Calls for expressions of interest
AO 231289
Support to design, supervise and implement research on integrated crop production, digital technologies and environmental footprinting in ACP horticulture to support transition toward sustainable agriculture and facilitate compliance with SPS requirements of domestic and international markets
Post date: 08/09/2023
Please complete the application form below:
Support to design, supervise and implement research on integrated crop production, digital technologies and environmental footprinting in ACP horticulture to support transition toward sustainable agriculture and facilitate compliance with SPS requirements of domestic and international markets.
Ref: COLEAD/AO/231289
The necessary interventions may require travel within partner countries (with an emphasis on ACP countries). Depending on the case, the experts could be invited to visit the different COLEAD offices if necessary (Brussels, Rungis, Nairobi, etc.).
Agri-food sectors
COLEAD
5 rue de la Corderie
CENTRA 342
94586 RUNGIS Cedex
France
Internet address of the contracting authority:
https://www.colead.link
The publication of this Contract Notice launches the first phase of the procedure and is intended to allow candidates to express their interest in bidding. An initial evaluation based on an analysis of the expressions of interest will result in the establishment of a shortlist of candidates deemed suitable to submit tenders.
Stages of the procedure:
Phase 1
Phase 2
The service providers selected following the consultation will be offered a framework contract, specifying a maximum daily remuneration rate per proposed expert. This rate of remuneration may differ from the financial proposal made by the tenderer.
In general, the services of the successful tenderers may start from the day of the signature of the framework contract. The interventions of the successful tenderers may extend until the full consumption of the budget allocated.
COLEAD
COLEAD is a non-profit interprofessional association created in 1973. Its purpose is to facilitate and implement all actions allowing, directly and/or indirectly, to increase the contribution of the agricultural sector, and horticulture in particular, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
From an operational perspective, COLEAD is organised into several departments corresponding to COLEAD’s internal areas of expertise: Technical Assistance, Training, Research and Innovation Brokerage, Market Insights, Information and Communication, Regulation and Standards, Access to Finance, and Networking and Alliances.
FFM Plus programme
Fit For Market Plus: Mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening the sustainability of the ACP horticultural sector
In November 2021, the EC and COLEAD signed a five-year grant contract, “Fit For Market Plus: Mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening the sustainability of the ACP horticultural sector”, with a total budget of EUR 25 million financed by the 11th EDF.
Both FFM SPS and FFM+ are part of the intra-ACP cooperation programme between the EU and the Organisation of Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), formerly ACP Group of States. It is part of European support for medium- and long-term policies aimed at strengthening productive capacities, stimulating innovation, and improving the sustainability and competitiveness of the ACP private sector.
The overall objective of FFM+ is to contribute to poverty reduction and improved food security and nutrition, by supporting the building of a fairer, safer and sustainable agri-food sector in member countries of the OACPS. Despite a disruptive landscape, the first specific objective is to support smallholders, farmer groups and MSMEs to maintain and improve access to national, regional, and international horticultural markets while adapting to changes in the operating environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, in a context of accelerated changes and paradigm shift, the second specific objective is to enable smallholders, farmer groups and MSMEs of the horticultural sector to seize new market opportunities through the development and adoption of safe and sustainable practices, skills and technologies.
Other programmes managed and implemented by COLEAD (at the time of launching this market service):
As part of the diversification of its funding sources, COLEAD is led to implement other national or multinational programs funded by different donors. Thus, in addition to the FFM+ programmes, COLEAD is also involved in the implementation of several technical assistance programmes/projects in line with the association’s mission:
The list of other programmes/projects is not exhaustive. Indeed, COLEAD is involved in the implementation of several national and regional technical assistance programmes/projects, in partnership with donors working towards inclusive and sustainable agri-food production and trade. Please refer to the COLEAD website to learn more about its interventions.
Problems to be resolved and reasons for the market
As no one-size-fit-all solutions exists for the implementation of sustainable agriculture, site-specific solutions must continuously be tailored to the local needs and demands based on data and metrics. In summary, “sustainable operations” means continuous evaluation and rethinking of operation strategies over time, thus meaning change. Therefore, the aim of COLEAD is to support the transition to more ‘sustainable agri-food systems’ by (a) facilitating and promoting good practices that are recognised elements of agroecological systems tailored to the local context, and by (b) monitoring key performance indicators to assess impact and make necessary adjustments to drive improvement over time. While respecting its principle of non-substitution, COLEAD thus generally aims to stimulate and embed sustainability in supply chain operations, from production to export/processing.
