Consultant for Recognition and Management of High Conservation Value (HCV) Areas within Oil Palm Landscapes

About the Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance (RA) is an international nonprofit organization working at the intersection of business agriculture and forests to make responsible business the new normal. We are building an alliance to protect forests improve the livelihoods of farmers and forest communities promote their human rights and help them mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. We envision a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.

The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities.

For more information please visit expansion and intensification of oil palm plantations have made a significant contribution to regional economic development increased community income and job creation. However this growth has also posed serious environmental challenges particularly related to deforestation land degradation biodiversity loss and potential social and tenure this context landscape- and jurisdiction-based management approaches have become increasingly important to ensure a balance between economic growth and environmental protection.

The concept of High Conservation Value (HCV) has evolved as an important instrument to identify and protect areas with significant conservation values including biodiversity ecosystem services and social and cultural values. The HCV approach has been widely adopted in various sustainability standards and by global market actors and buyers implementing no-deforestation no- exploitation and human rights protection policies.

With growing international demand for sustainable and traceable palm oil products the recognition of HCV areas is no longer voluntary but has become an integral part of supply chain commitments. Processors traders and global buyers increasingly require evidence that raw materials are not sourced from unprotected High Conservation Value areas. Therefore recognition of HCV areas by supply chain actorsincluding smallholders companies local governments and buyershas become a key factor in maintaining market access and strengthening a regions reputation as a responsible producer.

At the plantation level HCV identification and management have often been carried out by large companies through technical assessments conducted by independent assessors. However at the smallholder and jurisdictional levels the process still faces several challenges including limited integration of spatial data insufficient cross-sector coordination the absence of jointly agreed management arrangements and weak policy legitimacy binding all stakeholders.

The jurisdictional approach offers a solution by strengthening governance at the district or municipal administrative level where local governments play a central coordinating role in aligning development priorities with conservation objectives. Through this mechanism HCV identification is not conducted in isolation at the company level but is integrated into regional development planning spatial planning frameworks and environmental protection policies. As such HCV management becomes part of a broader and more sustainable regional governance system.

Beyond ecological considerations the identification and management of HCV areas must also ensure respect for the rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples through the application of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). A participatory approach to mapping action plan development and joint monitoring is essential to prevent social conflict and ensure long-term sustainability.

To provide legal certainty and strengthen cross-sector commitment HCV management plans need to be formally endorsed through local government policies such as a Regents Decree. Such formal recognition is essential to ensure that identified HCV areas are not only technically acknowledged but also legally supported for protection management and multi-stakeholder partnership implementation.

Based on the above considerations a structured framework is required encompassing stakeholder identification HCV assessment and participatory mapping joint development of management plans at both plantation and jurisdictional levels formal endorsement through a local government decree and partnership implementation. Through this approach HCV areas are expected to be widely recognized by supply chain actors and managed collaboratively to support sustainable oil palm development.

Consultancy Scope of Work

Main Objectives

HCV areas are recognised by supply chains actors and management plan is agreed

Activities

Recognition and Management of High Conservation Value (HCV) Areas within Oil Palm Landscapes to Strengthen Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chains Ketapang with specific activities:

1. Stakeholder Identification & Institutional Setup

Identify key stakeholders (government companies communities NGOs) and establish or strengthen institutional arrangements to support implementation.

1. Socialization & FPIC (Free Prior and Informed Consent)

Conduct awareness-raising and ensure that communities provide free prior and informed consent before any activities are carried out.

1. HCV Assessment & Participatory Mapping

Carry out High Conservation Value (HCV) assessments and participatory mapping to identify ecologically and socially important areas.

1. Development of HCV Management Plan

Develop an HCV management plan outlining strategies for protection sustainable use and monitoring of HCV areas.

1. Legal Endorsement (Regent Decree)

Secure formal legal recognition of the plan through official instruments such as a Regent Decree to ensure legal standing.

1. Partnership Implementation

Implement collaborative partnerships among stakeholders (government companies communities) for HCV management.

