Terms of reference “Provision of educational and consulting services for representatives of SME’s in East Kazakhstan oblast on the issues of enhancing their trade capacity”

TERMS OF REFERENCE

“Provision of educational and consulting services for representatives of SME’s in East Kazakhstan oblast on the issues of enhancing their trade capacity”

Project: ‘Wider Europe: Aid for Trade: for Central Asia, South Caucasus and Western CIS’

Region: East –Kazakhstan Oblast

Duration: September – First Half of November 2011

General Information:

The implementation of the second phase of the joint project “Wider Europe: Aid for Trade for Central Asia, South Caucasus and Western CIS” of Regional Bureau UNDP Bratislava and UNDP Kazakhstan has started from January 2011. The purpose of the project is to strengthen the economic growth of the country by promoting trade and enhancing the competitiveness of the small and medium enterprises in East-Kazakhstan oblast. The project plans a series of activities including trainings and seminars, Small Grants Programme that will be implemented by the project beneficiaries, strengthening the cooperation of the public officials with entrepreneurs through educational seminars, and development of the regional trade models in East –Kazakhstan oblast.

Within the fourth direction of the “Business Round Map 2020”, “Enhancement of the entrepreneurs’ capacity”, the project Business Advisor is undergoing and lead by “Damu” FED. 15 trainings were carried out in 15 regions of the oblast within the project as well in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semey, Ridder, and Kurchatov towns. The listeners were provided manuals and information materials and certificates on completion of a seminar. It is expected that the implementation of the business consulting activities organized by the project Wider Europe: Aid for Trade for Central Asia, South Caucasus and Western CIS” will contribute to coverage the larger number of beginning and existing entrepreneurs of the East Kazakhstan oblast, who did not participate in the “Business Advisor” trainings due to any reasons.

Purpose:

The Consulting Company is planned to be selected within the Project activities (hereinafter refers to as Contractor) in order to provide the business consulting services to SME in cities and regions of the East Kazakhstan oblast. In regions, where people physically unable to obtain the qualified informational support on business start up, the Contractor shall find local business consultants.

The Contractor’s objectives are as follows:

1.  Provision of a qualified business consultations on business start up and doing business in pilot regions of the EKO in official and state languages through an organized network of constantly working business –consultants in 13 regions;

2.  Development of the study materials on doing business and entrepreneurs skills in official and state languages and, also, provision of mini-trainings in pilot regions of EKO, planned for a small amount of time, small number of participants, that in turn will contribute to a significant increase in number of trained entrepreneurs;

3.  Working with local officials on registration of participants for trainings, gathering of applications for small grants from the UNDP;

4.  Cooperation with local authorities on population mobilization to participate in the trainings when applying for advice as well as when applying for small grants;

5.  Assisting to local start up and existing entrepreneurs in writing business plans, grants application;

6.  Assisting to local start up and existing entrepreneurs in understanding the mechanisms of the current state programs (Business Round Map 2020, Employment Programme 2020);

7.  Provision of additional relevant information concerning the support of SMEs;

8.  Registration of all provided advice in the registration book (name, age, address, gender, employment, type of question, signature and name of a responsible person);

9.  Provision of quarterly reports stating all above-mentioned items.

The Scope of work within the Frame of Terms of Reference

The UNDP purposes in the project implementation are as follows:

·  Enhancement of the trade capacity of the SME by carrying out and introducing specialized educational mini –trainings in production development, services and trade through an organized network of business –consultants in the remote areas of the East Kazakhstan oblast;

·  Enhancement of the public servants capacity that are involved in trade promotion and economic development by holding and introducing trainings on trade inclusion in the regional development strategies, as well as capacity building in supporting the local entrepreneurs in their trade activities;

·  Providing of business consulting support to beneficiaries and partners of the project through an organized network of business-consultants in the remote areas of the East –Kazakhstan oblast;

·  Provision of the standard package of documents needed to an entrepreneur and people with the entrepreneurial initiative to start and do business;

·  Training of the selected business consultants on all required topics specified in the Table of Preliminary Topics in order to provide business consultations and mini-trainings in place, providing of all necessary hand outs.

