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Consultancy services (To conduct desk review on landscape and land restoration efforts in Ghana)

JOB SUMMARY

Company Catholic Reli...
Industry NGO/IGO/INGO
Category Agriculture
Location Accra
Job Status Contractor/Co...
Salary GHS
Education Master’...
Experience 5 years
Job Expires Apr 26, 2021
Contact ...
 

Company Profile

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. CRS Ghana was established in 1958, a year after Ghana gained independence. In Ghana, CRS works with local partners to tackle poverty on several fronts including improving health and nutrition; increasing access to safe water and improved sanitation; promoting agriculture to enhance food security; and increasing financial assets through Savings and Internal Lending Communities. 

Job Description

Request for Proposal (RFP) Service
 
Request for Proposal Release Date: April 14th, 2021
RFQ Closing Date & Time: April 26th, 2021, at 3pm
 
 
SUBJECT: Request for Proposal No. GH_21_AGRIC_001
 
Dear Prospective Bidder: 
 
CRS is seeking proposals for consultancy services to conduct desk review on landscape and land restoration efforts in Ghana and related services as more specifically described in Section B (Scope of Work) of this RFP. 
 
This RFP consists of the cover letter and the following: 
  1. Section A – Proposal Submission Instruction;
  2. Section B – SOW
Proposals shall only be submitted to the addresses indicated below. All submissions must be received by the stated closing date and time indicated above. Proposal received after the deadline will not be considered. Incomplete information submitted in response to this request for proposal will result in disqualification from consideration. 
 
Issuance of this RFP does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the CRS nor does it commit CRS to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. 
 
 
SECTION B – 
  • Scope of Work (SoW)
  • Knowledge and Learning Study
  • Desk review/study on landscape and land restoration efforts in Ghana 
  • Catholic Relief Services, Ghana
 
Country:  Ghana
  • Project: Enhance Project (supported by WARO Landscapes and Livelihoods Strategic Platform funds)           
  • Supervisor: Acting Agric. PM
  • Location: open to remote/virtual work (Tamale or Northern Ghana is preferable)
  • Assignment title: Provision of consultancy services to conduct desk review on landscape and land restoration efforts in Ghana 
  • Duration:  4 months
1. Background
CRS adopted the Agency strategy Vision 2030, with a Strategic Change Platform on Transforming Lives and Landscapes. By 2030, focus countries will develop and implement policies and investments that scale people-centered restoration of degraded land to enable thriving livelihoods, flourishing landscapes, and resilient communities. CRS seeks to break the cycle of poverty by investing with farmers to restore the health of soil and availability of water. Practices which have contributed to environmental degradation and worsened the impacts of climate change (e.g., burning, deforestation, over-grazing, etc.) can be replaced with those that not only produce more abundant crops, but also regenerate the soil and recharge ground water, leading to greater resilience and agricultural opportunities for future generations. 
 
Understanding that land degradation is a root cause of poverty, CRS will expand the restoration equation beyond forest lands to target agricultural and pasturelands in a landscape perspective.  CRS’ people-centered approach will build on small-scale producer capacity to create a more prosperous and sustainable future. We will work directly with farmers, starting with land restoration and knowledge transfer, then adding financial services and enhanced market linkages. 
 
CRS will promote a system change at multiple levels to transform current approaches to agriculture landscapes for lasting impact through several key components:
  • Innovate with farmers, communities, and institutional stakeholders to accelerate adoption and farmer-driven change. 
  • Expand programming so that skills building, communication, and services reach more people and communities; develop community-to-government feedback loops that channel information and evidence to inform government decision-making.
  • Catalyze the adoption, adaptation, and investment in restoration approaches by partners, peer organizations, national/sub-national levels of government, and the private sector.
  • Collaborate with governments and multi-stakeholder platforms to operationalize government restoration goals, providing research support, improving measurement, increasing access to technology and resources, and supporting coordination among multiple actors. 
2. Ghana Country Context
For the last two decades, a multitude of landscape restoration, evergreening practices, natural resources management and/or and climate change mitigation and adaptation activities have been implemented by government, international and local NGOs, CBOs, and other relevant stakeholders in Ghana, and specifically in the northern part of the country with an objective to reverse land degradation and restore damaged ecosystems across Ghana. Similarly, several studies, reviews, and assessments have been conducted to evaluate the impacts of such interventions by different organizations to draw lessons, revise policies and strategies on land restoration, and improve communities’ wellbeing living across the different landscapes. 
 
Based on available research, case studies, and lessons learned in country, CRS Ghana, in collaboration with CRS 2030 Landscapes and Livelihoods Strategic platform, will conduct a desk review/study on landscape and land restoration activities undertaken in Ghana to learn how different projects contributed to restoring degraded landscapes at different levels, their impacts on communities and ecosystem services, as well as evaluating existing policies and strategies on landscape restoration. This desk review/study will serve to better define the pathway for the CRS Landscapes and Livelihoods Platform in Ghana to influence a system change to scale land restoration for resilient livelihoods within an agricultural landscape based on a collaborative approach engaging multiple stakeholders. 
 
3. Purpose of the assignment
The overall purpose of this assignment is to conduct review of the country context as a foundation to: (1) document and develop a data base of lessons learned and challenges from landscape and land restoration efforts in Ghana over the last 10-15 years; and (2) define and provide recommendations to a pathway to engage stakeholders to bring about a systems change to scale-up land restoration models for resilient livelihoods within agricultural landscapes. 
 
CRS is seeking the service of a consultant with the required high-level capacity to undertake desk review/study on history, trends and policies, and strategies of landscape and land restoration in Ghana in an efficient manner within limited time frame and resources.
 
