Request For Proposal – GPSNR-RFP-A02-032-Thailand GAP Coaching

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Introduction & Background

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is an international, multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain.
Development of GPSNR was initiated by the CEOS of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) in 2018. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs. Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define strategy and objectives.

Thailand is the largest producer of natural rubber (NR) worldwide, contributing 36% to
total global production. Majority of the NR production in Thailand is conducted
by smallholder farmers owning land of 2-4 hectares. The NR value chain in Thailand has historically been supported by various governmental bodies, now functioning under the umbrella of the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT). This has led to exceptional performance by rubber farms, with an average yield exceeding 1.6 tons per hectare in 2019. However, the NR value chain in Thailand remains highly labour-intensive and currently
faces oversupply and low prices.

Thailand rubber has some specific particularities. It is grown in 4 main regions with different growing conditions: Traditional areas are in the South (the historical planting) and the East (Rayong and Chanthaburi provinces) while more recent developments were established in less climatically favourable areas: North and North-East (Esan). It has the particularity to be produced almost exclusively by smallholders, using higher tapping frequencies than other countries even in the neighbourhood, and to exploit rather low size farms (1.5ha or less). Share cropping among farmers and tappers is a common practice, beside family farming. Consequence of this is that although a good land productivity (kg/ha), labour productivity remains very low to date.

GPSNR, through the Smallholders Representative and Capacity Building Working Group (SCB WG) – Thailand National Subgroup, is currently inviting proposals for the dissemination of coaching materials and implementation of coaching on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for smallholders in two regions (North and North-East) of Thailand, with a focus on one province per region.

The proposed coaching programs should be implemented in accordance with the
GPSNR’s environmental and social commitments and values, as outlined in the GPSNR
Policy Framework[1], and in compliance with the relevant Thai Agricultural Standard: Good Agricultural Practices issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
of Thailand.

[1]
https://gpsnr.dev.zippisite.com/policy-framework/

Objectives

The overall objectives of the GAP coaching programmes are to ensure the long-term sustainability of rubber livelihoods and ecosystems by increasing smallholders’ productivity, yields, and socio-economic resilience, whilst safeguarding nature and the environment.

Expected Deliverables

Brief Justifications

The objective of the project is to update and disseminate the best Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) recommendations to farmers in Thailand. This aims to ensure that planters have access to relevant knowledge and resources to enhance their productivity,
motivation, and income, leading to an improved livelihood.

The proposal should implement GPSNR’s proposed strategy for capacity building in
Thailand and provide brief justifications on the most suitable approach to
conduct coaching for smallholders in two regions (North and North-East) of
Thailand, with a focus on one province per region.

The GPSNR SCB WG – Thailand National Subgroup may prioritize funding for coaching in
regions based on relative productivity, coverage of existing coaching services,
socio-economic needs, recommendations of RAOT, or other considerations.

Proposed Coaching Approach

Possible approaches for consideration include (non-exhaustive): mobile coaching at local
community centres; building physical training centres; on-farm coaching; hybrid
coaching approaches. The proposal should consider which approach represents the
best fit for community needs and dynamics.

The proposed coaching approach should consider, but is not limited to, the
following priorities:

a. Coaching based on the train-the-trainers (ToT) model

b. Female and other minority inclusion and representation

c. Field coaching (or other approach) implementation plans

d. Integration of technology for data capture and ongoing engagement, and progress tracking (i.e. immediate and longer-term monitoring and evaluation)

e. Others (i.e. nuanced approaches to meet geographic/other needs; ongoing farmer community connectivity and interactions; engagement with local or regional officials

Service providers are to adapt the provided GPSNR GAP coaching approaches. The GPSNR GAPs are created to serve as general best practices and principles for global usage and are periodically reviewed and updated to reflect the sector’s latest understandings.

The service provider is expected to work with GPSNR to adapt the general GAPs to align with local situations in Thailand and comply with the relevant Thai Agricultural Standard: Good Agricultural Practices issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand. This will build trust with smallholders and optimize the coaching outcomes, particularly in terms of language, technical specificities, and local needs.

