Consultancy to Conduct a Comprehensive Watershed Diagnostic Assessment in Ravine du Sud, Torbeck and Acul Rivers in the Les Cayes Bassin At Pan American Development Foundation

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Consultancy to Conduct a Comprehensive Watershed Diagnostic Assessment in Ravine du Sud, Torbeck and Acul Rivers in the Les Cayes Bassin

Date Issued: December 6, 2024
Solicitation Number: 2024-001-PPR-Sud
Closing Date: January 9, 2025
Closing Time: 11:59 PM
Eligible Applicants: Individuals, consortia of individuals, or firms
Contractual Mechanism: Fixed Price Contract

INTRODUCTION
The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) seeks a consultant or firm to conduct a Comprehensive Watershed Diagnostic Assessment of sub-watersheds in the Ravine du Sud, Torbeck, and Acul river systems of Les Cayes Bassin. This assessment is part of the Projet Paysages Résilients Sud (PPR-Sud), a five-year cooperative agreement with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) aimed at addressing deforestation and watershed degradation in Haiti’s Sud department.

Deforestation and unsustainable land use practices, combined with climatic hazards, exacerbate land degradation, reduce agricultural productivity, increase community vulnerability to shocks. The goal of PPR-Sud is to enhance community, landscape, and climate resilience through integrated landscape management and community-driven watershed management.

PPR-Sud focuses on two strategic objectives:

1. Rehabilitating critical sub-watersheds in the Les Cayes Basin.
2. Strengthening community-led natural resource management.

Activities will be implemented in collaboration with local partners, including:

• Organization for the Rehabilitation of the Environment (ORE)
• IT HAPPENED
• Cayes Botanical Garden (JBC)
• American University of the Caribbean (AUC)

The consultancy will coordinate closely with these partners, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Environment.

CONSULTANCY REQUIREMENTS
PADF is looking for an interdisciplinary team to conduct the diagnostic assessment, utilizing both scientific data and local ecological knowledge. The assessment should evaluate:

• Biophysical characteristics (soil and soil health, water, vegetation)
• Socioeconomic conditions
• Settlements and land use practices
• Natural resource management systems

The assessment must include:

1. Reviewing existing project documents and engaging with stakeholders, including the Departmental Direction of the Ministry of Agriculture (DDAS), the Departmental Direction of the Ministry of Environment (DDES), the local authorities (mayoral offices, CASEC, ASEC), etc.
2. Developing and finalizing a comprehensive diagnostic methodology.
3. Conducting field surveys using diverse data collection tools and methodologies, such as key informant interviews, focus groups, transect walks, GIS and drone mapping, direct observation, and other methodologies, as needed.
4. Analyzing data and presenting findings to PADF and stakeholders.
5. Delivering a comprehensive diagnostic assessment report.

In addition to assessing biophysical conditions within the sub-watersheds, including soil health, water quality, and native or endemic species in these sub-watersheds, the assessment must identify existing governance structures and relevant community organizations that may contribute to the program’s strategic objectives.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
The diagnostic should result in:

• Prioritization and characterization of sub-watersheds.
• Detailed maps of physical characteristics (hydrology, soil types, slopes), current land uses (settlements, agricultural land, forests, and tree cover), priority areas, and recommendations of interventions by geographic location.
• Inventories of native/endemic species and community organizations.
• Environmental data and an assessment of sub-watershed degradation.
• A final comprehensive report with recommendations to support watershed restoration and integrated landscape management.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

• The consultancy will span three months.
• The consultancy will begin 15 days after contract signature and be completed within three months.

