Call for Proposals from NGOs For Labour Intensive Forest Activities with Vulnerable Communities in Lebanon Ref: LEB/CO CFP/103/17 INSTRUCTIONS

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1 Call for Proposals from NGOs For Labour Intensive Forest Activities with Vulnerable Communities in Lebanon Ref: LEB/CO CFP/103/17 I. BACKGROUND INSTRUCTIONS The Syrian crisis has placed a tremendous pressure on the economic situation in vulnerable communities across the country, limiting the capacity of vulnerable Syrians and Lebanese to sustain their own well-being. Moreover, the crisis is having a large impact on the already strained natural resources and energy supplies, including negative impacts of over felling of trees during the winter season and overgrazing by Syrian sheepherders all year around. Lebanon s surface is covered by 13% of forest including Pine, Cedar, Oak, Fir, Juniper and others. Most of these forests are found on the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon chain in the north, whereas the South has the least forests. In addition, Lebanese forests contain a wide range of aromatic, wild and medicinal plants and are habitat to a wide range of animal and bird species. The forest area has decreased by 35%. This reduction was among others caused by erosion, wars, temperature surges, urbanization and the increase in fuel prices which has forced people to look for alternative sources of heating. The main threats to forests are over felling, overgrazing and forest fires. Forest fires, are an annual occurrence due to the dryness of the terrain, climate change, agricultural malpractices and poor management. Lebanon loses approximately 1,500 to 2,000 hectares annually to wildfire, deforestation, urbanization and other factors. These forests provide economic opportunities for many Lebanese and support ecological functioning in an ever-changing regional climate. Forests are one of the country s most important natural assets. They contribute to: land degradation neutrality; livelihoods for forest-dependent communities especially when they provide valuable products including seeds, fruits, aromatic and medicinal plants; and recreational opportunities. In Lebanon, Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) directly generate between US$ 80 to 97 million of sales per year, creating (primary and secondary) income for to rural households, so between and people. With an unclear horizon to the situation in Syria, it is expected that Lebanon will continue to face increased threats in addition to the existing ones that put communities at risk. The Government of Lebanon, along with UNDP and the EU conducted an environmental needs assessment of the Syrian conflict and priority interventions (September 2014). This was conducted to ensure that environmental concerns are mainstreamed into the response plans for the Government and its partners. This assessment highlighted several concerns especially in the sector of land use and ecosystem management including an increase in illegal felling of trees for firewood. The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) aims to reach a 5% increase in green spaces by 2019 as part of its strategy. Moreover, the National Reforestation Initiative launched by the Ministry of Agriculture in December 2012 aims to increase green spaces from 13% to 20% in the next 20 years. This amounts to the planting of 40 million trees throughout the country. In 2007 more than 4,000 hectares of forests were ravaged in the worst fires to hit Lebanon for decades. The devastating forest fires raged across Mount Lebanon, burning as many trees as the total amount burnt during Lebanon's civil war. This crisis shed light on the problem of poor forest fire management, which led the government to take emergency steps, including the development of Lebanon s National Strategy for Forest Fire Management and the establishment of the National Committee to Combat Forest Fires and Support the Restoration of Lands. A Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit has been established at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, with the development of a national disaster management strategy, a disaster management draft law and a National Response Plan, (Contingency Plan). In addition, 270 municipalities in Lebanon have signed up to the international resilient cities campaign My City is Getting Ready to reduce the risk of disasters. In line with the National Disaster Risk Management Strategy, the Ministry of Environment has launched the National Strategy to Manage Forest Fires in May The strategy identifies specific activities to prevent forest fires. This includes enhanced 1

