Deadline
The purpose of the Call for Expression of Interest is to solicit interest from national not-for-profit urban civil society organizations or academic institutions as Implementing Partners that wish to participate in UN-Habitat operation and contribute complementary resources (human resources, knowledge, funds, in-kind contributions, supplies and/or equipment) to achieving common objectives as outlined below and subsequently agreed in an Agreement of Cooperation

Purpose of CFP: To strengthen tenure security of informal settler families in Namibia by consolidating gains achieved through the application of fit-for-purpose land tools.

Submission Start Date: 10 May 2023

Submission Deadline Date and time: 31 May 2023, 5 P.M. Nairobi Time

Project Key Information

  • UN-Habitat Project Title : Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Phase 3 Programme
  • Locations:
    • Town/City: Municipality of Okahandja
    • Country: Namibia
  • Anticipated start date:  1 June 2023
  • Estimated duration of project in calendar months:  Seven (7) months
  • Maximum proposed value in US$: 60,000
  • Lead Organization: Land, Housing, and Shelter Section, UN-Habitat

 

Brief Background of the Project 

The Global Land Tool Network, as facilitated by UN-Habitat, is an alliance of international, regional, and national partners working together to “securing land and property rights for all” through the development of pro-poor and gender responsive land tools and approaches within the continuum of land rights framework. It supports the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries (VGGTs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda. GLTN has been working with country partners to support recognition and recordation of tenure rights of the community in Freedom Square informal settlement in Gobabis Municipality, Namibia using fit-for-purpose tools and participatory approaches that are affordable, inclusive, and scalable. GLTN has also collaborated with GIZ to support the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) in developing and operationalizing the Computer-Based Flexible Land Tenure System.

Tenure insecurity is a critical urban challenge in Namibia, and especially prevalent in informal settlements. People living in informal settlements are often excluded from the formal planning system because they have no legal rights to the land and are not protected against evictions. In addition, most local authorities lack land information systems that cater to informal areas and their inhabitants. During Namibia’s Second Land Conference, urban tenure insecurity was identified as one of the development challenges requiring urgent attention. In this regard, the Namibian government has been exploring solutions to address tenure insecurity. In 2015, the Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) was introduced by GLTN to the Namibia Housing Action Group (NHAG), a non-governmental organization (NGO) formed in 1992, to assist low-income housing groups improve their living conditions and gain access to basic infrastructure, including sanitation and housing. The organization has been working since 1998 in support of Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), a network of savings groups comprising local communities that reside in informal settlements in different parts of Namibia. Freedom Square, an informal settlement in Gobabis municipality, was selected for the pilot project; the community in Freedom Square had resided in this settlement for more than fifteen years without security of tenure. The project was thus aimed at registering their land rights using GLTN's STDM as well as assess its use in piloting the Flexible Land Tenure System. This intervention eventually led to the issuance of over 1,000 certificates of land hold titles in 2021 through a government-led initiative spearheaded by MAWLR.

Building upon these experiences and emerging opportunities, the proposed intervention aims to address issues on land recordation and registration targeting 2,000 low-income households through the adaptation and application of GLTN land tools, including Tenure Responsive Land Use Planning. The specific objectives of the project include: 

  1. Increase awareness and capacity on the TR-LUP

  2. Integrate the use of STDM in the implementation of TR-LUP

  3. Document experiences of the intervention to help inform policy development and enhancement on planning and tenure security.

Main Outputs and Activities

In close collaboration with the Land, Housing and Shelter Section of UN-Habitat, Municipality of Okahandja, and other national and sub-national land actors, the implementing partner will be undertaking the following key interventions and activities:

a. Increase awareness and capacity on TR-LUP

  • Development and customization of communication briefs and training materials on TR-LUP

  • Community sensitization on TR-LUP

  • Training of municipality and other national and sub-national land actors on TR-LUP

  • Workshops on evaluating tenure and land use policies and practices to support informal settlement upgrading.

 

b. Integrate the use of STDM in the implementation of TR-LUP

  • Support establishment of learning center on participatory data collection and planning

  • Customization of STDM to incorporate information requirements for land tenure and land use planning.

