Terms of reference (ToRs) for the

procurement of services

Terms of reference (ToRs) for Scoping Study and Stakeholder Project number:
Mapping for localisation for Sustainable Development Goals at
2021.2178.8-002.00
the State level in India

0. List of abbreviations .................................................................................................. 2

1. Context........................................................................................................................ 3

2. Tasks to be performed by the contractor ................................................................. 3

3. Concept....................................................................................................................... 6
Technical-methodological concept ............................................................................... 7
Other specific requirements.......................................................................................... 7
Project management of the contractor .......................................................................... 7

4. Criteria for Eligibility of firms .................................................................................... 7

4A. Personnel concept ........................................................................................................ 7

Team leader - Project Head ......................................................................................... 7
Expert 1 – Development Researcher ............................................................................ 8
Short-term expert pool: Project Associate (One number).............................................. 9

5. Costing requirements ................................................................................................ 9

Assignment of personnel .............................................................................................. 9
Travel ..........................................................................................................................10

6. Inputs of GIZ or other actors ....................................................................................10

7. Requirements on the format of the bid ....................................................................10

Form 41-14-1-en 1
0. List of abbreviations

AVB General Terms and Conditions of Contract (AVB) for supplying services and
work 2018

BMZ German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

EU European Union
GSDP Green and Sustainable Development Partnership
HP Himachal Pradesh
MP Madhya Pradesh
SDG Sustainable Development Goals
ToRs Terms of reference

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1. Context
In May 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz established
the Indo-German Partnership for Green and Sustainable Development (GSDP) to expedite the
achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fulfil the commitments of
the Paris Climate Agreement. The new collaboration framework emphasises on cooperation
through various platforms such as bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral initiatives. The focus is
on jointly developing sustainable and inclusive capacity-building projects, addressing climate
change, promoting sustainable development, and achieving the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). Germany will support the partnership with at least EUR 10 billion of new and
additional commitments until 2030.
In 2022, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
commissioned GIZ with the implementation of the project “Support to the Green and
Sustainable Development Partnership” (GSDP Support Project). The project follows the
objective to strengthen transformative approaches for climate policy and SDG achievement in
Indo-German cooperation across three main work streams: Support services to the political
partners of the GSDP; Climate adaptation; and localising the implementation of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
For the third workstream, GIZ India and the National Institution for the Transformation of India
(NITI Aayog) are collaborating to strengthen strategies for localising the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting coherence and convergence between
monitoring, planning, and budgeting in select states. For this workstream on SDG localisation,
GIZ wishes to hire the services of a contractor for providing support towards the pre-project
activities to build a solid foundation for the operationalization of the project.
2. Tasks to be performed by the contractor
The contractor is responsible for providing the following services:
• Preliminary stakeholder mapping and analysis in terms of their relevance to SDG
localisation and possible strategies to build and manage the project’s collaborations in the
field of SDG localisation in the states of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Assam, and Madhya
Pradesh (MP).
• Identification of priority areas for SDG localisation in the states of Himachal Pradesh,
Assam and Madhya Pradesh, based on review and analysis of SDG related documents
for the state (such as Vision 2030, SDG India Index, State Action Plans, Departmental
Action Plans, State Indicator Frameworks) and interviews/consultations.
The final deliverables under the work packages should help the project identify (a) areas where
it should focus, (b) its role in the landscape and (c) strategic partners for implementing
initiatives in each state.
Kick Off Meeting
• The consultant team shall develop and present the strategy for planning and executing
the assignment in respect to all the deliverables under the assignment.
Work Package 1: Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis – HP, MP, Assam
• The consultant team shall -
o Design, plan, and gain agreement for a stakeholder analysis methodology with
the GIZ project team.
o Identify relevant primary and secondary stakeholders
(State/National/International) for SDG localisation classified as govt, academic,

