Request for Proposal (RFP) - GLE & SRLE Consultant (Learning Exchange)

Location: Remote

Who we are Global Fishing Watch (GFW) is an international, non-profit organization committed to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency. We create and publicly share knowledge about human activity at sea to enable fair and sustainable use of our ocean. Founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google, GFW became an independent non-profit organization in June 2017. Using cutting-edge technology, we create and publicly share map visualizations, data, and analysis tools to enable scientific research and drive a transformation in how we manage our ocean. Our major focus is on commercial fishing because it is the most widespread human activity at sea, the most impactful on ocean health, and the most crucial for global livelihoods and food security. By 2030, we aim to monitor and visualize the impact of ocean-going vessels, both industrial and small-scale, that are responsible for the vast majority of the global seafood catch. We believe human activity at sea should be common knowledge to safeguard the global ocean commons for the common good of all. Global Fishing Watch currently works in fifteen countries (Chile, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Senegal, Gabon, Madagascar, Morocco, Albania, Montenegro, Vietnam, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Marshall Islands). Our work in core countries is focused on demonstrating the value of transparency and working closely with national governments and institutions to improve management decisions, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and safeguarding biodiversity. In addition to our work with these countries, GFW also has active MOUs capturing our work with a number of regional fisheries bodies (RFBs) agencies designed to leverage and scale our core country work to influence transparency outcomes in multiple countries across the region. Three of these are Africa based and include; the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (CSRP), the Regional Fisheries Commission for the Gulf of Guinea (COREP) and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) . These three sub-regional fisheries agencies account for eighteen member states in West Africa spanning the entirety of the Gulf of Guinea

Project background Transparency in the fisheries sector is essential to ensuring accountability, combating illegal practices, and fostering sustainable resource management. Global Fishing Watch (GFW) is organizing back-to-back meetings around/on fisheries transparency to address critical challenges and opportunities within the fisheries sector. Civil servants from multiple countries and continents and from Regional Fisheries Bodies (RFBs) will convene in these meetings to share national and regional experiences, identify common challenges, and co-design/explore solutions tailored to their respective contexts. Transparency is essential for strengthening sustainable fisheries management, as it ensures that information on fishing vessel activity, vessel licensing and authorizations, vessel ownership, are openly available and verifiable. By focusing on this theme of improved transparency, the meeting will help reduce the risks of overfishing and resource depletion

The proposal is to hold separate but overlapping meetings for these countries and RFBs:

A “Global Learning Exchange: Building National Pathways Together”, (GLE) comprising government representatives of GFW core countries supported by GFW country officers to allow for open exchange of lessons learned and challenges encountered at country level (2 ½ days) A “Sub-regional Learning Exchange: Enhancing Transparency in the Gulf of Guinea (SRLE) comprising core technical and operational staff from each of the three RFBs along with representatives from selected national governments including both core and non-core countries in West Africa (1 ½ days) Both meetings will provide simultaneous translation across the multiple languages that will be spoken at the meeting. These languages will be English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin.

Given the diversity of participants, representing different cultures, institutions, and administrative traditions, GFW is seeking an experienced consultant team capable of supporting both learning exchanges. We envisage the consultant to be able to provide the following support, prior to and after these meetings:

Assist GFW organizers to develop the meeting preparatory phase (particularly for GLE), meeting agendas, materials and advise on the structure and delivery of the meeting

• Providing the diplomatic facilitation that will be critical to creating an inclusive, respectful, and productive environment for all participants.
• Prepare and “After Action Report” (AAR), in collaboration with GFW staff.
• See attached Annexes for a more detailed description of the GLE (Annex 1) and SRLE (Annex 2).
• Required Qualifications

The facilitator (or facilitation team) should have:

• Proven experience facilitating multi-stakeholder, multi-lingual, international workshops, preferably involving government officials.
• Demonstrated ability to foster dialogue among workshop participants in multi-cultural and multi-lingual settings.
• Strong background in diplomatic and participatory facilitation techniques.
• Demonstrated proficiency in planning, designing, and running a workshop, including defining objectives and outcomes, managing group dynamics, and preparing logistics
• Knowledge of governance, fisheries, natural resource management, or related fields (an asset, but not mandatory if facilitation skills are strong).
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (verbal and non-verbal), and conflict management skills.
• The ability to remain neutral, guide decision-making, and adaptive to ensure the active participation of all attendees
• Fluency in English (knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage
• Reporting and Coordination

The successful consultant (facilitator) will work in close coordination with Geoffrey Muldoon and Marco Costantini ensuring regular communication and active participation in scheduled check-in meetings throughout the consultancy period. The consultant will also, from time to time, be required to communicate directly with GFW in-country staff globally as part of planning and preparation of these respective workshops. Any necessary travel related to this consultancy should be foreseen and reflected in the proposed budget. A final presentation will be organized to share key findings, conclusions, and recommendations with the team. Application process Interested parties should submit a proposal via email in the first instance to Geoffrey Muldoon and Marco Costantini. The work should be carried out over a roughly 12 week period..

