IC - Sustainable Finance Consultant

IC - Sustainable Finance Consultant

Please see attached the Terms of Reference for full details

General Information

• Project: CO036 Gender-Responsive Ecosystem-Based Adaptation
• Output: CO036-E1-12
• Duty Station: Bogotá - Valledupar (Colombia)
• Contract Duration: (19) October 2026 - (16) April 2027
• Consultant: Level 3
• Total Fees: Up to USD 19,000

Project background

AdaptaCesar project CO036 aims to strengthen the enabling conditions for the implementation and financing of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) solutions in the Department of Cesar. This includes fostering a more robust territorial financial ecosystem and catalyzing the mobilization of both public and private capital to support climate adaptation investments.

Within the project's financial market development component, the focus is evolving from the identification of financing needs toward the structuring, prioritization, and articulation of bankable investment opportunities that can be effectively matched with appropriate financing sources and instruments.

In this context, the component seeks to bridge the gap between territorial adaptation priorities, productive sectors, investment opportunities, financial actors, and available capital. Achieving this objective requires an evidence-based assessment of the territory, including:

1. key value chains and economic actors;

1. existing and emerging investment opportunities;

1. anchor companies and potential sponsors or off-takers;

1. public and private investment capacity;

1. financial and non-financial constraints to investment; and

1. the financial instruments, intermediaries, and market mechanisms capable of facilitating investment at scale.

The consultant will provide specialized technical support to the Project’s investment-readiness and capital-mobilization agenda by compiling and analyzing territorial information, applying Project-approved assessment criteria, and preparing preliminary information on potential investment opportunities, financing instruments, market mechanisms, and financial partners for GGGI review and validation.

The analysis will identify pathways to deploy and leverage a range of financing solutions, including guarantees, blended finance structures, credit enhancement mechanisms, investment funds, commercial and development finance, public resources, impact investment vehicles, and market-based transaction mechanisms, as appropriate to the characteristics of each opportunity.

Furthermore, the consultant will compile and analyze information on the potential role of strategic market actors, financial intermediaries, and transactional platforms, using criteria provided or approved by the Project, to inform GGGI’s assessment to the project's evolving financing architecture. The analysis will be based on their ability to perform specific functions related to financing, aggregation, risk mitigation, transaction facilitation, and market access, with their potential contribution assessed based on demonstrated value and functional relevance rather than predefined assumptions regarding their role within the ecosystem.

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

Objectives of the assignment

The consultant will support the implementation of the Project's financial market development component, which aims to strengthen the territorial financial ecosystem and facilitate the mobilization of capital for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) investments in the Department of Cesar.

The consultant will support the analytical work required to inform this agenda, including stakeholder mapping of the financial ecosystem and the preparation of market assessments covering both the supply of and demand for financial products, services, and mechanisms that can support the financing of gender-responsive EbA solutions.

The consultant will contribute analytical inputs, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building support for participating financial institutions, helping identify institutional gaps, strengthen market understanding, and inform financing approaches for adaptation-related investments. The assignment does not include independent design or implementation of financial products or mechanisms.

Specific Objectives:

1. Review and compile a stakeholder mapping of the financial ecosystem in Cesar, covering governance arrangements, institutional relationships and synergies for the mobilization of sustainable finance.
2. Support the monitor of the baseline instruments (designed by the Project) to assess stakeholders' knowledge of sustainable finance and ecosystem-based adaptation, with a gender lens.
3. Support with technical inputs in the preparation of a market assessment for financing EbA solutions, integrating supply- and demand-side analysis, and applying a gender-responsive approach. This will include:
4. Prepare technical documents, analytical reports, and presentations derived from the above studies.
5. Provide technical inputs to assessment of investment opportunities and the definition of a portfolio of investment initiatives, including the identification and characterization of anchor companies and other strategic actors.
6. Compile and analyze information on shared-risk opportunities within trade associations of the Project's priority value chains.
7. Support the preparation, facilitation and documentation of workshops, events and other project activities.

