Call for Proposal /partnership

Mercy Corps

Project/Consultancy Title: Call for Proposal /partnership for a qualified business service development provider to provide technical assistance in establishing /setting up local private and/or public Business Development Service providers through local business profiling/mapping, training, coaching, and mentoring

Project Location(s): Sheder camps and host communities of Somali region

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now and for the future.

Mercy Corps Ethiopia exists to alleviate suffering and poverty by helping people build secure, productive, and sustainable livelihoods. Since 2004, we have worked in rural, peri-urban and urban areas in five regional states – Somali, Oromia, Afar, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples, Amahara, and the capital city, Addis Ababa. Our mission is to foster populations that are financially stable, healthy and nourished, and educated and informed, within a context where natural resources are accessed, shared and utilized sustainably, so people can lead productive livelihoods. Driven by local needs, our programs provide individuals, agencies and businesses with the tools and support they need to transform their lives, businesses, and communities. Our partners include government, academic institutions, development and private sector actors, civil societies, and participating public. We strive to strengthen all of these institutions in the hopes that one day they become self-reliant

Powering infrastructure in relief settings, where clinics, offices, communications towers, water pumping stations and other necessary services are commonly fuelled by diesel generators, represents a substantial economic burden for humanitarian agencies & for the businesses and households located in refugee settlements and host communities.

Purpose / Project Description:

As part of its interventions of livelihoods and productive use of energy  under the framework of Enter Energy Ethiopia initiatives, Mercy Corps  is planning to  facilitate the establishment of local business development  service providers  in Sheder camp and host communities of Somali region. The interventions aim to increase access to electricity in the refugee camps and host communities to create more economic opportunities for entrepreneurs by using electricity in productive activities. The business service provider  shall strengthen enterprises and small business  by facilitating access to financial and non-financial business development services, provide support to entrepreneurs and MSMEs and stimulate growth and innovation in sectors important to the livelihoods of refugees and host communities.

Mercy Corps is therefore in search of a qualified business development services provider to support the set up local private and/or public business development service providers through local business profiling/mapping, training, coaching, and mentoring in Sheder camps and host communities of Somali region

Consultant Objectives:

·       Identify existing businesses along with their barriers to growth and other business needs

·       Determine the optimum number of private and/or public business development service providers in Sheder and host communities of Aw Bare woreda

·       Build the capacity of local financial and non-financial business development service providers to support and meet the local small businesses needs of refugees and host community members.

·       Establish a workable model/ solution to continuously recruit and engage dynamic local BDS providers or increase new team members

·       To certify trainee with BDS service provision

·       To equip the local BDS providers with the necessary tools and documents in providing quality and affordable business development service through coaching and mentoring.

·       Provide sustainable training, coaching, and mentoring of business development service providers and equip them with updated, relevant, and dynamic tools

·       Facilitate the linkage of refugees and host communities to targeted financial and non-financial services.

Consultant Activities: The Consultant will:

·       Participatory mapping/ identification of existing small businesses and their needs

·       Profiling of local business service providers and determination of optimum number of local service providers

·       Setting up of local business service providers

·       Training manual development (English and Somali languages)

·       Capacity building training for local services providers

·       Define workable business model for local service providers

·       Facilitate linkage workshops of local business providers with business operators

·       Undertake regular coaching, mentoring and performance monitoring of local service providers

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

·       Training manual containing tools that is used in coaching and mentoring of Micro and small enterprises

·       Delivering the training to the selected business services providers

·       Letter of commitment and work plan of trained BDS providers at each phase of the training

·       Performance report of trained BDS providers at each phase of the training with a comment provided

·        Practical field level practitioner evaluation and coaching report

·       Certificate for the participants

·        Graduation and BDS service providers network launching ceremony in which government, private sectors and other stakeholders participate

·       Small business operators’ linkage workshop with microfinance institutions   and experience sharing events with RiPA BDS models for further learning

Needs and deliverables may change throughout the course of the consultancy depending on the ground reality and market demand. It is expected that the consultant be able to adjust to programmatic changes as needed in coordination with the program team. All deliverables must be approved to be considered final by Enter Energy Team Lead, Mercy Corps.

