Request for Proposal Village-based Tourism Ecosystem in Southwest Sumba (Strengthening the Ecosystem and Capacity for Village Management of Tourism Assets)

Background

After two decades of decentralization and the issuance of numerous regulations, the shifting of power and authority from provincial to village level has facilitated a stronger ownership of local development challenges and opportunities. In line with President Joko Widodo’s national development agenda, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration have rolled out a village-based tourism management program that focuses on local assets and wisdom. Known as the Desa Wisata program, the government has established an enabling regulatory environment by allowing the use of village funds (dana desa) for tourism-related activities including for supporting infrastructures.

This national program was translated by the local government in Southwest Sumba with the designation of 24 villages in the district as desa wisata. Further plans or concrete actions to “develop” these 24 villages as desa wisata, however, has yet to materialize. While tourism has been identified as a driver for income generation with high potential in Southwest Sumba and tourism infrastructure is of high priority for the local government, the capacity to manage tourism assets effectively and responsibly remains a challenge for local government and communities. The tourism ecosystem in Southwest Sumba can be strengthened much more to leverage assets, maximize existing linkages, and promote multi-stakeholder collaborations.

In the past two years, WLF and IRE (Institute for Research and Empowerment) have implemented a village-based economic empowerment project in Southwest Sumba with a focus on strengthening villages in developing and managing tourism assets to develop desa wisata. The project engaged relevant stakeholders in two areas in Southwest Sumba through strengthening of regulatory framework at district level, developing organizational capacity at village level and strengthening linkages between relevant stakeholders. Prior to project implementation, WLF also conducted an assessment to feed into the project design. Some challenges that were highlighted in the assessment and were partially, if not completely, addressed by the two-year project include:

●       Despite gain in popularity of Sumba as a tourism destination and the sector’s inclusion as a priority development activity for the District Government of Southwest Sumba, communities in tourism sites remain a passive stakeholder of their own assets. The project worked with local government (district and village levels) to manage tourism assets through capacity building workshops, formal and informal discussions, formulations and issuance of local regulations.  Following the issuance of regulations, the project works to disseminate relevant information in activities and multi-stakeholder forums to inform tourism actors and the public at large.

●       Capacity building training workshops were conducted at village level on visioning, required infrastructure for tourism activities, planning and budgeting, principles of good governance, and community participation to ensure adequate resources and infrastructure are in place to support tourism activities in the area. Key stakeholders also benefited from an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning activity.

●       The project worked with selected villages to establish a tourism management unit/body (BumDes, lembaga adat, etc.) within the village structure with adequate organizational management, business development and financial management. The establishment of such a unit/body helps village apparatus/community to manage and coordinate the collection and use of revenue from tourism activities in a more accountable and transparent manner.  Additionally, supporting infrastructures for tourism were built as part of the activity plan, such as ticketing booths, tourism point, toilet, etc.

●       The project also engaged other tourism actors (tour operators, hotel and restaurant association, relevant district offices) in a multi-stakeholder forum. The Forum has become a communication platform for various actors to discuss, share and address issues concerning tourism-related development. From discussions on providing support facilities to safety and security and empowerment initiatives, the Forum has also learned from good practices of the project which include the formulation and issuance of village regulation (peraturan desa) on retribution and taxes that allow the village and community to better manage their assets. High on the agenda for this Forum is the follow-ups to the designation of 24 Desa Wisata in Southwest Sumba.

As the two-year project is ending, WLF is keen to provide additional support for the same group of stakeholders in targeted areas. 

In a separate project with Sumba Hospitality Foundation (SHF), WLF has also worked to improve the knowledge and skills of local tour guides in Sumba through a one-year capacity building project in 2019. Out of the 43 project participants, 23 have been professionally certified by BNSP (National Professional Certification Board) and a database of Sumba-based tour guides was developed. WLF sees this as another local asset that can be further developed.

 

About William & Lily Foundation

The William & Lily Foundation (WLF) is a Jakarta-based philanthropic organization established in 2009. Our mission is to empower vulnerable and marginalized communities by bridging learning with access to opportunities. As an active grant-making foundation, we work closely with local implementation partners on four focus areas: education, health, economic empowerment and enabling environment.

 

Project Description

WLF is looking for innovative design and approaches for the additional support project that can be built upon previous achievements and lessons learned. WLF is keen to facilitate the development of a model or a pathway for villages that may want to improve their foundational knowledge and skills in identifying, developing, and managing tourism assets in a sustainable manner, strengthen linkages and collaborations with other tourism actors, and advocate for sustainable tourism in Southwest Sumba. WLF will look at the project impact with a longer-term view on scalability and sustainability.

 

Duration and Scope

This project is envisioned as a two (2) year project with the possibility of one year extension that is subject to satisfactory results of project performance evaluation and funding availability. The project will target the same group of stakeholders in the selected locations.

