(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – Study on Environmental impacts, and risks, in the global Natural Rubber value chains

Introduction & Background

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 suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs.

The Risk Subgroup of GPSNR is seeking a consultant/field team to identify, test, evaluate and report on what effort may be required for a rubber processor to map their supply shed (i.e., all the farms that they are sourcing from) in complex supply chains such as in Indonesia and Thailand. 

Objectives

The goal of the pilot is to investigate what effort (i.e., time, effort, cost, labour) may be required for a rubber processor to map their supply chain in complex supply chains such as Indonesia and Thailand.

The goal of this pilot is to map at least 300 small holder farmers supplying one processing mill each in Thailand. The subgroup is open to negotiation on the total number of small holder farms mapped based on the service provider’s experience and estimation.

The service provider should work with the GPSNR Risk Subgroup and the participating processors from Thailand and their dealers to:

1. Keep track of time and costs of all mapping related activities throughout the study, calculate time and cost of mapping each farm, and provide them to their GPSNR Point of Contact at the end of the survey.
2. Register and map farmers using field-based mapping or in combination with remote sensing that is crossed checked with field-based mapping samples. The service provider is welcomed to use their own method.
   1. Collect and provide the shapefiles from the mapping at the end of the project to the point of contact and the participating processor.
3. Ask farmers to answer the RubberWay questionnaire.
4. Ask farmers to answer the HCVRN Nature Positive Farming questionnaire.
5. Unless automatically uploaded, submit farmers’ responses to the respective databases and the GPSNR point of contact at the end of each day for compilation.
6. Record the effort required to convince 300 farmers per processing mill to complete all 3 tools.
   1. Number of dealers and farmers contacted to identify 300 farmers willing to participate in study.
   2. Total person hours required to identify 300 willing suppliers.
   3. Details of incidental (not staff time) expenses required to identify 300 willing farmers.
7. Record the effort required/difficulty to convince the super dealers/suppliers to participate in the study, based on the supplier tiers & on the pilot sample goal.
   1. Skip Tier 1 farms
   2. Not more than 100 responses from Tier 2
   3. 200 responses from Tier 3 and 4 suppliers

Scope of Work

• Field data collection has to be completed by the second month from the starting date of the project.
  • Ideally, field teams are experienced in 2 or more of the above tools (RubberWay questionnaire, HCVRN Nature Positive Farming questionnaire and field-based or remote sensing-based mapping), else training will be provided. Please indicate which tools your team is experienced in using we will provide the necessary training.
    • If remote-sensing based is preferred by the service provider, please respond with the process and note that the data has to be cross-checked with field-based samples.
  • Field teams have to be able to speak the local language at each survey location(i.e., Thai).
• GPSNR estimates the necessary activities per farm and the time required to conduct them to be as follows:

1. Explain purpose of visit (~15 mins)
2. Get permission for personal data collection to ensure data protection (~5mins)
3. Map farm via mapping based on the mapping method chosen by the service provider (e.g., field-based mapping or remote sensing cross-checked with field samples) (~90mins).
   1. Mapping for farms <4 hectares:
      1. Polygon mapping or GPS mapping is up to the discretion of the service provider.
   2. Polygon mapping for farms above 4 hectares:
      1. This is based on the EU regulation (see Annex A) that a polygon would be required for farmers over 4 hectares.
      2. At least 10% (~30 of the 300 farms must be polygon mapped)
   3. Fill in RubberWay questionnaire (~30mins)
   4. Fill in HCVRN Nature Positive Farming questionnaire (~30mins – 1 hour)
   5. Verify data before departure (~10mins)

• GPSNR assumes:
  • Total time required: ~approximately 180 mins/3 hours per farm per field assistant.
  • Farms likely to be covered per day: 2 farms.
  • Total number of field assistant days required assuming 2 farms per day: 450 days
  • Total weeks required for 1 field assistant assuming 5 work days per week: 90 weeks
  • Total weeks required for two processors assuming 10 field assistants working simultaneously in one country: 9 weeks
  • This is an estimation of the time taken, we look forward to a comparison with the final recorded timings.
• If you have other ideas on how to achieve the above objectives, please provide details about how you would design the study

Expected Deliverables

Specifically, GPSNR expects the consultant to:

 1. Map at least 300 farmers supplying to the participating processor in Thailand and provide the shapefiles to the processor and the GPSNR point of contact.

a.      There should at least be 10% (~30 farms out of 300 farms) that are polygon mapped, based on the requirements mentioned above and in Annex A.

 2. We would like a detailed account of the time and resources spent on 1. travelling to the farm, 2. On the farm and 3. Data analysis

a.      We would like to see a breakdown of the total time spent in each component. E.g., Total reported time spent on 1 farm + 1 analysis = 8hours, within that 2 hour (time taken to travel to farm), 0.5 hours (convincing the farmer), 0.5 hours (communicating to farmer about the tool), 20 mins (Mapping the farms), 30 mins (HCVN questionnaire), 30 mins (Rubberway questionnaire)

 3. An evaluation of the merits and limitations of each tool

a.      E.g., 3/11 farmers surveyed were more apprehensive about the mapping tool due to fear of exposing their location.

 4. A recommendation of the scalability of this pilot

a.      Can the same estimated cost/time/labour be replicated in other regions/jurisdictions within the same country?

b.     E.g., $X/farm is calculated but is not scalable due to what reason(s).

Proposal Format and Contents

The proposal should include the following:

1. A workplan that outlines the key activities towards the deliverables outlined in Expected Deliverables above

2. The timeline and key stages of operations based on Project Timeline below

3. Budget, including detailed breakdown of expected manpower, logistics, and costs based on Budget below

4. Description of past work and technical expertise that is relevant to this RFP

A list of project team members with their roles in the project and associated qualifications.

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.
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 10 March 2023 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org and cheryl@gpsnr.org for consideration.
7. GPSNR reserves the right to amend the scope and budget of this RFP in order to get the most suitable consultant for each topic.

Project Timelines

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than €25,000 be allocated to this engagement.

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

The allocation of the payment shall be based on the net amount after travel expenses, if deemed necessary by both the consultant and Secretariat, are incurred and documented.

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.

Annex

Annex A: EU Deforestation Regulation

‘geolocation’ means the geographical location of a plot of land described by means of latitude and longitude coordinates corresponding to at least one latitude and longitude point and using at least six decimal digits. For relevant commodities other than cattle, for plots of land of more than 4 hectares, the geographical location shall be provided using polygons, meaning sufficient latitude and longitude points to describe the perimeter of each plot of land.

Text obtained from Article 2: Definitions, point (29) of the Deforestation Regulation consolidated text dated 20/12/22Deforestation Regulation consolidated text 20-12-22

View RFP Document here

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:

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.