FSC Indigenous Foundation
Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development –
IPARD
Cooperative Agreement No. 7200AA20CA00013
REQUEST FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES
CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO PROMOTE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ON ECOTOURISM
WITH CULTURAL IDENTITY LED BY
INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN PANAMA AS PART
OF PEMIP
A) BACKGROUND
Organization description
In 2019, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) established the FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC IF)
as the operational office for the Permanent Indigenous Peoples’ Committee (PIPC). FSC IF is a
private interest foundation pursuant to Law No. 25 of June 12, 1995 of the Republic of Panama.
FSC IF is a global organization created by and for Indigenous Peoples that seeks to provide
long-term solutions supporting Indigenous communities worldwide.
Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance for Rights and Development
FSC IF is the implementing partner of the USAID and FSC funded five-year Global Development
Alliance Program: Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD). IPARD is
guided by three development objectives:
● Objective 1: To organize and convene a Capacity Development Program for Indigenous
Peoples’ organizations and stakeholders;
● Objective 2: To foster an enabling environment for Indigenous Peoples’ recognition,
effective participation, and joint decision-making in matters affecting them, and;
● Objective 3: To promote Indigenous Peoples’ sustainable development based on
sustainable economic models.
IPARD utilizes on three interconnected approaches to support Indigenous Peoples to overcome
their development challenges:
A. Multi-Sectoral Approach (MSA): Under the strategic guidance of the IPARD Steering
Committee (SC), IPARD convenes and leverages expertise from multi-sectoral. This approach
ensures that IPARD considers the needs of Indigenous communities across a wide array of
sectors. Based on the MSA, IPARD will bring diverse technical partners to support
cross-sectoral projects that will achieve IPARD’s development objectives.
B. Country-Focused Approach (CFA): the IPARD’s programmatic strategy is guided by a
country-by-country focus driven by specific national contexts related to Indigenous Peoples.
IPARD implements a structured process to identify, assess, and select countries to target its
programs. FSC IF works jointly with the SC, and as guided by the MSA, in order to select
countries and identify key priorities and strategies.
C. Indigenous Project Management Approach (IPMA): Building on FSC IF’s network and
relationships with Indigenous leaders and organizations around the world, IPARD pursues
continuous dialogue, consultation, and feedback with Indigenous Peoples to inform the
program. IPARD supports a forum through which FSC IF serves as a bridge between
Indigenous Peoples, technical partners, national governments, and the private sector. IPARD
invests in curating best practices and effective approaches and methodologies to ensure the
strategic cohesion of multi-level partnerships.
Through these three approaches, IPARD aims to empower Indigenous Peoples’ organizations and
catalyse enabling environments where Indigenous Peoples can pursue their development.
B) CONTEXT
IPARD is promoting the strengthening of Indigenous value chains through sustainability standards
and long‐term partnerships with the private, public sectors, and civil society. According to the
above, IPARD will support the Indigenous Peoples’ capacities for business development and
financial inclusion, through partnerships with diverse actors aimed at empowering them. In this
process, IPARD has begun to identify Indigenous Peoples’ business needs and opportunities, as
well as the actions needed for their development. For the Panamanian context, one of the most
promising sectors and where Indigenous People’s Organizations (IPOs) have been actively
participating and aiming to strengthen is the tourism sector.
In Panama, IPARD has been working to support the design and implementation of the Indigenous
Women Economic Empowerment Plan (PEMIP). The PEMIP is a comprehensive and pioneering
initiative that articulates commitments from diverse actors to advance toward the full inclusion
and socioeconomic rights of Panamanian Indigenous women, based on their leadership and
self-determination. The PEMIP was co-created with leaders of the Advisory Committee of
Indigenous Women of Panama (CAMIP), the national government, with the support of financial
and technical support from the Inter American Development Bank and IPARD, and the advisory of
ENRED -private consulting firm. The plan seeks to address the challenges that affect Indigenous
women in Panama. The plan defines 10 axes around economic empowerment: coverage of basic
needs, education and training, labour insertion, self-employment and entrepreneurship, financial
inclusion, digital inclusion, care, knowledge and recognition, leadership and governance.
So far, IPARD has supported PEMIP implementation through its Objective 2, first, on the
development of a rescue of cultural references guide of Panamanian Indigenous Peoples, which
was piloted with the Ipeti-Embera community. Second, elaborating CAMIP’s regulations, and third,
designing a strategy and roadmap to strengthen Indigenous women’s engagement in incidences on
public policies. IPARD can also support PEMIP through its Objective 3. Thirty-five percent of all the
prioritized activities in the PEMIP are related to IPARD’s objective 3 in areas like entrepreneurship,
employment and financial inclusion. Therefore, there is a clear need and opportunity to support
the implementation of activities related to entrepreneurship and financial inclusion and capitalize
on the positive results that Objective 2 has already achieved. Objective 3 will keep strengthening
Indigenous Women through the implementation of some additional PEMIP’s activities including
engaging in the tourism value chain, which looks to be the most promising for achieving impact.
To achieve IPARD’s goal of creating self-determined Indigenous Businesses and specially to
strengthen the businesses of Indigenous women and the tourism value chains in the Panamanian
context, specific expertise and connection to the communities and territories are required. IPARD
is looking for a partner to support the economic development implementation of some PEMIP’s
activities and to build a model to work with Indigenous women entrepreneurs with the following
characteristics: First, a partner with experience not only in entrepreneurship but on women and on
Indigenous women’s economic empowerment. Second, with knowledge of the Panama political
context and the specific context of Indigenous women. Third, an organization that is trusted and
has built strong relations with Indigenous women and their institutions or/and representatives.
