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Request for Proposals (RfP)
Consultancy to develop practcial legal guides for the water sharing agreements for the the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save Watercourses Commission (BUPUSACOM)
IUCN ESARO, Zimbabwe Country Office. Water and Wetlands Programme
RfP Reference: IUCN-26-04-P03944-1
Welcome to this Procurement by IUCN. You are hereby invited to submit a Proposal. Please read the information and instructions carefully because non compliance with the instructions may result in disqualification of your Proposal from this Procurement.
1. REQUIREMENTS
1.1. A detailed description of the services and/or goods to be provided can be found in Attachment1.
This consultancy has the following objective(s):
1. Pro mote inclusive stakeholder participation in basin governance
2. Provide practical guides, in a simplified way, to enhance stakeholder dialogue
3. To produce valuable reference documents for conflict resolution purposes
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: Shuvai Zvakasikwa Programme Administrator. [email protected]
3. PROCUREMENT TIMETABLE
3.1. This timetable is indicative and may be changed by IUCN at any time. If IUCN decides that changes to any of the deadlines are necessary, we will publish this on our website and contact you directly if you have indicated your interest in this procurement (see Section 3.2).
DATE-ACTIVITY
28 April 2026-Publication of the Request for Proposals
10 May 2026-Deadline for expressions of interest
07 May 2026-Deadline for submission of questions
08 May 2026-Planned publication of responses to questions
15 May 2026-Deadline for submission of Proposals to IUCN (“Submission-Deadline”)
16 May 2026-Clarification of Proposals
20 May 2026-Planned date for contract award
21 May 2026-Expected contract start date
3.2. Please email the IUCN contact to express your interest in submitting a Proposal by the deadline stated above. This will help IUCN to keep you updated regarding the procurement.
4. COMPLETING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL
4.1. Your Proposal must consist of the following four separate documents:
Signed Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2)
Pre-Qualification Information (see Section 4.3 below)
Technical Proposal (see Section 4.4 below)
Financial Proposal (see Section 4.5 below)
Proposals must be prepared in English.
4.2. Your Proposal must be submitted by email to the IUCN Contact (see Section 2). The subject heading of the email shall be [RfP Reference – bidder name]. The bidder name is the name of the company/organisation on whose behalf you are submitting the Proposal, or your own surname if you are bidding as a self-employed consultant. Your Proposal must be submitted in PDF format. You may submit multiple emails suitably annotated, e.g. Email 1 of 3, if attached files are too large to suit a single email transmission. You may not submit your Proposal by uploading it to a file-sharing tool.
IMPORTANT: Submitted documents must be password-protected so that they cannot be opened and read before the submission deadline. Please use the same password for all submitted documents. After the deadline has passed and within 12 hours, please send the password to the IUCN Contact. This will ensure a secure bid submission and opening process.
Please DO NOT email the password before the deadline for Proposal submission.
4.3. Pre-Qualification Criteria
IUCN will use the following Pre-Qualification Criteria to determine whether you have the capacity to provide the required goods and/or services to IUCN. Please provide the necessary information in a single, separate document.
Pre-Qualification Criteria
1. 3 relevant references of clients similar to IUCN / similar work
2. Confirm that you have all the necessary legal registrations to perform the work
3. State your annual turnover for each of the past 3 years
4. Are you a qualified legal practitioner eligible for this work?
5. How many years of work experience do you have?
6. Do you have experience working with regional water policies in SADC?
7. Do you have any knowledge of IUCN and its programme of work?
4.4. Technical Proposal
The Technical Proposal must address each of the criteria stated below explicitly and separately, quoting the relevant criteria reference number (left-hand column).
Proposals in any other format will significantly increase the time it takes to evaluate, and such Proposals may therefore be rejected at IUCN’s discretion.
Where CVs are requested, these must be of the individuals who will actually carry out the work specified. The individuals you put forward may only be substituted with IUCN’s approval.
IUCN will evaluate Technical Proposals with regards to each of the following criteria and their relative importance:
Description-Information to provide-Relative weight
1. Understanding of the scope of work-45%
Clarity and completeness-Entire Proposal-15%
Approach-Proposed work approach and plan-10%
Proposed concepts and methods-Level of detail and the method of execution-20%
2.Expert Specialisation and Work experience-35%
Relevant Qualification and expertise-CVs and relevant qualification-20%
Experience in similar assignments Reports/Final deliverables from previous projects-15%
3 Feasibility and sustainability
Evidence of their creativity and originality. Environmental, social, and
economic impact- 20%
TOTAL 100%
4.5. Financial Proposal
4.5.1. The Financial Proposal must be a fixed and firm price for the provision of the goods/services stated in the RfP in their entirety.