Service providers should also translate the relevant Thai Agricultural Standard: Good Agricultural Practices issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand from Thai to English.

The GPSNR GAPs consist of the following four modules:

1. Rubber Plant Material

2. Establishment and Maintenance of Plantations

3. Latex Harvesting

4. Diseases and Pests

Service providers are also expected to operate in line with principles and values set forth in the GPSNR Policy Framework such as commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, zero deforestation, community engagement and FPIC etc.

The selected service provider may also be expected to work closely with the GPSNR SCB WG – Thailand National Subgroup to fine-tuned or further augment the provided coaching materials.

Key Metrics

To prevent risk of false correlations, it is essential to collect baseline data on participating smallholders before the GAP coaching begins. The impact assessment should compare the participating smallholders’ data after the GAP coaching to accurately measure their improvement.

It is also important to collect control group date of smallholders who did not participate in the GAP coaching programmes to ensure any changes observed are due to the GAP coaching and not other factors. Additionally, being aware of external factors such as weather and market prices can help to better assess the results.

The proposal should elaborate on how the following key metrics can be achieved and measured:

1. Total number of smallholders coached

2. Total number of trainers or coaches coached

3. Year-by-year increase in smallholder productivity and smallholders engaged

4. Inclusivity across gender, youth, geographic regions, and ethnicity (e.g., indigenous, or other minority communities)

5. Monitoring and evaluation of coaching progress and outcomes

The proposal should also identify other key metrics of importance not listed above and describe how they will be achieved and measured.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

The following submission guidelines & requirements apply to
this Request for Proposal:

1. Proposals will only be accepted
from individuals or firms with experience relevant to this project.

2. A technical proposal must be provided that is not more than 4 pages. This technical proposal must provide:

• A workplan that outlines all key activities of the deliverables
(refers to Expected Deliverables above)

• Timeline and key stages of operations (refers to Project
Timelines below)

• Budget, including detailed breakdown of expected manpower,
logistics, and costs expected to run coaching programmes for an initial three
years, beginning in 2023 (refers to Budget below)

• Description of past work and technical expertise that is relevant
to this RFP

• A list of project team members with their roles in the project and
associated qualifications

• Proposals must be signed by a representative that is authorized to
commit bidder’s company.

3. Proposals must be received prior to the 30 June 2023 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to cheewei@gpsnr.org for consideration.

GPSNR reserves the right to amend the scope and budget of this RFP to get the most suitable consultant for each topic.

Project Timelines

RFP Publication	4 May 2023
Submission deadline for proposals	30 June 2023
Evaluation of proposals and follow up	21 July 2023
Contract Award	July 2023
Preparations and Implementation for 1^st year	August 2023 – July 2024
First Full Review	August 2024
Preparations and Implementation for 2^nd year	August 2024 – July 2025
Second Full Review	August 2025
Preparations and Implementation for 3^rd year	August 2025 – July 2026
Third Full Review	August 2026

Service provider will also provide fortnightly or monthly progress updates to the GPSNR SCB WG, or on an as-needed basis.

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than 216,000 USD be allocated to this engagement, depending on the proposed coaching approach.

Payment terms shall be:
• 20% at the signing of the contract
• 20% at the first round of coaching conducted
• 20% upon First Full Review (August 2024)
• 20% upon Second Full Review (August 2025)
• 20% upon Third Full Review (August 2026)

Evaluation Factors

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors:

1. Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal
2. Relevant past performance/ experience
3. Samples of work
4. Cost per farmer, and other aspects of the proposed coaching approach of programme
5. Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff
6. Proposed timeline of operations

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.

gulation consolidated text 20-12-22

More To Explore

Request For Proposal – RFP-A03-039 – National Risk Assessments Request for Proposals

Introduction & Background

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) is an international, multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs. Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define strategy and objectives.

