PROPOSALS DELIVERED TO: wcsrwanda@wcs.org& cc: mbana@wcs.org and jngango@wcs.org 

INVITATION

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) seeks the services of a legal consultant to support the Congo Nile Divide (CND) Project to conduct a legal and policy review as part of a pre-feasibility assessment of a Jurisdictional REDD+ program in Rwanda. This Request for Proposals (RFP) provides detailed information as to the project requirements and the desired qualifications of proposers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT

Organization Background

WCS is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving wildlife and wild lands through science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks. 

In Rwanda, WCS has worked for over 35 years to inform science-based conservation and management of mountain forests supporting government and community conservation efforts.

The Congo Nile Divide Project

The Government of Rwanda (GoR) through the Ministry of Environment (MoE) secured a funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for “Building resilience of vulnerable communities to climate variability in Rwanda’s Congo-Nile divide region through forest and landscape restoration” (CND project) is a project. The CND project is implemented by Rwanda Forestry Authority (RFA) in collaboration with different Implementation Partners (IPs) including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The CND project goal is to enhance the resilience of the vulnerable communities and focuses on three areas:

• Mainstreaming Climate Adaptation into Integrated Land Use Planning by strengthening government capacity for spatial planning, resulting in institutional and regulatory policies to promote and integrate climate adaptation strategies, based on the latest science, through coordinated planning at the national and district levels.
• Forest and landscape management and restoration by protecting, restoring and expanding natural forest in and around the core national parks; consolidating and expanding some smaller but critical "stepping stones" of remaining natural habitat between these national parks (mainly small forest patches and wetlands/ riparian areas); improving the landscape linkage function of key high altitude landscape linkages between the protected areas, while at the same time securing ecosystem services through afforestation and improved native species mix for plantation forests on steep slopes; silvopastoral interventions on cultivated pasture; and agroforestry interventions in regenerative agricultural areas.
• Enhancing climate adaptation through resilient livelihoods by addressing key drivers of deforestation while creating alternative livelihood pathways for youth and women through ecotourism and income-generating, climate-resilient crops, as well as strengthening supportive financial services.

Overall, this initiative represents a holistic approach to sustainable development, integrating environmental conservation with poverty reduction and climate resilience strategies.

To explore a range of financial instruments for revenue generation beyond the GCF project, WCS intends to conduct a feasibility study for Jurisdictional REDD+(JREDD+) (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) program in Rwanda as one of the financial instruments for the long-term sustainable management of the CND landscape.

Scope and Objectives of the consultancy

The main objective of the consultancy is to identify gaps and opportunities in Rwanda’s legal and policy frameworks on climate change, forest management/land sector and carbon trading.

Therefore, the consultant will be responsible for:

• Conducting a comprehensive review of Rwanda’s legal and policy framework related to REDD+, forest management, land use, climate change, and carbon trading (including voluntary and compliance mechanisms). The analysis will be performed on the basis of a literature review, and if needed selected interviews with key stakeholders.
• Identifying gaps, barriers, and opportunities for aligning the jurisdictional REDD+ program with national laws and international commitments, including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Review will include Rwanda’s commitments under its Nationally Determined Contribution(s).
• Assessing compliance with international REDD+ standard requirements. 

Terms of References, deliverables and their timelines are included in Appendix A, attached and made a part hereof.

The timeline for undertaking this consultancy is 15 days.

The CND Project and by extension this work, is being funded by the Government of Rwanda through WCS and is subject to the Specific requirements as indicated in “Scope of Services and Desired Qualifications” below.

PROPOSAL ADMINISTRATION

All requests for clarification and questions concerning this RFP must be submitted in writing no later than September 8, 2025 via email to jngango@wcs.org with a copy to mbana@wcs.org (indicate” CND Project JREDD+ Legal consultancy RFP” on the subject line). Responses, if determined appropriate by WCS, will be issued during a virtual meeting with each proposer. 

All proposals shall be submitted as an attached digital file to the submission email including

attachments, exhibits or appendices. Emails shall be submitted to: wcsrwanda@wcs.org with a copy to mbana@wcs.org and jngango@wcs.org 

An interview may be requested of any proposer, and key staff should be present at the interview. Such a request for an interview does not constitute a contract award.

