Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Capacity Building and Implementation in the Textile Supply Chain

Ask me Anything Session | November 21, 2025; 10:30 am IST

Stichting IDH (“IDH”) accelerates and up-scales sustainable trade by building impact-oriented coalitions of front running companies, civil society, governments, knowledge institutions and other stakeholders in several commodity sectors. We convene the interests, strengths and knowledge of public and private partners in sustainability commodity programs that aim to mainstream international and domestic commodity markets. We jointly formulate strategic intervention plans with public and private partners, and we co-invest with partners in activities that generate public goods.  

 Through the Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative (RPLC) in Madhya Pradesh, IDH is facilitating partnerships between public and private stakeholders to promote regenerative agriculture and decent work. 

To strengthen the social dimension of sustainability, IDH seeks a consultant/service provider to design, implement, and monitor Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) systems across the cotton textile supply chain in Madhya Pradesh — focusing on workers, smallholder farmers, and field-level institutions. 

[please give a background of the assignment and context for the service providers to understand what the assignment is about. Tip: the better you explain the better the quality is of the proposals you receive]  

The textile value chain in India remains deeply informal, with fragmented accountability systems and limited access to remedy for workers. Field studies in have revealed: 

• Widespread informality: Casual, seasonal, and migrant labour dominate production systems. 
• Worker vulnerabilities: Poor wages, exposure to agrochemicals, unsafe working conditions, and risk of child and forced labour. 
• Institutional capacity gaps: Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and implementation partners lack formal training on labour rights or HRDD frameworks. 
• Gendered risks: Women and migrant workers face higher vulnerability to harassment and exploitation. 

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and OECD Due Diligence Guidance provide the foundation for addressing these systemic risks. This assignment will strengthen HRDD systems through diagnostics, training, grievance redressal, and continuous improvement mechanisms. 

Objectives 

To establish and operationalize a comprehensive HRDD framework that: 

• Identifies and prioritizes human rights and labour risks across the textile supply chain. 
• Builds the capacity of field partners, FPOs, and businesses to implement HRDD principles. 
• Strengthens grievance redressal mechanisms (GRMs) ensuring safe, accessible, and gender-sensitive remedy. 
• Generates data-driven insights for trend analysis and systems reform across the RPLC ecosystem.

 Scope of Work 

1. HRDD Risk Assessment and Diagnostic Study 

• Conduct participatory HRDD diagnostics across farmers, farm workers, FPOs, ginners, and spinners in four districts. 
• Map human rights and labour risks, including child labour, forced labour, harassment, wage delays, and OHS gaps. 
• Rank risks by severity and likelihood, disaggregated by gender, caste, age, and migration status. 
• Produce a comprehensive Risk Register and Baseline Report. 

2. HRDD Action Plan and Standard Development 

• Develop a practical HRDD Action Plan for each district or partner institution. 
• Localize international standards (UNGP/OECD) into field-level guidance and standard operating procedures (SOPs). 
• Define clear responsibilities, grievance escalation pathways, and reporting templates for partners. 
• Align HRDD plans with existing government schemes and district labour departments for sustainability. 

3. Capacity Building of Field Partners and Workers 

• Conduct multi-tiered training for: 
  • Implementation partners and FPOs: HRDD principles, grievance redressal, and ethical recruitment. 
  • Workers and community representatives: Awareness of rights, reporting processes, and safe work practices. 
• Develop training manuals and digital modules in Hindi and local dialects/languages, using adult learning principles and participatory tools. 

4. Grievance Redressal Mechanism (GRM) Enhancement 

• Design and operationalize a multi-layered GRM consisting of: 
  • A multilingual helpline operational 24×7. 
  • A Case Management System (CMS) for data collection, classification, and tracking. 
  • Awareness campaigns on rights and redressal. 
• Establish clear resolution and escalation protocols, ensuring confidentiality, non-retaliation, and accessibility. 
• Facilitate linkages to legal aid, entitlements, and referral services for severe cases. 

Deliverables 

1. Inception Report: Workplan, methodology, and framework 
2. HRDD Risk Diagnostic: Baseline analysis and recommendations 
3. HRDD Action Plan: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), CMS and partner-specific roadmap 
4. Training Package: Modules, capacity building and IEC materials 
5. Grievance Redressal Mechanism operation: SOPs, escalation protocol delineated 
6. Quarterly HRDD Dashboard: case trends, corrective actions 
7. Final Report: Overall progress and achievements 

The procedure will be as follows: 

• Publishing the tender and/or inviting services providers to submit a proposal based on this ToR. 
• IDH will host a Ask me Anything session to resolve any queries applicants may have. 
• Evaluation of the proposals by internal IDH committee. The evaluation committee will evaluate the proposals based on the selection criteria as published in this ToR. 
• Decision on selection of the service provider. 
• Inception meeting with the selected service provider. 

