Urban Planning & Mobility call for proposals India UK PACT

The India-UK PACT urban planning and mobility Call for Proposals is now closed. The deadline for submitting proposals was 30 November 2024 at 18:00 IST/ 12:30 UTC.

The deadline for submitting clarification questions was 8 November 2024 at 18.00 IST/ 12.30 UTC. Answers to consolidated clarification questions submitted to india@ukpact.co.uk are available below.

India is a rapidly urbanising country. The population of urban India is expected to double (from 2014 levels) by 2050. Approximately 70% of the required urban infrastructure for 2030, is yet to be built. About 75% of country’s GDP in 2030 will be generated by urban regions. Indian cities are vulnerable to impacts of climate change. Roughly 44% of India’s GHG emissions are sourced from urban areas with the transport sector accounting for about 13% of country’s energy related GHG emissions. Increasing demand for transport and related infrastructure in expanding cities, is expected to result in GHG emissions from the sector increasing by 4%-6% per year.

Road transport in Tier-2 cities are still primarily dependent on fossil fuel-based energy sources and is also the major source of air pollution. The challenge of urban planning and mobility is acute in Tier-2 cities, which are rapidly expanding with a limited focus on integrated planning that accounts for climate risks and impacts.

Cities have significant opportunities to reduce GHG emissions while simultaneously developing as centres of economic growth and human well-being. This has been recognised by both the Government of India (GoI) and the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Specifically, the GoI has identified sustainable urbanisation as one of the seven pathways to achieve the goal of Net-Zero by 2070.

In consultation with key stakeholders including government counterparts, development partners and civil society, Tier-2 cities with expansive opportunities to strengthen institutional capacity for integrating climate considerations into urban planning, governance and delivery were identified for direct support. The urban planning and mobility sectors are one of the UK PACT India's thematic priority areas. Through this thematic area, we aim to work at the systemic level to embed climate mitigation strategies into a city’s long-term urban planning. This will involve leveraging data-driven decision-making, particularly in the mobility sector, and fostering an enabling environment that enhances the city’s ability to access accelerated climate finance.

Following a detailed scoping process and in consultation with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Tamil Nadu is one of the two states identified for direct support. Additionally, in consultation with the state government, Erode and Thoothukodi have been selected for direct support in urban planning and the mobility sector, aligning with their vision to become hubs of sustainable economic growth and enhanced human well-being.

Both cities aim to integrate climate considerations into their long-term urban planning processes, governance, and delivery mechanisms, while implementing low-carbon, environmentally friendly initiatives to climate-proof their development trajectories.

Both cities are already implementing several ongoing programs and initiatives, and the proposed support will complement and strengthen their sustainable development trajectories, with a focus on climate mitigation and adaptation.

Through these topics, UK PACT aims to fill gaps and achieve the following:

Climate integrated urban planning, governance and delivery: this will ensure each city’s development trajectory is climate-proof and sustainable;
Improve understanding, knowledge, capacities and use of climate-integrated data for city-level decisions and investments for urban development with focus on urban mobility;
Improve environment and capacities to access accelerated climate finance from different sources to adopt low carbon and environment-friendly solutions, at scale.

What are we looking for?

We are looking to award grant funding to initiatives that integrate climate into urban planning, governance and delivery with special focus on urban mobility in Erode and Thoothikudi. These projects should be in line with government strategies and policies, provide benefits to the public, contribute positively to integration of climate consideration into urban planning and mobility, facilitate implementation with the aim of strengthening the city’s sustainable development trajectory. The overarching goal is to mitigate GHG emissions and improve the productivity and liveability in these Indian cities, including well-being of citizens and accessibility for women and the most vulnerable, and to apply successes and learning to support other cities.

To achieve this, we have identified three key project themes:

Theme 1- Integrating climate into city level urban plans: develop a climate-integrated urban planning and governance strategy across sectors, to be prioritised by the city administration, which maximises climate mitigation goals along with adaptation co-benefits, while also supporting capacity-building of key city departments for enabling institutionalisation.
Theme 2- Climate data-driven approaches to urban planning and mobility: develop a climate-integrated data-driven urban planning and mobility framework across key public (municipal) services for city-level decisions, leveraging existing data-related infrastructure such as the integrated command and control centres.
Theme 3- Access to accelerated climate finance: technical assistance for strengthening city’s financial planning and budgeting process to maximise climate mitigation benefits and adaptation co-benefits and designing innovative financial/business models that can access climate finance for delivering climate integrated priority projects.

