Advisory Services for Business Challenge Applicants in the Eastern Caribbean

Request for Proposals

Title: Advisory Services for Business Challenge Applicants in the Eastern Caribbean

Date Solicitation is Issued: June 15, 2022

Solicitation Number: 9506.06.14.2022.AS

Closing Date: July 7, 2022

Closing Time: 9:00pm EDT (UTC -04:00)

Entitles That May Apply: Both Firms and Individual Consultants

Contractual Mechanism: Cost Reimbursable

1. BACKGROUND

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) believes in creating a hemisphere of opportunity, for all. We work across Latin America and the Caribbean to make our region stronger— more healthy, peaceful, just, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable for current and future generations. For 60 years, we have served the most vulnerable communities, investing resources throughout the hemisphere. We partner with and enable civil society, governments, and the private sector for the greater good of the region.

With 60 years of experience across Latin America and the Caribbean and strong partnerships with local communities, civil society, and public and private sectors, we have an impeccable track record of success with extensive in-country networks and sound financial controls. We are uniquely positioned to develop and implement adaptable programs across multiple technical areas, quickly deploy to any country in Latin America and the Caribbean and activate existing local networks, measure and evaluate our impact with comprehensive performance indicators, and communicate our progress through integrated communications strategies.

2. PROJECT OVERVIEW

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean face significant economic challenges, e.g. geographic size and markets, a lack of creditor trust, chronic debt, weak economic diversification and low productivity. They also experience a very high frequency of disasters, which further stresses already strained private and public sector resources. Between 2000 and 2019, Caribbean countries lost an average of 3.6 percent of aggregate GDP per year to damages related to natural hazards. After these shocks, these nations must rebuild, with limited resources and limited government capacity, just to get back to the baseline.

To better assist businesses to prepare for disasters and disruptions, the Caribbean Corporate Investment for Resilience (CCIR) Blended Finance Mechanism aims to use blended finance approaches to mobilize capital for investment in disaster risk reduction activities in the Eastern Caribbean. This USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance pilot project will identify enterprises or projects for potential investment that address vulnerabilities in supply and value chains and provide social returns and investments in communities in which the companies and USAID operate. This project will pilot a sustainable mechanism for investments in resilience for potential scalability. Through this process, the mechanism will provide trainings and workshops for enterprises and organizations with revenue-generating projects to increase their bankability and investment readiness.

3. LOCATION(S) OF ASSIGNMENT

Eastern Caribbean, particularly Saint Lucia, or remote

4. PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

The Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) seeks to establish a roster of consultants (individual consultants or firms) to create and deliver workshops and/or hold office hours for applicants to the soon-to-be-launched Eastern Caribbean Business Resilience Challenge, a competitive application process that will pair financing opportunities with technical assistance.

Detailed Technical Requirements

Develop and provide curriculum and dynamic/engaging training participants on one or more of the following topics to small- and medium-sized enterprises and/or other organizations with revenue-generating projects in the Eastern Caribbean:

• Business resilience
• Strategic business planning
• SWOT analysis
• Crafting an investment pitch
• Leveraging Financial Statements
• Accessing new markets / Becoming export-ready
• Operational management
• Digital marketing
• Cloud-based web services
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Financial analysis for non-finance managers
• Business standards

We also seek consultants to provide in-person and/or virtual office hours for the applicants in the following areas:

• Accounting
• Marketing
• Business Continuity Planning

Required Deliverables

For training sessions/workshops:

• Curriculum, adapted as necessary and approved
• Training sessions/workshops to be held virtually and/or in-person in the Eastern Caribbean on topic(s) in which the consultant/firm has relevant expertise

Office Hours:

• Consultant/firm is available to provide one-on-one coaching to applicants in areas of particular expertise (listed above)

5. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Individuals and firms are encouraged to apply.

• A degree in relevant area and/or significant relevant work experience (e.g. MBA, finance, accounting, economics, marketing, etc.)
• Recommended 5+ years of experience in providing trainings and/or advisory services in the Eastern Caribbean, preferably in Saint Lucia
• Strong command of the English language

Be based in the Eastern Caribbean, preferably in Saint Lucia

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Evaluation Criteria

Does the proposal clearly explain, understand and respond to the objectives of the project as stated in the Scope of Work?

25 Points

Demonstrated Expertise and experience providing business advisory services or trainings, particularly in Saint Lucia

25 Points

Personnel Qualifications – Do the proposed team members / or individual, have necessary experience and capabilities to carry out the Scope of Work? (degree, work experience, command of language).

25 Points

Cost: Best Value

25 Points

7.HOW TO APPLY

• Signed Cover letter/proposal document citing relevant details of past experience and hourly rates and other financial requirements to carry out consultancy
• Applicant’s most recent Curriculum Vitae(s) that demonstrate how the individual or firm meet the minimum requirements.
• Deadline. Proposals must be received no later than July 7, 2022, 9:00pm EDT (UTC -04:00). Late submissions will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted via email to [email protected] . All proposals are to be submitted following the guidelines listed in this Terms of Reference.

8. TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Resulting Award

This Terms of Reference does not obligate PADF to execute a contract, nor does it commit PADF to pay any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of the proposals. Furthermore, PADF reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of PADF. PADF will, in its sole discretion, select the winning proposal and is not obligated to share individual evaluation results.

Confidentiality

All proprietary information provided by the bidder shall be treated as confidential and will not be shared with potential or actual applicants during the solicitation process. This includes but is not limited to price quotations, cost proposals and technical proposals. PADF may, but is not obliged to, post procurement awards on its public website after the solicitation process has concluded, and the contract has been awarded. PADF’s evaluation results are confidential and applicant scoring will not be shared among bidders.

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

As part of the contractor’s internal controls and standards of employee conduct, the contractor must ensure that its employees adhere to these standards of conduct in a manner consistent with the standards for United Nations (UN) employees in Section 3 of the UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin – Special measures protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13).

Contracting with Small, Minority, and Women’s Businesses

PADF will take all necessary steps to assure that minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are used when possible.

Debarment and Suspension

Entities that appear on any exclusion lists, System for Award Management (SAM), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), UN Sanctions List, and other watchlists, will not have their bid evaluated and will not be eligible to receive any subaward that may result from this Terms of Reference.