Call for Expression of Interest Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the 3rd Open Call for Concepts SADC TFCA Financing Facility Full Time NEW

Call for Expression of Interest

Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the 3rd Open Call for Concepts SADC TFCA Financing Facility

PART 1 – BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The SADC TFCA Financing Facility (TFCA FF) is a regional funding mechanism established to provide sustainable funding for conservation and management actions in Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Financing Facility was established to become a flexible, responsive, demand and performance driven financing mechanism, with the unique purpose of supporting the establishment and sustainable development of TFCAs. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of the German Government, through KfW Development Bank, provided initial funding for the establishment of the TFCA Financing Facility. The long-term vision is for the TFCA Financing Facility to be funded by several international cooperating partners and other innovative financing models to reach an initial resource mobilisation target of EUR 100 million by 2026. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the Project Executing Agency (PEA) for the TFCA Financing Facility through its Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office.

The SADC TFCA FF is aligned with the objectives of the SADC TFCAs Programme (2023 – 2033) and informed by a number for SADC Protocols and Regional Development Strategies. The programme has a focus on improving three main areas:

Improved habitat connectivity, especially for elephants and large carnivores as flagship species (“species” dimension);
Improved management effectiveness of TFCAs and PAs (“habitat” dimension); and
Improved livelihoods for communities affected by human-wildlife co-habitation (“people” dimension)
The SADC TFCA FF provides funding to Government conservation agencies, NGOs and Community-based Organisations. The main activities for the project portfolio highlighted above, include but are not limited to support for improved protected areas management, establishment of wildlife corridors, law enforcement, human wildlife conflict interventions, tourism development, and community livelihoods.

For the first time, the SADC TFCA Financing Facility launches a joint funded approach, under the Third Open Call – a unique approach that has two funding envelopes co-funded by EU NaturAfrica Programme and funding from the German Government. The Third Open Call aims to boost sustainable green economic activities within African landscapes. The primary objective is to achieve sustainable economic benefits that contribute to landscape sustainability while enabling the achievement of conservation goals.

Selected applications will be those showing the best potential to deliver impact, with an emphasis on market linkages and economic value chains. These activities can be implemented through NGOs and CBOs or incentives to private operators.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to be considered for up to 100% of match-funding contribution of German Government to scale up the impact. The complementary package of German Government should consist of actions that are ready for immediate investment that quickly brings scale and adds value to work package one (EU NaturAfrica). The theory of change must be linked to conservation and development in TFCAs. Approval of the German Government package is reliant on the successful EU package.

The SADC TFCA FF launched an open call for concept notes in December 2025, with a focus on the Green Economy, which will focus on the following six TFCAs:

TFCA-SADC MEMBER STATES

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – Botswana, South Africa

KAZA TFCA – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Great Limpopo TFCA – Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Malawi-Zambia TFCA – Malawi, Zambia

Chimanimani TFCA – Mozambique, Zimbabwe

ZIMOZA TFCA – Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The SADC TFCA FF seeks to establish a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to support the PMU with the review of project proposals and to provide additional technical expertise on specialised fields as and when required. The TAG will bring in additional technical expertise to help with the review of concept notes and final proposals, and to strengthen the design and quality of the projects funded by the SADC TFCA FF thus also contributing to grantee capacity-building.

The TAG will consist of a small group of highly experienced technical experts drawn from the conservation and development sector including but not limited to IUCN Commissions and the SADC TFCA Network with specific expertise in the SADC region and familiarity with Protected and Conserved Areas Management, grant-making, and project management in SADC TFCAs.

PART 2 – REQUIREMENTS

1. REQUIREMENTS

1.1. A detailed description of the services to be provided can be found in Attachment 1.

A key component of the SADC TFCA FF grant-making mechanism will involve the review of submitted concepts and proposals during the two-stage application process. Therefore, IUCN seeks to establish a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to support the Project Management Unit (PMU) with the review of concept notes and proposals; and to provide additional technical expertise on specialised fields as and when required. The TAG will bring in additional technical expertise to help fast-track the proposal review process and to strengthen the design and quality of the projects funded by the SADC TFCA FF thus also contributing to grantee capacity-building. Qualifying experts will be shortlisted, added to the Roster of Experts and will be requested to participate in the TAG as and when required.

