Operational Framework Consultancy

SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT

WRI intends to award a fixed-price type contract for a Team of consultants or a Consulting Firm that will support the co-development of the Vumbuzi Impact Africa (VIA) Foundation Operation Framework, including key functions such as accounting, grants and contracts, finance management, IT, human resources, safety and security, sustainability, risk management, and operations. The consultant will adapt existing WRI and TerraFund policies to the VIA Foundation’s context, identify gaps, and enhance procedures for efficient and compliant operations.

About the World Resources Institute

Founded in 1982, The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future.

About the Vumbuzi Impact Africa (VIA) Foundation

The VIA Foundation, established by WRI and Southbridge Investment, aims to support the acceleration and scale-up of finance available for land restoration across AFR100 member countries. By 2025 or sooner, the VIA Foundation will become a financial intermediation partner, managing and disbursing grants and repayable grants for 60-100 projects, each receiving between $50k-$500k.

To achieve this goal, the VIA Foundation needs to develop an effective and transparent operational framework. This framework must align with WRI’s standards for transparency, accountability, and compliance with donor requirements and regulatory standards. While WRI has made some progress on drafting an initial operational manual, the VIA Foundation seeks a consultant to build upon this foundation and develop a comprehensive operational framework tailored to the Foundation’s specific context.

SCOPE OF WORK AND OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES

The team of consultant or consulting firm will work closely with WRI’s TerraFund and WRI Africa teams to develop the operational framework, focusing on the following key functions:

Accounting

• Review, enhance and adapt existing accounting policies and procedures.
• Establish internal controls to safeguard assets and ensure financial integrity.
• Develop guidelines for cash flow management and liquidity planning.

Grants and Contracts

• Co-develop a comprehensive grant management framework, including application, evaluation, disbursement, monitoring, and reporting processes.
• Adapt exiting and create, when needed, templates and tools for due diligence, grant budgeting, contracting, financial reporting, and compliance monitoring.
• Establish a project grievances and complaints mechanism, including a hotline.

Finance Management

• Develop financial management procedures, including budgeting, accounting, and reporting.
• Enhance internal controls and establish guidelines for financial transactions and liquidity management.

Information Technology

• Develop procedures for the tools and systems to support financial and grant management (e.g., Salesforce, Docusign, Airtable, Monday.com) to ensure efficient processes.
• Ensure IT systems are secure and comply with data protection regulations.

Human Resources + Safety and Security

• Develop HR policies and procedures, including recruitment, performance management, and staff development.
• Develop guidelines and procedures to ensure the safety and security of staff and assets.
• Establish emergency response plans and protocols.

Risk Management:

• Develop a risk management framework to identify, assess, and mitigate potential risks to the Foundation’s operations.
• Establish procedures for regular risk assessment and management, including financial, operational, and strategic risks.
• Create tools for risk monitoring and reporting.

Sustainability

• Develop policies and procedures to ensure the sustainability of operations.
• Integrate environmental considerations into all aspects of the foundation’s operations.

TIMING

Procurement Timeline:

1. Deadline for Submission of Proposals: August 23, 2024
2. Proposal Evaluation and Shortlisting: August 24 – 30, 2024
3. Consultant Interviews (if needed): September 2 – 4, 2024
4. Contract Award Notification: September 6, 2024
5. Anticipated Contract Signing and Kickoff Date: September 9, 2024

Estimated time allocation until completion: 20 pays days over 3 months

BUDGET

An estimate of the number of days required to carry out the activities is to be provided by the vendors in their proposal and must be reflected in the estimate. However, once the budget has been validated, the payment of the service will be conditional on the delivery of the deliverables and not on the number of days worked. All expenses (equipment, vehicles, materials, supplies, consumables, means of communication, insurance, travel expenses, etc.) necessary for the performance of the service, including travel expenses, mission expenses, etc., are the sole responsibility of the vendor and must be quantified in the budget proposal.

Please note that WRI is an IRS-registered 501(c)3, tax-exempt organization. WRI is not VAT exempt. All prices or quotes should include VAT and tax, as applicable.

GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Requirements

Prospective vendors should submit or have the following competencies at a minimum:

– At least 10 years of proven experience in developing operational frameworks for foundations or similar organizations.

– Strong knowledge of financial management, grant management, organizational development, and risk management.

– Experience working with international organizations and understanding of donor requirements.

– Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and incorporate feedback.

– Excellent communication and reporting skills.

– Knowledge of landscape restoration, conservation or natural resources management will be an advantage.

Proposal content

• A statement of interest describing the proposed team and how it meets the above requirements.
• CVs of team members.
• Examples of and references for similar previous work.
• An outline of the proposed methodology and workplan.
• A proposed budget with a breakdown of costs sufficient to assess reasonableness and compliance with our funder requirements.

Expression of Interest, Deadline for Questions, and Proposal

All expressions of interest about this RFP must be sent by August 23rd, 2024, 11:50pm Nairobi time, in electronic PDF format to the contact below. Please also note that Answers to the questions will be shared will all parties who have asked questions or otherwise expressed interest.

– Name: Mrs. MAHAMOUDOU Salima

– Role: Blended Finance Manager for Restoration

– Email: [email protected]

EVALUATION AND SELECTION

Evaluation Criteria

The following elements will be the primary considerations in evaluating all proposals submitted in response to this RFP:

• of all required elements;
• The extent to which the vendor’s /consultant’s, etc. proposal fulfills WRI’s stated requirements as set out in the RFP;
• Experience with similar projects;
• Overall cost of the proposal from the candidate.

The bidder offering the best overall value will be selected. For this procurement, price and non-price aspects are considered to be of approximately equal importance.

Selection Process

No proposal development costs shall be charged to WRI / all expenses are to be borne by the bidders. WRI may award to the bidder offering best value without discussion. However, WRI reserves the right to seek bidder clarifications and to negotiate with those bidders deemed to be within a competitive range.

WRI may, at its discretion and without explanation to the prospective consultants, etc., choose to discontinue this RFP without obligation to such prospective consultants, etc. or make multiple awards under this RFP.

Important: Contracts will not be awarded to consultants, etc. debarred by the US government or named on restricted parties lists.