Consultancy services for FOR SOMALIA GREEN CLIMATE FUND FUNDING PROPOSAL DESIGN PACKAGE

GREEN CLIMATE FUND – SOMALIA FUNDING PROPOSAL PACKAGE

Save the Children International is inviting submissions of Expression of Interest (EOI) from consultants, firms, or consortiums to undertake the development of the funding proposal package to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for a climate change adaptation project in Somalia.

2.1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

Save the Children International is working with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) in Somalia to develop a large-scale adaptation project for submission to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project “Addressing Somali Pastoralists’ Adaptation Needs for Climate Resilient Livelihoods (ASPAN)” will seek to achieve its objective through three outcomes:

• Outcome 1 will strengthen the existing policy and institutional frameworks through capacity building and the creation of multi-stakeholder platforms that will enable better planning, including local landscape-based planning.
• Outcome 2 will channel investments into managing precipitation and run-off, maximizing storage and utilization within the watersheds to promote productive agricultural systems and rangelands using nature-based solutions in managing land and water adapted to the realities of the pastoral and agro-pastoral societies of Somalia.
• Outcome 3 will increase food production through climate-resilient production techniques, and support efforts to diversify production to increase income and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity.

Save the Children is the world’s leading international non-governmental organization for children with a presence in over 120 countries. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Save the Children International’s work brings together partners, communities, civil society and government agencies to develop programs that are sustainable and bring long-term benefit to children and their families. Save the Children Somalia tackles climate change with actions across Health and Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, Child Poverty Reduction and Child Rights Governance. Save the Children Somalia works in 17 of the 18 regions in Somalia with the country office in Mogadishu in addition to 14 field offices. Since November 2019, Save the Children Australia, representing Save the Children globally, is an Accredited Entity1 to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The Green Climate Fund2 is the world’s largest dedicated fund helping developing countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and enhance their ability to respond to climate change. The GCF aims to catalyse a flow of climate finance to invest in low-emission and climate-resilient development, driving a paradigm shift in the global response to climate change. GCF activities are aligned with the priorities of developing countries through the principle of country ownership. The Fund pays particular attention to the needs of societies that are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African countries. Somalia is both an African country and an LDC.

Somalia is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world with increased frequency of droughts, making nomadic pastoralism an increasingly vulnerable livelihood option. About 55% of the population in Somalia has frequently been exposed to loss of income, food sources, and assets with very little time for herds to recover. Large proportions of the rural population in Somalia are nutrition and food-insecure due to high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. Save the Children’s proposed approach seeks to implement a range of activities leading to the delivery of the following three Components:

1. Improved natural resource governance through strengthened institutional capacities. Productive land, water and soil are critical natural capital assets essential for agricultural and livestock productivity, hence the need to conserve biodiversity and manage ecosystems sustainably for continued supply of ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural aspects) for those communities that depend on the land for their main livelihood strategies – particularly the rural poor whose health and wellbeing are completely reliant on these natural resources. Thus, the vital functions of land, water and soil underpin the nexus of food, renewable energy, and water security.
2. Land and water management is improved to make agriculture and pastoralism climate resilient. Appropriate climate-resilient and sustainable land management can improve water security by increasing the capture and infiltration of rainfall. Increased availability of water in the soil will support climate-resilient agriculture and production of forage for livestock. There will also be greater replenishment of aquifers that can then be utilized sustainably during the dry season to support local communities and livestock. Achieving this outcome will require strengthened governance, regional planning, and land management measures that conserve soil and promote rainfall infiltration.

Agriculture and dairy value chains provide livelihood support to rural communities. Currently, the supply chain of dairy products from nomadic pastoralists to urban consumers leads to significant losses of milk due to spoilage. Improvements in the value chain, through investment in small-scale community and household cooling infrastructure and improved management of the value chain, will reduce spoilage and increase income for farmers and pastoralists.

APPLICATION GUIDANCE (Lot 1 and 2)

The GCF requires a rigorous project design and comprehensive package of documents for the submission of a Funding Proposal (FP). Save the Children (SC) Somalia requires consultancy services to fulfil the following key requirements for this Funding Proposal package. SC has structured the work into key components and prefers contract a single firm, consortium, consultants, or a combination of all that have the relevant skillset and experience to deliver all aspects of the work outlined. However, Save the Children reserves the right to split the work across multiple firms or consortia if we believe that would further our ability to submit a strong proposal package to the GCF.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

Under the guidance of the Save the Children project development team, the consultancy will deliver the following tasks and deliverables, divided below according to Lot:

Note, the annexes included in this RFP provide additional information on some but not all of the key deliverables expected under this contract and should not be seen as an exhaustive list of tasks under each component.

