Consultant to Provide Business Development Services for SMEs in the GRAISEA 2 Project

TERMS OF REFERENCE CONSULTANCY SERVICE FOR PROVIDING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR SMEs IN THE GRAISEA 2 PROJECT I. BACKGROUND Oxfam is a world-wide development organisation that mobilizes the strength and voice of people against poverty, inequality and injustice. We are a confederation of 19 Oxfam organisations working together in more than 90 countries. Oxfam works with partner organisations and alongside vulnerable women and men to end injustices. Oxfam in Vietnam is working to seek transformative changes in policies, practices and beliefs in ways that will fundamentally improve the lives of poor and marginalised women and men and ensure that all citizens have the same opportunity to enjoy their rights. GRAISEA is considered as one of Oxfam’s flagship programs. Drawing on progress and lessons from the first phase, GRAISEA 2 (1 Aug 2018 – 31 July 2021) aims to transform opportunities for marginalised women and men in the agriculture sector in Asia by acting as a catalyst for the emergence of inclusive value chains and responsible business practices that respect human rights and drive women’s economic empowerment and climate resilience. It is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. GRAISEA 2 will focus its work on two value chains of major economic and social importance in the region, rice and shrimp. In Vietnam, for rice, the project is being implemented in Kien Giang, An Giang & Soc Trang province. For shrimp, the project is being implemented in Soc Trang, Bac Lieu & Ca Mau. GRAISEA 2 in Vietnam will promote the scaling of inclusive and responsible business models and practices by working simultaneously on three levels:

Producer level: GRAISEA 2 will capacitate men & women producers, producer groups to participate and benefit fairly from economic opportunities in rice & shrimp value chains.
Private sector level: GRAISEA 2 will collaborate with private sector to develop inclusive, responsible and more resilient business practices.
Policy level: GRAISEA 2 jointly with its partners will engage with provincial & national governments to create enabling environment for promoting the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises and encouraging the adoption of inclusive and responsible business models that drive women’s economic empowerment and support climate change resilience.

As part of our activities at Private Sector Level, Oxfam is seeking a qualified consultancy team (hereafter called the consultants) to provide Business Development Services (BDS) package, including general training and in-depth coaching support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within GRAISEA 2 project. II. OBJECTIVES The consultancy assignment is expected to achieve the following objectives:

Improve business management capacity of target SMEs in corporate strategy, human resource management, financial management, branding and marketing;
Promote the adoption of inclusive and responsible business models that drive women’s economic empowerment and support climate change resilience initiatives;
Promote efficiencies and effectiveness of implementing businesses toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among private sector.

III. SCOPE OF WORKS AND DELIVERABLES In order to achieve the above objectives, the consultants are expected to carry out the following tasks within the timeframe from January 2020 to March 2021: 1. General Training Tentative timeline: February to December 2020 Activity: Organise training courses and provide general training for SMEs on topics, including but not limited to Corporate Strategy, Human Resources Management; Branding and Marketing; Inclusive Business Model, Gender in Business, women economic empowerment, Impact driven businesses. Deliverables:

4-6 general training courses, 2-4 days per course, maximum total of 24 days including preparation.
Assessment of SMEs’ capacity needs
Training plan and documents
Evaluation/ Feedback from participants
Training report, including training materials/ curriculum
List of SMEs recommended for in- depth training and coaching

Note: Detailed training topics shall be discussed with the consultants after signing consultancy contract and based on the need assessment. All training courses will be conducted in the Mekong Delta, ideally Can Tho and Ca Mau provinces. It is expected that 10-15 enterprises will participate in the general training courses and total number of participants will be around 25 to 30 people. 2. In-depth coaching, in-depth support Tentative Timeline: April 2020 - March 2021 Activity: Provide in-depth coaching for the 3-5 selected SMEs Deliverables:

Mapping key issues of selected SMEs and possible interventions
At least 02 tailored coaching packages for each selected SMEs
Maximum 100 days of consultancy work
Final products from in-depth coaching eg. Business plan, Human Resource Policy, KPIs etc... towards enhancing social welfare, women’s self- esteem and leadership, market accessibility of Coaching will be conducted at the office of enterprises’ premises
Coaching includes in-depth trainings for management and key staff of selected enterprises, direct coaching at the enterprise premises and online coaching via skype, telephone men & women small-scale producers, create more benefits for SSPs
Final coaching report

Note: Coaching will be conducted at the office of enterprises’ premises. Coaching includes in- depth trainings for management and key staff of selected enterprises, direct coaching at the enterprise premises and online coaching via skype, telephone. The consultants will be responsible for organizing and coordinating the training courses such as booking location, inviting participants, monitoring, collecting assessment and feedback of participants, and providing timely feedback to Oxfam for appropriate modifications if needed. The detailed working schedule should be discussed and agreed with Oxfam. Trainings and coaching for companies in the Rice Value chain will be conducted first, Shrimp Value chain will be done later. Please be noted that after General Training, Oxfam and the consultants will discuss and agree on the work of In-depth Coaching. The implementation of In-depth Coaching will be decided based on the results of General Training. IV. REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANT Applicant could be an organisation or a group of consultants. Individual consultants must possess following qualifications:

At least Master’s degrees in a business, finance management, marketing or relevant fields;
A strong knowledge across key functions of business as well as characteristic of inclusive business;
Having knowledge and experience in shrimp/ rice business in the Mekong delta would be an advantage;
Having knowledge and experience about gender equality/ gender at workplace/ gender in business would be an advantage;
Considerable experience in successful business coaching and mentoring for SMEs.

Organisation or Group of Consultants should have:

Strong event organization/coordination/ networking experience. Prior experience in providing similar services for Oxfam is an advantage;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills including ability to produce concise, readable and analytical reports.

V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION The Proposal should be submitted in English by email to HR.Vietnam@oxfam.org before 5pm, 15 January 2020. Organizations capable of providing consultancy services are invited to submit their applications with the following documents:

A technical proposal that sets out detailed working plan to achieve the objectives within expected timeframe, estimated budget for each activity and timeline to undertake this assignment;
An up-to-date portfolio of the organization stating relevant experiences with a detailed list of consultants;
Curriculum Vitae of individual consultants.

Oxfam is willing to answer to any questions of applicants regarding this TOR prior the submission deadline. The questions should be sent by email to the attention of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu Ha – Project Manager of the Impact Investment Program (ha.nguyenthu@oxfam.org ). Note: Only those candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

Tags: Oxfam