Consultancy for Development of scenarios for sustainable peatland management through agriculture

Reference Number: 83478543

Date of Publication: 22.11.2024

0. Context

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. The GIZ Office in Kigali covers GIZ’s portfolio in Rwanda and Burundi. GIZ Rwanda/Burundi implements projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union and other commissioning authorities in the following priority areas: Sustainable Economic Development, Good Governance, Climate, Energy and Sustainable Urban Development, Digitalization and Digital Economy, Mineral Governance, Peace and Security in the Great Lakes Region

Brief information on the project

Within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) commissioned Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with the implementation of the project “Policy Dialogue and Knowledge Management on Climate Protection Strategies” (DIAPOL-CE), running from 03/2014 until 06/2025.

In the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement, all countries are required to present strategies to transform their economies into low-carbon economies. The DIAPOL-CE project assists governments in partner countries in Africa, West and Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Eastern Europe to apply internationally proven approaches in developing resilient, climate-friendly, and eco-friendly economies. The project supports partner ministries in integrating the potential of natural carbon sinks (forests, peatlands) into their climate change mitigation strategies. Experts analyse economic development pathways that also strengthen resilience to the effects of climate change and biodiversity. The project supports pilot approaches to climate-sensitive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly management of natural resources that simultaneously enable local economic development. Financing options for the dissemination of successful approaches will be developed with the partner countries. Regional expert forums enable learning between responsible authorities and actors from business and science. The project processes regional learning experiences and makes them available for IKI projects worldwide.

Background information on the assignment

Peatlands are invaluable ecosystems that provide essential services for both the environment and society. Protecting and restoring peatlands is crucial for mitigating climate change, preserving biodiversity, ensuring water security, and maintaining ecological balance. Several international strategies and initiatives promote wetland/peatland conservation and restoration, recognizing their critical importance for biodiversity, climate regulation, and sustainable development (e.g., Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Global Peatland Initiative). In Rwanda, peatlands are not yet explicitly mentioned in national strategies despite their occurrence but are included in the term “wetlands” (see wetland definition by Ramsar, 2010) which naturally refers to a range of different ecosystems. In the National Wetlands Management Framework for Rwanda the Rwandan Government envisages sustainable and productive wetlands for the socio-economic welfare of Rwanda.

Peatlands also provide multiple ecosystem services, ranging from regulating (climate, regulating water flows, minimizing the risk of flooding and drought and pollution abatement); provisioning (food, fibre, water and genetic resources); supporting (biodiversity, primary production and nutrient cycling); and sociocultural (cultural use, recreation and education).

Despite their importance, peatlands have been degraded. Enormous pressure, over recent years, has been exerted on the water and wetlands resources through various emerging and increasing uses driven by the growing population. Some of these threats include agricultural intensification, peatland drainage, pollution, invasive species, overuse, peat extraction and an inadequate institutional framework to manage the wetlands.

Draining peatlands for (subsistence) agriculture is one of the major causes of peatland disturbance. These activities are also leading to a steady decline in peatlands in Rwanda. Yet agriculture is key for the Government of Rwanda to strive to transition from a developing country to a middle-income country by 2035. Rwanda’s agriculture is a key enabling sector to catalyzing economic growth as enshrined in numerous national strategies (Vision 2050, National Strategy for Transformation (NST) Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), Green Growth and Climate Resilience Strategy (GGCRS), PSTA4 etc.).

 Agriculture accounts for 25% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is responsible for an annual average growth of 5% over the last fifteen years. The agriculture sector contributes to the achievement of several SDGs, particularly: SDG 1 (end extreme poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger, improved nutrition, and sustainable agriculture), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 15 (terrestrial ecosystems, forests, and land) From a socio-economic front, the overall decrease in the poverty rate went from 60 % in 2000 to 38.2 % in 2017 with agriculture practiced also conducted on drained peatlands.

However, draining peatlands for agriculture is not fully in line with the government's National Wetlands Management Framework (NWMF) for Rwanda December 2020 vision. For that reason, NWMF 2020 developed a vision of sustainable and productive wetlands for the socio-economic welfare of Rwanda with triple goals 1) To rehabilitate 30% of national wetlands by 2030 in order to support livelihoods, 2) To ensure implementation of a framework for sustainable wetland utilization and management by 2030 and 3) To ensure the sustainable protection of those wetlands with high conservation potential by 2030.

To support Rwanda in realizing its ambitious climate, biodiversity and development goals the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through DIAPOL-CE in joint collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry for the Environment and other governmental actors the project will develop scenarios for sustainable peatland management in the agriculture sector in order to showcase alternative pathways to sustainable agricultural practices and create new opportunities for green employment and economic valorization of biomass.

