Drivers and blockers to strengthening sustainability in land use policy framework in the EU
We are inviting submissions for a competitive proposal for the supply and delivery to the University of Cambridge of the services set out in the below specification in collaboration with CISL Europe.
About CLG Europe
CLG Europe brings together European business leaders to accelerate progress towards a climate neutral, nature-positive, sustainable economy. Through exchange of ideas, experience, and a dialogue with policymakers, CLG Europe facilitates solutions that support a resilient and prosperous future. CLG Europe is convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Find out more: https://www.corporateleadersgroup.com/corporate-leaders-group-europe
Background
Intensifying backlash against the environmental aspects of the EU Green Deal—such as challenges with the Nature Restoration Law, the rejection of pesticide reduction targets, and the omission of sustainable food systems from the Commission’s agenda—has become a significant vulnerability for Europe. This undermines EU’s resilience by failing to protect nature. Declining nature and biodiversity heightens the risk to public health, poses a threat to business operations, accelerates the adverse impacts of climate change and raises the costs of transitioning to a clean economy.
In 2024, amid a year of multiple elections and shifts in EU leadership, challenging debates on nature protection became a defining marker of political identity. Concurrently, there was an increase in public understanding surrounding the importance of healthy ecosystems to EU’s capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change and ensure long term food security. In this fraught discursive space, there is a great need to display how competitiveness and sustainability are consonant, not contradictory, goals. A failure to acknowledge and address the central impact of land-use patterns on climate and nature is a major obstacle to the necessary systemic change required.
With a new policy cycle beginning and many fresh EU decision-makers taking office, there is an opportunity to guide policymaking toward stronger nature positive action, enhanced stakeholder acceptance, and contribute to increased competitiveness and resilience across Europe. Emerging discussions surrounding nature related issues such as those on nature credits, though still at an early and open stage, highlight a growing policy focus that presents both specific risks and opportunities.
Purpose
The main purpose of this project will be to conduct a political economy mapping of the EU policy context within which environment and nature policies are developed.
This will aid in analysing how political, economic, and social factors influence policy processes, decisions, and outcomes. It will also help in identifying the power dynamics, institutional arrangements, stakeholder interests, and socio-economic forces that shape a particular issue. In the context of environmental or land-use policy, this political economy mapping can clarify who has influence, what interests are prioritised, what barriers are there to achieving policy goals and where leverage points exist for driving sustainable change.
The output will be a well-structured and thoroughly referenced report of up to 20 pages of text (excluding references).The report will provide overall political, economic and social context for EU nature and environmental policy and a research-based understanding of the barriers and opportunities around shifting land-use policies towards more sustainability in Europe, with a specific focus on the role that business voices can play in the debate. This will subsequently serve as a foundation for another workstream looking to foreground sustainability, specifically nature and environment concerns, at the core of EU policy together with trusted partners and allies.
While the report will NOT be publicly released, it will be shared with selected partners under the CLG Europe brand and will present insights from the business group supporting ambition on the transition to a sustainable economy. This report will be developed in close consultation with CLG Europe, incorporating their input and undergoing final review to ensure alignment with the group’s objectives and strategic priorities.
Scope and description
The scope of the work is to conduct a political economy mapping of the EU policy context as it pertains to supporting more sustainability (specifically nature and biodiversity related) in the land use regulatory framework. It will identify the main barriers and opportunities to affecting systemic policy change and the strengthening of sustainability as a core objective of policies connected to land-use in Europe.
The CLG Europe Secretariat will provide insight, feedback, oversight, quality control, and collaborative project management support. The work should serve as a basis for future work of CLG Europe by informing the role business voices can play in the debate.
The output for the proposed work will cover:
- Overview of EU policy and institutional context: Analyses the existent policy framework and gives a brief overview of the rules, processes, and structures within which policy decisions are made. Furthermore, reviews how institutional settings can enable or limit certain policy changes, especially in highly regulated sectors like land-use, agriculture, and forestry.
- Stakeholder Analysis: Identifies key stakeholders involved in the policy area, including government bodies, private sector actors, civil society, and international organizations. Also maps stakeholders’ interests, influence, and positions on specific issues, helping to clarify who supports or opposes particular policy changes and why.
- Economic and Market Forces: Investigates how economic factors, such as market incentives, trade interests, and financial flows, influence the behaviour of stakeholders and policy outcomes. For example, in land-use policy, it could analyse subsidies for agriculture or forestry that may conflict with sustainability goals, as well as emerging market mechanisms like carbon credits or nature-based credits.
