Request for Proposals

Enhancing the Impact of the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE) on Vietnamese MSMEs, Vietnam

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1.0 Introduction to CTIF

The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development is a seven-year, CAD $11.6 million demand-driven program aligned with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) to support sustainable trade and investment-related policy reforms and economic development initiatives that promote women’s empowerment and inclusive growth and have a high potential to reduce poverty in ODA-eligible developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. CTIF provides technical assistance based on the needs identified by potential beneficiaries and according to an assessment process jointly administered by the CTIF team and Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Technical assistance is provided by independent suppliers that specialize in the specific services being requested by the beneficiary. Cowater International (www.cowater.com) and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (www.ipac.ca) jointly implement CTIF on behalf of the Government of Canada.

2.0 Assignment Overview

Consultancy title:

Enhancing the Impact of the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE) on Vietnamese MSMEs

Beneficiary Organizations:

Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA)

Selected HAWA MSME members

Anticipated duration:

12 months

Anticipated start date:

February, 2021

Location of assignment:

Consultant’s Home Office (remote)

Summary of assignment:

Following its successful application to CTIF through the facility’s RFA related to building resilient e-commerce enterprises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, CTIF has agreed to provide technical assistance to HAWA intended to: enhance the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE); assist HAWA’s MSME members in using the HOPE platform to gain new international clients; and, develop communications products to promote and facilitate the use of the HOPE platform by prospective buyers in international markets, and Canada in particular. Assistance will prioritize women-led MSME members (those owned by women and where women comprise the majority of their workforce). For further clarity, TA will focus on the provision of advice, training and communications products and will not include actual updates to HAWA’s or HOPE’s websites.

Terms of Reference:

See Annex 1

Maximum budget, excluding HST:

CAD 100,000

3.0 Corporate Qualifications

Interested bidders must possess the corporate capabilities and experience described in Annex 1 (TORs), which can be evidenced through project profiles included in technical proposals using the form provided in Annex 2. Contracts for projects profiled by bidders must have been active within the last five calendar years dating from the date of the release of this tender document.

4.0 Proposal Validity

A proposal must remain valid and open for acceptance for a period of 90 days after the closing date of RFP.

5.0 Team Member Qualifications

Bidders must provide CVs for the team members it proposes to undertake the assignment on behalf of CTIF and the beneficiary using the format provided in Annex 3.

6.0 Conflict of Interest – Unfair Advantage

In order to protect the integrity of the procurement process, the Bidders are advised that CTIF may reject a bid in the following circumstances:

a. if the Bidder, any of its proposed Personnel including any of their respective employees or former employees was involved in any manner in the preparation of the bid solicitation;

b. if the Bidder, any of its proposed Personnel, including any of their respective employees or former employees, was involved in any other situation of conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest;

c. if the Bidder, any of its proposed Personnel including any of their respective employees or former employees had access to information related to the bid solicitation that was not available to other Bidders and that would, in CTIF's opinion, give or appear to give the Bidder an unfair advantage; or,

d. If the Bidder, its employees, or any of its proposed Personnel are related to an owner or employee of the Beneficiary or are currently working with the Beneficiary in a volunteer or paid capacity as an employee, consultant or director (board member).

7.0 Rights of Cowater International/IPAC:

As CTIF’s lead executing agency, Cowater/IPAC reserve the right to:

a) reject any or all Proposals received in response to the RFP;

b) enter into negotiations with Bidders on any or all aspects of their Proposals;

c) cancel the RFP at any time;

d) reissue the RFP;

e) if no compliant Proposals are received and the requirement is not substantially modified, reissue the RFP by inviting only the Bidders who responded to resubmit Proposals within a period designated by Cowater; and

f) negotiate with the sole compliant Bidder to ensure best value to DFATD.

8.0 Coordination and Reporting

The Service Provider will be contracted by Cowater International and report to the CTIF Project Manager. More details on reporting requirements are provided in the attached TORs.

9.0 Proposal Structure and Evaluation Methodology

Proposals will be evaluated using the cumulative analysis method. The proposal with the highest cumulative scoring will be awarded the contract. Applications will be evaluated technically and financially, and points will be attributed based on the assessment criteria detailed below.

Technical Proposal and Evaluation Criteria

The format and content of technical proposals shall align with the structure and content provided below.

Table 1: Proposal structures and scoring methods

Content

Details

Weighting

Max Score

Page Limit[footnoteRef:1] [1: Use Ariel 10, normal margins.]

Experience

Experience managing or implementing assignments of a similar nature in a similar geographic context.

12

72

10 pp.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Bidders shall utilize the project profile template provided in Annex 2 to complete this section.]

