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Expression of Interest for Monitoring and Supervision of BIG Platform and BD Market Place at Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI)
Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI)
Growth & Employment (GEM) Project – Credit No. NG- 4882
Monitoring and Supervision of Big Platform and BD Market Place
Request for Expressions of Interest
The Government of Nigeria has emphasized the importance of diversifying the economy, supporting sectors that have potential for growth and creating massive employment. In line with this commitment, the Government has sought the World Bank’s partnership to help Nigeria support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) operating in different high potential sectors throughout the country. This support is being implemented under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) and operationalized in the Growth and Employment (GEM) Project. The GEM Project Development Objective is to increase firm growth and employment in participating firms in Nigeria. The project focuses on manufacturing and service sectors, specifically supporting ICT, entertainment tourism and hospitality, light manufacturing and construction. Project support addresses cross cutting sector issues, assistance to specific clusters, and more direct support to firms channeled through a platform – called the Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Platform – providing various trainings, technical assistance and grant schemes. It is for the above that the GEM Project seeks to engage the services of reputable firms/consortia to monitor and supervise the two big instruments implemented under the GEM project, namely the BIG Platform and the BD Market place. Brief details related to these two instruments are provided below.
BIG Platform: – The project team is developing an integrated transaction enabled web-portal as the primary means of interaction between the project and its beneficiaries.
The name of the portal is Business Innovation and Growth Support (BIG). More specifically, the Big Platform will (i) enable potential beneficiaries to register on the GEM program, (ii) provide a facilitated access to training programs, (iii) track the progress of the beneficiaries (participation to training programs and achievement during training), (iv) enable potential beneficiaries to apply for grants and (v) automatically test the eligibility of firms for the grants. The GEM program will comprise of five grant windows, namely: (i) Equity, (ii) Matching Innovation, (iii) Performance, (iv) Institutional and (v) Innovative Market.
The Business Development Market Place: – The GEM project designed an innovative approach to develop consulting services in Nigeria, called Business Development Market Place (or BD Market Place). This program would raise the standard of service providers by providing them with training and through the establishment of a performance based contrasting between BDS providers and the GEM program team. This program will also build a portfolio of clients for the BDS providers. The GEM will enable the market to set the stage for a sustainable provision of BDS services across the country. The project team launched a platform “Business Development Market Place” (http://www.bdmpnigeria.org/) for MSMEs register to the program. Eventually this website will be linked to the Big’s Portal.
It is expected that over the next 3 years, about 10,000 MSMEs (called “Awardees”) will be supported by about 36 business development services firms (called “BD partners”) between three to seven BD partners in the six, geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The GEM project will largely subsidize the costs of the services provided by the BDS providers.
Objective:
The objective of this assignment is to provide independent third party supervision of the Grant windows, in particular in the areas of Governance. Outreach and Results. These will include the following activities: (i) the training provided through the BIG Platform, (ii) the grants provided by the GEM project, and (iii) the BD Market place program.
Scope of Assignment:
The selected firm will be expected to carry out tasks that include but not limited to the following:
Task 1: Monitoring and Supervision of the grants
- Assess the operations of the Grant windows at least twice each year – format to be determined in collaboration with the GEM FPIU and the World Bank.
- Verify access to the grant windows to demonstrate that the applicants have provided the relevant documents and that these documents are valid. This due diligence will be more cumbersome for Window 4 and 5 (larger projects and grantees chosen through a selection committee).
- Provide a progress of GEM grants on a half-yearly and annual basis as required by GEM FPIU and the World Bank as well as suggestions on changes or a list of recommendations to be implemented by the PIU.
- Assess the impact of the Grant windows once a year by conducting a firm survey in collaboration with the World Bank The Firm will be responsible of surveying quality acceptable to World Bank, about 3,000 firms (treatment and control firms) over the lifetime of the project.
- Carry out risk assessment and risk management.
Task 2: Monitoring and Supervision of the GEM training provided through the BIG Platform
The MSME registered on the BIG platform will earn points by registering and performing to the various training. It is thus crucial that the information provided to the BIG platform is verified to.
- Assess the validity of the information provided by the online training programs (verification of the identity of the person taking the course and the test).
- Assess the validity of the information provided by the trainers for face-to-face training programs by physically checking the training on a regular basis.
- Provide a progress report of GEM training programs offered by the GEM project on a half-yearly and annual basis as required by GEM FPIU and the World Bank (take-up, attendance to training, feedback from trainers and trainees on the quality of the course, relevance of the training, etc) as well as suggestions on changes or a list of recommendations to be implemented by the PIU; and
- Evaluate the impact of the most expensive and crucial training once a year by conducting a firm survey in collaboration with the World Bank team.
Task 3: Evaluation of the impact of the BIG Platform: Evaluate the impact of the BIG Platform once a year by conducting a firm survey in collaboration with the World Bank team. The methodology, the sample frame and the questionnaire will be provided by the World Bank. The Firm will be responsible of surveying about 1.000 firms (treatment and control firms) over the lifetime of the project. When a firm is picked for more than one impact evaluation, the Firm will ensure that only one questionnaire is administered to the firm.
Task 4: Monitoring and Supervision of the BD Market place
The success of the BD Market place lies in the monitoring of the progresses made by the pool of firms given to each BD provider. The Firm is thus required to:
- For each BD provider, to audit at least half of the pool of firms given to the BD provider using a random selection. This audit will be done throughout the year. The following documents will be audited: (i) need assessment, and (ii) progress reports.
- For each BD provider, to survey at least half of the pool of firms given to the BD provider using a random selection every 6 months. This survey will help determine the new score of the pool of firms – using a standardized scoring system provided by the GEM PIU and World Bank. The improvement in the score of the pool will determine the premium received by the BD Provider.
- Assess the operations of the BD market place by auditing each BD provider once every 6 months.
Submission of Expressions of Interest (EOIs):
Prospective businesses should submit Expression of Interest detailing the following information for pre-qualification:
- Profile of firm/consortium including ownership structure and role of each corporate entity with full contact details of each firm:
- Evidence of knowledge of the Nigeria business environment including office location, and staff and/or consultants with an experience in Nigeria.
- Track records in Grants monitoring and supervision in the public sector.
- Evidence of capacity to recruit and deploy a team to supervise/monitor grants.
- Evidence of capacity in conducting and/or supervising enterprise surveys.
- Track records in auditing firms.
- Evidence of working on similar projects under the World Bank or any International donor Agency
- Experience working in Nigeria and/or sub-Saharan Africa.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrower, Revised January 2011. Consultants may associate with other firms in the form of a joint venture or a sub consultancy sub consultancy to enhance their qualifications. A firm will be selected in accordance with the Consultants Qualification Selection (CQS) Method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, Monday through Friday (except public holidays) from the Project Coordinator, Tel: +2348039265356 or +2348057763523
Expressions must be submitted in five (5) hard copies (one original and four copies plus one CD Rom), in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Expression of Interest for Monitoring and Supervision of BIG Platform and BD Market Place” to the address below in person or by courier mail not later man Friday, 31st July, 2015.
Project Coordinator
Growth and Employment (GEM) Project
The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment
Block G, Room 225
Old Federal Secretariat
Area 1, Garki
Abuja
Tel: + 2348039265356 or + 2348057763523
Email: sanyunus2002@yahoo.com
Interested Applicants should note that:
- Submission shall be in English language only
- Submission through electronic media shall be rejected; and
- Submission received after the deadline shall be rejected
Only shortlisted firms will be contacted
