About ICIMOD

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) seeks to enable sustainable and resilient mountain development for improved and equitable livelihoods through knowledge generation and regional cooperation.

ICIMOD is a regional intergovernmental learning and knowledge-sharing centre serving the eight Regional Member Countries (RMCs) of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH): Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Working in partnership with regional and international organizations, ICIMOD aims to influence policy and practices to meet environmental and livelihood challenges emerging in the HKH. ICIMOD provides a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers from the region and around the globe to generate and share knowledge, support evidence-based decision making, and encourage regional cooperation. 2021-30 is an important decade for climate action, and 2021 was a key year since parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) communicated their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) related to adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology, and capacity development to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. Countries will also develop long-term strategies to address climate change. 2030 is also an important milestone in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.

The ongoing pandemic presents a challenge for countries to stay on course to achieve these global commitments. Governments have put in place measures to respond to and recover from the disruption caused by COVID-19. With some countries investing more than 10% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in post-pandemic recovery, there are significant opportunities for climate-resilient, green recovery in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH). In 2021, ICIMOD’s HKH2Glasgow campaign in the lead up to COP26 amplified the call for more ambitious climate action in the HKH and globally.

The campaign revolved around three asks:

• Pulse of the planet

Recognize the HKH as the pulse of the planet – a region that is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

• Mountains of opportunity

Invest in mountain-specific climate priorities to enhance the resilience of mountain communities

• Power of eight

Harness the strength of the eight HKH countries to enhance regional and international cooperation for climate action

Based on this campaign, as a step forward for identifying opportunities and gaps in climate action in the HKH region, ICIMOD aims to develop an investment framework for the HKH region. This framework will act as a roadmap that will guide potential investors on priority investment areas for the HKH countries to meet their climate targets to 2030. This framework would entail policy engagement to shape ambitious climate action and strategic communication to promote ambition climate action at the local, national, regional, and global levels. It will also assist HKH countries mobilise financial resources for mountain-specific climate priorities that will enable and support them to achieve their climate targets, such as NDCs and net-zero commitments, along with policy development and capacity-building.

As initial steps for this framework, the following actions will be undertaken, including (a) identifying and proposing target-bound investment opportunities for climate action in HKH region; (b) establishing an investors’ alliance/network; and (c) developing a management framework that will help to showcase the region’s potential to contribute to global climate targets and the investments needed to achieve those targets.

About the request for proposals

ICIMOD is issuing this request for proposals for an institutional consultancy to scope and provide recommendations to support the development of a Mountains of Opportunity Investment Framework (MOIF) for the Hindu Kush Himalaya.

SECTION I – BIDDING PROCESS

• The last date for the submission of proposals is original submission date: 31 May 2022 (16:00 Nepal Standard Time), Extended timeline: 8 June 2022 (16:00 Nepal Standard Time)
• Proposals should include all costs in USD ($), a timeline for the execution of the project, and a breakdown of the duration for each assignment.
• Proposals will only be received on or before the closing date
• Please submit your proposal with supporting documents
• Any questions related to the submission may be directed to deepshikha.sharma@icimod.org, with a copy to ujala.rajbhandari@icimod.org

Important dates

1. Deadline for pre-proposal inquiries: 24 May 2022 (Inquiries received after the date will not be entertained.)
2. Proposal submission Original deadline- 31 May 2022, Extended deadline: 8 June 2022
3. Evaluation announcement: Original date: 13 June 2022, Extended date: 20 June 2022
4. Finalisation of contract: 30 June 2022 (tentative)

Bidding process

1. Interested bidders may submit their bid proposal preferably in a sealed envelope addressed to the ICIMOD Procurement Office by 16:00 Nepal Standard Time, Original date:31 May 2022, Extended date: 8 June 2022. Proposals may also be submitted via email, but please ensure that the documents are password protected.
2. The bid should include copies of the following:

• Company registration certificate
• Tax registration certificate (i.e., VAT/PAN registration)
• Experience of similar work
• Latest tax clearance certificate
• Bid validity period
• Payment terms

3. The bidder shall quote the item rates as applicable for the work in a formal quotation with signature and stamp
4. The bidder should indicate applicable VAT in the bid
5. ICIMOD reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids without giving any reason whatsoever
   

SECTION II – TERMS OF REFERENCE

Develop investment strategies for priority areas under Mountains of Opportunity Investment Framework

Introduction

Mountains of Opportunity: A framework to scale up investment

Mountain communities and governments across the HKH have identified ambitious actions to address climate change and ensure they align COVID-19 recovery to climate action. All eight countries have climate policies and plans to address climate impacts in and build the resilience of mountain communities. However, there are challenges around implementation, policy coherence, and monitoring the effectiveness of these plans.

The total cost of mitigation for six HKH countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan – is estimated at USD 1,085 billion, and the cumulative cost of adaptation, as outlined in their NDCs, is estimated at USD 270 billion.