The schedule below indicates the timelines for the selection of the service provider:  

• ToR published: 18.11.2025 
• Ask me Anything (AMA) session: 21.11.2025 
• Deadline for submitted proposals*: 26.11.2025 
• Selection of service provider: 01.12.2025 
• Start of assignment: 05.12.2025 

* Questions received by IDH after this date will not be answered. 

** Proposals submitted after the deadline will be returned and will not be considered in the tender procedure. 

IDH is requesting the service providers to hand in a proposal of maximum 5 [number] pages (excluding company biographies, CVs, sample work and references). The proposal must be handed in a MS Word or PowerPoint version next to a PDF submission to facilitate any copy-and-pasting of content that we may need during evaluation.

Service providers must submit a proposal (max. 5 pages, excluding annexures) including: 

• Detailed technical approach and methodology 
• Summary of previous relevant assignments 
• Proposed team composition with roles and time allocation 
• Timeline and deliverable schedule 
• Financial proposal (as per Annex 2 template) 
• Sample of previous government-oriented documentation work 

We are looking for partners with the following criteria: 

IDH is seeking a service provider with the following qualifications: 

• Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in human rights due diligence, labour rights, or grievance systems. 
• Familiarity with UNGP, OECD Due Diligence Guidance, and Decent Work frameworks. 
• Experience in the textile or agricultural supply chains in India. 
• Strong field facilitation skills; Hindi and local language proficiency preferred. 
• Demonstrated expertise in data management systems (case management, dashboards). 
• Understanding of gender, caste, and migration intersections in labour contexts. 

The proposal must at least include: 

Content: 

• A succinct, well-documented approach addressing the requirements set out this ToR. We request that the proposal structure match the selection criteria as closely as possible 
• Maximum of three client references and a sample of previous work relevant to the deliverables in this ToR, 
• An overview of the project team, including the CVs of the project team members, 
• Budget (as per template in Annex 2, 
• Description of safeguarding approach1 (does the service provider have a safeguarding policy in place, and if not, are they able and committed to comply to and implement IDH’s safeguarding policy (to be found here); steps (to be) taken to identify risks in relation to safeguarding in the project at hand and description of approach to mitigate these safeguarding risks (if any), 
• Statement on Ground for exclusion (see Section 6 below). 

Administrative: 

• Completed detail request form (Annex 3), 
• Copy of most recent (audited) financial accounts, if available, 
• Statement of acceptance draft contract (Annex 4). 

The proposal must be submitted to Subhadra Kaul or Vikramjeet Sharma at kaul@idhtrade.org or vikramjeetsharma@idhtrade.org before 01.12.2025 at 2300 Hrs.  

1. 1. Applicants shall be excluded from participation in this tender procedure if:  

• they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;  
• they or persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata;  
• they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the IDH can justify;  
• they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established, or with those of the Netherlands or those of the country where the contract is to be performed;  
• they or persons having powers of representation, decision making of control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering or any other illegal activity. 
• Optionally: conflict of interest (see below). 

Applicants must confirm in writing that they are not in one of the situations as listed above. 

1. 2. Applicants shall not make use of child labor or forced labor and/or practice discrimination and they shall respect the right to freedom of association and the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining, in accordance with the core conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO). 

Conflict of interest 

Applicants shall not have a conflict of interest in submitting a tender application to IDH. Conflict of interest refers to any situation where an Applicant’s application may be compromised or not impartial and objective for reasons involving family, personal life, political or national affinity, economic interest or any other connection or shared interest with another person. Should the Applicant suspect any potential conflicts of interest on its part, it shall submit a written statement setting forth all conditions and circumstances of such potential conflict(s) of interest to IDH together with its application. A conflict of interest that cannot be solved effectively by less restrictive means constitutes an optional exclusion ground to an applicant, pursuant to article 2.87(1)(e) of the Dutch Procurement Act. 

The assignment will be awarded to the Applicant with the most economically advantageous tender. The most economically advantageous tender is determined on the basis of the evaluation criteria of Price and Quality.  

The evaluation criteria are compared and weighed according to the procedure below. This concerns a general outline of the scoring methodology and an explanation how the service provider can demonstrate compliance with the requirements. 

