UNDP Jobs - 58285- Review of the Buy Malawi Campaign in Malawi

Review of the Buy Malawi Campaign in Malawi

Location :

Lilongwe, MALAWI

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

17-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

30-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 days over three months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

In today’s competitive world, countries strive to boost their productive capacity in order to produce goods and services sufficient for both domestic and export markets. This characterised the so-called import substitution industrialization drive adopted by many African countries immediately after independence in the 1960s. However, since no nation can be completely self-sufficient and produce all the required goods and services, the transactions amongst countries through the import and export of goods and services becomes inevitable.

To achieve and sustain sound macroeconomic fundamentals in an economy, which is characterised by a strong balance of payments, no country shall import goods and services more than its exports. In addition, the decline in export of goods and services and the growth in the import bill of a country also creates scarcity of foreign exchange to meet import obligations, which in turn generates scarcity of the most sought after commodities such as drugs and fuel. This is the case in Malawi as the country is struggling with a structural trade deficit. In 2010 Malawi imported US$2.3 billion worth of goods and services (43 per cent of GDP), and only exported US$1.2 billion (22 per cent of GDP). This reflects a major unsustainable structural trade deficit. Therefore, a National Export Strategy (NES) was prepared to develop Malawi’s capacity to produce and export on the scale required by Malawi’s import and consumption bill. Also, the manufacturing sector accounts only for 11% of GDP and is inward oriented as only 14% is exported.

Notwithstanding, Malawians have developed a strong appetite for foreign made goods and services, preferring such goods over locally manufactured products. Malawians are in fact buying more imported goods and services than locally produced ones. This has negative repercussions over local producers and the economy at large. On the other hand it is questionable if Malawian producers can currently satisfy the demand of the population regarding the range of produced goods & services, as well as its quantity, quality and competitive prices.

In order to reverse these harmful circumstances, the Government of Malawi, under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, launched in 2010 the “Buy Malawi Campaign”, an initiative envisioned to sensitize and persuade Malawians to buy more of locally produced products over foreign ones. The Campaign was essentially meant to empower local Malawian companies and entrepreneurs and to stimulate more local production for the benefit of the end-consumer and the economy. The campaign was aimed to enrol as many local businesses as possible, provided they fulfil eligibility criteria pertaining to quality, socially and environmentally acceptable standards, and adherence to the laws and regulations of Malawi. This campaign will not only have effects in reducing the growing import bill of the country, but will also promote and empower the local industries. It is against this background that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking the services of a consultant to carry out a strategic review of the Buy Malawi Campaign, that is elaborated in a Strategy, in a bid to improve its successful implementation and to duly sensitize Malawians, private persons and businesses alike, as well as government institutions, to preferentially buy locally produced goods and services.

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of the consultancy is to review the current Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy and its implementation to date, and to deliver a revised Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy and an implementation plan for 2015 – 2020.

The Consultant will work under the supervision and leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and closely with other relevant key stakeholders i.e. Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS), Consumer Association of Malawi (CAMA), the Consumer Protection Council, the Competition and Fair Trade Commission (CFTC) the Private Sector. The specific tasks of the Consultant shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

To evaluate and review the Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy:

SWOT analysis of the current strategy and its implementation to date;
Evaluation of the successes and failures of the current strategy / implementation of the same, including the mitigating measures for identified bottlenecks and challenges through desk review and stakeholder consultations;
Insights on best practices used to deliver the objectives of the campaign through other practical country examples;

To re-define the Buy Malawi Campaign (BMC) strategy and implementation plan

Develop detailed recommendations for the revised Buy Malawi Campaign strategy and prepare a detailed implementation plan 2015-2020, including details about responsibilities, timelines and funding, and based on the analysis and evaluation of the current one, as well as desk review and active stakeholder consultations, including:

Specific approaches targeting a) selection of sectors that are part of the campaign, b) procurement criteria of government institutions applicable to the campaign, c) production capacity within the selected business sectors d) local consumer behaviours;
Review or development of eligibility criteria for local producers and service providers who want to take part in the BMC, and procedures to be followed;
Revision of the sectoral prioritization and product list included in the Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy document;
Recommendations on marketing materials/channels to be utilized to enrol businesses into the campaign and to penetrate a sizable consumer base;
Recommendations on ideal implementation arrangements and composition of stakeholder grouping in charge of championing the efforts.

To assess the current and potential production capacity or targeted products qualifying for the campaign and provide recommendations on enhancing the capacity of local producers to produce according to local demand, and according to the eligibility criteria for the BMC.

