1. Background

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM acts with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

IOM recognizes that a healthy environment is inherently linked to the safety, security and wellbeing of migrants and societies. As part of IOM’s mission to uphold the well-being of migrants and communities, IOM made an institutional commitment in 2017 to mainstream environmental sustainability in its strategies, projects and programs, and facility management and operations. This commitment is in line with the environment-related commitments of the Sustainable Development Goals, the environmental sustainability related commitments of the United Nations and the latest Strategy for Sustainability Management in the United Nations System 2020-2030. To achieve these objectives, IOM launched its global Environmental Sustainability Programme, with a focus on three key environmental management areas: clean energy, water and waste management.

Two of IOM’s key commitments are related to the clean energy transition: enabling access to clean energy in the organization’s facilities and operations as well as in its projects, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, while ensuring environmentally sound management of waste associated with such transition, in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. Given the humanitarian sector’s and IOM’s vision on the clean energy transition articulated through the sector-wide initiative, the Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings, and the increasing distribution of pico-solar and solar products in its operations, IOM aims to ensure that challenges and opportunities related to e-waste derived from solar products are systematically addressed through a lifecycle approach and in partnership with relevant entities, including the private sector.

Most refugees and internally displaced person (IDP) camps have no access to the electricity grid or energy sources other than biomass. In order to meet the energy needs of the camp population, humanitarian agencies have been supplying off-grid products such as solar lanterns, solar streetlights and solar home systems. These products get damaged or stop functioning, with the methods for disposal generally not environmentally friendly, nor cost effective, and additionally can have impact on human health. The unregulated discard of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) is among the fastest growing waste streams in camps and camp-like settings, with no clarity on the environmental, human health and economic impacts of missing recycling and reuse opportunities. IOM, along with other humanitarian stakeholders, recognize the urgent need for a circular economy for renewable energy to enable alignment with the frameworks and commitments previously outlined. However, attempts to address this issue have to date been adhoc and siloed within individual organizations.

2. The Project and Innovation Partnership

Given IOM’s key role and extensive humanitarian operations, IOM aims to tackle the challenge of e-waste management in displacement settings, in coordination with UNHCR, through the Innovation Norway-funded project Greening humanitarian responses through recovery, repair, and recycling of solar products in camps – the E-Waste Project (“the Project”). The Project specifically looks at creating a circular economy for solar lanterns and solar home systems and their accessories that have been distributed in IDP and refugee camps. The overall objective of the Project is to identify solutions that reduce and manage e-waste, while prolonging energy access, creating employment opportunities, supporting alternative forms of livelihoods, increasing knowledge transfer and promoting environmental sustainability.

Significantly, the Project also aims to transform e-waste policies for humanitarian organizations and UN agencies, ensuring systemic change within the humanitarian sector with the ability to transform the way solar products are procured and manufactured, repaired, recovered and recycled in the long-term. In addition, the Project also has the objective of providing evidence to replicate the solutions in other camps and camp-like settings, creating a global reach for the proposed solution, and possibly also to scale up beyond solar products and their accessories to other types of electronic waste.

Research (Phase 1) for the Project was undertaken March to November 2020, which highlighted key findings (Annex 1), including a list of potential innovation opportunities for creating a circular economy for e-waste in displacement settings (Annex 1, page 3). Implementation (Phase 2) will include a pilot trial of a proposed solution in Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya selected based on the findings of the Phase 1 research. . The Project recognizes (further confirmed in Phase 1) the importance of partnerships to deliver on the potential innovation opportunities. Partnerships enable a multi-faceted and holistic approach to the e-waste issue by creating synergies between different aspects of the waste stream and capitalizing on, and growing, previously siloed solutions of various partners. This Call for Innovation Partners (CfIP) aims to foster these partnerships between humanitarian organizations and relevant private companies and/or social enterprises to implement a pilot of a solution(s) to be determined by the CfIP.