Step 1 - Criterion Quality 

Evaluation scores will be awarded for each of the components. The evaluation committee will score each component unanimously.  

[IDH values quality highly, therefore a minimum grade of 3 must be scored by the Applicant on each component. If the Applicant scores a grade of 3 or less on one of the components he will be excluded from the tender procedure and awarding the contract.] 

The proposal will be assessed based on the following selection criteria: 

1. Proposal overall: The extent to which the proposal meets the requirements set out in Section 3 above and throughout this document. Can the Applicant deliver the requirement deliverables? Will the Applicant be able to deliver a comprehensive solution?: 5 
2. Design and Development process: The extent to which the Applicant demonstrates that a clear design and development process will be followed and IDH is adequately consulted for input during the design and development. The extent to which it is clear what is required of IDH in terms of human resources, digital assets and other input to deliver the project without being too onerous on our staff—5 
3. Track record: The extent to which the Applicant presents the required level of expertise and knowledge to fulfil the requirements both at team member and company level. To extent to which the Applicant gives a clear description of the project team, relevant (delivering similar projects) experience of team members and time allocation per team member.[Relevant experience in non-profit sector is advantageous.]5 

The evaluation committee will unanimously score each component by assigning scores from 1 to the maximum grading, with the maximum grading representing optimal performance on the component and 1 representing extremely poor performance on the respective component. 

Step 2 -  Criterion price 

The Applicant shall follow the Budget template (attached as Annex 2 to these Terms of Reference). 

Please note that a combined price in Euros (excluding VAT) is to be presented. This is to be broken down by team member rate and hours.  

Given the non-for-profit nature of IDH, we encourage Applicant to clearly mention if the budget might be positively impacted by partial pro-bono work or reduced rate as a contribution to the successful delivery of the assignment. 

The criterion of assessment is “the best price for the proposed level of quality” with a maximum grading of 5.  

Step 3 - Weighting 

The final score will be weighted 75% on Quality and 25% on Price.  

If scores of service providers are equal, priority will be based on the total scores that were given for the Criterion Quality. The assignment will be awarded to the service provider that has received the highest score for the Criterion Quality. If the evaluation of the Criterion Quality does not lead to a distinction, the score for the component “Proposal overall” will be decisive. If this does not lead to a distinction, the ranking will be determined by the drawing of lots. 

Award 

Once IDH has decided to which Applicant it intends to award the assignment, a written notification thereof is sent to all Applicants participating in the tender procedure. 

The Applicant is contracted via a letter of assignment, following IDH’s template (Annex 4).  

Please note: the payment schedule set out in the letter of assignment template may be amended, subject to unilateral decision of IDH. 

All participants will ensure that all its contacts with IDH, with regards to the tender, during the tender procedure take place exclusively in writing by e-mail  Subhadra Kaul or Vikramjeet Sharma] at kaul@idhtrade.org or vikramjeetsharma@idhtrade.org The participants is thus explicitly prohibited, to prevent discrimination of the other participants and to ensure the diligence of the procedure, to have any contact whatsoever regarding the tender with any other persons of IDH than the person stated in the first sentence of this paragraph. 

The documents provided by or on behalf of IDH will be handled confidentiality. The Applicants will also impose a duty of confidentiality on any parties that it engages. Any breach of the duty of confidentiality by the Applicant or its engaged third parties will give IDH grounds for exclusion of the Applicant, without requiring any prior written or verbal warning.  

All information, documents and other requested or provided data submitted by the Applicant will be handled with due care and confidentiality by IDH. The provided information will after evaluation by IDH be filed as confidential. The provided information will not be returned to the Applicant.  

IDH respects the effort and time that participants are expected to put into this tender procedure. However, IDH has to use its financial means as economically as possible. Therefore, IDH will not remunerate participants for their interest and/or participation in the tender procedure.  

IDH reserves the right to update, change, extend, postpone, withdraw, or suspend the ToR, this tender procedure, or any decision regarding the selection or contract award. IDH is not obliged in this tender procedure to make a contract award decision or to conclude a contract with a participant.  

Participants in the tender procedure cannot claim compensation from IDH, any affiliated persons or entities, in any way, in case any of the afore-mentioned situations occur. 

By handing in a proposal, participants accept all terms and reservations made in this ToR, and subsequent information and documentation in this tender procedure.  

Annex 1: Budget Template

Annex 2: Detail Request Form

Annex 3: Letter of Assignment

Annex 4: IDH General Terms and Conditions for Services

Annex 5: Statement of acceptance