Request For Proposal – GPSNR-RFP-A02-018 Study On Economic Impacts, And Risks, In The Global Natural Rubber Value Chains

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*GPSNR has been approached by a number of organizations supporting the importance of the task but saying that a longer preparation period would be required to prepare proposals that adequately reflect the complexity of the issues to be addressed, and hence the organization has decided to extend the timelines of this project

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.

To fully inform the development of GPSNR, the Platform needs a better understanding of social, environmental, and economic risks and their causes, in the Natural Rubber Value chain, in order to be able to minimise and manage those risks. The Platform has already commissioned a social and environmental risk assessment; this call for proposals is for the provision of a parallel process covering economic risks in the value chain.

The study should identify potential areas of economic risk in the natural rubber value chain, particularly at the production end of the value chain, and consider the effectiveness of how these potential risks are managed through regulation, policies and practices. The study should also report on the areas of opportunity to address these economic risks in the natural rubber value chain. The areas of study should be consistent with the relevant GPSNR themes in the GPSNR Policy Framework.

Based on the analysis of how well current processes deliver the “Desired State” for rubber landscapes, the study should develop recommendations as to how GPSNR could most effectively support the avoidance and mitigation of potential economic impacts and risks. This should include identifying the possibility of metrication for such risks, which will then be used to inform the development of GPSNR’s Risk Matrix.

The consultant is expected to develop generic impact and risk profiles at a global level, and specific risk profile at a regional and/or national level. Areas of interest for GPSNR are Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Papua New Guinea, India and Sri Lanka), West Africa (Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Nigeria), and South America (Brazil and Guatemala).

The consultant should reference the existing Social and Environmental risk studies (available here as 003 and 010) and GPSNR’s Theory of Change when conducting this study on economic risks. Key linkages should be identified in the report (i.e. how economic risks affect social and environmental risk, and vice versa).

The consultant will collect the information via desktop study, interviews with, inter alia, GPSNR members, research and other academic institutes, NGOs, and governmental organizations. A primary list of stakeholders should be identified and proposed by the consultant. A complementary list will be provided by the Secretariat together with the Strategy and Objectives Working Group members. Regular contact and updating to the Strategy and Objective Working Group together with the Secretariat will be required.

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 should be around 6 pages in length. This technical proposal must provide an overview of the proposed methodology 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 page. This price proposal should indicate the overall fixed price for the project as well as daily 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 18 Mar 2022 to be considered. Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org and aidan@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.

Project Timelines

The updated Request for Proposal timeline is as follows:

Request for Proposal Issuance (extended)	18 Mar 2022
Proposal submitted by consultant to aidan@gpsnr.org and stefano.savi@gpsnr.org	15 Apr 2022
Selection of Top Bidders / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders	29 Apr 2022
Contract Award	4 May 2022
Work to commence no later than	27 May 2022
Specific work-plan, including geographic focus, methodology and indicative contents, agreed with Strategy & Objective Working Group	1 Jun 2022
The first draft report submitted to the Strategy and Objective Working Group for comments	22 Jul 2022
Meeting with Strategy & Objectives WG by	28 Jul 2022
The final report submitted to the Strategy and Objective Working Group	19 Aug 2022

Budget

The Platform is anticipating that a total budget of no more than 25,000 Euros. If the consultant deems that travel plans are required to execute this project, these should be included in the proposal (along with any additional budgetary requirements).

Payment terms shall be:

●       20% at the signing of the contract
●       30% at the midpoint date to be agreed upon and memorialized in the contract based on the submitted work plan
●       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:

Cost
Responsiveness to the requirements set forth in this Request for Proposals
Relevant past performance/experience
Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff
The ability to collect relevant 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.

View RFP Document here

More To Explore

Tender

(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – GPSNR Compliance Panel Guidance (GPSNR-RFP-A02-014)

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber is an international, multi-stakeholder, voluntary membership initiative committed to improving the socioeconomics 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 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.

The GPSNR Statutes mandate the creation of an independent Compliance Panel to review and ensure that Members meet GPSNR membership requirements in conformance with Statutes, Code of Conduct, decisions, standards and processes, and make recommendations to GPSNR Executive Committee. The Compliance Panel will administer decisions in line with relevant GPSNR procedures. The panel shall be composed of three external experts and will operate independently from the membership and Secretariat.

GPSNR is seeking a consultant to help define procedures and guidelines required for the transparent and impartial operations and activities of GPSNR Compliance Panel.

PHASE I: OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF WORK

Objectives: To review GPSNR Statutes and relevant procedures, and develop recommendations and propose options available for the structure, operations and verification protocols of the Compliance Panel.

