Consultancy for developing guidance material for Food and Beverage Sector

Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Office for Business Sustainable Development (SDforB)

Term of Reference on

“Providing Service to Develop Guidance Material for the Food and Beverage Sector”

Background information

In July 2023, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Decision no. No 843/QD-TTg: Issuing the National Action Plan for Law and Policy to Promote Responsible Business Practices in Viet Nam (NAP) for the period of 2023-2027.

In the context of Vietnam’s pursuit of rapid and sustainable development, there is a growing emphasis on responsible business practices (RBP) to protect stakeholders’ rights and interests. The Communist Party’s 13th Congress underscored the significance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the integration of responsible practices. While CSR covers broader societal responsibilities, RBP focuses on mandatory measures taken by businesses to address risks and responsibilities towards stakeholders like employees, consumers, and affected communities. This includes risk assessment, prevention, and remediation efforts, with both businesses and society sharing the responsibility of compliance.

Previously, there were two Guidelines on Responsible Business Practice developed, including in the Tourism and Footwear and Textile sectors. The Food and Beverage sector has been selected as the next guideline to be developed, owing to the particular responsible business practice risks around labor rights, environmental impacts, and gender inequality.

Objective and Purpose of this assignment

Office for Business Sustainable Development (SDforB) seeks a consultant (s)/or a consulting firm to develop guidelines on responsible business practice for the Food and Beverage sector in Vietnam. The documentation should be written in English and Vietnamese. An in-depth and practical analysis shall be developed based on the thorough documentation. SDforB will work closely with a selected consultant (s)/or a consulting firm through technical support to further exchange, discuss ideas and effective approach and ensure consultancy service are welldelivered.

This comprehensive guideline aims to increase the capacity of enterprises in the food and beverage sector to adopt responsible business practices, and to increase the awareness of employees and consumers their rights and the responsibilities of enterprises. This will support more businesses to integrate responsibility into their operations to protect against risks, expand into new markets, and cater to the rising local and international demand for ethical consumerism. This will also support businesses’ commitment and reflects its commitment to fostering RBP, enshrining environmental, labour, and sustainable development considerations.

Scope of work: The content should cover but not limited to the following key points:

Provide an overview of RBC framework (International and National frameworks);
Highlight and analyze some of RBC challenges and issues that arise in the food and beverage sector;
Provide insights and recommendation on how should business respond;
Identify some suggestions for businesses that are looking to get started in embedding RBC or strengthening exiting approaches and strategies.

The documentation should capture the elements of existing practices. A reflection on implementation constraints and lessons learned should be included, it is important to cover challenges/shortfalls, not just accomplishments. If relevant, rapid look into the socio-economic and policy impacts or the latest economic downturn on the achievement of planned results, how RBC has pivoted to respond, and any new opportunities arising, or innovations made due to challenges (if applicable) should be included. The documentation should take into consideration the relevant national and international standards and guidelines as key references to analyze the case stories or lesson learned.

Tasks and schedule:

No.	Task	Duration (estimated # of the days)	Deadline
1	Reviewing and analyzing literature/ resources/ information/ initiatives (desk-based research)	30	April 25, 2025
2	Developing overall guidance outline for Food and Beverage sector	6	May 15, 2025
3	Consult with related partners/ stakeholders on the guidance content and format, including contacting and interviewing with companies to collect challenges and issues, practical case studies and good practices	14	June 5, 2025
4	Develop first draft guidance and submit to SDforB for review and comments	30	July 10, 2025
5	Consult with partners/stakeholder, SDforB on the first draft	4	August 3,2025
6	Finalize the final guidance material in English version (word version) incorporating SdforB’s comments	10	August 15, 2025
7	Finalizing the final guidance material in Vietnamese version/ Guidance translation into Vietnamese language	approximately 40 pages	August 30, 2025

The estimated number of days could be adjusted based on discussion between SdforB and the consultant.

Expected deliverables:

Detailed work-plan with scope of work, methodology, tools and detailed outline for the guidance.
A list of businesses/partners/stakeholders for consultation.
A database with all key information/ resources/ initiatives collected.
An electronic copy (word file) of final documentation with key recommendations in both English and Vietnamese.

Require qualification and experience:

The consultant needs to demonstrate i) strong technical expertise of the RBC in Viet Nam and ii) practical experience in the field of RBC and iii) proven engagement/network with F&B companies;
Hold at least a Master of relevant fields;
Strong expertise in RBC, particularly in the area of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in enterprises of all sizes and in field of F&B;
Expertise in conducting literature reviews, assessments or evaluations, qualitative research methods and data analysis in the RBC (desirable);
Strong understanding of labour market and skill requirement in the context RBC – Understanding of gender aspects in the RBC.
Proven track record in engaging with multiple stakeholders in both public and private sectors.
Strong understanding of NAP on RBC, and law system related to RBC in Viet Nam.
Proven strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
All Research Team members/Consultants must respect the confidentiality of the data.

Submission

Interested candidates are required to submit their proposals and attachments to the email: [email protected] by 14 March, 2025, marked in the subject “Consultancy for developing guidance material for Food and Beverage Sector”, with the following attachments:

Resume demonstrating relevant qualifications, technical expertise, and experiences.
A brief of guidance plan.
Letter of Interest.
Proposed a detailed budget.

Deadline for submission: 5:00 PM (GMT +7), 14 March 2025