2 forest management, building forest infrastructure such as observation towers and forest roads for enhanced fire response, in addition to the rehabilitation of already damaged forests. UNDP seeks to support these different forest and land management initiatives through its Livelihoods and Local Economic Development Strategy. The strategy seeks to address the challenges faced by Lebanon, in light of the Syrian crisis, in relation to the deteriorating economic conditions in the country and the increasing unemployment rates, poverty levels and consequently social instability, particularly in the most vulnerable host communities. This includes labor intensive forest and land management activities, with the dual benefit of supporting vulnerable Syrian and Lebanese beneficiaries with an income for their daily work, while contributing to the implementation of the national strategies of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) for increasing green spaces and reducing the risks of forest fires. II. OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTPUTS/ DELIVERABLES The overall objective is the implementation of labour intensive forest and land management activities such as reforestation, forest maintenance and management, irrigation, terracing and other forest activities in vulnerable communities in Lebanon. The forest and land management activities should be labour intensive providing shortterm work opportunities while spurring local economic activity and supporting the Ministry of Agriculture to meet its set goals for increasing green spaces and reducing forest fire risk in relation to the National Reforestation Initiative, the National Strategy to Manage Forest Fires and the Ministry of Agriculture Strategy of Detailed objective and related outputs and deliverables are provided in the Terms of Reference Annex 1. III. ELIGIBILITY & QUALIFICATION CRITERIA The parameters that will determine whether a NGO/Non-Profit Organization is eligible to be considered by UNDP will be based on the NGO/Non-Profit Organization Simplified Capacity Assessment for engagement in a humanitarian context template (SCAN) and its related supporting documents. NGO/Non-Profit Organization Simplified Capacity Assessment template Annex 2. IV. PROPOSAL Interested NGO/Non-Profit Organization (s) must submit the following within their proposal(s). - Proposed Methodology, Approach, quality assurance plan and Implementation Plan: The NGO/Non-Profit Organization should demonstrate its response to the Terms of Reference (TOR) in Annex 1, by identifying the specific components proposed, how the outputs/ delivery shall be addressed, as specified; providing a detailed description of the essential performance characteristics proposed; identifying the works/portions of the work that will be subcontracted. Moreover, the proposal should demonstrate how the proposed methodology meets or exceeds the TOR, while ensuring appropriateness of the approach to the local conditions and the rest of the project operating environment. This methodology must be laid out in an implementation timetable and a quality assurance. - Management Structure and Resource (Key Personnel): The NGO/Non-Profit Organization should include the comprehensive description of the management structure and information regarding required resources including curriculum vitae (CVs) of key personnel that will be assigned to support the implementation of the proposed methodology, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities vis-à-vis the proposed methodology. CVs should establish competence and demonstrate qualifications in areas relevant to the TOR. 2

3 V. EVALUATION CRITERIA & METHODOLOGY a) Proposals will be evaluated based on the following Technical criteria: - Sound technical proposal that includes innovative and replicable inclusion mechanisms to maximize the value transfer to the beneficiaries. - High impact interventions directly targeting and responding to the needs established in the TOR. - Size of budget requested commensurate with the organization s proven administrative and financial management capacity. - Participatory monitoring and evaluation that will contribute to building a sense of ownership among the beneficiaries to promote the sustainability of the interventions. - Mainstreaming of gender and decent work considerations in the proposed methodology Technical Proposal Evaluation Score Weight Points Obtainable 1. Eligibility and qualifications 20% 200 Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in implementing and monitoring reforestation, forest management or related forest initiatives % Minimum 5 years = 50 points; for 7 years =70 points; 10 years 90 points; above 10 years = 100 points Proven experience in implementing labour intensive forest projects in Lebanon 40 4% Minimum 2 projects = 10 points; for 3 projects =20 points; for 4 projects = 30 points; above 4 projects = 40 points Proven experience in carrying out capacity development and training in the field of forest and land management Minimum 2 projects = 5 points; for 3 projects = 10 points; for 4 projects = 15 points; above 4 projects = 20 points Proven experience in cooperating with national and local authorities in the field of forest and land management Minimum 2 projects = 5 points; for 3 projects = 10 points; for 4 projects = 15 points; above 4 projects = 20 points Previous cooperation with international UN organizations and / or international NGOs. With UN or ING = 10 points, with both UN and INGO = 20 points 2. Proposed Methodology, Approach and Implementation Plan 50% 500 Proposed methodology, approach and support 25% 250 Mainstreaming of gender and decent work considerations in the proposed methodology 5% 50 Proposed work plan, timeline 20% Management Structure and Key Personnel 30% 300 Experience of staff members nominated for this assignment as Team Leader 25 point for each of the profile elements (Refer to the ToR) 15% 150 Experience of staff members nominated for this assignment as Forest and Land Management Specialist 15% point for each of the profile elements (Refer to the ToR) Total 1,000 3

