TRVC overall aims to bring about significant positive environmental and social outcomes by incentivising the scaling of low-carbon, sustainable and climate resilient rice production practices. In so doing the programme aims to deliver climate adaptation and mitigation benefits through the widespread adoption of AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying) and other approaches/ technologies that reduce the use of agro-inputs and water in the production of rice. These more sustainable production practices also offer other environmental benefits such as reduced pollution of waterways and associated benefits for biological diversity. From a social perspective the programme has a very specific emphasis on ensuring that smallholders and local farming communities (including ethnic minority peoples) participate in and benefit from the rice value chain transformations. Thus, ultimately the programme’s interventions should serve to increase rice yields and net profits of rice farmers.However, certain risks remain due to the nature of the activities (large scale rice production), and inherent risks with agribusinesses in the sector (e.g. related to labour and working conditions of employees and supply chain workers, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)/ Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), use of agro-chemicals etc). Moreover, the precautionary principle is applied e.g. as ethnic minority farmers will also be involved in the supply chains in the program’s target areas.TRVC has prepared an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF). It provides a set of procedures, actions and measures for the avoidance, management/minimisation, and mitigation in response to the identified risks. These include:<ul><li>Environmental and social due diligence checks to be performed on participating companies by SNV, including triangulation with local communities and other local stakeholders to eliminate companies with a bad record in terms of honouring contracts, treatment of employees and other cases of poor environmental and social performance.</li><li>Exclusion Checklist (e.g. including use of banned/listed agro-chemicals).</li><li>Screening and assessment of companies’ proposed competition approaches and technologies and existing ESMS, leading to the elaboration of a basic Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) for each competitor to be implemented by the competitor.</li><li>Development of an Ethnic Minority Policy Framework (EMPF) for situations where ethnic minorities are affected by or involved in the program. This should be a simple document providing guidance on adequate free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) consultation with ethnic communities/households, engagement in the programme in a culturally appropriate manner, provision of recourse to a grievance redress mechanism and other measures that can be incorporated into ESAPs and associated monitoring.</li><li>Pre-competitive capacity building on the IFC Performance Standards and basic safeguards requirements for companies participating in the prize competition e.g., regarding stakeholder engagement/ consultation with communities; fair contracts; PPE to be provided; Trainings to be provided (e.g. on OHS, IPM) and in what form, including women and ethnic minority farmers etc.</li><li>Monitoring and reporting of ESAP implementation by companies and annual check by SNV. In reality, many companies will be required to implement certain standards for their certification standards.</li></ul>SNV will perform checking and ensuring the implementation of the relevant safeguards by the companies regularly throughout the programme by checking reports submitted by companies and conducting spot checks. As competition manager, SNV will also establish and make programme stakeholders, including participating farmers, aware of a programme-based GRM for the receipt and address of complaints and grievances.In responding to the mentioned assignment, SNV is seeking to engage a qualified national consultant to support the TRVC project’s Environmental and Social Safeguards to ensure its compliance with existing DFAT’s requirements and standards, in harmony with SNV and existing regulations of Viet Nam Government.Reporting and coordination structure:The Consultant will work under overall supervision of the Agrifood Sector Lead and the direct supervision of the TRVC Team Leader and in close coordination with the Project Coordinator as a Safeguards focal person and team.Key assignments include:<ol><li>Provide technical support to participating companies to achieve identified environmental and social safeguards outcomes following the set of procedures, actions and measures for the avoidance, management/minimisation, and mitigation in response to the identified risks (i.e., conduct screening and assessment of companies; support to develop ESAPs, track their implementation with timely advice,…);</li><li>Provide trainings on environmental and social safeguards to TRVC project stakeholders including participating companies, government partners, farmers with updated relevant safeguards policies from DFAT/SNV and IFC.</li><li>Produce the bi-annual, annual and ad-hoc reports on environmental and social safeguards following the standard and requirements of DFAT and SNV; and documenting learning and case study for publication.</li><li>Support and participate in meetings with DFAT experts and assessment teams.</li></ol>The selected Consultants will enter a Framework Agreement for Professional Service (the “Agreement”) with SNV with expected timeframe from January 2026 – December 2027 covering the listed technical support areas. Based on the signed Agreement, the detailed tasks with allocated working days and timeline will be discussed and agreed under Tasks Orders for each mobilization period signed by the consultant and SNV authorized representative.

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner strengthening capacities and catalysing partnerships&nbsp;that can transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems.

Request for Expressions of Interest for consultancy service to support the Environmental and Social Safeguards

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