Request for Proposal for Evaluation of the Northern Tanzania Rangelands Program, Tanzania 112 views0 applications

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a leading conservation organization working around the
world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. We address
the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. Thanks to the support of our more
than 1 million members, we’ve built a record of success since our founding in 1951.
Since June 2014, TNC and several other partner organizations have been working to support
the conservation of key biodiversity in Northern Tanzania’s 8.7-million-acre Tarangire
ecosystem.

TNC invites you or your organization to submit technical and price proposals to conduct an
evaluation of the Northern Tanzania Rangelands Program, Tanzania. A detailed description of
the requirement can be found in Part 2 of this Request for Proposal (RFP).

1.3 Procurement process
The following key dates apply to this procurement process:
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RFP issue date: 27 September 2024
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Deadline for questions: 10 October 2024, 17:00 EAT
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RFP closing date and time: 28 October 2024, 17:00 EAT
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Estimated contract award date: 15 November 2024
1.4 Conditions
TNC is not bound in any way to enter any contractual or other arrangements with any proposer as a result of issuing this RFP. TNC is under no obligation to accept any proposal. TNC reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time prior to contract award. By participating in this RFP, proposers accept the conditions set out in this RFP.
1.5 Queries and questions during the RFP period
Proposers are to direct any questions regarding the RFP to the above TNC contact. No other TNC personnel are to be contacted in relation to this RFP. Proposers must submit questions no later than 10 October 2024, 17:00 EAT.
As far as possible, TNC will share the responses to any questions, suitably anonymized, with all invited proposers. If you consider the content of your question confidential, you must state this at the time the question is posed.
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1.6 Amendments to RFP documents
TNC may amend the RFP document by issuing notices to that effect to all invited proposers and may extend the RFP closing date and time if deemed necessary.
1.7 Proposal lodgement methods and requirements
Proposers must submit their proposal to TNC no later than 15 October September 2024, 17:00 EAT by email to: [email protected]. The subject heading of the email should be ‘Evaluation of the Northern Tanzania Rangelands Program by [organizational name].’ Electronic copies are to be submitted in PDF, MS Word, or MS Excel formats. Proposals must be in English.
A technical proposal and a price proposal are required. The technical and price proposals need to be submitted as separate documents. All price proposals shall be in TZS.
1.8 Late and incomplete proposals
Any proposal received by TNC later than the stipulated RFP closing date and time, and any proposal that is incomplete, will not be considered. There will be no allowance made by TNC for any delays in the transmission of the proposal from the proposer to TNC.
1.9 Withdrawals and changes to the proposal
Proposals may be withdrawn or changed at any time prior to the RFP closing date and time by written notice to the TNC contact. No changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the RFP closing date and time.
1.10 Validity of proposals
Proposals submitted in response to this RFP are to remain valid for 30 calendar days from the RFP closing date.
1.11 Evaluation of proposals
The evaluation of proposals shall be carried out exclusively as per the evaluation criteria and their relative weights specified in Part 3 of this RFP.
1.12 Confidentiality
Any data, documentation, or other business information furnished by or disclosed to the contractor shall be deemed the property of TNC and must be returned to TNC upon request.
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PART 2 – REQUIREMENTS
The selected contractor will be required to work according to the detailed Terms of Reference contained in the following sections.
2.1 Background
Northern Tanzania’s 8.7-million-acre Tarangire ecosystem boasts the third-largest terrestrial mammal migration in East Africa (after Serengeti and South Sudan). Here, wildlife and livestock must move seasonally between Tarangire National Park and surrounding communal lands to access food and water. Unlike the Serengeti migration which falls almost entirely within protected areas, 80% of the lands that Tarangire’s wildlife needs are shared by communities. To sustain Tarangire’s great migration, TNC and partners are working with pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities to conserve five movement corridors that emanate from Tarangire National Park, span communal lands, and are vital to both wildlife and livestock. Our approach includes: 1) helping communities secure rights to open grazing lands within the five corridors; 2) supporting good management of these lands, wildlife, and livestock; and 3) creating or expanding mechanisms that incentivize and fund conservation and provide benefit to local communities (e.g., tourism and carbon payments).
2.2 Interventions to be evaluated
The evaluation will focus on evaluating the performance of the key intervention approaches that make up the Northern Tanzania Rangelands Program:
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Wildlife corridor protection
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Holistic planned grazing management
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Invasive species removal
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Sustainable funding mechanisms (soil carbon and tourism)
2.3 Scope of work
Evaluate the program progress and the results achieved during the program period from its inception in 2014, to the starting date of this assignment. Using a mixed-methods research approach, the evaluation will distill its findings from a representational sample drawn from the program sites in 23 villages and the Randilen and Makame Wildlife Management Areas in Northern Tanzania under improved rangeland management which total 904,000 hectares. A map showing the project area is in the appendices. The evaluation will cover the program interventions noted above and the NTRI partnership.