4 b) Evaluation methodology: Quality based under Fixed Budget Selection (QB-FBS) All proposals shall have the same maximum overall price (which cannot exceed the fixed budget amount of USD 500, this amount is all inclusive). The selection shall focus on the quality of the proposal and the NGO/Non-Profit proposed approach and methodology. NGOs/Non-Profit Organizations have to provide their best technical proposal and financial breakdown (within the budget) in one single envelope (clearly stating proposed overheads). Evaluation of all technical proposals shall be carried out, in accordance with the evaluation criteria outlined in section V, and the institution which obtains the highest technical score shall be selected. NGOs/Non-Profit Organizations exceeding the established fixed budget in their financial proposals will be rejected. Proposals have to translate community needs into implementable activities by the NGOs/Non-Profit Organizations. c) Budget size and duration The amount requested in the proposal should be commensurate with the organization s administrative and financial management capabilities. In principle, the project duration will not exceed 12 months of implementation. VI. SELECTION PROCESS: The UNDP will review proposals through a five-step process: (i) determination of eligibility; (ii) technical review of eligible proposals; (iii) scoring and ranking of the eligible proposals based on the assessment criteria outlined in the previous section to identify highest ranking proposal; (iv) round of clarification (if necessary) with the highest scored proposal; and (v) Responsible Party Agreement (RPA) signature VII. SUBMISSION PROCESS Applicants shall bear all costs related to proposal preparation and submission. Applicants must submit their proposals in one envelope to: Contact Person: Procurement Unit Name of Office: UNDP Lebanon Address: Arab African International Bank Building Third Floor, Room # 310 Riad El Solh Street, Nejmeh, Beirut , Lebanon Telephone: The following documents must be submitted in order for the submission to be considered: 1) Project Synopsis and methodology 2) Dully completed Simplified Capacity Assessment (SCAN) Annex 2 3) Documentation requested in the Simplified Capacity Assessment (SCAN) 4) Proposal Template Annex 3 5) Audited financial statements for past two years, including management report and footnotes that accompany the financial statements. Only one submission per organization is allowed. Once the application is complete and submitted, revised versions of proposal documents will not be accepted. 4

5 Submission Deadline Proposals, with supporting documents, should be submitted maximum by June 28 th 2017, 2:00 pm Beirut Local Time. Potential applicants should refer to the Frequent Asked Questions posted in UNDP s website. For additional questions about the Call for Proposals Guidelines or application forms, please to lb.bidding@undp.org IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION UNDP implements a policy of zero tolerance on proscribed practices, including fraud, corruption, collusion, unethical practices, and obstruction. UNDP is committed to preventing, identifying and addressing all acts of fraud and corrupt practices against UNDP as well as third parties involved in UNDP activities. (See NAL_june_2011.pdf and for full description of the policies) In responding to this Call for Proposals, UNDP requires all Proposers to conduct themselves in a professional, objective and impartial manner, and they must at all times hold UNDP s interests paramount. Proposers must strictly avoid conflicts with other assignments or their own interests, and act without consideration for future work. All Proposers found to have a conflict of interest shall be disqualified. Without limitation on the generality of the above, Proposers, and any of their affiliates, shall be considered to have a conflict of interest with one or more parties in this solicitation process, if they: * Are or have been associated in the past, with a firm or any of its affiliates which have been engaged UNDP to provide services for the preparation of the design, Terms of Reference, cost analysis/estimation, and other documents to be used in this competitive selection process; * Were involved in the preparation and/or design of the programme/project related to the services requested under this Call for Proposals; or * Are found to be in conflict for any other reason, as may be established by, or at the discretion of, UNDP. In the event of any uncertainty in the interpretation of what is potentially a conflict of interest, proposers must disclose the condition to UNDP and seek UNDP s confirmation on whether or not such conflict exists. 5