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 think-tank, civil society, multilateral, private sector and any other relevant
stakeholders)
o Develop a profile for the actors based on their mandate, goals, area of activity
and scope of influence (geographic and domain).
o Assess the actors in terms of legitimacy, resources, and networks.
o Assess current levels of engagement and interface between state/local
government institutions, and other non-government actors.
o Highlight opportunities for collaborations and any potential conflicts/issues with
key stakeholders.
• Deliverables: The consultant team shall provide:
o A report in word document format (not more than 30 pages for each of the three
states) on Stakeholder mapping and Analysis for SDG localisation supported
by actors’ profile and assessment with clear recommendations on their value-
add, collaboration opportunities and conflicts.
o A presentation in pptx format (10 slides each for the three states) based on the
above report, summarizing the key findings and recommendations.
Work Package 2: Identification of priority areas for SDG localisation - HP, MP, Assam
• The consultant team shall:
o Conduct detailed analysis of state performance on achievement of SDGs based
on the review of relevant centre/state documents and data sets.
o Identify in consultation with the project team and conduct key informant
interviews (with a pre-approved questionnaire) with 10-15 Government and
Non-Government experts (in each state and centre totalling to around 30-45
key informant interviews) in SDG localisation and implementation at sub-
national level for inputs and to identify gaps.
o Provide the project a better understanding of existing interventions, and
challenges and gaps at the state level.
o Recommend priority SDG areas where the project activities should focus.
• Deliverables: The consultant team shall provide:
o A report in word document format (not more than 30 pages for each of the three
states) on the state performance on various SDG related indicators, identifying
the gaps in planning, implementation, and budgeting along with clear and
specific recommendations on priority areas for support in SDG implementation.
The recommended SDG areas that make be taken up as priority along with the
interlinkages and mapping to key stakeholders should be provided.
o A presentation in pptx (10 slides each for the three states) format based on the
above report, summarizing the key findings and recommendations.
o Minutes of interviews conducted with experts with full contact details of experts
being interacted (name, organisation, designation, e-mail id, mobile phone
number, etc).
Methods:
(i) Desk research analysis based on the following indicative list:

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 • State Vision 2030 documents
• SDG India Index
• National Indicator Framework, Voluntary National Reviews for India
• State Action Plans, Indicator Frameworks
• Departmental Action Plans
• Latest State SDG Progress Reports (if available)
• Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index reports
• Third party studies/ reports by non-government agencies, UN agencies etc.
• Scheme/policy documents and administrative data related to SDGs –
Multidimensional Poverty Index, National Statistical Survey, National Family
Health Survey etc.
• Reports commissioned by Central and State Government/s
• NGO Darpan and
• Press and newspaper articles
(ii) Consultations with experts from GIZ, different Government and non-Government
organizations at the State and Centre as required. The consultant may be
accompanied by representative(s) of the project team in these consultations.
In particular, the Consultant is expected to:
• Regularly share information on progress and findings in informal meetings/
calls scheduled at least once fortnight.
• Interview the stakeholders involved, including government and non-
government experts in the field.
• Prepare the reports format in consultation with the project team.
• Prepare the questionnaires for interviewing the stakeholders and finalise it
after receiving inputs from the project team.
• Cite all relevant sources of information in the reports.
• Ensure the perspective is inclusive of gender, disadvantaged groups, etc.
• Ensure that the reports are of quality and comprise of not more than 30 pages
for each of the 3 states. The Consultant shall submit all draft deliverables for
the review of the GIZ project team for two rounds of feedback and incorporate
all the feedback received.
• Guarantee that there are no copyright violations in the study or data privacy
violations. It should be ensured that data privacy consent forms are signed
with each of the interviewee which will also specify the usage of the interview
excerpts etc.
• Ensure proactive attitude and open mind-set.

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Certain milestones, as laid out in the table below, are to be achieved by certain dates during
the contract term, and at particular locations:

Milestone Deadline/place/person responsible

A. Kick off meeting – The consultant team shall Within 1 week of assignment being awarded
present the Strategy for providing the
deliverables in an in-person meeting.

