New Request for Proposals – Stakeholder Mapping in Papua New Guinea

Deadline for Submission of Proposals: Monday, May 19, 2025, 5:00pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).

RFP # VPSHR216-3

The complete RFP and instructions for submitting are available here.

Questions related to this RFP were accepted until Friday, April 25, 2025. Answers are posted below.

The Voluntary Principles Initiative issued a new Request for Proposals to develop a Stakeholder Mapping Report in Papua New Guinea.

Purpose of Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to:

Identify the appropriate national and local stakeholders from all levels of governments, companies, and civil society that have significant activities in the extractives and harvesting sectors in Papua New Guinea or are involved in addressing human rights issues related to business operations in the extractives and harvesting sectors in the country.
Research recent human rights incidents and systemic problems relating to the provision of private and public security.
Identify local civil society organizations with the organizational capacity, activities, and mandate to potentially serve as Secretariat of a new In-Country Working Group.
Identify potential partnerships with other multi-stakeholder initiatives operating in the country relating to business and human rights or the extractives and harvesting sectors, including the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in-country multi-stakeholder groups.

Eligibility Requirements

Bidders must meet the following eligibility requirement:

a) Any individual, civil society organization (CSO) or consultancy firm is eligible to bid, so long as:

the consulting team lead is a resident of Papua New Guinea; or

a majority level of effort is provided by residents of Papua New Guinea; or

individuals and teams are resident in neighbouring countries and can demonstrate strong expertise and knowledge of Papua New Guinea.

Preference will be given to applicants residing in Papua New Guinea.

b) Knowledge of Papua New Guinea extractives and harvesting sectors.

c) Experience in working on social impacts of extractives and harvesting sector projects or stakeholder engagement, human rights, government relations, or another relevant field.

d) High degree of fluency in English. 

e) Proven ability to draft documents and communicate in English, with a high degree of proficiency.

Proposals must be submitted by e-mail no later than May 19, 2025, 5:00pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) to tenders@voluntaryprinciples.org.

Background

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR or simply Voluntary Principles) are an internationally recognized set of principles that guide companies on how to conduct their security operations while ensuring respect for human rights.

The Voluntary Principles were created in 2000 when companies, governments, and NGOs committed to work together to address security-related human rights abuses and violations in the extractive sector. Today, the Principles help companies in various industries.

To promote the implementation of the Principles, the Voluntary Principles Initiative (VPI) was created. The Initiative is comprised of over 75 members and observers including companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations that share best practices and mutually support the implementation of the Principles. For additional information, please visit: http://www.voluntaryprinciples.org/.

Questions and Answers

1. What is the expected duration of research after the contract awarding?

As per item 4.1 Proposal Responses of the RFP, the submissions should include “a technical proposal describing the proposed methodology for carrying out the work” and “an estimated timetable for implementation”. Therefore, bidders should indicate an adequate timeline for implementation that is suitable to their methodology. Depending on size and complexity of the country, stakeholder mappings usually take between 3 and 5 months to be completed.
2. Will the contract be awarded to multiple bidders or a single bidder?

The contract would be awarded to one bidder, which would be responsible for carrying out the work as set out in the proposal. A bidder could be an individual contractor or an organization or a coalition submitting one bid.
3. Considering Papua New Guinea has circa ten (10) mines in operations, will accessibility be a factor in timeline expectations?

As per answer to question 1 above, bidders should include their proposed methodology and a suitable timeline for implementation. Please note that no site visits are required for completion of the stakeholder mapping as it a desktop exercise.
4. It is intended that the report is published? That is, will it be public or confidential?

The report will be the property of the Voluntary Principles Initiative and will be distributed as the organization deems appropriate. The VPI will work with the authors to anonymize details to protect the privacy of sources, such as interviewees, if necessary for public distribution.
5. Are any security related human rights incidents that are identified in the report required to be identified by location and/or entity, or are the incidents able to be de-identified?

The purpose of the report is to develop a broad understanding about the security and human rights issues in PNG and support the creation of a future In-Country Working Group in the country. Detailed information about specific instances is welcome, but not necessary. Sensitive information will be redacted if required to protect sources and other stakeholders involved. The best approach to addressing specific confidentiality concerns will be agreed between the winning bidder and the VPI Secretariat team.