Proposed approach and methodology

Quality of the proposed approach and methodology for delivering the assignment’s intended results, including a detailed workplan and work schedule, and performance framework integrating the assignment’s intended results and CTIF’s intended outcomes.

12

72

8 pp.

Project management and oversight

Quality of proposed approach to project management, including monitoring and reporting.

4

24

2 pp.

Proposed team

Quality and relevance of the proposed team members’ skills and experience

12

72

10 pp.[footnoteRef:3] [3: Bidders shall utilize the CV template provided in Annex 3 to complete this section.]

Technical criteria

Total score:

-

240

-

Scores of 0 – 6 noted above shall be awarded based on the interpretations in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Score Attribution Criteria

Score

Criteria

6

Demonstrates expert understanding of the TORs and proposes innovative and appropriate solutions that address all requirements. Responses are well-tailored to the client’s requirements in all aspects. Level of detail and quality of information provide a high degree of confidence in certainty of delivery.

5

Demonstrates a strong understanding of the issues in the TORs. Responses are tailored in most aspects and includes some innovation. The detail and quality of information provided gives a strong level of confidence that the requirement will be delivered to a high standard.

4

Demonstrates a good understanding of all issues relating to delivery of TORs. Responses are tailored to the client’s requirements in some respects and demonstrate that proposals are robust. Provides sufficient detail and quality of information to give a good level of confidence that they will deliver.

3

Some misunderstandings of the issues relating to delivery of the TORs. Poor appetite to tailor to the client’s requirements where required. Generally, a low level of quality information and detail leading to insufficient confidence that they will deliver.

2

Major misunderstanding of the issues set out in the TORs. The information is poorly tailored to the requirements or of a low quality. Poor quality or lack of information provides a low level of confidence that they will deliver.

1

Complete failure to address all material requirements of the TORs. Little or no tailoring of responses to meet customer requirements. Poor quality responses providing little or no confidence that they will deliver.

0

Unresponsive or non-compliant.

Only bids receiving a minimum score of 70% against the technical evaluation criteria will proceed to the financial evaluation stage.

Financial Proposal and Evaluation Criteria

Financial proposals must be in CAD and include all applicable taxes on a separate line. Payments will be made to the Supplier based on milestones or timesheets connected to each deliverable for Fees and actual receipts for Reimbursable Expenses. Financial proposals must be sufficiently disaggregated to allow evaluators to achieve a clear understanding of where resources will be invested to ensure value for money. To this end, financial proposals must include the following line items:

Fees:

· Names, titles and all-inclusive daily rate per team member

· Level of effort per team member

· Deliverable / Report.

Reimbursable expenses include[footnoteRef:4]: [4: Receipts must be retained for all expenses; the list of expenses is not exclusive.]

· International flights for trainers and trainees

· Daily allowances for trainers and trainees in accordance with NJC Travel Directive[footnoteRef:5] [5: https://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/d10/en ]

· Accommodation for trainers and trainees

· Local transportation & miscellaneous travel expenses

· Office space and/or venue rental

· Communications & reporting expenses

Reimbursable expenses will be subject to negotiation prior to contract award and subject to CTIF approval prior to reimbursement, which will be at cost.

CTIF will not reimburse costs for normal tools of trade (e.g. portable personal computers)

The selected Service Provider will be solely responsible for arranging and payment of adequate health, dental, medical and accident insurance coverage for all its Experts working on this project. The Service Provider shall also make reasonable efforts to ensure the individuals engaged in the delivery of this project obtain immunizations and out-of-country travel insurance as required.

Financial proposals shall be evaluated as follows:

The following calculations will be used to determine your commercial score:

Commercial Criteria

Comment

Weighting

Competitiveness of fees

Mathematical calculation of competitiveness of the proposed daily fees in direct comparison to all tenderers in this competition.

Lowest proposed fees/your proposed fees x 100

80

Competitiveness of expenses

Mathematical calculation of competitiveness of the proposed expenses in direct comparison to all tenderers in this competition.

Lowest proposed expenses / your proposed expenses x 100

20

Determining best value offer

The weight given to the technical and commercial tenders are:

· Technical: 80%

· Commercial: 20%

Your total score will be determined using the following formula:

Technical score x 0.8 + Commercial score x 0.2 = Final score

10.0 RFP Timeline

CTIF will solicit proposals based on the timeline identified below:

Action

Date[footnoteRef:6] [6: The RFP timeline is subject to change and in such case CTIF will notify all interested parties accordingly.]

