(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – Grievance Mechanism Review

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The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber is an international, Multi-Stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain. Development of the GPSNR was initiated by the CEOS of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) in 2018. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs. Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define strategy and objectives.

Through GPSNR’s Working Groups and the Executive Committee, the Platform is developing an Assurance Model that is intended to be credible and smoothly functioning. Underlying this Assurance Model, and to ensure its effective implementation, is the need for a mechanism by which Members and non-members may take grievances they have against a Member for non-conformance with the Platform’s requirements, which may arise from non-conformance with standards, the Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy, or other requirements of Members and allow those complainants to have their grievance be heard and resolved (“Grievance Mechanism”).

Under its authority and duty to create a Compliance System for the Platform under Section 10.d. of the Platform’s statutes, the Executive Committee seeks recommendations on the organization and process for such a Grievance Mechanism that allows for the intake, an initial, professionally mediated resolution process, and, finally, the process by which it is submitted to a formal Complaints Panel for resolution in the case that mediation does not work. That recommendation would be in accordance with the engagement outline below and based on a comparative study of best practices in grievance mechanisms for similar multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Understanding that the Platform is in its early stages, and therefore has limited resources, the recommendation should strive for a lean model while maintaining consistency with the policies of the Platform (e.g., Conflict of Interest Policy). Although lean, the Platform also recognizes the need for a process that is accessible, impartial, timely, transparent, and affords protections, such as anonymity, to the complainant (where needed). Developing the Grievance Mechanism is expected to be an iterative process.

The consultant is to develop, in consultation with the GPSNR Executive Committee and Secretariat, a Grievance Mechanism in the form of a process flowchart and a set of rules governing the process for receiving, assessing, processing, and escalating grievances through a series of steps to find an agreeable and just solution. The consultant should adhere to the following phased, iterative approach:

  • Phase I – Comparative Review of Grievance Mechanisms for Similar Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
  • Phase II – Process Flowchart/Outline
  • Phase III – Final Recommendation

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 is not more than 4 pages. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed solution 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 pages. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as hourly 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 the 13th of December to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org for consideration.
  7. GPSNR anticipates shortlisting at least two individuals or firms to have more in-depth discussions with and will make an award to one of these “down-selected” individuals or firms.
  8. GPSNR reserves the right to amend the scope and budget of this RFP in order to get the most suitable consultant for each topic.

Download full Request for Proposal here

Attachement A -will be shared upon submission

Attachement B- will be shared upon submission

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(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – GPSNR Compliance Panel Guidance (GPSNR-RFP-A02-014)

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber is an international, multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative committed to improving the socioeconomics and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain.  Development of the GPSNR was initiated by the CEOs of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) in 2018.  Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs.  Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define strategy and objectives.

The GPSNR Statutes mandate the creation of an independent Compliance Panel to review and ensure that Members meet GPSNR membership requirements in conformance with Statutes, Code of Conduct, decisions, standards and processes, and make recommendations to GPSNR Executive Committee. The Compliance Panel will administer decisions in line with relevant GPSNR procedures. The panel shall be composed of three external experts and will operate independently from the membership and Secretariat.

GPSNR is seeking a consultant to help define procedures and guidelines required for the transparent and impartial operations and activities of GPSNR Compliance Panel.

PHASE I: OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF WORK

Objectives: To review GPSNR Statutes and relevant procedures, and develop recommendations and propose options available for the structure, operations and verification protocols of the Compliance Panel. 

