for IUCN to use this information as indicated in 8.1. Without these permissions, IUCN will not be able to consider your proposal.
2. Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint or concern regarding the propriety of how a competitive process is or has been executed, then please contact [email protected]. Such complaints or concerns will be treated as confidential and are not considered in breach of the above restrictions on communication (Section 2.1).

1. Contract

The contract will be based on IUCN’s template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect requirements from the donor funding this procurement.

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 1,000 staff with offices 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 people’s 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/

1. ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1 Specification of Requirements / Terms of Reference

Title: Designing and piloting a Community Conservation Leadership Training Program for coastal community leaders in partnership with the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA)

Objective of the Consultancy

This consultancy has the following objective(s):

1. Analyze the ReSea training Capacity Needs Assessments report on coastal communities in the Tanga-Pemba Seascape to co- develop a gender-responsive training curriculum that addresses the community needs in partnership with FETA and relevant stakeholders.
2. Design a comprehensive conservation leadership training program in partnership with FETA for coastal communities
3. Pilot the leadership training program in partnership with FETA to coastal communities’ leaders in Tanga-Pemba Seascape.

Background

Project Reference: P04216

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.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 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/

About the Project

Regenerative Seascape for People, Climate and Nature (ReSea) is a joint initiative by Mission Inclusion and International Union for Conservation of Nature in partnership with local feminist organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros with funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) as part of the Partnering for Climate engagement. Its broader goal is to enhance the physical and socioeconomic resilience of coastal communities in these five countries by accelerating uptake of nature-based solutions and gender-responsive conservation practices to protect, restore, and sustainably manage ecosystems and unlock regenerative blue economy. It contributes to the Western Indian Ocean-led Great Blue Wall (GBW) Initiative by supporting the establishment of a network of sustainable, resilient, and inclusive seascapes in the target countries. The GBW initiative’s key pillars aim to;

1. scale and enhance management effectiveness, equitable and gender-responsive governance of protected and conserved coastal and marine areas (Pillar 1: Blue Planet). This pillar aligns with Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) to which countries committed to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. Emphasis will be on empowering local stakeholders to become stewards and managers of the ocean;
2. restore and conserve critical ecosystems (Pillar 2: Blue Nature), by providing enabling environment to enhance the adoption of gender-responsive Nature-based solutions (NbS) for climate change adaptation through effective management and sustainable use of coastal and marine resources. This will be guided by the IUCN Global Standard for NbS. The Blue Nature pillar is aligned with Target 2 of the GBF and aims to support countries to restore at least 30% of degraded marine and coastal ecosystems by 2030; and
3. promote a regenerative Blue Economy (Pillar 3: Blue People) through increased women’s, in all their diversity, economic empowerment in nature-based value chains for climate change adaptation. The Blue People pillar aligns with Target 9 of the GBF and is premised on ensuring that conservation provides sustainable social, economic and environmental benefits for people, especially indigenous peoples and local communities. The pillar promotes socio-economic actions that contribute to regeneration of the ocean.

To achieve this, the Program draw on the knowledge and expertise of local conservation actors and women’s organizations. Collaboratively, they design and implement inclusive NbS that are adapted to and address the specific needs, capacities and challenges of coastal communities in adapting to climate change. This Partnership work to deliver inclusive and transformational change at the community and global levels. The three anchor pillars of the GBW are supported by a cross-cutting pillar that ensures the presence of innovative and unconventional partnerships to catalyze their achievement (Blue Partnerships). The Program engage innovation partnerships: On one hand conservation partners who possess a strong understanding of the local context and its environment, conservation expertise and restoration of nature; on the other hand, feminist organisations which have strong experience and understanding of power dynamics and gender barriers, collaborating with key stakeholders such as elders, traditional leaders, and local authorities. Working together, in a feminist perspective, will ensures recognition of challenges and differentiated impact of climate change on people left behind active participation of women and people in situation of vulnerabilities in decision making, equal benefit for all in terms of solutions implemented and strong community leadership in key areas for conservation of nature and the development of economic activities benefiting nature and people. The project aims at strengthening capacities for the coastal communities to respond to biodiversity conservation needs, varying climatic regimes and societal needs.

