Ministry for the Environment

Support and Reimbursement Services for FW FP Certifier Assessment Reviews

Freshwater Farm Plans (FW FP) are a new legal instrument under Part 9A of the Resource Management Act 1991. Under the Resource Management (Freshwater Farm Plans) Regulations 2023, farm operators are responsible for having a certified FW FP. Farm operators engage a certifier of their choice to certify their FW FPs. Where a farm operator disagrees with the certifier’s assessment of their FW FP, they may engage a second certify to review that assessment to carry out the certification.

The Ministry wishes to reimburse the costs to farm operators where they have engaged a second certifier, in certain circumstances.

Through this RFP we are seeking proposals from suppliers with relevant experience and capability, to provide a service that supports farm operators to access reviews undertaken by a second certifier and reimburses the farm operators in accordance with the Ministry’s reimbursement scheme.

The services will include promoting the reimbursement scheme, facilitating farm operators’ access to second certifiers, assessing eligibility and administering reimbursement payments.

Building farm operators’ confidence in the Freshwater Farm Plan system is a key outcome from this initiative. It is important that the successful supplier is trusted and well known by farm operators, with extensive networks in the rural sector.

An online briefing for interested suppliers will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, 14 November 2023. See Section 1 of the RFP for details.

Department/Business Unit: Procurement & Contracting