EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

CONSULTANCY- DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY FOR PASS TRUST

1. Background and justification

Private Agricultural Sector Support (PASS) Trust (PASS Trust) is a Tanzanian non-profit development organization established to facilitate access to finance and business development services for agribusiness enterprises. Through credit guarantees, capacity building, and strategic partnerships with financial institutions, PASS Trust plays a catalytic role in strengthening agricultural value chains, enhancing financial inclusion, and supporting rural economic transformation in Tanzania.

Operating at the intersection of agriculture, finance, and development, PASS Trust contributes directly to national priorities such as agricultural modernization, private sector development, and poverty reduction. Its mandate aligns with Tanzania’s long-term development aspirations, including the objectives articulated in Tanzania Development Vision 2025.

Given its growing portfolio, partnerships, and institutional visibility, PASS Trust recognizes the importance of institutionalizing sustainability principles within its governance structures, operational systems, and strategic programming.

1.1 Rationale for a sustainability strategy

The financial and development landscape is increasingly shaped by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) expectations. Development finance institutions, commercial banks, regulators, and international partners now require structured sustainability frameworks aligned with global standards.

For PASS Trust, a Sustainability Strategy is justified by the following considerations:

·       Increasing exposure to climate-related risks affecting agricultural finance

·       Rising stakeholder expectations regarding ESG integration

·       Need to align operations with global sustainability frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

·       Emerging regulatory and reporting standards in sustainable finance

·       Institutional ambition to strengthen governance, transparency, and long-term resilience

Developing a Sustainability Strategy will enable PASS Trust to:

·       Integrate sustainability considerations into its credit guarantee and advisory services

·       Enhance institutional risk management

·       Strengthen access to climate and blended finance

·       Improve impact measurement and reporting

·       Position itself as a sustainability-driven development finance intermediary

2. Objective of the consultancy

The overall objective of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive, actionable, and institutionally embedded Sustainability Strategy for PASS Trust. The strategy shall align with national development priorities and relevant regulatory requirements, reflect international best practices in corporate sustainability and ESG integration, and be tailored to PASS Trust’s mandate, operational model, and risk profile.

3. Scope of work

The consultant shall carry out the following tasks:

·       Materiality assessment – Conduct a structured materiality assessment to identify and prioritise key environmental, social, governance, and economic issues affecting PASS Trust and its stakeholders. Develop a materiality matrix highlighting critical sustainability risks and opportunities.

·       Baseline review and gap analysis – Review PASS Trust’s IGG strategy 2018-2022, Draft PASS Trust Sustainability strategy 2023-2028, IGG Framework, existing policies, operational manuals, governance structures, and strategic documents. Analyze current sustainability-related practices and systems, and benchmark them against relevant international best practices to identify institutional, operational, and reporting gaps.

·       Refine the IGG Strategy and develop the ESG Policy. This should be adapted from the existing Inclusive Green Growth Handbook and Inclusive Green Strategy, while incorporating outcomes from COP28, including the first Global Stock take under the Paris Agreement, which assesses global progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the refined strategy should include: ESG risk screening for partners, products, and internal operations, Alignment of PASS Trust operations with the UN SDGs by mapping relevant goals to our vision

·       Stakeholder mapping – identify and map key stakeholders and recommend strategic engagement mechanisms incorporating PASS Trust IGG Communication and Marketing strategy mission 2023-2025.

·       Strategy development: Develop a comprehensive Sustainability Strategy which will include inclusive green growth in alignment with institutional vision and mission, strategic pillars and objectives, ESG and risk management integration (including climate risks), clear performance indicators and measurable targets

·       Implementation and integration plan: Prepare a detailed implementation roadmap outlining: Key milestones and timelines, governance and accountability arrangements, internal rollout and communication strategy, resource and capacity-building requirements, Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting framework.

4. Duration of the assignment

The consultancy is expected to be completed within two months from the date of contract signing.

5. Deliverables

The following are the main deliverables expected for this work:

·       Deliverable 1: Inception report detailing understanding of the assignment, methodology and technical approach, financial proposal, and implementation schedule

·       Deliverable 2: Draft Sustainability strategy of PASS Trust

·       Deliverable 3: Final Sustainability strategy of PASS Trust

·       Deliverable 4: ESG Policy.

6. Qualifications/competencies

The minimum requirements are:

·       Advanced degree (master’s or PhD preferred) in sustainability, environmental management, finance, development studies, or related field for the lead consultant

·       Demonstrated experience in sustainability strategy design and implementation

·       Familiarity with international sustainability standards such as ISO-14001, ESG reporting frameworks, and sustainable finance principles

·       Experience working with financial institutions or development organizations

·       Strong analytical, research, facilitation, and report-writing skills

·       Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, preferably Tanzania

7. Submission of Proposals:

Interested firms are invited to Express Interest and submit the following:

·       Curriculum Vitae of the lead consultant outlining qualifications and relevant experience

·       Company Profile and legal documents

·       Technical proposal detailing the understanding of the scope of work, proposed methodological approach, and implementation schedule, experience of the firm showing track record of developing sustainability strategies and ESG frameworks, Key Personal Qualifications of personnels.

·       Financial proposal indicates the total consultancy fee and cost breakdown should be linked to deliverables.

8. How to Apply

Qualified consulting Firms should submit proposals not later than 30^th April 2026 10:00AM and subjected “CONSULTANCY SERVICES- DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY FOR PASS TRUST” to email procurement@pass.or.tz.

“Any request for Clarification regarding this Expression of Interest should be submitted in writing to: procurement@pass.or.tz not later than 27^th April 2026”