Request for Proposals (RFP) issued

January 8, 2021

Deadline for confirming intention to bid[footnoteRef:7] [7: Mandatory: confirmations are to be sent via email to info@c-tif.ca. ]

January 15, 2021

Bidders Clarifications Deadline

January 22, 2021

Proposal submission deadline

February 5, 2021, 5pm EST

Anticipated project start date

February, 2021

11.0 Proposal Submission Details

Your proposal should be submitted in English and be set out in three main parts. The Technical Proposal should be submitted in accordance with the Scoring Methodology and Evaluation Criteria and consist of:

• Part A: Executive Summary (one page)

The proposal must be accompanied by a letter on your organisation letterhead showing the full registered and trading name(s), trading and registered office address of the Potential Supplier and, in the case of a company, the place of incorporation. It should be signed by a person of suitable authority to commit the Potential Supplier to a binding contract. You must quote the RFP Title.

• Part B: Contents page

1. Past experience (Annex 2 template)

2. Proposed approach and methodology (narrative and Annex 5 template)

3. Project management and oversight

4. CVs of the proposed team (Annex 3 template).

• Part C: Financial Proposal (Annex 4 template)[footnoteRef:8] and a Rate Justification Form filled out for each proposed expert, who is not covered by the Standing Offer Agreement with CTIF (Annex 6 template). [8: The budget template can be modified by the bidder. ]

Proposals shall be submitted to CTIF by February 5th, 2021 5pm EST, by email to: info@c-tif.ca

Proposals can be submitted by a single supplier, a consortium or a joint-venture arrangement.

Proposals must be submitted in two separate pdf format files. These may be attached as part of the same email.

a. Parts A and B – Technical Proposal

b. Part C – Financial Proposal (should be password-protected).

We will request the password if your proposal is deemed technically compliant. Any submission of the financial proposal that is not password-protected will be disqualified. Also, any submission of the financial proposal together with the password will be disqualified.

Proposals shall be submitted to CTIF using the following subject lines:

· CTIF– 057-HAWA-Vietnam – Technical Proposal

· CTIF – 057- HAWA-Vietnam – Financial Proposal

CTIF will confirm receipt of your proposal.

12.0 Questions

Bidders may submit to CTIF questions and/or requests for additional information, including, without limitation, inquiries related to substantive portions of the RFP, timing, clarifications related to definition or interpretation of this RFP. All questions and/or requests must be submitted in writing by email to Natalia Barankevych at natalia.barankevych@cowater.com on or before January 22nd, 2021. CTIF will respond to a timely submitted question and/or request for clarifications by issuing addenda and/or response, which will be sent out to all the parties, who expressed interest in bidding on this project.

In the event you are the selected Service Provider in this procurement process, you will be expected to sign Cowater Sub-contractor Agreement and its General Terms and Conditions. A copy of this standard Agreement may also be requested from the CTIF team.

CTIF looks forward to receiving your proposal and thanks you in advance for your interest in CTIF procurement opportunities.

Annex 1: Terms of Reference

Mandate Title:

Enhancing the Impact of the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE) on Vietnamese MSMEs

Beneficiaries:

· Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA)

· Selected HAWA MSME members

1.0 Background

CTIF Request for Applications (RFA) - Building E-Commerce Enterprises

In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, CTIF initiated a series of mandates focused on building resilient e-commerce enterprises in the Asia Pacific region. Through this initiative, CTIF will deliver remote training to selected enterprises and industry associations to assist them or their members, particularly those led by women, with moving their businesses online or expanding their digital presence. In doing so, CTIF TA will help mitigate the economic impacts of COVID-19 through mandatory closures of retail stores and non-essential manufacturing facilities. In the medium to long-term, the training will better enable participating private sector organizations (PSOs) to adapt to and thrive in an increasingly e-commerce-driven global economy. HAWA was one of three successful applicants selected by CTIF this RFA process to receive technical assistance under this initiative.

Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA)

HAWA’s mission is to strengthen the export capabilities of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Vietnam’s wood, furniture, and handicraft sectors. Established in 1991, HAWA is a well- established NGO and volunteer association with over 500 MSME members in the fields of wood processing, indoor and outdoor furniture, handicraft, woodworking, and trading and services. Approximately one third of these members are led by women. Apart from its three decades of experience and having the widest industry reach among similar organizations in Vietnam, HAWA is also operating the beta version of its Hawa Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE).

HOPE aims to be the virtual gateway to the Vietnam furniture industry. It is a platform that connects Vietnamese companies with international buyers. Currently, prospective buyers can browse by product category, type and material and contact suppliers directly for consultations or quotations. The ultimate objective of HOPE is to assist HAWA’s members in finding new buyers in international markets. In doing so, HAWA, through HOPE, is enabling its members to grow their businesses, retain and strengthen their workforces, and reduce poverty as a result.

