Request for Expressions of Interest
CONSULTING SERVICES
Implementing Partner for tea (IP tea), contract n° IP tea-CS-02

Enhanced green economy through a quality, climate-resilient and inclusive value chain
(Green CUP) project

- Lao people's democratic republic -

Background: The Lao government (through the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Foretsry) received a financing from Agence Française de Développement ("AFD") to finance the activities under the Green CUP project, and intends to use part of the funds thereof to finance the Implementing Partner for tea (IP tea).
Scope of sercice: The Services of the Implementing Partner for tea (IP tea) consist of:
i. Implementing the project activities, notably SC 3.2 and 4.2 (see Annex 1). The IP tea shall ensure the following dimensions when implementing activities:
a. quality of the scientific dissemination;
b. linkages between implemented activities and other technical components;
c. taking into account the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan and the Project’ Indicators ;
d. a strong involvement/ownership of national and local stakeholders and partners;
e. a systemic and multi-scale framework.
ii. Joint-implementing activities of C1 and C2 with the IP coffee, TA to PMU, and technical partners to promote joint and transversal actions and to avoid compartmentalization of components;
iii. Support and contributing to C5 activities:
a. ensuring the achievements of M&E indicators;
b. ensuring the achievements of ESCP indicators;
c. Faciliating financial audits;
d. Faciliating the mid-term and final evaluation;
e. Contributing to cross-cutting activites, in particular the Gender Action Plan
iv. Communication, stakeholder dialogue and knowledge sharing:
a. participating in key project events (eg. PSC meetings, AFD’s supervision mission, field missions, AFD-EUD project portfolio reviews, stakeholder dialogue meetings, …);
b. Providing information for communication (e.g. a note on past and upcoming events, project portfolio, ….);
v. Monitoring the use of the “Activity Provisional Sum”:
a. monitoring of the adequacy of all Advances/Drawdowns made for activities in compliance of the AFD rules and the national regulations;
b. joint-organising with the PMU the bi-annual financing audits for the Provisional Sum and analyzing conclusions and recommendations of audit, and follow-up the corrective actions if any.
vi. Other tasks to be defined during the Project Implementation Manual (PIM) development.

Egibility criteria: This Request for Expressions of Interest is open to:

 NGOs  Joint Venture between NGO(s) and consulting firm(s)
NGOs involved in the Mekong tea project implementation would be eligible to the bid.
Eligibility criteria to AFD financing are specified in sub-clause 1.3 of the "Procurement Guidelines for AFD Financed Contracts in Foreign Countries", available online on AFD’s website: http://www.afd.fr.
Evaluation criteria: Interested Applicants must provide information evidencing that they are qualified and experienced to perform those Services. For that purpose, documented evidence of recent and similar services shall be submitted.
Determination of the similarity of the experiences will be based on:
 The contracts size (Indicative inputs): The inputs required to complete the assignment is between 340 to 350 person-months for a 4.5 year’s contract. The estimated budget is 3,200,000 euros, including 1,900,000 euros reserved as “Activity Provisional Sum”.
 The nature of the Services: Implementing partner for tea, including the technical assistance;
 The technical area and expertise: the Applicant shall has at least one experience of each following experiences:
• experience(s) on the implementation of technical assistance for donor-funded projects in the field of agriculture and rural development;
• experience(s) in technical assistance in the context of projects for structuring agricultural value chains and governance of the agricultural sector;
• Experience(s) in the tea/coffee sector development.
 The location: The Applicant has at least one experience providing services in Lao PDR.
 Skills and availability of in-house technical back-up experts provided to the on-site experts;
 Local representatives/partners;
An application that does not meet one of these requirements will be rejected.
Submission: The Applicant shall submit only one application, either in its own name or as a member of a Joint Venture (JV). If an Applicant (including any JV member) submits or participates in more than one application, those applications shall be all rejected. However, the same Subconsultant may participate in several applications.
If the Applicant is a JV, the expression of interest shall include:
 a copy of the JV Agreement entered into by all members, or
 a letter of intent to execute a JV Agreement, signed by all members together with a copy of the Agreement proposal,
In the absence of this document, the other members will be considered as Subconsultants.
Experiences and qualifications of Subconsultants are not taken into account in the evaluation of the applications.
Among the submitted applications, the evaluation commitee will shortlist a maximum of six (6) Applicants, to whom the Request for Proposals to carry out the Services shall be sent. Only the shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
The Expressions of Interest must be submitted to the address below no later than 31 July 2024 (before 17:00 Vientiane time).

Attention to: Mr. Bounsu Soudmaly
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR.
Phone: +856 20 22246171
Email: sbounsu@yahoo.com (cc to kphasouk@prcclaocoffee.com)
NB: your e-mail response should not exceed 6 MB. If this should be the case, please breaking your answer into multiple emails.
Interested Applicants may obtain further information within five working-days after the publication of the REOI at the address below during office hours: Mr. Bounsu Soudmaly, +856 20 22246171, sbounsu@yahoo.com (cc to kphasouk@prcclaocoffee.com).