Consultant incubator-Hivos Tunis Retour vers les opportunités

1. Introduction

Hivos Tunisia, is seeking proposals from qualified consultants to incubate innovative women- and youth-led businesses that contribute to the transition to sustainable urban food systems in Tunis cities, with a specific focus on businesses with a circular business model at their core. The project aims to work with local incubators, economic development organizations, and existing initiatives in Tunis, fostering entrepreneurship, sustainability, and inclusivity.

Deadline: January 22^nd, 2024

Working days: 35

Starting date: January 29th, 2024

1. Background & Project Overview

Launched in December 2022, AfriFOODlinks aims to improve food and nutrition security, while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building social and ecological resilience in 65+ Cities in Africa and Europe. Coordinated by ICLEI Africa, the project gathers 35 partners across the African and European continents.

Objectives and ambition of the AfriFOODLinks Project

AfriFOODlinks aims to improve food and nutrition security while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building socio-ecological resilience in 65+ Cities (15 African and 5 European Hub & Sharing cities and 45+ Network Cities) cities by:

• promoting public shifts to sustainable healthy diets.
• transforming urban food environments through real-world socio-technical experiments.
• promoting inclusive multi-actor governance to empower public officials, established and informal small businesses, communities, youth and women with ownership and agency to shape their food systems; and
• accelerating innovative, women- and youth-led agri-food businesses to support local value addition and inclusive economic participation.

Through a diverse set of AfriFOODLinks interventions, involved cities will become beacons of inspiration for urban food systems transitions across the continent. Novel practices, methodological guides, and public awareness toolkits will be developed and shared with 45+ Network Cities in Africa, Europe and Global South regions (& further interested cities), who can adopt, adapt and replicate AfriFOODLinks outcomes. At the core of AfriFOODLinks is the LINCS value framework, based upon systems thinking and necessarily engaging a value process that reinforces the practices of Learning, Inclusivity, Novelty, Collaboration and Sustainability across project activities.

More details on: https://afrifoodlinks.org/fr/

III.          Detailed Request for Proposals

1.    Objectives

The primary goal of this consultancy is to enable the successful incubation of businesses with a circular business model at their core. The consultant is expected to conduct thorough analysis and research on existing incubation and training programs in Tunis cities, understand the needs of entrepreneurs, and design an effective incubation model and training program that aligns with the project’s framework.

2.   Scope of Work

1. Incubation Model and Training Program Design:

• Conduct an analysis of existing incubation and training programs related to Urban Food Systems in Tunis cities.
• Understand the needs of entrepreneurs in Tunis to develop an incubation model and training program aligned with the project incubation framework.

1. Stakeholder Engagement:

• Identify and engage key stakeholders, including government agencies, NGOs, local businesses, and academic institutions, to support the program.
• Conduct engagement meetings with key stakeholders to foster collaboration and support.

1. Outreach Campaign:

Implement a gender-sensitive and youth-focused recruitment campaign to attract aspiring entrepreneurs, with a goal to recruit a minimum of 50% women-led MSMEs.Identify and reach out to potential entrepreneurs, encouraging them to participate:

• Design an entrepreneur outreach strategy.
• Develop all necessary outreach materials.
• Execute the outreach campaign, including launch and closure, to attract potential entrepreneurs for the program.

4. Capacity Building for Hivos AfriFoodLinks Staff:

• Support and provide capacity building for Hivos AfriFoodLinks staff.
• Align the project’s goals and activities with existing Hivos programs.

3.  Consultant Qualifications

The selected consultant should possess the following qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in business incubation, especially in the context of sustainable urban food systems.
• knowledge of urban food systems business in Tunisian context.
• Strong understanding of circular business models and their application in the food sector.
• Proven experience in organizing and conducting entrepreneurship training programs.
• Knowledge of gender-sensitive and youth-focused recruitment strategies.
• Experience in working with vulnerable populations and integrating inclusivity principles.
• Previous experience in this aspect: working with unusual/unformal or marginalized urban groups/individuals.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Proficiency in Arabic and English languages.

4.  Deliverables

The selected consultant(s) shall deliver the following:

1. Detailed report on the analysis of existing programs and needs assessment.

(10 person/day)

1. Incubation model (methodological guide) and training program aligned with the existing project incubation framework. (5 person/day)
2. Stakeholder mapping report and documentation of engagement meetings. (10 person/day)
3. Comprehensive outreach strategy and materials, along with a report on the campaign’s effectiveness. (10 person/day)

5.  Proposal Submission

Interested consultants are invited to submit their proposals including the following:

• Cover Letter
• Consultant’s Profile
• Proposed Methodology
• Work Plan
• Budget Proposal please provide the daily rate.

PS: Please note that logistic catering and venue for potential stakeholders meeting are covered by the project.

6.  Timeline

The commencement of the outreach campaign is anticipated to occur at the earliest opportunity.

The consultant should provide a detailed timeline for the completion of the project, taking into consideration the scope and complexities of the tasks at hand.

7.  Submission Deadline

Proposals should be submitted through an email to menaprocurement@hivos.org,

no later than January 22nd, 2024.

IV.         Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Experience and expertise in entrepreneurship, sustainable food systems, and circular business models.
• Previous experience in conducting similar projects.
• Clarity and relevance of the proposed approach.
• Qualifications and experience of the proposed team.
• Proposed budget and cost-effectiveness.

Disclaimer

Hivos reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal and to cancel this RFP/ToR without incurring any obligations. Proposals will be treated as confidential.