- Social and Cultural Factors: Considers how public attitudes, cultural values, and social norms impact the policy landscape. This aspect is particularly important in environmental policies, as public support or opposition can significantly influence policymakers’ willingness to pursue certain reforms.
- Barriers to affecting policy-driven change: Specifically identifies overarching obstacles across the political economy, such as structural, regulatory, or financial constraints that broadly affect policy progress. Examples that are often cited include lack of political will, inconsistent policy priorities across EU member states, limited access to actionable data and insufficient funding for sustainable land-use initiatives.
- Opportunities: Identifies potential leverage points where small interventions could create significant changes in the policy environment, such as aligning with influential allies, targeting regulatory changes, or leveraging market incentives. This part of the analysis is especially useful for organisations seeking to advocate for policy changes by focusing efforts where they can have the greatest impact. It should take into consideration the specific role business voices can play in the debate.
This is a suggested list. The consultant is welcome to propose different topics and a suitable structure. Along with desk-based research, we expect the consultant to inform the work through consultation with a limited number (4-6) of relevant stakeholders.
We are looking for a consultant (or group of consultants) with the following attributes:
Essential
- Can support the CLG Europe Secretariat to establish a thorough understanding of the role of business voices to support placing nature and sustainability at the heart of EU policy making.
- Has a strong understanding of politics, geopolitics and policymaking in the EU particularly on policy matters surrounding issues of nature, sustainability and the green transition.
- Has excellent policy and political analysis skills with a track record of contributing to discourse on related matters.
- Has demonstrable experience in writing technical information accessibly for a wide range of audiences, in a synthetic format, in English.
- Has experience in complex system thinking and can turn them into understandable concept, graphs and visuals.
Desirable
- Has solid understanding of climate, nature and just transition related policies at the EU level.
- Had a robust understanding of the role of the EU within international policy framework.
- Has experience conducting interviews, focus groups, and/or stakeholder workshops.
- Has a good network of subject matter experts and policy analysts which can be drawn upon for complementary expertise.
The consultant will be working in close collaboration with the CLG Europe project team. The CLG Europe project team will be responsible for project management of the publication. The consultant will be expected to focus on content delivery and stakeholder engagement informing the research.
Target audience
The target audience will be primarily CLG Europe secretariat and CISL representatives who have an interest in land use policies in general, as well as selected allies and trusted partners.
Timeline
Timing:
Deadline for proposals: 26 November 2024
Invitation to interview: w/c 2nd December 2024
Final decision:16 December 2024
Contract start date: 6 January 2025
Deadline for delivery of final product: 10 March 2025
The service provider(s) will also be expected to be available for structured online discussions with the CISL team over the period of the contract. Specific time and dates are to be confirmed.
First draft to be completed by the week commencing on 24 February and final text to be submitted by 10 March.
Criteria
The University intends to award to the most economically advantageous offer or offers in accordance with the following criteria:
- Suitability of proposed approach (25%)
- Demonstrated understanding of brief (25%)
- Relevant experience (25%)
- Value of quotation (25%)
Expressions of interest
If you are interested in applying, please submit the following information to clg.europe@cisl.cam.ac.uk by close of business on 26 November
- CV(s) (max 4 pages per person)
- Quotation (including staff cost breakdown, excluding VAT)
- Description of the approach you would take (max 2 pages)
- Overview of project timeline for delivery by proposed date (max 1 page)
- Examples of relevant publications and writing samples (max 5 pages)
The University expects to decide award of contract by 16 December 2024
Please Note
Do not supply any goods or services until you have received confirmation that your proposal has been successful. Acceptance of the proposal by the University will be in writing. A purchase order will normally be issued.
The University will not reimburse any bidding costs.
This Invitation is confidential. Do not discuss with any third parties the bid you intend to make (except professional advisers or joint bidders who need to be consulted) nor canvass your bid for acceptance.
The University will regard submissions as confidential until award. Information you believe would be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 after award must be individually identified in your submission together with the reason for the exemption and for the non-disclosure period claimed.
Variant bids may be submitted but must clearly identify all variants from the University’s specification and state all cost implications.
Proposals and supporting documents shall be in English. Any contract subsequently entered into will be subject to English law and jurisdiction. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, proposals and orders are issued subject to the University’s Standard Terms, a copy of which is available on request.
Proposals shall comprise a response to the specification and a pricing schedule.