Simultaneously to implementation (Phase 2), awareness raising through advocacy will be conducted (Phase 3) through the IOM Environmental Sustainability Programme’s involvement in global, sector-wide networks such as the Environment and Humanitarian Action Network (EHAN), the United Nations’ Greening the Blue initiative and the Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Energy in Situations of Displacement (GPA); and through IOM’s Global WASH Support Unit’s involvement in the Global WASH Cluster, among others, with the aim to encourage transformative wide-spread change. In addition, the Project findings will be promoted at conferences, sharing through organizational newsletters and social media. Monitoring visits will be undertaken throughout the pilot to assess its effectiveness and make adjustments as required to facilitate ongoing learning and adaptation.

3. Benefits of Innovative Partnerships

IOM seeks to form strategic partnerships with legal entities from the private sector/social enterprises/NGOs and/or CSOs (herein after referred to as “partners”), with the aim of developing and strengthening programmes in support of its mandates and economic development in countries where IOM operates. Through this CfIP, we invite partners to submit proposals to implement solutions to step-change e-waste management in humanitarian settings.

Upon selection, partners will be expected to contribute to the development of the implementation of the E-Waste Project pilot trial with their expertise, networks and resources. It is expected that there will be significant long-term benefits for partners and local communities in terms of access, environmental preservations, and scaled effects of sustainable social, economic and health impacts, as well as involvement in shaping the future landscape of solar within camps.

IOM, along with UNHCR will bring expertise of the humanitarian sector, networks, camps access and overall management of the Project. IOM also has funding to support the logistic related expenses likely to be incurred by partners such as for the collection of materials, camp site development, spare parts and development of earning and visibility materials, to the extent the funding benefits the project.

The partnership(s) is based on fair and equitable sharing of costs, resources and knowledge. Each partner should contribute to the extent they have capacity, with recognition of the shared benefits and risks of their contribution.

4. Process

The process to form the partnership(s) consists of the following seven steps. The timeline for the steps is outlined in Section 8 – Timeline.

Step I: Review the CfIP: Interested potential partners are encouraged to carefully review the CfIP and verify that they comply with the eligibility criteria.

Step II: Information session: Interested potential partners complying with the eligibility criteria outlined in the CfIP, are encouraged to participate in IOM’s information session which will explain the project objectives and this CfIP in more detail. The information session will take place through Microsoft Teams. Interested potential partners should send names and email addresses of all participating individuals from their organization to washsupport@iom.int by 11.59 pm 29 January 2021.

Step III: Ideation workshop: In addition to the information session, IOM invites interested potential partners complying with the eligibility criteria outlined in the CfIP, to participate in IOM’s ideation workshop, which will allow interested potential partners to come together and generate innovative ideas for solutions for the e-waste issue. The workshop will be facilitated by IOM and will include a range of activities designed to challenge current thinking, explore alternatives and think creatively, sparking innovative thinking for proposal submission. The ideation workshop will take place online. Potential partners should send names and email addresses of all participating individuals for the ideation workshop from their organization to washsupport@iom.int by 11.59 pm 29 January 2021.

Step IV: Submit a proposal: After the ideation workshop, interested potential partners are encouraged to submit a proposal detailing their proposed solution(s) as further outlined in section 4 below to the washsupport@iom.int, before the submission deadline. Please ensure that you have provided all the requested information and supporting documents.

Step V: IOM reviews the received proposals: IOM reviews all proposals and notifies potential partners if additional information is required. In some cases, IOM might invite selected partners to participate in an online interview for IOM to better understand the proposed solution.

Step VI: Selection result: Based on a complete assessment of all the proposals including supporting documents and interviews (if applicable), IOM will select the partner(s) it wishes to collaborate with. All potential partners who have submitted proposals will be notified whether or not they have been selected.

Step VII: Partnership agreement and pilot implementation: A partnership agreement will be signed by selected partner(s) and IOM, with additional planning discussions regarding the proposed solution(s) between partners and IOM experts prior to pilot implementation.

