In order to build capacity for the potential and interested businesses (including cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses) and facilitate their application to the FLOW/EOWE business support package to get support on Gender-responsive Inclusive Business initiatives, SNV is looking for consultants/consultant team to help us implement this consultancy task.
Objectives
- To build capacity on business planning and development for potential and interested women-led businesses and relevant enterprises which aim to women’s economic empowerment in Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, the consultancy has the following specific objectives:
- To develop training curriculum, training materials and deliver training up to 150 (30-35/province) entrepreneurs from women-led businesses and relevant enterprises which aim to women’s economic empowerment, including agricultural cooperatives, SMEs, start-up businesses and local partners in four project provinces in gender-responsive business planning and development;
- To support/coach selected business owners to further develop and finalize their full business plans for getting approval from FLOW/EOWE Appraisal Committee.
Scope of work
The consultants are expected to undertake the following tasks, in close consultation with and facilitation of FLOW/EOWE team, during the period from August to November 2017:
- Reviewing FLOW/EOWE programme documents to understand programme’s objectives, activities and target beneficiaries;
- Review FLOW/EOWE Business intervention framework, SMEs business support guideline and related documents;
- Consulting FLOW/EOWE programme personnel, selected partners and enterprises for get in-depth insight understanding on expectations and context;
- Designing and developing a training curriculum and a package of training materials on Gender-responsive Inclusive Business (including Gender-responsiveness, Inclusive Business, business planning and proposal writing) tailored to the needs of the target cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses;
- Delivering 4 training courses on Gender-responsive Inclusive Business to the target cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses in the 4 project provinces (estimated 30-35 participants); The 1st course will be seen as the pilot, based on that the curriculum and materials can be improved accordingly.
- Debriefing SNV on issues and results of the training courses as well as impression on draft business plans developed by the target cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses;
- Reviewing and evaluating the business plans developed and submitted by the target cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses and providing suggestions on shortlisting and selection of most potential and feasible business plans to SNV;
- Supporting the shortlisted business cases to further develop and finalize their full business plans to be submitted to SNV for appraisal and approval;
- Providing recommendations to SNV on how to improve impacts and implementation of Business intervention.
- Depending on the quality of the consultancy service provided, four other similar training courses for the next year of applications will be contracted with the consultants/consultant team.
Expected outputs and deliverables
1.1 Output 1: A curriculum and a package of training materials on business planning
The consultants will develop a package of training materials on Gender-responsive Inclusive Business (including Gender-responsiveness, Inclusive Business, business planning and proposal writing), composed of training curriculum, lecture notes, exercises, training hand-outs and training agenda.
The training materials must cover the following aspects, but not limited to:
- Introduction of Gender-responsiveness and Inclusive Business models (IB model);
- Introduction of business plan development using Business Model Canvas (BMC);
- Women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and gender equality;
- Market assessment, competitor analysis, production planning, financial and investment planning, marketing and sale planning, human resource planning;
- Project business plan template and requirements;
- Actual facts, cases and examples related to provincial context for demonstration;
- Other topics as considered needed by the trainers and/or FLOW/EOWE team.
The draft training material package must be submitted to SNV at least 1 week before delivering the first training course for SNV’s comments. The final package of training materials must be in place at least 3 days before the first training delivery.
1.2 Output 2: Training courses on business planning
The consultants will deliver four 2-day training courses on Gender-responsive Inclusive Business in four project provinces (1 course in each provinces of Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan) for about 30-35 participants in each training course, including leaders of potential and interested agricultural cooperatives, SMEs, start-up businesses and staff of local partners.
The training principles must strictly be applied in the training courses:
- Participatory and learner-centred methodology;
- Strong interaction between trainers and participants and among participants through group discussions;
- Focus on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality;
- Actual facts, cases and examples related to provincial context for demonstration;
- Practical exercises well matched with participant’s business sub-sectors.
At the end of each training course, the consultants are required to conduct an end-of -training evaluation and write a short report on results, issues, areas of improvement and recommendations to SNV for improvement in the following training courses. The report must be submitted to SNV within 5 days after each training course.
1.3 Output 3: Written 6-8 business plans of cooperatives, SMES and start-up businesses
The consultants will conduct field visits if any to the shortlisted cases (maximum 2 cases/per province) in provinces to support the potential cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses to undertake their business analyses and provide other hands-on technical coaching and supports, which enables them to formulating and finalizing their full business plans to be submitted to SNV.
During each field visits, the consultants also provide support to the potential cooperatives, SMEs and start-up businesses in preparing their “elevator pitch”, which must be represented to the respective Appraisal Committee in the appraisal meeting.
At the end of the field visits, the consultants are required to write a final report on issues and results of the capacity building process, constraints of target businesses when applying for Inclusive Business package as well as relevant recommendations and lessons learnt for SNV to make any improvements/adjustments in the following tasks. The report must be submitted to SNV within 10 days after the last field visits.
6-8 comprehensive business plans are requested to submit to SNV by October 30, 2017 at the latest. Appraisal will be started as soon as the applications have been received.
Application
Interested consultant(s)/consultant team are invited to send their technical proposal and financial proposal with the title “FLOW/EOWE – Consultancy for training and coaching on gender-responsive business planning & development” by 17 August 2017 to:
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
3rd floor, D Building, La Thanh hotel, 218 Doi Can, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Email: [email protected] [1]
For more information, see the attached TERMS OF REFERENCE