Lao PDR’s Emission Reduction Payment Agreement – results based program: An Emission Reductions Program Document (ERPD) was prepared by the Government of Lao PDR (GOL) and approved by the FCPF Carbon Fund in 2018. On December 30, 2020, Lao PDR, represented by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) signed an Emission Reductions Payment Agreement (ERPA) with the World Bank (WB) as trustee the FCPF Carbon Fund. The ERPA included a contract volume of 8.4 million emission reductions (ERs) equivalent to US$42 million and a Call Option for up to 2.6 million additional ERs. Under the ERPA, payment for results, i.e., ERs is made upon completion of a third-party validation and verification process of an Emission Reductions Monitoring Report (ERMR) submitted for each reporting period agreed in the ERPA. The Lao PDR ERPA has two reporting periods: Jan 2019 to Dec 2021 and Jan 2022 to Dec 2024.

Benefit Sharing: Benefit Sharing is an essential aspect of FCPF ER programs and an integral part of the ERPAs. Benefit Sharing Plans (BSPs) describe the principles, processes, beneficiaries and arrangements for benefit sharing of the ER payments, the requirements for which are outlined in the FCPF Methodological Framework and the FCPF Guidance Note on Benefit Sharing. Benefit sharing shall be undertaken in accordance with Safeguard Plans and the WB Operational Policies as described in the ERPAs. Payments will only be made for verified and transferred emission reductions achieved under the ERPs, in accordance with the ERPAs, including, among others, compliance with the BSPs. The GFLL program has a BSP that was prepared by the GOL in consultation with relevant  government and non-government stakeholders as well as target communities . The BSP describes the carbon benefits (monetary and non-monetary) that are directly linked to ERs, and how they will be channeled to beneficiaries. The program’s benefit-sharing arrangements engage local communities and stakeholders through the community engagement process (CEP) that results in community action plans (CAPs), one per village as a pre-requisite for the villages (a beneficiary group) to receive benefits under the BSP. The CAP serves as a document combining various safeguards frameworks and tools required under an Ethnic Group Development Framework (EGDF), Process Framework and Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) applied under the ERPA operation. The CAP also incorporates provisions of incentives to key government stakeholders for their participation in greener and more resilient landscape management.

First ER Monitoring Report Verification and Payments: In October 2023, a third-party Validation and Verification Body confirmed 3.2 million FCPF emission reduction units (ERs) generated from the GFLL ER Program during 2019-2021 period. The GoL had received an advance payment of US$3 million in July 2022 to cover operational costs. Following the completion of the first reporting period verification, the balance of US$13 million was made to GoL in July 2024. The total number of target villages expected to benefit from this first payment is 247.

Program Implementation: 18 out of 247 target villages have received the payment.

This task is to support the Bank’s oversight functions by conducting monitoring of the Program Entity (PE)’s implementation of:

1. BSP in accordance with its terms, by assessing the program operational effectiveness and efficiency in the distribution of benefits to beneficiaries, identifying key challenges and issues including implementation capacity, lessons learned and provide practical recommendations for addressing the challenges.

2. ER program activities and the PE’s compliance with the program’s safeguards/environmental and social management frameworks including Environmental and Social Framework (ESMF), Ethnic Group Development Framework (EGDF), Process Framework (PF), and Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF)for the ERP over the entire ERPA term (January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025), as well as assessing PE’s overall safeguards management systems and its capacity. 

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: Third-Party Monitoring for Benefit Sharing & Safeguards Implementation Laos Emission Reductions Prog

Assignment Countries:

• Lao People's Democratic Republic

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

Lao PDR’s Emission Reduction Payment Agreement – results based program: An Emission Reductions Program Document (ERPD) was prepared by the Government of Lao PDR (GOL) and approved by the FCPF Carbon Fund in 2018. On December30, 2020, Lao PDR, represented by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) signed an Emission Reductions Payment Agreement(ERPA) with the World Bank (WB) as trustee the FCPF Carbon Fund. The ERPA included a contract volume of 8.4 million emission reductions (ERs) equivalent to US$42 million and a Call Option for up to 2.6 million additional ERs. Under the ERPA, payment for results, i.e., ERs is made upon completion of a third-party validation and verification process of an Emission Reductions Monitoring Report(ERMR) submitted for each reporting period agreed in the ERPA. The Lao PDR ERPA has two reporting periods: Jan 2019 to Dec 2021 and Jan 2022 to Dec 2024.

Benefit Sharing: Benefit Sharing is an essential aspect of FCPF ER programs and an integral part of the ERPAs. Benefit Sharing Plans (BSPs)describe the principles, processes, beneficiaries and arrangements for benefit sharing of the ER payments, the requirements for which are outlined in the FCPF Methodological Framework and the FCPF Guidance Note on Benefit Sharing. Benefit sharing shall be undertaken in accordance with Safeguard Plans and the WB Operational Policies as described in the ERPAs. Payments will only be made for verified and transferred emission reductions achieved under the ERPs, in accordance with the ERPAs, including, among others, compliance with the BSPs. The GFLL program has a BSP that was prepared by the GOL in consultation with relevant government and non-government stakeholders as well as target communities . The BSP describes the carbon benefits (monetary and non-monetary) that are directly linked to ERs, and how they will be channeled to beneficiaries. The program’s benefit-sharing arrangements engage local communities and stakeholders through the community engagement process (CEP) that results in community action plans (CAPs), one per village as a pre-requisite for the villages(a beneficiary group) to receive benefits under the BSP. The CAP serves as a document combining various safeguards frameworks and tools required under an Ethnic Group Development Framework (EGDF), Process Framework and Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) applied under the ERPA operation. The CAP also incorporates provisions of incentives to key government stakeholders for their participation in greener and more resilient landscape management.

First ER Monitoring Report Verification and Payments: In October 2023,a third-party Validation and Verification Body confirmed 3.2 million FCPF emission reduction units (ERs) generated from the GFLL ER Program during 2019-2021period. The GoL had received an advance payment of US$3 million in July 2022 to cover operational costs. Following the completion of the first reporting period verification, the balance of US$13 million was made to GoL in July 2024. The total number of target villages expected to benefit from this first payment is 247. 18 villages have received the payment to date.

This task is to support the Bank’s oversight functions by conducting monitoring of the Program Entity (PE)’s implementation of:

1. BSP in accordance with its terms, by assessing the program operational effectiveness and efficiency in the distribution of benefits to beneficiaries, identifying key challenges and issues including implementation capacity, lessons learned and provide practical recommendations for addressing the challenges.

2. ER program activities and the PE’s compliance with the program’s safeguards/environmental and social management frameworks including Environmental and Social Framework (ESMF), Ethnic Group Development Framework (EGDF), Process Framework (PF), and Resettlement Policy Framework (RPF)for the ERP over the entire ERPA term (January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2025), as well as assessing PE’s overall safeguards management systems and its capacity.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase.

Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now

NOTES

Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding.

Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted.

If you encounter technical difficulties while uploading documents, please send an e-mail to the Help Desk at corporateprocurement@worldbank.org prior to the submission deadline.