In 2023, the GPSNR’s Risk assessment subgroup commissioned Assurance Services International (ASI) to create a risk tool that would allow GPSNR to classify risk across different geographies and scales. ASI has completed the tool and it is available at this link (not for wider distribution, only provided as a reference for this RFP). The role of this consultancy will be to fill in this tool using the most relevant and up-to-date information.

The risks that are assessed by the tool are Child Labour, Forced Labour, Freedom of Association, Health and Safety, Working Hours, Wages, Land and Community Rights, Deforestation, HCV, Fire, and Peat. The tool also includes the different risk criteria to be assessed and sources of information.

The Engagement

The GPSNR Secretariat is seeking a consultant to utilize the risk tool and complete risk assessments for 20 countries across all 11 risks. The consultant will be expected to complete the tool template at the country level for each of the 20 countries. Assessments at the regional or farm level are not required. The risk assessment scope should be limited to the natural rubber supply chain. The consultant is not required to propose mitigation measures for this exercise and risks should be assessed as-is (without factoring in any mitigating actions).

The consultant should list any additional sources of evidence and also include justification for each risk’s classification. The consultant should reference existing studies where possible and is strongly encouraged to consider previously commissioned GPSNR studies (such as the Environmental Risk Study and Social Risk Study both of which provide risk information pertaining to the Natural Rubber Supply Chain).

We require risk assessments to be conducted for:

Brazil
Cambodia
Cameroon
China
Colombia
Ghana
Guinea
Guatemala
India
Indonesia
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Malaysia
Mexico
Myanmar
Nigeria
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Thailand
Vietnam

While this is intended to be a desk-based exercise, consultants who are able to consider the perspectives of indigenous peoples and local communities will be looked upon favourably for this tender.

Consultants may propose focusing on a subset of countries from this list for risk assessment. In this scenario, consultants should specify which countries they would be covering.

After the first drafts are available, the platform will conduct a 30-day consultation with members. This consultation with members will be facilitated by the Secretariat. Consultants should factor in the need to review and respond to members feedback after the consultation period and provide the Secretariat with a complete list of feedback, together with the consultant’s response to each piece of feedback received. At the same time, the consultants should also review the first draft based on the feedback review.

The second version of risk assessment will be considered final, and acceptance of this version will mark the conclusion of this engagement.

Proposal Format and Contents

The proposal should include the following:

Workplan that outlines a timeline and key stages of work, with a focus on the amount of time needed for the initial drafting phase and for the review of and response to members’ feedback. Consultants should ensure that there is sufficient time allocated for reviewing and responding to feedback.
Budget with a breakdown of costs
Description of past work and technical expertise that is relevant to this RFP
List of project team members with their roles in the project and associated qualifications and expertise.
(If applicable) A list of IPLC groups that the consultant is familiar with and would engage for this project if selected.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

The following submission guidelines & requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

Proposals will only be accepted from individuals or firms with experience relevant to this project.
Examples of previous relevant work should be provided as well.
A technical proposal must be provided that is not more than 4 pages. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed solution as well as resumes of all key personnel performing the work. In addition, the technical proposal should provide a proposed schedule and milestones, as applicable.
A price proposal must be provided that is not more than 1 pages. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project and may include a breakdown of costs if consultants consider it relevant.
Proposals must be signed by a representative that is authorized to commit bidder’s company.
Proposals must be received prior to the 9th of May to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to aidan@gpsnr.org for consideration.
GPSNR reserves the right to amend the scope and budget of this RFP in order to get the most suitable consultant for each topic.
Bidders must ensure that all external personnel involved in preparing and executing this proposal are under exclusive agreements specific to this RFP. These agreements must obligate the external personnel to exclusively dedicate their services to the bidder’s proposal, prohibiting their engagement in any other proposals for the same RFP. This measure is to maintain the integrity of the bidding process and prevent conflicts of interest.
Award of this project is subject to confirmation of financing from GPSNR members.

Project Timelines

Proposals submitted by consultant to aidan@gpsnr.org	9^th May 2024
Contract Award	6^th June 2024
Drafting and delivery of first draft of risk assessments	Timeline to be proposed by consultants
Members consultation	30 day period starting from delivery of first draft
Review of risk assessments, compilation of responses to feedback, and delivery of final risk assessments.	Timeline to be proposed by consultants

Budget

The Platform invites consultants to submit a competitive price proposal, the proposed budget will be factored into selection of the consultant.

