Background
About SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
SNV is an international not-for-profit development organisation, working in more than 25 countries in Africa and Asia. SNV is a mission-driven global development partner, rooted in the contexts and societies where we work. And that mission is to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems to enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all. Our global team of advisors use their specialist expertise to facilitate sustainable change in the livelihoods of millions of people living in poverty.
About the TRVC project
Funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the project “Transforming the rice value chain for climate resilient and sustainable development in the Mekong delta (TRVC)” is implemented by SNV, Netherlands Development Organisation, in 3 provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap and Kien Giang. Using Pay-for-Results (PfRs) mechanism, TRVC Project incentivizes and attracts the participation of private enterprises in the Rice Value Chain as competitors, aiming to scale-up innovative technologies to achieve higher economic outcomes for smallholder farmers (SHFs) and all Rice Value Chain (RVC) actors, improve rice quality and inclusive social values while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigating environmental footprints as co-benefits. The overall aim of TRVC is to bring about significant positive environmental and social outcomes by incentivizing the scaling of low-carbon, sustainable, and climate-resilient rice production practices. In doing so, the program seeks to deliver both climate adaptation and mitigation benefits through the widespread adoption of low-carbon rice farming practices that reduce the use of agro-inputs and water in rice production. These more sustainable practices also offer other environmental benefits, such as reducing pollution in waterways and promoting biodiversity. From a social perspective, the project places a specific emphasis on ensuring that smallholders and local farming communities (including ethnic minority groups) participate in and benefit from the transformations in the rice value chain. Ultimately, the project’s interventions aim to increase rice yields and net profits for rice farmers.
In January 2024, the project conducted capacity-building sessions for 10 participating companies and other stakeholders on environmental and social standards and safeguards, aligning with the DFAT, IFC, and SNV’s safeguard policies and international regulations. The sessions aimed to unify and disseminate an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), which provides a set of procedures, actions, and measures for the avoidance, management/minimization, and mitigation of risks identified in the rice value chain, as applied in the project. To provide technical support to participating companies in achieving the identified environmental and social safeguards and to monitor their implementation of Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAP), SNV is seeking an individual consultant specializing in environmental and social safeguards. The consultant will work with the TRVC project team to monitor the environmental and social safeguards of participating companies and provide technical support to the project according to the detailed terms and requirements outlined below
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
Under the supervision of TRVC’s Team Leader and close coordination of the MEL Team, the Consultant will design, oversee, and ensure the regular implementation of relevant safeguards by the participating companies throughout the project. This will be done by reviewing reports submitted by the companies and conducting spot checks. The Consultant will also provide guidance to the companies in developing their own Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAP) and preparing monitoring reports. The use of templates for screening criteria/list, due diligence checks of participating companies, and their ESAPs is essential to support their implementation and compliance during the project. Additionally, the Consultant will continue to provide hands-on training and capacity building on safeguards for newly participating enterprises to assist them in developing their ESAPs. The Consultant will guide and facilitate the participating companies in identifying risks, mitigation measures, and Grievance Redress Mechanisms (GRM) to effectively address complaints from workers and local communities.
Key objectives include:
- To monitor the implementation of environmental and social safeguards by the participating companies ensuring compliance with the ESMF and DFAT’s policies.
- To provide technical support and guidance to participating companies in the development, refinement, and implementation of their Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAP).
- To deliver hands-on training to existing and new participating enterprises on environmental and social safeguard, ensuring that they can effectively develop and implement their ESAPs and comply with IFC/DFAT/SNV standards.
- Document challenges and successes to ensure that the safeguard-related data aligns with the project’s objectives and DFAT’s best practices.
DETAILED TASKS
Task 1. Provide technical support to participating companies to achieve identified environmental and social safeguards outcomes, specifically includes the following support
- Assist participating companies in developing and refining their Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAPs), ensuring they meet the project’s environmental and social standards.
- Collaborate with each company focal point and the TRVC Project team to support companies in identifying environmental and social risks within their operations and developing appropriate mitigation measures to address those risks.
- Visit participating companies and farms to assess the implementation of environmental and social safeguards, providing on-the-ground guidance and conducting spot checks for Crop 1 and 2.
- Provide guidance on establishing and managing effective GRMs to handle complaints from workers, local communities, and other stakeholders.
- Monitor and track the implementation of safeguards, providing feedback and ensuring compliance with the project’s safeguard requirements.
- Offer training and guidance to existing and new companies joining the project on safeguard policies, best practices, and the implementation of their ESAPs.
Task 2. Support and participate in meetings with DFAT experts and assessment teams
- Attend and assist the project in meetings concerning environmental and social safeguards topics with DFAT and other relevant stakeholders.
- Prepare documents and reports regarding the environmental and social safeguards topics for discussions with DFAT’s experts and assessment teams.
- Coordinate with the project team to organize visits by donors or other stakeholders focusing on the environmental and social safeguards within the companies.
Task 3. Document environmental and social safeguards progress, case studies, and reports for experience-sharing
- Keep detailed records of the implementation and progress of environmental and social safeguards across participating companies, highlighting successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
- Develop case studies that showcase successful examples of safeguard implementation, risk mitigation, and sustainable practices in the rice value chain, for sharing with stakeholders.
- Produce comprehensive reports for Crop 1 summarizing the progress of safeguards, including quantitative and qualitative data, to be shared with DFAT, project teams, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Produce comprehensive reports for Crop 2 summarizing the progress of safeguards, including quantitative and qualitative data, to be shared with DFAT, project teams, and other relevant stakeholders.
For more details on the Expression of Interest process, submission requirements, and evaluation details, please see corresponding sections below:
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Submission Requirements |
Interested consultant teams/ firms should submit the EOIs with following information/ documents via the link https://smrtr.io/pjprr
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Deadline for EOI Submissions |
EOIs are due 17:00 on January 2nd, 2025 |
Selection Process
SNV will review all Expressions of Interest received in accordance with the guidelines and criteria in this solicitation. SNV reserves the right to exclude any EOIs that do not meet the guidelines. Please note that SNV is unable to provide detailed feedback to those EOIs that are not selected.
Step 1: SNV will shortlist selected EOIs, and unsuccessful respondents will be notified. Successful applicants will be contacted by SNV.
Step 2: SNV will release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the specific activities and contract with the selected organizations/ consultants.
Protection of Information
We request that Expressions of Interest responses be free of any intellectual property that the applicant wishes to protect. Should offerors wish to include proprietary intellectual property that they believe would be helpful for SNV, please note the proprietary nature of such information. Costing information will be kept confidential and will not be shared beyond SNV.
Issuance of this EOI does not constitute a commitment, award, or engagement on the part of SNV nor does it commit SNV to any future commitment or engagement.
Note: SNV reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement in the EOI/or solicitation process at any time.