Terms of Reference for IUCN Consultancy
Title: National short-term consultant to produce a communication strategy for Resolve Nbs Project
Objective of the Consultancy
This consultancy has the following objective(s):
The primary objective of this consultancy is to design and develop a comprehensive Communication Strategy. This strategy is essential for enhancing the visibility of the project, fostering meaningful engagement with stakeholders, and promoting the generation, exchange, and long-term impact of knowledge.
The Communication Strategy will outline a clear, consistent, and targeted messaging framework aimed at effectively reaching key audiences. These include strengthening awareness, capacity and knowledge for effective NbS, pilot and scale NbS for adaptation, risk reduction and ecosystem restoration and mainstream gender-responsive climate-smart NbS into policies and plans.
Background
For over three decades, IUCN has been working in Tanzania to support conservation and natural resources management endeavours with a focus on land systems, water resources, oceans management, climate change and biodiversity. Tanzania’s socio-economic growth and development is underpinned by its diverse wealth of natural capital and favourable climate conditions. The country is one of the twelve mega-diverse countries in the world endowed with different natural ecosystems and a massive wealth of biodiversity. Agriculture, which is highly dependent on functional environmental systems is one of the most important sectors of Tanzania’s economy, responsible for approximately 25% of GDP and 85% of exports. This makes Tanzania a major food basket for the region.
Currently, the Tanzania Country Office envisions supporting the realization of a healthy and resilient environment that sustains the social, economic aspirations of the people. In recent years however, Tanzania has experienced an acute decline in the health, conditions and status of its natural resources. Tanzania is also witnessing significant loss of wildlife species and their habitat driven primarily by deforestation, encroachment and land degradation. The available annual renewable water resources are decreasing. Therefore, for Tanzania to meet its highly ambitious national development and growth targets while at the same time managing the critical natural resources and systems upon which the people and economy depends, there is need to scale up the implementation of strategic policy and programming actions in agriculture, climate change, biodiversity conservation and land systems management. To achieve this, IUCN Tanzania has developed and is implementing a portfolio of programmes including RESOLVE-NbS project.
Project Reference: P04384
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 organizations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organizations 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 organizations 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 organizations 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.
About the Project
RESOLVE NbS is a three-year activity funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), that is focused on high agro-production landscapes of Iringa and Morogoro within the SACGOT region. The main objective of RESOLVE NbS project is to accelerate the application and use of Nature Based Solutions to address the impacts of climate change and land degradation on food systems and natural ecosystems.
For over three decades, IUCN has been working in Tanzania to support conservation and natural resources management endeavors with a focus on land systems, water resources, oceans management, climate change and biodiversity. Tanzania’s socio-economic growth and development is underpinned by its diverse wealth of natural capital and favorable climate conditions. The country is one of the twelve mega-diverse countries in the world endowed with different natural ecosystems and a massive wealth of biodiversity. Agriculture, which is highly dependent on functional environmental systems is one of the most important sectors of Tanzania’s economy, responsible for approximately 25% of GDP and 85% of exports. This makes Tanzania a major food basket for the region.
Currently, the Tanzania Country Office envisions supporting the realization of a healthy and resilient environment that sustains the social, economic aspirations of the people. In recent years however, Tanzania has experienced an acute decline in the health, conditions and status of its natural resources. Tanzania is also witnessing significant loss of wildlife species and their habitat driven primarily by deforestation, encroachment and land degradation. The available annual renewable water resources are decreasing. Therefore, for Tanzania to meet its highly ambitious national development and growth targets while at the same time managing the critical natural resources and systems upon which the people and economy depends, there is need to scale up the implementation of strategic policy and programming actions in agriculture, climate change, biodiversity conservation and land systems management. To achieve this, IUCN Tanzania has developed and is implementing a portfolio of programs including RESOLVE-NbS project.
Description of the Assignment
IUCN wishes to engage the service provider who will be responsible for designing and developing a comprehensive Communication Strategy for the Resolve NbS Project. The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
The consultant or firm will be responsible for designing and developing a comprehensive Communication Strategy for the RESOLVE NbS Project. The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
- Development of the Communication Strategy
- Review the Project Document to ensure the Communication Strategy aligns with the project’s goals, objectives, and expected outcomes.
- Conduct a comprehensive assessment to map key stakeholders and identify priority knowledge topics and messages to be communicated by the project.