  • Trainings of community, municipality, and other actors on use and application of STDM

  • Spatial unit mapping and household enumeration and data management using STDM.

  • Participatory data validation and analysis

  • Research on fit-for-purpose mapping tools, devices and platforms that can be applied by communities and local authorities. 

 

c. Document experiences of the intervention to help inform policy development and enhancement on planning and tenure security.

  • Facilitate implementation of council resolution on issuance of “Right of Land Occupancy” certificates using STDM

  • Documentation of experiences and lessons learnt on application of TR-LUP and STDM to help inform settlement planning and tenure security in slum upgrading interventions.

d. Project Management and Coordination

  • Develop and implement monitoring, documentation and evaluation plans respectively;

  • Conduct monthly project meetings to ensure effective and efficient project implementation and progress monitoring;

  • Conduct area visits along with project monitoring, engagement with local partners, etc.;

  • Conduct quarterly project evaluation to improve project systems such as communication, reporting, etc.

.

Risk Analysis 

The following potential risks may occur, so the suggested mitigation factors need to be considered. Constant monitoring is also essential. 

Risk Mitigation Measures
Inadequate interest and/or capacity of key stakeholders, especially local authorities, to engage and participate in the tools’ implementation exercise and related awareness and capacity-building activities GLTN and implementing partner to continuously engage stakeholders throughout the planning and implementation process with a focus on capacity strengthening and knowledge transfer
Inability to build consensus and sustain multi-sector discussion towards promoting implementation and/or change in policies and practices on tenure security and land use planning GLTN and implementing partner to build awareness, knowledge, and capacity of key champions in local authorities, professional groups, academia, and CSOs
Delayed delivery of outputs within the stipulated time GLTN to undertake continuous monitoring of implementation progress by the partner through scheduled monthly meetings and progress reports

 

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria Submission Details/ Documents Required 
Legal Status
  • Certificate of registration/incorporation i.e., 
  • Proof of registration in Country of Origin. 
  • Proof of registration of Country of operation
  • Proof of country operational presence
Organization profile and details
  • Clear organization profile and structure of the organization indicating:
  • Organization’s vision, mission, and objectives 
  • Management structure 
  • Members of the Governing Board and their Designations duly certified by the Corporate Secretary, or its equivalent document 

Proof of membership to professional associations if any.

Financial Capacity
  • Audited company financial statements (balance sheet and income statement) and auditor's report for the last two years 
Exclusive Bank account
  • Is the organization willing and able to have a separate bank account for the funds provided by UN-Habitat?
Integrity and Governance
  • The organization should complete and submit a signed Partner Declaration Form
  • Provide the profiles of the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Head of the Organization, and Chief of Finance

 

Submission of Technical and Financial Proposal

A technical proposal should be submitted presenting a detailed discussion of land tenure and land use planning issues in informal settlements in Namibia, existing policies and programmes, proposed methodology to address the issues using GLTN tools, suggested project sites, description and justifications, key milestones, outputs, activities and timelines for delivery (10 pages max). A template is available as a guide is available upon request.

A budget proposal should accompany the technical proposal which include the proposed budget per output/activity per different expense class or budget categories and estimated cash and/or in-kind contribution from implementing partners. A template is available as a guide upon request.

Selection Criteria

Criteria Submission details  Weighting
1.   Technical capacity   40%

1.1 Does the organization have the relevant experience and proven track record in implementing activities in the areas of the project? 

Has it managed in the past projects of similar technical complexities and financial size? 

Is the project linked with the core business of the IP? 

  • List of projects executed in the last 2 years (value, location, donors, nature of projects, execution stage – completed or ongoing).
  • Demonstrate how the experiences in past projects are relevant in the execution of the current proposal
  • References from past donors
 

1.2 Does the organization have qualified technical staff with the experience and the technical skills required by the project?

What is the staff size, type, qualification, and education background?

  • CVs of key management staff, technical and non-technical staff that will be involved on the project 
  • How many technical staff do you have in the concerned Country for implementing the project? Is there reasonable assurance that such technical staff required by the project will continue to be available as needed in the Project? 
 