Finally, an organization with experience working in the tourism sector, ideally local/indigenous
tourism.
C) OBJECTIVES
1. General Objective
Support the implementation of the Indigenous Women Economic Empowerment Plan (PEMIP 2025) by improving the existing Panamanian Indigenous Women business savviness in the tourism value chain under a cultural and gender lens.
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Specific objectives
1)Improve managerial skills and business performance of the prioritized Indigenous Women-led tourism enterprises. -
Introduce and support Indigenous women led business with market opportunities, access to finance and to other support programs at the national level
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Design a methodology to support Indigenous Women businesses in the tourism sector with a gender lens and cultural identity that could be replicable.
Illustrative activities:
The consulting firm will carry out the following activities assuring the Free, Prior and Informed Prior Consultation (FPIC) protocols defined along the process in coordination with IPARD:
- Identification, selection and assessment of three to four1 Indigenous women’s enterprises in Panama in the tourism sector.
- Based on the assessment, codesign with the business owners and IPARD a capacity strengthening plan.
- Design and implement a training plan to improve women skills and strengthen their businesses with cultural and gender lenses.
- Connect the Indigenous women entrepreneurs to other programs or opportunities at a national and/or international level, prioritizing access to finance and markets.
- Prepare a lessons-learned report with the main results and recommendations on how to support Indigenous Women led businesses.
Expected deliverables:
- Workplan to implement the consultancy and methodology to select the Indigenous women’s businesses in Panama.
- Assessment of each Indigenous Women businesses and the corresponding strengthening plan
- Report on the training results and the links done with other programs and opportunities, especially with the financial and commercial sector. The report must include results on the following:
1) Satisfaction survey delivered by IPARD
2) knowledge improvement (pre and post-test designed by the consultant)
3) attendance list and,
4) tools and materials used.
- Final report with lessons learned and main outcomes of the project. This report should focus on identifying the particularities of working with Indigenous people’s businesses.
Technical and Financial Proposal:
1 The final number of enterprises will be adjusted according to the size and complexity of the initiatives
identified.
The proposal must include a technical proposal with the methodology that will be used to complete the consultancy. Additionally, a clear timeline must be presented. The financial proposal should include a budget, explaining each line item. All financial proposals should include taxes when applicable and explicitly note it in the budget. Profile of the proponent firm:
● Interdisciplinary team that includes professionals in social sciences, economics, gender, with at
least 10 years of experience working on entrepreneurship, gender, women economic
empowerment including projects with Indigenous Women.
● Experience of at least 10 years implementing development projects in Panama
● Proven record working with Indigenous women in Panama.
● Knowledge of the Panamanian gender and social inclusion programs, ideally about the PEMIP.
● Existing relations with Indigenous Peoples Organizations and national and international
organizations with programs and projects in Panama supporting Indigenous Peoples.
● Demonstrated cultural awareness and sensitivity to the diversity of values, views, and
approaches to issues relevant to the FSC IF.
● Being able to provide a physical or electronic invoice that complies with Panamanian
regulations and is up to date with its tax obligations.
● Availability to travel where Indigenous Women enterprises are working.
● Previous experience working with international organizations and donors is desirable.
● Strong oral and written communication of the team in Spanish, and desirable in English.
Applications need to include the following documents:
- CV/portfolio of the consultancy firm including information on clients, project
location/country, main activities and objectives. - Technical proposal including the timeline.
- Financial proposal including an explanation of the budget line items. This should include
taxes when applicable
How to apply:
Submit your CV/portfolio, technical proposal and financial proposal to the FSC IF e-mail
address: [email protected] not later than the due date indicated in this post.
Please make sure to put the consultancy name in the subject of your e-mail.
Coordination:
The consultant firm will coordinate the expected work with the Program Lead on Business
Partnerships and Indigenous Economies who will coordinate with the rest of the IPARD and
FSC-IF team.
Deadline for submission of proposal:
Two weeks or as indicated in the due date of the post.
Conditions for payments of the products:
The deliverables must be authorized by the IPARD Program Director to proceed with other internal approvals and payment. All products must be delivered in digital format according to the expected activities detailed above and the following schedule and payment percentages.
Deliverables Payment
Percentage
Remarks
- Workplan to implement the
consultancy and methodology to
select the Indigenous women’s
businesses in Panama.
20%
To be presented in the first
month of the consultancy - Assessment of each Indigenous
Women businesses and the
corresponding strengthening plan
20%
To be presented in the fifth
month of the consultancy - Report on the training results and
the links done with other programs
and opportunities, especially with
the financial and commercial sector.
40%
To be presented in the ninth
month of the consultancy - Final report with lessons learned
and main outcomes of the project.
20%
To be presented in the tenth
month of the consultancy
Duration of the assignment:
Ten months upon signing of the contract.
How to apply
How to apply:
Submit your CV/portfolio, technical proposal and financial proposal to the FSC IF e-mail
address: [email protected] not later than the due date indicated in this post.
Please make sure to put the name of the consultancy you are applying in the subject of your e-mail.
Closing date: 20-Feb-23