EXPERTS AND TEAM COMPOSITION
The consultancy should involve experts in:

• Agronomy
• Hydrology
• Geography
• Data analysis
• GIS mapping

APPLICANTS MUST PROVIDE:

• CVs of key personnel
• Technical proposal outlining the proposed methodology and data collection strategies
• Workplan and timeline
• Detailed cost application (budget)
• Team roles and responsibilities
• Description of deliverables

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULE

1. Milestones / Deliverables: Implementation plan
   1. Estimated Completion Date: To be determined by consultant(s)
   2. Description: Detailed implementation plan reviewed and approved by PADF.
   3. Estimated Level of Effort: Percent (%) of time and budget (Out of 100%)
2. Milestones / Deliverables: Field data collection methodology
   1. Estimated Completion Date: To be determined by consultant(s)
   2. Description: Field data collection methodology is reviewed and approved by PADF.
   3. Estimated Level of Effort: Percent (%) of time and budget (Out of 100%)
3. Milestones / Deliverables: Data collection and analysis report
   1. Estimated Completion Date: To be determined by consultant(s)
   2. Description: Raw (unprocessed) data and reports containing analyzed data are reviewed and approved by PADF, including maps and inventories of native and endemic species.
   3. Estimated Level of Effort: Percent (%) of time and budget (Out of 100%)
4. Milestones / Deliverables: Initial findings presentation
   1. Estimated Completion Date: To be determined by consultant(s)
   2. Description: Initial report is presented, discussed, and approved with PADF.
   3. Estimated Level of Effort: Percent (%) of time and budget (Out of 100%)
5. Milestones / Deliverables: Final diagnostic assessment report
   1. Estimated Completion Date: To be determined by consultant(s)
   2. Description:
      1. Comprehensive final report, including all required documentation, is reviewed and approved by PADF. The report should include web maps, accessible by PADF, detailing the physical characteristics of the sub-watersheds (e.g., hydrology, slopes, soil types) and current land uses (e.g., settlements, agricultural areas, forests, fallow land, water bodies, floodplains, and protected areas), along with priority areas, and recommendations of interventions by geographic location.
      2. The final report must include a Priority Interventions Map. The map will consolidate key environmental conditions of the sub-watersheds, including hydrology, vegetation cover, soil types, and degradation levels. The map will identify and prioritize areas for intervention and propose specific intervention types to support watershed restoration and integrated landscape management.
      3. Based on direct observations and field assessments, the map will provide a clear “layout” or spatial arrangement of recommended actions, serving as a practical guide for PPR-Sud interventions. This deliverable will ensure that restoration efforts are targeted, strategic, and informed by the sub-watersheds’ specific environmental conditions.
   3. Estimated Level of Effort: Percent (%) of time and budget (Out of 100%)

COST PROPOSAL
The cost proposal should be submitted in Excel format, itemizing all expenses to determine reasonableness and allowability. PADF reserves the right to adjust the budget after reviewing the cost analysis with the selected consultant.

LOCATION(S) OF ASSIGNMENT
The assessment will be conducted in Les Cayes Basin, specifically in the communes of Camp-Perrin, Torbeck, and Chantal. Applicants must be willing to travel to project sites as required.

EVALUATION CRITERIA
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Maximum Points: 100

Critera

1. Approach and methodology (55 points)
   1. Clarity and completeness (8 points)
   2. Comprehension of the Terms of Reference (12 points)
   3. Proposed concepts and methods (35 points)
2. Qualifications and Experience of the Bidder (35 points)
   1. Experience of subject matter experts (15 points)
   2. Applicant organizational profile and expertise (7 points)
   3. Relevant experience with USAID, international organizations, community members or civil society. (8 points)
3. Budget/Financial Proposal (10 Points)

APPLICATION GUIDELINES
Interested applicants should submit the following:

• A technical proposal (PDF or Word) detailing methodologies and workplans
• A financial proposal (PDF or Excel) with breakdowns for all personnel costs and other expenses.
• CVs of key personnel and references from similar projects.
• Roles and assignments for the project team leader and team members (if applicable).

The team leader may, at their discretion, engage other team members to assist in delivering the final product. However, the team leader will remain fully responsible and accountable to PADF for the timeliness and quality of all deliverables.

