Public procurement notice: Contract Award Notice
Published: 2024-11-06
Region: DEA22
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Open procedure
CPV classification: 48612000: Database-management system | 71700000 | 77231500 | 90711500
Estimated value:  EUR
Award criteria: price, quality

Technical requirements: The BMZ-financed project "Climate Protection through Avoided Deforestation" (CliPAD) was launched in 2009 to support the Lao Government in its readiness for the REDD+ process at national and sub-national levels. In 2019, CliPAD Phase IV received its first out of two co-financing contributions of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The aim of "Scaling up the implementation of the Lao PDR Emission Reductions Programme (Project 2)" is the implementation of the Lao PDR Emission Reductions Program through improved governance, sustainable management of forests, landscapes and agricultural resources. Working together, authorities at national and sub-national levels as well as non-state actors will improve conditions for sustainable forest management and specifically for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). The project is expected to mitigate 11.7 million t CO2eq from May 2020 until March 2027 and will benefit 273,700 direct and 723,382 indirect beneficiaries in six provinces of northern Laos: Houaphan, Luang Prabang, Sayaboury, Bokeo, Luang Namtha and Oudomxay. The mitigation of emissions enables Laos to get access to REDD+ results-based payments.
The project focuses on the following areas:
1) Strengthening the enabling environment for REDD+ through three principal means: enhancing the availability of financing for a transformation in the way Lao PDR manages its forest landscapes, revising and strengthening the legal and regulatory framework for forestry, and improving the enforcement of the new regulatory framework.
2) Supporting deforestation-free agriculture and agroforestry by enhancing productivity, increasing farmers" integration into agricultural value chains, and improving access to finance and private sector participation in economic activities that reduce pressure on forests. Here, the activities of the agriculture component are implemented through Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Practices.
3) Supporting the implementation of sustainable forest landscape management and forest landscape restoration on over 1.5 million hectares of degraded forest lands. As part of the forestry component, the project introduces participatory planning for land and forest use and establishes a system to measure and monitor progress.
Financial sustainability of the project is realized through substantial additional funding from BMZ and GCF, as well as the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Carbon Fund with the World Bank and other co-financing from supporting institutions. The Project is executed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and runs from 30.03.2023 to 29.03.2027.
GIZ may optionally commission contract amendments and/or increases based on the criteria in the tender documents to the successful bidder of this tender. For details, please see the terms of reference.
The project team in Laos has already developed a web-database - a tool that bundles all Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities and monitors the compliance with GIZ and GCF Environmental and Social Safeguards, including Safeguard Monitoring and the operationalization of the Grievance Redress Mechanism. The tool has been used very successfully over the past four years. The existing web-database shall therefore be used and maintained for Project 2. 

Within the framework of the CliPAD project, GIZ invites bidders for services that contribute to the achievement of the project's objectives. These are the following work packages:
Work package 1: Monitoring & Evaluation, Safeguard Monitoring and Grievance Redress Mechanism
In the project context, robust M&E processes ensure the successful implementation and demonstrate the project"s commitment to achieving tangible environmental and socio-economic benefits. 
The tasks to be performed by the contractor(s) include: i.) Ensuring that all data required for project monitoring is collected, aggregated and stored in the web-database, ii.) Data-quality screening and feedback to stakeholders on data-quality and availability, iii.) Showing a sound approach for dealing practically with the large amount of safeguards requirements and ensure GCF requirements are addressed, iv.) Continuing operationality of the Grievance Redress Mechanism, and v.) Implementation of four surveys per year.  
Work package 2: Operate and maintain web-database 
The web-database was developed to operationalize the M&E system and the Information and Management system in all six provinces. The web-database ensures controlled and restricted access for all staff involved in the implementation and from anywhere.
The tasks to be performed by the contractor(s) include: i.) Maintenance of web-database and ensuring optimal performance, security, and compatibility with evolving technological standards, ii.) Provision of technical support services to address any software bugs, system errors, or user concerns, and iii.) Data backups and disaster recovery mechanisms to prevent data loss and ensure business continuity in the event of system failures or disruptions.
Work package 3: Reporting 
The project"s Operational Manual outlines the framework of the reporting system. The contractor's tasks are to facilitate the implementation and operation of the reporting system.
The tasks to be performed by the contractor(s) include: i.) Support with annual reports on project planning and annual progress, and ii.) Evaluation of the data contained in the web-database and provision of processed data for various reporting formats.
The contractor(s) offer(s) staff for the following positions:
Expert 1: Team Leader, for the overall management of the short term experts - up to 245 working days
Expert 2: Environmental and Social Management Consultant - focal point who compiles and implements the requirements for M&E and safeguards - up to 245 working days
Expert 3: Ethnic Groups Consultant - focal point for Ethnic Groups-related Monitoring System and all related tools - up to 245 working days
Expert 4: Gender Consultant - focal point for maintenance of Gender Monitoring as part of the overall M&E system - up to 245 working days
Expert 5: Monitoring & Planning Specialist - overall coordination of the M&E system and all related tools - up to 245 working days
Expert 6: Liaison Specialist - overall development of concept for Provincial Monitoring & Evaluation and Safeguards officers - up to 375 working days
Expert 7: System Development Specialist - focal point to maintain and further develop the concept of the web-database - up to 245 working days
Expert 8: Web-database specialist - focal point to maintain the web-database and access management - up to 375 working days
Pool of Residential experts: i.) train all stakeholders in the usage of the budget-requesting and reporting system, ii.) organize province-, district- and village-level activities to observe fulfilment of requirements as laid out in the operations manual, and iii.) report findings about Safeguards, Gender and M&E issues - up to 620 working days per expert.

Location of all Experts: Lao PDR.


Winner: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Award value: 1288120
Number of bids: 2