Request for Proposals: Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) Training to support Climate Resilience for Smallholder Agriculture in Central Africa

INTRODUCTION

Global Center on Adaptation
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local levels, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to the impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for livelihoods, food security, water supply, Infrastructure, health, security, and economic growth. The work of the GCA elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning to become more resilient to climate related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam.
 
GCA’s global strategy is implemented under three pillars of Knowledge, Programs, and Advocacy. Under programs, GCA works in five global programs, including Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions, Water and Urban, Climate Finance, Food Security, and Youth. Each program is managed by a Global Program Lead, based in Rotterdam under the overall supervision of the Director of Global Programs. Through its global, regional and country programs, GCA has developed unique advantages to push forward action on the adaptation agenda globally, focusing more on the Africa region where the need for adaptation is severe.

Project/programme background information
Context:
GCA plans to advance skills in DCAS as a means of supporting farmers to build their climate resilience. The training will bring together key change makers that can help to scale up DCAS. This will include partners of the GCA and AFDB in their joint African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), but also strategically selected representatives of key organisations that can facilitate scaling of DCAS.
 
Background
Agriculture is the backbone of most African economies; the sector employs more than half of Africa’s population. The sector faces much challenges from climate change which is forecasted to negatively impact 56% of all crops in sub-Saharan Africa by 2050. It is also estimated that by 2080, the negative impact of climate change on Africa’s agricultural yields could be between 15% and 30%. About 80% of the farmland in sub-Saharan Africa is managed by smallholder farmers who provide up to 80% of Africa’s food supply. These smallholders currently face key constraints to adaptation as they have the least capacity to adapt because they often do not have resources to invest.
 
Technological innovations and increasing digitalization – such as with mobile technologies and internet access, satellites and weather stations, drones (UAVs), remote sensing technologies etc. – offer an opportunity to speed up the transformation of African agriculture and can help address the pressing challenges posed by climate change to agriculture and food security in Africa today by accelerating the mainstreaming and adoption of digital climate solutions at scale.
 
Digitalization for agriculture, according to a flagship report released by CTA in 2019, “is the use of digital technologies, data and business model innovations to transform practices across the agricultural value chain and address bottlenecks” along the value chain. Digitalization in agriculture, particularly the mainstreaming of climate smart digital technologies and solutions, can help to address declining or inadequate productivity, unsustainable production practices, and the challenge of diminishing resilience to climate-induced shocks across Africa, especially in countries that are expected to experience more extreme weather events and climate-related disruptions to agriculture and food security in the near and medium term.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
Purpose of this Assignment
 
Within this context, GCA is seeking qualified company to organize a 2 day training event.
 
The deadline for the submission of proposals is Thursday, February 23rd, 2023, 16:00:00 CET (=4:00:00 PM CET)
 
Bidders are cautioned that the timing of submission is based on when the proposal is received by the GCA, not when a proposal is submitted by a bidder. As transmission can be delayed to file transfer size, transmission speed or other technical factors, bidders should plan to submit proposals well in advance of the Submission Deadline to avoid submitting late due to technical issues. Bidders submitting near the Submission Deadline do so at their own risk.
 
Proposals received after the closing date and time will be rejected.

Information about the Contract Package
GCA intends to enter into a contract that covers the Scope of Services and Deliverables. The maximum financial envelope for this assignment is 100,000 euro exclusive of VAT. Proposals that exceed this amount will not be considered.

Communications, clarifications and admendment of RFP
If GCA, either on its own initiative or in response to a request from a prospective bidder, provides additional information on the RFP dossier, such information will be communicated simultaneously in writing to all the bidders.

Bidders may submit questions in writing to the following address by email, up to Thursday, 16thFebruary 2023 at 16:00:00 CET specifying the publication reference and must clearly mark in the email subject title: “Clarification – Request for Proposal GCA-PR-22-210”.
 
The Bid Committee E-mail: procurement@gca.org   
 
Clarifications will be treated anonymously.
 
All communications concerning this RFP, including requests for clarification, must be made in writing to this email address. GCA may, within the deadline for submission of proposals, decide to amend the RFP and shall issue the amendment in writing.
 
No approach of any kind in connection with this RFP should be made to any other person within, or associated with, GCA. Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in exclusion from the competition. Please note that GCA will not enter into a detailed discussion on the requested services at this stage.

• That you are a registered legal entity in your jurisdiction- (if applicable) (Please provide Registration Documentation /Company Profile/CVs for sole experts).
• That your expert/s each have more than 20 years professional experience with international and/ or intergovernmental organizations in senior staff roles in climate adaptation in developing countries (Please provide documentary evidence).
• That your expert/s have led at least two similar projects in line with the required deliverables of the project in the last three years in areas of climate adaptation activities in Africa (Please provide brief case studies).

HOW TO EXPRESS INTEREST
Bidders interested in participating in the Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) Training to support Climate Resilience for Smallholder Agriculture in Central Africa are requested to submit their proposals, including all supporting documents, to procurement@gca.org no later than Thursday, February 23rd, 2023, 16:00:00 CET.

Please download the document on this page for more instructions and details.

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