- Identify Knowledge Holders and Knowledge Seekers among project partners and stakeholders to inform communication flows and learning opportunities.
- Map Existing Information Flows and Communication Structures within the project and between stakeholders, highlighting bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
- Identify Modalities for Peer-to-Peer Learning within and outside the project to facilitate horizontal knowledge exchange.
- Assess Existing Platforms and Networks for knowledge sharing Nature |Based Solutions, ecosystems restoration and identify synergies and integration points.
- Segment Target Audiences and recommend the most effective communication channels (e.g., radio, digital platforms, community meetings, social media, print media) for each group.
- Develop Tailored Communication Products, including but not limited to community briefs, policy briefs, advocacy videos, newsletters, and awareness campaigns.
- Establish Communication Protocols and Guidelines for internal and external communication, including media engagement and social media strategies.
- Adopt existing Branding and Visibility Guidelines in compliance with donor and implement partner standards to ensure consistent project identity.
- Design a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework for communication activities to measure effectiveness, engagement, knowledge uptake, and behaviour change.
- Develop Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Strategies to influence practices in climate adaptation, nature-based solutions and sustainable livelihoods.
- Review the Project Document to ensure the Communication Strategy aligns with the project’s goals, objectives, and expected outcomes.
Expected output:
The service provider will be expected to produce a comprehensive
Approach and Methodology
The strategy will conduct a thorough stakeholder communications assessment through a literature review of similar programs. The strategy will also consider the corporate communication requirements of IUCN and NORAD. Analyses of primary and secondary data will form the basis of a series of proposed initiatives to address issues outlined in the above defined scope and objectives. The recommended initiatives will be first internally vetted and refined amongst the project team and communications unit of IUCN before feedback is collected from stakeholders through a validation workshop. The consultant(s) will propose a methodology to most efficiently and effectively collect and analyse stakeholder data while ensuing coverage of the project geographic areas. The strategy must reflect the project context and dynamic nature. As a result, the strategy will be periodically review and most likely require adjustment from time to time. An ongoing review of communication metrics will be incorporated in the strategy in order to indicate when adjustments are necessary.
Key Deliverables and Payment
Deliverables and Activities
Deliverable
Timeline
Details
Payment
- Inception Report
Within 1 week of signing the agreement.
The consultant will produce an inception report detailing the methodology, timeline, workplan, and stakeholder mapping on needs for communication and knowledge management activities.
30%
- Draft Communication & Knowledge Management Strategy and validation workshop
Within 15 working days after signing the contract
The consultant will develop a draft communication and knowledge management strategy outlining objectives, messaging, stakeholder engagement approaches, communication tools, knowledge sharing mechanisms, roles, responsibilities, and a monitoring and evaluation framework. Kindly note that the workshop costs will be covered by IUCN.
30%
- Final Communication Strategy and Implementation Plan
The consultant will produce the final communication and knowledge management strategy and implementation plan, including actionable tools, branding guidelines, detailed action plans, monitoring frameworks, capacity building recommendations, and sustainability measures.
40%
Payment Schedule
The Timetable below summarizes the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the Consultant.
Deliverable
Estimated Duration to Complete
Milestone Payment (%)
1. Inception Report (includes detailed workplan, methodology, and stakeholder mapping)
Week 1 after signing the contract
35% of total payment (Upon approval of inception report)
2. Draft Communication Strategy
Week 2 after signing the contract
20% of total payment (Upon submission of draft reports)
3. Stakeholder Consultation & Validation Workshop
Week 2.5 after signing the contract
10% of total payment (Upon completion of validation workshop)
4. Final Communication Strategy, validated and accepted by IUCN)
Week 3.5 after signing the contract
35 % of total payment (Upon submission of final strategy and plan)
Skills and Experience
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in communications for development cooperation programmes – specifically related to natural resources management and environment
- Demonstrated experience in developing effective communications strategies for programmes with a wide range of stakeholders, based upon primary and secondary data analyses
- Demonstrated experience in monitoring the implementation of communications strategies for development cooperation focused programs and projects
- Strong analytical skills, sound judgement, the capacity to think strategically, including the ability to produce high quality policy materials, high level strategic documents and advice for development implementation
- Successful track record of similar assignments: and
- Excellent analytical, research, writing (English) and facilitation skills.
Supervision and coordination
The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of IUCN Tanzania Resolve Project Manager
IUCN Tanzania – Resolve NbS Project
RfP Reference: IUCN/Resolve/2025/Comms
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.