The TAG consists of a small group of highly experienced technical experts drawn from IUCN Commissions and the SADC TFCA Network with specific expertise in the SADC region and familiarity with Protected and Conserved Areas Management, grant-making, and project management in SADC TFCAs. The TAG is expected to have expertise and experience in the Green Economy thematic area:

Sustainable agriculture and land management (Conservation agriculture and sustainable farming practices (e.g. crop production, livestock production, veterinary science, Herding for Health (H4H), commodity-based trade, irrigation and water provision).
Sustainable commercial use natural resources (non-timber-forest products, fisheries, carbon financing, apiculture, processing facilities for biodiversity products value addition etc.).
Green Economy Value Chains
Employment and livelihood opportunities
Eco-tourism development and enterprises
ecological restoration and value-addition designed to support SMMEs/create jobs
Payments for Ecosystem Services
Governance – Institutional capacity of community institutions
Human-wildlife conflict management and mitigation
Community-led conservation and Community Based Natural Resource Management
Specific tasks of the Technical Advisory Group will be as follows:

The TAG will provide a peer-review of concept notes and proposals to assist PMU with the following:

Review shortlisted concept notes and project proposals using the selection and scoring criteria to be provided by PMU,
Provide comments, and recommendations on the technical strengths and weaknesses of each proposal,
Where applicable, draw attention to best practice standards, guidance and lessons from the region to help enhance the quality of the shortlisted applications,
Provide guidance and support on specific technical and operational questions which may arise during project implementation,
Attend meetings of the TAG convened by PMU to discuss findings with other reviewers.
Scope of Work for the Technical Advisory Group

The TAG members will receive the concept notes and/ proposals after preliminary screening by the PMU. The concept notes and/or proposals will be distributed amongst the TAG members and each concept note/proposal must be reviewed by at least two experts. Ideally, a group of four (4 – 6) members of the TAG is envisaged. The PMU will provide the TAG members with the selection and scoring criteria and application guidelines for each call well in advance of the assignment to help members to plan their engagement. The TAG members will be required to be impartial in their review of each concept/proposal and will be required to declare any potential conflict of interest.

On average, it is estimated that there will be approximately one call for concept notes every two (2) years. The number of concept notes/proposals to be reviewed by the TAG members will vary from call to call but is estimated to be up to 25 concept notes and up to 20 full proposals per call. Depending on the nature of the concept/proposal, not all TAG members may be required to review every concept or proposal. On average, we expect TAG members to take 2-4 hours to review a Concept Note and up to a maximum 4-8 hours to review a proposal and provide detailed comments and recommendations. Following the review of all concept notes/proposals, the TAG will be required to meet virtually to discuss the outcome of the technical review process.

Required Qualifications

Relevant qualifications related to the Green Economy thematic areas, i.e. Natural sciences, Sustainable Tourism development, Sustainable agriculture production (crop and livestock production), Fisheries, wildlife economy value chains, non-timber forest products, Ecosystem restoration, Renewable energy, Water resource management for local communities, Circular economy,
Knowledge of the SADC TFCA Programme
At least 10 years of work experience in implementing green economy initiatives/projects, with experience in the SADC region an advantage
Experience in designing and developing multi partner projects
Experience in analysing project proposals and formulation of sound recommendations for their improvement
Membership in relevant scientific and technical networks
Proven ability to work well as part of a diverse, multi-cultural and geographically dispersed team
Proficiency in English
Work plan

The indicative work plan and deliverables for evaluation are as follows

MILESTONE-INDICATIVE TIMELINES

Concepts to be distributed to TAG members-A week after the TAG is appointed

Submission of completed appraisals-Two – three weeks

Virtual call to discuss the outcome of the technical review process-1 week after completion and submission of all appraisals

Proposals distributed to TAG members -A week after the TAG is appointed

Submission of completed appraisals-three – six weeks

Virtual call to discuss the outcome of the technical review process.-1 week after completion and submission of all appraisals

Remuneration

Successful TAG experts will be contracted by IUCN. Members of the Technical Advisory Group will be paid an honorarium of EUR 1,500 per open call which comprises of two stages (review of concept notes and proposals).

Independence and conflict of interest

The TAG members will be required to be impartial in their review of each concept/proposal and will be required to declare any potential conflict of interest. The selected experts will be required to sign a declaration of no conflict of interest for each call for proposals before taking part in the TAG.

2. CONTACT DETAILS
2.1. During the course of this procurement, i.e. from the publication of this RfP to the award of a contract, you may not discuss this procurement with any IUCN employee or representative other than the following contact. You must address all correspondence and questions to the contact, including your Proposal.

