Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue Secretariat Role

Concepts

• agriculture, fishing and forestry
• agriculture and commodity trade
• dialogue secretariat role
• fact dialogue
• neutral secretariat
• independent secretariat
• dialogue aims
• long-term functioning of the fact dialogue
• commodity trade
• government component of the fact dialogue

Location

Description

The FACT (Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade) Dialogue aims to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable land-use practices in a way that opens up new opportunities for investment, for jobs and livelihoods in forests, land use and agriculture, and to ensure that the economies which have a sustainable relationship with forests are the ones that thrive and grow. The UK launched the FACT Dialogue in February 2021 as part of its COP26 Nature campaign. It is a government-to-government forum, supported by multi-stakeholder consultation, that aims to enhance the policy environment for the international trade in sustainably produced commodities that promote development and protect nature. The FACT Dialogue convenes governments from producer and consumer countries of agricultural commodities for collaborative dialogue to deepen cooperation on policy measures and best practices that promote the trade in sustainably produced commodities. The year after COP26 will be a critical period for the FACT Dialogue, where the focus will need to turn to institutionalising the successes to date, delivering tangible early added value and establishing a multilateral platform that is built to last. A secretariat is essential for the long-term functioning of the FACT Dialogue's workstreams, for building and sustaining consensus between member governments, and for supporting the implementation of the action plans and policy measures originating in the Dialogue. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F), a programme being delivered by Palladium International Limited, are offering grant funding to an organisation to undertake the delivery of an independent and neutral secretariat for the government-to-government component of the FACT Dialogue following COP26 and to provide a variety of 'specialist' and 'core' services to member countries: Specialist secretariat services: • Technical support/analysis • Policymaker knowledge-sharing Core secretariat services: • Event management & logistics • Meeting secretary & governance • Member relations & coordination • Legacy planning • Progress monitoring & reporting • External outreach • Day-to-day administration & financial management The initial period of funding is for one year with the potential for extension and is envisioned to enable an independent secretariat to establish a solid financial footing; develop a multilateral governance and funding model that can mobilise co-funding from other members; and extend the initiative's reach, influence and leverage. The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F) will be providing grant funding to enable an organisation to undertake the delivery of an independent and neutral secretariat for the government-to-government component of the FACT Dialogue following COP26. Values in Section 2 are flexible, but total Grant will be no more than £950k.

Total Quantity or Scope

YEAR: 2021/2022; BUDGET: 375,000.00 YEAR: 2022/2023; BUDGET: 775,000.00

CPV Codes

• 77000000 - Agricultural, forestry, horticultural, aquacultural and apicultural services
• 90710000 - Environmental management

Indicators

• Contract is suitable for SMEs.
• Contract is suitable for VCOs.

Other Information

BEIS will be holding a Market Engagement Event to share more information about the grant funding and to provide an opportunity for attendees to ask any questions they may have. The event is expected to cover the following: Grant Specification; Grant Competition Timeline; Bid requirements. This Market Engagement Event will be a virtual event and will be delivered through Microsoft Teams. Date: Wednesday 13th October 2021 Time: 14:00-15:00 To register for the event, please email: internationalclimateandenergy.procurement@beis.gov.uk