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Provision of Business Development Services to Sudanese Traders
International Labour Organization

 

 

 

 


 City: Khartoum with occasional travel to states
 Deadline: 08 June 2022
 Description:

 

 

 


Terms of Reference

National Consultant for Provision of Business Development Services to Sudanese Traders in El-Obaid, North Kordofan

 

 

Start date: 15.06.2022

End date: 30.04.2023

 

BACKGROUND

Business development in rural Sudan is often limited by the very low purchasing power of community members, and the lack of sufficient transportation services linking the local communities to wider market networks. Moreover, the lack of adequate storage facilities means that farmers have to sell their produce as soon as it is harvested, when it is the cheapest.

As a result, community members and businesses rely largely on networks of traders and brokers to bring products and inputs from outside the community and to access wider market networks. Such trading and brokering services significantly drive up the price levels at local markets and reduce farmers’ share of profits vis à vis middlemen in the value chain.

Traders not only provide essential transport services, they are often also the main source of finance for the farmers, with the relationship largely depending on trust - where guarantees or collateral requirements from borrowers are not possible. The amount borrowed comes in the form of cash and must be repaid after harvest in an amount equivalent to the cost of the produce at the time of receiving the loan. This leads to challenges, for instance when the price of the crop at the time of repayment is lower than that at the time when the loan was received. 

Despite the fact that they fulfill a critical role in the Sudanese market for agricultural commodities, these middlemen are often seen acting predatory, with Woman and Forcibly Displaced individuals being twice as vulnerable to their price-setting power, predatory lending, and other forms of discrimination in the market.

In addition, with crops being bought and sold several times along the value chain; quality assurance is impossible. Exporting buyers have no means to communicate quality issues to producer groups and hence there is little room for improvement. Groundnuts for example, are often stored in inadequate facilities or storage units throughout all stages in the value chain. This increases the level of Aflatoxin contamination, which lowers the quality and grade of the crop for processing and/or export. Leading processors of groundnuts in Sudan state that the poor storage and transport of groundnuts results in their manufacturing facilities running below total capacity. Crop quality is of particular importance for agricultural value chains in which competition is steep and value addition low, such as with the Hibiscus Value Chain where Sudan is facing intense competition from countries like Egypt and Nigeria.

 

PROSPECTS SUDAN

To that end, PROSPECTS Partnership, that is implemented by ILO, UNICEF, UNHCR and IFC and funded by the Government of the Netherlands, aims to enhance the enabling environment, enhance access to decent work, education, training, protection and strengthen the resilience and develop the socio- economic status of Host Communities and Forcibly Displaced People. To address the issue of infrastructure that prevents communities from connecting to larger markets, education, and service networks, the ILO aims to make the development of trading and transportation networks an integral part of its programming.

As part of the project, assessments have been undertaken to investigate the market systems and actors across the groundnuts and hibiscus value chains in East Darfur and West Kordofan, Sudan. More specifically, the Integrated Enterprise and Market Systems Assessment on Livelihoods in Sudan and the Socio-Economic Assessment have found that traders are the link between markets at locality, state and federal levels. However, it was found that better linkages between traders, productive cooperatives and larger market networks is needed as well  ascoaching to the demand side of the market to build its confidence to extend its operations and investments to the targeted locations of Assalaya, El-Nimir, Keilak/Kharasana and Al-Meiram.

 

OVERALL OBJECTIVES

Under the direct leadership of the ILO selected implementing partner, the national consultant will be expected to contribute to a 5-day Workshop to 200 traders, a Crop Fair and a Networking Event for the groundnuts and hibiscus value chains actorsin El-Obaied, North Kordofan.This to further include:

  1. Participate and technically and logistically support in the scoping assessment undertaken by the international implementing partner. This includes instantaneous interpretation that might be needed across this contract;
  2. Contribute to the development of the activities to strengthen market linkages and grow businesses engaged in the targeted value chains. This incudes contribution to adapting the training material and events to the context as well as translation of all relevant guides, presentations, etc.
  3. Participate in the preparation for the delivery of the Business Development Coaching Workshop targeting ,the Groundnuts and Hibiscus Fair and Networking Event;
  4. Participate in the delivery of the Business Development Coaching Workshops, the Groundnuts Fair and Networking Event, and

All of this is to include, any other tasks requested by the Implementing Partner

This is to be achieved under the direct supervision of the implementing partner and the through consultations with PROSPECTS project team by using a results-based approach, as detailed below.