1.3 Does the organization have a clear and a strong link with an identifiable constituency relevant to the targeted population of the project?

Does it have the ability to impact on the targeted population and on the issues?

Does it have strong presence in the field and for how long? 

Does it have adequate capacity to work in key areas/regions where the proposed field activities will be implemented?

  • Demonstrate, describe, and provide proof of local operational presence, including link and ability to impact the targeted population.
 
1.4 Does the organization possess adequate physical facilities, office equipment, transport, etc. to implement the activities?
  • Provide location and list of office facilities, vehicles and office equipment locally available to implement the project
 
1.5 Does the organization have formal procedures to monitor project execution (e.g. milestones, outputs, expenditures…)
  • Provide formal project monitoring policies and procedures
 
2.   Financial and administrative capacity  

 

15%

2.1 Has the organization been in operation over a period of at least 2 years to demonstrate its financial sustainability and relevance?
  • State the years of operation
  • Financial statements for the last 2 years
 

2.2 Does the organization have qualified staff in Finance? is the current accounting system computerized and does it have the capacity to collect and provide separate financial reports on the activities executed under the Agreement of Cooperation?

Does it have systems and practices to monitor and report whether the project deliverables and expenditures are within the and agreed time and budget?

Does it have minimum segregation of duties in place( separation between project management, finance/accounting, organization have an executive office) 

  • CVs of key finance and accounting staff
  • Description and key features and controls of the accounting system used 
  • Organization structure/ Organogram
 
2.3 Does the organization have the capacity to procure goods and services on a transparent and competitive basis? (if applicable) check for a procurement unit with experienced staff
  • Copies of procurement policies and procedures. The procedures should show how you procure locally and internationally.
 
2.4 Does the organization have formal procedures and controls to mitigate fraud such as multiple signature signatories on bank accounts, reporting and prosecution of incidences of fraud?
  • Describe anti-fraud controls and provide formal procedures 
 
2.5 Does the organization have the capacity to provide in-kind, financial, personnel contributions as UN-Habitat Implementing Partner in this present project? Please give details of the contribution's nature and size.
  • Describe the nature and value of the overestimationcontribution (in-kind or cash)
 
3.   Financial Proposal  

 

15%

3.1 Is the budget for each component of the activity to be performed by the Implementing Partner

(i) cost-effective (i.e. the cost should be economical and prudently estimated to avoid any under/over estimation) 

(ii) justifiable/well-supported and 

(iii) accurate and complete

Budget Proposal <provide link>

  • BOQ (if applicable)
  • Other supporting documents
 
4.   Technical Proposal   30%
4.1 The technical proposal is sound and responds adequately to the specifications and requirements?

Technical Proposal document 

<provide link>

 
Cumulative score for ratios   100%

 

Expression of Interest must be delivered in electronic format no later than 31st May 2023 to John Gitau at the following email address: john.gitau1@un.org with a copy to Hellen Ndungu through the following e-mail address: hellen-nyamweru.ndungu@un.org. All related questions or clarifications must also be coursed through these email addresses. Upon request to these email addresses, all related forms and templates will also be shared.

 Disclaimer: Please note that this notice does not constitute a solicitation and UN‐Habitat reserves the right to change or cancel this project at any time in the process. Submitting a reply to an EOI does not guarantee that the submitting organization will be selected to carry out the implementation of the project.

Notes:

  1. Interested Organizations must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochure, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff etc.). 

  2. The CFP and accompanying documents must be received in accordance with instructions provided. CFP submitted to a different email address other than the specified one will not be considered. 

  3. CFP from applicants failing to provide the complete information to fulfill the basic eligibility criteria will be considered non-responsive. 

  4. CFP received after the above deadline will not be considered.

  5. Organizations will be selected in accordance with the procedure set out in the UN-Habitat IP Management policy and Standard Operating Procedures. 

  6. CFP from applicants failing to provide the requested information will be disregarded.

  7. This CFP does not entail any commitment on the part of UN-Habitat, either financial or otherwise. UN-Habitat reserves the right to accept or reject any or all Proposals without incurring any obligation to inform the affected applicant(s) of the grounds. 

  8. All prices must be in USD.