Proposals must be submitted by January 9, 2025 to procurement@padf.org, with the Subject Line: “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FOR DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT – PPR-Sud.”

Questions can be submitted to the email above by December 19, 2024, with the Subject Line: “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FOR DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT – PPR-Sud.”

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• PADF reserves the right to reject any proposals.
• All proprietary information submitted will be treated as confidential.
• Bidders are expected to adhere to PADF’s Code of Conduct, which emphasizes honesty, excellence, accountability, respect, and teamwork.
• Validity of bid: Proposals, including cost/price, shall remain valid for 120 days, from the submission deadline.
• Resulting Award: This Request for Proposals does not obligate PADF to execute a contract, nor does it commit PADF to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of the proposals. Furthermore, PADF reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is in the best interest of PADF. PADF will, in its sole discretion, select the winning proposal and is not obligated to share individual evaluation results.
• Confidentiality: All proprietary information provided by the bidder shall be treated as confidential and will not be shared with potential or actual applicants during the solicitation process. This includes but is not limited to price quotations, cost proposals and technical proposals. PADF may, but is not obliged to, post procurement awards on its public website after the solicitation process has concluded, and the contract has been awarded. PADF’s evaluation results are confidential, and applicant scoring will not be shared among bidders. • Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA): As part of the contractor’s internal controls and standards of employee conduct, the contractor must ensure that its employees adhere to these standards of conduct in a manner consistent with the standards for United Nations (UN) employees in Section 3 of the UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin – Special measures protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13).
• Contracting with Small, Minority, and Women’s Businesses: PADF will take all necessary steps to assure that minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible.
• Debarment and Suspension: Entities that appear on any exclusion lists of USAID, System for Award Management (SAM), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), UN Sanctions List, and other watchlists, will not have their bid evaluated and will not be eligible to receive any subaward that may result from this Request for Proposals.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

• Request for Proposals Issued: December 6, 2024
• Questions submitted to PADF: December 19, 2024
• Responses provided to Applicants: January 3, 2025
• Complete Proposals Due: January 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM
• Approximate Selection Made: January 27, 2025
• Period of Performance for Consultancy: February 1 – April 1, 2025

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Signed cover page on bidder’s letterhead with the bidder’s contact information.
• Technical Proposal:
  • Capabilities, Experience, Past Performance, and three client references. Please include descriptions of similar projects or assignments and at least three client references.
  • Qualifications of Key Personnel. Please attach CVs that demonstrate how the team proposed meets the requirements listed in “Required Experience and Skills.”
  • Technical Approach, Methodology and Detailed Work Plan. The Technical Proposal should describe in detail how the bidder intends to carry out the requirements described in the Terms of Reference.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS

• For firms, entity must be legally registered and able to provide a certificate of registration.
• Able to travel as needed to project sites for training/measurement purposes.
• Meets requirements for experience and skills:
  • Advanced Degree in environmental management, environmental sciences, environmental engineering, social sciences, natural resources management, climate change adaptation, project management, statistics or monitoring and evaluation or related field from a recognized university.
  • At least 7 years of experience working with environmental organizations (regional and local), and civil society in research and development – Experience with USAID is a plus.
  • Successful track record in conducting similar activities.
  • Exemplary verbal and written skills in French. Advanced English knowledge (conversational, reading and writing) is a strong asset.

ABOUT PADF
For over six decades, PADF has worked to create a healthier, more resilient, and just Latin America and Caribbean region. In Haiti, PADF has been actively engaged for 40 years, focusing on climate resilience, waste management, and sustainable development. Learn more at: http://www.padf.org.

ABOUT USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States government agency that leads international development and humanitarian assistance efforts to partner countries. USAID works together with individuals, communities, and countries around the world to improve everyday lives. USAID efforts provide humanitarian assistance, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, advance economic opportunities, and help achieve progress beyond programs.

PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING LINK TO VIEW ANNEXES 1, 2, AND 3: Procurement Opportunities – PADF