Consultancy to Conduct Research on Wider Applicability of the Corporate Sustainability Index

Terms of reference
Consultancy to conduct research on wider applicability of the Corporate Sustainability Index

Title: Consultancy to conduct research on wider applicability of the Corporate Sustainability Index
Time frame: 08/2020-11/2020
Requirement: 1 Consultant (Vietnamese national)
Location: Hanoi and other provinces (if necessary)

1. CONTEXT

At the United Nations Summit for Sustainable Development on 25 th September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed on the adoption of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets to end poverty, eliminate inequality and injustice and combate climate change till 2030. In addition to the role of the government and civil social organisations, the Agenda 2030 emphasizes the role of the private sector in the achievement of SDGs. The private sector is considered as a key stakeholder group in directing and investing in innovations to meet the sustainability requirements.

In an effort to realize its international commitment, the Government of Vietnam promulgated the National Action Plan (NAP) on the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 with the Prime Minister Decision No 622/Q?-TTg on 10/5/2018. According to this Action Plan, the business community plays a vital role in ensuring the success of the Vietnam Sustainable Development Goals (VSDGs) till 2030.

In the Announcement 358/TB-VPCP dated 8 th October 2019 by the Government Office on the instruction of the Prime Minister at the National Summit on Sustainable Development 2019, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to “research and propose the application of the
Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) to monitor and evaluate the operation of businesses to support state administration at central and local level”.

Initiated by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) to promote sustainable practices of Vietnamese businesses, the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) was developed to evaluate enterprises using economic, social and environment sustainability criteria that match the local context and international practices. The CSI is also a tool to quantify targets and manage changes to ensure sustainable growth of the business. The CSI is re-assessed and updated annually by VCCI experts, government agencies, domestic and international organizations, member enterprises of VCCI and other independent experts.

Since 2016, the CSI has been used to evaluate and rank enterprises on a voluntary basis. By providing information to calculate the CSI, enterprises can systemize their management information including the procedure, management methodology, production, operational efficiency, legal documents and regulations to comply with, thus improve and promote sustainability strategy. Based on the evaluation by CSI, VCCI classifies and gives awards to the 100 best enterprises.

Currently, the ranking system using the CSI only attracts the participation of big enterprises, whereas the participation of small and medium size enterprises is relatively limited. This is despite the fact, that SMEs account for the majority of businesses in operation. The wider applicability of the CSI to serve the monitoring and evaluation of business operation for central and local state administration should be assessed.

In cooperation with Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources and Environment (DSENRE) and the Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Hanns Seidel Foundation, through this Terms of Reference, agrees to identify and support the recruitment of one (01) National Consultant to research and propose the application of the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) to monitor and evaluate the operation of businesses to support the state administration at the central and local level.

2. OBJECTIVE(S)

The National Consultant researches and proposes the application of the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) to monitor and evaluate the operation of businesses to support the central and local state administration.

3. SPECIFIC TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINE

In close direction by DSENRE, the National Consultant should execute the following tasks:

• Review documents and reports related to the Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) developed by Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and other international ranking index, review international experience in ranking sustainable businesses.
• Based on the review of the above mentioned documents, develop a kick-off report with an outline for the research with proposal on whether the CSI should be used to monitor and evaluate businesses for State administration at the central and local level.
• Using the proposed outline, draft a research report with the following contents:
  
  • International experience in ranking sustainable businesses;
  • Overview of the Corporate Sustainability Index developed by VCCI, the application sofar, analysis of attributes and limitations in applying this index for the ranking activity initiated by VCCI;
  • Analyze the feasibility of using the CSI in monitoring and evaluating business operation for state administration purpose at the central and local level (Whether the application is feasible? Does it cause additional administrative burden for businesses? To what extent should it be applied? Which challenges can be foreseen?)
  • Propose and recommend solutions/measure to use the CSI in in monitoring and evaluating business operation for state administration purpose at the central and local level
• Support DSENRE in coordinating with VCCI, line ministries and agencies as well as experts during the drafting and finalization of the report.
• During the execution of the above-mentioned tasks, the National Consultant also supports DSENRE in the submission to the Prime Minister.

4. LEVEL OF EFFORTS

5. PAYMENT AND TIMELINE

6. QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Have at least a master degree in economics, law, natural resource management, sustainable development, environment or related fields;
Have at least 15 years of experience in a field related to sustainable development;
Have in-depth knowledge and understanding on the processes related to the Agenda 2030 SDG implementation and related thematic areas;
Have knowledge of corporate sustainability, of sustainable consumption and production and green  growth; contacts with the industry and industry association is a plus;
Have understanding of Agenda 2030, SDGs, United Nations’ guidelines on SDGs and Agenda 2030, knowledge on the development context of Vietnam, coordination mechanisms among sectors and levels.
Excellent analytical skills, excellent report writing and presentation skills in both English and Vietnamese.

7. APPLICATION FORMAT

• Proposal Cover Letter, max. 2 pages.
• CV
• Technical Approach and Budget Proposal (daily rate), max. 2 pages.

Language: English

Format: PDF

8. HOW TO APPLY

Interested consultants are kindly requested to send the application documents to Ms Trang Nguyen ([email protected]) and clearly indicate the subject: “Ref: Consultancy to conduct research on the applicability of CSI”. Please also direct potential questions to this email address.

Deadline for submission is 30 July 2020 at 5pm Hanoi time