 

KEY DELIVERABLES

 

Key Deliverables

Deliverable to ILO

Timeline

PREWORK:  Inception Planning 

  • Prepare an inception report including:
  • Based on a desk review and the ILO and implementing partners’ assessments and methodologies, propose training content outlines, event dates and venues, and outlines of the training content, as well as a tentative workplan;
  • Meet with the PROSPECTS project team and the Implementing Partner to agree on the detailed modalities of the training and the Networking Event. 

Inception report

5days

01 – 14 June 2022

PART A:  Scoping study (estimate of 15 days at El-Obaied is mandatory)

  1. Contribute technically and logistically to the implementing partner’s mission to El-Obaied, North Kordofan.

Mission report

18 days

15 June-01 July 2022

  1. Engage along with the the implementing partners with all the stakeholders and actors targeted by this intervention and assess their needs. This includes interpretation between English and Arabic as the need arises, and
  1. Contribute to mapping all stakeholders’ priorities and needs and based on that advice on adapting the proposed activities to the context (i.e.business development capacity building, Networking Event and the Crop Fair).

PART B: Proposed activities to strengthen market linkages and grow businesses engaged in the targeted value chains

  1. Based on the mission findings, contribute to the implementing partner’s developed training material and event plans and ensure they are fit to the context—this to include translation of all produced products to Arabic.

Training material , guides and presentations are adapted to context and translated in Arabic

5 days

 

 

 

02 July-15 August 2022

  1. Contribute to developing the selection criteria and selection process for the 200 traders and the events’ guest speakers, productive cooperatives, etc.

Deliverable report

2 days

PART C:  Preparation for the delivery of the Business Development Workshop, the Groundnuts and Hibiscus Fair and Networking Event  (estimate of 20 days at El-Obaied is mandatory)

  1. Contribute to develop the pre& post training assessment and tests. This to capture the baseline status of the traders’ business which post-training progress will be assessed against. Deliverable to ILO: Arabic version of the final pre&post survey and tests;
  2. Under the supervision of the implementing partner, undertake the selection of the 200 traders as per the agreed selection criteria and process and provide a list of the selected traders to ILO PROSPECTS team.
  3. Provide ILO with the list of: the Crop Fair and Networking event participants (minimum 300 traders, processors, exporters, cooperatives, agribusiness and entrepreneurs), guest speakers and cooperatives invited;
  4. Finalise the translation of the Business Development 5-day workshop material as well as the Crop Fair and Networking event agenda;
  5. Finalise the event invites to experts, guests, case studies and cooperatives that will participate in these events;
  6. Ensure the events advertisement campaign are fit to context and provide interpretation as needed; and
  7. Lead on preparing and securing all logistics needed for the training and event to take place (including advance payments), and finalise the preparation of: the conference facilities and all relevant services (meals, stationary, etc.), invite list from across the relevant value chains and invitations and booking the conference, exhibition area and guest accommodation services.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In Agreement with PROSPECTS Sudan, there should be guest speakers/participants invited from other states and logistically supported to participate in the Crop Fair and Networking event—all the travel, accommodation, meals and transport of a minimum of at least 50 participants should be covered by the Implementing Partner.

-Deliverable report

-List of participants, traders, guest, etc.

-Advertisement campaign is translated published through agreed channels

-All logistics are evidently secured

20 days

01 – 15 September 2022

PART D: Business Development Coaching Workshops delivery and Groundnuts Fair and Networking Event (estimate of 60 days at El-Obaied is mandatory)

  1. Co-deliver the 5 days training to 200 traders at El-Obaid, North Kordofan, Sudan. This includes conducting pre and post surveys (in Arabic) and translating all of that in English for further analysis by the implementing partner;
  2. Technically support and logistically lead (including interpretation from English to Arabic and vice versa) the delivery the Networking Event and Groundnut and Hibiscus Fair that includes guest speakers on export promotion, contract farming agreements, agro-enterprise formalization, and a Networking Event. This includes all logistical preparations and simultaneous interpretation;
  3. Independently manage all logistical preparation for traders to participate in the training, that includes local travel, accommodation, and disbursing transport allowance if applicable.
  4. Provide a final report on the training outcome and event, any findings and lessons learnt to include in future programming. This includes the translation of all relevant discussions and findings into English.

-Deliverable report

- Evidence on top notch logistical leadership

60 days

16 September – 30 April 2023

 

REPORTING LINES

The selected national business development consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Implementing Partner’s management and PROSPECTS team in Sudan. This includes regular planning and progress meetings, joint discussions, agreement on best approaches and logistical preparations.

