Development of the Unguja Northeast Seascape Strategic Management Framework IUCN Tanzania Country Office, Tanzania RfP Reference: : IUCN/10/OCT/07-2 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 is provided in the terms of references below. 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:
[email protected] 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 October 3, 2025 Publication of the Request for Proposals October 10, 2025 Deadline for submission of questions October 13, 2025 Planned publication of responses to questions October 24, 2025 Deadline for submission of proposals to IUCN (â Submission Deadline â) November 10-13, 2025 Planned date for contract award November 20, 2025 Expected contract start date Please email the IUCN contact to confirm whether or not you are intending to submit a proposal by the deadline stated above. 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 4.3 below) Financial Proposal (see Section 4.4 below) Proposals must be prepared in English or in Kiswahili. Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [ IUCN-2025-10- BAHARI YETU PROJECT -02âDevelopment of Unguja North East Seascape Management Framework ]. The bidderâs 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. Technical Proposal The technical proposal must address each of the criteria stated in the table below explicitly and separately. Criteria 1.Team composition and qualifications (Multidisciplinary team): 10% Advanced degree (Masters, PhD) in Marine or Environmental Management / Marine Spatial Planning; Strategic Business Management, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Marine Conservation, Biodiversity Conservation, Natural Resources Management, Marine Geography or any other related field. 2.Competences: 20% At least ten (10) years of experience in sustainable business development, with proven expertise on developing long-term, adaptive strategies for complex, dynamic marine systems, understanding of ecological, oceanographic, and geographic processes, ability to navigate multi-level governance structures (local, national, regional), capacity to work across sectors (e.g., fisheries, tourism, energy, conservation), a deep understanding of Blue and Green Economy concepts. 3.Methodology: 30% Description of the practical methodologies approach to be used to deliver the work 4.Work plan: 20% Working program / working schedule for delivery of deliverables 5.Understanding of the local context: 20% Knowledge of Tanzaniaâs coastal and marine sector and social dynamics related to blue and green economy TOTAL 100% Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCNâs 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 IUCNâs approval. Financial Proposal The financial proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the services stated in the RfP in their entirety. Prices include all costs Applicable Goods and Services Taxes Currency of proposed rates and prices Breakdown of rates and prices Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs, insurances, taxes (except VAT, see below), fees, expenses, liabilities, obligations, risk and other things necessary for the performance of the Terms of Reference or Specification of Requirements. IUCN will not accept charges beyond those clearly stated in the Financial Proposal. This includes applicable withholding taxes and similar. It is your responsibility to determine whether such taxes apply to your organisation and to include them in your financial offer. Proposal rates and prices shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax but you need to confirm if you are registered In VAT. All rates and prices submitted by Proposers shall be in USD/Tanzania Shillings. For information only, the price needs to be broken down in the following Table. Kindly, add all related price information like daily rates, transport, logistics fees that will be used while conducting this study. The price quotes should be in USD/Tanzania Shillings. Financial proposal breakdown should indicate item Description, Quantity, Unit Price and Total Price. Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be taken into account in the evaluation. Your proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for a period of 90 calendar days following the submission deadline. Withdrawals and Changes You may freely withdraw or change your proposal at any time prior to the submission deadline by written notice to the IUCN Contact. However, to reduce the risk of fraud, no changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the submission deadline. EVALUATION of PROPOSALS Completeness Technical Evaluation Scoring Method IUCN will firstly check your proposal for completeness. Incomplete proposals will not be considered further. Your proposal will be scored for each of the criteria from 0 to the maximum for each criterion. Minimum Quality Thresholds Proposals that receive a score of â0â for any of the criteria will automatically be disqualified. Technical Score Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 5.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your proposalâs overall technical score. Financial Evaluation and Financial Scores The 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 5.2.2) 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% Overall Score Your proposalâs Overall score will be calculated as the weighted sum of your technical score and your financial score. The relative weights will be: Technical: 70% Financial: 30% Thus, for example, if your technical score is 83% and your financial score is 77%, you will receive a total score of 83
70% + 77 30% = 58.1% + 23.1% = 81.2%. Subject to the requirements in Sections 4 and 7, IUCN will award the contract to the bidder whose proposal achieves the highest total score. Explanation of procurement procedure IUCN is using the Invitation Procedure for this procurement. This means that only invited bidders may submit a proposal. IUCN typically invites from four to six bidders to submit a proposal. 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 indicated in Section 3.1. Late proposals will not be considered. All proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated 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 IUCNâs 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: 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 bidderâs 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 Unionâs 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 the 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
