2.1 Overall Objective
To strengthen NFP's environmental, social, governance, gender inclusion, occupational safety, biodiversity, climate adaptation, supply chain and energy management systems in line with IFC Performance Standards, DFCD/FMO requirements and applicable Ugandan laws, thereby improving investment readiness and implementation capacity.
2.2 Specific Objectives
- Assess compliance with relevant IFC Performance Standards and identify material gaps, risks and corrective measures needed to develop NFP's ESMS and associated ESG governance arrangements.
- Assess Board and management structures and recommend practical governance improvements, including roles, reporting lines, KPIs, annual targets, review meetings and indicative implementation budgets.
- Assess existing internal and external grievance mechanisms and stakeholder engagement processes and strengthen them for workers, farmers, communities and vulnerable groups.
- Assess environmental hazards and safety management in current facilities and operations, with explicit attention to pesticide storage, handling, use, disposal and any needed phase-out requirements.
- Undertake a GESI assessment and develop a practical GESI operational plan, including measures on workforce diversity, recruitment, retention, leadership, inclusion, and grievance handling.
- Assess biodiversity, ecosystem-service dependencies and climate risks, including the need for a biodiversity assessment and climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) for proposed avocado production sites, and prepare a Rio Marker 2 justification aligned with DFCD objectives.
- Develop a supplier code of conduct and associated supply chain management process addressing IFC PS2 and PS6 requirements, including screening tools, monitoring processes and contract clauses.
- Conduct an energy audit of existing and planned facilities and recommend energy-efficiency, cost-saving and carbon-emission avoidance measures.
3. Scope of Work
The consultant shall undertake the assignment through the six workstreams below, which correspond directly to the approved DFCD-OF Technical Assistance Milestones.
3.1 ESG Assessment
- Review existing E&S, HR, governance and operational documentation, including developing an IFC compliant ESMS, policies, procedures, registers, grievance channels and monitoring tools.
- Assess NFP's compliance with applicable IFC Performance Standards - at minimum PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4 and PS6 - and relevant national legal and regulatory requirements.
- Undertake an ESG gap assessment covering governance, labour and working conditions, stakeholder engagement, community health and safety, resource efficiency, biodiversity interface, contractor management and operational controls.
- Assess Board and management structures and recommend best-practice E&S governance arrangements proportionate to NFP's scale and financing pathway, including oversight responsibilities, committee structures, escalation routes and management accountability.
- Develop an ESG governance framework with measurable KPIs, annual targets, monthly reporting templates to senior management, and an implementation calendar for periodic management review meetings.
- Prepare a costed Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) or equivalent improvement matrix identifying actions, responsibilities, timelines, priority levels and indicative budget allocations required to strengthen E&S management practice and capacity.
3.2 Environmental Hazards and Safety Compliances
- Assess current environmental hazards management and occupational health and safety practices across representative farms, warehouses, offices, logistics nodes and current processing or storage areas.
- Review hazardous materials management with particular emphasis on pesticides and agrochemicals, including procurement, approved product lists, storage conditions, handling, application practices, transport, spill response, disposal and record keeping.
- Identify any pesticides or practices requiring restriction, substitution or phase-out and propose a practical phase-out and transition plan where needed.
- Assess worker safety arrangements, emergency preparedness, incident reporting, PPE adequacy, sanitation, fire safety, machinery safety, traffic management and contractor controls.
- Prepare facility-specific or function-specific safety protocols and an appropriate safety layout / improvement plan for implementation, including signage, storage zoning, segregation requirements and minimum control measures.
- Develop or refine OHS procedures, toolbox-training topics and a prioritized hazards mitigation action plan.
3.3 GESI Assessment
- Assess NFP's compliance with IFC Performance Standards from a gender and social inclusion perspective, with specific attention to labour practices, community interfaces, worker and farmer access to grievance channels, and protection of vulnerable groups.
- Analyse gender and inclusion gaps in governance, management, staffing, Village Agent arrangements, field operations and farmer-facing business processes, using sex-, age- and vulnerability-disaggregated data where available.
- Identify barriers affecting women's participation, youth inclusion, retention, progression, leadership opportunities, access to services and safe participation in the value chain.
- Prepare a practical GESI operational plan with objectives, actions, responsibilities, indicators, timelines and indicative budget, covering policy strengthening, staff sensitization, recruitment and retention measures, inclusive communication and monitoring.
- Recommend measures for staff recruitment, retention and advancement, including actions to strengthen representation, safe working conditions, prevention of discrimination and harassment, and meaningful inclusion of women and vulnerable groups.
- Design or strengthen GESI-responsive grievance procedures, including clear referral pathways, confidentiality safeguards and survivor-centred handling of SEA/SH or GBV-related complaints.
3.4 Biodiversity & Climate Change Adaptation Assessment
- Assess compliance with IFC Performance Standards relevant to biodiversity, ecosystem services and climate resilience, including screening against PS6 risk considerations for existing and planned production areas.
- Undertake a high-level biodiversity assessment and determine the scope of any further biodiversity work required at investment stage, including for proposed avocado production sites and associated infrastructure.
- Undertake a climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA) or CRVA-light covering current and planned operations, key commodities and outgrower geographies.
- Identify climate hazards, ecosystem dependencies, land-use pressures and biodiversity risks relevant to NFP's operations and supply base, and define practical adaptation and mitigation measures.
- Assess alignment with DFCD climate adaptation objectives and prepare a concise Rio Marker 2 justification note explaining the adaptation rationale and materiality of the proposed interventions.
- Recommend actions to integrate biodiversity management and climate adaptation into operational planning, farmer support services, monitoring systems and the ESMS.
3.5 Supply Chain Management
- Map the core supply chain and identify ESG, labour, land-use, biodiversity and farmer-related risk hotspots relevant to NFP's sourcing and supplier relationships.
- Develop a Supplier Code of Conduct and associated management process addressing IFC PS2 and PS6 requirements, as well as practical expectations on labour standards, health and safety, pesticide management, land rights, environmental practices and grievance handling.
- Design a risk-based process for supplier and aggregator screening, onboarding, performance monitoring, corrective action management and escalation.
- Draft or refine supplier contract clauses and template undertakings for inclusion in supplier, service provider and relevant contractor agreements.
- Recommend a practical implementation roadmap, including internal ownership, training needs, supplier communication materials and monitoring indicators.
3.6 Conduct Energy Audits for Energy Saving and Evidence of Carbon Emissions
- Assess current energy use across NFP's facilities and operations, including warehouses, offices and other relevant operational sites, and establish the major energy-consuming systems and practices.
- Assess the planned energy-use profile of new processing and storage facilities, including likely loads, process requirements, technology options and operational assumptions.
- Identify opportunities for energy efficiency, improved operations, equipment optimization, renewable-energy integration where feasible, and energy cost-saving measures.
- Estimate the baseline energy implications and indicate how recommended measures can contribute to avoidance or reduction of carbon emissions.
- Prepare a practical energy audit report inclusive of an Energy Efficiency Action Plan with prioritized recommendations, indicative savings potential, implementation considerations and management actions needed for adoption of efficient technologies.
4. Methodology
- Desk review of relevant company documents, policies, contracts, layouts, operational records, existing studies, audit reports and monitoring data.
- Interviews with NFP Board and management representatives, operational staff, relevant