In 2019, developed countries mobilised USD 79.6 billion of climate finance for developing countries, with 43% allocated to Asia. But this amount falls significantly short of the finance needed to deliver climate action in the HKH, let alone the continent, and despite adaptation being a priority in HKH, most finance supports mitigation. With half of this finance disbursed as loans, access for mountain communities is also limited.

In terms of domestic finance, HKH countries are spending 2.2–6% of gross domestic product on COVID-19 response and recovery. But of the USD 17.2 trillion 30 countries (including China and India) have invested in COVID-19 response and recovery, only 28% will flow to environmentally intensive sectors that impact climate change, biodiversity, or local air quality.

Aligning COVID-19 recovery packages with climate action is a huge opportunity to scale up investment in green, resilient, and inclusive development in the HKH. Delivering ambitious climate action in the region will require increased financial flows that are aligned with policy instruments and capacity. The Mountains of Opportunity Investment Framework will enable investment partners – including HKH governments, mountain communities, financial institutions, private sector actors, and development partners – to identify, align and scale up investment in mountain-specific climate priorities in the near to medium term collaboratively. It identifies six investment priorities aligned to climate action and COVID-19 recovery that will contribute to climate-resilient, carbon-neutral mountain societies (Figure below).

Objective of the assignment

The overall objective of the assignment is to scope and provide recommendations to support the development of a Mountains of Opportunity Investment Framework (MOIF) for the Hindu Kush Himalaya.

Supervision

The consultant will work under the supervision of a team of three professionals at ICIMOD – Climate and Environment Specialist, Visiting Advisor, and Climate Change Adaptation and Governance Analyst.

Timeline

The project duration will be from 1 July to 31 December 2022

Scope of work

The consultant’s activities will include but not be limited to seeking answers to the following questions, aligned with the reporting modules provided below:

1. What are the current investments from national governments, regional organisations, national and international financial institutions, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other agencies in various sectors and specifically for climate action in the HKH region?
2. Who are the current investors (e.g., bilateral and multilateral donors, financial institutions, and the private sector)
3. What are the priorities of public and private investors and what are the indicators used for measuring progress towards climate action targets and impacts like reduction in GHG emissions etc.?
4. What are the existing financial/investment gaps in meeting national climate commitments and targets (e.g., NDCs, net-zero targets vis-à-vis current finance available)?
5. What are the various investment models and financial instruments used by different investors in the HKH region (including key indicators etc.)?
6. How can we use the current and new mechanisms to develop the investment framework for the HKH?

Competencies required

• Experience in analysis and reporting for external clients
• Team of experts with specialisation in economics and finance – with at least 1 senior expert with at least 15 years’ experience in climate finance; 1 mid-level expert with at least 5-10 years’ experience in policies, NDCs; 1 mid-level expert with at least 5–10-years’ experience in climate finance; 1 junior level staff with experience in report writing
• A deep understanding of global climate finance
• Experience in working in the HKH region is desirable
• Knowledge of GESI
• Knowledge of financial instruments and funding mechanisms
• Good research and report writing skills in English
• Ability to meet deadlines and work within a team

SECTION III – Proposal submission and evaluation

The service provider will be selected based on the highest ranked technical proposal (60% weightage) and lowest cost financial proposal (40% weightage).

The service provider will be selected based on the highest cumulative scores obtained in the technical and financial proposals using the following formula:

• Technical score = Score obtained based on technical proposal (total 100)
• Financial score = Score obtained based on financial proposal (total 100)
• Total score = 60% of technical proposal + 40% of financial proposal

The service provider scoring the maximum score based on the aforementioned criteria will be awarded. However, the service provider should score at least 70 points in the technical proposal.

Contents of the proposal

Applicants are advised to present their technical proposal in four sections:

1. Technical approach and methodology
In this section, applicants should explain their understanding of the objectives of the assignment, approach to the services, and methodology to obtain the expected output.  You are also expected to prepare a table of content of the final report.

2. Work plan
Applicants should propose the main activities of the proposal, content and duration, milestones (including interim approvals by the clients), and delivery date for each of the modules. The proposed work plan should be consistent with the technical approach and methodology.

3. Organization and experts
Applicants should propose the structure and composition of their team, mentioning their qualification, skills and provide their CVs. Applicants should list the main discipline of the assignment, the key expert responsible, and proposed technical and support staff.

4. Relevant experience
Applicants should include the experience of their organization relevant to this request for proposals.

5. Financial bid
Applicants should provide the financial quote with a breakdown of costs for each of the modules.

• Breakdown of the experts needed, number of days required, quantity, rate
• Breakdown of other costs, unit, quantity, rate

*Technical proposals will be evaluated based on their responsiveness to the terms of reference, applying the evaluation criteria and points system specified.