[email protected] . 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 IUCNâs template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect particular requirements from the donor funding this particular 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 worldâs 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 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 peopleâs well-being. www.iucn.org https://twitter.com/IUCN/ TERMS OF REFERENCE Project tittle Pamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari Yetu Project Position tittle Provision of Consultancy Service to Prepare the Unguja Northeast Seascape Multistakeholders Forum Strategic Management Framework Post level National Consultant. Project Description The IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) operates in twenty-four countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The ESARO Programme focuses on biodiversity conservation through a diverse portfolio of projects and programmatic initiatives ranging from activities at the level of individual protected areas to shaping regional policy on biodiversity conservation. Program and project implementation are done in collaboration with IUCN members, commissions and other strategic partners. IUCN is funded by European Union Delegation to Tanzania and the East Africa Community to implement a 4-year project titled âPamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari Yetuâ . Bahari Yetu project aims to contribute to the improved environmental protection and biodiversity conservation of the coastal and marine ecosystems in Tanzania. This project is part of a broader effort, backed by the EU with 11.4 million euros, aimed at supporting the United Republic of Tanzania through a programme called the Blue Economy for job creation and adaptation to climate change. The programme has three pillars: conservation of coastal and marine ecosystems, sustainable use of natural resources in the coastal areas and improved governance of coastal and marine resources. The initiative contributes to a climate resilient blue economy on the Tanzanian coastal regions and ecosystems. Project Goal The overall goal of this project is to contribute to the improved environmental protection and biodiversity conservation of the coastal and marine ecosystems in Tanzania. Specific Objectives To strengthen institutional frameworks and governance mechanisms for coastal and marine biodiversity conservation. To promote institutional strengthening, adaptive management, and community engagement for the protection of coastal and marine resources. To strengthen effective research, monitoring, and surveillance systems for coastal and marine biodiversity conservation. Expected Outcomes The project is designed to achieve the following expected outcomes. Improved biodiversity conservation of the marine resources. Community-led management of coastal forests strengthened. Plastic leakage into the environment, waterways and the ocean reduced. Institutional capacity for research and monitoring of coastal resources improved. About the Assignment Among other key Bahari Yetu project strategic areas of intervention is on Protection of Marine Biodiversity which strives to use multifaced approaches to contribute to the improved marine ecosystem protection and conservation. This strategic area seeks to improve the conservation of marine and coastal resources, including biodiversity. One of the key strategies to achieve this strategic vision is through promoting and supporting the establishment of the Unguja Northeast Seascape in Zanzibar. This seascape will be established around existing MPAs/MCAs and LMMAs and will serve as integrated zones. The seascape approach is inclusive and promotes the conservation of large marine and coastal areas. This ensures that large critical habitats and biodiversity are under collaborative conservation efforts. The establishment of this seascape will involve the government, communities, NGOs, research and academic institutions, private sector, and other stakeholders with a stake in marine conservation for improving governance frameworks and management effectiveness of MPAs/MCAs and LMMAs within the designated seascapes. The seascape establishment process involves various stages from the mutual consent to establish the seascape among partners within the area of interest, establishing the interim committee to spearhead the forum establishment process, formalizing the forum mode of operandi, development and signing MoUs among the partners, developing the seascape strategic management framework and the official launching of the seascape forum. Currently, the project has started the process of establishing the Unguja Northeast stakeholder's seascape forum (UNE-SSF) which is championed by IUCN in collaboration with the Unguja Northeast Seascape Interim Committee. To establish the comprehensive strategic focus of the UNE-SSF, the forum strategic management framework must be developed which will be informed by the analysis of existing governance frameworks at the Seascape to identify gaps, areas for improvement, existing opportunities and the roadmap to address and attain the seascape vision. Therefore, IUCN in collaboration with the interim committee is looking for a consultant to support the development of the Unguja Northeast Seascape Strategic Management Framework. Objective of the consultancy This consultancy aims to provide IUCN with useful, relevant and detailed information to support the strengthening of locally relevant governance frameworks at the UNE- seascape level. The purpose of this assignment is to facilitate the development Unguja Northeast Seascape Mult-stakeholders Forum Strategic Management Framework. Scope of work This consultancy is expected to contribute to results under project component 1 of improved marine conservation of Bahari Yetu Project. UNE seascape area covers the ocean area from Nyanjale in northwest to Chwaka bay along the east coast Figure 1: Proposed area to be covered by the UNE Seascape. The scope of work falls under five major result areas as follows. To review existing conservation governance frameworks at the seascape level by identifying gaps, needs for improvement, potential synergies with other already existing or prospective local governance frameworks (e.g. MPA/MCAs, Locally Managed Marine Areas, and any other). Under this assignment, the consultant is expected to answer the following key questions among others; (a). What is the governance structure for the conservation of marine and coastal areas in the UNE seascape? (b). Are the public institutions responsible for the conservation of coastal and marine areas at the seascape using governance frameworks (Management plans, by-laws, regulations etc.)