Social Impact Business Incubator

Overview :

TERMS OF REFERENCE

 

Reference No.

PN/FJI/091/21

Consultancy Title

Social Impact Business Incubator

Location

Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Republic of Marshall Islands

Application deadline

15 October 2021

Type of Contract

Individual Contractor

Post Level

National and International Consultant

Languages required:

English

Duration of Initial Contract:

8 months

 

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Development Programme with a global presence in nearly 170 countries serves in many respects as the operational arm of the United Nations at the country level and works with partners in numerous countries to promote sustainable development, eradication of poverty, advancement of women and good governance. The UNDP Pacific Inclusive Growth Programme is focused on areas of poverty and inequality reduction, reaching the unreached and leaving no one behind, private sector innovations, sustainable development and alternative financing for development. A major part of the Inclusive Growth (IG) portfolio consists of technical support to the governments and private sector to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goals, Local Economic Development and Innovation, supporting livelihoods and building a sustainable economy in the Pacific. UNDP Inclusive Growth has a suite of targeted programs/projects to address UNDP’s leaving no one behind agenda through economic empowerment programs

 

The UNDP Pacific Inclusive Growth programme is focused on Local Economic Development, specifically Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) and innovation ecosystems to support livelihoods and build a more sustainable economy. Supporting local MSMEs will also help diversify the economy and open new tax revenue streams & export opportunities, while reducing dependence on imports. Rather than forcing a culture change and working against geographic and physical constraints, the focus would be on existing local resources (human and natural) & strengths, developing an independent self-sufficient place in the economy.

 

Objectives of this project:

  • To support sustainable and self-sufficient livelihoods for communities
  • To grow a diversified economy based on MSMEs, focusing on building internal capacity and local markets
  • To foster a locally led innovation ecosystem for the creation and implementation of solutions that respond to national demands.
  • Encourage entrepreneurs in the Pacific region to create digital solutions for their daily life challenges. 

 

Targeted audience relative to this assignment:

  • Start-ups and young entrepreneurs
  • Established SMEs
  • Micro and informal businesses in rural areas, women entrepreneurs 
  • Social enterprises
  • Ecosystem actors, entrepreneur supporting organizations (ESOs)

 

The business incubator will act as a hub, ecosystem builder and support programme for entrepreneurship and innovation in the Pacific. The incubator is envisaged to provide capacity building, advisory and mentorship services, and access to partnerships and finance.

The activity also aims to promote the concept of SDG-aligned social impact entrepreneurship and practices of impact measurement & management.

 

Pitching event:

At the end of the incubation programme, participants are expected to pitch their ideas;

  • The business incubator will be responsible for the implementation of the pitching event 
  • The applicants will be selected based on criteria
  • For reporting purposes, monitoring and evaluation will be deemed necessary for all selected beneficiaries

 

Obligations of the UNDP:

  • Approval of the incubation curriculum and design on the incubation programme
  • Monitor and evaluate the objectives specified in this term of reference
  • Approval of the evaluation criteria and application process for the pitching competition
  • Selection of the evaluation and judging panel for the pitching competition

The global pandemic affects the Pacific Island states beyond public health, as local economies rely largely on tourism and travel-related industries, as well as imports and international aid. Many countries around the world are in lockdown, international flights are suspended, and with growing self-isolation measures locally, the pandemic will have a significant challenge on the implementation of the project. Trainings and workshops may have to be implemented virtually depending on the country’s situation and covid-19 safety protocols in regard to large gatherings. Covid-19 safety procedures will need to be practiced at all times during the incubation programme and project period.

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Scope of Work

Aimed at supporting the growth of entrepreneurs, the incubator is required to design and implement a programme focused on social impact MSMEs and aid in developing business models to help create and grow young businesses through technical and financial services. The social impact business incubator is expected to:

  • Design a country specific incubation curriculum and develop toolkits for innovative social impact projects, together with the AIS Forum Secretariat (Blue Hub) and UNDP Pacific Inclusive Growth
  • Send out a call for participants in selected countries. The contractor will be responsible for finding participants to join the incubation program. The participants must be nationals/reside in the selected countries and should have a business.
  • Review all the incoming proposals for the incubation program, select top 20 proposals, and provide the report to the UNDP Inclusive Growth team. The report should contain a brief assessment of the incoming proposals based on the evaluation criteria and ranked from highest to lowest
  • Coordinate and organize capacity building activities, providing business mentoring and advisory services for the entrepreneurs
  • Provide coaching in areas of financial literacy, banking, management, marketing and business basics, communications and digital skills, and other relevant topics
  • Support startups in developing business models and provide training on pitching to potential investors, access to markets, networking and connecting
  • Provide opportunities for networking and connect participants with potential investors
  • Support participants in the negotiation process for investment and partnership deals
  • Implement a pitching event for the startups
  • Deliver and coordinate the pitch competition at the end of the incubation period, including arrangement of financial and logistical related matters
  • The applicants will be selected based on criteria
  • Cohort-based acceleration programme for social entrepreneurs selected based on agreed criteria (social impact, innovation, viability, growth potential, team capability)
  • For reporting purposes, monitoring and evaluation will be deemed necessary for all selected beneficiaries
  • The consultancy firm is encouraged to utilize digital resources where possible; this includes online learning modules, online workshops and networking

      

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

 

The timeframe and key dates as well as details of key deliverables listed below are indicative and subject to amendment during the development of the workplan.

