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December 12, 2022

Subject:                               Sources Sought Notification

Reference:           United State Agency for International Development (USAID) Vietnam Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) Activity

Dear Interested Parties,

The Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) Activity funded by the United States Agency for International development (USAID) invites you to submit your response related to the services associated with this Request for Information.  Refer to Enclosure 1 (“Sources Sought Notification”) for the information requested. Note that all submissions become Deloitte property and will not be returned. 

This Sources Sought Notice shall not obligate Deloitte, in any manner whatsoever, to enter into a contract or result in any claim whatsoever against Deloitte, for reimbursement of costs for any information or efforts expended in your response.

Sincerely,

Amanda Mays

Lead Subcontracts Administrator

ammays@deloitte.com  

Government and Public Services Contracts

Subcontracts and Purchasing

Enclosure 1

Sources Sought Notification

1. Description

IPSC funded by USAID is seeking information on how interested contractors can support anticipated technical program needs. The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to gather information about potential qualified firms that have the capacity to implement the activities outlined below.

This Sources Sought is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.  Further, IPSC is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals.  Respondees are advised that IPSC will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this Sources Sought and all costs associated with responding to this notification will be solely at the interested party’s expense. 

Not responding to this Sources Sought Notification will not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. Firms meeting the qualifications outlined below may be invited to pre-register in Deloitte’s system and may be sent future RFP opportunities.   

2. Background

USAID’s Improving Private Sector Competitiveness Activity (hereafter referred to as “IPSC” or the “Activity”) supports Vietnam’s private sector development, consistent with the direction and objectives of the Government of Vietnam (GVN), to improve the capacity and number of private businesses, enhance the policy environment where there are barriers to private sector development, and strengthen Vietnam’s competitiveness. Vietnam has taken significant strides towards sustainable economic growth, however Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) face numerous challenges in accessing knowledge, capital, and markets. IPSC seeks to remove policy, market, and firm-level constraints inhibiting the growth of SGBs, including those owned or led by women and vulnerable populations. The goal of IPSC is to foster an innovative and dynamic private sector that expands economic opportunities domestically and is competitive regionally and globally.

IPSC is comprised of four interrelated Objectives:

Objective 1. Building business management capacity of SGBs, including those led by vulnerable populations.Objective 2. Improving efficiency and productivity by promoting innovation, technology adoption, and sustainable business models.Objective 3. Enhancing the business enabling environment (BEE) for a broad-based inclusive economy.Objective 4. Strengthening business-to-business (B2B) and cross-sectoral linkages.

3. Objective

IPSC builds SGB management capacity through interventions that leverage resources and ongoing efforts of public and private programs across Vietnam to build on and scale-up successes. Primarily, interventions expand access to innovative skills training and coaching to strengthen capacity building for SGBs including assistance with business management, market development, digital business application and financial management capacity. As a result of these initiatives, SGB efficiency will improve, leading to increased revenue, including for women, ethnic-minority-owned and household businesses and help lead a wider transformation of business models that are sustainable sources for economic growth and job creation.

Additionally, COVID-19 has accentuated challenges and constraints in business models in Vietnam. IPSC is helping in identifying enterprises that are the most exposed to shocks, and providing insights into how they can adapt and continue to grow. Different experiences between diverse groups of SGBs, including enterprises, cooperatives, and households - as well as disadvantaged groups - illustrate specific preexisting vulnerabilities and help determine some required solutions for coping to become resilient and expand businesses opportunities.

To accelerate growth, the Government of Vietnam (GVN) has provided support programs to assist businesses in strengthening management capacity to expand opportunities to deliver goods and services to regional and international markets. To enhance GVN support programs for the private sector, IPSC intends to provide technical support packages to participating SGBs at three levels – Firm level, Cooperative-level, and Household-level SGBs, including those led by women and vulnerable/disadvantaged groups.  IPSC will facilitate a range of services provided by qualified and experienced management consulting firms and practitioners from different sectors, industries, and tiers.