B. 1st draft of deliverables for Work Package 1: Within 4 weeks of assignment being awarded
Stakeholder Mapping and Analysis – HP, MP,
Assam

C. 1st round of revised deliverables for Work Within 2 weeks of receiving feedback from the
Package 1 GIZ team

D. Final deliverables for Work Package 1 Within 2 weeks of receiving feedback from the
GIZ team

E. Questionnaire for Key Informant Interviews by Within 2 weeks of assignment being awarded
category of stakeholder (Govt, Academic, Civil
Society)

F. 1st draft of deliverables for Work Package 2: Within 10 weeks of assignment being
Identification of priority areas for SDG awarded
localisation - HP, MP, Assam

G. 1st round of revised deliverables for Work Within 2 weeks of receiving feedback from the
Package 2 GIZ team

H. Final deliverables for Work Package 2 Within 2 weeks of receiving feedback from the
GIZ team

Period of assignment: From 15th February 2024 until 15th June 2024.
Location of Assignment: The consultant team will have to travel to Delhi, Shimla, Guwahati
and Bhopal for the Key Informant Interviews.
The full process from concept to finalization is expected to take 40 working days over 3
months. The Contractor will be expected to create and align with project members a detailed
work plan – potentially to be updated during the project execution.
The contractor shall observe the local data protection, GDPR regulations and local intellectual
property rights laws in the fulfilment of its performance obligations, shall protect and
disseminate the contact data received accordingly and shall not use them for any other
purposes.
3. Concept
In the bid, the bidder is required to show how the objectives defined in Chapter 2 are to be
achieved, if applicable under consideration of further specific method-related requirements
(technical-methodological concept). In addition, the bidder must describe the project
management system for service provision.

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Technical-methodological concept
Strategy: The bidder is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the
objectives of the services put out to tender (see Chapter 1). Following this, the bidder presents
and justifies the strategy with which it intends to provide the services for which it is responsible
(see Chapter 2).
The bidder is required to describe the key processes for the services for which it is responsible
and create a schedule that describes how the services according to Chapter 2 are to be
provided. In particular, the bidder is required to describe the necessary work steps,
methodology that will be followed and, if applicable, take account of the milestones and
contributions of other actors in accordance with Chapter 2.
Other specific requirements
– Not applicable –
Project management of the contractor
– Not applicable –

4. Criteria for Eligibility of firms

To be eligible to participate in this tender, the contracting firm must meet the following basic
requirements:
• The agency must be registered as an organization/institution/entity in India.
• The agency must submit a declaration on company’s letter head for GWB clauses.
• Average annual turnover for the last three financial years must be at least 29,000
Euros.
• The average number of employees as on the previous year should be at least 20.
• The agency should provide at least 2 reference projects in India in the last 3 years
related to research in the development/public policy sector.
• The minimum commission value of reference projects should be at least 5,000 Euros.
• The agency should have experience with Other Development Assignments.
4A. Personnel concept
The bidder is required to provide personnel who are suited to filling the positions described, on
the basis of their CVs (see Chapter 7), the range of tasks involved and the required
qualifications.
The below specified qualifications represent the requirements to reach the maximum number
of points.
Proposals and contractor teams that show a clear commitment to gender representation will
be scored higher in the evaluation criteria.
Team leader - Project Head
Tasks of the team leader
- Overall responsibility for deliverables under the advisory/work packages of the
contractor (quality and deadlines).

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 - Coordinating and ensuring communication with GIZ, partners and others involved in
the project.
- Personnel management, identifying the needs of the team for execution of the tasks
within the available budget.
- Regular reporting in accordance with deadlines.
Qualifications of the team leader
- Education/training (2.1.1): University qualification (first degree/master’s) in
development studies, social sciences or any other relevant field. Post-graduates
preferred.
- Language (2.1.2): Good business language skills in Hindi and English
- General professional experience (2.1.3): 15 years of professional experience in the
development, public policy sectors, with experience in conducting similar research at
the international, regional and/or national level.
- Specific professional experience (2.1.4): 10 years in in providing advisory and research
services regarding implementation of development initiatives in regional, local contexts.
- Leadership/management experience (2.1.5): 6 years of management/leadership
experience as project team leader or manager in a company
- Regional experience (2.1.6): 5 years of experience in projects in South Asia, of which
2 years in projects in India
- Development Cooperation (DC) experience (2.1.7): Experience with DC projects would
be preferred.
- Other (2.1.8): Good understanding of the institutional landscape in the field of SDGs,
at the national and sub-national government level. Previous experience working with
the state government in India, preferably Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and
Assam would be an added advantage.
Expert 1 – Development Researcher
Tasks of expert 1
- To support the team leader in execution of all tasks and deliverables under the
advisory/work packages of the contractor (quality and deadlines)
Qualifications of expert 1
- Education/training (2.2.1): University qualification (first degree/master’s) in
development studies, social sciences or any other relevant field. PhDs will be preferred.
- Language (2.2.2): Good business language skills in Hindi and English
- General professional experience (2.2.3): 15 years of professional experience in the
development sector, with experience in conducting similar research at the international,
regional and/or national level.
- Specific professional experience (2.2.4): 3-5 years in providing advisory and research
services regarding implementation of SDG related initiatives in regional, local contexts.
- Regional experience (2.2.6): 2 years of experience in projects in India
- Other (2.2.8): Should have a good understanding of the institutional landscape in the
field of SDGs, at the national and sub-national government level. Should be aware of

