Terms of Reference for the Consultancy services to support the development of District Forestry Development Plans for Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Kibaale, Kagadi, Kakumiro and Kikuube Districts at WWF

1. Background

District Forestry Development Plans (DFDPs) are a vital component for sustainable forest management in Uganda. They have been provided for and mandated by the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act (NFTPA) of Uganda.

Under Section 48 of the Forestry Act, every District Council is mandated to establish a District Forest Office in accordance with relevant Sections and Regulations of the LGs Act 1997. Additionally, Regulation 8 of the Forestry Regulations states the purpose of the DFDP, and requires every district to develop a DFDP that must be mainstreamed in the District Development Plan and pursuant to this, Schedule 3 of the Forestry Regulations provides detailed a guide for developing the DFDP. These plans further ensure that forestry activities align with national policies and respond to local environmental and socio-economic needs. DFDPs also help mitigate deforestation, enhance climate resilience, and foster community participation in forest governance. By providing structured planning and regulation, these plans contribute to Uganda’s broader goals of environmental sustainability and rural development.

With the implementation of The Natural Forests Regeneration for Enhanced Carbon Absorption in the Albertine Rift (FRECAR) project, various efforts have been undertaken in the Bugoma-Kagombe landscape leading up to restoration of formerly degraded CFRs; establishment of woodlots in the landscape through a partnership with individuals as well as the assessment of the private forests in the landscape with the view of ensuring climate, community and biodiversity benefits.

In order for these and many other initiatives across the landscape to be successfully sustained, it is imperative to ensure a landscape approach to the management of the forestry resources.

2. Objectives

Main objective:
The main objective of this consultancy is to Support District Planning teams in Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa, Kagadi, Kibaale, Kakumiro and Kikuube to develop District Forestry Development Plans for the respective districts. These plans aim to integrate all forestry activities for environmental protection and economic growth.

Specific objectives:
i. Work with the District Technical Planning Committees (DTPC) to constitute and engage District level relevant stakeholders in the participatory development of the District forestry development plans.
ii. Provide technical and logistical Support to the DTPCs to carry-out platforms as stipulated in the District Forestry Development Plan formulation procedure derived from schedule 2 of the National Forestry and Tree planting regulations, 2016.
iii. Conduct a comprehensive geo-spatial analysis of Landuse and Land Cover (LULC) trends and generate detailed forest cover maps and scenario models/projections to inform the level of effort required to restore and conserve forest resources across the selected districts (landscape).
iv. Undertake an analysis to identify and map out threats to the forestry sector in each district.
v. Work with the DTPC to identify gaps in forest management, determine their underlying causes, and propose appropriate management actions.
vi. Recommend actions to ensure relevant partners are actively involved in district forestry development plan activities.
vii. Support the DTPC to Develop fully adaptive and practical District forestry development plans for the target districts.

3. Methodology

The consultant will propose an appropriate methodology, work plan, and budget that address all tasks outlined in these Terms of Reference (ToRs). The assignment will involve stakeholder consultations led by the consultant with a strong focus on district natural resources management, particularly the district forests services and their respective officers.

To ensure high-quality outcomes, guidance will be sought regarding relevant district partners' involvement and facilitation requirements for their participation in the exercise. The methodology should be clear, aligned with specific objectives and deliverables, and outline all necessary steps to develop comprehensive District forestry development plans.

4. Desired Skills and Competence

a) Essential academic background of the consultant: Higher qualifications in Natural Resource Management or related disciplines focusing on forestry management.
b) Proven individual experience in handling similar assignments.
c) Solid analytical and conceptual skills with a track record of thinking creatively under tight deadlines.
d) An understanding of Uganda’s forestry sector and its evolution over time to the current situation.
e) Ability to integrate innovative and sustainable approaches into forestry development planning using up-to-date technology.

A preferable team should be comprised of a Forester/Natural Resource Expert as the team leader, a GIS Expert to do the LULC trend analysis and a sociologist to look at cross-cutting issues such as integration of gender in the plans, community involvement and sustainability.

5. Deliverables

The following deliverables are expected from this consultancy:
i. Inception report within 14 days after signing the contract detailing how each work package will be delivered, targeted data sources, and structure of the final report.
ii. Process report(s) at every stage of the DFDP process (after every one month) and Full Process report by the end of 90 days after signing of the contract. At this level, the draft DFDPs for the districts will also be shared.
iii. A database containing all the mappings associated with the assignment, including the forest cover and land use practices.
iv. Final perfect bound copies of the final DFDPs (80 copies for each district).

6. Duration

This consultancy is expected to be completed within 4 months from start to finish including submission and receiving approval of the final plans.

7. Cost

The estimated total cost of this assignment should cover professional fees for the consultant, as well as any other costs associated with undertaking the assignment such as transportation to the field and stakeholder meetings during data collection, analysis, compilation, and action planning for the final forestry development plan activities.

8. Submission Procedure

Firms or individual consultants interested in undertaking this assignment should email the following:
a) Technical proposals not exceeding 15 pages, including an understanding and interpretation of the TOR, methodology to be used in undertaking the assignment, time and activity schedule, evidence of relevant experience and samples of related work products, curriculum vitae of the lead consultant along with short CVs of other key team members and their respective roles.
b) Financial proposal not exceeding 2 pages including consultant's daily rates in Uganda Shillings (UGX) and any other related costs for completing the assignment.

The Technical and Financial Proposals should be submitted as separate attachments in a single email clearly marked "Technical Proposals for Consultancy Services for Development of District Forestry Development Plans for Kyenjojo, Kyegegwa, Kibaale, Kagadi, Kakumiro and Kikuube."

Submissions should be sent exclusively to procurementwwfuganda.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(59, 130, 246); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-radius: 6.858px; border-width: 2px 3px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;">procurementwwfuganda.org.

9. Clarifications

Any requests for clarification regarding these Terms of Reference should be submitted in writing through procurementwwfuganda.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: rgb(59, 130, 246); transition: box-shadow 0.2s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); border-radius: 6.858px; border-width: 2px 3px; border-style: solid; border-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: -3px; margin-right: -3px; text-decoration: none; position: relative;">procurementwwfuganda.org not later than August 15th 2025. Clarifications will be provided within 48 hours from receipt of such a request.

10. Submission Deadline

Proposals must be submitted by August 22nd, 2025, at 5:30 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted. Please ensure that your submission is sent before this deadline as WWF-UCO will consider only those received on time when evaluating proposals.

11. Evaluation and Award of Contract

Eligible proposals will undergo a full and open competition evaluation process based on strict adherence to scoring criteria outlined below:

Notes on evaluation:

1. Only submissions that score a minimum of 70% of the available 80 marks under the Technical Evaluation Stage will proceed to the Financial Evaluation Stage.

2. The Score at the Financial Evaluation stage shall be determined using the following formula: P = 20 x (u/z) where:

   • P: Financial Score

   • U: Financial offer of Lowest Compliant proposal

   • Z: Financial offer of proposal being evaluated
     The successful bidder will be the one with the highest score, based on the sum of the Technical and Financial Evaluation scores. This bidder will be recommended for the award of the consultancy contract.

12. Special Conditions

1. WWF reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal.

2. Technical evaluation will precede financial considerations.

3. Any form of canvassing will result in automatic disqualification.