With this Sources Sought, IPSC is looking to identify potential Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) that can deliver these initiatives to SGBs at each level by providing technical assistance. IPSC requires firms with practical experience that can provide consulting, training, coaching, and linkage support for SGBs.

Specific technical areas where IPSC is providing support to SGBs in building capacity to cope with challenges and developing their competitiveness includes, though is not limited to, the following topics:

o   Business Management Capacity for SGB leaders providing essential knowledge, expertise and skills necessary to lead and analyze complex change processes such as: Developing a Business Strategy; Leadership Principles; Flexible Human Resource Management; Building Resilience in the Corporate Culture; Organization and Change Management; Presentation and Negotiation Skills; Risk Management; and Business Continuity. 

o   Market development and expansion strategy  for SGBs, including: Aligning Strategy and Sales; Assessing and Developing Distribution Channels; Identifying business and market opportunities; Branding and Marketing; Packaging and Labelling; E-commerce and Digital Marketing; Export Strategy; Trade Shows Skills; Supply Chain Management; and Production Management.

o   Access to Finance and Financial Management for SGBs in developing an intimate knowledge of financial principles and telling the story behind the numbers in financial statements to better communicate with key stakeholders; Implementing an access to finance strategy; Accounting and Finance; and Cashflow Management.

o   Sustainable Business Strategy and investing such as, awareness raising on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles; evaluating ESG factors and measuring and managing impact; Corporate Sustainability; Developing Sustainable Business Models; Circular Economy; Inclusive Business Models; Social Entrepreneurship; Just Energy Transition; Business Incubation and Acceleration; and Sustainable Community-Based Tourism.

o   Technology Application and Adoption: Technology application and adoption that suitable for SGB; Improving Product Traceability; and ICT Deployment in Business Operations, digital transformation and relevant issues.

4. Qualifications

IPSC will consider firms that align with the qualifications outlined below and comply with announcement requirements. The criteria for consideration are listed below:

·         Extensive knowledge of the Vietnam business environment for SGBs with market insights of prioritized sectors - Agriculture, Industrial Manufacturing, Tourism, IT, and Logistics.

·         Demonstrated capabilities and experience in providing similar training/coaching services in one or more of the following technical areas outlined in Section 3 above. 

·         Trainers and Experts must have at least 7-10 years of experience and capabilities to carry out anticipated support in the technical areas noted above. Experts with industrial sector knowledge and experience in exports and market insights are preferred.

Firms meeting the qualifications may be invited to pre-register with Deloitte and may be sent announcements for future RFP opportunities.

5. Requested Information

·         Legally registered firm name, physical address, website (if available), firm point of contact including name, address, phone number, and email of point of contact.

·         Company overview in the form of a Capabilities Statement that outlines the firm’s alignment with the qualifications and criteria outlined above. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and must be clearly marked. 

·         Self-Declared Capabilities Matrix (attached).

·         Three (3) past performance references for projects similar to the services being sought for the anticipated activities.

·         Summary of management expertise for at least three (3) staff available to support activities.

Submissions should be limited to no more than seven (7) pages.

6. Partner Information Session

IPSC will hold a Partner Information Session in advance of the submission deadline to provide an overview of the IPSC Activity, required qualifications, and the procurement process.

Event Date: December 16, 2022

Location: TBD

Time: 2:00 pm Hanoi

Interested parties should pre-register no later than 6p.m, December 15, 2022 by emailing lannguyen@ipsc.vn

7. Submission Instructions

Responses should be submitted via email to the contacts listed below by December 27, 2022 10:00pm Hanoi Time.

Amanda Mays

Lead Subcontracts Administrator

ammays@deloitte.com 

All questions related to this Sources Sought should be addressed to ammays@deloitte.com with a copy to danielee@deloitte.com and lannguyen@ipsc.vn