2.4 Purpose and rationale
Over the last ten years, the program has seen an investment of approximately US$23 million. The TNC Africa management team now wishes to evaluate the potential for significant conservation achievements in this region over the next five years (such as improved management in at least 500,000 ha) and to determine the most effective strategies and arrangements to realize these achievements. Thus, the purpose of this evaluation is to provide the TNC Africa management team with evidence-based findings on past success and actionable recommendations to guide future strategic planning and operational modalities/arrangements for this project. Should we implement changes, maintain the current course, reduce the project’s scope, or consider sunsetting the project? All options are on the table for consideration.
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2.5 Intended user(s) and use(s)
The intended users of this evaluation are the Managing Director of Global Conservation at TNC, the Africa Regional Managing Director, the Africa Conservation Director, the Tanzania Country Director, the Portfolio Director, and the Program Delivery Director. The results of the evaluation will be used to learn about TNC’s past and likely future impact in the project area and to decide TNC’s future arrangements and level of investment in this geography.
2.6
Evaluation objectives and approach
The evaluation will assess the program’s performance against the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria (relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability) and make recommendations. The objectives of the evaluation are to:
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Assess the relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the program and its progress toward achieving its objectives (evidence-based accountability).
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Deliver evidence-based findings, lessons, and actionable recommendations to help guide TNC to make any required modifications to programming to set the program on a path to succeed, and/or to generate learning for future programming.
The evaluation design is expected to be based on a mixed-method approach (collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data) with several case study examples. Consider evidence-based, attribution and contribution analysis to explore the relations between activities and outcomes as well as contextual factors to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, and sustainability of the interventions. Promote a gender-sensitive and equity-focused approach to the evaluation methods, tools, data collection and analysis, and reporting mechanisms.
2.7
Evaluation questions
To meet the purpose of this evaluation, we are seeking responses to seven overarching questions.
1. Is the overall program design and framework still appropriate?
Consider whether the 10-year plan’s vision and goals are still relevant to the context (https://tnc.box.com/s/fvenk3a2gowwufdt1oxnikms37ioohbz), and if they align with TNC’s 2030 goals (https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/). Test whether the Situation Analysis in the 10-year plan is still relevant to the needs and priorities in the landscape and amongst the key stakeholders. Identify what changes are needed to catalyze large-scale gains in rangelands under improved management (500,000 ha or more) in the next 5 years. Furthermore, consider what would success look like for the landscape, and is the current geographical footprint appropriate for meeting the program goals.2. Is the theory of change holding true?
Assess whether the program’s theory of change (in the appendices) is holding true. To what extent have the pathways for change, outlined in the theory of change, proven to be robust and based on solid assumptions?
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3. Is the program effective in delivering its expected results and impacts?
To what extent has the program achieved or is likely to achieve its objectives, including any differential results across groups? What is the evidence for achievements and what were the main factors affecting performance? To what extent has the program achieved improvements in pastoralist grazing systems and healthy, connected rangelands that contribute to sustaining northern Tanzania as a high-quality habitat for large migratory mammals, and what is the evidence that the program has provided people in the project area with sustainable, place-based economic opportunities?
4. What is TNC’s current and likely future return on investment?
How well are resources being used and how efficiently is the program converting resources and inputs into sustainable results? Given what TNC has achieved in 10 years, and if we continue at the current investment level, how can the Program catalyze large-scale gains in rangelands under improved management (500,000 ha or more) in the next 5 years? What is the cost-effectiveness of the programs’ different intervention types compared to the benefits achieved? To what extent are the program-supported mechanisms still functioning and meeting the standards and the purpose expected? To what extent was the delivery of interventions effective in generating results at scale?
5. How efficient and coherent are our partnership arrangements to deliver and meet program goals?
Consider if we have the right partnership model and partners to deliver the theory of change, and whether our engagement with communities, donors, the wider public, and the Tanzania government are effective in supporting the enabling environment for efficient implementation and delivery.
6. How effective are our program leadership arrangements?
Consider whether we are playing to the strengths of our program team and what changes in management structure/role holders would improve program leadership.
7. To what extent is the program compatible, aligned, and complementary with other interventions in the landscape?
Consider whether TNC is the most appropriate organization to lead the implementation of the theory of change in terms of TNC’s comparative advantage compared to government agencies and other NGOs in the project area.