5. Partnership proposal

Potential partners are encouraged to submit a partnership proposal that reflects one or more (or other) opportunities identified in Phase 1 (Annex 1, page 3), based on their current experience and expertise. IOM may select multiple partners to encourage a collaboration across multiple areas of the waste stream (recovery, repair, recycling, reuse).

Potential partners are welcome to propose synergies within other organizations and submit joint proposals . It is expected that potential partner organizations include details of the resources they are proposing to bring to the project.

Partnership proposals should include:

• Summary of how your organization(s) aligns to the following attributes: (1 page max) o Distribution range and geographic coverage, including any presence near displacement settings. o Current policies/financial investment in environmental sustainability (if applicable) that show potential partner’s organizational commitment to an e-waste circular economy. o Commitment to capacity building in countries of implementation. o Commitment to innovation including evidence of contribution to previous innovation partnership programs (if applicable). o Involvement in various steps of the e-waste stream (either directly or indirectly through partnerships with other private companies/ social enterprises, NGOs or CSOs).
• Summary of your proposed solution including: o Details of your solution and how it addresses one or more innovation opportunities outlined in Annex 1, Page 3 (or others if applicable). o What is already developed out of the box in your solution, and what may need to be developed or customized. o Your business model and commercial ways of working with the humanitarian community in the long term, including any potential costs to beneficiaries.
• Cross cutting themes: o Describe how you will engage local entrepreneurship / build local capacity through the proposed solution. o Describe how your solution will be sustainable in the long term (in terms of financial sustainability and long-term behavior change, as required), and how it may be scaled to other displacement settings Describe any gender equality benefits that may be included in your solution. o Describe any additional intended or unintended environmental impacts of your solution.
• Provide an overview of the resources required to realize the solution, including indication of partner’s own resources allocated (in-kind and/or financial), as well as the suitability of the team and key personnel to implement the project. This can include (but is not limited to): o Hardware (tools, spare parts, solar products, transport costs). o Training and materials. o Specific activities and outputs for the pilot. o Any likely reoccurring costs and business model for reoccurring costs (e.g., service fees). o Personnel. o Other.

6. Assessment Criteria

The partnership proposal will be duly assessed by the IOM Evaluation Committee, based on the assessment criteria outlined above, and summarized below:

• Organizational attributes
• Technical capacity and proposed solution
• Understanding and inclusion of cross-cutting themes within proposed solution.
• Proposed resources to be allocated to the innovation partnership .
• IOM requires partners to articulate the resources they are bringing to the table for the purpose of contributing their knowledge, expertise and capacity to the innovation proccess.
• Upon IOM’s selection of collaboration partner(s), a partnership agreement will be signed between the partners. The agreement will be based on IOM’s standard terms and conditions including any additionally agreed conditions pertinent to the partnership.

7. Submission

Proposals should be sent to washsupport@iom.int no later than 11.59 pm CET on 7 March 2021. Proposals must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the company submitting the proposal.

The cost of preparing a proposal, attendance at any meetings or oral presentations shall be borne by the participants, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the process. All proposals shall remain valid and open for acceptance for a period of 30 calendar days after the date specified for receipt of proposals. The terms and conditions of the partnership will be determined upon selection of the winning proposal for this CfIP. Effective with the release of this solicitation, all communication should be directed to Antonio Torres, IOM Global WASH Coordinator at washsupport@iom.int.

8. Timeline

All participants should refer to the following schedule of the CfIP. This schedule reflects the expected completion dates but may be modified by IOM at its discretion. The ideation workshop is intended for stakeholders to come together and collaborate on potential solutions. The ideation workshop schedule is to be released late-January 2021.