The concept behind the HOPE platform is illustrated in Figure 1 and, according to HAWA, is comparable to similar platforms in other countries such as www.made-in-china.com, www.mifffurniverse.com (Malaysia), and www.tradewheel.com (global). Though in the beta phase, the platform has already assisted two members secure contracts with new clients. The HOPE website at https://hopefairs.com currently includes more than 100 exhibitors.

Exhibitors may use this platform to promote their companies, showrooms, and products for free. But they can also use premium membership and added services to look for international buyers more effectively. HOPE’s staff can help them digitize their showrooms and products and upload them onto the platform by providing detailed guidelines, training sessions, and workshops. Besides the exhibitors’ premium membership fees, HOPE receives revenues through advertising fees from companies that want to promote their brands to HOPE's visitors. Revenues from HOPE are used to pay for the teams that help develop and promote the platform, for marketing, sales, and customer service activities, and to maintain and upgrade HOPE’s IT infrastructure.

Figure 1: HOPE Concept

Policy and Economic Context

Among six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) surveyed in a recent study by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company,[footnoteRef:9] Vietnam’s digital economy has grown the fastest in recent years and was expected to reach $44 billion this by the end of 2020. The report also projects that Vietnam’s digital economy will grow by a further 29% by 2025, second only to the Philippines at 30%. [9: Google, Temasek and Bain, e-Conomy SEA 2020, November 2020, www.bain.com/globalassets/noindex/2020/e_conomy_sea_2020_report.pdf ]

Canada is one of the biggest export markets for Vietnam’s furniture industry. In 2018, Canadian firms imported $166 million worth of bedroom, kitchen, and dining room furniture, making Vietnam Canada’s number one source of bedroom furniture. The new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has helped improve those numbers: within the first 5 months of 2019, the export value of Vietnamese furniture into Canada increased by 39.1%. More and more Canadian traders are looking for suppliers in Vietnam to take advantage of the CPTPP.

Alignment between Canada’s and Vietnam’s Development Priorities

This CTIF mandate aligns with Canada’s international assistance priorities and with the priorities of its mission in Vietnam, specifically with respect to supporting SMEs to promote inclusive economic growth. The mandate is also consistent with the Government of Vietnam’s socio-economic priorities for SME development, export promotion, and digital technology development. In June 2020, the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved the National Digital Transformation Roadmap 2025, which sets targets for Vietnam’s digital transformation goals focused on three pillars: e-government, e-economy and e-society. The Government of Vietnam plans to build a digital economy that will represent up to 30% of Vietnam’s GDP by 2030, a substantial increase from the 5% that digital activities accounted for in 2019.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Businesses across Vietnam, and MSMEs in particular, have faced serious revenue and cashflow challenges as a result of the drop in trade associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  An April 2020 survey by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry[footnoteRef:10] estimated that 82% of Vietnamese businesses forecast a reduction in revenue in 2020 and that 35,000 businesses would cease operations this year, exceeding the number of new start-ups.2 Vietnam’s recent easing of severe restrictions has considerably improved the domestic business outlook; however, restrictions will be re-instated if there are further outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country.    [10: Cafef.vn, 4 April 2020.  ]

These impacts have been felt in Vietnam’s wood, furniture, and handicraft industries. According to HAWA’s research among its MSME members, more than 80% of existing international orders were delayed or cancelled, amounting to losses of more than USD 130M. 51% of these companies are now out of business or are downsizing, and these numbers grow larger each day. As a result, HAWA projects that 45% of workers in this industry have lost their jobs. By the end of March 2020, 105 firms had let go of 21,410 employees.

In this context, The Government of Vietnam issued a directive to support businesses including improving access to credit, encouraging cashless transactions, removing administrative burdens, and promoting sectors to recover such as destination promotion and easing visa restrictions.[footnoteRef:11] The Government is also providing cash payments to poor households.  However, it is likely that central or provincial government programs will not have sufficient reach to support the likely needs of all businesses and the broader community.  In addition, SMEs and household level enterprises may not all be able to prepare applications to access available support.  [11: Government of Vietnam, Directive 11/CT-TTg Urgent Objectives and Solutions for Assisting Businesses Facing Difficulties and Assurance of Social Welfare Amid Covid-19 Pandemic, 4 March 2020.]