1. Participatory Monitoring

Conduct participatory monitoring involving communities and stakeholders to ensure compliance and long-term sustainability.

Duration & Stages

The study is planned to be conducted over a period of six (6) months and will consist of the following stages:

1. Stakeholder engagement FPIC and HCV assessment

1. HCV management plan and legal endorsement
2. Implementation Partnership execution and participatory monitoring

Methodology

The study methodology uses a mixed method approach (qualitative and quantitative) with the following steps:

The approach adopts a participatory multi-stakeholder and phased methodology to ensure inclusive decision-making legal compliance and sustainable management of HCV areas.

1. Preparation and Engagement focuses on stakeholder mapping institutional strengthening and securing community consent through FPIC. This stage applies participatory approaches including consultations focus group discussions and collaborative mapping to ensure local knowledge and interests are fully integrated into the HCV assessment process.
2. Planning and Legalization emphasizes evidence-based planning and formal recognition. Data from HCV assessments and participatory mapping are used to develop a comprehensive HCV management plan followed by a structured legal process to obtain formal endorsement (e.g. Regent Decree) ensuring legitimacy and enforceability.
3. Implementation and Monitoring applies a collaborative implementation model where roles and responsibilities are shared among stakeholders. Continuous participatory monitoring is conducted using agreed indicators to track progress ensure compliance and support adaptive management and long-term sustainability.

Main Output(s)

Recognition and Management of High Conservation Value (HCV) Areas within Oil Palm Landscapes to Strengthen Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chains Ketapang containing:

1. Stakeholder Identification & Institutional Setup
2. Socialization & FPIC
3. HCV Assessment & Participatory Mapping
4. Development of HCV Management Plan
5. Legal Endorsement (Regent Decree)
6. Partnership Implementation
7. Participatory Monitoring

Deliverables

General Terms and Conditions for Request for Proposal

• Applicants must provide all requisite information under this RFP and clearly and concisely respond to all points set out in this RFP. Any proposal which does not fully and comprehensively address this RFP may be rejected.
• Proposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by RA.
• Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.
• RA reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.
• RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.
• All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.
• It is the responsibility of every bidder to identify any information of a confidential or proprietary nature contained in its proposal so that it may be handled accordingly. However RA cannot guarantee confidentiality.

Selection Criteria and qualifications

The consultant or consultant firm should comply with the following qualifications:

1. The consultant or consulting firm that can legally work in Indonesia.
2. The consultant consisted of one team leader and several team members with relevant experience and expertise such as supply chain traceability smallholder inclusion multi-stakeholder processes spatial analysis and regulatory & standards framework for palm oil sector.
3. Proven track record of good writing skills and ability to produce reports and maps.
4. Working experience and a strong familiarity with Ketapang Regency in West Kalimantan Province Indonesia.
5. Strong understanding of HCV palm oil companies local communitiesand governance.

Selection of the consultant or consultant firm is based on the following criteria:

Proposal Process and Format

Interested consultants or consultant firms should submit their proposal including the following:

1. Statutory Requirements

Upon request the consultant should supply all required legal documents as may be required by RA and/or local law e.g. work permit bank details registration details tax documents etc. When opportunity is restricted to a specific location only candidates authorized to work in the location will be considered.

1. Technical proposal requirements
2. Name(s) of consultant or project team (if a consulting firm).
3. Current CVs.
4. A proposal that includes a technical proposal at least with a workplan timeline approach and methodology for deliverables as well as financial proposal.
5. List of previous engagements that address the above experience desired.
6. Contact details of recent references (email and phone number).

1. Financial proposal requirements
2. A detailed budget complying with the following requirements:
3. The budget specifies daily rates and total time specified for each expert.
4. All required amounts must be stated in IDR rupiah including all taxes applicable.

All proposals must be submitted through this platform as an integrated PDF document (only one file). If you experience problems loading information on the platform try opening it with different browsers. Proposals received after the deadline stated above will not be evaluated.

Thank you for your interest in working with the Rainforest Alliance

Required Experience:

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