Milestone Schedule (Geneva time, CET) Release of CfIP Week of 18 January 2021:

• Week of 18 January 2021: Release of CfIP
• 11.59 pm 29 January 2021: Deadline for potential partners to register interest in applying to the CfIP by emailing information session and ideation workshop participant emails to washsupport@iom.int
• Week of 1 February 2021: CfIP Information session (online)
• Week of 8 February 2021: Ideation workshop (online)
• 11.59 pm 12 February 2021: Deadline for submission of questions on CfIP
• 11.59 pm 15 February 2021: Deadline for IOM responses to questions on CfIP
• 11.59 pm 7 March 2021: Submission of proposal
• Mid-March 2021: Selection of partner (s) and partnership agreement signing
• March 2021 – February 2022: Pilot kick-off and implementation

ANNEX A – Summary of Phase 1 research

The Phase 1 research phase was undertaken between March and November 2020 through a market dialogue with key stakeholders in the solar sector, as well as field data collection across five camps in Uganda and Kenya. The research identified:

· Best practices and barriers for improving solar and e-waste practices in displacement settings through the market dialogue

· Mapping of waste stream in camps from acquisition to disposal

· Considerations for camp site selection for the pilot, and for future scale up.

· Key take-aways and opportunities for innovative change.

***The full document can be provided upon request at washsupport@iom.int*

ANNEX B – Partnership details

Eligibility

Partners must have a current legal entity.

Partners can make use of current work the company/enterprise is undertaking.

Partners may apply as consortiums.

Accountability

The partner shall be accountable to the IOM E-waste Project Advisory Board (PAB), the Donor Relations Division, Private Sector Liaison Unit or any other qualified official that IOM may appoint.

Confidentiality

Information relating to the evaluation of proposals and recommendations concerning awards shall not be disclosed to those who submitted proposals or to other persons not officially concerned with the process.

All IOM proprietary data shared with the partner shall be governed by a non-disclosure agreement as part of the agreement.

Intellectual property

All outputs and intellectual property created during the course of this consultancy, including but not limited to data, findings, results, solutions, recommendations and any other documents developed throughout the project shall be owned by IOM.

The partner shall develop materials and recommendations assuming current business processes and retention of current duties, accountabilities and responsibilities but may make recommendations for changes.

Non-eligible costs

The partner’s costs of preparing the proposal and of negotiating the contract, including visit/s to IOM, are not reimbursable as a direct cost of the assignment.

Corrupt, fraudulent, and coercive practices

IOM policy requires that all IOM staff, bidders, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors or service providers and partners, observe the highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of all contracts. IOM shall reject any proposal put forward by bidders, or where applicable, terminate their contract, if it is determined that they have engaged in corrupt, fraudulent, collusive or coercive practices. In pursuance of this policy, IOM defines for purposes of this paragraph the terms set forth below as follows:

· Corrupt practice means the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of anything of value to influence the action of the procuring/contracting entity in the procurement process or in contract execution.

· Fraudulent practice is any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, the procuring/contracting entity in the procurement process or the execution of a contract, to obtain a financial gain or other benefit to avoid an obligation.

· Collusive practice is an undisclosed arrangement between two or more bidders designed to artificially alter the results of the tender procedure to obtain a financial gain or other benefit.

· Coercive practice is impairing or harming, or threatening to impair or harm, directly or indirectly, any participant in the tender process to influence improperly its activities in a procurement process or affect the execution of a contract.

Conflict of Interest

All potential partners found to have conflicting interests shall be disqualified to participate. A potential partner may be considered to have conflicting interest under any of the circumstances set forth below:

· A partner has controlling shareholders in common with another bidder.

· A partner receives or has received any direct or indirect subsidy from another bidder.

· A partner has the same representative as that of another partner for purposes of this proposal.

· A partner has a relationship, directly or through third parties, that puts them in a position to have access to information about or influence on the proposal of another or influence the decisions of IOM regarding this proposal review process.

· A partner submits more than one proposal in this proposal process.

How to apply:

Proposals should be sent to washsupport@iom.int no later than 11.59 pm CET on 7 March 2021. Proposals must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the company submitting the proposal.