Payment terms shall be:

20% at the signing of the contract
30% at the delivery and acceptance by the Secretariat of the first risk assessment
50% on delivery and acceptance by the Secretariat of the finalized risk assessment and compiled responses to members’ feedback.

Evaluation Factors

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors, in no particular order:

Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal
Relevant experience with risk assessment, including samples of work
Relevant experience with the natural rubber supply chain including the countries relevant to this RFP
Cost
Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff
The proposed timeline of work completion

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.

Note: The award of this contract will only be considered complete upon securing full funding and completion of the contract signing.

View RFP Document here

GPSNR Secretariat April 9, 2024

Tender

(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – Study on Living Income Gap in Global Natural Rubber Value Chains – Indonesia

Introduction & Background

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), is an international Multi-Stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative seeking to lead improvements in the socioeconomic and environmental performance of the natural rubber value chain. Development of the GPSNR was initiated by the CEOs of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) in November 2017. Members of the platform include tire manufacturers, rubber suppliers and processors, vehicle makers and NGOs. Representatives from each of these stakeholder groups have contributed to the development of the Singapore-based platform and the wide-reaching set of priorities that will define GPSNR strategy and objectives.

Through a process led by the Equity Working Group, the Platform has begun an investigation into how value can be equitably distributed across the entire natural rubber value chain. To achieve this aim, it is important for the Platform to gather information about the following metrics in different countries:

i) the prevailing net household income of rubber smallholders;

ii) the detailed cost of production for rubber (input costs, labor etc);

iii) the living income for rubber smallholders;

iv) the living income gap and v) the living income reference price for rubber (the price at which the living income benchmark can be reached).

The Platform has decided to limit the focus of this initial study to Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar and the consultant is expected to collect information on the aforementioned metrics in Indonesia for this study.

Given that living income data is not readily available for each country, alternative benchmarks should be used where relevant and applicable. A list of potential benchmarks and preliminary data are illustrated in the attached document. To facilitate cross-country comparisons of income data and living income levels, the consultant is expected to use consistent units of measurement (per household / per workforce / per person) throughout this study.

The consultant will collect the information via desktop study, interviewing of GPSNR members, research institutes, social NGOs, governmental organizations, etc. A primary list of stakeholders will be provided by the Secretariat together with the Equity Working Group members. A complementary list will be developed by the consultant. Regular contact and updating to the Equity Working Group together with the Secretariat will be required. Travel plans shall be made by the consultant where possible and necessary.

Submission Guidelines & Requirements

The following submission guidelines & requirements apply to this Request for Proposal:

Proposals will only be accepted from individuals or firms with experience relevant to this project.
Examples of previous relevant work should be provided as well.
A technical proposal must be provided that is not more than 4 pages. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed solution as well as resumes of all key personnel performing the work. In addition, the technical proposal should provide a proposed schedule and milestones, as applicable.
A price proposal must be provided that is not more than 1 pages. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as hourly rates and an estimated total number of days.
Proposals must be signed by a representative that is authorized to commit bidder’s company.
Proposals must be received prior to 19th August 2020 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org for consideration.
GPSNR anticipates shortlisting at least two individuals or firms to have more in-depth discussions with, and will make an award to one of these “down-selected” individuals or firms.

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than 10,500 Euros be allocated to this engagement.

Payment terms shall be:

50% at the signing of the contract
50% on delivery of the final report

Evaluation Factors

GPSNR will rate proposals based on the following factors, with cost being the most important factor:

Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposal;
Relevant past performance/experience;
Samples of work;
Cost, including an assessment of total cost of ownership;
Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff;
The ability to collect information at the global and local level.

GPSNR reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to GPSNR as determined solely by GPSNR in its absolute discretion.

Please submit your application to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org by 19 August 2020.

GPSNR Staff August 14, 2020