Lot 1 – Completed pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, funding proposal, and additional funding proposal annex details

Item

Deliverable title

Description

Format and style

1.01

Inception Report

A brief outline of the proposed methodology, timeline and budget including but not limited to outlining ways of working and expected number of drafts to be undertaken for each deliverable.

Word document

1.02

Initial Overview and Analysis Report

• Review the concept note and assess the indicative activities included, utilizing the fieldwork and research to determine if they are the most viable way to achieve the project’s objectives;
• Review existing baseline and secondary data available on the potential to develop climate resilience and adaptive capacity of agriculture (livestock and crop) and agroforestry systems and their value chains (including a gap analysis);
• Conduct appropriate site background information gathering, including but not limited to analysis of current agriculture and agroforestry production systems, socio-economic profiling, vulnerability and exposure to relevant climate impacts, potential economic opportunities as well as gaps and needs for addressing adaptive capacity);
• Identify relevant and complementary initiatives and approaches being implemented by the government, civil society organizations and development partners in Somalia and the region.
• In collaboration with other technical experts, assess the design and specifications of recommended adaptation activities/technologies, and conduct project stakeholder mapping;
• Identify the barriers and challenges that could undermine the sustainability of the project and provide recommendations to mitigate and manage them; including economic and financial analysis; political/conflict sensitivity analysis; and life cycle analysis for the targeted value chains
• Identify and analyse any governance and capacity issues that will be critical during the implementation of the project activities and for the sustainability of the project outcomes.
• Undertake a private sector/value chain and technology analysis
• Undertake a livelihood sector mapping using baseline and secondary data
• Propose method and criteria for selection of target watersheds linked to Vulnerability Assessment and potential for project activities
• Elaborate project’s theory of change (based on the Concept Note)
• Develop an initial project logical framework with anticipated activities, outputs, and outcomes linked to higher-order GCF impacts and outcomes
• Draft table of contents for Feasibility Study

Word document

Data files (excel or another format)

1.03

Preliminary Data Collection Results Report

• Design a field data collection exercise to assess the feasibility of the proposed approach and activities and collect the necessary data to back design assumptions
• Facilitate community-level primary data collection with local enumerators to support baseline evidence gathering
• Conduct community consultations to assess the social impacts of the proposed interventions
• Collect communication material on the challenges faced in communities (in line with SC’s communication compliance standards)

Word document summarizing initial findings from primary data collection.

Data files (excel or another format)

1.04

Undertake a Vulnerability and Targeting Assessment

• Provide an overview of the assessment methodology and data requirements, and agree on support needs and responsibilities with the design team
• Undertake the initial analysis for overall food security and livelihood vulnerability to climate change (considering exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity) and targeted assessments for the crop, livestock, and agroforestry systems using sub-national level data and/or studies – with a focus on the target regions
• Selection of target watersheds within the target regions
• Refine and revise in collaboration with key stakeholders
• Calculate in detail and validate direct and indirect beneficiary numbers.
• Present findings to a stakeholder workshop to ensure government buy-in
• Develop relevant maps showing results of vulnerability assessment of regions and the watershed selection.
• Finalise the analysis

Word document

Data files (excel or another format)

1.05

Feasibility Study (draft)

• An in-depth report on the proposed project, including contextual information on the country, summaries of all analysis completed under 1.02 and data collected under 1.03, robust elaboration of the climate rationale, , and detailed elaboration of the project’s approach, activities, anticipated outcomes and theory of change.
• A stand-alone executive summary with key findings and recommendations
• Complete GCF Annex 2

Word document aligned with Feasibility Study Report Outline Template

Data files (excel or another format)

1.06

Complete the Funding Proposal document and Finalize the Feasibility Study annex

• Complete the Funding Proposal document and the Feasibility Study according to GCF template and guidelines, including Green Climate Fund Programming Manual, Integrated Results Management Framework Handbook and Sectoral Guidelines.
• Complete logframe according to GCF requirements

Word document in the GCF funding proposal template

1.07

Stakeholder Consultation and Validation Report

• Facilitate primary data collection and seek validation of the proposed approaches with key government and civil society stakeholders at the national and sub-national levels
• Summary of stakeholder engagement activities
• Support with: a) stakeholder mapping, b) draft stakeholder engagement plan, and c) writing and sharing of key findings from meetings, consultations and/or fieldwork
• Input into GCF Annex 7

Word document summarising and detailing stakeholder engagement activities

Data files (excel or another format)

1.08

Map(s) indicating the location of proposed interventions

• Provide maps showing the location of the proposed interventions including a recent land use map. These should clearly label specific project locations and not lose quality when full-page.
• Ensure alignment of maps with maps for the vulnerability assessment (1.04 above)

