RFQ: Clean Cooking Evidence to Action Hub (CCA)
Request for Qualifications: Clean Cooking Evidence to Action Hub
Summary
The United Nations Foundation (UNF) Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) works with a global network of partners to build an inclusive industry that makes clean cooking accessible to the three billion people who live each day without it. Established in 2010, CCA is driving consumer demand, mobilizing investment to build a pipeline of scalable businesses, and fostering an enabling environment to allow the sector to thrive. Clean cooking transforms lives by improving health, protecting the climate and the environment, empowering women, and helping families save time and money.
CCA is working to raise awareness of clean cooking solutions within priority stakeholder groups and drive increased action and investment across the clean cooking value chain. We must do this by communicating the immediate benefits of clean cooking – societal, environmental and economic – to decision makers in both the public and private sector, with clear recommendations on the role and actions these stakeholders can take to accelerate progress toward universal access to clean cooking.
CCA is seeking a qualified, strategic communications agency to design an ‘Evidence to Action Hub’, which delivers targeted, evidence-based narratives, factsheets, visuals, policy briefs and other communications tools to key audiences – including policymakers, investors and donors – aimed at inspiring and invoking action on clean cooking. The initial phase of this project is anticipated for a duration of approximately 4-6 months, and work will be done in close collaboration and oversight from CCA’s Strategy, Global Networks & Partnerships, and Evidence & Impact teams.
Evidence to Action Hub Concept
The Evidence to Action Hub (E2AH) is a strategic advocacy initiative that aims to promote the critical role clean cooking plays in achieving global climate and development goals. The E2AH will increase clean cooking awareness, ambition, and action among key stakeholder groups – including policymakers, investors and donors – through targeted influencing strategies and evidence-based narratives that communicate the immediate benefits of clean cooking – environmental, societal and economic – to decision makers in both the public and private sector.
The E2AH will translate the latest research, data and case studies into tailored content and tools for specific stakeholders, with clear recommendations and opportunities for impact. This work will include advocating for and demonstrating the potential of clean cooking solutions at scale; sharing best practices and successes from around the world; facilitating dialogue and collaboration across adjacent ecosystems; and providing a range of communications resources, content and tools.
The E2AH is a CCA initiative that originated from the Clean Cooking Systems Strategy and aims to bring the story of clean cooking to a broad and influential audience, reshaping outdated perspectives on clean cooking, building synergies across adjacent ecosystems, supporting policymakers in planning and implementation, and mobilizing funding from donors and investors. Under CCA’s initial framing, the E2AH will undertake three core functions:
- Curate: A service function for the ecosystem that delivers fit-for-purpose evidence for high-priority stakeholders.
- Campaign: Tailored influencing and engagement campaigns targeting specific key stakeholder groups (e.g. development finance institutions) either directly or through influential intermediaries (e.g. major donors) with specific asks and objectives.
- Storytell: Widespread messaging via media channels, clean cooking champions, high-profile events, etc., designed to reframe the clean cooking narrative and spotlight the issue.
The E2AH will support advocacy work linked to CCA’s major initiatives and programs, including the Delivery Units Network (DUN), the User Insights Lab (UIL), and the Results-based Finance Accelerator (RBFA). The E2AH is expected to develop influencing strategies and outputs directly targeted at government stakeholders and funders.
The E2AH will also target two dominant systems for clean cooking: energy access and climate change. Embedding clean cooking within the global energy access agenda is critical to increase support and funding for the sector’s objectives. The E2AH will support this effort by pursuing funders engaged in energy access issues, with a specific focus on development finance institutions (DFIs) and impact investors to embed clean cooking within their investment decision-making processes and increasing sustainable financing for clean cooking. Likewise, there is an urgent need to systematically include clean cooking within the climate agenda and focus commitments on the sector by stablishing cooking as a global priority and critical factor for climate objectives. The E2AH will aim to integrate clean cooking into climate policies and investment strategies, including redirecting carbon credit buyers to invest in clean cooking as a significant way of offsetting carbon emissions and targeting technical and advocacy support organizations and traditional climate donors to include clean cooking within priority frameworks.
Expected Deliverables
- The consultant will be responsible for developing the following deliverables:
- Support the design and development of the Evidence to Action Hub.
- Develop influencing campaign strategies for initial target stakeholder groups (to be agreed with CCA team).
- Translate existing evidence into strategic communications collateral for key stakeholders.
- Draft a workplan for ongoing implementation, including team structure and capabilities.
Application Instructions
Please demonstrate experience designing and delivering strategic communications strategies, campaigns and/or stakeholder engagement. Demonstration of experience in the field of international development, climate and environment, and/or energy is preferred but not required. Please provide detailed description of relevant projects, including audience, publicly available content, and impact, as relevant.
Statements of qualification (maximum of 12 pages, 11-point font, single-spaced, plus appendices) should include:
A. General description of the firm, including organizational qualifications as relevant (1-2 pages)
B. Description of Qualified Team Members (1-2 pages)
C. Description of Related Previous Projects (2-3 pages)
D. Description of Related Ongoing Projects: (2-3 pages)
E. Initial budget estimate
The deadline for submission of qualifications is March 18, 2022
Evaluation Process and Next Steps
Submissions will be reviewed by the CCA team and a shortlist of applicants will be interviewed. Following the interview process, CCA will invite selected applicants to develop detailed project plans and corresponding budgets.
Questions should be sent by email to Jillene Connors Belopolsky, Chief of Staff and External Affairs at jbelopolsky@cleancooking.org.
Submission Details
Proposals should be submitted by email to jbelopolsky@cleancooking.org with the subject line ‘Evidence to Action Hub RFQ – [Applicant Firm name]’ no later than March 18, 2022 at 11:59 PM EDT. Proposals should be submitted in PDF format.
RFQ Release, Guidelines and Requirements
- This RFQ is open to multiple applicants
- This RFQ is not an offer to contract. The Consultant understands that the Clean Cooking Alliance has chosen to solicit an RFQ for strategic communications services, and that the Applicants response does not guarantee that the Clean Cooking Alliance will enter a new contract with the Applicant.
- The Consultant agrees that Clean Cooking Alliance may, at its sole discretion:
- Amend or cancel the RFQ, in whole or in part, at any time
- Extend the deadline for submitting responses
- Determine whether a response does or does not substantially comply with the requirements of the RFQ
- Waive any minor irregularity, informality or nonconformance with the provisions or procedures of the RFQ
- Negotiate with all applicants UNF deems acceptable
- Issue multiple awards
- Photocopy the responses for evaluation/review
- The Consultant, by submitting a response to this RFQ, waives all right to protest or seek any legal remedies whatsoever regarding any aspect of this RFQ.
- The Consultant represents that it has responded to the RFQ with complete honesty and accuracy. If facts provided in the Applicant’s response change, the Applicant agrees to supplement its response in writing with any deletions, additions, or changes within ten (10) days of the changes.
