Empowering Destitute Widows through Mushroom Farming Request for Proposals (RFP): Small Grants (PKR 0.5 million to 1 million) Registered NGO(s)/CBOs in Islamabad and Rawalpindi

Consultancy For Uplifting Sustainability Policies (Cusp)

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Posted date	14th March, 2024	Last date to apply	31st March, 2024
Category	Consultancy
Status	Closed

Attached files

48877_job_Request For Proposal - Agri Food Partners ISD and RWP.pdf

Empowering Destitute Widows through Mushroom Farming Request for Proposals (RFP): Small Grants (PKR 0.5 million to 1 million) Registered NGO(s)/CBOs in Islamabad and Rawalpindi

Consultancy for Uplifting Sustainability Policies (CUSP) is a novel startup dedicated to sustainable development with a focus on empowering vulnerable groups through innovative sustainability initiatives. Our mission centers around improving livelihoods, nutrition, and economic resilience in close collaboration with local communities. As part of our commitment to sustainable food security and enhancing community development, we are seeking expressions of interest from registered Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) within the Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions.

Purpose of the RFP:

This RFP aims to identify potential partners with experience and capability in food security projects, specifically in mushroom production. Our objective is to identify and partner with registered NGOs/CBOs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad that have the expertise, community engagement experience, and capacity to deliver small community-based food security projects with integrated sustainability models. The ideal partners will deliver the project effectively, ensuring the project's goals are met, it continues beyond funding cycle, and delivers measurable impact.

Scope of Work:

We seek clear and objective proposals aimed at training 20 destitute widows as mushroom farmers, providing them with the necessary tools and training to establish a sustainable entrepreneurial model. This initiative should result in supplying nutritious food to the widows households and nearby community leading to widow-headed households economic resilience through a 100% return on investment for each widow farmer.

Technical proposal:

We are looking for short but impressive technical proposals from NGOs/CBOs interested in working with us. In addition to organization background, motivation to apply, and experience in similar works, the technical proposal should clearly outline the following:

1. List of proposed beneficiaries

Provide a list of 25 widow-headed households for engagement as mushroom farmers. The identified farmers should be selected based on economic need and readiness to participate. Selection criteria must include destitute widows, preferably all from the same community/locality for enhanced mobilization and impact.

No.	Name of Widow	Age	Household size (M/F)¹	Contact Number	Community/Location²	Suitability for project³
1

2
3
...
25

2. Training Mentorship and Support

Outline a comprehensive training curriculum covering mushroom farming techniques, business management, and market linkage strategies tailored to the needs of selected farmers. Also provide training schedule and list of trainers for capacity building of selected farmers. Provide training schedules for the selected widows, ensuring they acquire the knowledge and skills needed to successfully cultivate mushrooms and manage their enterprises. Proposals with clear training and mentoring schedules along with CVs of trainers will likely get higher scores in the selection process.

3. Farming Tools and Resources:

List down proposed items for one mushroom production unit required to start and maintain a mushroom farming operation. The mushroom production unit shall include space, items, supplies, and resources required for 1-year production. Identify which items will be provided/contributed by beneficiary, NGO/CBO, and donor. The sample template is given below – feel free to tailor the list table as per local requirement.

Item No.	Description	Quantity / Size	Provided/Contributed by:Beneficiary/NGOs or CBO/ Donor?	Short description and use
1	Growing Space (sq meters)
2	Spore/Spawn Bags
3	Compost
4	Shelving Units
5	Humidifier
6	Temperature Control Unit
7	Watering System
8	Harvesting Tools
9	Packaging Supplies
10	Training Materials
...	Additional Items

4. Market Linkage:

Outline clear strategy on how these farmers and their produce will be connected with market. Propose interventions that your organization will undertake to facilitate connections between the participants and local markets, retailers, and community organizations to ensure the sustainable sale of produced mushrooms, enhancing the project's economic impact.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation and progress reporting:

Projects with simple and clear logical frameworks will have higher technical scores during the evaluation process. Propose monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the progress and impact of the training program, including tracking participants' income levels, production volumes, and overall well-being. Clearly indicate how and when you will engage CUSP monitoring team to assess the project progress and discuss joint collaborations.

6. List of technical experts and staff (supported by detailed CVs)

Please include a list of technical experts and staff to be engaged in the project. This includes a comprehensive list of individuals, supported by their detailed Curriculum Vitae (CVs), highlighting their qualifications, experience, and the specific role they will play in the project. Additionally, we seek information on the level of effort each resource will contribute to the success of the project, including their expected tasks, responsibilities, and the percentage of their time allocated to this initiative. This information will play a crucial role in assessing the capability and readiness of our team to meet the project's objectives and to ensure collaborative and impactful execution of the project's activities.

7. Sustainability and Scaling

Develop strategies for the sustainability and potential scaling of the project, including exploring additional funding opportunities and partnerships to expand the program to benefit more individuals. Provide estimates of mushroom production per beneficiary households during one year, revenue and net profits generated, share of income provided to beneficiary households, share of net profits used for scaling project base such as procuring more mushroom production units for other households.

8. Financial Proposals

We expect financial proposals with clear link to contents provided in the technical proposal document. Organizations are expected to demonstrate their not-for-profit status, and preferably, proof of tax examinations. The minimum PKR 500,000/ and maximum PKR 1,000,000/ budget ceilings are given to encourage cost effective bids. Cost contributions in kind of human resources, overheads, and technical resources, etc. are highly encouraged and will have higher scores in the selection process. Please ensure your financial proposals is supported by milestone-based payment tranches.

1 Household size (M/F): Total number of person’s dependent on widow, males and females.

2 Community/Location: Specific community or locality where the widow resides.

3 Suitability for project: Reasons for selecting this household. It might include beneficiaries’ willingness, previous experience in mushroom production, space for mushroom production, marketing skills, etc.

Apply By:

9. How to Apply

We invite interested organizations to submit their applications for the mushroom farming project initiative. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of your organization's capabilities and

approach, we request the following documents with each application:

Technical and Financial Proposal: Clearly outline your technical approach and financial plan as per the RFP instructions. Your proposal should detail how you intend to implement the project, including timelines, milestones, and budget allocations.

Email: Please send all documents in PDF format to [email protected].

Deadline: The submission deadline is 31 March 2024. Early bids are highly encouraged to facilitate timely review and consideration.

Note:

Only shortlisted proposals will be contacted for further discussions, shortlisting meetings, and due diligence processes.
CUSP reserves the right to accept or reject any applications, or to cancel the call for proposals entirely, at its discretion. Our aim is to select the most suitable partners for this project, ensuring the highest impact and success of our initiatives.

Annex (Required with technical and financial proposals):

Logical Framework Approach: Clear matrix showing project objectives, indicators, and means of verification.
CVs of Proposed Staff: Attach detailed CVs of the technical experts and staff who will be involved in the project, highlighting their experience and qualifications.
Proof of Similar Projects: Provide evidence of your organization's experience in

implementing similar projects, including project reports, completion certificates, or any other relevant documentation.

Financial feasibility of proposed initiative: Share excel based analysis of what project will achieve through funding and mushroom production and sale over the period 12 months.