 

Approaches

WLF does not provide funding for infrastructure support and instead focuses on leveraging existing assets and maximizing synergies. Hence, WLF believes in project interventions based on capacity building, establishing linkages and advocacy. The Foundation also believes that building ownership among local actors is one of key success of project intervention to ensure scalability and sustainability. The interested organizations are encouraged to develop their theory of change with the following framework:

●       Capacity Building through delivery of capacity building activities to various tourism actors at the village and district levels in Southwest Sumba on strengthening the practices of good governance (planning and budgeting) and good village-based tourism assets management, as well as continue to improve knowledge and practices to advance the sustainable tourism agenda in Southwest Sumba.

●       Establishing Linkages through an enhanced effort for formal and informal dialogues between various tourism actors at the village and district levels and by leveraging existing communities of practice, forum, associations, etc. A particular attention should also be paid to opportunities for peer learning and other knowledge sharing activities.

●       Advocacy through a sustained engagement and collaboration with relevant stakeholders at village and district, including communities of practice to further strengthen the capacity of villages to manage their tourism assets in an effective, responsible, and sustainable manner. Additional attention may need to be paid to strengthen an enabling environment for desa wisata, i.e.., regulatory framework. A clear and thorough strategy for such engagement will be required.

 

Indicators of Successful Project

This project will directly contribute to the achievement of the Foundation’s long-term outcome on economic empowerment to improve access to financial services and income generating opportunities.     The project will be considered successful with the achievements upon project completion of the following outcomes:

●       Demonstrated improved knowledge and practice on managing tourism assets at village level.

●       Demonstrated improved knowledge and practice on organizational management and developing tourism-related business opportunities at village level.    

●       Demonstrated stronger collaborations between various tourism actors in Southwest Sumba.    

●       Demonstrated stronger commitment by governments at district and sub-district levels for the tourism ecosystem development.      

 

Selection Criteria

WLF is looking for interested organizations with extensive knowledge on village development and/or governance. Interested organizations should possess the following qualifications:

●       A minimum of five years’ experience in designing, managing and implementing capacity building project for village-based tourism and/or village-based economic empowerment, knowledge and experience in Eastern Indonesia, particularly in Sumba is an advantage;

●       Proven experience on delivering capacity building and advocacy in good governance, sustainable tourism practices, and village development;

●       Extensive knowledge village development and tourism issues (good governance practices, business development, regulatory framework, sustainable tourism practices, multi-stakeholder collaborations);

●       Knowledge on the role of local governments and its planning and budgeting processes;

●       Proven experience on project management, coordination, and liaison capabilities;

●       Proven experience on developing strategies for advocacy and establishing multi-stakeholders; and

●       Strong track record in monitoring and evaluation for development projects, particularly in village development and sustainable tourism, with particular focus on ability to extract lessons learned and smart practices (in developing model/pathway for replication).

 

Award Information

●       Period of Performance: WLF expects the project to be commenced on or around the third quarter of 2021, with the duration of 24 months period and optional 12-month extension.

●       Type of Award: Contract-based, actual cost (reimbursable).

●       Funding: WLF adheres to the value-for-money principle. Interested organizations should carefully think about delivering the project implementation in an efficient and effective manner, in which the personnel and operational cost should not exceed 30% of the total funding requested.

●       Cost-sharing: Any proposed cost-sharing should be clearly noted in the narrative and budget proposal.

 

The release of this Request for Proposal does not guarantee WLF to award the contract. Implementation of the project will depend on the Foundation’s funding availability.

 

How to Apply

●       Expression of Interest (EoI) – Applicants are required to submit Expression of Interest electronically which states:

a)      Why applicant is interested;

b)     Brief information on relevant experience and key personnel’s qualifications;

c)      Brief information on how the applicant will address the issues stated in the background and project description sections; and

d)     Point of contact (email address and phone numbers).

Expression of Interest must be no longer than 2 pages, either in Indonesian or English, and must be submitted through https://tinyurl.com/eoi-villageco before Wednesday, 24 March 2021, at 5 pm Jakarta time.

●       Bidders’ Conference – After reviewing the submitted Letter of Interest, the shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend bidders’ conference that will take place on/about Wednesday, 31 March 2021. Invitation will be distributed through email addresses registered on the Expression of Interest.

●       Proposal Submission – Proposals (technical and financial) in Indonesian or English must be submitted before Wednesday, 28 April 2021, at 11:58 pm Jakarta time. The proposal should cover the following information:

o   General description of demonstrated capabilities to meet the terms of this solicitation, your contact details (address and phone numbers), a short description of unique capabilities (skills, methodologies, or technical approach) typically employed for carrying out work as described in the “Project Description” section, and a brief description of past performance with contact details of previous clients;

o   A comprehensive technical proposal focusing on delivering the above-mentioned key activities and deliverables in Southwest Sumba, including clear description of theory of change and the results framework design, selection method or criteria for villages and advocacy and engagement strategy with local government and non-government stakeholders;

o   Most recent Curriculum Vitae of the organization and/or individual team members (key personnel involved) and details of staff composition with clear demonstration of previous experience in related project implementation;

o   Proposed work plan including timeline for key activities, milestones, and deliverables for the duration of the project; and

o   A comprehensive financial proposal in Indonesian rupiah (IDR), including daily rate for team members or external consultants, budget allocation for activities, travel, and accommodation, monitoring and evaluation activities, dissemination activities, incidentals, and other expenses, as well as proposed terms of payments/schedule.