Website Development & SEO Consultancy for the Great Blue Wall Initiative At International Union for Conservation of Nature

Request for Proposals (RfP)

Website Development & SEO Consultancy for the Great Blue Wall Initiative

IUCN ESARO – Great Blue Wall Initiative
RfP Reference: XXX

Welcome to this Procurement by IUCN. You are hereby invited to submit a Proposal. Please read the information and instructions carefully because non-compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Proposal from this Procurement.

1. REQUIREMENTS

A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment 1.

2. CONTACT DETAILS

During the course of this procurement, i.e., from the publication of this RfP to the award of a contract, you may not discuss this procurement with any IUCN employee or representative other than the following contact. You must address all correspondence and questions to the contact, including your proposal.

IUCN Contact: Jolly.chemutai@iucn.org

3. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE

This timetable is indicative and may be changed by IUCN at any time. If IUCN decides that changes to any of the deadlines are necessary, we will contact you.

DATE-ACTIVITY

12th February 2025-Publication of the Request for Proposals

3rd, March,2025-Deadline for submission of proposals to IUCN (“Submission Deadline”)

10th, March,2025-Planned date for contract award

14th, March, 2025-Expected contract start date

Please email the IUCN contact to confirm whether you are intending to submit a proposal by the deadline stated above.

4. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

Your Proposal must consist of the following three documents:

• Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
• Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
• Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)

Proposals must be prepared in English and submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [RfP Reference – bidder name].

IMPORTANT: Submitted documents must be password-protected so that they cannot be opened and read before the submission deadline. Please use the same password for all submitted documents. After the deadline has passed and within 12 hours, please send the password to the IUCN Contact.

4.4. Technical Proposal The technical proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately.

Description-Information to provide- Relative weight

• Demonstrated experience in website development & SEO-30%

Portfolio showcasing past projects

• SEO & Digital Marketing Strategy-20%

Proposed SEO improvement plan

• Website Security & Maintenance Plan-20%

Approach to security updates, bug fixes, and hosting

• Availability & Timeliness-15%

Ability to begin work from February 20th, 2025

• Graphic Design & Branding-15%

Approach to brand consistency and content creation

TOTAL-100%

4.5. Financial Proposal The financial proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.

5. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

IUCN will evaluate proposals based on the total weighted score from technical and financial proposals.

• Technical: 70%
• Financial: 30%

6. EXPLANATION OF PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE

IUCN is using the Invitation Procedure for this procurement. Only invited bidders may submit a proposal.

7. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROCUREMENT

To participate in this procurement, you must:

• Be free of conflicts of interest
• Be registered on the relevant professional or trade register of your country
• Be in full compliance with your obligations relating to social security and tax contributions
• Not have been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements

8. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your proposal.

9. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

If you have a complaint regarding this procurement process, contact procurement@iucn.org

10. CONTRACT

The contract will be based on IUCN’s template (Attachment 3)

11. ABOUT IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private, and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development, and nature conservation to take place together.

www.iucn.org https://twitter.com/IUCN/

12. ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Terms of Reference

Attachment 2: Declaration of Undertaking

Attachment 3: Contract Template

Title: Website Development & SEO Consultant – Great Blue Wall Initiative

Objective of the Consultancy

This consultancy has the following objective(s):

1. Enhance the digital presence, engagement, and visibility of the Great Blue Wall (GBW) initiative through website optimization.
2. Improve and maintain the functionality, security, and performance of the GBW website.
3. Ensure seamless integration of new content, security updates, and hosting maintenance.
4. Develop and implement Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies to increase website traffic and user engagement.

Background

Project Reference: IUCN Project Number from Project Portal

Donor reference: Donor project reference (not donor reporting code!), where applicable

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

www.iucn.org

https://twitter.com/IUCN/

About the Project

The Great Blue Wall (GBW) is a Western Indian Ocean (WIO)-born, African-driven initiative aiming to accelerate ocean conservation, enhance socio-ecological resilience, and foster a regenerative blue economy. The GBW initiative works through four core pillars:

• Blue Nature – Protecting and restoring marine biodiversity.
• Blue People – Enhancing community-driven conservation.
• Blue Planet – Strengthening ocean governance and policy.
• Blue Partnerships – Building regional and international alliances.

The consultant’s work will contribute to strengthening GBW’s visibility, impact, and digital outreach.

Description of the Assignment

The Consultant is expected to contribute to the following:

1. Website Development & Maintenance
   1. Audit and enhance the GBW website (www.greatbluewall.org).
   2. Improve website navigation, responsiveness, and user experience.
   3. Ensure seamless content updates aligning with GBW campaigns.
   4. Provide ongoing maintenance, including security updates, bug fixes, and hosting renewal.
   5. Implement and update SSL security certificates for enhanced website security.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Digital Marketing
   1. Conduct ongoing SEO optimization to improve GBW’s Google ranking.
   2. Develop and execute targeted digital marketing campaigns for GBW’s key events and projects.
   3. Monitor and analyze digital performance metrics, providing monthly reports with insights.
   4. Ensure high engagement levels across GBW’s website and social media platforms.
3. Content Development & Visual Enhancements
   1. Design high-quality infographics, fact sheets, and reports.
   2. Develop motion graphics and animations to enhance storytelling.
   3. Create social media graphics to promote GBW initiatives.
   4. Align content with GBW’s branding guidelines and IUCN standards.

