Consultancy – HIP Norway support for locally driven innovation

1. DESCRIPTION OF CLIENT

Innovation Norway’s objective is to be the policy instrument of the state and the county authorities for achieving value-creating business development throughout the country. Innovation Norway was established by special legislation and is owned by the government and the county councils with stakes of 51 % and 49 %, respectively. Innovation Norway is financed through appropriations from the company’s owners and clients. The company is represented in all the counties in Norway and approximately 23 countries across the globe.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCUREMENT

Purpose of the procurement

About the assignment

The Humanitarian Innovation Programme (HIP Norway) grants funding and support to develop, test and scale new solutions that can contribute to better and more efficient humanitarian assistance. The program supports innovation projects led by humanitarian organizations where the expertise and technical know-how from the private sector is applied to find solutions to humanitarian challenges. The program seeks bold ideas that aim to improve resilience against natural disasters or improve humanitarian response in crises and conflict, specifically projects addressing issues related to green response, health and sanitation, food security, innovative financing, and protection. HIP Norway is fully financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Innovation Norway. HIP Norway is not mandated to support the Norwegian private sector; grantees may partner with private actors from any geography, as they see fit.

More information about the programme may be found here: https://hip.innovationnorway.com/

The programme currently funds innovation projects led by pre-selected humanitarian organizations—specifically UN agencies and international NGOs (INGOs) with a presence in Norway. This model aims to maximize the proportion of funding directed to projects rather than administrative overhead. While local actors are encouraged to participate in consortia, their involvement is not currently a requirement.

Localization of humanitarian response refers to the commitment to increase support for local and national actors, recognizing their critical role as first responders with deep community ties and contextual knowledge. The localization agenda, as outlined in the Grand Bargain and other global frameworks, emphasizes shifting power and resources closer to affected communities to enhance the relevance, accountability, and sustainability of humanitarian action.

Evidence shows that locally led innovation contributes to improved project outcomes, uptake, and sustainability. The objective of this consultancy is therefore to assess how HIP Norway is positioned to support locally led humanitarian innovation. The consultant will explore how the programme can adjust its design, funding mechanisms, capacity enhancing and partnership models to more effectively support locally driven innovation, while maintaining operational efficiency and accountability. We aim to have to have diversity of gender and geography in the workstream and particularly encourage Global South representatives to apply.

Objectives

• Identify barriers and opportunities for greater leadership by local actors (e.g., NGOs, businesses, first responders, community-based organizations) in HIP-funded projects.
• Develop actionable recommendations for how HIP can adapt its programme design, partnership criteria, and support mechanisms to ensure long term sustainability of the projects and that they are driven by and meet local needs.

Activities

• Conduct desk research on existing literature related to localization specifically in humanitarian innovation projects.
• Map and analyze existing practices and models for local leadership in innovation processes.
• Conduct interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders, including:
  • HIP-funded organizations
  • Local and national NGOs
  • Refugee-led and community-based organizations
  • Private sector partners
  • Humanitarian donors and innovation funders
• Identify good practices and lessons learned from other innovation donors that successfully support locally led humanitarian innovation
• Develop a set of guiding recommendations tailored to HIP’s operational model and strategic priorities.

Planned timeline

The consultancy is expected to be completed within 12-14 weeks, starting from the contract signing date. A detailed timeline will be agreed upon during the inception phase.

Deliverables

• Inception Report: Outlining methodology, work plan, and stakeholder engagement strategy.
• Final Report: Including analysis, findings, and practical recommendations for HIP. The recommendations should include a menu of various options moving forward, including their benefits, costs and challenges.

Budget

Please provide your hourly rate as well as the total cost of delivery. The aniticipated value of the contract is NOK 200 000.

Scope of the procurement

The anticipated value of the contract is NOK 200 000.

Furthermore, reservations are made with regard to budgetary changes and the company’s priorities affecting the execution of the competition and the contractual relationship. If the needs of the Client so dictate, another supplier may be used.

Part tenders

It is not possible to tender for parts of the delivery.

CONTRACT AND DURATION

The contract period is from the date of signature and lasts for 12-14 weeks.

When submitting an offer, the Supplier is obliged to have read and accepted the contract terms that apply to the procurement.

PROGRESS PLAN

The Client has set out the following time frame for the process:

• Deadline: 7. 7.2025 at 12.00 CET
• Evaluations: 7.7-11.08
• Award of contract: 4-8 August
• Conclusion of contract: 11-15 August

EXECUTION OF THE COMPETITION

Procurement procedure

The procurement will be carried out in accordance with the rules set out in this request for tender, as well as Act no. 73 of 17 June 2016 relating to public procurement (Public Procurement Act) and Regulation no. 974 of 12 August 2016 relating to public procurement (Public Procurement Regulation) Part I.

The Client may enter into a dialogue with the suppliers. This dialogue can involve all aspects of the tender and other received documents or information and can, for example, include clarifications and negotiations with the suppliers. The Client reserves the right to negotiate in phases and to move forwards with a selection of suppliers if there is a need to do so. The Client will consider this following expiry of the deadline for submission of tenders.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND PUBLIC ACCESS

Information submitted to Innovation Norway is, in principle, public information in accordance with Section 3 of Act no. 16 of 19.05.2006 relating to the right of access to documents held by public authorities and public undertakings (Freedom of Information Act).

Exceptions to the right of access to tenders and procurement protocols may be made until the selection of a supplier has been made, cf. Section 23 (3) of the Freedom of Information Act.

The Client is subject to a duty of confidentiality regarding business affairs, cf. Act no. 130 of 19 December 2003 relating to Innovation Norway, Section 27 (1). In the event of a claim for right of access, “commercial aspects” will be redacted.

AWARD CRITERIA

The contract will be awarded on the basis of which tender has the best ratio between price or cost and quality, based on the following criteria: Expertise and experience (80%) and price (20%). See details below:

1: Expertise and experience

Weighting: 80%

Will be evaluated based on the following:

• Proven experience in humanitarian innovation and humanitarian-private partnerships.
• Strong understanding of global humanitarian architecture and funding mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct qualitative research and stakeholder consultations.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Strong experience with locally driven innovation.

The supplier shall provide:

• CV detailing relevant work experience.
• Cover letter

2: Price

Weighting: 20%

Documentation requirements: The supplier must provide an hourly rate and total price for the project delivery

Awarding of points and weighting model

Award criteria Price:

For the award criterion Price, a linear model will be used. In the event that the highest price is twice as high as the lowest price, a proportionate model will be used. In the event that a price item is set at NOK 0, the following formula will be used:

Points = 10 – 10 x current price

selected maximum price

The weighting will be according to the table above.

Other award criteria:

The evaluation will use a points scale from 1 to 10 points, where 10 points will be given to the best response for a given award criterion, and a relatively lower score to the remaining tenders.

REJECTION

Rejection of tender

The client can/must reject a supplier/offer in accordance with the rejection provisions in the procurement regulations.