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Job Description
Terms of Reference
Scoping of opportunities for DRC to engage in carbon credit issuance as part of ongoing community-led environment strengthening activities in displacement affected situations
Background
Climate change is a global phenomenon that “increasingly interacts with the drivers of refugee movements” and disproportionally affects developing countries, which today host 80% of the world’s refugees and displaced persons. Climate change and environmental degradation can be threat multipliers as climate-related risks may exacerbate conflict dynamics and increase the impact of other drivers of conflict and fragility. People affected by displacement, therefore, need that organizations such as DRC brings a stronger orientation towards supporting communities as they adapt to environmental changes.
As part of this work, DRC has been working with communities to adapt to changing environmental conditions, as well as realizing that degradation of ecosystems can cause further challenges for livelihoods. Indeed, many refugee hosting areas have seen large scale deforestation due to the need for fuel, resulting in further land degradation, limited ability for agriculture activities and potential resulting further displacement.
To tackle this, DRC has developed several projects that tackle environmental degradation and support alternative cooking fuels and we’re interested in exploring the potentials for incorporation of carbon accreditation of developed projects, realizing that communities take on many tasks and responsibilities as guardians of their environments but receive few financial benefits despite the wider benefits gained from such activities.
Scope
Carbon credit markets are developing in many locations where DRC support displacement-affected communities but there is limited benefit felt by the communities themselves in terms of incomes for engaging in environmentally strengthening and carbon sequestrating activities. DRC would like to engage a consultant with expertise in community-led carbon accreditation to work with country teams to understand the opportunities for carbon accreditation of projects and assess certain projects already developed in east Africa for the potential for carbon accreditation. DRC wants to engage a consultant to;
- Provide advice surrounding the potential opportunities for engaging with carbon credits in its existing portfolio of programmes in east Africa
- Give an overview of specific accreditation agencies that would be relevant for DRC community-led programmes and whose processes would be accessible to communities and DRC
- Look specifically at 2 projects in Burundi and Tanzania that focus on land regeneration, tree planting and briquette making and identify their potential in carbon sequestration as well as potential through solarization activities
- Visit project sites to scope out the carbon sequestration potential of the project approaches and to identify steps for accreditation that are replicable
- Identify a process for issuing credits and ensuring communities benefit
- Identify the process for communities to engage in the process and identify the benefits that communities can receive
DRC is looking to contract the services of an individual or consultancy team with relevant experience and qualifications for an assessment of the opportunities for carbon accreditation of existing projects. The consultancy is expected to include:
- An overview of carbon accreditation agencies that can be relevant for this work and their processes for accreditation
- Travel to Burundi and Tanzania to visit project sites, conducts assessments of the projects’ carbon sequestration ability and the requirements for engaging in carbon accreditation
- Map community-led carbon accreditation opportunities within DRC programming focusing on the initiatives at the project sites, but also including other opportunities such as solarized water pumps, solar-cookers etc.
Deliverables of consultant
The consultant(s) are expected to deliver the following:
- An assessment report (20 pages max) covering as a minimum the following:
- Brief overview of the potential for DRC to engage in carbon credits
- Mapping of carbon accreditation organizations, their relevance and accessibility for DRC and our community-led projects
- A detailed review of the 2 projects in Burundi and Tanzania for their potential for carbon sequestration along with suggestions to become more effective at sequestration
- A desk review of other carbon accreditation opportunities within DRC programming
- A process map around how the projects could become accredited with preferred partners
- A list of criteria for engaging in carbon accreditation across the region including any country specific deviations or challenges
The consultant(s) is expected to provide i) a report design overview, ii) a draft report for comments and input, and based on this, iii) a final report with professional lay-out taking into account the comments and input provided by DRC
Duration
The travel to Burundi and Tanzania will last 4-5 days, with final report to be provided within 30 days of travel
Qualifications
The successful candidate(s) must be able to work independently to deliver the required outputs working with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Qualifications will include:
- Minimum 3 years of experience in carbon accreditation and a tertiary level qualification in environment, carbon accounting, climate science or a related topic.
- Relevant background in carbon accreditation and carbon sequestration mapping and monitoring across a spectrum of projects
- Experience in the east Africa region with an understanding of the policy environment and challenging context, with an understanding of displacement contexts preferred
- Demonstrated experience and understanding of community-led carbon projects and the processes and community structures
- Understanding of and experience from the field of carbon credit project development
- Proven track record in conducting similar studies and assessments of projects for carbon potential
- Ability to structure complex insights into written and visual products that bring out key features and enable decision making
Assessment of proposals
All bidders will be scored on a scale from 1 – 10 for each of the below criteria and will be assessed for profile and qualifications (document 1), technical approach (document 2), and similar experience (document 3). Bids will be scored according to the criteria below for the initial screening.
1. Profile and Qualifications (Weighted percentage – 50%)
a. The candidate meets the profile and qualifications for the TOR
b. The consultant(s) have similar or other relevant experience in anticipatory financing modalities – preferably practical experience
c. The consultant(s) have relevant experience in sectors similar to those of the focus of the TOR
d. The consultant(s) provide examples of previous work carried out in this field of work
2. Technical approach (Weighted percentage – 50%)
a. The technical approach addresses the key aspects and deliverables of the ToR
b. The strategy draws on sector good practice and is relevant to the tasks
c. The technical approach will deliver the required outputs, within the deadlines
3. The financial offer will then be weighed against the technical proposal (cost/ quality)
Based on the initial screening, DRC will invite selected bidders for an interview.
For additional information regarding these terms of reference, please send your questions to Molley Akeyo, Regional Supply Chain Manager EAGL: molley.akeyo@drc.ngo
DRC will conduct reference checks from at least 2 previous works as an additional mandatory requirement.
How to apply
Interested bidders must submit as a minimum:
- Document 1: Updated CV(s) of consultant or consultant team – if bidding as a company, a company profile should also be included
- Document 2: A brief document (2 pages max) outlining a basic strategy and technical approach to the TOR, team composition and timeline, clearly indicating the level of effort required
- Document 3: A brief document (2 pages max) showing portfolio of previous relevant assignments or work. Where possible, this should include links to published work and/or references from the organizations that contracted the work.
- Document 4: A separate financing proposal in USD with a breakdown of budget covering consultancy fees and all related expenses to implement the activities of the consultancy, including travel and transportation, accommodation and all logistical requirements.
- The deadline for proposals is 11th August 2022
- Proposals must be submitted as word/PDF/excel files, ideally packaged in a zip file
- Proposals must be submitted to the following address rfq.ro01@drc.ngo with ‘Carbon Accreditation review’ in the subject line.
- The consultancy is expected to be conducted during the months of August/September
Please find complete Bid document in the following link: RFQ-RO01-00001 Carbon Credit Consultancy