Call for EOI: Gender Equality and Socio-Inclusion (GESI) analysis for Phuc Sinh Climate Smart Coffee in Vietnam

Background

Phuc Sinh Corporation (https://phucsinh.com) ranks among Vietnam’s top 10 exporters in both markets. Renowned for their leadership in Rainforest Alliance (RA) standard farming in Vietnam. For over two decades, Phuc Sinh has successfully built a responsible supply chain by sustainable cultivating and distributing, which is safe for consumers, related communities, forests, and natural resources.

The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (www.thedfcd.com) provides finance and technical assistance (TA) to enable, mobilise, and scale private sector funding for climate-smart development in two stages: origination and investment.

Phuc Sinh and DFCD-SNV agreed to implement an origination project to support the development of “Scaling climate-smart coffee practices among vulnerable communities in Vietnam’s Highlands, by Phuc Sinh.”. The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) Origination Facility approved a grant through SNV to provide a technical assistance package for Phuc Sinh. which will allow Phuc Sinh to undertake comprehensive Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis and make recommendations for action.

Objectives of the assignment

The Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis aims to provide information for Phuc Sinh on scaling climate-smart coffee practices among vulnerable communities on the barriers and opportunities that women and men in all their diversity face in the agriculture sector. The GESI analysis will take a transformative approach that takes into consideration how various social determinants like age, gender, disability, ethnicity, minority and economic status, among others, contribute to challenges or facilitate opportunities for individuals and households who seek to generate income from the coffee industry.

This GESI analysis findings will synthesise to provide concrete GESI recommendations and a GESI action plan (GAP). The recommendations will provide guidance to various stakeholders to respond to the gender needs (practical & strategic) of women, men, and marginalised groups within the coffee industry in the highland areas.

The consultant will conduct a comprehensive GESI analysis of Phuc Sinh’s backward integration operations, policies, and sourcing model to:

Identify the most vulnerable group particularly in the implementation area.
Identify the Gender Gap in regards of power relation in Company along with the project participants and other stakeholders in value chain.
Develop strategies for the inclusion of smallholder farmers, with a focus on women, youth, and vulnerable groups.

Activities/Tasks

Analyse Phuc Sinh existing GESI policies and practices in its value chain.
Analyse the role & need (Practical & strategic) of men, women, youth, and vulnerable groups within ’s sourcing model.
Analyse the power relations (access & control over resources, participation in decision making of men, women, youth, and vulnerable groups within ’s sourcing model.
Develop a GESI Action Plan (GAP) providing a road map for Phuc Sinh to promote inclusion and economic empowerment within the communities.
Work collaboratively with Phuc Sinh and DFCD/SNV on a regular basis to ensure that key milestones are met before proceeding to next steps.
Build on the existing knowledge base through a desk-based study to review the project information, current socio-economic, cultural, religious gender issues, and legal factors that underlie differential gender position on economic development among the vulnerable groups in project sites. Identify gaps in gender and social inequalities that are existing in the projects.
Design and conduct GESI analysis for Phuc Sinh’s project sites (surveys’ methodology, questionnaires…) in consultation with Phuc Sinh, DFCD/SNV and related local stakeholders that’ll consider GESI and women’s economic empowerment in this sector.
Elaboration of GESI Action Plans (GAPs) for Phuc Sinh’s climate-smart coffee production project.
Present the main findings and recommendations at consultation workshop, get feedback from local stakeholders and related government gender associations.

Deliverables

Inception report outlining the key features of gender equality and issues in Phuc Sinh Corp and project sites (Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Son La, Binh Duong). The report should include the qualitative data collection plan that is informed by the desk review to build on the existing GESI knowledge base in the highland and to avoid duplication of existing data. The report should also include a list of targeted participants by age, gender, (and other factors as decided in collaboration with SNV) and location and focus group and in-depth interview guides
Presentation for consultation workshop and feedback from stakeholders, and GESI capacity building training material.
GESI analysis report with recommendations, an action plan for development and implementation of GESI interventions in the project.
Ensure the disaggregated data and plan should align with the identifying gap.

For more details on the Expression of Interest process, submission requirements, and evaluation details, please see corresponding sections below:

Submission Requirements

Interested consultancy companies should submit the EOIs with following information/ documents via the link https://smrtr.io/pk_6Z:

Letter of Interest
The applicant’s professional qualifications and CVs which requires:

Post graduate degree in social sciences, development studies or related sectors with at least 5 years working experience in gender equality and social governance.
Proven track record in research and analytical work in gender equality and women’s economic empowerment (example of relevant deliverables should be shown)
Experience with private sector, multi-stakeholder, NGO/development programs as well as working with community and vulnerable groups.
Strong knowledge/expertise on gender/women empowerment, and/or on value chain.
Strong qualifications and skills on report writing.

Due Diligence Declaration Form via https://smrtr.io/pk_6Z
Business license of the company (if any).

Deadline for EOI Submissions

EOIs are due 17:00 hrs. on January 6^th, 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.