1. Introduction

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is an international multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber producers and processors, vehicle makers, NGOs, and smallholder natural rubber producers. 

As of June 2022, GPSNR has 135 smallholder members from 10 countries. Smallholder members on the Platform have consistently advocated for the Platform to implement initiatives on agroforestry and were a catalyst for GPSNR’s commitment on agroforestry announced at COP26 in Glasgow^[1].

To advance engagement with smallholders on agroforestry, GPSNR is seeking to hire a consultant to develop coaching materials on rubber agroforestry systems, and to conduct a pilot series of “Introduction to Agroforestry” workshops for smallholders in two to three countries in 2022.

Proposed programmes should be implemented in line with GPSNR environmental and social commitments and values, based on the GPSNR Policy Framework^[2].

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[1] GPSNR Announcement on Agroforestry: https://t.co/9aXbZeZpeS
[2]GPSNR Policy Framework: https://sustainablenaturalrubber.org/policy-framework/

2. Objectives and Deliverables     

Objectives

1. To collate and prepare global, country, and region-specific peer-reviewed evidence and best-practice materials on agroforestry for natural rubber systems
   1. Content on environmental, economic feasibility of rubber agroforestry systems
   2. Where feasible, collated material to be disseminated to GPSNR smallholder members and their communities even where workshops are not planned for in 2022 
   3. Materials would be translated by GPSNR under a separate budget
2. To conduct pilot workshops for GPSNR smallholder members and their communities, including active integration of women, youth, and minority representation, to introduce agroforestry concepts and practices, and provide guidance and answers for the following questions:
   1. What is possible to grow in your region or specific location, and how can this be achieved? Possible considerations include:
      1. Appropriate farm design
      2. Cultivation practices
      3. Cost estimation
   2. What is the market availability, demand, and potential economic/financial model and value chain of recommended crops, or of particular products, in your region?
   3. How can agroforestry investments benefit smallholders economically, environmentally, and socially? 

Deliverables

GPSNR has identified the following countries where materials, and workshops, should be prioritised in 2022:

1. Cambodia: strong enthusiasm from smallholders, NGOs, and other partners to organise and kickstart agroforestry in the country, where little to none have been implemented at present 
2. Indonesia: agroforestry possibilities and practices would vary widely across the country’s major rubber-producing regions; there is strong interest from smallholders as well; critical to blend or merge more traditional concepts such as jungle rubber with evidenced-based and structured forms of agroforestry
3. Thailand: a well-organised and budding agroforestry movement is taking root especially in southern Thailand (termed “sustainable natural rubber” by smallholders and the Rubber Authority of Thailand); workshops could further provide a boost to smallholders in the region and country
4. Next tier of countries: Cote d’Ivoire, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Myanmar 

The consultant may propose other priority countries in their proposal and justify their choice of countries based on metrics of their own construction.

The proposal should include key details such as the following:

• Methodology of content and curriculum development
• Proposed teaching or coaching pedagogy and approach for the workshops
• List of local partners or experts, if any, that could be engaged for the workshops
• Target number of smallholders in each country

Future Plans

In addition to the pilot series of workshops in 2022 in at least two countries, the consultant should present an outline to consider how the series of pilot “Introduction to Agroforestry Workshops” can be expanded (in terms of countries, content, level of engagement etc.) beyond 2022.

3. TENDER EVALUATION FACTORS

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors:

1. Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal
2. Relevant past performance/experience/accreditation of the bidder on agroforestry and agricultural production
3. Samples of work (e.g., previous training or coaching programmes in target countries)
4. Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff
5. Proposed timeline of operations

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.

4. Expected Timelines

The work shall begin by July 2022 and the various phases shall be completed in accordance with the approximate timeline below:

Activity	Due Date
RFP publication	3 June 2022
Submission deadline for proposals	1 July 2022
Contract Award	8 July 2022
First Workshops Conducted	September 2022
Second Workshops Conducted	October 2022
If Proposed: Third Workshops Conducted	November 2022
Final Review and Project Conclusion	December 2022

Consultants should detail a project timeline with milestones that are approximately in line with the above timeline.

Consultants will also provide fortnightly or monthly progress updates to the GPSNR Capacity Working Group, or on an as-needed basis.

5. Budget

The Platform is anticipating that the total budget of no more than 35,000 EUR be allocated to the project. The approximate expected breakdown for each Stage is as such:

Bidders should outline their expected budget expenditure in the proposal.

Payment terms shall be proposed by the bidder and discussed with GPSNR, in line with each Stage of the project.

6. Evaluation Factors

The proposal should include the following:

1. A workplan that outlines all key activities in line with the stated Objectives and Deliverables
2. Timeline and key stages of operations
3. Budget, including detailed breakdown of expected manpower, logistics, and costs
4. Description of past work and proof of technical expertise on natural rubber agroforestry systems is highly critical for this RFP
5. A list of project team members with their roles in the project and associated qualifications

Updated 6 May 2022

Introduction

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is an international multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber producers and processors, vehicle makers, NGOs, and smallholder natural rubber producers. 

GPSNR is seeking to hire a consultant to develop the GPSNR Policy Equivalent for Smallholders, which will put forth commitments for economic, environmental, and social sustainability for GPSNR smallholder members.

Relevant Background

GPSNR Policy Framework for Member Companies

In September 2020, the GPSNR General Assembly endorsed the GPSNR Policy Framework for natural rubber production and sourcing for GPSNR ordinary member companies.

