RFP Invited for Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Other Activities for Forest-PLUS 2.0

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RFP - Valuation of Ecosystem Services and other Activities for Forest-PLUS 2.0

About:

Tetra Tech ARD is a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and technical services worldwide. Their reputation rests on the technical expertise and dedication of our employees—16,000 people working together across disciplines and time zones to provide smart, sustainable solutions for challenging projects. They are proud to be home to leading technical experts in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, and international development. Tetra Tech combines the resources of a global, multibillion dollar company with local, client-focused delivery in 400 locations around the world.

Background and Rationale

Initiated in December 2018, Forest-PLUS 2.0: forest for water and prosperity is a five-year program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The goal of Forest-PLUS 2.0 is to improve management of targeted forest landscapes in three states in India for enhanced ecosystem services and increase inclusive economic opportunities. An improved ecosystem approach to management will in turn lead to improved ecosystem services and contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the country.

Objectives of the assignment

• The objective 2 of the Forest-PLUS 2.0 program requires identification and economic valuation of ecosystem services in the three target landscapes. In order to perform this task, ecosystem services have been identified and appropriate valuation methods have been selected.
• These have been presented in the form of a strategy paper on valuation methods, which has been reviewed and approved by external experts on valuation methods and subsequently approved by USAID.
• After the approval, Forest-PLUS 2.0 has developed models for valuation of 15 ecosystem services and 5 of them have been tested with simulated data. (details provided later).
• Forest-PLUS 2.0 would like to engage the services of a qualified Valuation Expert / Agency to conduct ecosystem services valuation for the 22 ecosystem services in the target landscapes.

Scope of Work

• The Ecosystems Valuation Expert / Agency will apply the valuation models for the selected ecosystem services and conduct an ecosystem valuation exercise in the target landscapes and analyze and interpret the values.
• The assessment of economic value of ecosystem services will illustrate the value of wellmanaged forest ecosystems to stakeholders, planners, and policy makers. It is expected that the valuation results will be applied to policy or planning decisions and will be an important input in evaluating scenarios and in developing incentive mechanisms.
• Forest-PLUS 2.0 will provide technical assistance to GoI and other stakeholders to illustrate the economic value of specific ecosystem services and of bundles of services, explicitly considering the differential access of men and women and marginalized groups within forest communities to have economic opportunities and access to services and providers of services. Forest-PLUS 2.0 will also enhance the capacity of stakeholders to conduct valuation of services and include ecosystem services in scenarios and management planning.

Methodology

The data set for the valuation exercise will be made available through the Baseline Assessment which is already underway in the three landscapes. The following baseline data will be provided:

• Carbon baseline
• Baseline for hydrological services
• Baseline for biodiversity
• Baseline for other ecosystem services

The Valuation Expert / Agency will coordinate with the Baseline team to obtain the primary and secondary data. The data gaps will however be filled through additional field surveys by the Valuation Expert / Agency or through an associate appointed for that purpose. The Regional Director of Forest-PLUS 2.0 program will facilitate the process at the landscape level.

Proposed Methods of Valuation for Forest-PLUS 2.0

This section proposes the methods to be used for valuation of different ecosystem services in the Forest-PLUS 2.0 landscapes. Forest-PLUS 2.0 proposes to take up valuation of 22 ecosystem services using the following 13 valuation methods to be applied to the ecosystem services that have been identified for valuation:

• Provisioning services such as water for agriculture, water for urban-industrial use, food, medicinal plants, timber stock, timber flow, fuel, fodder, other NTFPs, and soil fertility;
• Regulating services such as water conservation, water purification, biological control, flood regulation, moderating extreme events, carbon sequestration, air pollution control, and erosion control;
• Supporting services such as gene-pool protection, pollination, and habitat services of biodiversity; and
• Cultural services such as tourism and recreational values and cultural and spiritual values.

Activities and Tasks

• Questionnaire development on the basis of valuation models
• Field visits
• Running the models with field data
• Preparation of the first draft
• Review of draft and presentation to MoEFCC, think-tank and SFDs
• Incorporation of comments preparation of final draft
• Outreach including capacity building on valuation in the states and briefings to policy makers. This includes preparation of written training material and powerpoint.

Tenure of assignment: The assignment is for a period of 8 months. It is anticipated that the assignment will be completed between August 20, 2020 and March 15, 2021.

All questions and inquiries related to this request must be submitted prior to the Closing Date for questions shown above for this RFP. All “Offerors” must submit their questions to Tetra Tech ARD via the below email address: procurement@forestplus.org

Deadline: 03 August 2020

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