4.5.2. Prices include all costs
Submitted rates and prices are deemed to include all costs, insurances, taxes (except VAT, see below), fees, expenses, liabilities, obligations, risk and other things necessary for the performance of the Terms of Reference or Specification of Requirements. IUCN will not accept charges beyond those clearly stated in the Financial Proposal. This includes applicable withholding taxes and similar. It is your responsibility to determine whether such taxes apply to your organisation and to include them in your Financial Proposal.
4.5.3. Applicable Goods and Services Taxes
Proposal rates and prices shall be exclusive of Value Added Tax.
4.5.4. Currency of proposed rates and prices
All rates and prices submitted by Proposers shall be in Swiss Francs (CHF).
4.5.5. Breakdown of rates and prices
For information only, the price needs to be broken down as follows:
Description-No of Days-Daily Rate-Total Price
1 Reading and legal interpretation
2 Drafting and Revision
3 Consultative Meetings
4 Design and Layout
5 Proof reading and Editing
6 Close out and final reporting
TOTAL
4.6. Additional information not requested by IUCN should not be included in your Proposal and will not be considered in the evaluation.
4.7. Your Proposal must remain valid and capable of acceptance by IUCN for a period of 90 calendar days following the submission deadline.
4.8. Withdrawals and Changes
You may freely withdraw or change your Proposal at any time prior to the submission deadline by written notice to the IUCN Contact. However, in order to reduce the risk of fraud, no changes or withdrawals will be accepted after the submission deadline.
5. EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS
5.1. Completeness
IUCN will firstly check your Proposal for completeness. Incomplete Proposals will not be considered further.
5.2. Pre-Qualification Criteria
Only Proposals that meet all of the pre-qualification criteria will be evaluated.
5.3. Technical Evaluation
5.3.1. Scoring Method
Your Proposal will be assigned a score from 0 to 10 for each of the technical evaluation criteria, such that ‘0’ is low and ‘10’ is high.
5.3.2. Minimum Quality Thresholds
Proposals that receive a score of ‘0’ for any of the criteria will not be considered further.
5.3.3. Technical Score
Your score for each technical evaluation criterion will be multiplied with the respective relative weight (see Section 4.4) and these weighted scores added together to give your Proposal’s overall technical score.
5.4. Financial Evaluation and Financial Scores
The financial evaluation will be based upon the full total price you submit. Your Financial Proposal will receive a score calculated by dividing the lowest Financial Proposal that has passed the minimum quality thresholds (see Section 5.3.2) by the total price of your Financial Proposal.
Thus, for example, if your Financial Proposal is for a total of CHF 100 and the lowest Financial Proposal is CHF 80, you will receive a financial score of 80/100 = 80%
5.5. Total Score
Your Proposal’s total score will be calculated as the weighted sum of your technical score and your financial score.
The relative weights will be:
Technical: 70%
Financial: 30%
Thus, for example, if your technical score is 83% and your financial score is 77%, you will receive a total score of 83 * 70% + 77 * 30% = 58.1% + 23.1% = 81.2%.
Subject to the requirements in Sections 4 and 7, IUCN will award the contract to the bidder whose Proposal achieves the highest total score.
6. EXPLANATION OF PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE
6.1. IUCN is using the Open Procedure for this procurement. This means that the contracting opportunity is published on IUCN’s website and open to all interested parties to take part, subject to the conditions in Section 7 below.
6.2. You are welcome to ask questions or seek clarification regarding this procurement. Please email the IUCN Contact (see Section 2), taking note of the deadline for submission of questions in Section 3.1.
6.3. All Proposals must be received by the submission deadline in Section 3.1 above. Late Proposals will not be considered. All Proposals received by the submission deadline will be evaluated by a team of evaluators in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in this RfP.
No other criteria will be used to evaluate Proposals. The contract will be awarded to the bidder whose Proposal received the highest Total Score. IUCN does, however, reserve the right to cancel the procurement and not award a contract at all.
6.4. IUCN will contact the bidder with the highest-scoring Proposal to finalise the contract. We will contact unsuccessful bidders after the contract has been awarded and provide detailed feedback. The timetable in Section 3.1 gives an estimate of when we expect to have completed the contract award, but this date may change depending on how long the evaluation of Proposals takes.
7. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROCUREMENT
7.1. To participate in this procurement, you are required to submit a Proposal, which fully complies with the instructions in this RfP and the Attachments.