IUCN Contact: [email protected]

3. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
The following key dates apply to this Call for Expression of Interest:
DATE-ACTIVITY

11 March 2026-Publication of the Expression of Interest

31 March 2026 at 17:00 SAST-Closing Date and Time

20 April 2026-Estimated Start Date for the Initial Assignment

4.Conditions for participation in this procurement
IUCN is not bound in any way to enter any contractual or other arrangement with any Proposer because of issuing this Call for Expression of Interest. IUCN is under no obligation to accept the lowest priced Proposal or any Proposal. IUCN reserves the right to terminate the procurement process at any time prior to contract award. By participating in this Call, Proposers accept the conditions set out in this Call. Proposers must sign the “Proposer’s Declaration” and include it in their Proposal.

5. Queries and questions during the period for the Call for Expression of Interest

Proposers are to direct any queries and questions regarding the Call to [email protected]. No other IUCN personnel are to be contacted in relation to this Call. Proposers may submit their queries no later than 31 March 2026 at 17:00 SAST.

As far as possible, IUCN will issue the responses to any questions, suitably anonymised, to all Proposers. If you consider the content of your question confidential, you must state this at the time the question is posed.

6. Amendments to Call documents

IUCN may amend documents for the Call for Expression of Interest by issuing notices to that effect to all Proposers and may extend the Call closing date and time if deemed appropriate.

7. Proposal lodgement methods and requirements

Proposers must submit their profiles to IUCN no later than 31 March 2026 at 17:00 SAST by email to: [email protected]. The subject heading of the email shall be [Call for Expression of Interest – Technical Advisory Group – SADC TFCA Financing Facility- [Proposer Name]. Electronic copies are to be submitted in PDF. Proposers may submit multiple emails (suitably annotated – e.g. Email 1 of 3) if attached files are deemed too large to suit a single email transmission exceeding 20 MB.

Proposals must be prepared in English and in the format stated in Part 4 of this Call.

8. Late and Incomplete Proposals

Any applicant profile received by IUCN later than the stipulated RfP closing date and time, and any incomplete submission, will not be considered. There will be no allowance made by IUCN for any delays in transmission of the submission from Proposer to IUCN.

9. Evaluation of Proposals

The evaluation of applicant profiles shall be carried out exclusively with regards to the evaluation criteria and their relative weights specified in part 3.

10. Confidentiality and data protection
IUCN follows the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information you submit to IUCN as part of this procurement will be treated as confidential and shared only as required to evaluate your Proposal in line with the procedure explained in this RfP, and for the maintenance of a clear audit trail. For audit purposes, IUCN is required to retain your Proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when requested.

In the Declaration of Undertaking (Attachment 2) you need to give IUCN express permission to use the information you submit in this way, including personal data that forms part of your Proposal. Where you include personal data of your employees (e.g. CVs) in your Proposal, you need to have written permission from those individuals to share this information with IUCN, and for IUCN to use this information as indicated in 8.1. Without these permissions, IUCN will not be able to consider your Proposal.

11. Complaints procedure
If you have a complaint or concern regarding the propriety of how a competitive process is or has been executed, then please contact [email protected]. Such complaints or concerns will be treated as confidential and are not considered in breach of the above restrictions on communication (Section 2.1).

12. Contract
The contract will be based on IUCN’s template in Attachment 3, the terms of which are not negotiable. They may, however, be amended by IUCN to reflect particular requirements from the donor funding this particular procurement.

13. About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Headquartered in Switzerland, IUCN Secretariat comprises around 1,000 staff with offices in more than 50 countries.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

www.iucn.org

https://twitter.com/IUCN/

PART 3 – THE EVALUATION MODEL

All interested and qualified persons are encouraged to submit their credentials and a supporting Letter of Motivation in English addressing and providing evidence for the specific technical requirements

The evaluation of proposals shall be carried out exclusively with regards to the evaluation criteria and their relative weights specified in the table below:

Technical evaluation

The eligible candidates must be:

available to allocate sufficient time for this assignment (an estimate of 7-10 workdays);
independent from, and free from any conflict of interest (whether actual, potential or reasonably perceived). The selected experts will be required to sign a declaration of no conflict of interest for each call for proposals before taking part to the TAG;
able and willing to serve in an individual expert capacity and provide the best scientific and technical advice, irrespective of views that may be held by any organization the expert may be affiliated with.
Evaluation Criteri-Weighting