To project expected impact of the strategy on the economy during its implementation period, allocating the potential impact to specific products

Deliverables

The consultant will be required to deliver the following:

Inception Report highlighting the approach to the assignment and critical areas of focus;
Draft Report, detailing the SWOT analysis and evaluation of the BMC, production capacity and distribution structures, institutions involved in the promotion of the BMC in Malawi as outlined above and with reference to the methodology contained there-in; furthermore impact projections and recommendations for capacity enhancing measures as outlined above. The Draft Strategy will be presented to key stakeholders during a validation workshop that will be funded directly by UNDP
Final Report being the revised Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy and Implementation Plan 2015-2020

Implementation arrangements:

The consultant is expected to be fully self-sufficient in terms of office equipment and supplies, communication, accommodation and transport. Also, the consultant shall arrange for his/her own meetings with stakeholders to be interviewed/consulted. The consultant will report and work under the guidance of the Director of Trade within the Ministry of Industry and Trade who will also be supported by allocated staff within the Department of Industry and Department of Trade.

Timeframe:

The assignment is expected to take 30 man days inclusive of field work, report writing and validation Workshop. The assignment will be conducted over a maximum period of three months.

Methodology

Assignment Framework:

Develop a Framework for the assignment to be agreed upon with the Ministry of Industry and Trade prior to undertaking the specific tasks required by the assignment and which will form the basis of an inception report (4 man-days). This will be presented to the Ministry and UNDP;

Desk Review:

Identify, assemble and select all the available key reports and reference documents relevant for the assignment;
Utilize the National Export Strategy, the Buy Malawi Campaign Strategy, National Quality Policy, the Issues Paper of the Industrial Policy, the Trade Policy, and other relevant documents as basis for this assignment for purposes of extracting all relevant issues pertaining to the assignment;

Consultations:

Conduct individual and group consultations in Malawi (22 man-days minimum) that will involve one-on-one interviews and group discussions with relevant Government Ministries and Departments, Technical Agencies, Development partners, Civil Society, Private Sector (Manufacturers, Traders, Business Associations, Interest Groups) that are directly or indirectly involved with the Buy Malawi Campaign in the country;
Conduct a validation workshop 1 man-day where the Draft revised BMC Strategy will be presented to stakeholders consulted;
Finalize report that incorporates inputs from the validation workshop 3 man-days.

Report requirements

Before each payment, the IC will produce a progress report on his/her work;
Before the final payment, the IC will produce a final report compiling all his/her deliverables.

Since the Validation Workshop will be funded directly by UNDP, this cost must not be featured in the consultant`s financial proposal.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Demonstrate integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Thorough knowledge of policy/strategy issues relating to trade, private sector-led growth, with particular emphasis on industrialization and the quality infrastructure, and ability to undertake economic analysis both quantitative and qualitative;
Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work and manage conflicting priorities and shows pride in work and in achievements;
Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations;
Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the issues and challenges related to the Quality Infrastructure and Industrialization.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

The successful candidate is expected to possess a minimum of Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Public Policy, or other relevant areas of specialization.

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years professional experience;
A proven track record of conducting similar assignments, preferably relating to policy and strategy research and implementation.

Language:

With full proficiency in written and spoken English.

Bid submission:

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications by 30th July 2015, by 16:00 pm Malawi Time to the following email address: procurement.mw@undp.org.

Technical Proposal:

Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work;
Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work.

Financial Proposal

Personal CV (P11 Form) including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

Proposals must include all three documents. Proposals not meeting this requirement will be rejected.

Financial proposal:

Contracts based on daily fee

The financial proposal will specify the daily fee, travel expenses and per diems quoted in separate line items, and payments are made to the Individual Contractor based on the number of days worked.

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station in Lilongwe /repatriation travel.

Evaluation of bids:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable and having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation;
Technical Criteria weight is70%;
Financial Criteria weight is 30%.

Criteria A:

Educational background up to a maximum score of 10 points.

Criteria B:

Proven knowledge of national quality infrastructure, private sector development, industrialization and trade up to a maximum score 20 points.

Criteria C:

Established track record of conducting similar assignments up to a maximum score 15 points.

Criteria D:

Demonstrated knowledge on policy and strategy review and development up to a maximum score of 25 points.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the 70 points in the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The financial score for the financial proposal will be calculated in the following manner:

Sf = 100 x Fm/F, in which Sf is the financial score, Fm is the lowest price and F the price of the proposal under consideration.

Total Financial Maximum points = 100 points

Total Score:

The technical score attained by each proposal will be used in determining the Total score as follows:

The weights given to the technical and financial proposals are: T= 0.7, F=0.3;
The Total score will be calculated by formula: TS = St x 0.7 + Sf x 0.3;
TS - Is the total score of the proposal under consideration;
St - is technical score of the proposal under consideration;
Sf - is financial score of the proposal under consideration.