7.1.1. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have submitted a complete and fully compliant Proposal.
7.1.2. Any incomplete or incorrectly completed Proposal submission may be deemed noncompliant, and as a result you may be unable to proceed further in the procurement process.
7.1.3. IUCN will query any obvious clerical errors in your Proposal and may, at IUCN’s sole discretion, allow you to correct these, but only if doing so could not be perceived as giving you an unfair advantage.
7.2. In order to participate in this procurement, you must meet the following conditions:
Free of conflicts of interest
Registered on the relevant professional or trade register of the country in which you are established (or resident, if self-employed)
In full compliance with your obligations relating to payment of social security contributions and of all applicable taxes
Not been convicted of failing to comply with environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection
Not bankrupt or being wound up
Never been guilty of an offence concerning your professional conduct
Not involved in fraud, corruption, a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism, or any other illegal activity.
7.3. You must complete and sign the Declaration of Undertaking (see Attachment 2).
7.4. If you are participating in this procurement as a member of a joint venture, or are using subcontractors, submit a separate Declaration of Undertaking for each member of the joint venture and sub-contractor, and be clear in your Proposal which parts of the goods/services are provided by each partner or sub-contractor.
7.5. Each bidder shall submit only one Proposal, either individually or as a partner in a joint venture.
In case of joint venture, one company shall not be allowed to participate in two different joint ventures in the same procurement nor shall a company be allowed to submit a Proposal both on its behalf and as part of a joint venture for the same procurement. A bidder who submits or participates in more than one Proposal (other than as a subcontractor or in cases of alternatives that have been permitted or requested) shall cause all the Proposals with the bidder’s participation to be disqualified.
7.6. By taking part in this procurement, you accept the conditions set out in this RfP, including the following:
It is unacceptable to give or offer any gift or consideration to an employee or other representative of IUCN as a reward or inducement in relation to the awarding of a contract.
Such action will give IUCN the right to exclude you from this and any future procurements, and to terminate any contract that may have been signed with you.
Any attempt to obtain information from an employee or other representative of IUCN concerning another bidder will result in disqualification.
Any price fixing or collusion with other bidders in relation to this procurement shall give IUCN the right to exclude you and any other involved bidder(s) from this and any future procurements and may constitute a criminal offence.
8. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION
8.1. 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.
8.2. 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.
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. 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/
12. 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
Terms of Reference for IUCN Consultancy
Title: Consultancy to develop practcial legal guides for the water sharing agreements for the the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save Watercourses Commission (BUPUSACOM)
Objective of the Consultancy
This consultancy has the following objective(s):
4. Promote inclusive stakeholder participation in basin governance
5. Provide practical guides, in a simplified way, to enhance stakeholder dialogue
6. To produce valuable reference documents for conflict resolution purposes
Background
Project Reference: P03944
Donor reference: DN 00160 AVCH-01038
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.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 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/
About the Project
With more than a decade of experience implementing the Building River Dialogues and Governance Programme (BRIDGE) in over twenty transboundary river basins worldwide,
IUCN has built an approach to water diplomacy premised on the creation of water governance capacities to attain effective water management, security and peace. BRIDGE aims to catalyse sustainable water resources management and development, safeguard water supply and sanitation, biodiversity conservation and transboundary cooperation. BRIDGE 5 consolidates the knowledge and expertise gained in previous phases to mobilise key ongoing negotiation processes where IUCN acts as dialogue broker to foster multi-scale transboundary agreements and strengthen institutions. IUCN aims at maximising the impact of BRIDGE 5 by aligning its programme outcomes to a series of strategic priorities and linking these to specific regions and basins.
The Buzi-Pungwe-Save (BUPUSA) transboundary basins are part of the BRIDGE Project sites. Located in southeastern Africa, the BUPUSA basins are undergoing dynamic changes after establishing a basin commission and a secretariat in 2023. BRIDGE program aims to address these challenges by facilitating cooperation, strengthening inter-governmental capacities, and creating spaces for dialogue and agreements. As part of the BRIDGE interventions, efforts are underway to establish an effective, inclusive transboundary stakeholder platform and enhance capacity in water diplomacy, sustainable financing, and gender mainstreaming.
In line with these objectives, IUCN is seeking a qualified legal expert to produce some practical guides that accompany the three water sharing agreements in the BUPUSA Basins.