Application specifications

How much should each project cost?

Funding is available for one project per city, covering all the three themes. Funding will support one project in Erode and one in Thoothukudi. Funding is available for up to £500k per project per city.

How long can each project be?

Funding is available for 23 months for a period of February 2025-December 2026. UK PACT has committed to deliver projects under the agreed scope of support for the first year. Funding is potentially available for subsequent years for expansion. Payments for the selected projects will be outputs/deliverable based, released upon acceptance and review of outputs or deliverables as per the agreed schedule.

Applicants should propose projects up to two years in duration as is relevant to the intervention. Projects must be no shorter than 12 months long. All proposals must be able to demonstrate how they would achieve key results during the project period.

Applicants are expected to outline the detailed first year work plan and provide a brief plan on expansion and institutionalisation for the subsequent year. We accept that the information on year two may be less detailed at this stage but proposals must highlight the expansion plan providing a scope and budget range. A review will be scheduled based on emerging counterpart demand to determine project continuation for the subsequent period.

We are looking for partners who will have the ability to flex and adapt to deliver against additional/emerging demands within the identified scope of work that may come over the course of a project of up to two years (with the possibility of extension).

 What is the eligibility criteria for applying?

We are looking for a consortium that has the relevant knowledge, skills and experience. This typically can include think-tanks, consultancies, NGOs, research institutes or similar organisations. International organisations that have complementary skills and experience are welcome to apply

Profit and non-profit organisations can apply but all projects must be on a not-for-profit basis. The consortium lead can either be a non-profit or a for-profit organisation.  

All consortia must have at least one local partner. The local organisation does not need to be the consortium lead. Local partner refers to applicants who work in the project geography, have an understanding of the local context, existing relationships with key counterparts and the ability to obtain information as needed to achieve the proposed outputs and outcomes.

Public entities, government agencies and/or departments (including sub-national governments) are not eligible to apply either as a lead organisation or partner in a consortium.

What types of costs are eligible?

All projects must be delivered on a not-for-profit basis. Eligible costs will include: 

Consultancy and/or staff time required to deliver activities;
Reasonable travel and subsistence costs;
Other costs directly related to activities and outputs (workshop, seminars, production of reports, translation etc.).

We cannot award funding for tangible assets e.g. computer and furniture. For further details, please refer to the UK PACT Applicant Handbook & Budget Template which reflect FCDO grants management rules applicable to this programme.

Application timeline

The steps and indicative dates for each stage of the Call for Proposals in the urban planning and mobility sector are outlined below:

India-UK PACT CfP urban planning and mobility-1

How to apply

Projects will be selected through a one-stage open and competitive call for proposals. Applicants should read the Terms of Reference and Applicant handbook to understand what is required to submit a strong proposal for this call.

Malaysia - Call for proposals UK PACT

The deadline for submitting proposals was 30 November 2024 at 18:00 IST/ 12:30 UTC. The Call for Proposals is now closed.

Market engagement event

Click here to watch the recording and view the slides from our market engagement event held on 17 October 2024.

Clarification questions and answers

Answers to consolidated clarification questions submitted to india@ukpact.co.uk are accessible below. The deadline for submitting clarification questions was 8 November 2024.

Click here for responses to the consolidated clarification questions - updated 15 November 2024.

Eligibility checker

Want to check if your project is eligible before applying? Use the quick check list below. You can find more about eligibility for this call, and for UK PACT funding in general, by reading our Applicant Handbook and Terms of Reference above.

Q. Is your project aligned with the scopes of the call?

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Is the value of your project up to £500,000 per year per city and up to 23 months in length?

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Is your organisation eligible to apply for UK PACT funding? Note that government agencies and/or departments are not eligible.

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible. Please proceed to the next question.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Q. Are your project activities and costs eligible?
Please note: we cannot award funding for infrastructure projects or for tangible assets and profit is not eligible cost in UK PACT budgets, either as a direct cost or within overheads. 

Yes No

This indicates that your project may be eligible.

Unfortunately, this makes your project ineligible.

Answering yes to all the questions above indicates that your project is eligible to apply for funding. Apply via the link above.

Answering no to any question above indicates that your organisation or project is not eligible for funding at this time. Please re-read our guidance documents carefully to find out how to design a UK PACT project.

India-UK PACT: Urban planning and mobility Call for Proposals

Eligibility checker

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