JOB DETAILS:
Consultancy services to support the development of District Forestry Development Plans for Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo Districts.

1. Background
The promotion of tree planting culture in the Rwenzori sub-region continues with WWF Uganda leading the efforts. Through a landscape approach, WWF-Uganda is actively involved in commercializing tree planting and building a sustainable wood industry. There are several projects under WWF-Uganda focusing on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) in collaboration with other development partners. WWF-Uganda ensures that these restoration programs are coordinated to contribute to conservation and income generation, involving key stakeholders such as tree farmers and other wood consumers.
To support sustainable FLR, WWF-Uganda has made deliberate efforts to establish and strengthen local institutions. This includes the formation of District Tree Growers and Timber Dealers Cooperatives in districts such as Kisoro, Rubirizi, Rukungiri, and Kasese. Similarly, Tree Growers and Timber Dealers Associations have been formed in Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo districts. These efforts are evidenced by the development of strategic plans and roadmaps for these associations and cooperatives.

Furthermore, District Forestry Development Plans (DFDPs) have been developed and implemented in Kisoro, Rubirizi, Rukungiri, and Kasese districts. To date, Kabale, Rubanda, and Kanungu districts are nearing completion on their DFDPs. The process has recently begun in Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo districts.

This second phase of the Hempel Foundation-funded project "Restoration for Resilient Rwenzori (R3)" aims to expand restoration efforts within Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP). The objective is to strengthen local institutionalization and implementation models for FLR that can support both conservation objectives and economic growth. Against this
back drop, the target is for the Rwenzori districts (Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo) to develop their forestry sectors by identifying gaps objectively through wider stakeholder involvement. All these efforts will be embedded within the DFDPs.

The Framework for the development of the District Forestry Plan is derived from Local Government Act 1997, and National Development Plan 2021-2025 and the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act, 2003. These pieces of legislation are implemented through the National Forestry and Tree Planting Regulations, 2016 which under schedule 2, section 8 requires Districts to prepare the Forestry Plans and provides steps to be followed.
Objectives
Main objective:
The main objective of this consultancy is to Support District Planning teams in Bunyangabu,
Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo to develop District Forestry Development Plans for the respective districts. These plans aim to integrate all forestry activities for environmental protection and economic growth.

Specific objectives:
• Work with the District Technical Planning Committees (DPTC) to constitute and engage District level relevant stakeholders in the participatory development of the District forestry development plans.
• Provide technical and logistical Support to the DTPCs to carry-out platforms as stipulated in the District Forestry Development Plan formulation procedure derived from schedule 2 of the National Forestry and Tree planting regulations, 2016

• Conduct a comprehensive geo-spatial analysis of Landuse and Land Cover (LULC) trends and generate detailed forest cover maps and scenario models/ projections to inform the level of effort required to restore and conserve forest resources across Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko, and Bundibugyo districts
• Undertake forest inventory and map the threats to the forestry sector in each district.
• Work with the DTPC to identify gaps in forest management, determine their underlying causes, and propose appropriate management actions.
• Recommend actions to ensure relevant partners are actively involved in district forestry development plan activities.
• Support the DTPC to Develop fully adaptive and practical District forestry development plans for the target districts.

Methodology
The consultant will propose an appropriate methodology, work plan, and budget that address all tasks outlined in these Terms of Reference (TOR). The assignment will involve stakeholder consultations led by the consultant with a strong focus on district natural resources management, particularly the district forests services and their respective officers.
To ensure high-quality outcomes, guidance will be sought regarding relevant district partners' involvement and facilitation requirements for their participation in the exercise.
The methodology should be clear, aligned with specific objectives and deliverables, and outline all necessary steps to develop comprehensive District forestry development plans.

Desired Skills and Competence
• Essential academic background of the consultant: Higher qualifications in Natural Resource Management or related disciplines focusing on forestry management.
• Proven individual experience in handling similar assignments.
• Solid analytical and conceptual skills with a track record of thinking creatively under tight deadlines.
• Proficiency in using GIS technology for developing geographical and vegetation maps.
• Ability to integrate innovative and sustainable approaches into forestry development planning using up-to-date technology.

Note: A preferable team should be comprised of a Forester/ Natural Resource Expert as the team leader, a GIS Expert to do the LULC trend analysis and a sociologist to look at cross cutting issues such as integration of gender in the plans, community involvement and sustainability.

