Call for Expressions of Interest: Consultancy Services for Value Chain Analysis of the Nature-based Solutions for Adaptation in Agriculture

Company Description

About SNV

SNV is a global development partner, deeply rooted in the countries where we operate. We are driven by a vision of a better world: A world where across every society all people live with dignity and have equitable opportunities to thrive sustainably. To make this vision a reality, we need transformations in vital agri-food, energy, and water systems. SNV contributes by strengthening capacities and catalysing partnerships in these sectors. We help strengthen institutions and effective governance, reduce gender inequalities and barriers to social inclusion, and enable adaptation and mitigation to the climate and biodiversity crises.

Building on 60 years of experience we support our partners with our technical and process expertise and methodological rigour. We do this in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia with a team of approximately 1,600 colleagues. By being adaptable and tailoring our approaches to these different contexts, we can contribute to impact at scale, resulting in more equitable lives for all.

SNV has been working in Vietnam since 1995 and currently has over 60 national and international experts. SNV Vietnam implements projects in more than 20 provinces across the country, including the poorest and most remote areas.

About the VN-ADAPT project  

Viet Nam Nature-based Solutions for Adaptation in Agriculture through Private Sector Transformation (VN-ADAPT) is a national programme in Viet Nam to be implemented to 2028, with potential to extend to mid-2029. The programme is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). The Project has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) in January 2026.  

VN-ADAPT focusses on two key climate-vulnerable landscapes in Viet Nam – the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta. The project aims to improve institutional capacity and strengthen partnerships to channel private innovation and investment towards accelerated adoption of nature-based solutions in the agriculture sector with a focus on these two regions of Vietnam. 

This will be realised through four inter-related work packages, namely: 

• Developing coordination mechanism among relevant stakeholders to promote Nature-based Solutions for adaptation (NbSA) in Agriculture. 
• Developing Draft Guidelines on NbSA in Agriculture.  
• Promote Innovation of Agricultural Enterprises and Cooperatives and Mobilize Investment in NbSA in Agriculture. 
• Communications, Knowledge Management and M&E. 

VN-ADAPT is implemented by a consortium of the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV, as the consortium lead), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the ICEM Vietnam Company Ltd. with coordination and support from the Agricultural Projects Management Board (APMB) as the Project owner.

Job Description

Objectives of the Assignment

SNV is working on the analysis of market systems and value chains for key agricultural products relevant to the priority agro-ecological sub zones that VN ADAPT will target (upper Mekong Delta, coastal Mekong Delta, and Central Highlands).  

Objective 1: To inform the final design of project activities, particularly those working with the private sector, including an accelerator programme for small enterprises (Activity III.1), partnerships with larger companies (Activity III.3), and activities supporting the development of cooperatives (Activity III.4).  

Objective 2: To identify promising and viable value chains to be enhanced in the two key climate-vulnerable landscapes in Viet Nam – the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta and identify farmers, entrepreneurs, and community-based organizations already engaged in various natural resource-based livelihood systems. 

Objective 3: To refine the VN-ADAPT consortium’s and partners understanding of the technical assistance and support needs of these different companies/stakeholders and identify any general issues that could be tackled at an industry-wide level through support to public-private dialogues and knowledge management. The analysis will also support initial identification of potential companies to partner with. The output of the analysis will be a technical analysis report which will be further summarised/enhanced to be knowledge product/technical dissemination publication on developing the market systems and value chains for nature-based solutions in Viet Nam’s agriculture sector.

Assignment overview and scope of work / deliverables

The Consultant shall:

• Collect secondary data/documents and desk review of the project and requirements, background information and related reports (existing relevant VCA reports, provincial/district government reports and statistics, etc.) on NbSA models in the project sites in Mekong Delta and Central Highlands. The desk review will help enable the formulation of ideas and questions for further discussion with local authorities, communities, and other stakeholders during the inception visit. The project baseline study reveals a number of NbSA models such as lotus, rice-lotus, rice-fish, rice-shrimp or deep-water rice in the upper MD; rice-shrimp, mangrove-shrimp, coconut-based intercropping in the lower MD; and coffee-based intercropping such as fruits, timber, spices (e.g. pepper, Doi…) in the CHs. Further and more detailed document review is expected to produce the long-list of potentially suitable NbSA models in each project site for further refinement during the assignment.  

• Conduct (at least) one inception visit (scoping study) to each province to meet relevant government departments and key stakeholders including provincial cooperative alliance and business associations to obtain an overview of the local agriculture development (i.e. agricultural production situation, local development and orientation plans and programs) in relation to potential NbSA product chains (Based on NbSA suitability, scalability, profitability, market demand, etc), identify and meet potential private companies and buyers, develop a list of relevant contact points for each targeted project site (including relevant local authorities, value chain actors) to be in-depth surveyed. The inception phase will help the consultants/consultancy firm refine the key NbSA product chains and a comprehensive list of stakeholders for in-depth surveying. Furthermore, findings from this scoping study will be used to tailor and pre-test detailed field survey instruments and questionnaires. 

