RFP invites for for Planning and Implementation of Livelihood Activities through Value Chain Analysis, Piloting of livelihood subprojects, Product Development and Marketing in Himachal Pradesh.

RFP Title: Request for Proposal for Planning and Implementation of Livelihood Activities through Value Chain Analysis, Piloting of livelihood subprojects, Product Development and Marketing in Himachal Pradesh.

Deadline: 27^th Nov. 2018

UNDP intends to hire the services of an expert agency (Resource Organization) towards Planning and Implementation of a range of conservation-oriented livelihood activities under SECURE Himalaya Project.

The agency should have worked in the respective state applied for in areas including but not limited to:

• Biodiversity conservation through sustainable NR based livelihood promotion
• Socio-economic development of rural communities by supplementing existing and creating new or alternative livelihood sources that promote conservation-based practices
• Promoting community enterprise, micro and rural entrepreneurship
• Identifying lacunae in existing value chains and suggest new value chains. Bolstering existing and creating new businesses, providing end-to-end services including promotion, branding, packaging, product development, certification, marketing and promotion of products and enterprises in areas including rural agri-horti, handicrafts and handloom products among others.

Background

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, along with UNDP has commenced a new GEF funded project: SECURE Himalaya (Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems) in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

The project aims to support the Government of India and State Governments to effectively promote sustainable land and forest management in alpine pastures and forests in high range Indian Himalayan ecosystems that secure sustainable livelihoods and ensures conservation of globally significant biodiversity and threatened species. It will engineer a paradigm shift from the current approach of conservation to demonstrate a new approach of landscape - based conservation. This is an integrated approach, which focuses on working with various sectors and partners in areas within and outside protected areas, to effectively reduce threats to biodiversity of local, national and global significance.

Specific Details

• Component 2 of the project outcomes as listed above identifies the need to create sustainable livelihood opportunities in the project landscapes. Most of project landscapes constitute hinterland areas where traditionally livelihood opportunities have been subsistence oriented with inadequate focus on trade and business.
• However, burgeoning human population, coupled with the need to reduce direct dependency on scarce natural resources solicits the need to urgently identify new livelihood opportunities to enhance the incomes  of local populations which in the long run will contribute towards sustainable natural resource management and conservation.
• The project aims to target selected landscapes for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems by securing livelihoods of the nearby communities and prepare a consolidated livelihood strategy for the SECURE Himalaya Project with implementation of livelihood activities in selected villages on selected value chains.

Objective

The overall objective of the assignment is to hire an agency to holistically analyse the current socioeconomic scenario of the project landscapes and implementation of livelihood promotional activities in project landscapes based on supply & value chain analysis, branding and market promotion and product development, Socio-economic upgradation of local community through project interventions.

Throughout the range of the activities, there has to be a specific and demonstrable emphasis on improving the existing livelihoods with respect to improved efficiency (as well as austerity) in utilization of natural resources and improved economic as well as associated benefits to the local communities.

Specific Objectives-

• Socio-economic analysis of local community in selected villages, set baselines and monitoring indicators as per project result framework.
• Develop “Village Livelihood Plans” and strengthen community based institutions.
• Implementation through “Pilot sub-projects on selected Value Chains” with special focus on village women.
• Market Development, Branding, Certification and Promotion of different products.
• Ensure income generation and overall economic empowerment of the local community as per project result framework through project interventions and in convergence with other projects and schemes.

Eligibility:

A vendor should not be suspended, debarred, or otherwise identified as ineligible by any UN Organization or the World Bank Group or any other international Organization. Vendors are therefore required to disclose to UNDP whether they are subject to any sanction or temporary suspension imposed by these organizations.

It is the Bidder’s responsibility to ensure that its employees, joint venture members, sub-contractors, service providers, suppliers and/or their employees meet the eligibility requirements as established by UNDP.

Expected Outputs

• 30 Village Micro-plans and Livelihood Plans are developed
• 03 Micro-enterprise developed/03 Successful Value Chains are established
• Branding and Promotion of at least 03 products (Product Development)
• At least 250 households (1,250 population) are directly benefiting from improved and alternative livelihoods and incomes (50%, i.e. 625 beneficiaries would be women)
• 100 Primary Community based institutions/ 5 Cooperatives are managing business activities at their own.
• At least 500 ha land is covered at the village level under sustainable natural resources management practices
• Increase of institutional capacity as measured by a 20% increase in UNDP Capacity Development Scorecard baseline value
• At least 1,000 community members trained and adopting community-based sustainable resource use, agro-pastoral, agricultural and other sustainable livelihood activities
• 10% increase in average incomes from sustainable livelihoods, natural resource management and business activities (At least 40% of beneficiaries are women)

Submission:

• The Bidder shall submit a duly signed and complete Proposal comprising the documents and forms in accordance with the requirements in the BDS. The submission shall be in the manner specified in the BDS.
• The Proposal shall be signed by the Bidder or person(s) duly authorized to commit the Bidder. The authorization shall be communicated through a document evidencing such authorization issued by the legal representative of the bidding entity, or a Power of Attorney, accompanying the Proposal.
• Bidders must be aware that the mere act of submission of a Proposal, in and of itself, implies that the Bidder fully accepts the UNDP General Contract Terms and Conditions.

For more information please check the Link

Proposals may be submitted on or before the deadline indicated by UNDP in the e-tendering system. Proposals must be submitted in the online e-tendering system in the following link: https://etendering.partneragencies.org    using your username and password. If you have not registered in the system before, you can register now by logging in using:

Username: event.guest

Password: why2change

To bid on the tender, you will have to register first.

(Event ID # IND10-0000003089)

For further queries, please contact – Mr. Surjit Singh

Email ID: surjit.singh@undp.org