Intent to Bid: Subcontract to conducting the Consulting on UL standards, product design

Subject:            Intent to Bid

Reference:       Subcontract to conducting the Consulting on UL standards, product design according to UL standards to VINA VALVES JOINT STOCK COMPANY (VVN).

Dear Interested Parties,

Vietnam Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Project (IPS-C) intends to award a subcontract to conducting the Consulting on UL standards, product design according to UL standards to VINA VALVES JOINT STOCK COMPANY (VVN).

Background

Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) technical assistance project, and the Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) is the project owner. The project is implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP (“Deloitte”) and runs from 2020 to 2025.

The purpose of the USAID IPSC Activity is to remove constraints and build the competitiveness of small and growing businesses (SGBs) in Vietnam, including those led by vulnerable populations. With this activity, USAID/Vietnam is supporting Vietnam’s competitiveness: vertically at the policy, market, and firm level; and horizontally by working along the entire spectrum of enterprise growth models, from household businesses transforming into registered firms to small firms on the cusp of scaling up.

Summary of Activities

IPSC collaborates closely with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) counterparts, including the project owner, AED, under MPI. IPSC and AED develop strategies for sector selection, geographic focus, and SGB engagement, and engage a broad range of market actors across the economy that make up the SGB ecosystem, including SGBs, cooperatives, and household businesses (HBs); business chambers, associations, and business development service providers (BDSPs); GVN Ministries and Agencies, provincial and local administrations; and private sector consultants, training institutions, and financial institutions. Using incentives and cost-sharing with SGBs, pioneering enterprises (PEs), and other partners, IPSC builds both greater demand and supply of business development services (BDS), while improving providers’ capacity to understand and offer services desired in the marketplace.

One of IPSC’s main objectives is supporting Vietnamese enterprises to receive customized technical assistance under the overall support package “Pioneering Enterprise (PE) Program” to create products with added value and Vietnamese intellectual property, nurturing them to become sustainable models for other SGBs to emulate and scale up proven examples. A PE is a growing Vietnamese enterprise with Vietnamese-branded products, sufficient competitiveness, the ability to lead and expand in the industry, sector, and locality, strong management capacity, and willingness to innovate and produce products with high added value, with the vision and objective to build a Vietnamese brand in international markets. Positioning the “Made by Vietnam” product brand successfully in regional and international markets is a priority for PEs.

Each support package will be customized for the individual PE, depending on their situation, needs, development capacity, commitment to participate, and willingness to co-invest. The support packages will focus on facilitating BDSPs and technical experts to deliver consulting services and specialized training to help enterprises strengthen their governance, management capability, and strategies (including strategy development, business model refinement, brand positioning, marketing, innovation, communications, and human resource development). IPSC will develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each supporting package so PEs can quantify the results achieved and evaluate the effectiveness of the results.

VINA VALVES JOINT STOCK COMPANY established in October 2016, started operations in August 2017, and officially launched products to the market in early 2018 with initial products being valves and accessories for the water supply industry. In a short time, Vina Valves has promoted R&D investment according to international standards to produce and export valves and accessories in the field of fire protection. Currently, Vina Valves is the only Vietnamese company that produces OEM valves and fire protection accessories that meet UL/ULc/FM standards. The company has produced more than 15 types of products that have achieved international standards and certifications and since May 2020 has started to export to leading markets in terms of quality, production process, and delivery schedule Goods, such as the US, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan, etc. with increasing revenue and export proportion.

Offeror will assist will support VINA VALVES in consulting on Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standards, designing a VVN branded product according to UL standards, and helping apply for that product to be listed by UL. UL is crucial for the company to expand customer base in high-end markets requiring UL international standards and increasing the technological initiative of Vietnamese enterprises according to international technical standards.

Eligibility Requirements

Qualified legally registered Vietnamese company or organization must meet the following criteria to be eligible:

• Capability to understand the laws and laboratories, certification standards, such as ISO 14000, ISO 45000, ISO 17025, and other certifications, especially UL certification.
• Having a solution-oriented mindset, able to propose practical and feasible solutions, capable of developing a comprehensive marketing plan. Possess the ability to coach VVN's relevant department to address issues and improve performance for UL standards.
• Extensive experience working with companies in the manufacturing industry and a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that these companies face. Experience in supporting industries is preferred.
• Strong expertise in business strategy, quality management, process improvement, and excellent analytical skills and can gather and analyze data to identify areas for improvement and develop practical solutions.
• Capability to deliver high-quality training courses and one-on-one coaching sessions to enhance business processes for individuals and organizations with at least 5 years of experience.
• Have knowledge and experience in market analysis, be able to clearly identify the detailed profile of the enterprise's target customers. Ability to support and provide necessary and effective customer care plans.
• Strong expertise in quality management, process improvement, and excellent analytical skills, diverse knowledge about production models and business processes in factories in Vietnam and can gather and analyze data to identify areas for improvement and develop practical solutions.
• The Offeror should have a proven track record of success in delivering similar projects in the past three years. References and examples of past work are required.

Interested vendors should provide an Intent to Bid, expressing the intent of the vendor to submit a proposal for this requirement, by 9:00 pm Hanoi time on August 9, 2024, to Mir Waez at [email protected] and Tuan Tran Anh [email protected]

IPS-C intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to interested vendors by August 12, 2024.