Deliverables and Payment schedule

Over 24 weeks, the consultant will support the evidence base required under Component 3 to mobilize finance toward Ecosystem-based Adaptation in the Department of Cesar. The assignment is organized into five sequenced deliverables, with the activities under each deliverable contributing to the subsequent analytical stage:

• Deliverable 1 – Work planning and application of Project methodology: applies the conceptual framework, instruments, and sampling parameters provided or approved by the Project. (weeks 1–2)

#

Activity

Description

Weeks

0.1

Detailed work plan

Prepare the work plan, the milestone-based schedule, assignment risk matrix and operationalize the methodological approach provided or approved by the Project for each analytical block ,

1

0.2

Application of conceptual framework and operational definitions

Compile the operational definitions, provided or approved by the Project, to be applied consistently throughout: what qualifies as an EbA solution, what constitutes an eligible financial product for EbA, and what is meant by anchor company, investment opportunity and target population.

1

0.3

Information source matrix

Inventory and assess the available secondary sources, departmental and municipal development plans, territorial climate planning instruments, chamber of commerce registries, public financial sector information and Project databases, indicating availability, coverage and limitations.

1–2

0.4

Adaptation and application of Project-approved instruments

Adapt the baseline instruments designed by the Project and prepare for review and approval, draft interview guides for development banks, LFIs and trade associations; demand-side data collection instrument; value chain characterization template; and investment opportunity template. All instruments shall be modular and traceable to the indicators they feed. The instruments shall incorporate a dedicated module on shared-risk mechanisms (risk pooling, parametric insurance and collective guarantees) and a block on repayment capacity, admissible collateral and credit history, as these are direct inputs to outputs 1321 and 1322.

1–2

0.5

Sampling plan and field protocol

Prepare a preliminary sampling frame, by applying the sample parameters, segmentation, quotas by sex and representativeness criteria provided or approved by the Project, Where purposive sampling is used, document its scope and limitations. Includes the informed consent protocol and personal data treatment in line with applicable Colombian regulation. The consent form shall expressly authorize subsequent contact with participants for the Project's capacity-building and follow-up activities.

2

• Deliverable 2 – Financial ecosystem stakeholder map: technical inputs in the preparation of a market assessment for financing EbA solutions, integrating supply- and demand-side analysis, and applying a gender-responsive approach. (weeks 2–7)

#

Activity

Description

Weeks

1.1

Review of public information

Review and systematize public information and available registries on the presence, coverage and performance of financial institutions in the Department of Cesar.

2–3

1.2

Stakeholder identification and classification

Identify and classify ecosystem actors: financial supply (commercial banks, microfinance institutions, cooperatives, second-tier and development banks), territorial public sector, trade associations, producer organizations, international cooperation and investors.

2–4

1.3

Interviews with development banks and trade associations

Supportinterviews with Finagro, Bancóldex, Banco Agrario de Colombia and the FNG, as well as with Asobancaria and Asomicrofinanzas, on available supply, territorial presence and willingness to engage with the Project.

3–6

1.4

Characterization of LFIs present in Cesar

Characterize each candidate institution by type of entity, territorial coverage, portfolio in the priority value chains, portfolio held by women and young people, level of adoption of methodologies for integrating ESCN criteria into risk management and decision-making, and the existence of an ESMS or equivalent methodology.

3–6

1.5

Governance, relationships and synergies

Compile and organize information on the governance arrangements and institutional relationships of the ecosystem: including existing coordination platforms, resource flows, second-tier relationships with local institutions, and synergies and duplications relevant to the mobilization of sustainable finance.

4–7

1.6

Selection criteria and application to the long list

Support with technical inputs and apply LFI selection criteria, including diversity of institution type, portfolio in priority chains, portfolio held by women and young people, and challenges in adopting ESCN criteria, defined or approved by the Project to the long list of candidate institutions and prepare a preliminary comparison matrix documenting the evidence for each criterion. Final ranking and selection will remain the responsibility of GGGI and the Project team

5–6

1.7

Consolidation of the stakeholder map

Consolidate the stakeholder map into an analytical document accompanied by a structured database and a graphical representation of institutional relationships.