Proposals must be received no later than 5:00 PM CAT, September 15, 2025

Key Dates:

Last day to submit questions: September 8, 2025

Proposals due: September 15, 2025

Interviews of proposers: September 19, 2025

Notice of Award: by September 23, 2025

Contract Negotiation and Execution: September 25, 2025

Start Date: September 29, 2025

SCOPE OF SERVICES AND DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The selected consultant is expected to have overall responsibility for delivery of the services indicated above and in Appendix A, including, but are not limited to, the following:

General Services:

• Comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations governing such projects
• Maintain insurance itself and all staff assigned to the project
• Comply with any WCS rules, requirements or directives provided prior to contract execution.

Qualifications

Proposer should meet the following qualifications:

• Graduate degree in Law (minimum 4 years) with at least 5 years of professional experience.
• Experience and knowledge of environmental, conservation, wildlife and protected area legislation or criminal and administrative procedure.
• Proven professional experience in the environmental sector.
• Relevant experience in data collection, legal analysis and drafting of legal documents.
• Strong research and analytical skills, as well as the ability to clearly articulate complex issues and summarize large amounts of information in a clear and concise manner.
• A thorough knowledge and understanding of the policy and legislative frameworks in Rwanda and the relevant institutions responsible for the implementation and enforcement of these frameworks, particularly those related to public finance.
• Excellent communication skills in English.

PROPOSAL CONTENT

The proposal should demonstrate sound knowledge, technical skills and capacity as required by the nature of work of the assignment and understanding of the requisite tasks set forth in this RFP.

Proposals should be clear and concise and should address in detail and with appropriate documentation, each of the items listed below.

Proposals that fail to do so may be disqualified as non-responsive. WCS may request clarification of any proposal during the evaluation process, but it is not bound to do so, and proposers should not assume they will have any further opportunity to clarify their proposals subsequent to the proposal due date. 

Each proposer is requested to submit, on or before the submission deadline, a package containing its proposal addressing the following items in the order listed:

1. Technical Qualifications
2. Contact Information

On a single cover sheet, please provide:

1. The proposer's name.
2. The proposer’s contact person.
3. Contact information for the principal(s) or lead individual(s) who are anticipated to work on the project, including e-mail addresses, main telephone, fax and mobile telephone numbers.
4. List of proposed staff assigned to this project.
5. Signature of Principal and date of the signature.

2. Overview

Proposers should provide a summary of their understanding of the objectives of this RFP and a description of the methods they will use to achieve those objectives, including technical quality assurance, and general management practices for comparable projects.

3. Qualifications

Proposers are requested to provide detailed information that demonstrates the following:

• experience providing the services requested in this RFP in particular, TOR (appendix A);
• proficiency with projects of comparable size and complexity.
• expertise of key staff in relevant professional disciplines.

4. Staffing Plan

Proposers should list the principals and key employees who will carry out the work, if any, including their experience with same, identifying the proposed project manager and staff members. A resume of each key member of the project team should also be included, indicating that member’s responsibilities for the project and relevant experience. Upon award of the contract, substitutions of personnel will not be allowed without the prior written consent of WCS. 

5. Timetable/Schedule

Proposers should produce a draft schedule that outlines critical milestones for the work.

6. References

Proposers are requested to provide examples of up to three (3) similar projects, recently completed or in progress, with the following information for each:

• Client
• Description of the work
• Name of a contact person who can provide a reference or site visit.

References may be contacted directly by WCS.

B. Fee Proposal

1. Personnel Expenses (including benefits)

Position Per Diem Rate Time Factor Total

______________ _____________ ___________ $____________

______________ _____________ ___________ $____________

______________ _____________ ___________ $____________

______________ _____________ ___________ $____________

(Add lines as required)

1. Other than Personnel Expenses

III. Reimbursable Expenses

1. Fee (Fees must include all relevant taxes)

Total of Items I, II, III, and IV: $_______________

GENERAL CONDITIONS OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

The following general conditions apply to all proposals submitted in response to any RFP issued by WCS.

• Non-Binding:

WCS’s solicitation of proposals in response to any RFP does not commit WCS to award a contract, and this RFP is not an offer to enter into a contract for the services to be provided as described herein. 

• Proposal Materials and Costs:

WCS is not liable for any costs incurred in the preparation, submission or negotiation of a response to its RFP or incurred for any other purpose or reason in connection with the RFP. No materials submitted with this RFP will be returned.

• Confidentiality:

All information and material contained in any WCS RFP or issued by WCS or any of its agents as part of any WCS RFP process is confidential and is the exclusive property of WCS. 

• Modifications:

As a condition of award, WCS may request any proposer to make revisions, additions, or deletions to its proposal.

