Proposals due: 2nd April 2023
Project delivery: May 2023 – September 2023
Background
The Just Transition Finance Challenge is a flagship initiative to mobilise more public and private capital into investments that support a Just Transition to Net Zero in the UK and globally. The Challenge brings together 20 leading global financial institutions who jointly control over £4 trillion in assets and are committed to financing a Just Transition.
As part of the Challenge, we are launching a project to support the financing of a just transition in the Global South, with funding from the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3). We are looking to hire a consultant to support us in developing materials to inform and engage our target audiences, based on the evidence base on just transition investing that the Institute is building.
Project overview
The transition to net zero must be global, fair and inclusive to be successful. Our aim with this project is for more private capital to be deployed to support such a just transition in the Global South. To achieve this, we will work with catalytic capital providers as well as investors based in the Global South to increase their capacity to develop and launch financial products that can attract institutional capital for a just transition globally. We are focusing on these two groups of actors because:
- Catalytic capital providers, such as Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and charitable foundations can provide the patient, risk-tolerant, concessionary, and flexible capital required to bring in more traditional capital where it is acutely needed;
- Investors based in the Global South, specifically fund and asset managers in Sub-Saharan African and South Asia, have a deeper and more accurate understanding of local needs and opportunities related to a just transition. We want to support them in taking a leadership role in developing investment propositions to drive more capital to their respective global regions.
The Institute will be conducting virtual interviews and workshops across Q2 of 2023 with the above actors. We will bring them together, as well as the participants in the Just Transition Finance Challenge, to identify best practices and case studies of how catalytic capital investors, investors based in the Global South and traditional capital market players can partner to further the reach, impact and/or attractiveness of financing vehicles delivering a just transition.
The Institute project team will convene and organise the interviews and workshops. We are looking to contract a specialised consultant who can distil the evidence collected into:
- Two short handbooks to help inform mainstream, catalytic and other investor relationships on financing the just transition.
- A series of case studies, designed to be used in the handbooks as well as on their own as separate engagement tool.
What we are looking for
Strong candidates will evidence:
- Excellent written communication skills with a special emphasis on the ability to make technical concepts feel accessible yet comprehensive
- Experience in pulling out key themes and concepts from interview and workshop recordings and write ups and incorporating them into an engaging format
- A strong eye for design and the proven ability to communicate complex topics through impactful visualisations
- A proven track record of delivering documents such as case studies and reports to deadline
- An understanding of the power dynamics inherent in work of this nature and the sensitivity to not perpetuate those dynamics in the outputs of this project
- A specific awareness and/or knowledge of the dynamics of finance in the Global South would be an advantage
Although the Institute will be organising and facilitating the interviews and workshops with project stakeholders, we would expect a successful candidate to join most, if not all of them, as an observer.
Outputs and timelines
We would expect a successful candidate to have been onboarded by mid-May 2023.
The consultant’s key outputs and responsibilities will be the drafting and editing of two separate handbooks of best practices, to be ten pages maximum each, in line with Institute branding and in close consultation with the Institute’s communications team. The two handbooks should cover:
- Best practices on integrating catalytic capital in financing vehicles aligned with a Just Transition, e.g., to deepen their impact, including related case studies;
- Best practices on Global South-based investors leading or partnering in the delivery of Just Transition financing vehicles, including related case studies.
Each of the handbooks should be based on materials provided by the Institute team, including content from interviews and workshops, case study materials and desk research outputs. It will be the responsibility of the consultant to build these materials into a cohesive and attractive whole. The case studies used to illustrate the handbooks should also be developed in a manner that enables their stand-alone use as part of the Institute’s case study library. The consultant will also be expected to propose impactful ways of presenting data and findings (e.g., infographics) which may then be further developed by the Institute team and its graphic designers.
First drafts of the work should be delivered by end of June 2023. Final handbooks, including Institute feedback, should be delivered by the beginning of August 2023.
In delivering the above, we also expect the consultant to organise and hold weekly check-ins with the Institute team.
Budget
We are expecting bids in the range of £8,000-11,000 excluding VAT, for the delivery of the above outputs.
The Institute is also interested in receiving proposals from organisations and individuals who have the experience and networks to help us deliver a dissemination and promotional campaign for these materials. Please let us know if you are interested in this phase of the project.
Process for tendering
Tenders should contain the following elements by 2nd April 2023:
- A narrative document of no more than 2 sides of A4, highlighting your proposal for delivering this project and how this would be supported by your previous experience.
- Links to relevant writing samples, including:
- At least one published article or thought leadership piece
- At least two publications between 10-40 pages
- A case study or materials designed for social media
- A fixed-fee quote (you may include an Excel worksheet of budget breakdown)
- Details on how you plan to incorporate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) considerations to the project deliverables and how you consider DEI in your working practices
For candidates interested in supporting the delivery of a dissemination and promotional campaign (see section 4), please also include links to examples of similar work.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis. If you envisage having difficulties meeting the deadline, please let us know as soon as possible and we will consider whether an extension would be appropriate.
Please send proposals to and contact Sophia Omar (programme@impactinvest.org.uk) with any questions you may have with the subject line Request for Proposals: Financing the Just Transition in the Global South