The current GPSNR membership statutes document stipulates the following: 

10. Compliance System and Compliance Panel. The Executive Committee shall establish a Compliance System to ensure that Members meet Platform membership requirements in conformance with the Platform’s Statutes, Code of Conduct, decisions, standards and processes. The operating procedures of the Compliance System shall be defined in terms of reference to be adopted by the Executive Committee, consistent with the following core provisions: 

a. The Compliance System shall be administered by the Secretariat. 

b. Recommendations and decisions under the Compliance System shall be made by a Compliance Panel. 

c. The Compliance Panel’s functions shall include the review of whether a Member (in the period after its admission) meets the requirements for membership. 

d. The Compliance Panel shall operate independently from the Executive Committee and General Assembly. 

e. The Compliance Panel shall be composed of an independent body of three external experts that meet on a regular basis. 

f. Experts shall be nominated by an Ordinary Member and elected by a decision of the General Assembly to serve a 3-year term. 

g. A Member of the Compliance Panel may be removed by a consensus decision of the Executive Committee with a clear justification available to members upon request. 

h. Members of the Compliance Panel shall be subject to a conflict of interest policy, as adopted by the Executive Committee. 

i. The Compliance System shall ensure that Members are afforded an opportunity to be heard and an opportunity to cure any findings of non-compliance, alleged by either the Compliance System or Grievance Mechanism. 

The consultant is expected to provide an outline of relevant existing compliance models, a comparison of options that GPSNR could consider, and justified recommendations based on: 

  • Review of other existing membership and/or compliance panel models  
  • Review of GPSNR Statutes and other relevant GPSNR documents  
  • Interviews with GPSNR members and relevant external stakeholders 
  • Other relevant expert advice and guidance 

Scope of Work:

GPSNR is seeking a consultant to recommend operational procedures and guidance for the GPSNR Compliance Panel, to include: 

  • Proposed roles and responsibilities of GPSNR Compliance Panel 
  • Suggested scope of the CP’s activities 
  • Recommended qualification requirements and selection protocols for Compliance Panel members; covering necessary relevant expertise, how to avoid conflict of interests, and procedures for the appointment and removal of Panel members  
  • Options for the structure of decision-making within the panel 
  • Proposed verification procedures by the panel to assess ongoing compliance of GPSNR members with membership requirements 
  • Procedure for issuing appropriate recommendations to ensure compliance of GPSNR members, based on the submitted results of the verification process.  
  • Options for GPSNR to deal with situations where members cannot demonstrate compliance with relevant membership requirements, including steps towards potential suspension or termination in cases of major or persistent noncompliance 
  • Suggestions for appeal procedures related to the decisions/recommendations of the GPSNR CP 
  • Procedure for recording and reporting of Compliance Panel decisions/recommendations  

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENTS

  • Description of past work that is relevant to this RFP. 
  • A workplan that outlines all key activities of the pilot study, cost for each and timeline for completion. 
  • A description of deliverables and indication of accessibility to GPSNR members and/or the public.  
  • A list of project team members with their roles in the project and associated qualifications. 

TERMS

The work shall begin by 21 May 2021 and the various phases shall be completed in accordance with the dates outlined in the timeline below: 

Activity  Due Date 
Submission deadline for proposals  7 May 2021 
Contract Award  14 May 2021 
Work begins  By 21 May 2021 
Presentation of first draft to GPSNR Policy Toolbox WG (WG1)  2 June 2021 (adjustable) 
Review of draft based on WG1 feedback  3-10 June 2021 
Submission of final recommendations   11 June 2021 

BUDGET

The Platform is anticipating that the total budget of no more than 10,000 SGD be allocated to the engagement. 

Payment terms shall be: 

  • 20% at the signing of the contract 
  • 30% at the presentation of the first draft 
  • 50% upon delivery of the final recommendations. 

EVALUATION FACTORS

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors, with cost being the most important factor: 

  1. Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal; 
  2. Relevant past performance/experience; 
  3. Samples of work; 
  4. Cost, including an assessment of total cost of ownership; 
  5. Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff. 

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. 

Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org and aidan@gpsnr.org for consideration.

GPSNR Staff April 9, 2021

(Closed) Request For Proposal – GPSNR-RFP-A02-020-Smallholders Policy Equivalent

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.

View RFP Document here

GPSNR Secretariat March 22, 2022
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