6–7

1.8

Baseline of the institutional segment

Monitoring the baseline instruments designed by the Project to assess knowledge of sustainable finance and Ecosystem-based Adaptation among financial ecosystem actors (local financial institutions, cooperatives, trade associations and territorial public entities) integrating administration into the interviews of activities 1.3 and 1.4. Results are reported disaggregated by sex and by institution type.

3–7

• Deliverable 3 – Supply-side and demand-side market study: covers available instruments, the socioeconomic profile, appetite, access, use and repayment capacity of the target population across the six priority value chains, the baseline measurement, and technical inputs to inform the Project's work on a guarantee mechanism. (weeks 7–16)

#

Activity

Description

Weeks

2.1

Definition of study criteria and scope

Agree with the Project on the study criteria: value chains and municipalities covered, target population typology, time horizon of information and required level of disaggregation.

7

2.2

Inventory of financial supply

Inventory the financing instruments available and potentially applicable to EbA measures: rediscount lines, guarantees, existing green or sustainability lines, rural microcredit, cooperation resources and other mechanisms, with their eligibility conditions, amounts, tenors, rates, collateral requirements and territorial coverage.

7–10

2.3

Supply-side interviews with development banks

Compile in depth with development banks the access conditions, available ceilings, risk appetite, onboarding requirements and prior placement experience in the department.

8–10

2.4

Interviews with the five selected LFIs

Support the interviews of the selected institutions on portfolios, credit lines, guarantees, accompaniment programs and credit policies and processes, with emphasis on their capacity to originate transactions linked to adaptation measures.

9–12

2.5

Socioeconomic characterization of the target population

Collect data to characterize the target population in the priority chains (MSMEs, producer organizations and individual producers) in terms of economic activity, scale, formality, assets, land tenure and income structure, disaggregated by sex.

9–14

2.6

Demand-side assessment: appetite, access and use

Collect data on appetite for the financial supply, effective access to and use of financial products, financing needs associated with adaptation measures and repayment capacity, as well as the financial and non-financial barriers limiting access to credit.

9–14

2.7

Baseline of the demand-side segment

Monitoring the Project's baseline instruments to the demand-side segment: MSMEs, producer organizations and individual producers — integrated into the field operation of activities 2.5 and 2.6, completing the measurement begun under activity 1.8 with the financial ecosystem actors. This includes the shared-risk module foreseen under activity 0.4.

9–14

2.8

Quality control and database consolidation

Review and perform quality control on data collected through Project-supported data-collection activities, including consistency checks and, where feasible, re-contact of an agreed share of respondents. Clean and consolidate the anonymized databases with their data dictionary and processing syntax. This activity does not imply supervision or management of an external field team by the consultant. As an additional output, deliver the registry of actors eligible for the capacity-building activities of output 1322 (local financial institutions, cooperatives and MSMEs), segmented by type of actor, value chain, municipality and sex, with a minimum of sixty candidates.

13–15

2.9

Supply–demand gap analysis

Generate technical inputs to analyze the gap between available supply and characterized demand, identifying product, territorial coverage and condition gaps, and identifying technical observations by institution type. Calculate the initial values of the baseline indicators with their disaggregation.

14–16

2.10

Inputs for the guarantee mechanism

Compile and analyze technical and market inputs to inform the Project’s subsequent assessment and development of potential risk-sharing and credit guarantee mechanisms. The analysis will cover available information on the typology and indicative size of potential financing transactions, target population characteristics and financing needs, repayment capacity, existing collateral practices and alternatives, estimated demand and transaction volumes, and key barriers to accessing finance. The analysis will apply a gender-responsive lens to identify relevant gender gaps and differentiated barriers to financial access. The consultant will provide evidence-based findings and recommendations under Project supervision; the scope does not include the design, financial structuring, approval, or implementation of any guarantee mechanism.

14–16

• Deliverable 4 – Preliminary information on potential investment opportunities and shared risk: compiles value-chain information, potential anchor companies, and shared-risk considerations, and applies Project-approved criteria to prepare standardized opportunity profiles for GGGI assessment. (weeks 12–21)