ActionAid Nigeria (AAN)- Request For Proposal For Consultancy Services For Alternative Cases To Dirty Polluting Agribusiness And Energy Projects And Their Ecosystem In Nigeria

DEADLINE: 10TH MAY, 2023
ACTIONAID NIGERIA (AAN)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR ALTERNATIVE CASES TO DIRTY POLLUTING AGRIBUSINESS AND ENERGY PROJECTS AND THEIR ECOSYSTEM IN NIGERIA

Background
As part of the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA II) that aims at transforming societies to become more just, feminist, green, and resilient, ActionAid International is implementing a Global Climate Justice Programme. The project aims at developing, promoting, and shifting resources towards viable local alternatives led by women and youths in affected communities that reduce emissions while promoting resilience and providing inspiring examples of what the just transition looks like. Under the auspice of SPA II, ActionAid Nigeria has partnered with the Global Climate Justice Programme on the alternative track to identify, promote and potentially strengthen and scale progressive solutions to the climate crisis. The goal of the alternative track is scoping potential for alternatives and promoting investment in alternatives through different measures such as public investments, not-for-profit or private/impact investors.

Rationale of the Consultancy
Various initiatives are being implemented in Nigeria to address the climate crisis particularly those implemented by youths and women. However, these initiatives are implemented in silos, not well documented nor are they in one single place for easy access of information on the same or tracking. As a result, ActionAid Nigeria is currently mapping and identifying potential tangible, practical and contextual youth and women led or owned alternative cases with sustainable business models to current practices and technologies in energy and agriculture sectors; particularly concrete examples of models and practices that have the potential to grow and replace the systems such as harmful agribusiness, centralized and polluting parts of the energy sector, in particular fossil fuels that drive inequality and destroys the climate in Nigeria.

Assignment Objectives
The consultant will support ActionAid Nigeria to identify, document alternative cases to polluting agriculture and energy practices and technologies currently implemented in Nigeria (both supported by ActionAid and other organisations) using the already developed alternative case collection tool and recommend the best four promising cases for the alternatives database. Specifically, ActionAid Nigeria is looking for:

(i) Systems for renewable energy production and consumption that lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve resilience, and benefits the victims of climate change. This could be:

• Sources of energy that can replace current fossil fuel consumption,
• Practices and models for decentralization and democratization of processes of production and management of utilities,
• Community practices and ownership models or
• New technologies benefitting the communities we work for directly.

(ii) Sustainable models that are owned and/or led by local communities (women and youth) and are in line with the principles for a just transition and Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA). These alternative models can be for producing, processing, distributing food that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance (bio)diversity, respect traditions, and improves equity and/or working practices for re-claiming and managing natural resources.

Scope of Work

(1) Desk Review

• Review relevant research publications (2018 to date), reports, websites e.g. For incubators, mentorship programmes and accelerators, and other literature that have a bearing on alternatives to identify 25 – 30 alternative cases implemented and or planned in Nigeria and fill the developed alternative case collection tool for each of the identified alternative cases.
• Review the literature to identify the ecosystem (donor/funders/development agencies supporting or funding alternatives in agriculture and energy sectors), funding available, barriers faced by the alternative cases implemented, existing gaps (financial, technical assistance or capacity building), opportunities and what key lessons have been learned that ActionAid Nigeria can consider.
• Review of literature on international best practices alternatives and sustainable business models and the degree to which they can be adapted to the Nigerian environment.

(2) Conduct Key Informant Interviews

• Identify 25-30 alternatives key informants (with local communities, CSOs, private sector, accelerators, incubators, mentorship programmes, government, development agencies, and industry associations) that are implementing or planning and or supporting implementation of alternative cases) to be interviewed. Informants are expected to be from a range of institutions in CSOs including ActionAid, the private sector, public sectors, donor/development partners’ community, incubators, accelerators, mentorship programme as well as the NGOs etc.
• Undertake in-depth key informant interviews (either physically or using telephone calls or online platform calls) to establish good alternative cases in agriculture and energy sectors or supplement the desk research and verify existence of the identified alternative cases as well as identify what the barriers, donors or funders, gaps, opportunities, and key lessons are.

Expected Deliverables
It is envisioned that the assignment should lead to the following deliverables:

(i) 10 – 15 good alternatives identified, and respective case tools developed to a high-quality standard that clearly articulate the identified alternative cases in agriculture and energy (Word and PDF).

(ii) A report indicating:

• Brief summary that outlines the process of collecting the alternative cases, the recommended 3-5 cases to be considered for the alternatives database under the Global programme on Climate Justice and the criteria used to select them.
• Brief summary on the alternative ecosystem (donor/funders/development agencies supporting or funding alternatives in agriculture and energy sectors), funding available, what the barriers faced by the alternative cases implemented, existing gaps (financial, technical assistance or capacity building), opportunities and what key lessons have been learned that ActionAid Nigeria can consider.
• Brief summary on international best practices on alternatives and their sustainable business models and the degree to which they can be adapted to the Nigeria environment.

Timeframe of the Consultancy
The consultancy is expected to be completed within thirty (30) days.

Consultant Key Competencies and Experience
This assignment is expected to be undertaken by an individual with the requisite expertise and experience. Specifically, the individual consultant will be required to have the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in conducting assessments, designing and implementing projects related to climate adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture and energy sectors in Nigeria or a comparable emerging market.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting or implementing community led or owned sustainable business models in the agriculture and energy sectors.
• Demonstrated knowledge of how the agriculture and energy value chains address the climate crisis in Nigeria.
• Understanding and experience working in Nigeria and/or West Africa, including a deep network of contacts.

Proposals

• Please submit a proposal (technical and financial) of no more than 8 pages (excluding annexes & CVs), outlining:
• A brief methodology for performing the services;
• A detailed work plan, showing the deliverables;
• A summary of your experience in similar assignments;
• The consultant’s comments or suggestions on the terms of reference (TORs);
• A recommended selection of key alternatives informant interviews;
• CV (s) of key staff (not included in the page limit)

Evaluation Criteria:
The proposals will be evaluated using a quality-based approach where the best evaluated bidder will be the bidders whose technical proposal has the highest evaluation score. Proposals shall be awarded scores out of the maximum number of points as indicated in below. The pass mark for the technical evaluation will be 80 percent.

Submission of the Proposal
Prospective consultants who meet the criteria should submit an Expression of Interest by 10 May, 2023 by email to procurement.nigeria@actionaid.org with Subject Line “Collection of Alternative Cases”. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

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