As such, COLEAD’s Research and Innovation Brokerage department (R&IB) will aim to address many issues that are at the centre of supporting the transition toward sustainable food systems. Climate change, environmental degradation, and regulatory reforms are contributing to serious challenges for producers, and there is an urgent need to facilitate access to the most appropriate and affordable technologies available to improve food production, quality, and safety. The Research & Innovation Brokerage Department aims to drive research and innovation by identifying technologies that have the potential to address these priorities and ensuring that such solutions are made available to value chain operators.
One of our main activities focuses on the need for effective and affordable crop production technologies in ACP horticulture. By bringing together knowledge from farmers, research, start-ups, and manufacturers, COLEAD experts seek to identify the most relevant solutions and existing technologies and accelerate their access to the market.
To prioritise activities and orientate research, the Research & Innovation Brokerage Department has reviewed extensive data from partner beneficiaries in ACP countries collected through surveys, sustainability self-assessments and new applications for support (AFS) received under the FFM Plus programme. Sustainable soil, water and waste management, and crop protection rank among top priorities for ACP horticulture. COLEAD research and innovation brokerage activities will therefore focus on the following areas, among others:
The COLEAD approach is in-line with the European ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy that aims to accelerate the transition to sustainable food systems that: (i) have a neutral or positive environmental impact; (ii) help to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts; (iii) reverse biodiversity loss;(iv) ensure food security, nutrition and public health, making sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, sustainable food; and (iv) preserve affordability of food while generating fairer economic returns, fostering competitiveness of the EU supply sector and promoting fair trade.
For success in agricultural trade at local, regional and international levels, ACP countries must supply food products competitively while respecting market and regulatory requirements. Although ACP countries have exported fresh produce for many years, the rapid evolution of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations and commercial standards is becoming an increasing barrier to accessing both regional and international markets.
For those exporting to the EU, significant current challenges include:
To meet these challenges, the ACP horticultural industry needs effective, affordable and available crop production and crop protection solutions that support compliance with the stringent and evolving demands of the regulatory and commercial environment.
In ACP horticulture, however, there is a general underinvestment in the development of innovative solutions and technologies, in the setting of new maximum residue limits (MRLs) for PPPs, registration of new PPPs, development of local GAP recommendations, or testing and upscaling of new technologies and practices. COLEAD therefore seeks to contribute to accelerated investment in research and innovation. This includes upscaling successes and promoting best practices across its regions of intervention.
COLEAD is therefore constantly searching for alternative practices and technologies that are safe, effective, available and for which there is commercial added value for supply chain operators.
Type of contract
This contract concerns the provision of support services for the technical implementation of all ongoing and future COLEAD projects/programmes.
All successful tenderers will be offered a framework contract, which will specify the names of the selected experts and the maximum daily fee per expert. In some cases, and following the evaluation of the proposed CVs, the fees mentioned in the contract may differ from the fees proposed in the financial offer of the tenderer.
The objective of this tender is to create a pool of experts with the sought expertise, as described in “Type of activities”, who can be mobilised by the COLEAD’s technical team when needed. Services will therefore be required on an as-needed basis and through ordering letters specifying the terms of the assignments.
As a result of the aforementioned, it is important to note that within this tender, although signing a framework contract is a pre-requisite to work with COLEAD, it does not guarantee that all service providers will be asked to carry out assignments.
Principles of intervention
In continuity with previous programmes, the intervention logic of COLEAD’s programmes is based on the expression of requests for support from MSMEs or producer groups in partner countries, but also from intermediate support structures – whether public or private – which are actively involved in the process of compliance and the development of value chains concerned (service providers, business membership organisations, training centres, inspection services, etc.). It also adopts the following modalities and principles of actions that have contributed to their success:
COLEAD will preferentially involve service providers with consultants based in partner-countries , with a specific emphasis on ACP countries, from which the beneficiaries of the programmes are requesting support, in order to ensure that the characteristics of the operators concerned and their environment are considered rapidly and effectively. This concern for the increasing involvement of local expertise is an integral part of COLEAD’s intervention logic.
Beneficiaries / target groups
The beneficiaries/target groups are the stakeholders of the agricultural industry, including but not limited to, directors and technical managers of companies and farmers organisations, outreach staff of organisations supporting smallholders, agents of the intermediate structures of the agricultural sector, public and private sector service providers, and public service agents with an emphasis on the competent authority for SPS inspection and certification (the National Plant Protection Organisation – NPPO), Pesticide registration authorities and laboratories, etc.
