Global CDRFI Interactive Database: A cross-country synthesis of Requests for Support and Gap Analyses

1. LETTER OF INVITATION

Date: 19.06.2026
Subject: Request for Proposal –  Global CDRFI Interactive Database: a cross-country synthesis of Requests for Support and Gap Analyses 

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management gGmbH, implementing the project “Global Shield Secretariat”, invites you to submit a proposal and quotation for the delivery of services as described in the attached Terms of Reference (ToR) below.

Please submit your complete offer to opportunities@fs.de by 13.07.2026 at 12:30 pm (CET) quoting RfS Global CDRFI Interactive Database: a cross-country synthesis in the email subject.

Submissions must include:

• Confirmation of eligibility (use Annex 1) 
• Expert CV (use Annex 2) 
• Financial offer (EUR) (use Annex 3)
• Technical proposal (use Annex 4)

2.1 Background

Launched at COP27 by the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group and the Group of Seven (G7), the Global Shield against Climate Risks (GS) aims to increase protection for vulnerable people and countries and contribute to effectively responding to loss and damage from climate change. The Global Shield promotes an inclusive, gender-responsive and demand-driven process, which is led by the vulnerable countries’ governments (https://www.globalshield.org/).  

Within the initiative, the Global Shield Secretariat serves all Global Shield Governance bodies. It facilitates knowledge management and tracks progress in achieving the objectives of the Global Shield against Climate Risks. It also enhances its visibility. The Global Shield Secretariat has been hosted at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (FS) since January 1, 2026.

As part of its mandate, the Secretariat supports partner governments in mapping available pre-arranged financing solutions, identifying financial protection gaps and articulating Requests for Support to the Global Shield's Financing and Implementing Partners. 

To date, the GS Secretariat has developed analyses of financial protection gaps ("gap analyses") in 15 countries, which assess to what extent the available pre-arranged financing instruments and policy mechanisms can meet the unavoided or residual costs of cimate change and disasters. In addition,  14 countries have submitted Requests for Support (RfS) to the Global Shield, through which governments articulate their requirements for technical and financial assistance to address specific gaps and challenges identified through stakeholder consultations and analyses of financial protection gaps. 

Based on the insights from the existing stocktake, gap analyses and Requests for Support, the GS Secretariat seeks to develop a synthesis report to identify cross-cutting themes and trends in the area of climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI). The report seeks to unpack where demand for specific CDRFI instruments is clustering, which instruments appear to be under-supported, where recurring capability gaps and implementation bottlenecks exist, and which financial protection approaches are gaining traction across regions. Further policy notes are intended to provide insights on specific thematic areas, for example on common challenges and opportunities for implementing gender-responsive climate and disaster risk financing mechanisms. 

FS is therefore looking for a consultant to 

• Refine an existing methodology for synthesising funding requests and gap analyses findings across countries

• Create an inventory of financial protection gaps and funding requests across Global Shield Countries based on the refined methodology;

• Produce a synthesis report outlining cross-cutting trends and themes identified through the inventory. 

• Produce 2-3 policy notes on specific thematic areas (amount and scope tbd with the project team)

   

2.2 Objectives

Task 1: Inception and methodology review

• Inception meeting with the project team to clarify the assignment and develop a work plan

• Desk review of the existing methodology, data collection tools and any prior analyses; identification of gaps, inconsistencies or conceptual weaknesses in the approach

• Creation of a stakeholder engagement plan to validate and contextualise findings for the synthesis report

Task 2: Inventory of existing project findings 

• Consolidation of existing information from project documents (Requests for Support and gap analyses) based on the refined methodology developed under task 1. 

• Harmonisation of data across countries into a common framework (standard categories, typologies and indicators)

• Data quality review and documentation of limitations or gaps

Task 3: Synthesis report

• Analysis of project documents (requests for support and gap analysis reports) to contrast the solutions requested with the financial protection gaps identified across countries. The analysis should focus on the intended function of each recurring instrument and their respective target beneficiaries (analytical framework and methodology will be defined under task 1)

• Identification of cross-cutting themes, priorities and notable gaps or outliers

• Contextualising findings from the documents with secondary literature and key-informant interviews as needed (scope and purpose of stakeholder engagement will be defined under task 1).  