 

Output

Due Date

  1. Incubation firms design and implement country specific incubation programmes
  • Develop guidelines and criteria for the operation of the incubation centers
  • Prepare physical space if applicable
  • Toolkits & resources, resource people, co-facilitators and mentors

November 2021

  1. Onboarding of first cohort of participants
  • Criteria and selection of the participants
  • Provide mentoring & advisory services
  • Capacity development programmes
  • Support startups in developing business models

December 2021

  1. Pitching events
  • Support entrepreneurs in developing quality business proposals for the pitching event
  • Coordinate pitching event

May 2022

  1. Monitoring and evaluation
  • Monitor the incubation centers for each country
  • Monitoring and evaluation of selected beneficiaries from the pitching event & incubation programme
  • Monitor MSMEs progress, identifying key indicators

June 2022

  1. Final report
  • Detailed report of activities and performance, challenges and lessons learned
  • Annex should include training curricula of the incubation programme, indicator data and financial report on distribution of seed fund

June 2022

 

Performance targets/indicators:

  1. Number of candidates from target groups selected for the incubation programme
  2. Number of startups successfully completing the incubation programme
  3. Number of businesses established through the incubation programmes

 

Institutional Arrangement

  • The IC will report directly to the UNDP Pacific office Inclusive Growth, Deputy Team Leader
  • The IC is expected to work closely with the UNDP Pacific Office Inclusive Growth team
  • The IC is expected to arrange weekly online meetings between the incubator, UNDP Fiji and AIS Forum team
  • The IC is expected to provide monthly reports using the recommended format.
  • All reports must be presented, indicating the audience/body and expected location and venue.

 

Duration of the Work

The IC is expected to begin on 1st November 2021 – 30 June 2022

 

Duty Station

  • The IC is expected to work from the incubation facility for the duration of this contract
  • No travel is anticipated for the next 6 months. Should there be any official travel associated with this assignment, travel arrangements shall follow the regular procedures as established for corporate travel and are to comply with provisions of the Security Clearance policy. DSA is paid regularly during travel for work outside the country of duty station as per the corporate travel policy.

 

 

 

COMPETENCIES

 

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills
  • Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work
  • Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
  • Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research
  • Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills
  • Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
  • Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards
  • Positive, constructive attitude to work
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

 

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE        

Educational Qualifications:

Key personnel should have minimum bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing, Finance or related field, and at least 3 years of relevant experience

Experience

  • The firm should have at least 3 years of professional experience in private sector in the Pacific, preferably in management consultancy, marketing, business development and consulting or related fields
  • Good understanding of the country and pacific regional innovation and entrepreneurship
  • ecosystem
  • Key personnel should have at least 3 years of experience in leading incubation and acceleration programs
  • Has successfully helped raise VC investment for at least 5 companies
  • Have at least 3 years of experience in supporting the development of impact projects
  • At least 2 key dedicated personnel for the assignment
  • Experience in implementation of capacity development programmes, MSME sector support and community building is preferred

Language requirements

  • Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
  • Pacific Island languages of the countries in scope would be an asset.

 

 

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

 

Consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, travel costs, living allowance (if any work is to be done outside the IC´s duty station) and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment. The contract price will fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:

  • Deliverable 1 Design country specific incubation programmes: 20% of total contract amount
  • Deliverable 2 Implement country specific incubation programmes: 40% of total contract amount
  • Deliverable 3 Pitching event: 20% of total contract amount
  • Deliverable 4 Final report: 20% of total contract amount

 

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources

 

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

 

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology…

Cumulative analysis

The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

 

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 70 points)

  • Criteria 1: Key personnel should have a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing, Finance or related field, and at least 5 years of relevant experience – Max 20 points
  • Criteria 2: Experience in implementation of capacity building programmes, MSME sector support and community building is preferred Max 20 Points
  • Criteria 3: The firm should have at least 5 years of experience in private sector in the Pacific, preferably in marketing, business consulting or related fields Max 10 points
  • Criteria 4: At least 2 key dedicated personnel for the assignment Max 10 points
  • Criteria 5: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Relevant Pacific Island languages an asset Max 10 Points

 

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points (70% of the total technical points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

 

Shortlisted candidates shall be called for an interview which will be used to confirm and/or adjust the technical scores awarded based on documentation submitted.

 

Documentation required

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

  • Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
  • Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
  • Technical proposal, including a) a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment; and b) a methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.
  • Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II. Note: National consultants must quote prices in United States Dollars (USD).

 

Note: Successful individual will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.

 

Incomplete and joint proposals may not be considered. Consultants with whom there is further interest will be contacted. The successful consultant shall opt to sign an Individual Contract or a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) through its company/employer with UNDP.

 

Annexes

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to Mr. Dale Kacivi – [email protected]/[email protected]

All applications must be clearly marked with the title of consultancy and submitted by 5:00pm, 15th October 2021 (Fiji Time) online via UN Jobs website https://jobs.undp.org/ or [email protected]

 

Documents :

Confirmation of Interest Form
Terms of Reference

Fiji – FIJI

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