- REQUIREMENTS
- A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment 1
- CONTACT DETAILS
- During 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: tenders.tz@iucn.org
- 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 publish this on our website and contact you directly if you have indicated your interest in this procurement (see Section 3.2).
DATE
ACTIVITY
18th August 2025
Publication of the Request for Proposals
27th August 2025
Deadline for submission of proposals to IUCN (“Submission Deadline”)
3rd September 2025
Planned date for contract award
5th September 2025
Expected contract start date
- Please email the IUCN contact to express your interest in submitting a proposal by the deadline stated above. This will help IUCN to keep you updated regarding the procurement.
- COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
- Your Proposal must consist of the following four separate documents:
- Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
- Pre-Qualification Information (see Section 4.3 below)
- Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
- Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)
Proposals must be prepared in English.
- Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [RfP Reference – bidder name]. The bidder’s name is the name of the company/organisation on whose behalf you are submitting the proposal, or your own surname if you are bidding as a self-employed consultant. Your proposal must be submitted in PDF format. You may submit multiple emails suitably annotated, e.g., Email 1 of 3, if attached files are too large to suit a single email transmission. You may not submit your Proposal by uploading it to a file-sharing tool.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. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process. Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission.
- Pre-Qualification Criteria
Pre-Qualification Criteria
1
3 reference letters from NGOs addressed to IUCN
2
Confirm and submit all the necessary legal registrations to perform the work including:
- Certificate of incorporation
- Tax clearance certificate
- TIN Certificate
- Technical ProposalThe technical proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately, quoting the relevant criteria reference number (left-hand column).Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCN’s discretion.Where CVs are requested, these must be of the individuals who will carry out the work specified. The individuals you put forward may only be substituted with IUCN’s approval.IUCN will evaluate technical proposals with regards to each of the following criteria and their relative importance:
Description
Information to provide
Relative weight
1
Quality of technical approach
1. Description of the conceptual and methodological approach.
Combine 1 & 2: Explain how you will implement and meet the deliverables and objectives specified in the ToR. (15pts)
2. Work plan: Comprehensive work plan and timeline outlining key activities, milestones, and deliverables, aligned with the project’s timeframe and objectives. (15pts)
30
2
The conceptual and methodological approach
Methodology: Clear, concise, and feasible methodological approach detailing how the communication strategy will be developed, including a knowledge audit, participatory communication needs assessment, stakeholder engagement plan, validation steps, and an adaptive management approach for evaluation
30
3
Relevant competencies and experience
Experts/Subject matter experts
- Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in communications for development cooperation programmes – specifically related to natural resources management and environment (10 pts)
- Demonstrated experience in developing effective communications strategies for programmes with a wide range of stakeholders, based upon primary and secondary data analyses (10 pts)
- Demonstrated experience in monitoring the implementation of communications strategies for development cooperation focused programmes and projects (5pts)
- Strong analytical skills, sound judgement, the capacity to think strategically, including the ability to produce high quality policy materials, high level strategic documents and advice for development implementation (5pts)
- Successful track record of similar assignments (5pts)
- Excellent analytical, research, writing (English) and facilitation skills (5pts)
40
TOTAL
100%
- 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.
- Prices include all costs.
- Applicable Goods and Services Taxes
- Currency of proposed rates and prices
- The financial proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
- Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be considered in the evaluation.
- Your proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for 90 calendar days following the submission deadline.
- Withdrawals and Changes
- EVALUATION of PROPOSALS
- Completeness
- Pre-Qualification Criteria
- Technical Evaluation
- Scoring Method
Your proposal will be assigned a score from 0 to 10 for each of the technical evaluation criteria, such that ‘0’ is low and ‘10’ is high.
- Minimum Quality Thresholds
Proposals that receive a score of ‘0’ for any of the criteria will not be considered further.
- Technical Score
Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 4.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your proposal’s overall technical score.
- Financial Evaluation and Financial ScoresThe financial evaluation will be based upon the full total price you submit. Your financial proposal will receive a score calculated by dividing the lowest financial proposal that has passed the minimum quality thresholds (see Section 5.3.2) by the total price of your financial proposal.Thus, for example, if your financial proposal is for a total of CHF 100 and the lowest financial proposal is CHF 80, you will receive a financial score of 80/100 = 80%
- Total Score
- Explanation of procurement procedure
- IUCN is using the Open Procedure for this procurement. This means that the contracting opportunity is published on IUCN’s website and open to all interested parties to take part, subject to the conditions in Section 7 below.