The GPSNR Policy Framework provides a framework for GPSNR member companies to align their natural rubber purchasing policies on all aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. Modelled around the Platform’s 12 Principles of Sustainable Natural Rubber, the GPSNR policy framework sets out eight overarching themes that include commitments to legal compliance, community livelihoods, healthy, functioning ecosystems (including no deforestation), and respecting all human rights.

In line with the GPSNR Policy Framework, the GPSNR Secretariat has prepared guidance on the Policy Evaluation Procedure to support members in aligning their corporate policies with the GPSNR Policy Framework.

GPSNR Smallholders Policy Equivalent for Smallholder Members

As of March 2022, GPSNR currently has 112 smallholder members across 10 countries: Brazil, Cambodia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

While this represents a small percentage of the millions of smallholder producers globally, GPSNR is committed to developing the mechanisms, tools, and processes to support smallholders globally in adopting best practices for natural rubber production in terms of economic, environmental and social outcomes. 

To advance this, the Platform is developing the GPSNR Smallholders Policy Equivalent. GPSNR is seeking to hire a consultant to make recommendations on the objectives, content, function, and roadmap of this new document, the Smallholders Policy (or similar equivalent), relative to the needs, interests, and capacities of the Platform’s smallholder members.

The consultant is expected to collect relevant information via desktop study and information provided by the GPSNR Secretariat and the GPSNR Smallholders Policy Task Force.

The consultant would also be expected to conduct a number of stakeholder engagement sessions (e.g., interviews, focus group discussion; including but not necessarily limited to GPSNR smallholder members, and GPSNR NGO and private company members with direct interactions with smallholder, such as natural rubber processers) based on the criteria set out below. The GPSNR Secretariat will provide a preliminary list of contacts and the consultant will be expected to propose additional contacts to interview, with a particular focus on external schemes / platforms that engage with smallholders.

Regular contact and provision of updates to the Task Force together with the Secretariat will be required.

Further Context

To become a Smallholder Member of GPSNR, the following criteria must be met:

1. The primary source of income for the smallholder is the farm (not only Natural Rubber)
2. The Natural Rubber production unit size is not more than 50ha (although the farm may be larger)
3. Profits from the farm accrue primarily to the owner of the farm and their family

Deliverables

Objectives, Content and Function of the Smallholders Policy Equivalent

The consultant should put forth recommendations covering the objectives, substantive content, function, and roadmap (e.g., propose normative documents to be developed later on) of the Smallholders Policy Equivalent, considering the responses of key stakeholders to the following questions:

1. What are the objectives of the Policy Equivalent for GPSNR and GPSNR smallholder members?
2. What are the sustainability commitments and standards put forth in the Policy Equivalent?
3. How detailed should the commitments in the Policy Equivalent be? 
4. How binding should the Policy Equivalent be for smallholder members (e.g., level of adoption requirements)?
5. What would the Policy Equivalent entail or mean for smallholder members upon its completion and endorsement?
6. What are the expected costs and benefits of implementing the Policy Equivalent for member and non-member smallholders?
7. How would the content, form or function of the Policy Equivalent compare to existing equivalents (e.g., participatory guarantee systems) in other commodities (e.g., coffee, cocoa, palm oil etc.), if any? 
8. Follow-up Questions: What mechanisms can GPSNR put in place to assist farmers in managing the costs of adhering to implementing sustainability best practices?

This should be conducted through a needs review comprising a representative set of stakeholders (smallholders, NGOs, processers, and producers). GPSNR will facilitate virtual access and engagement with GPSNR smallholder and company members where applicable and requested by the consultant.

This RFP is also not limited in scope to smallholders or stakeholders in any specific geographical region, given that the output is expected to be globally applicable.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

The following submission guidelines & requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

1. Proposals will only be accepted from individuals or firms with experience relevant to this project.
2. Examples of previous relevant work should be provided as well.
3. A technical proposal must be provided that should be around 4 pages in length. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed methodology as well as resumes of all key personnel performing the work. In addition, the technical proposal should provide a proposed schedule and milestones, as applicable.
4. A price proposal must be provided that is not more than 1 page. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as daily rates and an estimated total number of days.
5. Proposals must be signed by a representative that is authorized to commit bidder’s company.
6. Proposals must be received prior to 10 June 2022 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to yeo.siyuan@gpsnr.org for consideration. You may also reach out to this contact for any questions or clarifications.

Project Timelines

The Request for Proposal timeline is as follows:

Request for Proposal Issuance	6 May 2022
Proposal submitted by consultant to yeo.siyuan@gpsnr.org	10 June 2022
Selection of Consultant / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders	24 June 2022
Contract Award	1 July 2022
Work to commence no later than	8 July 2022
First Review	August 2022
Second Review	September 2022
Delivery of Recommendations to GPSNR	End-September 2022

The above timeline is open to further adjustments based on discussions with the consultant and GPSNR’s ongoing key milestones.

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than 25,000 GBP. If the consultant deems that travel plans are required to execute this project, these should be included in the proposal (along with any additional budgetary requirements).

Payment terms shall be:

●       20% at the signing of the contract
●       30% at the midpoint date to be agreed upon and memorialized in the contract based on the submitted work plan
●       50% on delivery of the final report

Evaluation Factors

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors:

1. Costs and expected timeline
2. Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this RFP
3. Methodology for developing the Policy Equivalent 
4. Technical expertise/experience, including past performance/experience

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.