 

SUBMISSION

To be considered in the selection process thecandidate must submit the following documents to ADDIS_PROCUREMENT@ilo.org no later than 08 June 2022, 4pm [CAT]:

  1. A Resume including their qualification in business development and mentoring, indicating  the Consultancy Profile or a current CV, which details the number of businesses they have supported with business development services , the scope of work and location of each of the workshops, as well as target group characteristics (where applicable) and training deliveries;
  2. Proven experience on adult learning and participatory methodologies
  3. Technical proposal indicating detailed workplan for delivering the business development services and the networking/fair event as detailed in the key deliverables section;
  4. A sample of prior End of training reports; and
  5. The interested individual consultants are requested to provide a financial offer that is deliverable based AND includes ONLY professional fees related to the activity. Number of field mission dates are also to be accounted and reported at the activity level. The following Table has been prepared to assist Consultants in reporting their respective financial offers.

ID

Activity Deliverables

Total Activity Deliverable Days

Total Number of Mission Days

Total Deliverable Cost*

IMPORTANT NOTE: First activity below is provided as an example. Please ensure that this template table includes ALL activities detailed in the Key Deliverables section above. Also ensure that the last row is dedicated for Total Activity Days and Costs as shown below in the example.

A.1

Contribute technically and logistically to the implementing partner’s mission to El-Obaied, North Kordofan.

 

 

 

.

.

.

Please provide breakdown for each activity in the Key Deliverables section above.

 

 

 

 

Totals Activity Days and Costs

 

 

 

*Total Deliverable Cost = Daily Professional Fees X Total Activity Deliverable Days + Total number of mission day X DSA per day + Flight cost

 

INSTRUCTIONS TO CONSULTANT

  • The CV submitted should include the Date of Birth and Nationality of the Consultant;
  • Consultant should quote in USD prices and/or using prices calculated using the Official UN Exchange Rates for the country;
  • Candidate should be prepared to submit a copy of their national Passport upon Notification of Award;
  • Candidates planning field visits, movements, and/or DSA travel dates are required to completed the UN BSAFE security training course upon Notification of Award. Failure to complete the course will prevent the finalization of contracting between the Consultant and the ILO;
  • Professional Fees should include all costs associated with the Activity Deliverable;
  • Consultants are responsible for arranging their own travel arrangements to project sites;
  • Consultants agree to be paid based upon compliance with UN Harmonized DSA rates set for the country;
  • Consultants agree that all mission costs will be based upon the most economical direct fares AND that any travel-related costs cannot exceed those payable to an ILO official on the same itinerary;
  • All mission cost days will be paid based upon actual receipts paid by the Consultant and actual travel/mission dates;
  • Consultants are not to add the VAT to their financial offer unless they are a VAT Registered Individual with the Sudanese VAT Authority;
  • Consultants should be aware that all intellectual property rights arising from the contract are vested with the ILO however authorship will be acknowledged by the Organization; and
  • Consultants will bear all charges levied by their own bank in receiving of managing funds transferred by ILO.
  • The consultant must adhere to Covid-19 measures and to factor that in his/her training approach

 

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment of Professional Fees will be made in three instalments:

  • First payment will be 20% of the total budget to be disbursed once the contract is signed and an inception report is submitted and cleared by the Programme Manager.
  • Second payment will be 20% of the total budget to be disbursed on completion and submission of activities under Part A deliverables as indicated in the Key Deliverables section above;
  • Third payment will be 20% of the total budget to be disbursed upon the satisfactory completion of Part B of the Key Deliverables section.
  • Fourth payment will be 20% of the budget which is to be disbursed upon satisfactory progress on remainder deliverables C; and
  • Fifth payment of 20% is to be disbursed upon the submission of deliverable D.
  • IMPORTANT NOTE: 100% of DSA once all relevant receipts, boarding passes are submitted .All reimbursement cost items need to reflect the ILOs commitment to using the most economical, direct, and standardized fares.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA

The selected National Consultant will have a mix of expertise and qualifications in the focus areas related to this ToR. Evaluation of the suitability of the consultant to work on this assignment will be made against the following selection criteria:

1 -Applicant demonstrates (via submitted workplan and sample report) expertise working on business development and event preparation (30 points).

2 - Quality of the sample 'End of Training report' suggests that the applicant(s) possess the required level of knowledge, analytical skill and ability to write comprehensive documents (15 points).

3 - Applicant CVs demonstrate a clear link between the consultants competencies and the tasked areas of work (30 points).

4 - Applicants have relevant experience with the ILO or other UN agencies in the delivery of business development training at the states level (15 points).

5 - Applicant has an excellent command of spoken and written English (10 points).

Please note that the Minimum Acceptable Score for the Proposal to be financially reviewed is 60 points.

 


 

 








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