Word document

Data files for regenerating the maps

1.09

Detailed costing and procurement summary

• Provide details for unit costs necessary for all activities included in the logical framework.
• On-going support related to the costing of project components, including individual outputs and activities to inform design of the full funding proposal

Word or Excel document

1.10

Response to GCF Secretariat Feedback

• According to GCF response/comments support the revision of the a) Concept Note and b) Funding Proposal and annexes, with an expectation of approximately 4 rounds of feedback

GCF Feedback template; updates to relevant submission documents

Lot 2 – Economic and Financial Analysis

Item

Deliverable title

Description

Format and style

2.01

Complete Economic and Financial Analysis

• Conduct economic and financial analysis according to requirements and standards of the GCF, with reference to project activities and existing financial instruments and services available for the targeted smallholders/agri-SMEs from other sources.
• The report should include an overview of the approach; a detailed analysis of the investments, resulting benefits and avoided costs; an analysis of the results, investment by investment and for the project overall; and sensitivity analysis.
• The EFA report should include an appendix with documentation of models and related assumptions for the different project investments activities.
• Ensure close collaboration with Lot 1 consultant(s) and alignment with Lot 1 deliverables.
• Complete GCF Annex 3.

Appendix 1: Further Information on Feasibility Study Requirements (part of Lot 1)

A detailed feasibility study should be undertaken. It should include an assessment of the current state/conditions of the area and assets that the project is targeting, the existing market, different options/interventions possible to address the problem, reasons for selecting specific technological solutions over alternative options, and an analysis of the potential impact of the proposed project. Additionally, the study should also help determine the ‘expected adaptation impact’ of the project, including the expected total number of beneficiaries, including both direct and indirect beneficiaries, and the percentage of total beneficiaries relative to the total population.

Per GCF requirements the study should include the following components: 1) an assessment of the various technological options analysed for the proposed project scope, 2) Development of a baseline, scenarios with and without the project interventions, and a clear conclusion with recommendations for the selection of specific project interventions, 3) The reasons why those interventions have been chosen for this particular project, 4) An explanation of the underlying logic of the project structure and activities.

The overarching purpose of the feasibility study is to:

1. Design and undertake a detailed assessment of the ASPAN’s proposed approach to determine its overall feasibility across the targeted communities in collaboration with local enumerators;
2. Conduct in-country stakeholder consultations and facilitate validation exercises as required;
3. Collaborate with the Save the Children ASPAN project team in-country and abroad throughout the study;
4. Prepare the feasibility study annex, including, evidence-based findings on:
   • The country context, including policy and regulatory framework, governance structures, institutional frameworks, complementary projects and initiatives, lessons learned, overview of key relevant sectors of the economy and market/value chain analysis.

• Country’s climate profile (historical and recent trends), climate change projections and their impact on key sectors of interest.
• Climate change problem analysis and adaptation gaps.
• Project’s theory of change (including detailed analysis of barriers) and approach to addressing the core problem and detailing of components, outputs and activity descriptions
• Technical assessment of proposed activities
• Stakeholder engagement (summary of annex)
• References (primary and secondary data, academic literature, other project documents, etc.).

The feasibility study must also include an analysis of the following specific aspects – both summarised in the report and with specific annexes covering:

1. Nature-based solutions analysis: The project includes a component that will use nature-based solutions to restore degraded rangelands through community-based plans that will identify areas for different productive uses and sustainable management. This analysis will consider baseline conditions and climate change impacts and analyse options for nature-based solutions (ecosystem-based adaptation) including context-specific climate-resilient sustainable rangeland management approaches, control of invasive alien plants (Prosopis), ecosystem conservation and restoration, soil conservation and methods for managing and optimising available water resources in watersheds, giving priority to small-scale solutions that use locally available materials and which do not require heavy machinery during construction. These could typically include community-level gully plugging to enhance water retention and sediment trapping, (half-moon) terraces, green strips, and similar techniques to promote precipitation infiltration and reduce soil erosion, as well as other water resource management options, including storage.

Food Security and Livelihoods analysis: The food security and livelihoods analysis will analyse the current food security and livelihoods context among communities in Somalia, with a particular focus on remote and rural communities. The analysis will also investigate the implications of projected climate change impacts and effective ways to increase food security and build the resilience of livelihoods – particularly considering the focus areas and specific activities identified in the project’s concept note. This will include analysis to inform the development of inclusive climate information services and Early Warning System (EWS) for monitoring Somalia’s rangelands. This food security and livelihoods analysis will be integrated in the project’s feasibility study and will inform the funding proposal, including the project’s climate rationale, logframe, vulnerability assessment and data collections tools/methodologies. It should include:

• A desk-based review and key informant interviews to collect and analyse relevant FSL information: Collection of information specifically related to FSL as part of the field data collection.
• Provide a summary analysis on the field-based data and provide final recommendations on how to best to respond to FSL needs in the project design and overall project theory of change.

