Request for Expressions of Interest Project: The Preservation of Maze National Park and its Watershed, Ethiopia

Request for Expressions of Interest

Project: The Preservation of Maze National Park and its Watershed, Ethiopia

The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF), financed by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), seeks qualified consultants (firms) to conduct a 2–3-month Vegetation and Fire Vulnerability Mapping assignment in Maze National Park (MNP) and its 17 bordering kebeles. This work part of a larger 2024–2028 project, will employ remote sensing (NDVI, NDMI, LULCC) and field ground-truthing to produce:

• Baseline vegetation maps (cover, diversity, spatial distribution); Fire-vulnerability analyses and hotspot maps;
• Deliverables: inception report; draft/final vegetation mapping; fire-vulnerability outputs; GIS datasets (shapefiles/XY coordinates); validation-workshop presentations.

Minimum Qualifications & Evidence of Experience: Interested Applicants must provide information evidencing that they are qualified and experienced to perform those Services. For that purpose, documented evidence of recent and similar services shall be submitted. Determination of the similarity of the experiences will be based on:

• Contract Size: Leadership of large geospatial analyses covering extensive areas.
• Nature of Services: Experience in “Geospatial data analysis,” “Vegetation mapping,” and “Fire vulnerability mapping.”
• Technical Expertise: Advanced degree (MSc/PhD) in Ecology, Environmental Science, GIS/Remote Sensing; ≥ 5 years of environmental and geospatial analysis (including vegetation mapping and LULCC) in Ethiopia; proven skills with ArcGIS/QGIS, ENVI, ERDAS Imagine, Google Earth Engine, RStudio, etc.; proficiency in NDVI, NDMI, LULCC, and fire-risk methodologies.
• Personnel: A GIS & Remote-Sensing team leader plus an environmentalist/ecologist and ground-truthing experts.
• Location & Field Experience: Access to experts for data collection in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region (MNP); ≥ 5 years of relevant work in Ethiopia’s rural/conservation areas.
• Supporting Documentation: CVs of key staff, recommendation letters, and sample past reports. Applications missing any requirement will be rejected.

AFD Eligibility: Applicants must comply with AFD’s “Procurement Guidelines for AFD-Financed Contracts in Foreign Countries” (sub-clause 1.3). See: http://www.afd.fr.