Request for Proposals - Middleware Requirements and Procurement Consultancy

Request for Proposals - Middleware Requirements and Procurement Consultancy

Application Deadline: 6 May 2026

Location: Remote / London

Start date: 1st June 2026

End date: 2nd October 2026

Description

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is the world’s largest cotton sustainability programme. Our mission: to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment. Through our network of field-level partners we have provided training on more sustainable farming practices to more than 2.9 million cotton farmers in 26 countries. More than a fifth of the world’s cotton is now grown under the BCI Standard and our membership network includes more than 2,400 members. More information about BCI can be found on our website: www.bettercotton.

Background

We are seeking proposals from skilled individuals or organisations interested in leading a comprehensive requirement gathering process for BCI’s planned middleware layer. This initiative is a core component of Better Cotton Initiative’s future data strategy and architecture, designed to futureproof our systems and establish a scalable, secure, and standardised integration framework. Better Cotton Initiative requires a middleware layer capable of handling diverse inbound and outbound data flows across more than 100 anticipated connections, spanning sustainability schemes, retailers, traceability partners, governmental cotton systems, customs authorities, and compliance, impact, and risk analytics platforms. The middleware must be able to translate disparate data formats into a unified structure aligned with BCI data model and provide a secure, governed interface that prevents external parties from connecting directly to the Better Cotton Platform (BCP), thereby protecting system integrity and ensuring a consistent user experience. This work represents the preparatory phase for the next stage, in which Better Cotton Initiative will move toward acquiring and implementing the selected middleware solution(s). As part of this preparatory work, the consultant will be responsible for developing a structured system or framework to assess and match Better Cotton Initiative’s requirements against available middleware and integration technologies. This will ensure that the subsequent procurement process is targeted, evidence-based, and aligned with industry-appropriate architectural options. We are specifically seeking experts with demonstrable experience in selecting and implementing middleware technologies; however, they must not be employed by a technology or software company and must declare any potential conflicts of interest. In addition to skills, competencies and expertise, we will consider value for money and demonstrable commitment to the sustainability field to evaluate applications. We thank all applicants for their interest; however only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. BCI is committed to good practice and transparency in the management of natural, human and financial resources. All applications will be reviewed under the principles and subject to BCI’s policies on equal opportunity, non-discrimination, anti-bribery & corruption and conflict of interest.