Consortium of Padeco and Louis Berger Group appointed to guide project management of Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation & Forest Management Project

GANGTOK: The JICA-assisted “Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project” (SBFP) is entering its second year of project implementation. International consultants were to be appointed to guide the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the SBFP in the Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department. The consortium of PADECO Co Ltd of Japan and The Louis Berger Group Inc. of USA have been selected for the work.
Towards this end, the Department invited proposals from firms through an international bidding process and received 19 proposals from different national and international firms, informs a press release.
The committee constituted for evaluation of firms scrutinized the proposals and shortlisted five firms. A Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting detailed technical and financial bid from shortlisted consortiums was issued to shortlisted firms following which, four shortlisted consortia submitted their proposal in accordance to Request for Proposal, the release further informs.

The proposals were evaluated and concurrence of JICA for technical and financial bid was obtained, it is further informed.
According to the release, the consortium of PADECO CO Ltd, Japan and The Louis Berger Group Inc. USA were selected to work with the PMU of SBFP in the coming years. The contract agreement between the consortium and SBFP was signed between the representative of the consortium Andrew Stokes (PADECO), Subrata Mazumder (The Louis Berger Group Inc.) and Project Director (SBFP), Dr. Anil Mainra.
The main objective of the SBFP project is to strengthen bio-diversity conservation activities and forest management capacity and to improve the livelihood of the local people dependent on forest. Project activities would thus uplift the living standard of the local inhabitants living in forest fringe areas as well as conserve forest resources and biodiversity by supporting entry point activities, eco-tourism, participatory biodiversity conservation and forest protection. This project will cover a period of 10 years.