These circumstances led HAWA to think of an innovative solution to help its members find new buyers worldwide in order to sustain or increase their revenues, and to retain or grow their workforces. Out of these circumstances the HOPE platform was created to replace or substitute for the traditional in-person venues, most notably trade fairs and exhibitions, through which buyers and sellers have typically met and struck agreements.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Considerations

Vietnam’s wood, furniture, and handicraft sectors are considered creative industries. These creative industries provide opportunities for MSMEs and therefore support both women’s economic empowerment and poverty reduction. In Vietnam and other countries throughout the world, creative industries allow for the preservation and promotion of cultural and traditional designs, many of which have been nurtured and protected by women from diverse cultural backgrounds throughout the ages. Supporting the production, sales, and exports of handicrafts can therefore empower women and minority groups economically by enabling them to further develop their skills, find jobs, and earn money, enhance awareness of their cultures, and, in turn, transform other aspects of their lives. These linkages between women’s empowerment and cultural industries are visible within HAWA itself. As noted above, more than 1/3 of its member MSMEs are led by women, and over half of the team behind HOPE is female, including the project manager, marketing manager, and client services manager. Moreover, HAWA’s advisory board consists of well-respected women leaders who play key roles in designing, planning, and implementing the HOPE platform.

These realities notwithstanding, the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified or introduced challenges faced by many women-led enterprises, including those led by women and/or where most of the workforce is female. For example, as per research conducted in April 2020 by Cowater’s DFAT Australia-funded Gender Responsive Agriculture and Tourism Project (GREAT) among women-led MSMEs in Vietnam’s Son La and Lao Cai provinces, 58% of MSMEs believed their revenue would decline, 31% believed they would have to reduce their staff, and 23% believed they would have to reduce or stop their export activities. Recent easing of restrictions has improved the business outlook for these enterprises; however, recovery will take time with international trade still severely affected. Restrictions may also be re-instated if there are further outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country. 

Similarly, as has been the case with previous crises, GREAT has found that it ethnic minority communities have been among the most vulnerable during the pandemic due to informal employment practices, lower digital connectivity, and insufficient cash reserves maintained by local MSMEs. There is also a potential for increased gender-based violence due to social distancing restrictions and economic stress. Unfortunately, transitioning to e-commerce to mitigate these challenges is not easy for all enterprises. For example, GREAT has found digital literacy to be an important factor impacting the ability of ethnic minority women to access market information and services. In the project’s focus provinces this tends to be even more challenging for those who are not literate in Kinh, and the impact of COVID-19 has further highlighted the divide. 

Environmental Sustainability Considerations

Environmental sustainability is a crucial criterion for importing and exporting wood and wood products. Many furniture members of HAWA already comply with important legal timber certification requirements such as FSC, PEPC, EUTR required by their customers. Most handicraft members – typically led by women in rural areas – use solely natural and sustainable materials such as coconut, seagrass, and hyacinth. When uploading their company and product information onto HOPE, member exhibitors can showcase their environmental certificates, by which buyers can filter and find exhibitors. In HAWA’s marketing and training activities, educate exhibitors on the importance of those certificates, and how to include them in their marketing and sales process. Enterprises seeking to include their brand on the HOPE platform must be a HAWA member, which as an association requires all members to use legally sourced timber before joining. To this end, furniture companies are encouraged to apply for the environmental certificates and need to practice purchasing legal and sustainable material in their production lines. HAWA also sends a letter every year to each member and asks for confirmation regarding legal use of timber.

2.0 Related International Cooperation Activities

Some similar ongoing and past assistance has been offered by partners such as USAID, which is providing training to MSMEs using the HOPE platform in digital sales and marketing until the end of 2021. Local partners such as the Government of Vietnam’s VIETRADE export promotion agency help increase awareness of the HOPE platform in US and EU markets. In addition, Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOME) and CIO Vietnam (an association of Chief Information Officers) provide experts to support HAWA’s e-commerce strategy. Finally, while HAWA already has in place a partnership with a digital marketing agency that promotes HOPE to buyers worldwide through email marketing and social media, HAWA believes that CTIF’s Consultant will help establish connections with Canadian buyers directly. This CTIF mandate will build on these past and ongoing initiatives through the provision of technical advice focused on improving the HOPE website and on how to connect to clients’ websites and marketing systems, as described in section 4.0 below

3.0 Linkage to CTIF Performance Measurement Framework

This mandate aligns with CTIF Immediate Outcome 1220: Increased capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSO)s & Private Sector Organizations (PSOs) to support their constituencies in areas such as business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access, access to finance, and responsible business conduct.