The consultant will first focus on the review of CRS documents at HQ and partner-level, collaboratively with different projects and sector leads. There are several NRM/landscape restoration projects implemented in the past 10-15 years. S/he will research, review, and analyze evaluation documents, assessments, reports, etc. to draw out lessons learned, successes and challenges. The consultant will then focus on researching, review and analyzing external documents at the national and regional level (policy, strategy, evolution, research, reports etc.) from Universities, Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, World Bank, WFP, and research centers including the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana.
 
4. Methodology
The consultant should conduct a review of available research, assessments, reports, policies, strategies, and case studies made on land restoration by different organizations and develop well organized and high standard reports that can be used for future programming and decision making. The consultant will focus concurrently on: (1) the review of previous and current CRS land restoration projects; (2) national and regional level (policy, strategy, evolution, research, reports etc.) and will also refer to documents available at CRS and implementing partners and conduct site visits at selected project CRS sites.
 
Before writing the report, the consultant should prepare a plan and agree on an outline. The consultant should develop the report as per the agreed upon content. CRS has the right to seek for comments and additional information on the report’s content. 
The consultant will work closely with CRS Ghana Agriculture Programming staff during the assignment. Before submitting the final version of the report, the consultant should incorporate the comments and views of relevant program staff and key stakeholders. The consultant will develop a format for the development of database on land restoration and collate and organize data on land restoration mainly conducted by CRS.
 
5. Specific responsibilities of the Consultant and CRS
 
Consultant’s Responsibilities
Under the supervision of CRS Ghana staff and in close collaboration with CRS Global landscape and Livelihoods Strategic Platform, the consultant will undertake the following tasks based on a CRS and external focus to assess and document best practices, lessons learnt, success stories and identify key challenges and barriers. More specifically, they will interact with Global Landscape and Livelihoods Strategic Platform Coordinator, CRS HQ Agriculture and Livelihoods team, WARO Regional Technical Advisor, and CRS Ghana team to develop a plan for the desk review and consultation meetings.
 
CRS Focus: 
  • Conduct desk review of existing project documents and reports of CRS land restoration initiatives and other relevant selected land restoration projects/programs in the country and compile relevant information on the history, status, and impact of projects on the landscape (ecosystem and smallholders’ livelihood) and produce relevant analysis and documentation. 
  • Carry out field visits with CRS implementing partners to get data related to land restoration  
  • Assess/document benefits to people from avoiding land degradation and restoring degraded land
  • Assess/document land restoration impacts associated with changes in ecosystem services and functions, changes in ecosystem services, livelihoods, human well-being and quality of life
  • Assess and document how a successful restoration project is perceived by local population
External focus: 
  • Review existing documents and reports, analyze, describe, and document the approaches, results and impacts of programs and develop database. The database should include project name, donor, implementers, hectares under restoration, project period, budget, number of households benefited, and environmental, economic, and social impacts and project sustainability.
  • Document and review relevant existing policies, strategies, and guidelines on land restoration
  • Gather relevant documents and identify policy gaps and implementation barriers on policies, strategies and governance in land restoration/natural resource management and provide recommendations as an entry point to inform/influence policy and decision-makers
  • Assess and document enabling environments and key stakeholders in land restoration/natural resource management/climate change adaptation
  • Assess and document effective and implemented legal and regulatory instruments
  • Assess and document policy instruments for sustainable land management
CRS’ Responsibilities 
  • CRS will support the study, as necessary, and make available required documents for review
  • CRS Ghana will organize meetings, discussions/calls with relevant stakeholders to support study
7. Time Frame and Level of Effort 
The desk review/study assignment will take place over two-months to begin on May 3, 2021.  
 
8. Selection Criteria 
The evaluation committee will evaluate the CVs and select a consultant based on the following:
  • General Qualifications of Consultant- Minimum of master’s degree in Agric/NRM retaliated activities: 25%  
  • Proposed Detailed Work Plan and Technical Approach: 30% 
  • Demonstrated experience in conducting similar studies at high level:  30%
  • Track record of successful completion of past assignments:15%
  • Ability to identify key regions in Ghana to conduct study: 10%
Only bidders who are considered technically responsive (technical score of at least 75%) will proceed to the financial evaluation.
 
9.    Cost and Payments
  • Prices are inclusive of all payable taxes
  • CRS will cover transportation, per diem and accommodation expenses during field visit
  • Quoted price would be open to negotiations
  • 30% of overall payment will be paid after the draft version of the report is submitted to CRS.  The remaining 70% will be paid upon submission of the final version of the report/database and upon acceptance and approval of the full set of deliverables by CRS.
10. Deliverables 
The consultant is expected to submit the following joint documents to be divided into two sections:
(i) CRS focused; and (ii) external focused with a synthesized conclusion: 
  • Literature Review (CRS and external) 
a. Literature review table with notes
b. Technical library of review documents
  • Data base on CRS land other restoration projects and outcomes in the country: The database should include project name, period and budget, donor, implementing partners, hectares under restoration, number of households benefited, and environmental, economic and social impacts and sustainability.
  • Assessment Report detailing methodology, analysis, findings, and recommendations. (CRS and external)   
a. Content for draft report—initial review
b. Draft report for CRS 
c. PowerPoint presentation for stakeholder workshop hosted by CRS: summary of comments per the recommendation made by the workshop participant
d. Final version of the report that takes into account stakeholder review 
e. Closing out of the consultancy 

Required Skills or Experience

6. Consultant's qualification and experience 
  • Master’s degree with at least 5 years of experience working in Agriculture/NRM related activities
  • High-level of knowledge on land restoration activities 
  • Experience in conducting studies, assessments, or desk reviews of NRM and similar assignments 
  • Proven ability and capacity to deliver high standard reports at national level. 

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