Deadline for Submission: Thursday 8 August 2002
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) invites Applicants (suitably qualified and competent companies and agencies, domestic, international, or NGO’s) to submit proposals for conducting an Agricultural Marketing Project.
The Project has two components:
1. Organisation and Management of a series of 6 agricultural marketing training sessions.
2. A pilot income generation project to organise and complete the marketing and sale of a one-off shipment of agricultural produce to domestic or external markets.
Background:
The Brcko District is located at the heart of the fertile Posavina plain, and enjoys climatic and soil conditions well suited to the cultivation of berry fruits (strawberries, cherries and raspberries) and orchard fruits (apples, plums). Fruits like these are generally grown for commercial profit, as opposed to other crops like grains, which are largely grown for domestic use. The fruit sector is growing sector (from 8-15% in the last three years) and represents a valuable business opportunity for the Brcko farmer. The Brcko farmer is well placed to capitalise on the increasing demand for organic produce in the surrounding regions and European Union countries. Several factors, however, hinder the agricultural community in Brcko District from harnessing this niche market, amongst which are the small size of farms, lack of access to credits, lack of capacity within the agricultural associations / co-operatives to organize and market bulk fruit production, lack of market research facilities and poor knowledge of current market conditions and cultivation technology. This project aims to address some of these problems.
Proposal Requirements:
To be considered, your proposal must include and satisfy all of the following basic requirements:
A. Concept Paper
B. Registration Papers
C. Explanation of Experience
D. Proposed Project Staff Structure
E. Financial Proposal
In detail, these basic requirements are as follows:
A. Concept Paper
The Applicant must submit a proposed methodology and organisational plan for the implementation of both components, covering following basic tasks:
I. Organisation and management of a series of 6 agricultural marketing training sessions
- Selection of participants, as the most important factor in the success of project
- Profile and selection of expert specialised in marketing fruit produce (see D)
- Profile and selection of expert specialised in technical aspects of fruit production and sale, i.e., certification, EU legislation on fruit exportation, packaging and added value processing* (see D)
- Organisation of training sessions
- Advertisement of training sessions
- Organisational plan for the content of each of the 6 training sessions
*please note that Applicant can propose one expert trainer instead or two, provided the documentation to be provided under Requirement D demonstrates that the proposed candidate has the required expertise (as outlined above). Applicants should take this factor into consideration while structuring budget estimations.
II. Pilot income generation project to organise the marketing and sale of a one-off shipment of agricultural produce to domestic or external markets.
- Work with local participants to form a small marketing group or new-style cooperative
- Work with local participants in the pilot project to identify markets in BiH and /or in the surrounding countries for berry and orchard fruits
- Work with the participants to make contact with one buyer for a one-off supply contract
- Arrange the contracts, transport and cooling, payment procedures (from buyer to the members of the pilot project)
- Production of final report on the pilot project to be given to the participants
The Applicants are invited to submit proposals on how they would approach the project, using the listed tasks above as basic guidelines. The Applicant in welcome to propose alternative tasks or methodology than the guidelines stated above. The Applicant is instructed to include a timetable for each of the proposed activities.
B. Registration Papers
All Applicants are obliged to submit registration papers, demonstrating that the Applicant group is fully registered as a legal entity in its country of origin. If the Applicant is a multi-lateral or bi-lateral organisation, the submitted registration documentation must reflect that.
C. Explanation of Experience
The Applicant is required to submit a list of past projects or programs carried out by the applicant organisation / company that demonstrate the experience of the Applicant in organising and managing projects / programs similar to the program described herein. Specifically, OHR is interested in hearing from Applicants who have had considerable past experience in the following areas: farmer outreach, agriculture based training seminars or workshops, marketing projects, income generation projects, capacity building (cooperatives, agricultural associations, Chamber of Commerce, etc) and Business initiatives.
D. Proposed Project Staff structure
The Applicant is required to submit a proposed organisational structure of all staff for the project, including the expert trainer/s and support staff. This should include the CV’s of each person involved as well as the proposed TOR (Terms of Reference) for the specific project. OHR invites the Applicant to propose international or local experts, or a combination of both, according to the Applicant’s concept of the program. Please note that out of the overall funds to be awarded in the contract to the successful Applicant, the Applicant alone will be responsible for the direct hiring of all staff to be involved in the project.
E. Financial Proposal
All Applicants are obliged to submit a full breakdown of the budget proposed for both components of the program. Both general program costs (honoraria fees, support staff fees, travel within Brcko and other running / operational expenses) and specific program costs (rental of public halls for the training sessions, market research trips, rental of cooling facilities, transport facilities) must be taken into consideration.
Notes:
1. Prices must be in KM (Convertible Marks) or EURO. OHR normal payment terms are bank transfer within 30 days from invoice and the date of satisfactory completion of obligations.
2. OHR, as diplomatic organisation, is exempt from payment of all taxes and duties and all prices quoted should exclude such charges.
3. Incomplete proposals (omitting any of the Basic requirements A – E) may be excluded.
4. Proposals will be evaluated by a specially called committee comprising Special Projects Officer, Economic Development Specialist, and an external consultant of appropriate rank and experience, and will be weighted in favour of technical merit. Whilst price is an important consideration, the quality of content of the technical aspects of the proposal may take priority.
5. OHR reserves the right to enter into negotiations with any Applicant or to conclude this invitation without award.
6. OHR is not able to bear any costs incurred by Applicants in preparation of proposals.
7. Any contact awarded by OHR may include conditions and deadlines stated in the Applicant’s proposal, which may be attached to and considered an integral part of the contract.
8. The proposal must be in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Proposal for Agricultural Marketing” and delivered to the following address No later than Thursday 8 August 2002
Special Addendum:
Given that there are several important agricultural assistance programs ongoing in the Brcko District, it is extremely important that eventual project proposal respects, and avoids overlap, with these programs. It is worth noting that the final contract to be signed with the successful Applicant will take those programs into account, and all possible avenues of cooperation with agencies active in the field of agricultural assistance, i.e., UNDP-BLAP, Mercy corps, Counterpart International, Mercy International USA, etc., will be fully explored.
Please note that the deadline for submission of completed Proposals is
No Later than Thursday 8 August 2002