Preliminary Topics of the Mini-Trainings for SMEs

Topic	Date
Support of the beginning entrepreneurs (start –up projects)
1.  Business basics for start-up;	September 2011
Support of existing business
2.  Bookkeeping and tax accounting and reporting (statistical reports);	September 2011
3.  Management of credit resources, business planning, micro-credit;	September 2011
4.  Quality management system: Certification;	September 2011
5.  Legal aspects in entrepreneurship;	September 2011
6.  Customs procedures: mechanisms of goods transportation, tariffs and documentation;	September 2011
7.  Human Resource Management	September 2011
8.  Marketing in entrepreneurship	September 2011
9.  Psychology of entrepreneurship	September 2011
10.  IT –services	September 2011
Additional Topics
11.  State Programmes of Business Support: Business Round Map - 2020: Fourth direction “Enhancement of entrepreneurs capacity”; Agriculture Development Programme of the RoK for ; State Programme on Forced industrial –innovative development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2010 – 2014; Employment Programme 2020: the second direction: Assistance to entrepreneurship development in the rural areas ";	October 2011
12.  Building of sales system at an enterprise: promotion of goods and services, trademark on the market, marketing, sales management.	September 2011
13.  Project management. Finance: project development, management of its funding ( synergy between costs and cash flow management); loans management;	October 2011
14.  Negotiation skills. Contracts and Trade Law. Dispute resolution, arbitration;	September 2011
15.  E-commerce: public procurement; public procurement legislation, forms and methods of trading, order of the order placing, requirements to suppliers, ensuring applications for participation in the competition procedure, accountability;	September 2011
16.  The technology of crop production: breeding of elite sorts of vegetables, fruits, grains, greenhouse production technology;	November 2011
17.  Harvest storage technology, preparation of its storage for winter period;	November 2011
Technology of Livestock Development: Development of breeding cattle, leather preparation for sale, preparation of wool for sale;	November 2011
18.  The technology of leather and wool preparation for sale;	November 2011

Preliminary Training Topics for public officials:

For Public Officials (Civil Servants)
Business Round Map 2020: Fourth direction “Enhancement of entrepreneurs capacity”;	October 2011
Agriculture Development Programme of the RoK for	October 2011
State Programme on Forced industrial –innovative development in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2010 – 2014	October 2011
Employment Programme 2020: the second direction: Assistance to entrepreneurship development in the rural areas ";	October 2011

At least 200 entrepreneurs should benefit from the business consulting services and 60 civil servants should be trained and be able to support and enhance the entrepreneurs capacity in their activities.

The implementation term on provision of business consulting services should not exceed 2,5 (two and a half) months, i. e. the active period should include September, October and the first half of November 2011.

The number of the trained entrepreneurs is based on the rate of 8 weekly mini-trainings where at least 10 entrepreneurs participate and 10 weekly consultations in the regions where business consultants will work.

The number of trained civil servants is based on the rate 3 specialists from entrepreneurs and agriculture departments from 19 settlements of the East Kazakhstan oblast. It is supposed that conducting of 3 trainings from which 1 is in Semey and 2 are in Ust –Kamenogorsk of 20 participants per training.

In order to conduct trainings for civil servants it is required to involve 2 trainers fluent in Russian and Kazakh to explain the material more clearly.

It is supposed that the network of business consultants will work on a constant basis and will be organized in 13 regions of East Kazakhstan oblast: Abai, Ayaguz, Beskaragai, Borodulikha, Zharma, Zaisan, Zyryaniov, Katonkaragai, Kokpekty, Kurshum. Tarbagatai, Ulan, Urdjar regions. The Shemonaikha and Glubokov regions were not included to the list of covered areas because they are located close to the Borodulikha region and Ust-Kamenogorsk, as well as Ridder and Kurchatov towns as there are already opportunities for small entrepreneurship development.

The abovementioned services should be provided in accordance with the targeted audience, i. e., participants should get exactly the information that corresponds to their level of preparation and the direction of interests.

It is expected that these services will expand the knowledge of the beneficiaries and project partners in doing business, international and domestic trade, as well as give a clear understanding of the current state programmes of entrepreneurship support.

In the practical part of trainings, the speeches of experienced businessmen are encouraged in front of an audience of micro and small entrepreneurs to exchange experiences.

Participants who have passed the trainings on certain topics cannot participate again in the same training, but may be involved in other trainings on different topics, organized under the project "Wider Europe: Aid for Trade for Central Asia, South Caucasus and Western CIS".

The key criteria during evaluation on providing services in the sphere of teaching SME represented by the future Provider will be:

·  Access for the project’s beneficiaries;

·  Transparency;

·  Quality and experience in providing such kind of service;

·  Stability and sustainability

Project’s beneficiaries

Within the project, the main service beneficiaries should be SME and also person who wants to run the own business in the city and villages of East Kazakhstan oblast.

Not less than 35 % from the total value of service receivers should be registered SME from the sphere of production (including livestock sector and plant growing) and from the sphere of service provision. Not less than 75 % from the total value of service receivers should be registered SME from the sphere of production (goods and service) of East – Kazakhstan oblast.