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 the administrative data sources available in India and possess proven data analysis
and reporting skills.
Soft skills of team members
In addition to their specialist qualifications, the following qualifications are required of team
members:
- Team skills
- Initiative
- Communication skills
- Sociocultural competence
- Efficient, partner- and client-focused working methods
- Interdisciplinary thinking
Short-term expert pool: Project Associate (One person only)
Tasks of the Project Associate
- Responsible for supporting the team leader and other experts in assuring overall
support in the project activities.
- Coordinating with the team leader in ensuring effective communication with GIZ and
others involved in the project.
- Conduct detailed analysis of the evidence, recognise and identify related issues and
provide support for report writing.
Qualifications of the Project Associate
- Education/training (2.6.1): University qualification (first degree/master’s) in
development studies, social sciences or any other relevant field.
- Language (2.6.2): Good business language skills in English and Hindi.
- General professional experience (2.6.3): At least 2 years of professional experience in
secondary research, report writing in the field of development, social sciences.
- Specific professional experience (2.6.4): At least 1 year of experience in development
sector
- Regional experience (2.6.5): One expert with at least 1 year of consulting/development
experience in India
- Other (2.6.7): Should possess proven research, data analysis and reporting skills
The bidder must provide a clear overview of the proposed short-term expert and their individual
qualifications.
5. Costing requirements
Assignment of personnel
Team leader – Project Head: Assignment in India for 40 expert days
Expert 1 – Development Researcher: Assignment in India for 40 expert days
Project Associate: Assignment in India for 20 expert days

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Travel
The bidder is required to calculate the travel by the specified experts and the experts it has
proposed based on the places of performance stipulated in Chapter 2 and list the expenses
separately by daily allowance, accommodation expenses, flight costs and other travel
expenses.
The bidder should also budget costs for up to 8 round trips [two trips to each location in
Delhi, HP (Shimla), MP (Bhopal) and Assam (Guwahati)] for up to 3 days each, for 2
experts for each trip. Flights, per diem, accommodation, and local travel to be budgeted
accordingly. The travel budget should be part of total deliverable cost and shall be settled in
lumpsum.
As the contract to be concluded is a contract for works, please offer a fixed lump sum price
that covers all applicable costs (fees, travel expenses etc.). The price bid will be evaluated
based on the specified lump sum price. For our internal costing and any further commissions,
please also provide the daily rate which the prices are based on. A breakdown of costs is
required.
This assignment falls under the GIZ Negotiated Competitive bidding, therefore GIZ may
invite the winning agency for financial negotiations (if necessary).
6. Inputs of GIZ or other actors
GIZ will, wherever possible, provide contact points for potential interview partners in selected
States and at Centre.
7. Requirements on the format of the bid
The structure of the bid must correspond to the structure of the ToRs. In particular, the detailed
structure of the concept (Chapter 3) is to be organised in accordance with the positively
weighted criteria in the assessment grid (not with zero). It must be legible (font size 11 or
larger) and clearly formulated. The bid is drawn up in English.
The complete bid shall not exceed 30 pages (excluding CVs & other supporting company
documents)
The CVs of the personnel proposed in accordance with Chapter 0 of the ToRs. The CVs shall
not exceed 3 pages. The CVs must clearly show the position and job the proposed person
held in the reference project and for how long. The CVs should be submitted in English
(language) only.
If one of the maximum page lengths is exceeded, the content appearing after the cut-off point
will not be included in the assessment.

A bidder with maximum technical score shall be contacted for financial negotiations, if required.

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