The proposal should consist of:

A CV or organizational profile and cover letter explaining the provider’s interest and qualification for the consultancy including a description of previous experience relevant to the types of work proposed in the RFP. A Short technical proposal (2–3 pages) outlining preparation timelines and coordination, and the facilitation approach and methodology. A list of all staff members who will be working on the commission (if more than one) including their CVs Examples of similar ‘international’ assignments (preferably with references).

Providing a broad outline of preparatory activities, along with a proposed timeline that provides:

Expected milestone dates for workshop coordination and preparation Expected dates for all deliverables (e.g., agenda, preparation of meeting materials etc.)

A budget breakdown detailing costs for deliverables that includes:

The number of work days expected (per employee) and associated day rate and what these entail (e.g. research, report writing, meeting preparation, facilitation) Costs of stakeholder engagement, (if any) The budget should be submitted in spreadsheet form

• Any associated travel costs and incidental expenses for team members.
• Duration of Consultancy, Activities and Deliverables
• The work to be completed for both workshops will be carried out over a roughly 12 week period.

Facilitation We anticipate the roles and responsibilities of the consultant to fall broadly under i) Preparatory, ii) Workshop Facilitation and iii) Post-workshop phases. We envisage the following activities under each of these phases, however these are a guide only and we would encourage the consultant to use these to set out the methodology for their approach to this project. Preparatory Phase

• Engage with the organizing team to refine objectives, agenda, and methodologies.
• Advise on pre-workshop assignments for participants (e.g., short case write-ups, data preparation, reflection exercises).
• Work with the organizing team to review preparatory materials and adapt facilitation methods accordingly.
• Facilitation Phase (During Workshop)
• Lead plenary sessions, and coordinate session leads in interactive discussions, and group work.

Ensure inclusive participation, balancing diverse cultures, seniorities, and communication styles. Apply facilitation techniques that encourage participation, collaboration, problem-solving, and consensus-building. Manage sensitive discussions with tact and neutrality, maintaining the diplomatic environment. Capture emerging insights, decisions, and action points for wider discussion within the workshop and reporting. Post-Workshop Phase Provide a concise facilitation report summarizing key discussions, outputs, and recommendations. Suggest follow-up actions to sustain momentum. Deliverables

In terms of deliverable, the facilitator will be expected to provide:

• Input into the workshop agenda and methodology to prepare participants to the meetings (prior to the event).
• Facilitation of the workshop, including plenary and breakout sessions.
• A facilitation report (10 –15 pages for each workshop) with key findings, action points, and recommendation

We anticipate that consultants should allocate their time as follows:

Coordination and meeting preparation of workshop agenda and methodology (50%) Workshop facilitation (30%) Post-workshop reporting and After-Action Reviews (AAR) (20%) Scope and timeline Action/Activity

Due Date

Submit proposal to GFW

4th December 2025

Preferred vendor selected and advised

11th December 2025

Project Inception Meeting

18th December 2025

Interim meeting agendas and methodology structure and delivery format of meetings presented and agreed

18th January 2026

Preparatory work for participants (in particular for GLE) presented and agreed

18th February 2026

Final meeting agendas and structure and delivery format of meetings agreed

1st March 2026

Global Learning Exchange and Sub-regional Learning Exchange delivered

28 March 2026

Final report and After-Action Review (AAR) submitted

28 April 2026

Evaluation criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria Relevant experience and qualifications (40%) Technical Approach and content quality (30%) Cost and value (20%) Timeline and availability (10%) Submission deadline Proposals should be submitted by 4th of December Equal Opportunities: Global Fishing Watch is an equal opportunities employer. Global Fishing Watch is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our organization and in the greater ocean management and conservation community. We believe that diverse backgrounds, skills, knowledge and viewpoints make us a stronger organization. Bringing together professionals who possess broad experiences and a spectrum of perspectives will enable us to reach our goal of improved ocean governance faster. We hire and promote qualified professionals without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or parental status, national origin, age, physical or mental disability or medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our organizational goals match the urgent challenges facing our global ocean, and our mission is designed to help secure a healthy ocean for all. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of humanity’s diversity, by providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all employees of Global Fishing Watch and for our partners, vendors, suppliers and contractors.