1. Qualifications and experience of the expert in the Green Economy thematic area – demonstrating an understanding of challenges faced in TFCAs, Protected and conserved areas, local communities and their livelihoods ***(provide reference of specific, relevant projects)-***40 marks

2. Experience in grant-making and/or reviewing project proposals (including references and number of project proposals reviewed)-25 marks

3. Work experience in the SADC region and good understanding funding priorities in TFCAs- 25marks

4. Membership in relevant scientific and technical networks-10marks

Total Score-100

PART 4 – INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED BY PROPOSERS

By participating in this Call for Expression of Interest, applicants are indicating their acceptance to be bound by the conditions set out in this Call. This Part details all the information applicants are required to provide to IUCN. Submitted information will be used in the evaluation of applicant profiles. Applicants are discouraged from sending additional information that is not specifically requested.

Each of the following must be submitted as a separate document and will be evaluated separately.

Technical information
Applicants are required to submit the following details in their technical proposal:

Cover letter
CV
List of similar projects evaluated within the last 10 years.
Contact details of 3 referees, familiar with the proponent’s experience that is relevant for this assignment.
PART 5 – DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Request for Proposal (RfP) the following definitions apply:

Instructions: Means the instructions and conditions set out in Part 1 of this Request for Proposals.

IUCN ESARO: Means IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources – Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office.

IUCN Contact: Means the person IUCN has nominated to be used exclusively for contact regarding this Request for Proposals and the Contract.

Proposal: Means a written offer submitted in response to this Request for Proposals.

Proposer: Means an entity that submits, or is invited to submit, a Proposal in response to this Request for Proposals.

Requirement: Means the supply to be made by the Contractor to IUCN in accordance with Part 2 of the RfP.

Call: Call for Expression of Interest

14. ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 Specification of Requirements / Terms of Reference

Attachment 2 Declaration of Undertaking (select 2a for companies or 2b for self-employed as applicable to you)

Attachment 3 Contract Template.

The instructions to applicants can be found in the link: Instructions to Applicants 3RD Call Nov 2025 Final.pdf

Declaration in relation to Call for expression of interest forTechnical Advisory Group (TAG) for the 3rd Open Call for Concepts SADC TFCA Financing Facility

I, the undersigned, hereby confirm that I am self-employed and able to provide the service independent of any organisation or other legal entity.

Full name (as in passport):

Home or Office (please delete as appropriate) Address (incl. country):

I hereby authorise IUCN to store and use the information included in the attached Proposal for the purpose of evaluating Proposals and selecting the Proposal IUCN deems the most favourable, including Personal Data as defined by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I acknowledge that IUCN is required to retain my Proposal in its entirety for 10 years after then end of the resulting contract and make this available to internal and external auditors and donors as and when reasonably requested.

I further confirm that the following statements are correct:

I am legally registered as self-employed in accordance with all applicable laws.
I am fully compliant with all my tax and social security obligations.
I am free of any real or perceived conflicts of interest with regards to IUCN and its Mission.
I agree to declare to IUCN any real or perceived emerging conflicts of interests I may have concerning IUCN. I acknowledge that IUCN may terminate any contracts with me that would, in IUCN sole discretion, be negatively affected by such conflicts of interests.
I have never been convicted of grave professional misconduct or any other offence concerning my professional conduct.
I have never been convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation.
I acknowledge that engagement in fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation will entitle IUCN to terminate any and all contracts with me with immediate effect.
I am not included in the UN Security Council Sanctions List, EU Sanctions Map, US Office of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions List, or the World Bank listing of ineligible firms and individuals. I agree that I will not provide direct or indirect support to firms and individuals included in these lists.
I have not been, am not, and will not be involved or implicated in any violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, or injustice or abuse of human rights related to other groups or individuals, including forced evictions, violation of fundamental rights of workers as defined by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, child labour, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment.
______________________________________________________

How to apply
Step 1: Acquire Tender Documents
Obtain the relevant tender documents.

Step 2: Review Requirements
Thoroughly read the tender specifications, terms, and conditions.

Step 3: Prepare Proposal
Prepare your proposal as guided, ensuring all the required information is included.

Step 4: Submission
Submit your completed proposal by the submission deadline via the email address [email protected]

Tagged as: International Union for Conservation of Nature, South Africa