- You are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this procurement. Please email the IUCN Contact (see Section 2), taking note of the deadline for submission of questions in Section 3.1.
- All proposals must be received by the submission deadline in Section 3.2 above. Late proposals will not be considered. All proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated by a team of three or more evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in this RfP. No other criteria will be used to evaluate proposals. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose proposal received the highest Total Score. IUCN does, however, reserve the right to cancel the procurement and not award a contract at all.
- IUCN will contact the bidder with the highest-scoring proposal to finalise the contract. We will contact unsuccessful bidders after the contract has been awarded and provide detailed feedback. The timetable in Section 3.1 gives an estimate of when we expect to have completed the contract award, but this date may change depending on how long the evaluation of proposals takes.
- Conditions for participation in this procurement
- To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RfP and the Attachments.
- It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant proposal.
- Any incomplete or incorrectly completed proposal submission may be deemed non-compliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process.
- IUCN will query any obvious clerical errors in your proposal and may, at IUCN’s sole discretion, allow you to correct these, but only if doing so could not be perceived as giving you an unfair advantage.
- In order to participate in this procurement, you must meet the following conditions:
- To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RfP and the Attachments.
- Free of conflicts of interest
- Registered on the relevant professional or trade register of the country in which you are established (or resident, if self-employed)
- In full compliance with your obligations relating to payment of social security contributions and of all applicable taxes
- Not been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection.
- Not bankrupt or being wound up
- Never been guilty of an offence concerning your professional conduct.
- Not involved in fraud, corruption, a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism, or any other illegal activity.
- You must complete and sign the Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2).
- If you are participating in this procurement as a member of a joint venture, or are using sub-contractors, submit a separate Declaration of Undertaking for each member of the joint venture and sub-contractor, and be clear in your proposal which parts of the goods/services are provided by each partner or sub-contractor.
- Each bidder shall submit only one proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture. In case of joint venture, one company shall not be allowed to participate in two different joint ventures in the same procurement, nor shall a company be allowed to submit a proposal both on its behalf and as part of a joint venture for the same procurement. A bidder who submits or participates in more than one proposal (other than as a subcontractor or in cases of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all the proposals with the bidder’s participation to be disqualified.
- By taking part in this procurement, you accept the conditions set out in this RfP, including the following:
- It is unacceptable to give or offer any gift or consideration to an employee or other representative of IUCN as a reward or inducement in relation to the awarding of a contract. Such action will give IUCN the right to exclude you from this and any future procurements, and to terminate any contract that may have been signed with you.
- Any attempt to obtain information from an employee or other representative of IUCN concerning another bidder will result in disqualification.
- Any price fixing or collusion with other bidders in relation to this procurement shall give IUCN the right to exclude you and any other involved bidder(s) from this and any future procurements and may constitute a criminal offence.
- Confidentiality and data protection
- IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN as part of this procurement will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your proposal in line with the procedure explained in this RfP, and for the maintenance of a clear audit trail. For audit purposes, IUCN is required to retain your 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 requested.
- In the Declaration of Undertaking (Attachment 2) you need to give IUCN express permission to use the information you submit in this way, including personal data that forms part of your proposal. Where you include personal data of your employees (e.g. CVs) in your proposal, you need to have written permission from those individuals to share this information with IUCN, and for IUCN to use this information as indicated in 8.1. Without these permissions, IUCN will not be able to consider your proposal.
- Complaints procedure
If you have a complaint or concern regarding the propriety of how a competitive process is or has been executed, then please contact procurement@iucn.org. Such complaints or concerns will be treated as confidential and are not considered in breach of the above restrictions on communication (Section 2.1).
- Contract
The contract will be based on IUCN’s template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect requirements from the donor funding this procurement.
- 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.
Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 1,000 staff with offices in more than 50 countries.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 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 people’s 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.
How to apply
Step 1: Acquire Tender Documents
Obtain the relevant tender documents.
Step 2: Review Requirements
Thoroughly read the tender specifications, terms, and conditions.
Step 3: Prepare Proposal
Prepare your proposal as guided, ensuring all the required information is included.
Step 4: Submission
Submit your completed proposal by August 27th, 2025, via the email address