Description of the Assignment
The consultant will undertake a study of the Pungwe Water Sharing Agreement, Buzi Water Sharing Agreement and Save Water Sharing Agreement, and produce very simplified, illustrated practical guides to these agreements for wider circulation among basin stakeholders.
Duration of the Assignment
From 21 May 2026 to 15 August 2026
Deliverables and Activities
The consultant will provide the following deliverables and carry out the following activities:
Deliverable/Activity Description Deadline
1. Deliverable 1-Practical Guide to Pungwe Water Sharing Agreement- 30 July 2026
1.a Activity 1A-1st Draft practical guide-30 June 2026
1.b Activity 1B-2nd Draft practical guide-15 July 2026
2. Deliverable 2-Practical Guide to Buzi Water Sharing Agreement-30 July 2026
2.a Activity 2A-1st Draft practical guide-30 June 2026
2.b Activity 2B-2nd Draft practical guide-15 July 2026
3.Deliverable 3-Practical Guide to Save Water Sharing Agreement-30 July 2026
3.a Activity 3A-1st Draft practical guide-30 June 2026
3.b Activity 3B-2nd Draft practical guide-15 July 2026
4.Delivery 4-Validation workshop-30 June 2026
Payment Schedule
The Timetable below summarises the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the Consultant.
Deliverable-Milestone payment
21 May 2026: Contract signed between parties-30%
25 June 2026: First draft versions of practical guides finalised –
10 July 2026: Second draft versions of practical guides finalised-30%
15 July 2026: Validation workshop convened –
30 July 2026: Final versions of practical guides delivered-40%
Skills and Experience
The consultant must have the following skills, education and experience as a minimum:
Post graduate qualification in environmental law, water law or natural resources law
At least seven years work experience in the legal sector, with a strong focus on environmental and or water law, preferably in Mozambique or Zimbabwe
At least five years’ experience in the non-profit sector within the SADC region
Familiarity with constitutional and human rights provisions in the Mozambican or Zimbabwean law strongly desired
Fluency in at least two of the main local languages in the basin is a must – these languages are Shona, Sena, Shangani, Kalanga and Ndau
Proof of similar work done, traceable, for reputable organisations in the last five years
Some working experience in the BUPUSA shared basins preferred
Proof of published works in the subject of environmental/water governance, natural resources law and required.
Supervision and coordination
The consultant will report to and work under the supervision of Regional Programme Manager: IWRM
Declaration of Undertaking in relation to Consultancy to develop practcial legal guides for the water sharing agreements for the the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save Watercourses Commission (BUPUSACOM)
I, the undersigned, hereby confirm that I am an authorised representative of the following organisation:
Registered Name of Organisation (the “Organisation”): _______________________
Registered Address (incl. country): _______________________________________
Year of Registration:__________________________________________________
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. I acknowledge that IUCN is required to retain the 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.
Where the Proposal includes Personal Data as defined by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), I confirm that the Organisation has been authorised by each Data Subject to share this Data with IUCN for the purposes stated above.
I further confirm that the following statements are correct:
The Organisation is duly registered in accordance with all applicable laws.
The Organisation is fully compliant with all its tax and social security obligations.
The Organisation and its staff and representatives are free of any real or perceived conflicts of interest with regards to IUCN and its Mission.
The Organisation agrees to declare to IUCN any real or perceived emerging conflicts of interests it or any of its staff and representatives may have concerning IUCN. The Organisation acknowledges that IUCN may terminate any contracts with the Organisation that would, in IUCN sole discretion, be negatively affected by such conflicts of interests.
None of the Organisation’s staff has ever been convicted of grave professional misconduct or any other offence concerning their professional conduct.
Neither the Organisation nor any of its staff and representatives have ever been convicted of fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation.
The Organisation acknowledges that engagement by itself or any of its staff in fraud, corruption, money laundering, supporting terrorism or involvement in a criminal organisation will entitle IUCN to terminate any and all contracts with the Organisation with immediate effect.
The Organisation is a going concern and is not bankrupt or being wound up, is not having its affairs administered by the courts, has not suspended business activities, is not the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations.
The Organisation complies with all applicable environmental regulatory requirements or other legal requirements relating to sustainability and environmental protection.
The Organisation is 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. The Organisation agrees that it will not provide direct or indirect support to firms and individuals included in these lists.
The Organisation has not been, is 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.
______________________________________________________
< Name and position of authorised representative of the Proposer >
Declaration IN relation to < IUCN-26-04-P03944 1>
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 submission deadline via the email address [email protected]
N.B: Please note that the email to be used exclusively for this consultancy is [email protected]