RFP - Consultancy services to conduct the Scoping Study for the Uttar Pradesh Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)

Scope of Work

Consultancy services to conduct the Scoping Study for the Uttar Pradesh Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)

Geography: Uttar Pradesh, India

Strategic Area: Market-based solutions for air quality management

Duration: 4 Months

About the Trust

The University of Chicago Trust (the Trust) is a charitable trust in India, established in 2008 by alumnus of The University of Chicago. The objectives of the UChicago Trust are to provide opportunities for grants to support educational programs, research programs and activities for the betterment of India.

About EPIC India

India faces the dual challenge of rapidly improving living standards—through sustained economic growth and expanded access to reliable and affordable energy—while simultaneously reducing pollution for a cleaner and healthier environment. EPIC India researchers work hand-in-hand with government and industry partners to identify innovative ideas, pilot them on the ground, and rigorously measure outcomes.

Background

Uttar Pradesh is one of India’s largest and most industrially diverse states and faces significant air pollution challenges associated with industrial activity across multiple sectors and clusters. The state has expressed interest in exploring market-based approaches to emissions reduction, including an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), to achieve cost-effective and measurable reductions in industrial air pollution.

India has already demonstrated the potential of emissions markets through the world’s first particulate matter (PM) Emissions Trading Scheme in Surat, which achieved 20 – 30% reductions in particulate emissions while improving compliance and reducing compliance costs by 11%. Uttar Pradesh is being assessed for the development of an emissions market in collaboration with the Emissions Market Accelerator (EMA). This RFP represents the foundational scoping phase to identify priority pollutants and sectors, assess monitoring and data systems, and determine the institutional and industrial readiness required for subsequent ETS design.

The scoping study will establish the evidence base for assessing the feasibility and design of an emissions market in Uttar Pradesh. Given the state’s industrial scale and its location within the Indo-Gangetic Plain, improved industrial emissions management can contribute to broader air-quality objectives in the region. The study will provide the foundation for subsequent phases, including monitoring strengthening, cap setting, allocation design, stakeholder engagement, institutional arrangements, and legal and regulatory preparation.

About the Consultancy work

The objective of this consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive four-month Scoping Study to assess the technical, institutional, industrial, data, and monitoring readiness for an ETS in Uttar Pradesh. The study will:

Identify priority pollutants and sectors for ETS coverage

Evaluate regulatory and industrial data systems , including CEMS integrity

Assess industry readiness for ETS

Document sector-wise emissions, fuel usage, APCD infrastructure, monitoring capacity, and data gaps

Build consensus among key regulatory and industry stakeholders

The consultancy firm will be responsible for conducting the scoping study required to assess the feasibility and readiness for an ETS in Uttar Pradesh.

Scope of work

The selected agency will undertake activities under these defined core workstreams, each mapped to specific deliverables.

1. Regulatory data collection and Digitization

Retrieve emissions data for all pollutants that is monitored by the CEMS device, production, fuel and compliance data from industries under 17 highly polluting category industries. (Include concentration, flow, temperature, production, fuel use, operating status, calibration periods, maintenance, shutdowns and status flags, where available)

Collect and Digitize consent-to-operate (CTO) records, manual stack emissions monitoring data, CEMS installation data, Boiler passing certificates, CEMS calibration certificates and historical emissions.

Collect Air Pollution Control Devices (APCD) details installed at the site.

Standardise and clean the datasets with documented QA/QC protocols.

Deliverables associated with this responsibility

Deliverable 1 — Consolidated database of >=90% available regulatory data. The data shall be submitted in an organized manner over drive along with scanned / digitised copies and photographs taken on site.

All data shall be consolidated in a proper format for further process of market design.

HOW TO APPLY

Only Technical Proposals are invited from the interested agency/firms for the above assignment. The last date for receiving the proposals is 25 th October 2026 [do not copy anyone from UCT].

Kindly submit your technical proposal with the following subject line:

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – Scoping Study, UP- 2026 Proposals must be submitted at [contact details removed] before the deadline.

Submission terms:

All agencies are advised to thoroughly review the SoW before applying.

ONLY Technical proposals are to be submitted at this stage. Financial proposals shall only be asked for the qualified agencies as per above criterion.

Applications with financials will be disqualified.

Incomplete applications or deviations from the prescribed process will result in automatic rejection.

Proposals received after the prescribed deadline will not be considered.

Only shortlisted agencies will be contacted and may be requested for face-to-face/online interaction/presentation.

For queries, please contact:

Ms. Neha Premchandani at [contact details removed]

For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.