The objective of this assignment is the development of sustainable management framework for peatlands through various scenarios and promoting paludiculture practices in the agriculture sector as well as the assessment of the associated costs and benefits.

The assignment is part of a set of measures on sustainable peatland management in Rwanda. GIZ collaborates with Michael Succow Foundation on the assessment of selected peatlands and socio-economic analysis for the current agricultural use and alternative paludiculture. The contractor will draw on the results of these assessments.

Period and duration of assignment

Period of the full assignment: from preferably December 2024 until April 2025.

The assignment has a planned duration of up to 52 expert days in total, of which 44 expert days are in Kigali / home based and 8 expert days are planned to accompany socio-economic assessments implemented by GIZ/ Michael Succow Foundation in selected pilot peat areas.  

1. Terms of reference for the contractor

Tasks to perform by the contractor

In the scope of this commission, the contractor in cooperation with the GIZ is responsible for analysing the role of peatlands in the Rwandan agriculture sector. The activity serves to analyse key policy questions regarding peatland use for agricultural purposes, the development of business-as-usual and alternative scenarios, and the conduct of a cost-benefit analysis. In the following, policy options are formulated to support alternative use scenarios for sustainable peatland management. The contractor summarises the results of the analyses in a policy brief. The work should contain the following elements:

a) Comprehensive analysis of role of peatlands in Rwanda’s agriculture system

Through a desk study, and exchanges with the relevant partner Ministry/-ies, institutions, and academia, the contractor will examine national and international policies, treaties, strategies and national policy framework related to agriculture and environmental goals, particularly those with specific commitments and timelines for the use of peatland in the agriculture sector. Additionally, the consultant shall assess whether the project and peatland use for agriculture and paludiculture are in alignment with these national and international policies and shortly summarizes key findings to which and how the project designs and implementation context will contribute in terms of mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.

After above analysis the consultant will do the technical analysis of the agriculture system, in which the contractor assesses the importance of peatlands in agriculture in Rwanda as well as associated challenges and opportunities for sustainable agriculture (e.g. paludiculture) practices. Analysis will be conducted to gather needs on the (quantitative) role of peatlands in the total agriculture sector and regarding crops and alternatives. Gathered data from another consultancy working on the carbon storage capacities and economic valorisation of peatlands as well as the identification of suitable sustainable value chains will help to inform and complete the contractor’s comprehensive analysis.

b) Socio-economic assessment 

For agricultural use of peatlands, the consultant integrates results from the Michael Succow Foundation working on economic valorisation of peatlands and the identification of suitable sustainable value chains.

The social-economic impacts of the paludiculture scenarios sector will be estimated, such as changes in local economies to explore strategies to address and mitigate negative social-economic consequences.

c) Development of scenarios for sustainable peat management

For the agriculture scenario modelling the contractor develops at least two scenarios showcasing a baseline scenario with the current agricultural practice and an alternative use scenario based on paludiculture practices. The contractor ensures that the methodology and development process of the scenarios are well documented.

d) Stakeholder engagement

To discuss the different outcomes of the developed scenarios the contractor organizes a stakeholder engagement with all concerned parties during which he is presenting his results. The session will give the opportunity to clarify questions, raise concerns and demand adjustments. The contractor will finalise the scenarios based on the needs of the stakeholders.

e)  Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) 

To synthesize all quantitative and qualitative data in a comprehensive Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) for sustainable peatland management in the agriculture sector. The contractor provides an analysis of costs and benefits of the transformation towards sustainable management practices for peatlands as well as socio-economic impacts of the transformation. The comprehensive CBA takes into consideration environmental related cost and benefits to come up with a global Benefit Cost Ration (BCR) that includes the economic, environmental and social benefits of the projects to guide decision makers.

f) Formulation of policy brief

To use the results from the of current and sustainable agricultural practice in peatlands and CBA the outcomes need to be formulated as summarised findings and tangible recommendations for the partner Ministry/-ies. Therefore, the contractor will develop a policy brief. The briefs in English language must each not exceed 5 pages. The brief shall contain the following elements: clear and concise executive summary, brief background and context, issue statement and definition based upon research findings and data collection, policy options, recommendations, and policy implications. The contractor must ensure that clear and accessible language is used, avoiding jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to policymakers with diverse backgrounds.

