INTRODUCTION
Introduction to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure we learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future. Adapting to impacts of climate change provides a “win-win” for livelihoods, food security, water supply, health, security, and economic growth. The work of the GCA elevates the visibility and political importance of climate adaptation and facilitates solutions, such as smarter investments, new technologies and better planning to become more resilient to climate related threats. GCA is a rapidly growing organization with offices in Abidjan, Beijing, Dhaka, Groningen, and Rotterdam.

The GCA’s ambitious 2020-2025 business plan and strategy have three pillars:

• Programs: Food Security; Using Nature for more resilient infrastructure; Water for Urban Growth and Resilience; Climate Finance; Youth Leadership.
• Knowledge: Building adaptation knowledge globally through cutting edge products such as the State and Trends in Adaptation Report and the Adaptation Knowledge Portal.
• Advocacy and Awareness: Formulating policy messages to move the global, regional, and local adaptation agendas forward.

Program Background Information
The GCA YouthADAPT program aims to mainstream adaptation on the African continent by scaling-up youth innovation and supporting youth-led enterprises in climate adaptation and resilience; and enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of 1 million youth. It also supports International Financial Institution (IFI) projects, mainstreaming adaptation jobs into their investment projects, with the goal of influencing $2 billion worth of projects by 2025. The program cuts across two strategic business lines:

• Scaling up Youth Innovation for Adaptation Action aims to promote sustainable job creation in Africa by supporting youth-led entrepreneurship and innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience.
• Mainstreaming Adaptation Jobs into Investment projects workstream is a technical assistance facility which supports IFI projects in the mainstreaming of adaptation jobs. The GCA has a 30% adaptation jobs target – which means ensuring 30% of overall jobs created per project, are to be adaptation jobs.

The GCA has partnered with the African Development Bank(AFDB) to support the Youth and Women Entrepreneurship and SME Development Lusophone Compact Facility project in Guinea Bissau.
 
Purpose of this Assignment
Within this context, GCA is seeking a qualified firm to provide training in management and scaling up of adaptation businesses to project beneficiaries.
The expected services to be provided under this assignment include enhancing the business enabling environment, build capacities of strategic institutions for enhanced delivery services to the private sector stakeholders, and improve access to finance for SMEs. The detailed Terms of Reference and Deliverables for this assignment are presented in Annex 3. The total duration of this assignment is estimated at up to 5 months.

Scope of the Services to be Performed
The scope of services to be performed are as follows:

• Needs Assessment: conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that can help in understanding the specific challenges and knowledge gaps faced by the youth and youth-led enterprises. This assessment can be performed by consulting with the relevant stakeholders and conducting surveys and data collection in order to identify the areas where capacity building is most required.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with youth-led enterprises, relevant Government agencies, agriculture associations, and other stakeholders to ensure that the training program is aligned with their needs and priorities.
• Curriculum Development: Develop a comprehensive training curriculum that addresses the identified needs in the value chain. The curriculum should cover topics such as climate-smart agriculture practices, risk management, sustainable resource use, and business resilience.
• Training Materials and Resources: Create or compile training materials, resources, and tools that will be used during the capacity-building program. Ensure that these materials are accessible and user-friendly for the target audience.
• Trainers and Facilitators: Recruit or train experienced facilitators who can effectively deliver the training modules. These trainers should have a strong understanding of climate adaptation
• Training: Conduct training program with targeted youth-led enterprises.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track the impact of the training. Assess the knowledge and skills gained, as well as the application of learning in real-world scenarios.

Submission of the Proposal
If you are interested in participating in this Request for Proposal, you are requested to submit your proposal in PDF format to the link no later than 10 January 2025, 16:00:00 hours (04:00:00 p.m. o’clock), Central European Time (CET) (hereinafter referred to as “the closing date and time”).

Bidders are cautioned that the timing of submission is based on when the proposal is received by the GCA, not when a proposal is submitted by a bidder. As transmission can be delayed due to file transfer size, transmission speed or other technical factors, bidders should plan to submit proposals well in advance of the Submission Deadline to avoid submitting late due to technical issues. Bidders submitting near the Submission Deadline do so at their own risk.

Proposals received after the closing date and time will be rejected. GCA will confirm receipt of proposals within 24 hours from the closing date and time. Bidders that do not receive this confirmation must contact GCA within 48 hours from the closing date and time. After 48 hours from the closing date and time, GCA shall not respond to any queries related to whether a bidder’s proposal was received.

Please download the full RFP for more information