4.0 Description of the Assignment

Objectives

Following its successful application to CTIF through the facility’s RFA related to building resilient e-commerce enterprises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, CTIF has agreed to provide technical assistance to HAWA intended to: enhance the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE); assist HAWA’s MSME members in using the HOPE platform to gain new international clients; and, develop communications products to promote and facilitate the use of the HOPE platform by prospective buyers in international markets, and Canada in particular. Assistance will prioritize women-led MSME members (those owned by women and where women comprise the majority of their workforce). For further clarity, TA will focus on the provision of advice, training and communications products and will not include actual updates to HAWA’s or HOPE’s websites.

Beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of this initiative will be the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA) and 100 of HAWA’s MSME individual members each representing their respective enterprises (approximately 40% of which are led by women). These MSMEs will receive virtual training and coaching from the Consultant in collaboration with HAWA and are a sub-set of HAWA’s current 539 members.

Technical Assistance Activities

As part of this CTIF TA package, the Consultant selected by CTIF will be responsible for delivering the following activities and deliverables to the beneficiary, HAWA. As a result of these activities, HAWA envisions the achievement of the following performance targets by the end of the mandate’s 12-month duration. In each case, at least 50% of MSMEs will be led by women.[footnoteRef:12] [12: Includes enterprises with female ownership or management, and/or with a majority female workforce.]

· At least 50% of each set of MSME members are women-led companies

4.1 Report on the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition: The Consultant will first conduct a comprehensive review of the HOPE virtual platform with the objective of identifying current strengths and areas for improvement. Based on this review, the Consultant will provide recommendations as to enhancements that can be made to enhance the platform’s features, its usability by buyers and sellers, its product roadmaps (high level visual maps illustrating a product’s evolution over time), and its underlying IT infrastructure. The Consultant will also provide recommendations as to how the HOPE platform can integrate links to clients’ websites, a HOPE customer relationship management (CRM) system, and an automated marketing system for lead generation. The implementation of recommended enhancements will be undertaken separately by HAWA.

4.2 Virtual Training and Coaching to HAWA’s MSME Members: In collaboration with HAWA staff, the Consultant will provide virtual training and coaching to HAWA’s MSME members to assist them in using this platform to establish new clients in new markets, with a particular but not exclusive focus on Canada. The Consultant will ensure that at least 50% of participating MSMEs are women-led. The virtual training sessions should be designed to be as inclusive and participatory as possible and incorporate a variety of engaging virtual learning tools and techniques. These techniques should also take into consideration the reality that many of HAWA’s MSME members are unfamiliar with e-commerce and the associated information technology required to easily participate in this space. The Consultant shall also ensure that the capability to deliver future training activities to HAWA’s MSME members is transferred to HAWA team members.

4.3 Communications Products: The Consultant will produce a series of professional communications materials that will assist potential buyers with navigating and making best use of the platform to connect with Vietnamese suppliers. These will include a user guide, an instructional video, and/or other materials that the Consultant may recommend. They shall also include a series of brief case studies documenting successful partnerships between HAWA MSME members and international buyers. Accepted materials will be uploaded to the HOPE website. Materials should be guided by HAWA’s goal to make HOPE the most recognized platform for companies worldwide seeking wood, furniture, and handicraft suppliers in Vietnam.

4.4: Outreach to Canadian buyers: Following the completion of the activities above and the launch of the HOPE platform, the Consultant will undertake a series of outreach activities designed to raise awareness and to stimulate use of the platform among potential Canadian buyers.

5.0 Inputs to be provided by beneficiary

The management and selected staff of HAWA will be engaged directly with the Consultant as collaborators, co-training providers to MSME members, and trainees. HAWA is also committed to ensuring the sustainability of the HOPE platform; for example, it will take on the actual and reoccurring costs of maintaining and updating the HOPE platform’s online content during and following the conclusion of this mandate.

6.0 COVID-19-related travel restrictions

CTIF anticipates that COVID-19-related restrictions on international travel will remain in effect throughout the duration of this mandate’s procurement and delivery. In this context, bidders are expected to propose an approach and methodology in which all activities will be conducted remotely/virtually.

7.0 Consultant Profile / Expertise Required

The Consultant best suited to delivering this CTIF mandate will be able to demonstrate the following professional experience and capabilities at a corporate level or within their proposed team:

· Expertise and significant corporate experience working with SMEs to support their entry into e-commerce, or to scale up their existing e-commerce operations.

· Expertise in the design and development of e-commerce websites/platforms.

· Experience delivering training and advisory services through virtual platforms using a variety of engaging virtual tools and techniques, including to participants who may be unfamiliar with modern information and communications technologies.

· Capability to develop professional and visually appealing written and audio-visual communications products suitable to North American business sector audiences.

· Experience working with North American importers of products from developing or emerging market countries around the world.