Provider’s responsibility

1. During the preparation stage Project’s provider should create the permanent network of acting business – consultants. Selection of business – consultants will be conducted from the most active candidates of local population of East-Kazakhstan oblast.

2. The Provider should submit total and authentic information about the regions and cities where trainings for civil servants and mini-trainings for SME’s representatives will be organized. Also this information should contain the regions where business-consultants will be represented.

3. Provider should identify the language of trainings based on beneficiary’s requirements.

4. Provider should submit the calculation of cost per creating and maintenance of business-consultants in distant regions of oblast.

5. Provider should work out subject direction of the trainings on the mechanism of government program with the aim of to support entrepreneurship in order to cover civil servants and SME’s representatives. The joint participants of both sides (civil servants and entrepreneurs) within the one training is preferable since this will create good opportunity for the both sides to discuss the issues regarding governmental programs which supports entrepreneurship.

6. Project provider should work out the methodology, handouts, work schedule and to organize workshop in order to conduct trainings for civil servants and also mini trainings for project beneficiaries, to provide informational support during trainings and project events.

7. Provider should cooperate with Mass media (newspapers, magazines, TV and Radio) in order to fully light up current and planned project events. Along with abovementioned, provider should conduct monitoring of all publications of realized events and submit it with current reports on project progress.

8. Upon completion of every training Provider should to conduct a survey among training participants in order to evaluate the quality of trainings. Provider and business-consultants also should log all project beneficiaries who will refer for the consultation.

9. Provider should inform project beneficiaries about the planned trainings;

10. Provider is responsible for organizing the workshop for project beneficiaries which includes next:

a)  Working out workshop of required service;

b)  Attracting trainers/ experts;

c)  Providing premises required for service realization;

d)  Working out educational handouts (training language);

e)  Provision of logistic support ;

f)  Provision of informational support within the project.

11. Provider will provide business consultation for beneficiaries and partners of the project on the issues of running and dealing business;

12. Provider should cooperate with Mass media on current issues;

13. Provider should make a Terms of reference for business – consultants in order to conduct mini – trainings and further consulting of beneficiaries/partners of project on the issues of dealing the business;

a)  Selection of business-consultants;

b)  Provision of business – consultants with premises and required technical support;

c)  Make work schedule for business-consultants;

d)  Gathering and analyses of report from business-consultants for the current period.

14. Provider should submit reports timely and according to the UNDP procedures.

Business-consultants should correspond to the next criteria:

·  To have work experience in provision of consultation service more than 1 year;

·  To have work experience in conducting seminars, trainings and to have a organizational skills;

·  To have work experience as an trainer and ability to hold an audience;

·  To have fluent knowledge of Kazakh and Russian language and have oral and writing skills in both languages required in order to provide consulting services and to prepare report and other documents.

·  To live or to have an ability of working on employment basis in the region required for the position;

·  To have the next qualities: responsibility, imitativeness, stress resistance, ability to communicate with partners, to work in team, ability to interpret new information.

Responsibility of business-consultants:

·  Organization and providing mini-trainings in the regions on the issues of running the business for project beneficiaries’ and project partners in the distant areas of east – Kazakhstan oblast and implements other required duties;

·  Provision of all accessible and required materials on mini-trainings and business – consulting services for the private study be the SME;

·  Preparation of quarterly, monthly (weekly, if required) reports on made progress;

·  Working with entrepreneurs on attracting them in participation on mini-trainings or receiving business-consultation service;

·  Close cooperation with region Akimats and with Akimats of rural district in order to work with SME and providing of business-consulting service;

·  Cooperation with other business-consultants working for project in order to coordinate work on places;

·  Upon necessity to provide help for entrepreneurs in preparing business plans, gathering required documents in order to participate in different competitive bids on Grant receiving form UNDP;

·  Providing assistance in organizing monitoring meetings with grant recipients form the same regions with the business-consultant;

·  To conduct other duties required for project implementation.

Provider should correspond to the next criteria:

To be a legal entity registered according with the low oh The Republic of Kazakhstan; To have an experience in conducting training/seminars/master classes not less than 3 year; To have creative/intellectual potential (presence of professionals in conducting trainings in the sphere of trade and SME); To have an ability to make a business trip in the regions, EKO; To have work experience working with the network of business-consultants which works in distant area, to have a procedures and mechanism in order to control and coordinate with the business-consultants; Обладать опытом работы с сетью бизнес-консультантов, работающих удаленно; Work experience with International experts/organizations is preferable.

Terms of payment:

After signing the contract – 20%

October 17, 2%

November 10, 2%