Evaluating the best option
Based on the evaluation’s evidence-based findings for 1 to 7 above and the associated lessons learned, what are the key recommendations for TNC going forward (implement changes, maintain the current course, reduce the project’s scope, or consider sunsetting the project)?
2.8 Procedures and logistics
The workstation will be in the TNC offices in Arusha, Tanzania. TNC will cover fees and reimburse the travel costs (international and local) in a contract and directly pay the local costs of supplies, workshop costs, and room and board for the evaluation team.
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2.9 Deliverables
The deliverables are organized according to the three phases of the assignment.
Inception Phase:
− Validation of the Evaluation Questions via consultation with the program team and TNC.
− Review of the program theory of change in consultation with the program and TNC teams.
− Secondary data review.
− Design of the evaluation methodology and sampling strategy.
− The Inception Report (maximum of 30 pages) covering the evaluation design and the evaluation matrix outlining the final set of Evaluation Questions with the data collection and analysis methods.
− Slide presentation of the Inception Report
Data Collection Phase:
− Field data gathering, consultation, and interviews
− Data analysis
− Community feedback and validation sessions
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Presentation and validation sessions with the program and TNC
Reporting Phase:
− Draft Report with an Introduction, Findings, Discussion, Lessons, and Recommendations. Annexes to the report include the ToR, the evaluation methodology, relevant map(s), lists of persons/organizations consulted, literature and documentation consulted, and any other technical annexes.
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Edited Report incorporating the TNC feedback and comments
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Final Evaluation Report in MS Word that is no more than 40 pages plus added annexes and a publishable-quality executive summary of up to 5 pages.
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Free-standing Executive Summary – A short, tightly-drafted, to-the-point summary of no more than 5 pages that clearly indicates the main conclusions, lessons, and specific recommendations.
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Slide presentation – A 20-minute talk with slides summarizing the results. The target audience for both is the TNC Africa management team.
Quality assessment criteria include: does the report have a logical structure, with a clear introduction, findings, discussion, lessons, and recommendations; is the data collection process clearly described; were the evaluation questions answered; are the recommendations actionable; are the findings supported by the data; and were the data triangulated.
2.10 Required competencies
The contractor will be a member of a professional evaluation association or society such as the European Evaluation Society, the African Evaluation Association, or the American Evaluation Association. There will be a team leader, a sector specialist (grasslands and grazing), an inclusivity expert (gender, youth, and human rights), and someone who knows the local landscape. Mandatory qualifications for the team leader:
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A master’s degree or Ph.D. in a relevant field such as conservation biology, environmental science, anthropology, sociology, or international development.
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At least 5-10 years of experience in qualitative research, specifically within conservation or natural resource management, preferably in East Africa or similar contexts.
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Proven experience conducting long-term evaluations of conservation projects, with a focus on qualitative methods like interviews, focus groups, and participatory approaches.
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Experience working with diverse local communities in Tanzania or similar regions, with a deep understanding of local social, cultural, and environmental contexts.
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Expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods, including thematic analysis.
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Proficiency in using qualitative data analysis software like NVivo or Atlas.ti
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Fluency in English. A working knowledge of Swahili and/or Maa would be highly advantageous.
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Strong verbal and written communication skills to effectively report findings to diverse stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies, and international NGOs.
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Ability to work collaboratively with project staff, local communities, and other stakeholders to gather data and insights.
2.11 Duration of assignment
Dates will be agreed for the fieldwork with the project team. TNC expects all the work and the final payment to be completed no later than 4 months after contract signing.
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PART 3 – EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
A technical proposal and a separate price proposal are requested. The technical proposal will be worth 70 points and the price proposal will be worth 30 points. A technical proposal must achieve a minimum score of 50 points to be qualified. Only after the proposal is technically qualified will the price proposal be considered.
Proposal
Points
Technical
70 Points
Price
30 Points
Total
100 Points
The primary and sub-criteria for the technical evaluation are:
Criteria
Points
Number of program evaluations completed in the last 4 years
0-20
Number of international organizations as clients
0-10
Response to the Scope of Work above
Level of detail (0-10 points)
Completeness (0-10 points)
0-20
Key personnel
General qualifications (team leader 50%/#1 specialist 50%) (0-10 points)
Relevant experience (team leader 50%/#1 specialist 50%) (0-10 points)
0-20
Total
70 points
A technical proposal must achieve a minimum score of 50 points to be qualified. Only after the proposal is technically qualified will the price proposal be considered.
For price proposals, the lowest-priced proposal will receive 30 points and the other proposals receive points based on the percentage of their price compared to the lowest-priced proposal. Price score = price of lowest proposal ÷ price of proposal being evaluated x 30.
The contract will be awarded to the proposal with the highest total score from the technical and price proposals.