Terms of references for recruiting private nursery operators in the Nyungwe Agroforestry project

1. Background

Initiative pour la Promotion de la Famille et du Genre (IPFG) is a women led organization established in 2002 and legally registered by the ministerial Order N0 17/11 of 31 January 2006 which was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Rwanda O.G N0 10 bis of 15 May 2006. It is based in Gasaka Sector-Nyamagabe District- Southern Province. IPFG has a vision is to foster a democratic society where both women and men are conscious of their challenges, collaborate harmoniously, and actively engage in overall development initiatives. The mission of IPFG is to advocate for and strengthen the partnership between men and women, while encouraging their active involvement in endeavors that promote social and economic development based on principles of fairness. To achieve this mission, IPFG focuses its interventions across 3 main areas: i) agricultural production chains, climate change adaptation and mitigations; ii) youth and women empowerment (economic and leadership); and iii) citizen participation.

2. Context

From January 2024, IPFG in partnership with Livelihoods funds is starting to implement “The Nyungwe Agroforestry Project”, a 20 years’ project aiming to make a positive impact on 13,000 hectares of farmland, involving 23,000 smallholder farmers across the eastern border of the Nyungwe National Park in Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru Districts. The Nyungwe Agroforestry Project wants to improve the resilience of the farmers through rehabilitation of ecosystem services and increasing their adaptation capacities to climate change. Specifically, the project will help implementing communities:

• To grow agroforestry trees for various advantages;
• To improve good agricultural practices (GAP);
• To improve soil fertility; and
• To increase income opportunities within implementing communities

In this regard, IPFG is looking for potential company/nursery/entity to collaborate with in the large-scale production of tree seedlings for the project.

3. Agroforestry tree production requirements

3.1. Tree species to produce

The contractor shall supply tree seedlings for the following species, with numbers to be précised in contract.

For that, the producer must adhere to:

• Meeting targets of seedling according to production plans
• Producing high quality and ready for planting seedlings according to schedule
• Distributing quality seedlings to designated points of distribution.
• Ensure Environmental Health and Safety of workers and community.

3.2. Scale of production (production schedule over the years)

Agroforestry trees will be produced in the different years, and all the above species are subject to production in all years. The following table show the production period, the location of implementing sectors, and number of trees to be produced in that sector.

Note: Disaggregation by species and by numbers is to be communicated to selected contractor(s).

3.3. Production sites

The project will be implemented in sectors neighboring Nyungwe National Park (NNP) of Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru districts. Those sectors include Uwinkingi, Gatare, Buruhukiro, Kitabi and Nkomane in Nyamagabe and Muganza, Kivu, Nyabimata and Ruheru in Nyaruguru. Depending on project’s ramp up and sectors to cover for a given year, a nursey must be in a convenient location based on that ramp up year and targeted locations. The following map illustrate well all the implementing sectors and their districts.

3.4. Production period

Mature and hardened Agroforestry tree seedlings should be availed in the last week of the month of August of each of the year of production. This is to ease the transportation of the agroforestry trees to holding nurseries on time, and in favorable climate (before the rain periods), so to cope with the challenge of damaged roads in the areas that could disturb tree distribution activities.

3.5. Capacity building

The private nursery in the implementing sector should have the duties of training community nursery technicians, and managing community nurseries’ staff and equipment. This task is negotiable and applicable after the seedlings’ producer is selected to do the job.

Thus, the producer will ensure:

• The safety of seedlings at community nursery
• Quality and prompt production of seedlings by community nurseries

3.6. Transport of seedlings to holding nurseries (optional)

The producer in a given nursery should ensure that seedlings are well distributed without loss to temporary holding nurseries specified in the holding nursery map to be provided by IPFG. This nursery map will have number of trees per species allocated to that holding nursery, as well as its location. It is good to note that the holding nurseries will be located in the implementing villages of the sector the nursery will be located in. 

4. Technical Specifications 

• The height of the shade will have to be 2 m high. The width of the band will be 1.2 meters to allow nursery worker do the weeding of bands from either side without having to step into the band.
• The beds can be any length, but 10 – 12 m is often convenient in Rwanda to facilitate hand tending and watering and task allocation to workers.
• Paths between the beds are essential, and these should be at least 1 m wide to allow access for workers with wheelbarrows, baskets and other materials.
• Plastic bag should be 12 cm length, 10 cm diameter for forestry/agroforestry trees
• Plastic bag should be 20 cm length and 18 cm diameter for fruits trees
• Nursery shade must be a movable mat made with reeds or papyrus or shade net

5. Scope of work 

Under supervision of IPFG, the contractor will have to carry out the following activities:

Activity 1: The contractor will be responsible for Hiring the land for nursery establishment within the selected landscapes (in implementing sectors)   

Activity 2: Tree nursery establishment, including marking out the shape and sizes of the beds, erecting beds using durable poles and orienting beds to avoid direct sunshine when shaded, providing shades using materials locally available or shade nets in case of scarcity of local materials 

Activity 3: Purchasing and sowing the seeds obtained from the National Seed Centre or other quality-assured suppliers. Seeds must be disease free and the contractor will be responsible for seeds replacement in case seeds are not germinated.

Activity 4: Tree nursery management, including watering, pot filling, pricking out from seedbeds into pots, shading and watering after pricking out, weeding, root pruning, hardening off, pest and diseases management in nurseries.

Activity 5: Ensure the safety of tree nurseries from theft of seedlings.

Activity 6: Ensure that the number of the seedlings for each species as per the contract are healthy and delivered on time.

Activity 7: Preparation and delivery of training modules tailored for farmers (including youth and women) on nursery preparation and management practices. 

6. Submission of bidding documents

The interested companies/entities who are confident to fulfill the above requirements and committed to do the task as prescribed should submit/send their application documents which must include the following information:

• Motivation letter
• RDB Registration certificate
• 2 certificates of good completion for the similar works
• A document with unit prices in the production of each of the above species including distribution costs to holding nurseries (remembering that holding nurseries will be located in the villages of implementing sector the nursery will be located), all taxes included.
• CV of the company/entity showing location, the working experience with 3 professional referees and other relevant information on the implementation of agroforestry trees production works.
• A demonstration of implementation for the above endeavor like, location of your nursery(ies), seed source, manpower mobilization, land mobilization, Protection of the environment etc.
• Demonstrate human resource capacity to undertake such endeavor
• Field visits may be necessary to either client, existing sites etc. 

Note:

1. The selected nursery (ies)’ company(ies) will have yearly contract (s) which is/are subject to its/their renewal based on performance.
2. After selection of nursery(ies)’ company (ies), proposed prices are subject to negotiations
3. Selected companies will be expected to comply with country labor law and various IPFG policies and working ethics, including safeguarding and child protection policy.
4. Selected companies should implement environment sensitive activities in their nurseries and ensure the safety of their workers and the sites they are working in. 

Qualified bidders should submit above mentioned documents in English to the following email: ipfg.recr.proc@ipfg-rwanda.com not later than the 29^th December 2023, at 5.00 pm. 

Nyamagabe of the 18^th December, 2023 

Therese UWIZEYE

President of IPFG