Provision of Industry Support, Facilitation and Engagement Services for BIM’s Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) Tender procedure: Open procedure Tender Deadline

This tender is set in the context of BIM’s sustainability initiatives and certification programmes and feed into the Origin Green programme, in relation to raw material sourcing. They are also closely aligned to one of DAFM’s Statement of Strategy Strategic Goals of “delivering a sustainable, growth driven sector focused on competitiveness and innovation driven by a skilled workforce delivering value added products in line with market demands”. FIPs are recognised globally by major retailers as a credible alternative in cases where fisheries are not certified to sustainability standards such as MSC. The FIP framework allows the collation of scientific data digestible to the supply chain to underpin sustainable fisheries management. This gives collective added value of the protection of biodiversity, sustainable fishing, innovation and contributes to the collective organisation of the fisheries. Since 2017, the Contracting Authority working with the industry, has been actively developing Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). FIPs represent a way for stakeholders within a fishery to engage in dialogue and agree future actions with others that share a common interest in a specific fishery. FIPs works through key organizations and individuals, talking through the management of the fishery and the challenges that it may face, identifying data that needs to be collected, agreeing on a set of priority actions that should be undertaken to improve the fishery. The issues in fisheries can be quite different, and consequently it’s necessary to create a FIP that suits the needs of the fishery, as well as the participants within that fishery. Overall, there are approximately 350 vessels involved, along with 20 or more processors, agents and co-ops. This number is increasing steadily demonstrating that fishermen are committed to sustainability and to improving the management of their fisheries.