Call for Consultancy: Stakeholder Engagement Guidance/Toolkit

Request for Proposal

Title: Stakeholder Engagement Guidance/Toolkit

WWF is seeking a qualified consultant/firm to provide services related to the development

of a user-friendly and practical stakeholder engagement guidance/toolkit for WWF's

conservation practitioners.

Technical Proposal

The technical proposal must include:

• Understanding of the assignment

• Methodology and approach

• Work plan and timeline

• Relevant experience and examples of similar work

• CVs of key personnel

• References (minimum two)

financial Proposal

The financial proposal must include:

• Total cost (currency: CHF)

• Daily or hourly rate

• Number of days

• Breakdown of all expenses

• Confirmation that the price is all-inclusive (taxes, fees, etc.)

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Technical – 70%

• Methodology and approach – 25%

• Relevant experience – 25%

• Qualifications of experts – 20%

Financial – 30%

• Cost competitiveness – 30%

Bidders must submit:

• One technical proposal (PDF)

• One financial proposal (PDF)

Send to:

Subject: "RFP – [Assignment Name] – [Bidder Name]"

Deadline: 9 January 2026 by 23:59 (CET)

Late submissions will not be considered.

Questions may be submitted to Elina Kaartinen, , until 9 January

2026.

• WWF International reserves the right to reject any proposal.

• WWF International may request additional information.

• Offer must be valid for at least 30 days before its acceptance.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Title: Stakeholder Engagement Guidance/Toolkit

Consultant for WWF International

1. Background

WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. To support our commitment to embedding human rights and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities across WWF's portfolio, WWF International established a Safeguards and Human Rights Team in 2019. Led by the Senior Director, Safeguards and Human Rights, the team has oversight responsibility over WWF's Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF) and Statements of Principles (SoPs) on Human Rights, Gender Equality, and Indigenous Peoples. The team has a global mandate in providing network services as part of WWF International's Secretariat function, and sits within the Global Conservation Division, in the Department for People and Places. Part of the team's role is to provide technical advice, capacity building and guidance to WWF Network offices to help these implement the commitments and requirements in the Statements of Principles and the Safeguards Framework in the context of their work. A key component of WWF's social and human rights commitments and accountability to affected people, particularly rights-holders, is meaningful stakeholder engagement. In the context of place-based work, minimum standards for this are outlined in the Safeguard on Stakeholder Engagement, which is part of the ESSF. The commitment to meaningful stakeholder engagement is further supported by WWF's principle on adopting human rights-based approaches and guidance on inclusive conservation.

To help WWF staff translate this commitment into practice in the context of conservation projects and programmes, the Safeguards and Human Rights team is seeking to engage a consultant/group of consultants to develop a stakeholder engagement guidance/toolkit for WWF's place-based activities. An earlier draft of stakeholder engagement guidance exists; however, it predates the current version of the ESSF and the development of WWF's Inclusive Conservation Guidance. The draft therefore does not yet integrate these updates and is not sufficiently user-friendly for conservation practitioners. For the purposes of this consultancy, the previous draft should therefore be seen as background material rather than a template.

The guidance/toolkit developed under this consultancy should align with the Safeguard on Stakeholder Engagement and with WWF's guidance on inclusive conservation, as applicable, and reflect WWF's commitment to adopt human rights-based approaches. It will be aimed principally at WWF's conservation practitioners who implement on-the-ground conservation projects and programmes and are responsible for stakeholder engagement in the context of such initiatives. The consultant is therefore expected to produce a clear, accessible and user-centred product that practitioners can make use of in

their daily work.

1. Objective of the Assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to develop a practical, user-friendly stakeholder engagement guidance/toolkit that supports WWF practitioners in the context of place-based activities in aligning community stakeholder engagement processes with applicable internal standards and guidance, as mentioned above.

1. Scope of the work

The consultant will be responsible for:

1) Document Review

• Review WWF's Safeguard on Stakeholder Engagement.

• Review WWF's Inclusive Conservation Guidance.

• Review existing draft of Stakeholder Engagement guidance.

• Review what existing external guidance on stakeholder engagement is relevant for the purposes

and terms of this consultancy

• Based on the above, identify opportunities for improvement in the technical content of the

existing draft guidance on stakeholder engagement. This should focus on alignment of the draft

with the stated internal documents by identifying and addressing potential contradiction and

confusion as well as possible gaps that may exist in the draft.

2) Reference Group Engagement (remotely)

• Participate in an initial consultation with the Reference Group to:

o Understand user needs and expectations.

o Gather input on practical challenges and priorities.

• Conduct at least two follow-up consultations:

o First: Present draft guidance/toolkit for feedback.

o Second: Share revised draft for final input before completion.

3) Toolkit Development

• Draft a practical, user-friendly guidance document/toolkit for stakeholder engagement in the

context of place-based activities, that is aligned with the relevant internal standards and

guidance. The toolkit should outline a clear, structured sequence of key steps in stakeholder

engagement, while emphasizing that engagement is iterative and must be adapted to context. It

should provide practical tools (e.g., checklists, templates, and decision-making aids as

appropriate) to support teams through each stage of the process.

1. Deliverables with the timeline

Deliverable Delivered by Payment

1 First draft guidance/toolkit for initial

feedback 06 March %

2 Second draft guidance/toolkit for final

input 15 April %

3 Final version of guidance/toolkit 31 May %

1. Timeline and duration of the Assignment

Proposals should be submitted by 09 January 2026

Contract to be issued by 22 January 2026

Work to be undertaken between 23 January and 31 May 2026.

1. Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement in the context of conservation and/or

development projects/programmes, tailoring efforts to local context and ensuring the inclusion

of vulnerable groups.

• Proven experience in conservation project and/or programme management and the integration

of social and human rights commitments.

• Demonstrated knowledge of conservation priorities and issues and the intersection with human

rights and social dynamics in complex, multi-actor settings.

• Experience in developing practical, user-friendly guidance and tools to support the

development and/or implementation of conservation projects/programmes and the integration

of social and human rights commitments in conservation efforts.

• Experience in supporting international organisations that operate across diverse countries and

contexts.

• Strong writing skills in English

• High degree of cultural sensitivity

1. Management and reporting

• Project Manager: The Consultant(s) will report to the Regional Head, Safeguards and Human Rights,

Europe, North Africa and South Asia

• Ongoing working relationships within the WWF Network during the consultancy: Through the Project

Manager, the consultant(s) will coordinate with a core group of technical experts to support and

orient their work. The Project Manager will also establish a Reference Group representing intended

users, for the purposes of this consultancy.

1. Budget

The maximum available budget for this assignment is 19,000.00 CHF, inclusive of all fees, taxes, and

expenses.

Please note that WWF International is a registered VAT business and the applicable Swiss VAT is 8.1%.

When a foreign supplier/consultant (not registered in Switzerland) provides services to a Swiss VAT - registered business, the supply is subject to Swiss VAT via the so-called "acquisition tax" or reverse - charge mechanism.

Travel is not required in this contract, and any travel related expenses will not be reimbursed.

1. Intellectual Property & Confidentiality

All deliverables produced under this assignment will remain the property of WWF.

Confidentiality must be maintained throughout the assignment.

All applications should be sent to with reference "GBBF Madagascar: WWF-GEF Project Development Consultant"."

WWF is an equal opportunity employer and committed to having a diverse workforce.