Consultancy for Policy Assessment and Recommendations for Climate Resilient Rice Seed in the Mekong DELTA

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

POLICY ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENT RICE SEED
IN THE MEKONG DELTA

SNV Netherlands Development Organization

SNV is an international not-for-profit development organisation, working in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. SNV specializes in supporting the resourcefulness of development actors by developing local capacities, improving performance and services, strengthening governance systems, helping to create access for excluded groups and by making markets work for the poor. Our global team of advisors use their specialist sector expertise in Agriculture, Renewable Energy and WASH to facilitate sustainable change in the livelihoods of millions of people living in poverty.

The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD)

The Dutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) provides finance and Technical Assistance (TA) to mobilize and scale external private sector funding for climate smart development. The DFCD’s Origination Facility (OF) managed by SNV and WWF identifies investment opportunities that support climate change adaptation, mitigation as well as key sustainable development co-benefits. The OF supports the further elaboration of projects with private sector partners through the provision of TA for project design, feasibility assessments, piloting and other activities.

The OF has identified an opportunity to promote VINASEED’s (Vietnam national seed group) climate resilient rice seed solutions in the Mekong delta priority landscape. That’s a clear Rio Marker 2 providing a direct adaptation response to the growing vulnerability in the region, because of climate change. It forms an important additional instrument for the Dutch government’s efforts in contributing to the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

VINASEED and DFCD origination project

Established in 1968 as a state enterprise under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Vinaseed was privatized in November 2003. It becomes one of the leading groups in the scale of management capability, Crop Industry in financial management and market share development in Viet Nam and growing in the region. It’s also noticed as an innovative climate business in researching, developing climate-smart agricultural products with a high yield, outstanding quality, and smart resilient rice seed to climate impacts in the country.

The DFCD’s Origination Facility Investment Committee has approved an origination project proposal to support the development of more climate-resilient rice seeds in the Mekong Delta, which is being undertaken by Vinaseed (Vietnam National Seeds Group JSC).

Project Sites

The project site covers in the Mekong Delta, one of the most vulnerable areas from the severity of various abiotic stresses from climate change, because of its importance of Earth’s most agriculturally productive regions and global importance for rice and home of the most vibrant sources of life in Southern Asia”. Since environmental stress negatively affects crop growth and productivity throughout the world and MKD and threatens sustainability, the SNV/DFCD would like to provide scientific bases and recommendations for the Mekong Delta Integrated Plan, Resolution 120 on Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam.  

SNV is open for EOIs to assess agricultural policies on climate-resilient rice varieties to the detrimental effects of climate under different scenarios, current and predicted. In order to provide recommendations for the development and dissemination of climate-resilient rice and multiple stakeholders participated action plan in the MKD. It’ll be superimposed of all other layers of Eco-physiological and bioclimatic data of habitat suitability; Economic profitability, suitability; Social stability; and policy governance assistances (private sector engagement, multiple stakeholder platform...) in the MKD.

The following tasks should also be undertaken in consideration of and coordination with other relevant studies (Preliminary Environmental and Social Assessment (PESA); Landscape assessment (LA)), and consultations with relevant stakeholders.

1. Literature reviews and analysis of related current international/regional policies, collaboration agreements on climate rice varieties promotion in the related region
2. Reviewing national agriculture and rice and rice seed policy (food security, agriculture transformation…); Mekong Delta Integrated Planning under Resolution 120; and Provincial specific plans and policies on rice enhancement programs
3. Develop approach, methods and conduct these related consultations, surveys for assessing current needs, gaps and barriers/drivers for development, implementation of climate rice R&D and adoption programs in the MKD
4. Coordinating with other assessments (as stated above) for commenting, collaborating, planning for field surveys, consultations and required outputs/deliverables for fitting into synthetic workplan of landscape assessment, environment, and social governance to feed into the final policy assessment and recommendations to implementation of resolution 120.
5. Determine and prioritize action plan for disseminating/promoting RRS across landscape systems in comparing baseline conditions, and multiple stakeholder participation/consultations at sub-national level and small households. In which, elaborate of a Gender Action Plan.
6. Consulting and reviewing the findings/recommendations with national/regional policy makers. In order to contribute to Resolution 120 on Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta and National Policy and Strategy of Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD/MARD)
7. Presenting the assessment and recommendations to multiple stakeholders and media
8. Enhancing communication of multiple stakeholders to design for establishing of participation platforms to assist the dissemination of climate RRS in the MKD.
9. Leading in communication training/field showing about related RRS’s policy, ESA, LA activities in the MKD to public media to enhance public awareness, communication, and dissemination for RRS to related stakeholders, policy makers and small households

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

Selection Process

SNV Vietnam will review all Expressions of Interest received in accordance with the guidelines and criteria in this solicitation. SNV Vietnam 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 Vietnam will shortlist selected EOIs, and unsuccessful respondents will be notified. Successful applicants will be contacted by SNV Vietnam.

Step 2: SNV Vietnam 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 Vietnam, please note the proprietary nature of such information. Costing information will be kept confidential and will not be shared beyond SNV Vietnam.

Issuance of this EOI does not constitute a commitment, award, or engagement on the part of SNV Vietnam nor does it commit SNV Vietnam to any future commitment or engagement.

Note: SNV Vietnam reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement in the EOI/or solicitation process at any time.

The applicant needs to complete the Advanced Due Diligence Framework in the Annex attached to application.

CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST