• Background Information on Plan International

The Liberia Women Empowerment Project (LWEP), supported by the World Bank and implemented by the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MGCSP), aims to enhance women’s economic and social empowerment by improving their access to livelihoods, leadership opportunities, and protection services. As per the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and Liberia’s national environmental regulations, the project is required to assess potential environmental and social (E&S) risks associated with its interventions, particularly livelihoods and infrastructure-related activities. An Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) will serve as the guiding document for mitigating, managing, and monitoring potential adverse E&S impacts during the project lifecycle. Before developing the ESMP, a screening exercise is required to define the scope, depth, and focus areas of the E&S assessment, engage relevant stakeholders, and collect preliminary information to inform risk categorization, mitigation planning, and compliance with national and donor standards.

2. Summary of the Requirement

The development of the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP), which is a key instrument used to ensure that LWEP is implemented in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. It translates the findings of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) into practical, implementable actions to avoid, minimize, mitigate, or compensate for adverse impacts while enhancing positive impacts.

3. ITT Overview and Instructions

• Overview

General Objectives

1. To conduct a structured environmental and social screening exercise and social scoping exercise to inform the development of a comprehensive Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for LWEP.

Specific Objectives

2.To identify the key environmental and social risks and impacts associated with LWEP activities, particularly livelihoods and community-based interventions.

3. To engage relevant stakeholders to validate potential risks and agree on mitigation priorities.
4. To assess existing environmental and social conditions in targeted project areas.
5. To establish the baseline for environmental and social risk management for the project.

• To outline the structure, scope, and content of the ESMP, in alignment with national and donor requirements.

• Instructions to Bidders

These instructions are designed to ensure that all Bidders are given equal and fair consideration. It is the Bidders’ responsibility to ensure their offer is complete and that you provide all the necessary information asked for in the format specified, or risk your offer being rejected. Further details can be found in section 9.1 of this ITT document, ‘Submission Checklist.’

Women consultants actively engaged in or advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace are especially encouraged to apply.

Documents comprising this tender pack are as follows:

• Plan Tender Dossier Reference Number: STA-ITT-LWEP-016

Bidders are required to submit/hand deliver their proposals in hard copy in sealed envelope and address to the Country Director, Plan International Liberia, Fish Market, Monrovia, Libera at the reception – tender box inclusive of all required annexes and the deadline for submission of all proposals is May 19,2026 before 4:00PM.

The required annexes include:

• Plan Tender Dossier
• ANNEX B – Pricing Schedule
• ANNEX C – Technical Questions
• ANNEX D – Supplier Questionnaire
• ANNEX E – Non -Staff Code of Conduct

The offer and all correspondence and documents related to this tender must be written in English.

Each bidder may submit only one (1) offer.

Unless stated otherwise, all communications from Bidders in relation to this tender, including Clarification, Questions, must be directed to Liberia.Proculwep@plan-international.org and must include the ITT reference number: STA-ITT-LWEP-016

4.2 Key Dates and Timelines

The following table outlines the key dates and timelines associated with this tender process. Plan International reserves the right to change these at any time as the tender progresses. To maintain transparency, fairness, and adequate time to prepare your offers, Plan International will inform all interested Parties of any changes to these key dates and timelines simultaneously and in a timely fashion.

4.3 Pricing

Bidders are required to complete the pricing schedule attached separately in ‘Annex B – Pricing Schedule.’ All prices must be quoted in United States dollars and exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT).

It is expected that prices will be fixed for the duration of the contract, and quotes will be valid for a maximum period of 90 calendar days following the closing date of this tender. If, for any reason, you are unable to guarantee fixed pricing for the duration of the contract, any projected price increases should be clearly stated in your tender.

To ensure a fair and transparent process, Plan International will not be able to divulge budget information relating to this tender or associated projects. It is expected that Bidders submit their best possible financial offer at the point of submission.

• PURPOSE OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Liberia Women Empowerment Project invites qualified, competent consultants to submit applications for the Development of an Environmental and Social Management Plan. The purpose of this call is to select a competent consultant with demonstrated experience in environmental and social management plans and community engagement to implement the specified activities in collaboration with the Lead Social Specialist and relevant government ministries and agencies.

5.1 . SCOPE OF WORK

The selected consultant will be responsible for implementing the following activities across six target counties namely; Gbarpolu, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, Rural Montserrado, Grand Gedeh, and River Cess) in Liberia.

• Selection Criteria

Bids will be assessed against predetermined criteria that have been developed and agreed upon by the Tender Panel before launching this Tender process. The information gathered in ‘Annex C -Technical Questions,’ ‘Annex B – Pricing Schedule,’ and any other requested documentation will be used to evaluate and score each Bid against this set of criteria. Please find further details in the table:

• Evaluation of offers

The Tender Panel will review all Bids to ensure they meet the minimum requirements listed under the ‘Compliance’ section in the above table. Following this, each Bid will be assigned a score on the basis of predetermined criteria and its associated weighted scores.

The contract(s) will be awarded to the Bidder(s) who represent the best overall value for Plan International in terms of the evaluation criteria set out above. By participating in this tender, you acknowledge and understand that Plan reserves the right to:

• Decide not to award to any bidder
• Decide to award to one or more bidder
• Decide to re-advertise the opportunity
• Not necessarily accept the lowest cost offer

Notification of the award of the contract will be issued via email.

• Terms & Conditions

By submitting a Bid as part of this Tender process, you also acknowledge and understand that:

• Plan International will not be liable for any costs or expenses incurred in the preparation of your offer
• You or your company will undergo vetting checks against an Anti-Terrorism and Sanctions Database as part of due diligence protocols
• Plan International reserves the right to keep confidential the circumstances that have been considered for the selection of the offers
• Part of the evaluation process may include a presentation from the Bidder and a site visit by Plan International staff, where applicable and necessary
• Plan International reserves the right to alter the schedule of tender and contract awarding
• Plan International reserves the right to cancel this tender process at any time and not to award any contract
• Plan International reserves the right not to enter into or award a contract as a result of this invitation to tender
• Plan International does not bind itself to accept the lowest, or any offer
• Any attempt by the Bidder to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors, or influence the evaluation committee or Plan International during the process of examining, clarifying, evaluating, and comparing tenders will lead to the rejection of its offers and may result in the termination of a current contract, where applicable
• You accept in full and without restriction the conditions governing this tender as the sole basis of this competition, whatever its own conditions of sale may be, which you hereby waive
• You have examined carefully, understood, and complied with all conditions, instructions, forms, provisions, and specifications contained in this tender dossier. You are aware that failure to submit a tender containing all the information and documentation expressly required, within the deadline specified, may lead to the rejection of the tender at Plan International’s discretion
• You are not aware of any corruption practice in relation to this competition. Should such a situation arise, we shall immediately inform Plan International in writing
• You declare that you are affected by no potential conflict of interest, and that you and our staff have no particular link with other Bidders or parties involved in this competition. Should such a situation arise during performance of the contract, you shall immediately inform Plan International in writing
• You accept Plan International’s standard terms of payment, which are 30 days after the end of the month of receipt by Plan of a proper invoice or, if later, after acceptance of the Goods or Services in question by Plan International Ltd

• Plan International’s Ethical & Environmental Statement
• The consultant should establish environmental standards and good practices that follow the principles of ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems, and in particular, ensure compliance with environmental legislation

• The consultant should seek to set reduction targets in areas where the activities lead to significant environmental impacts

• Submission Checklist

All interested individuals and companies are required to request the submission checklist document below by using the email address below: Liberia.Proculwep@plan-international.org