Engagement of Micro-enterprises Ecosystem Diagnosis Consultant at Mercy Corps (4 Openings)

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within, now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Engagement of Microenterprises Ecosystem Diagnosis Consultant

Tender Number: NIG/ABV/TEN51
Locations: Biu, Hawul, Kwaya-kusar, Jere and MMC - Borno; Gombi, Hong, Mubi North, Mubi South, Song, Yola North, Yola South - Adamawa; Akko, Billiri, Dukku, Funakaye, Gombe, Kwami - Gombe; Damaturu, Potiskum, Nguru, Jakusk - Yobe

Brief Summary Description of Project

• Mercy Corps is a global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. Mercy Corps started its operations in 1979 in Portland, USA and has since expanded to 43 countries worldwide.
• The organization exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people secure productive and just communities. Our work focuses on areas of emergency relief, sustainable economic development, gender and education.
• Mercy Corps has been in Nigeria since 2012 and has grown into a multi-sectoral country office with more than 400 staff across offices in FCT, Gombe, Maiduguri, Biu, Yola, Damaturu, Kebbi, and Benue where millions of beneficiaries are served.
• The Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA) is a 5-year USAID funded program being implemented by a consortium led by Mercy Corps with support from IFDC and Save the Children across the states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe in North-East Nigeria.
• The Rural Resilience Activity will facilitate economic recovery and growth in vulnerable, conflict-affected areas by promoting systemic change in market systems.
• This will ensure long-term improvements to markets that will sustainably move over 500,000 individuals out of chronic poverty

Purpose / Project Description
Narrative (2-5 sentences +):

• The Rural Resilience Activity aims to identify potential partners and innovative approaches that leverage USAID resources to develop practical and market-driven solutions to implement innovative business models targeting smallholder farmers, youth, women, and micro-enterprises who have been affected by the protracted conflicts in North-eastern Nigeria.
• Layered on the principles of broadened and inclusive growth through local economy and microenterprises competitiveness; the Activity objectives are a) inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth; b) strengthened resilience among people and systems; and c) a well-nourished population, especially women and children, thereby contributing to sustainable reductions in malnutrition and poverty.
• The Activity partners with economic actors capable of operationalizing a profitable business model that benefits youth whose ability to secure better livelihoods has been compromised by discriminatory norms and the protracted conflict in North-eastern Nigeria.
• RRA understands that resilience capacities of people have been weakened, constraining economic activities especially for youth. The Activity uses up-to-date evidence for the selection of market systems, livelihoods and employment opportunities that contribute to inclusive and resilient growth and improved nutrition for conflicted affected persons in North-eastern Nigeria, with a priority focus on women and youth.
• The Activity seeks to diagnose the business ecosystem in the BAY-G states with the aim of bolstering entrepreneurship in North-eastern Nigeria. This will comprise of an assessment of the environment in which nano, micro and small-and-growing businesses (SGBs) operate in the BAY-G (Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe) states. The analysis and recommendations will serve as critical input for the intervention design and implementation.

Consultant Objectives

Optional – narrative or bulleted:
To develop a diagnostics framework for evaluating the economic landscape of urban centres in the four North Eastern States of Nigeria to identify livelihoods and employment opportunities that can contribute to significant inclusive and resilient growth. Specifically:

• Identify and justify the quantitative and qualitative socio-economic indicators utilized by the diagnostics framework for the comparative assessment of the various intervention opportunities.
• Using the diagnostics framework, evaluate the opportunities within the target economy and provide a justification for the choice of recommended value chains for intervention, with a priority focus on women and youth.
• Provide preliminary information on intervention cost efficiency consideration parameters to guide decision making – e.g., provide a preliminary assessment of intervention cost per unit sustainable employment development

Consultant Activities

The Consultant will:
What will they do - bulleted list preferred:

Proposed methodology:

• The consulting firm shall gather a range of qualitative and quantitative data towards the above-described economic opportunity mapping, diagnostic, and design work. Information was obtained from:
  • A literature review publicly available reports, books, and other sources from academia, the economic development sector, and elsewhere;
  • A firm perspective survey designed and administered to nano, micro and small and growing businesses the BAY-G states;
  • key stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with ecosystem actors across the BAY-G;
  • Validation, design, and 4 dissemination workshops in February 2022 attended by development partners, potential investors, and ecosystem actors (including entrepreneurs), where initial findings were presented and discussed, and intervention ideas collectively generated for interventions.

General Conditions for Tender

Supplier Eligibility
Suppliers may not apply, and will be rejected as ineligible, if they:

• Are not registered companies
• Are bankrupt or in the process of going bankrupt
• Have been  convicted of illegal/corrupt activities, and/or unprofessional conduct
• Have been guilty of grave professional misconduct
• Have not fulfilled obligations related to payment of social security and taxes
• Are guilty of serious misinterpretation in supplying information
• Are in violation of the policies outlined in Mercy Corps Anti Bribery or Anti Corruption Statement
• Supplier (or supplier’s principals) are on any list of sanctioned parties issued by; or are presently excluded or disqualified from participation in this transaction by: the United States Government or United Nations by the United States Government, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations, other national governments, or public international organizations.
• Additional eligibility criteria, if applicable, are stated in section 3.2 of this tender package.

Response Documents

• Offerors can either utilize the response documents contained in this tender package to submit their offer or they can submit an offer in their own format as long as it contains all the required documents and information specified by this tender.

Acceptance of Successful Response

• Documentation submitted by offerors will be verified by Mercy Corps. The winning offeror will be required to sign a contract for the stated, agreed upon amount.