5.Deliverables
The following deliverables are expected from this consultancy:
• Inception report within 21 days after signing the contract detailing how each work package will be delivered, targeted data sources, and structure of the final report.
• Process report at every stage of the DFDP process (after every one month) and Full Process report by the end of 120 days after signing of the contract. At this level, the draft DFDPs for the four districts will also be shared.
• A database containing all the mappings associated with the assignment, including the forest cover and land use practices
• Final perfect bound copies of the of the final DFDPs (100 copies for each district)

6.Duration
This consultancy is expected to be completed within 6 months from start to finish including submission and receiving approval of the final plans.

7.Cost
The estimated total cost of this assignment should cover professional fees for the consultant, as well as any other costs associated with undertaking the assignment such as transportation to the field and stakeholder meetings during data collection, analysis, compilation, and action planning for the final forestry development plan activities.

8.Submission Procedure
Firms or individual consultants interested in undertaking this assignment should email the following:
a. Technical proposal not exceeding 15 pages, including an understanding and interpretation of the TOR, methodology to be used in undertaking the assignment, time and activity schedule, evidence of relevant experience and samples of related work products, curriculum vitae of the lead consultant along with short CVs of other key team members and their respective roles.
b. Financial proposal not exceeding 2 pages including consultant's daily rates in Uganda Shillings (UGX) and any other related costs for completing the assignment.
The Technical and Financial Proposals should be submitted as separate attachments in a single email clearly marked "Technical Proposals for Consultancy Services for Development of District Forestry Development Plans for Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Ntoroko and Bundibugyo." Submissions should be sent exclusively to kampala@wwfuganda.org. It is essential to ensure successful submission as WWF-UCO will not accept liability for undelivered submissions.

9.Clarifications
Any requests for clarification regarding these Terms of Reference should be submitted in writing through procurement@wwfuganda.org . Clarifications will be provided within 48 hours from receipt of such a request.

10.Submission Deadline
Proposals must be submitted by April 30th at 17:00 East African Standard Time. Late submissions will not be accepted. Please ensure that your submission is sent before this
deadline as WWF-UCO will consider only those received on time when evaluating proposals.
11.Evaluation and Award of Contract
Eligible proposals will undergo a full and open competition evaluation process based on
strict adherence to scoring criteria outlined below:
Stage Criterion Score
Technical Evaluation Stage: Interpretation of scope of work -20 marks
Suitability of the proposed methodology -40 marks
Consultants’ qualifications, skills, Experience and expertise in similar assignments- 20 marks
Financial Evaluation Stage: Financial proposal-20 marks

Notes on evaluation:
1. Only submissions that score a minimum of 75% (at least 60marks) of available 80marks under the Technical Evaluation Stage will proceed to the Financial Evaluation Stage.
2.The Score at the Financial Evaluation stage shall be determined using the following
formula:
P = 20 x (u/z)
where:
P: Financial Score
U: Financial offer of Lowest Compliant proposal
Z: Financial offer of proposal being evaluated
The successful bidder will be the one with the highest score, based on the sum of the
Technical and Financial Evaluation scores. This bidder will be recommended for the award of the consultancy contract.

12. Payment Schedule
The payment schedule will be negotiated with the consultant and detailed in the contract to be signed between both parties. The consultant should indicate their preference in their submission.

13. Special Conditions
1. WWF reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.
2. Technical evaluation will precede financial considerations.
3. Any form of canvassing will result in automatic disqualification.
14.Feedback
Notification of intent to award the contract will be provided only to the successful bidder within two weeks from the closing date of proposal submissions. If you do not receive any communication regarding your submission, please consider it unsuccessful. No separate communication shall be made in this regard.

15.Disclaimer
This is a call for proposals, and WWF-UCO may cancel or modify this process at any time without notice. WWF-UCO is under no obligation to award a contract to the lowest or any bidder as final decisions are at the discretion of the Procurement & Disposal Committee.
Prospective bidders are responsible for all costs related to their submission, and WWF-UCO does not provide refunds for such costs.WWF-UCO shall accept no liability whatsoever for any unsuccessful submissions, as it is solely the responsibility of the bidders to ensure that their email submissions are successfully delivered.