Methodology of training, coaching, and mentoring

In this partnership, the modality of engagement will follow a phase-based approach across a duration of 12 months through a cost sharing modality.

Phase 1: identify 100 existing businesses along with their barriers to growth and other business needs; co-design selection criteria. The BDS providers will support in establishing selection criteria and judging criteria, together with MC EEE team and local project partners (UNHCR, RRS, Kebele Administration, Refugees and returnees’ committees, community-based electricity committees). EEE will cover 100% the cost of this milestones.

Phase 2: EEE will cover 80 % of the total project cost, the consultant BDS partner/trainer will cover 15 % and the local BDS provider will share 5% of the cost.

Phase 3: – EEE will cover 60 % of the total project cost, the consultant BDS partner/trainer will cover 30 % and the local BDS provider will share 10 % of the cost from the revenue that they would generate from BDS service provision.

Phase 4: – The consultant BDS partner/trainer and the local BDS provider will cover costs from the revenue generated from BDS service provision.

During each of the four phases indicated above the following are the minimum expectations to be accomplished by the BDS partner/trainer and local BDS provider:

Phase 1: identify 100 existing businesses along with their barriers to growth and other business needs; co-design selection criteria. The BDS providers will support in establishing selection criteria and judging criteria, together with MC EEE team and local project partners (UNHCR, RRS, Kebele Administration, Refugees and returnees’ committees, community based electricity committees). EEE will cover 100% the cost of this milestones.

Phase 2. BDS partner will train, guide and advice, and provide all the necessary tools to the local BDS providers to acquire 10 enterprises to be supported through full-time in-person support.

Phase 3:  BDS partner will advise through additional and/or more customized tools to acquire additional 20 new enterprises with half time support than the first phase through a mix of in-person and remote support.

Phase 4:  BDS partner will thoroughly evaluate the performance of local BDS providers and provide detailed feedback on how to strengthen and expand the service. During this phase, additional and/or more customized tools will be provided and the BDS partner will support the BDS provider to acquire additional 20 new enterprises through mainly remote support and pre-scheduled monitoring and follow up visits based on agreed frequency.

The consultant leads the whole process of setting scientific criteria informed by practical experience to recruit local business development service providers, development of manual, training, coaching, mentoring, certification, and support incubation of consultancy firms. The training is provided in all the three regions separately and with technical experts who have knowledge of local context and can communicate in local language. The consultant in collaboration with EEE ensures gender equity in training.

Training

The training is provided by modular or session form. The project proposes five modules or sessions each conducted separately followed by practical assignments. Starting from session two the participants present their practical assignment before starting the regular session. The consultant also organized group visits to at least three different firms for practical application of each training and its impact on business. The project is willing to accept better content of training with the same approach of delivery. Each session minimum training topic is suggested below in the diagram.

Timeframe / Schedule:

The technical assistance project is expected to start on  November 1, 2022,  to  November 2,  2023 (12 months). The consultancy will work with EE-Ethiopia (EE-E) project teams and its partners  in the Somali  region and national teams. The location of the assessment will be Awbare Woreda Sheder refugee camps and its surrounding. The consultant is expected to submit detail workplan of the assignment along with the technical and financial proposals.

The Consultant will work closely with:

EEE Team Lead, Energy and Livelihoods Advisor, Senior Regional Program Officer, and MEAL Officer.The   experts of the consulting firms  will closely work with EE Team Lead  and will coordinate his/her activities with EE-partners. The lead expert will keep the parties informed on the progress of the Technical Assistance Assignment and discuss any challenges s/he is facing. During the consultancy period, the consultants coordinate and work closely with HumEn PLC and its relevant stakeholders to share information and receive feedback. This could include organizing meetings and discussions among Officers of RRS, UNHCR, Somali Region relevant government line department, field project  Team, community representatives , refugee central committee,    refugees and host  communities, market actors, private businesses, development practitioners and humanitarian agencies considering the proposed  interventions of the project.

Administrative information: MercyCorps EE-Ethiopia project  will be providing support like  facilitation of linkage with partners and community structures , information sharing and consultation along the process of delivering the services. MCE will be providing all the necessary documents and promptly and timely response to the consulting teams.