• Subcontractors:

After award of contract, WCS will have no obligation, financial or otherwise, to any subcontractor of the awardee. Nevertheless, any subcontract will be required to be subject to and consistent with the prime contract between WCS and the awardee, and WCS may require any subcontract to include specific terms and conditions.

• Reserved Rights:

WCS at any time in its sole discretion may, without notice and without liability to any proposer or any other party for their expenses incurred in the preparation of the responses hereto or otherwise, do any and all of the following:

• Amend or withdraw this RFP;
• Accept or reject any and all proposals received in response to this RFP;
• Award the contract to a proposer other than the proposer offering the lowest fee;
• Request additional materials and clarification or modification of any submitted proposal;
• Extend the time for submission of all proposals after notification to all prospective proposers;
• Terminate negotiations with a selected proposer and select another proposer;
• Take such action as WCS deems appropriate if negotiations fail to result in a signed agreement within a reasonable amount of time;
• Terminate or modify the solicitation and selection process at any time and re-issue the solicitation to whomever WCS deems appropriate.

The selected proposer will be required to execute a written agreement with WCS.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

Selection Process:

• WCS will review and evaluate all proposals to determine each proposer's rating. This evaluation may include a request by WCS to interview proposers and visit their offices for purposes of clarifying their proposals.
• The proposal offering the most advantageous terms based on the criteria below will be selected for the award. WCS may reject any and all proposals if, in its sole opinion, no proposal satisfies its criteria.

Evaluation Criteria:

The evaluation criteria and weight will be as follows:

• The proposer’s technical capability to provide the services (30%);
• Project related experience of the proposer (20%);
• Proposed methodology for executing the scope of work (25%);
• Client references (5%);
• Proposed fee (20%).

APPENDIX A

Section 1. Terms of reference

1. Project Context

The CND in Rwanda, part of the Albertine Rift is a high-elevation landscape of remnant natural forest reserves of high value in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem services, embedded in a mosaic of intensively managed smallholder farms and commercial plantations, each dependent on the other. These coupled, biological and socio-economic systems are under great strain due to intense land pressure and climate change, which has resulted in a negative cycle of natural resource degradation that undermines the well-being of both natural and socio-economic systems, with the resultant loss of key ecosystem services to people living in the landscape and across the nation.

REDD+ is a climate finance tool for the protection and restoration of high conservation value and threatened forests, helping to combat the economic drivers of forest and habitat loss. While there are large and complementary initiatives happening at a policy level—leaders’ pledges, policy frameworks, commitments from governments—REDD+ crediting systems represent the largest market-based pathway for countries seeking to conserve and restore forests to mitigate climate change.

Global carbon markets have coalesced around the consensus that forest-based emissions reductions and removals can be delivered most efficiently and effectively by jurisdictional-scale crediting approaches, including both jurisdictional programs implemented by governments and projects that are fully “nested” within them. As demand for verified carbon credits under a recognized carbon standard spans a range of sources, countries need not be reliant on a single revenue stream, especially those wanting flexibility in how REDD+ implementation contributes to meeting NDC targets.

Jurisdictional-scale crediting is consistent with the national approach to forest monitoring, baselines, strategies, and safeguards in the Warsaw Framework for REDD+, negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and incorporated into the Paris Agreement. Jurisdictional-scale crediting has also been deemed by leading market “integrity” initiatives to address environmental integrity issues such as leakage, additionality, and non-permanence; preserve biodiversity; and create incentives for improved governance, needed policy reforms, and large-scale implementation.

This Terms of Reference (TOR) defines the scope of work for a legal assessment as part of Pre-Feasibility Assessment to evaluate the potential of JREDD+ as a financial instrument in Rwanda and the findings will inform the decision to proceed with piloting program activities and a full study report.

2. Objective of the legal assessment

The main objective of this consultancy is to identify gaps and opportunities in Rwanda’s legal and policy frameworks on climate change, forest management/land sector and carbon trading.

3. Scope of Work

• Conduct a comprehensive review of Rwanda’s legal and policy framework related to REDD+, forest management, land use, climate change, and carbon trading (including voluntary and compliance mechanisms). The analysis will be performed on the basis of a literature review, and if needed selected interviews with key stakeholders.
• Identify gaps, barriers, and opportunities for aligning the jurisdictional REDD+ program with national laws and international commitments, including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Review will include Rwanda’s commitments under its Nationally Determined Contribution(s).
• Assess compliance with international REDD+ standard requirements. 

Section 2. Proposed Deliverables & Timelines

*Upon completion, receipt and acceptance of each listed deliverable