• Perform field surveys and data collection of key NbSA product value chains in the project areas with special attention to the analysis of chain weaknesses and strengths on on-farm practices and off-farm side such as planting, harvesting and postharvest processing knowledge/practices, commercial viability for potential value chain upgrading. The surveys are expected to cover: 

• Detailed Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA), profit margin of chosen products, market potential and demand assessment (levels of domestic and global consumption, capacity to absorb additional supply, demand trend and requirements for local and global market access for the actors along the chosen value chains) 

• Rapid environmental and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) assessment as a part of the value chain analysis to identify keys risks, unsustainable practices, and opportunities for greener and more inclusive upgrading of NbSA products. The assessment also highlights GESI-related participation barriers, roles, and benefit-sharing patterns among women, youth, and ethnic minority groups. The findings will be used to inform practical upgrading options and ensure that the proposed interventions do not create environmental or social harm 

• Assess industry-wide challenges (access to finance and market, business capacity, production, sustainability…) that can be addressed through public-private dialogue, policy recommendations, and knowledge management initiatives 

• Develop recommendations of initial Market-based Solutions (MBSs) for project interventions in potential NbSA product chains. 

• Produce Market and Value Chain Analysis Report for the key NbSA product chains in the three subregions followed a report outline based on SNV value chain assessment approach that will be provided by the project upon selection. 

• Participate and present key identifications and recommendations at the consultation workshop to get feedback and improve the assessment report. 
• Finalize the VCA reports detailing all analysis, findings and recommendations and action plan. 

Qualifications

Tender process and evaluation criteria

This tender process will take place in two stages. Stage one is an Expression of Interest. Those selected from the Expression of Interest stage will move forward to the Full Proposal Stage and receive a second assignment description ahead of being asked to prepare a more detailed proposal submission for the assignment.

Expression of Interest (EOI) Evaluation Criteria:

Criteria/ Maximum score

Due Diligence: Pass/Fail

Key personnel qualifications: max. 35 points

Relevant experience and technical capacity related to the assignment: max. 40 points

Demonstrated contextual and institutional experience providing consultancy services for international NGOs/ (INGOs) in the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta of Vietnam: max. 25 points

TOTAL SCORE: 100 points

Only Expressions of Interest (EOIs) with a minimum score of 70 will move forward for Full Proposals.

Due diligence instructions

Due Diligence (DD) checks apply to both individual consultants and consulting firms engaged by SNV for the provision of consultancy services. Conducting these checks supports SNV in managing donor funds responsibly, ethically, and in full compliance with relevant regulations.

Eligibility and Qualifications

The applicant’s professional qualifications and CVs which requires:

• The firm must be a legally registered entity with a minimum of five (5) years of operational experience in relevant fields.
• The team leader must have at least ten (10) years of professional experience in agricultural economics, market system development (MSD), and value chain analysis.
• The team must possess combined multidisciplinary expertise in agronomy/NbSA, gender and social inclusion (GESI), and private sector engagement.
• Proven institutional experience in conducting at least five (5) value chain analysis (VCA) projects or market systems for INGOs/International Donors, with specific experience in both the Mekong Delta and the Central Highlands.
• Demonstrable expertise in Nature-based Solutions (NbSA), climate-resilient value chains, and sustainable agriculture within the target ecological zones.
• Proven experience in designing development plan and pilot interventions for agricultural/agroforestry value chains is highly desired.
• Availability and willingness to conduct extensive field missions in the project provinces.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English and Vietnamese (both spoken & written).

Submission requirements

Interested firms/ consultant teams should submit the EOIs with following information/documents via the instructions in this site.

• A Letter for Expression of Interest with CVs of the key experts and relevant experience related to the assignment (at least 02 past performance references of similar or relevant assignments).
• The organisation’s business licence or appropriate registration (for associations and non-profit organisations)
• Company/firm or consultant profiles: tailored to the specific roles mentioned above
• A completed Due Diligence document, along with all required supporting documents, click the link to download the form for completion: https://c.smartrecruiters.com/sr-company-attachments-prod-aws-dc5/58919688e4b0672cc03331a9/c665f84e-f8c8-4609-a65e-75022f0e557e?r=s3-eu-central-1

EOIs are accepted until May 24th, 2026.

Additional Information

Protection of Information

We request that Expressions of Interest responses be free of any intellectual property that the applicant wishes to protect. Should offerors wish to include proprietary intellectual property that they believe would be helpful for SNV, please note the proprietary nature of such information

Issuance of this EOI does not constitute a commitment, award, or engagement on the part of SNV nor does it commit SNV to any future commitment or engagement. 

Note: SNV reserves the right to change or cancel this requirement in the EOI/or solicitation process at any time.