Reference: X/CWG/082
Location: London, UK
Duration: 25 person days
Closing Date: 8 Aug 2011
A. BACKGROUND
The Special Advisory Services Division (SASD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat provides advisory services as well as technical and capacity building assistance to member countries of the Commonwealth in five main areas:
- Debt Management, delivered by the Debt Management Section (DMS)
- Natural Resources Development, delivered by the Economic and Legal Section (ELS)
- Maritime Boundary and Ocean Governance, delivered by ELS
- Trade Development and Export Competitiveness, delivered by the Trade Section (TS)
- Enterprise Development and Agriculture, delivered by the Enterprise and Agriculture Section (EAS).
SASD’s four sections are staffed by inter-disciplinary teams of specialists including economists, lawyers, business development specialists, and IT professionals. In-house skills are supplemented by consultants as and when required. The Division responds to requests for assistance from member countries in its areas of work through funding by the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC).
This consultancy concerns a review and assessment of our work in the area of Enterprise Development & Agriculture and Trade.
The Enterprise and Agriculture Section assists member countries to strengthen the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Emphasis is on MSMEs in the agricultural, fisheries, light manufacturing and services sectors. Key areas of support include strategy and policy formulation for sustainable development of MSMEs as well as capacity building to enhance their competitive advantage; the use of ICT by MSMEs; and youth entrepreneurship.
The Section comprises one section Head, four staff at the Adviser level and two Programme Assistants. An additional staff member has joined on a two-year secondment, as part of a collaborative initiative with one of SASD’s strategic partners.
The Trade Section helps countries improve their export competitiveness through export and sectoral strategy development, trade facilitation and promotion, and improved compliance with international rules and standards. The underlying rationale is to enable members to benefit from the opportunities that international trade and globalisation provide. Currently the emphasis is on national export and private sector development strategies, services – including tourism and professional services - and logistics chain improvement.
The Section comprises one section Head, four staff at the Adviser level and two Programme Assistants.
B: CONSULTANCY
The objective of this consultancy is to review and assess the scope, relevance and effectiveness of the work undertaken by SASD in Enterprise Development & Agriculture and Trade in relation to the needs and demands of member states and developments at the international level.
This Review is driven by a desire to ensure that programmes offered by SASD remain relevant to member countries’ needs and that internal synergies and cost effectiveness in delivery are maximised.
Specific issues to be addressed
- The consultant will undertake an analysis of evolving trends and demand for assistance in the areas of enterprise development and export competitiveness based on (a) current developments in these two areas (both at the global level and within the context of Commonwealth developing countries); and (b) an analysis of requests for advisory services that have been received by both sections.
- The consultant will review the scope of the work of both Sections vis a vis the work of (a) other institutions providing similar technical assistance/advisory services in the two areas under consideration; and (b) other Divisions in the Commonwealth Secretariat engaged in related work. Based on this analysis the consultant should comment on the Commonwealth Secretariat’s comparative advantage in the two thematic areas under review and indicate any changes which might benefit SASD to better meet member countries’ needs and the wider objectives of the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan.
- The consultant will review and recommend the most effective structure and delivery mechanism for providing advisory services in the two thematic areas.
A participatory approach should be adopted in carrying out the consultancy.
Deliverables
- A DETAILED REPORT (not to exceed 50 pages in the main report) outlining the specific issues described above and recommended options including implications of each recommended option.
- A PowerPoint PRESENTATION based on the report to be presented to senior management.
C. QUALIFICATIONS FOR CONSULTANCY
The Consultant will be an individual who is a national of a Commonwealth country, firm or other relevant institution legally registered in a Commonwealth Member Country. The consultant(s) should:
- Be conversant with latest developments in both enterprise development & agriculture as well as trade and export competitiveness;
- Have experience working with governments and international organisations in the area of technical assistance and capacity building as well as experience delivering such technical assistance;
- Have knowledge of the structure and operations of organisations that deliver similar advisory services and technical assistance;
- Be fluent in the English language and possess strong written and oral communication skills.
D. LEVEL OF EFFORT, REPORTING AND PAYMENT TERMS
- The Level of Effort (LOE) of this consultancy is estimated at 25 person days (5 weeks), to be undertaken during the months of August-September 2011.
- Up to 5 days should be spent in the offices of SASD to conduct face to face interviews with all SASD staff concerned and staff of other relevant Divisions (including Human Resources, Finance, Economic Affairs Division and the Governance and Institutional Development Division) and telephone interviews with a number of client countries/institutions and other technical assistance providers.
- The indicative all inclusive fee for this assignment is £12,000.
E. PROPOSAL
The proposal should comprise of the following:
- A Statement of Capability
- Resumes of the key staff allocated to the project
- A document detailing the methodology, work programme and milestones (this will be finalised with the Commonwealth Secretariat prior to commencement)
The proposal needs to be received by 1800 hrs on 8 August 2011.
F. CONTACT INFORMATION
For information regarding this consultancy or to submit the proposal and the Company Consultancy Form/Personal History Form* (as applicable), please contact:
Mrs Puja D Sharma
HR (CFTC)
Commonwealth Secretariat
Pall Mall
London UK
SW1Y 5HX
Email: p.sharma@commonwealth.int
Phone: + 44 207 747 6531
Fax: + 44 20 7747 6520
*The Company Consultancy Form may be downloaded from the Secretariat Website on the Employment / Vacancy / Consultancy Company Assignments page. The Personal History Form may be downloaded from the Secretariat Website on the Employment / Vacancies / Short term Assignments (overseas) page. The forms are available only in PDF format.
The proposal and the form should be forwarded to the contact officer as an attachment to an email or by post / fax.
Please Note: This invitation is open to consulting companies registered in Commonwealth member countries and independent consultants who are nationals of Commonwealth member countries.
Download the Terms of Reference
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