• Drafting of the narrative report based on the findings from the analysis

• Incorporation of comments from the project team and other key stakeholders

• Finalisation and formatting

Task 4: 2-3 policy notes on specific thematic area

• Identifying suitable topics together with the project team

• Drafting of the policy note based on the findings from the descriptive analysis

• Incorporation of comments from the project team and other key stakeholders

• Finalisation and formatting
   

2.3 Scope of Work / Deliverables

For the contracting period from the 1 June 2026  to 31 March 2027, the contractor will submit a timeline with milestones to be achieved by certain dates during the contract term using the below template. Any delays, or inability to fulfil such milestones must be communicate immediately to the FS.  

2.4 Duration & Location

• Duration: 01 July 2026 to 15 February 2027, up to 70 working days

• Location: mostly remote; limited travel might be required

   

2.5 Reporting & Supervision

• Reports to: GS Secretariat Advisor

• Progress reporting frequency: on milestone delivery

• Submission format for deliverables: Word, Excel or Powerpoint, depending on deliverable

   

2.6 Eligibility Criteria

Minimum mandatory criteria to submit a bid:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in the areas of disaster risk finance, climate risk insurance, disaster risk reduction, Loss and Damage or related fields

• Evidence of previous assignments related to (systematic) reviews or evidence synthesis in the context of global programmes or initiatives

• Familiarity with methods and tools for qualitative and quantitiative content analysis is desirable

• Excellent writing and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to produce clear, concise, well-structured, and high-quality analytical reports and studies for professional and policy-oriented audiences.

Applicants must verify their eligibility for this opportunity using Annex 1 as the required template.

The applicant needs to provide the CV(s) of the expers forseen to provide the services. The CV must cover:

• Full name and contact details

• Education and professional qualifications

• Detailed employment history (company/role/dates)

• Relevant assignments and outputs (with client references: name, email addresses or phone number)

• Language skills and availability

• At least two professional references (name, position, contact)

(CVs shall be submitted using the format as in Annex 2)

4.1 Technical Proposal

the Technical Proposal should contain 

• Understanding of the assignment & approach/methodology

• Deliverable descriptions and quality assurance approach

• Implementation risks and mitigation measures

• Examples of previous similar assignments

• A milestone plan including tasks, deliverables and timelines (see template in section 2.3) 

     Use Technical Proposal Template as in Annex 4

Financial Proposal

Must include:

• Itemized cost breakdown (unit price, quantity, unit description)

• Subtotals per cost category (labour, materials,)

• VAT shown separately (if applicable)

• Currency: EUR

• Offer validity: Minimum 45 calendar days after submission deadline closing

Use Financial Proposal Template as in Annex 3

4.2 Submission Instructions

• Submit electronic copies to: opportunities@fs.de

• Submission deadline (date/time CET): 13.07. 2026, 12:30pm (CET) 

• Clarification requests: contact opportunities@fs.de.  

• Any questions on the ToR must be submitted 3 business days before the end of the deadline.

4.3 Evaluation Criteria & Weighting

Submissions will be evaluated in consideration of the following evaluation criteria:  
 
Evaluation Criteria – total 100 points: 

Technical criteria – total 70 points:

• The work presented through the consultant’s portfolio will be evaluated to assess the quality of the consultant’s work [20 points];  

• Experience and qualifications of the expert(s) proposed to deliver the work. This part of the evaluation will be based in the CV(s) submitted [20 points];  
• Adequacy of approach and methodology [20 points];  
• Timeline to deliver the objectives of the assignment based on the deadlines provided in this document [10];  

The financial offer will account for a maximum of 30 points.  The financial score = (lowest financial score amongst the tenderers / financial score of the tender being considered) x 30.

• Submit electronic copies to: opportunities@fs.de
• Submission deadline (date/time CET): 03 July 2026, 6pm (CEST)
• Clarification requests: contact opportunities@fs.de.  Any questions on the ToR must be submitted 2 business days before the end of the deadline.

5.1 Evaluation Criteria & Weighting 

Submissions will be evaluated in consideration of the following evaluation criteria:

Evaluation Criteria – total 70 points:

• Experience and qualifications of the expert to deliver the work. This part of the evaluation will be based on the CV(s) submitted [25 points]
• Applicants should have experience in comparable assignments or outputs [10 points]
• Adequacy of approach and methodology ensuring high quality outputs [20 points]
• Timeline to deliver the objectives of the assignment based on the deadlines provided in this document [10 points]
• Experience working in the development sector in the area of CDRFI [5 points]