Duration of the Assignment

March 2025 – June 2025

Deliverables and Activities

Deliverable/Activity-Description-Deadline

SEO & Digital Marketing Report-Monthly

Monthly analytics, engagement metrics, and campaign reports.

Website Revamp & Security-Q2 2025

Fully optimized and redesigned GBW website with updated security features.

Social Media & Digital Content-Q2 2025

15+ custom-designed social media graphics for website GBW and its programs theme

Brand Motion Graphic-Q1 2025

Animated GBW logo motion graphic for campaigns.

Hosting & SSL Renewal-Annual

Annual website hosting renewal and SSL certificate updates.

Payment Schedule

Deliverable-Milestone Payment

SEO & Digital Marketing- Payment upon successful campaign execution & report submission.

Website Revamp & Security- Payment upon completion of site updates & security fixes.

Social Media & Content- Payment upon delivery of social media assets & engagement metrics.

Brand Motion Graphic- Payment upon final approval of animation deliverables.

Skills and Experience

The consultant must have the following skills, education, and experience as a minimum:

• Proven experience in digital marketing, social media, and website management.
• Strong portfolio showcasing website development & SEO work.
• Expertise in UI/UX design, security monitoring, and hosting management.
• Proficiency in analytics tools for monitoring digital performance.
• Strong communication & content development skills.

Supervision and Coordination

The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of the Regional Ocean Communications Officer, IUCN ESARO.

IUCN owns the code, content of the sites and full site documentation (code and report) should be provided before the last payment.

Declaration of Undertaking in relation to RfP Website Development & SEO Consultant – Great Blue Wall Initiative

I, the undersigned, hereby confirm that I am an authorised representative of the following organisation:

Registered Name of Organisation (the “Organisation”): _______________________

Registered Address (incl. country): _______________________________________

Year of Registration:__________________________________________________

I hereby authorise IUCN to store and use the information included in the attached Proposal for the purpose of evaluating Proposals and selecting the Proposal IUCN deems the most favourable. I acknowledge that IUCN is required to retain the Proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when reasonably requested.

Where the Proposal includes Personal Data as defined by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), I confirm that the Organisation has been authorised by each Data Subject to share this Data with IUCN for the purposes stated above.

I further confirm that the following statements are correct:

1. The Organisation is duly registered in accordance with all applicable laws.
2. The Organisation is fully compliant with all its tax and social security obligations.
3. The Organisation and its staff and representatives are free of any real or perceived conflicts of interest with regards to IUCN and its Mission.
4. The Organisation agrees to declare to IUCN any real or perceived emerging conflicts of interests it or any of its staff and representatives may have concerning IUCN. The Organisation acknowledges that IUCN may terminate any contracts with the Organisation that would, in IUCN sole discretion, be negatively affected by such conflicts of interests.
5. None of the Organisation’s staff has ever been convicted of grave professional misconduct or any other offence concerning their professional conduct.
6. Neither the Organisation nor any of its staff and representatives have ever been convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation.
7. The Organisation acknowledges that engagement by itself or any of its staff in fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation will entitle IUCN to terminate any and all contracts with the Organisation with immediate effect.
8. The Organisation is a going concern and is not bankrupt or being wound up, is not having its affairs administered by the courts, has not suspended business activities, is not the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations.
9. The Organisation complies with all applicable environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection.
10. The Organisation is not included in the UN Security Council Sanctions List, EU Sanctions Map, US Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions List, or the World Bank listing of ineligible firms and individuals. The Organisation agrees that it will not provide direct or indirect support to firms and individuals included in these lists.
11. The Organisation has not been, is not, and will not be involved or implicated in any violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, or injustice or abuse of human rights related to other groups or individuals, including forced evictions, violation of fundamental rights of workers as defined by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, child labour, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment.

______________________________________________________

< Name and position of authorised representative of the Proposer

DECLARATION in relation to RFP Website Development & SEO Consultant – Great Blue Wall Initiative

I, the undersigned, hereby confirm that I am self-employed and able to provide the service independent of any organisation or other legal entity.

Full name (as in passport):

Home or Office (please delete as appropriate) Address (incl. country):

I hereby authorise IUCN to store and use the information included in the attached Proposal for the purpose of evaluating Proposals and selecting the Proposal IUCN deems the most favourable, including Personal Data as defined by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I acknowledge that IUCN is required to retain my Proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when reasonably requested.

I further confirm that the following statements are correct:

1. I am legally registered as self-employed in accordance with all applicable laws.
2. I am fully compliant with all my tax and social security obligations.
3. I am free of any real or perceived conflicts of interest with regards to IUCN and its Mission.
4. I agree to declare to IUCN any real or perceived emerging conflicts of interests I may have concerning IUCN. I acknowledge that IUCN may terminate any contracts with me that would, in IUCN sole discretion, be negatively affected by such conflicts of interests.
5. I have never been convicted of grave professional misconduct or any other offence concerning my professional conduct.
6. I have never been convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation.
7. I acknowledge that engagement in fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation will entitle IUCN to terminate any and all contracts with me with immediate effect.
8. I am not included in the UN Security Council Sanctions List, EU Sanctions Map, US Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions List, or the World Bank listing of ineligible firms and individuals. I agree that I will not provide direct or indirect support to firms and individuals included in these lists.
9. I have not been, am not, and will not be involved or implicated in any violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, or injustice or abuse of human rights related to other groups or individuals, including forced evictions, violation of fundamental rights of workers as defined by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, child labour, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment.

______________________________________________________