? (c). What are the governance gaps including rights, inclusion and equity in existing governance frameworks that need to be filled to enhance management and conservation of marine and coastal areas in the seascape? (d). To what extent communities and other relevant stakeholders are aware of the governance frameworks that influence their daily interaction with the coastal and ocean resources in the seascape. To conduct stakeholder and institutional analysis, with a particular emphasis on existing legal dynamics frameworks. Under this activity, the consultant is expected to answer the following key questions among others; (a). What institutions (Public, NGOs, CSOs, CBOs etc.) are currently supporting conservation of marine and coastal areas, invested (private and community groups) in the economic activities related to marine resources in UNE seascape? What is the nature of their interventions (objectives), through what approaches, at what scale, who and what is their target and specifically at what area of the seascape (village, ward, district, etc)? Are there some coordination of stakeholdersâ interventions at any level (village, ward, district etc) (b). Are there any formal or shadow stakeholdersâ interactions networks at the seascape? ( c ). What is the strength of these networks? Who are the central actors in these networks (Bridging organizations that can help connect different actors)? To provide specific recommendations on potential enabling condition to establish a multi-stakeholder seascape level governance framework and proposals on related implementation modalities. Under this activity, the consultant is expected to answer the following key questions among others; (a). What are potential enabling conditions to establish a multi-level, cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder seascape level governance framework? (b). What are the best modalities to implement multi-stakeholdersâ governance framework (including cost implications etc). (c). What governance mechanisms changes should be considered for the UNE seascape to fit in IUCN category VI of MCA â MIMCA and TUMCA? To map other non-conservation governance frameworks that will be incorporated in the process of establishing multi-stakeholdersâ UNE governance strategic framework: fishing groups, pastoralist groups, farming groups, savings and credits groups as well as women and youth groups. Under this activity, the consultant is expected to answer the following key questions among others; (a). What is other non-conservation-based governance structures that can be considered in the process of establishing multi-stakeholdersâ governance framework? Non-conservation groups may include fishing groups, pastoralist groups, farming groups, savings and credits groups as well as women and youth groups. Develop a UNE seascape management strategic framework. The strategic framework is expected to provide guidance to the seascape stakeholders to ensure that interventions on the seascape contribute to the overall goal of unlocking and supporting the development of a blue economy while contributing to long-term effective, equitable and inclusive conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity and ecosystem services in the seascape. Tasks and Responsibilities A consultant will have the following tasks and responsibilities. Conduct desk review of relevant documentaries to inform execution of this assignment. Prepare inception report detailing: A comprehensive description of the consultantâs understanding of the Terms of Reference and indicating any major inconsistency or deficiency in the Terms of Reference and proposed amendments. Methodologies to be used to carry out this assignment. The proposed methodologies should provide sufficient information needed under each of the four results areas of this assignment as stipulated under the scope of work above. Draft outline report of the Strategic Management framework document. Provide complete work plan and budget for the entire period of undertaking this assignment. With the support of project, organise and conduct field visit in the UNE seascape area, and other relevant areas/ authorities/ stakeholders for consultations. Prepare a draft final report and share with the project leads for review and comments. Incorporate comments from IUCN/ to produce the final report. Presentation of the findings to the stakeholderâs validation workshop organised by the project. Qualification and experience of the consultant (s) The consultant (s) to undertake this consultancy is expected to have the following qualifications and experience: A Team leader should hold an Advanced degree (Masters, PhD) in Marine or Environmental Management / Marine Spatial Planning; Strategic Business Management, Environmental Science, Climate Change, Marine Conservation, Biodiversity Conservation, Natural Resources Management, Marine Geography or any other related field. A Team leader should have at least 10 years of proven experience in one of the technical areas listed above. Experience in marine natural resources planning and management, and/or MPAs planning and management will be an added advantage. Demonstrated track record of production of relevant publications and technical documents on marine Protected Area governance, seascape planning, fishery resources management, and related fields (guidelines, manuals, planning documents, etc.) is an added advantage. Conversant in English and Kiswahili communication (writing, speaking and reading skills). Deliverables and Schedule of Payments This assignment is expected to be conducted for a maximum of 60 (sixty) days. The payments will be subject to withholding tax deduction of 5% for Tanzania residents as per Tanzania tax regulations. The timeline and payment schedule is as described in the Table below. Deliverables Estimated duration to complete Payment structure Submission and presentation of the inception report 40% Within 1 week after signing contract Submission of the draft activity report and strategic management framework report. 30% Within 4 weeks after approval of the inception report Submission and presentation of final governance strategic management framework report 30% Within 3 weeks after presentation of the draft report and draft strategic management framework report Management arrangement for the consultancy The representative from IUCN Tanzania Country Office will be a Focal Point for this consultancy and will have the overall coordination role including facilitating the logistical requirements for consultant (s) and setting up interviews and field visits.