1. Technology, market, and agricultural value chains analysis: The project will work to support targeted communities and households to diversify their livelihoods strategies, including towards emerging climate resilient opportunities. This analysis will help to identify the most viable resilient livelihood strategies to incorporate in the proposal (with particular focus on but not limited to those identified in the concept note) and will assess the potential for deploying adaptation technologies (particularly related to food security and livelihoods) – providing detailed information on key appropriate technologies and determining whether they are suited to the context and will support project outcomes and sustainability.
   • A desk-based literature review and key informant interviews to collect and analyse relevant information and data on markets, value chain opportunities and the capabilities of the private sector to inform the project design. As noted above, agriculture will be the primary but not exclusive focus. Key considerations could include but are not limited to;

The market, technology and value chain analysis will also provide ideas and options of how to leverage the private sector and markets to enhance opportunities for innovation and sustainable income generation in remote and rural communities in a climate change context. The overall objective will be enhancing the impacts and sustainability of the project’s adaptation options and actions with a focus on agriculture (crop and livestock production). This will include:

• Identification of domestic and international market opportunities for local crops and/or products
• Identification of key commodities for export, highlighting challenges, risks, and opportunities
• Opportunities for value addition through processing and/or other techniques
• Identification of relevant private sector partners and current capacity
• Identification of infrastructure needs and constraints
• Opportunities for certification
• Where applicable, opportunities to integrate sustainable or renewable energy into supply chains
• As part of the field data collection, community consultation and assessment missions, capture information specifically in relation to the private sector, value chain and market opportunities.
• Provide a summary analysis on the field-based data and provide final recommendations on how to best to leverage technology, the private sector and markets into the project design and overall project theory of change.

Appendix 2: Economic and Financial Analysis (Lot 2)

The objective of these analyses is to assess the viability of the project/programme and mobilize adequate resources from GCF, AEs, governments, financial institutions, project sponsors and/or other co-financiers.

Although they are complementary, the economic analysis and financial analysis are two different tools that assess different aspects of a funding proposal. The financial analysis forecasts cash flows to the project or a single party, and is used to assess sustainability, paradigm shift potential, concessionality and risk, among other elements.

The economic analysis projects the costs and benefits to society at the national or global level, including those that cannot be monetized, and is used to assess cost-effectiveness, incremental cost, non-market benefits and economic co-benefits.

The financial analysis measures expenditures and revenues incurred on a programme scale, or for a single party within the project/programme (e.g. a special purpose vehicle, utility company, household). As it provides a single perspective, there can be multiple financial analyses for the same project (e.g. one for the special purpose vehicle, one for the end users). The financial analysis projects the cash flows over time and summarizes them in several statistics: the financial internal rate of return (FIRR), the financial net present value, the payback period, and the debt service coverage ratio.

The results of the economic and financial analyses should be summarized in the funding proposal, and the models and documentation submitted as an annex to the funding proposal. Tasks under Lot 2 for the economic and financial analysis should include:

• A summary report submitted as an annex to the funding proposal that describes the economic and/or financial analysis during first-level due diligence. It should cite data sources and evidence, explain the assumptions and methodology used, and provide an interpretation of the results and sensitivity analysis;

Spreadsheets corresponding to the summary report that show all the calculations used for the economic and/or financial analysis. Worksheets should be unlocked, well-organized, include all formulas and clearly label data and results.

Application Procedure And Requirement

Candidates interested in the position are expected to provide the following documentation:

• A technical proposal with a detailed response to the TOR, with specific focus on the scope of work, methodology to be used and key selection criteria;
• Initial work plan based on the methodology outlined, and indication of availability.
• A financial proposal detailing the daily rate expected including accommodation, transportation, stationary, research assistances/enumerators and all other cost related to this assignment (full package);
• Consultancy firm lead and associated personnel CVs including a minimum of 3 references.
• Samples of relevant completed deliverables for work undertaken in the last five years

Qualified Consultancy Firms are requested to submit their technical and financial proposals and Lead consultant and associated personnel CVs and other relevant documentation.

How to apply

Please send you technical and financial proposal through the email below:

[email protected] on or before the deadline: 15th February 2024.

in case you need further CLARIFICATIONS or QUESTIONS, please send an email to**:**

[email protected]