The current GPSNR membership statutes document stipulates the following:

10. Compliance System and Compliance Panel. The Executive Committee shall establish a Compliance System to ensure that Members meet Platform membership requirements in conformance with the Platform’s Statutes, Code of Conduct, decisions, standards and processes. The operating procedures of the Compliance System shall be defined in terms of reference to be adopted by the Executive Committee, consistent with the following core provisions:

a. The Compliance System shall be administered by the Secretariat.

b. Recommendations and decisions under the Compliance System shall be made by a Compliance Panel.

c. The Compliance Panel’s functions shall include the review of whether a Member (in the period after its admission) meets the requirements for membership.

d. The Compliance Panel shall operate independently from the Executive Committee and General Assembly.

e. The Compliance Panel shall be composed of an independent body of three external experts that meet on a regular basis.

f. Experts shall be nominated by an Ordinary Member and elected by a decision of the General Assembly to serve a 3-year term.

g. A Member of the Compliance Panel may be removed by a consensus decision of the Executive Committee with a clear justification available to members upon request.

h. Members of the Compliance Panel shall be subject to a conflict of interest policy, as adopted by the Executive Committee.

i. The Compliance System shall ensure that Members are afforded an opportunity to be heard and an opportunity to cure any findings of non-compliance, alleged by either the Compliance System or Grievance Mechanism.

The consultant is expected to provide an outline of relevant existing compliance models, a comparison of options that GPSNR could consider, and justified recommendations based on:

Review of other existing membership and/or compliance panel models
Review of GPSNR Statutes and other relevant GPSNR documents
Interviews with GPSNR members and relevant external stakeholders
Other relevant expert advice and guidance

Scope of Work:

GPSNR is seeking a consultant to recommend operational procedures and guidance for the GPSNR Compliance Panel, to include:

Proposed roles and responsibilities of GPSNR Compliance Panel
Suggested scope of the CP’s activities
Recommended qualification requirements and selection protocols for Compliance Panel members; covering necessary relevant expertise, how to avoid conflict of interests, and procedures for the appointment and removal of Panel members
Options for the structure of decision-making within the panel
Proposed verification procedures by the panel to assess ongoing compliance of GPSNR members with membership requirements
Procedure for issuing appropriate recommendations to ensure compliance of GPSNR members, based on the submitted results of the verification process.
Options for GPSNR to deal with situations where members cannot demonstrate compliance with relevant membership requirements, including steps towards potential suspension or termination in cases of major or persistent noncompliance
Suggestions for appeal procedures related to the decisions/recommendations of the GPSNR CP
Procedure for recording and reporting of Compliance Panel decisions/recommendations

PROPOSAL FORMAT AND CONTENTS

Description of past work that is relevant to this RFP.
A workplan that outlines all key activities of the pilot study, cost for each and timeline for completion.
A description of deliverables and indication of accessibility to GPSNR members and/or the public.
A list of project team members with their roles in the project and associated qualifications.

TERMS

The work shall begin by 21 May 2021 and the various phases shall be completed in accordance with the dates outlined in the timeline below:

Activity	Due Date
Submission deadline for proposals	7 May 2021
Contract Award	14 May 2021
Work begins	By 21 May 2021
Presentation of first draft to GPSNR Policy Toolbox WG (WG1)	2 June 2021 (adjustable)
Review of draft based on WG1 feedback	3-10 June 2021
Submission of final recommendations	11 June 2021

BUDGET

The Platform is anticipating that the total budget of no more than 10,000 SGD be allocated to the engagement.

Payment terms shall be:

20% at the signing of the contract
30% at the presentation of the first draft
50% upon delivery of the final recommendations.

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.

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.

Proposals should be submitted to stefano.savi@gpsnr.org and aidan@gpsnr.org for consideration.

GPSNR Staff April 9, 2021

(CLOSED) Request for Proposal – Grievance Mechanism Review

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber 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 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.

Through GPSNR’s Working Groups and the Executive Committee, the Platform is developing an Assurance Model that is intended to be credible and smoothly functioning. Underlying this Assurance Model, and to ensure its effective implementation, is the need for a mechanism by which Members and non-members may take grievances they have against a Member for non-conformance with the Platform’s requirements, which may arise from non-conformance with standards, the Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy, or other requirements of Members and allow those complainants to have their grievance be heard and resolved (“Grievance Mechanism”).

Under its authority and duty to create a Compliance System for the Platform under Section 10.d. of the Platform’s statutes, the Executive Committee seeks recommendations on the organization and process for such a Grievance Mechanism that allows for the intake, an initial, professionally mediated resolution process, and, finally, the process by which it is submitted to a formal Complaints Panel for resolution in the case that mediation does not work. That recommendation would be in accordance with the engagement outline below and based on a comparative study of best practices in grievance mechanisms for similar multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Understanding that the Platform is in its early stages, and therefore has limited resources, the recommendation should strive for a lean model while maintaining consistency with the policies of the Platform (e.g., Conflict of Interest Policy). Although lean, the Platform also recognizes the need for a process that is accessible, impartial, timely, transparent, and affords protections, such as anonymity, to the complainant (where needed). Developing the Grievance Mechanism is expected to be an iterative process.

The consultant is to develop, in consultation with the GPSNR Executive Committee and Secretariat, a Grievance Mechanism in the form of a process flowchart and a set of rules governing the process for receiving, assessing, processing, and escalating grievances through a series of steps to find an agreeable and just solution. The consultant should adhere to the following phased, iterative approach:

Phase I – Comparative Review of Grievance Mechanisms for Similar Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives
Phase II – Process Flowchart/Outline
Phase III – Final Recommendation

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 the 13th of December 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.
GPSNR reserves the right to amend the scope and budget of this RFP in order to get the most suitable consultant for each topic.

Download full Request for Proposal here

Attachement A -will be shared upon submission

Attachement B- will be shared upon submission

GPSNR Staff December 3, 2019