8.0 Location and Proposed Timeframe

· Anticipated start date: February 2021

· Duration of assignment: 12 months

· Location of assignment: Consultant’s Home Office (remote)

9.0 Deliverables

#

Deliverable

Deadline

1

Inception Report including the following content:

a. An updated detailed workplan, work schedule and budget for the delivery of the TA mandate; and,

b. A completed CTIF mandate-level PMF template (see Annex 7), including baseline data and targets against CTIF’s mandate-level performance indicators.

This report must be approved by CTIF and the beneficiary for the Consultant to proceed with mandate implementation.

1 month after contract signature.

2

Report on the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition: As described in section 4.1 above.

Month 3

3

Mid-Term Progress Report: A concise narrative report describing a) activities completed versus the initial work plan, baseline indicators and targets; and b) any required variations to the project’s work plan through to its completion, and associated rationale.

Month 6

4

Virtual Training and Coaching to HAWA’s MSME Members: As described in section 4.2 above.

Month 7

5

Communications Products: As described in section 4.3 above.

Month 8

6

Outreach to Canadian buyers: As described in section 4.4 above.

Month 11

7

Monthly Progress Reports: A brief (< 1 page) report documenting progress achieved over the past month and status of key deliverables. Format to align with template provided in CTIF TA Handbook.

3 business days before the end of each month

8

Final Narrative Report on Mandate: The report shall: describe activities delivered and results achieved versus initial expected targets; describe how the mandate contributed to advancing the immediate outcome associated with this mandate as per section 3.0 above; note lessons learned of relevance to future CTIF projects; document expenses incurred by the Consultant in carrying out this mandate; document beneficiary staff trained through the mandate (name, gender, job title, institutional affiliation); and, include at least one Story of Change to illustrate the change that has happened, or change that is occurring, as a result of this mandate (guidelines will be provided by CTIF).

Month 12

Annex 2: Project Profile Template (to be used to evaluate experience)

Assignment name:

Country:

Location within Country:

Professional Staff Provided (names/titles):

Name and address of Client:

Duration of Assignment (months):

Start date (Month/Year):

Completion date (Month/Year):

Approx. Value of Services (CAD):

Name of Associated Consultants, if any:

No. of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:

Narrative Description of the Project:

Description of Actual Services Provided by the Bidding Organization:

Assignments eligible for inclusion in a potential supplier’s bid must have been active within five calendar years of the bid submission deadline for this CTIF mandate.

Annex 3: CV Format

Position

Name and Citizenship

Education

Present Employer and Position: if applicable

Length of Service with Current Employer and Status

Pertinent Experience: A summary of experience related to the rated requirements

Employment History: A history of employment and assignments in reverse chronological order

Publications (if applicable; limit to last 5 years)

References: name, title, phone and email

Annex 4: Budget Template (tentative)

Annex 5: Workplan

Activity:

Objective:

Target Group:

Location:

Measures for accomplishing the objective

Data sources to measures the objective

A.

A.

B.

B.

C.

C.

D.

D.

Action

Expected Deliverables

Responsibility

Completion Date

Objective: statement(s) describing the results to be achieved and the manner in which these results will be achieved. Objectives should be SMART, that is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-phased. For example: To meet the HR Ministerial objective of training 100 people in yearly orders, fifty public officers will be trained in the first quarter, and then another fifty in the third quarter.

Target Group: Define clearly an institutions/community groups/etc. which will involve in the Activity

Location: is where the activity will be implemented.

Measures for accomplishing objectives: measures that are quantifiable criteria that describe whether or not the objective was accomplished. Measures might include target numbers (e.g., 100 public officers trained), or quantifiable changes (public officers reporting increased in formulating a policy relevant to economic growth after attending the training), or completion of an activity.

Data sources to measure the objective: sources may include rosters, logs, agendas, surveys, observations, interviews, or focus groups, profiles, and other data. Data sources are used to assess whether an objective has been achieved. The data sources should be kept, however, and should be available on the request of CTIF project officer during site visits/monitoring visits. Data sources should be summarized to report complete, partial, or unmet objectives in progress.

17 | Page

Annex 6: Rate Justification Form

Date:

 

 

Expert’s name:

 

 

Client, Contract # and Date signed

Dates of assignment

Client Contact Name

Contact Phone #

Contract Duration (Days)

Daily rate

Hours worked/per daily rate

Nature of Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organization's Name and Signature

Annex 7. CTIF Mandate-level Performance Measurement Framework – 057-HAWA-Vietnam[footnoteRef:13] [13: Indicators adapted to reflect the specific beneficiary of this mandate. Baseline and progress data will be collected directly by CTIF through electronic baseline and follow-up surveys and will be shared with the Consultant to inform relevant reports.]