Type of activities
Global objective of the market
The present service market aims at
Description of services concerned
The services sought include needs identification, planning, supervision and implementation of crop production and crop protection research and innovation, including the implementation of field trials in ACP horticulture. It is important to note that a tenderer is not expected to be able to provide all the services presented below (1 to 6). The evaluation will take into consideration the differences between the required services along with the associated infrastructure and competencies. Each tenderer can submit only one application, but they may include one or more services (without limitation) by specifying which are covered in their tender. Evaluation of an application will be carried out separately for each of the services included in the tender.
These may include:
Examples of innovative solutions include the following, but are not limited to:
These services will help to enhance the environmental sustainability of COLEAD partner beneficiaries in ACP horticulture and agrifood, while improving their overall operational efficiency.
The crops likely to be included in COLEAD activities include: beans and peas in pods, tomato, okra, hot pepper, sweet pepper, aubergine, melon, cucumber and other cucurbits with edible peel, sweet potato, yam, cassava, dasheen and macabo, ginger, lettuce and other salad leaves, sweet corn, baby corn, baby carrot, baby cabbages, baby leek, amaranth, watermelon and butternut squash, head cabbages, potato, onion, garlic, shallot, soft fruits (strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry etc.) asparagus, pineapple, papaya, avocado, passion fruit, mango, coconut, litchi, banana, citrus, guava, grapes, tamarillo, spices and herbs. Other crops may be added if the need arises.
Technical reports will be expected for each assignment, including interim and a detailed final report. The content and timeframe for the delivery of technical reports will be specified in the ordering letter for each assignment.
Resources required
The detailed technical skills required for each assignment will be defined on a case-by-case basis. In general, the applicant will need to provide evidence of the following expertise and resources:
Depending on the proposed services, the following are also desirable:
The maximum value of this Contract Notice is € 500,000.
Date of publication of this Contract Notice: 08/09/2023
Deadline for receipt of applications (expressions of interest): 09/10/2023
Deadline for publication of the shortlist: 24/10/2023
Expected date for sending invitations to tenders: 25/10/2023
Deadline for submission of tenders: 13/12/2023
Date of notification to the successful bidders: 14/03/2024
Expected start date of the contract: (from) from the date of signature by the 2 contracting parties
The final schedule will be included in the tender documents.
Participation is open, under equal conditions, to all natural persons and legal entities (participating individually or in a consortium of bidders) who are nationals of the ACP and EU States and/or listed in Annex 1 to this document. A consortium may be a permanent group with legal status or an informal group created for the purpose of a specific call for tenders. All the members of a consortium (i.e. the lead partner and all other partners) are jointly and severally liable to the contracting authority.
A check will be carried out to ensure that none of the candidate bidders appears on any of the Financial Sanctions Lists (lists designating persons, groups or entities subject to financial sanctions by the United Nations, the EU and France).
The participation of an ineligible natural person or legal entity will result in the automatic exclusion of the application concerned. If this ineligible person is part of a consortium, the application of the entire consortium will be excluded.
Any tenders received from tenderers allied with firms other than those mentioned in the shortlisted application forms will be excluded from the tender procedure. Shortlisted candidates may neither associate nor conclude mutual subcontracting agreements in the context of the contract in question. No more associations will be allowed after the shortlist has been established.
Selection criteria relating to the technical and professional capacity of the bidder will be applied to candidates. In the case of an application submitted by a consortium, these criteria will apply to the whole consortium.
These criteria ensure that the candidate (or the consortium as a whole) has sufficient skills and experience to perform the contract.
The correct observance of the instructions for sending the application file will also be considered in the evaluation.
The bidder should indicate an interest in participating in the call for tenders by applying. If the candidate is pre-selected, the name of the structure indicated on the application file will be used in the shortlist. No further changes (name, consortium or other) will be allowed.
The form is available in English and French and should be completed in one of these languages.
It includes the following data:
The application must be received by COLEAD no later than Monday, October 09th, 2023.
If you have any questions regarding this Contract Notice or your application, please email expert@colead.link
Be sure to include Contract Notice reference COLEAD/AO/231289 in the title of your email when communicating with COLEAD.
Disponible pronto.
Disponível em breve.
Available soon.
Bientôt disponible.
