This RFP signifies a collaborative initiative between JICA DXLab and Odisha Forestry Sector Development Society (OFSDS), aiming to select a Digital Partner for a Proof of Concept (PoC) project. The primary objective of the PoC is to develop the ‘Carbon Project Preparation System’, which aims to enable access to relevant documentation to streamline the generation of feasibility reports and Project Design Documents (PDD) towards accrual of carbon credits from forestry interventions. This includes mapping the required data points as per requirements of the crediting agencies; creation of necessary APIs to federate data from fragmented registries and developing visualizations relevant for the users. The maximum budget allocation for development of the PoC is set at USD 200,000, inclusive of all associated taxes and expenses; however, it is worth noting that this budget may be subject to adjustment based on the final PoC plan and related costs. The project is pivotal as it lays the foundation for the development of a comprehensive ‘Forest Stack’ enabling multiple use cases and serving different users. Interim progress reports and a comprehensive final report shall encompass PoC results, activities, quantitative and qualitative evaluations based on predetermined KPIs, along with technical, operational, and strategic recommendations for OFSDS and JICA DXLab. Post completion of the PoC, the final product will be handed over to OFSDS.

Spanning over 1.5 lakh sq.kms, Odisha is the eighth-largest state in India and is endowed with rich natural resources. Odisha boasts a significant forest coverage in India with 38% forest cover, according to the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021, ranking it 4^th in the nation in terms of forest area. [1] The Odisha State Forest Department has initiated several strategic steps towards the protection and management of forest resources, resulting in an increase in the conversion of open forests to moderately dense and very dense forest over the years. Owing to significant carbon sequestration potential of forests, such conservation projects with dual objectives of sustainable forest management and livelihood promotion through community participation carries significant potential to help India meet its NDC [2] targets of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070. In addition, the state has been actively exploring avenues for carbon credit generation from globally accepted standards through its conservation activities. The Odisha State Forest Department recognizes the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Society (OFSDS) as the nodal agency for generation of carbon credits from interventions focused on forest lands and trees outside forests.

[1] Source: Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project (Phase II) – Activity Report
[2] Nationally Determined Contributions

JICA has been closely engaging with OFSDS since 2006 as part of the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP Phase 1). The project has an overarching objective of restoring degraded forest land, conserving biodiversity and enhancing income level of local communities via sustainable forest management practices. The OFSDP Phase 1 achieved considerable impact through strengthening of community-based institutions and joint forest management. Building on the success and lessons learnt, the Odisha Forest Department and JICA entered in to the second phase (“OFSDP Phase 2”) from 2017-18 to 2026-27, with a coverage of 12 Forest/Wildlife divisions with over 1.5 million direct beneficiaries spread across 8 districts in Odisha.

Project developers often face significant challenges during registration of carbon credit projects owing to restricted access to documentation and the manual effort involved in its collation from fragmented sources. Moreover, problems related to improper documentation, such as poor quality, missing data points and non-compliance with standards are the primary reasons for rejection of India-based AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use) projects in the Verra registry. To this effect, JICA DXLab, JICA’s digital transformation cell, is planning to deploy a digital intervention via a Proof of Concept (PoC) project in Odisha aimed at streamlining the carbon credit project preparation process by enabling access to relevant documentation for feasibility report generation and PDD creation from fragmented sources.

In alignment with these efforts, this RFP is being initiated to identify the Digital Partner capable of complementing JICA DXLab’s and OFSDS’s initiatives and implement the PoC. Let's collaborate to make a lasting impact and empower OFSDS to streamline the carbon project preparation process and enable carbon credit accrual through forestry interventions.

The selection process has defined eligibility criteria to ensure only qualified candidates proceed. This is followed by a technical evaluation, where eligible bidders present their proposals. Post-presentation, technical marks are awarded based on the assessment of the proposals. Subsequently, commercial bid opening occurs, determining the highest scorer based on combined technical and commercial evaluations. This structured approach ensures a transparent and merit-based selection of the most suitable bidder.

The key requirement is to develop a carbon project preparation PoC which enables access to relevant documentation across fragmented registries towards the creation of feasibility reports and Project Design Documents, as per the carbon crediting process. The PoC will be designed for users that include officials from the Odisha State Forest Department (including OFSDS) and carbon consultants onboarded by the state.

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We plan to tentatively host an information session for prospective bidders on June 04, 2024, 11:00 (Indian Standard Time / GMT+5.5). If you wish to participate, please contact us at JICADXLab@bcg.com. Confirmation of participation by email is mandatory to attend the information session.