Certification Regarding Terrorism

• It is Mercy Corps’ policy to comply with humanitarian principles and the laws and regulations of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, host nations, and other applicable donors concerning transactions with or support to individuals or entities that have engaged in fraud, waste, abuse, human trafficking, corruption, or terrorist activity.
• These laws and regulations prohibit Mercy Corps from transacting with or providing support to any individuals or entities that are the subject of government sanctions, donor rules, or laws prohibiting transactions or support to such parties.

Criteria & Submittals
Contract Terms

• Mercy Corps intends to issue a Fixed Price contract to one or several company(ies) or organization(s). The successful offeror(s) shall be required to adhere to the statement of work and terms and conditions of the resulting contract.
• The anticipated contract is incorporated in Section 6 herein. By submitting an offer, offerors certify that they understand and agree to all of the terms and clauses contained in Section 6.

Specific Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility criteria must be met, and the corresponding supporting documents listed below under “Tender Submittals” must be submitted with offers. Offerors who do not submit these documents may be disqualified from any further technical or financial evaluation.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The offeror must be legally registered
• The offeror must be in good standing with its governing tax authority
• Tax Registration/Identification Certificates
• Evidence of Financial Capability( Banks Statements/Reference Letter)

Tender Submittals

• Documents and required information listed in tender submittals are necessary in order to support the eligibility criteria and to conduct technical evaluations of received offers (and due diligence).
• While absence of these documents and/or information does not denote mandatory disqualification of suppliers, the lack of these items has the potential to severely and negatively impact the technical evaluation of an offer.

Documents supporting the Eligibility Criteria:

• Legal Business Registration certificate (CAC Cert.)
• Tax Clearance Certificate– 2020 (For Registered Companies)
• Filled, Signed and stamped Supplier Information Form

N.B: Documents to conduct the Technical Evaluation and additional Due Diligence: Documents submitted should contain or provide information needed to evaluate the criteria as mentioned below it.

CV / Company Profile:

• Team or Individual should have a Master’s degree or at least a first degree in social sciences, humanities, or its equivalent in any field.
• Fluency in English and Hausa is essential. Knowledge of local languages in the target areas is an added advantage
• Technical experience in market systems development, agriculture, technology and system strengthening advisory is essential.
• Excellent knowledge of and experience with humanitarian guidelines and principles. Experience in Gender responsive programme is an added advantage
• Ability to work collaboratively with the other team members/partners

Evidence of Experience:

• At least 10 or more years of professional experience in the field of MSMEs development, business, and development advisory
• Demonstrated evidence that shows they have supported at least three or more number of Organizations (both public and private sectors) on business strategy development and advisory.
• Experience or qualification in supporting development programs is an additional advantage, experience in critical environment research and business, environment reform advocacy.
• Extensive theoretical and practical experience in youth and women centered projects, at least 3 or more years working with IDPs and vulnerable individuals is an added advantage
• Experience in mentoring and raising leaders towards women empowerment and gender equality
• Experience working with INGOs and development partners, government and private sector is required.
• Willingness to travel and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work in a multicultural and inter-sectoral environment.
• Ability to coordinate, direct and supervise others to achieve a common goal.
• Must have successfully established or strengthened Women-led and Youth networks for leadership and advocacy purposes in the Northeast (reports, pictures, and other MOVs to be presented as evidence)

Technical Proposal:

• Good understanding of MSMEs context and dynamics of Northeast Nigeria
• Excellent analytical skills, reporting writing, and good knowledge on assessment report is essential.
• Presentation skills and Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint are required
• Demonstrated understanding of strengthening youth/women resilience through market system development and system diagnosis is required.
• Commitment to and understanding of Feed the future Rural Resilience Activity aims, values and principles is an added advantage.
• In-depth knowledge in development of sustainable mentoring plan based on proposal/costed work plan alignment with Women and Youth owned microenterprises, policy advocacy, conflict sensitivity and resilience building for North East Nigeria.

Financial Proposal:

• A detailed financial Proposal Itemizing services to be rendered and Cost.
• Price Offer:
• The Price offer is used to determine which offer represents the best value and serves as a basis of negotiation before award of a contract. As a Fixed-Price contract, the price of the contract to be awarded will be an all-inclusive fixed price basis, either in the form of a total fixed price or a per-unit/deliverable fixed price.
• No profit, fees, taxes, or additional costs can be added after contract signing. Offerors must show unit prices, quantities, and total price, as displayed in the Offer Sheet in Section 4. All items must be clearly labeled and included in the total offered price.
• Offerors must not include VAT and customs duties in their offer. However, Mercy corps Charge WHT in line with government regulation in Nigeria

Currency:

• Offers should be submitted in: NGN            
• Payments will be made in: NGN       

Application Closing Date
26th January, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates / firm should send their Applications / Proposal in a PDF format to: [email protected] using the “NIG/ABV/TEN0051Engagement of Microenterprises Ecosystem Diagnosis Consultant" as the subject of the email.

Hard copy submission
Applications / Proposal should be submitted in a sealed envelope labelled as “NIG/ABV/TEN0051 - Engagement of Microenterprises Ecosystem Diagnosis Consultant" to:
Mercy Corp Nigeria,
Plot 166 Umar Dikko Street,
Ajacent Lake View Estate,
FCT, Abuja.

Click here to Download the Tender Package

Note

• Any enquiry regarding the submission of this tender should be sent to: [email protected]
• Last day for questions on this tender is on 20th January, 2022 at 3:00 PM Nigeria time and will be answered on 21st January, 2022 at 3:00 PM Nigeria time.