Request for Proposal For Consultancy Services For The Development Of The Operational Manual And Implementation Arrangements For The Paraguay Sustainable Forestry Investment Fund (Sfif)

Request for proposals for Consultancy Services for the Development of the Operational Manual and Implementation Arrangements for the Paraguay Sustainable Forestry Investment Fund (SFIF) GGGI Paraguay, in partnership with the National Development Bank (AFD, Spanish acronym), the World Bank (WB), and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES, Spanish acronym) of Paraguay, is supporting the establishment of the Paraguay Sustainable Forestry Investment Fund (SFIF). The SFIF aims to mobilize long-term capital for sustainable forestry projects, including commercial plantations, sustainable forest management, agroforestry, and restoration activities. The Fund will operate as a blended finance vehicle leveraging concessional and private resources to scale investment in forestry while generating both financial returns and measurable environmental and social impacts. This fund will serve as a catalytic vehicle providing patient and flexible capital to de-risk private investments and enhance the bankability of sustainable plantations in Paraguay. The SFIF is expected to finance 50,000 hectares of FSC-certified plantations and generate over 2,100 green jobs, directly supporting Paraguays climate, biodiversity, and employment goals. As part of its initial phase, the SFIF project requires the preparation of the Operational Manual and Implementation Mechanisms to support the implementation of the WB Loan to AFD necessary to capitalize the SFIF. The WB Loan to AFD will be structured in 2 components: 1) WB Loan to the AFD to be channelled into financial products for Intermediate Financial Institutions (IFIs) and 2) and the AFD Loan to the SFIF. The overall objective of this assignment is to support AFD in the process of defining how the WB Loans proceeds will be managed according to the SFIFs investment thesis and the WBs institutional frameworks through both of its components, ensuring that the financing structure can be implemented in a clear, transparent, and institutionally sound manner. To achieve this objective, the consultancy firm is expected to prepare an Integrated Loan Operational Manual and its Operational Annexes, as well as designing the implementation arrangements -covering fund flow mechanisms, roles and responsibilities, eligibility and appraisal criteria, fiduciary and environmental and social oversight requirements- and monitoring and reporting arrangements. GGGI seeks to contract a qualified consultancy firm to deliver the deliverables comprehensively and in alignment with international best practices for climate finance, sustainable forestry investment, fiduciary management, environmental and social risk management, and development finance operations. Tender Link : https://in-tendhost.co.uk/gggi/aspx/Tenders/Current