Tender Advertisement #1338111

REQUEST FOR TENDER
NATIONAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING AND COORDINATION OF PRIVATE SECTOR RESILIENCE-RELATED ACTIVITIES IN VANUATU
BACKGROUND
The Vanuatu Business Resilience Council (VBRC) was established in 2017 as a standing committee of the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to provide a coordination mechanism for local private sector actors to engage with government and key stakeholders on resilience building, response and recovery initiatives. VBRC is governed by an Executive Committee comprised of elected board members representing various strategic sectors, thematic areas, and industries relevant to climate change, resilience, and disaster risk reduction and loosely aligned to the national cluster system. The Executive Committee members contribute their time voluntarily to sit on various internal committees and national boards, taskforces, and working groups aligned to their expertise and background.
Since 2017, VBRC has operated with limited support, and its administration was catered by VCCI. Funding support for full-time staff was secured from January 2020 to 12 April 2022 through various projects funded by DFAT, MFAT, USAID, and Connecting Business initiative. These projects had been completed successfully. Recently, VBRC was also engaged heavily in coordinating the private sector for the COVID-19 response, through public-private partnerships that support the Ministry of Health and the National Disaster Management Office. This clearly demonstrates that businesses in Vanuatu are increasingly proactive in contributing towards national climate change and disaster-related initiatives and helping strengthen the resiliency of the country.
VBRC is seeking technical support to strengthen its role as the national focal point for the private sector in coordinating climate change and disaster-related activities. This will ensure that the private sector is at the forefront to support the government and coordinating resources and efforts in an effective manner. Building on recent accomplishments, the proposed support for VBRC intends to also strengthen private sector participation in national climate change and disaster-related programs and explore opportunities for public-private partnerships. Additionally, through technical support, PIFS will be able to work closely with VBRC and the Department of Climate Change to implement planned activities that support Vanuatu’s private sector.
Since this is a part-time consultancy, the proposed support will require someone to be stationed at the VBRC Office for at least one or two days per week until January 2023.
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The consultant will work under the guidance of the VBRC, Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Department of Climate Change and the PIFS PACRES Project to build the capacity of the private sector in climate change and resilience through:
• collaboration and identifying new partnerships in climate change and resilience for the private sector;
• exploring opportunities such as new and innovative funding mechanisms to support private sector initiatives and climate actions;
• supporting the mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk management in national policies; and
• identifying and supporting the roll-out of capacity development programs related to the resilience of the private sector.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will carry out the responsibilities and tasks as set out under the Terms of Reference (TOR) document which can be downloaded from www.tenders.net/forumsec.

HOW TO APPLY
Submissions should be titled:
REQUEST FOR TENDER - NATIONAL CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING AND COORDINATION OF PRIVATE SECTOR RESILIENCE-RELATED ACTIVITIES IN VANUATU
Method of Submissions:
Submissions must be forwarded in PDF format following the instructions at www.tenders.net/forumsec
Note: Tenders must be submitted with clear labeling of the technical offer and the financial offer. The Technical Offer documents must be saved and submitted clearly labeled “T.2.23 – Response Template”
The electronically submitted documents should be converted to PDF format.
Deadline for Submissions:
Submissions need to reach the Secretariat by 4 pm, Friday 27th January 2023.
Late or incomplete tenders will not be considered.
Questions and Answers
All queries or requests for information must be submitted via the Question-and-Answer Forum at www.tenders.net/forumsec. Tenderers may submit questions in writing to the mentioned Question and Answer Forum before the stated “deadline for requesting clarifications” by 4 pm, Thursday 26th January 2023. The Secretariat has no obligation to provide clarification after this date.
Note: The Secretariat will not be responsible for non-receipt/non-delivery of the Bid documents due to any reason whatsoever.
Any complaints regarding the Secretariat’s tender must be directed to the following email: Tender.Complaints@forumsec.org. This email address will forward your complaint to a person that is independent and removed from the tender process. Complaints must be well-founded and should not be used as a mechanism for notifying displeasure with the outcome of a tender award. Further information on making a complaint can be found on the Policies & Information page at http://tenders.forumsec.org.
In the event that further information is required by the Secretariat in relation to the tender for consultancy, the Secretariat reserves the right to seek the required information without the need for calling for resubmission of proposals.