Activity plan and deliverables

The contractor implements the technical discussions at the stakeholder consultations. GIZ shall facilitate in consultation with the Ministry for Agriculture (MINAGRI) and Ministry of Environment (MoE) the invitation management and all relevant infrastructure for the meetings.

2. Concept

In the tender, the tenderer is required to show how the objectives defined in Chapter 2 (Tasks to be performed) are to be achieved, if applicable under consideration of further method-related requirements (technical-methodological concept). In addition, the tenderer must describe the project management system for service provision.

Note: The numbers in parentheses correspond to the lines of the technical assessment grid.

Technical-methodological concept

Strategy (1.1): The tenderer is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services put out to tender (see Chapter 1 Context) (1.1.1). Following this, the tenderer presents and justifies the explicit strategy with which it intends to provide the services for which it is responsible (see Chapter 2 Tasks to be performed) (1.1.2).

The tenderer is required to describe the key processes for the services for which it is responsible and create an operational plan or schedule (1.4.1) that describes how the services according to Chapter 2 (Tasks to be performed by the contractor) are to be provided. In particular, the tenderer is required to describe the necessary work steps.

The tenderer is required to describe its contribution to knowledge management for the partner (1.5.1) and GIZ and to promote scaling-up effects (1.5.2) under learning and innovation.

3. Qualification of expert / consultancy firm

The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number of points in the technical assessment.

a) Key expert 1 – Agricultural and socio-economic analysis, Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Education/training(1.1.1): University qualification (PhD) in Economics, Agronomy or a comparable discipline.
• General professional experience(1.1.1) :> 10 years of professional experience in agricultural economics.
• Specific professional experience: > 3 years of professional experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis of transition towards climate-friendly and resilient agriculture.
• Regional experience (1.1.2):>3 years of experience in projects with governmental stakeholders in Rwanda.
• Language (1.1.3):Good business language skills in English and Kinyarwanda

b) Key expert 1 – Soft Skills

In addition to their specialist qualifications, the following qualifications are required:

• Communication skills
• Socio-cultural skills
• Efficient, partner- and client-focused working methods
• Interdisciplinary thinking

4.Costing requirements

Per-diem and overnight accommodation allowances are reimbursed as a lump sum up to the maximum amounts permissible under tax law for each country as set out in the country table in the circular from the German Federal Ministry of Finance on travel expense remuneration (download at https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de)

All the travel activities must be agreed in advance with the staff member responsible for the project.

5. Sustainability aspects for travel

GIZ would like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 emissions) caused by travel. When preparing your tender, please incorporate options for reducing emissions, such as selecting the lowest emission booking class (economy) and using means of transport, airlines and flight routes with a higher CO2 efficiency. For short distances, travel by train (second class) or e-mobility should be the preferred option.

If they cannot be avoided, CO2 emissions caused by air travel should be offset. GIZ specifies a budget for this, through which the carbon offsets can be settled against evidence.

The market for carbon credits is made up of a large number of providers, each with different claims as to their climate impact. The Development and Climate Alliance has published a list of standards. GIZ recommends using the standards specified there.

Calculate your financial bid exactly in line with the quantitative requirements of the specification of inputs above. There is no contractual right to use up the full days/travel or workshops or budgets. The number of days/travel/workshops and the budgets will be contractually agreed as maximum amounts. The regulations on pricing are contained in the price schedule.

6. Requirements on the format of the tender

The CV submitted can have a maximum of four pages.

The concept in which the bidder is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services, should not exceed five pages. The concept should also describe the modelling tools to be used.

If one of the maximum page lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point will not be included in the assessment. External content (e.g. links to websites) will also not be considered.

7. Submission of the offer

Technical Proposal

• A cover letter expressing your interest in this assignment
• Company registration certificate (RDB)
• VAT registration certificate
• Tax clearance certificate
• Technical Proposal (attached template for technical proposal MUST be used)
• Up to date CVs of proposed expert  

7.3 Financial offer:

Financial offer indicates the all-inclusive total contract price, supported by a breakdown of all costs as described in the specification of inputs. The costs must be in RWF and VAT excluded (price schedule must be used).

Your EoI has to be submitted in 2 separated emails to RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 05.12.2024:

• The technical offerhas to be submitted in PDF format and as attachment to the email with the subject: Technical offer 83478543 
• The financial offerhas to be submitted in PDF format and as attachment to the email with the subject: Financial offer 83478543 

If the emails exceed the default email size of 30MB, offers can be exceptionally submitted through https://filetransfer.giz.de/ .

Offers submitted through any other sharing platform, as google documents or similar will not be considered.

Offers submitted in hard copy will not be considered.

GIZ reserves all rights.