Description of the Assignment

The consultancy involves designing and piloting a Community Conservation Leadership Program tailored for coastal community leaders in the Tanga–Pemba Seascape, in collaboration with the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA). The program will be grounded in the findings of a prior capacity needs assessment and will integrate gender-responsive, nature-based solutions aligned with the ReSea project’s three pillars: Blue Planet, Blue Nature, and Blue People. Bidders are expected to bring expertise in curriculum development, marine and coastal ecosystem governance, and community engagement to co-create a practical, context-specific training program. The assignment is critical to building local leadership capacity for the effective management of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), thereby supporting biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and inclusive socioeconomic development. This assignment is highly relevant as it addresses the urgent need to strengthen community-based conservation leadership in the face of escalating environmental and climate challenges in the Western Indian Ocean region. By developing and piloting a gender-responsive Community Conservation Leadership Program in partnership with the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA), the initiative aims to empower coastal community leaders in the Tanga–Pemba Seascape with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to effectively manage Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) and other coastal and marine resources. This effort not only supports the sustainable governance of marine ecosystems but also contributes to climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and the socioeconomic well-being of local communities, particularly women and youth.

Duration of the Assignment

From 18th July to 5th October 2025

Scope of Work

The work will focus on all three ReSea project pillars to provide outcomes that will enhance the capacities of coastal communities in the establishment and effective management of MPAs and LMMAs to address climate impacts and other societal challenges. The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

1. Inception meeting to familiarize with the project team and clarify tasks
2. Analyze the Resea Capacity needs assessment report for coastal communities in Tanga-Pemba Sascape and develop a list of priority capacity/training needs
3. Conduct a desktop review on different community-focused conservation leadership training programs at local, national and regional levels to gather inputs on priority topics and formats
4. In partnership with FETA, develop a gender- responsive conservation leadership training curriculum and present its comprehensive plan tailored for coastal communities.
5. Carry out consultations with the Tanga-Pemba Seascape Steering Committee and key project partners to build consensus on the curriculum structure, topics, and delivery mechanisms.
6. Finalize the community conservation programme after feedback from the relevant stakeholders
7. In partnership with FETA, develop a roadmap to pilot and implement the community conservation Leadership Training program.

Deliverables and Activities

The consultant will provide the following deliverables and carry out the following activities:

Deliverable/Activity

Description

Deadline

1. Deliverable 1

• An inception report detailing the workplan and methodology for the activity as well as a timeframe.
• Template that will guide development of Community Conservation Leadership programme.
• List of target institution and stakeholders for consultations should be indicated in the report.

18th July 2025

2. Deliverable 2

• Draft curriculum for the conservation leadership training program for coastal communities and associated training tools and resources
• Report and PowerPoint presentation with a draft Roadmap and implementation plan for piloting the training program, including the process of accrediting the curriculum with relevant National authority

4th August 2025

3. Deliverable 3

• Final curriculum for a comprehensive conservation leadership training program for coastal communities and associated training tools and resources
• Final Roadmap and implementation plan for piloting the community Conservation leadership training program

15th August 2025

4. Deliverable 4

Final Report on the piloting progress of the Community Conservation Leadership Training Program

5 October 2025

Payment Schedule

The Timetable below summarises the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the Consultant.

Deliverable

Milestone payment

Deliverable 1: Inception report with clear description of the methodology and suggested outline of the final report (14 July 2025) as detailed in the list of deliverables.

30%

Deliverable 2: Draft Curriculum, Report and PowerPoint presentation with a draft Roadmap and implementation plan for piloting the training program as detailed in the list of deliverables.

20%

Deliverable 3: Submission and presentation of Final Curriculum, Roadmap and Implementation Plan (15 August 2024) as detailed in the list of deliverables.

20%

Deliverable 4: Submission of Final Report on the piloting progress of the Community Conservation Leadership Training Program and acceptance by project team (5 October 2025).

30%

Skills and Experience

The consultant must have the following skills, education and experience as a minimum:

• Advanced degree in Natural Resources Management, Marine Science and Ecological Restoration, Marine Governance and Coastal Management, Blue Economy and business management, Fisheries Studies, Knowledge management and Advocacy, Research and Public Policy Community Development Studies or related field
• At least 10 years’ working experience in natural resources management, marine governance and management, Nature based Solution for coastal and marine ecosystem, Blue Economy and business management, governance and public policies, advocacy and knowledge management, community engagement and mobilization and its application on community development.
• A track record on the execution of similar activities in Tanzania and Eastern and South Africa Region.
• Exhibit solid working knowledge, key terms, and current state of knowledge on development issues especially on sustainable Blue Economy, climate change, ocean governance, marine ecosystem conservation and protection
• Have substantial experience in information systems design and implementation as well as evidence-based design of training curriculums and facilitation of learning events.
• Possess transferable skills in knowledge documentation, use and regeneration.
• Have strong technical and creative writing skills with a full command of the English and Swahili Language (spoken and written)
• Ability to work efficiently and deliver on committed outputs under the assignment within the agreed timeline and budget.

Supervision and coordination

The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of Programme Manager – Coastal and Ocean Resilience (COR), IUCN Tanzania Country Office.