Mandate Title

Enhancing the Impact of the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE) on Vietnamese MSMEs

CTIF Mandate No.

057-CV03

Country/Region

Vietnam

Budget (CAD)

TBC

Consultant

TBD

Start - End date:

03/2021 - 02/2022

Beneficiary organizations

· Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA)

· HAWA MSME members

CTIF Immediate Outcome #:

1220

CTIF Ultimate Outcome Indicator(s)

1000.1, 1000.3

CTIF Intermediate Outcome Indicator(s):

1200.1; 1200.2

Mandate Summary:

CTIF will provide technical assistance to HAWA intended to: enhance the Hawa Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE); assist HAWA’s MSME members in using the HOPE platform to gain new international clients; and develop communications products to promote and facilitate the use of the HOPE platform by prospective buyers in international markets, and in Canada in particular. Assistance will prioritize women led MSMEs (those owned or managed by women and/or where women comprise most of the workforce). TA will focus on the provision of advice, training, communications products, and outreach activities and will not include actual updates to HAWA’s or HOPE’s websites.

CTIF Ultimate Outcome: More inclusive, sustainable and poverty-reducing trade and investment in eligible Asia-Pacific countries

Result

Outcome or Output Statement

Indicators from PMF

Mandate Baseline

Mandate Target

CTIF Intermediate Outcome 1200

Increased access to markets and finance by Asia-Pacific-based SMEs and CSOs, particularly those led by women.

1200.1 Average # of markets reached by [HAWA’s MSME members]

TBD

TBD

1200.2 Average # of sources of financing reported by [HAWA’s MSME members]

2

TBD

CTIF Immediate Outcome 1220

Increased capacity of CSOs & PSOs to support their constituencies in areas such as business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access, access to finance, and responsible business conduct.

1220.1 [HAWA’s] level of confidence in internal processes and tools to support their constituencies in areas such as business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access to finance, and/or, responsible business conduct

5/6

6/6

1220.2 Level of confidence of [HAWA’s MSME members] (women-led/male-led) in their ability to access new markets and sources of finance

5/6

6/6

1220.3 Level of knowledge and skills among [HAWA] staff, particularly female staff, to support their constituencies in areas such as business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access to finance, and/or, responsible business conduct

5/6

6/6

CTIF Output 1221

TA provided to CSOs & PSOs to support their constituencies in areas such as business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access, financing, and responsible business conduct.

1221.1 # of CTIF mandates delivered to CSOs & PSOs to support their constituents with business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access, financing, or responsible business conduct.

0

1

1221.2 # of [HAWA MSME members] provided with financial and/or business development services through [this CTIF mandate].

0

100

1221.3 Perceived utility of CTIF TA to [HAWA] in supporting their constituents with business growth, women’s economic empowerment, market access, financing, and responsible business conduct as reported by [HAWA].

n/a

5/6

Task 1

Report on the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition

Task 2

Virtual Training and Coaching to HAWA’s MSME Members

Task 3

Communications Products

Task 4

Outreach to Canadian buyers

200 MSMEs display their showrooms and more than 2,000 products on HOPE.

50 MSMEs receive requests for quotations from our visitors.

10 MSMEs have reached the sampling phase.

5 MSMEs have signed new contracts.

25 MSMEs have reached the negotiation phase.

Mandate/Project Tittle:

Beneficiary Name:

Bidder name:

Budget Line Description/Unit

Rate per day

(CAD)

Total LOE

(day)

Total budget

cost (CAD)

First name, Last namePosition title-

-

-

-

Rate per unit Total (units)

Total budget

cost (CAD)

Airfare (regional)-

Airfare (international)-

Perdiems (country)-

Perdiems (Canada)-

Accommodation (country)-

Accommodation (country)-

Transportation -

Transportation (airport transfer)-

Visa -

Visa Visa (Canada)-

Health insuranceper trainee (Canada)-

Meeting costsRoom & equipment rental -

-

Rate per unit Total (units)

Total budget

cost (CAD)

Training material customization

(information resources, stake-

holder meeting, printing, production,

communication costs)

-

Rent of facilities (Canada)per day-

Rent of facilities (country)per day-

Meals (Canada)per person per meal-

Meals (country)per day-

Interpretation per day-

Translation lump sum-

Stationery per participant-

Domestic travel of local consultant per ticket

-

Accommodation in country per night-

-

HST or other applicable taxes

Total Proposal Budget-

Sub-Total travel costs

Training Costs

Sub-Total Training Costs

Sub-Total - 1. Fees to Consultants

International Travel Costs

Fees to Consultants