Short Term: To strengthen marketing skills of Business Development Service (BDS) Officers of selected Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOS)

Statement of Work

USAID Trade and Competitiveness

Title of Assignment: To strengthen marketing skills of Business Development Service (BDS) Officers of selected Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOS).

Type of Consultancy: Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA)

Period of implementation: May to August 2024

Location: Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Koshi Province

Program Overview

USAID Trade and Competitiveness (here after referred as ‘The Activity’) is a five-year $18.9 million Activity that charts a new path for the Nepali economy as it recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Activity enables Nepal to capitalize on global integration to diversify toward higher quality and higher value exports, foster sustainable job growth and income-generating opportunities for those that have previously been left behind by economic growth, and create greater sustainability and resiliency. To achieve this, the Activity deliberately promotes the integration of women, youth, and marginalized groups into markets to participate in economic opportunities created as Nepal’s economy grows. It will increase jobs and exports while supporting the private sector in managing risks from climate change, COVID-19, and other threats. Through this Activity, USAID will unlock new sources of financing and investment, including green growth financing, climate financing, and foreign and domestic investment. Deloitte Consulting LLP is implementing this Activity in partnership with J.E Austin, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics, and Environment (SAWTEE), and Deloitte, Touche, and Tohmatsu India (DTTI).

The goal of the Activity is to accelerate firm and sector level competitiveness, generate employment opportunities, and increase sales of firms, build firm-level resilience in the targeted sectors as well as accelerate the recovery pace of the economy through interventions that incentivize public and private sector actors across the ecosystem to adopt new behaviors driving outcomes across four key objectives:

1. Improve access to market-based financial and non-financial services.
2. Increase productivity in sectors with high growth and employment potential.
3. Improve the investment climate and business enabling environment, especially for targeted sectors.
4. Private sector led recovery supported.

Background and Context

Despite the progress Nepal has made in recent years in terms of financial inclusion, a substantial gap remains in access to finance within the agriculture and tourism sectors, impeding the growth and productivity of businesses/firms operating in these domains. Access to formal financial services remains a challenge, particularly for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in agriculture and tourism sectors.

Promoting the development of MSMEs through financial cooperatives is crucial for fostering entrepreneurship, increasing income, and generating self-employment. The Nepal Federation of Savings and Credit Cooperative Unions Ltd. (NEFSCUN), serving as a member-based national apex organization of Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS), operates in 76 districts with outreach to 3.57 million individuals. SACCOS provides financial services in a low-cost by minimizing risks. However, challenges arise when SACCOS engage in risky business loans without sufficient technical expertise in the sector.

Members of cooperatives often face challenges in navigating their businesses, particularly concerning market access within the tourism and agriculture sectors due to a lack of essential knowledge. This lack of knowledge can hinder their ability to identify market opportunities, understand consumer demands, implement effective marketing strategies, and access the necessary resources to grow their businesses. To bridge this gap effectively, it is imperative to provide BDS Officers with both practical and relevant marketing skills, particularly in fostering market linkages for member businesses. These services should encompass various strategies such as market research, networking with potential partners, devising marketing campaigns, and facilitating access to financing and resources. SACCOS can be more effective in providing needed financial services to MSMEs in targeted sectors by empowering their BDS Officers with the right skills and tools.

Establishing effective market linkages is essential for the small firms for ensuring business success. Firms often face challenges in accessing markets, reaching customers, and promoting their offerings. By facilitating market linkages, BDS Officers at SACCOS can connect these businesses with potential buyers, distributors, and other key players in the market. They can include a range of services aimed at strengthening marketing strategies. This may involve market research to identify target markets and understand consumer preferences, developing compelling marketing campaigns to promote products or services, improving branding and packaging to attract customers, and exploring new market opportunities both locally and internationally.

Objective

USAID Trade and Competitiveness is seeking a firm/individual with expertise in marketing in the agriculture and tourism sector. The expert should be able to enhance the skills and knowledge of BDS officers of SACCOs through trainings to coaching. The training program should provide a comprehensive understanding of key marketing strategies concepts and practices in agriculture and tourism. It is anticipated that the training will equip BDS Officers with the necessary skills, knowledge, and tools to effectively support and catalyze the growth of businesses, particularly of MSMEs. The training also should incorporate a module that provides comprehensive understanding of digital marketing concepts and strategies relevant to the agriculture and tourism industry.

The primary objective of this exercise is to develop and implement effective marketing strategies that support the BDS Officers in achieving their goals of facilitating market linkages for businesses. This includes assisting in connecting businesses with potential partners, customers, and resources to enhance their market presence and growth opportunities.

Upon completing the training, BDS Officers should be able to: 

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of marketing strategies in the agriculture and tourism sectors, including insights into current market trends and effective client engagement strategies. 
• Capable of supporting members (firms) in expanding their sales plan/channels, entering new markets, and optimizing their overall market presence. 
• Acquire the skill to establish realistic goals for marketing linkages, pinpoint growth opportunities, and craft a roadmap for success, aiding businesses in refining and developing their marketing and sales plans.

Tasks

The Consultant shall conduct training for the BDS Officers of SACCOS to develop and implement effective marketing strategies that support the officers in achieving their goals of facilitating market linkages for businesses. This includes assisting in connecting businesses with potential partners, customers, and resources to enhance their market presence and growth opportunities. The task will be focusing on providing an understanding of market trends and the dynamics of businesses. The training sessions should be designed in such a way that they provide an overview of the best concepts and applications being used by the business development services to agriculture and tourism enterprises. The key focus of this STTA is providing hands-on practical marketing training which the officers can use in their day-to-day job analyzing and supporting the members/clients in the market linkage in the agriculture and tourism sector.

The consultant/firm will be responsible to build capacity of the BDS officers in the following areas:

• The diverse range of products offered by its members which can help in better catering to their needs, support their growth plan.
• SACCOS's target markets, including potential clients and stakeholders. 
• Development of strategies and initiatives that promote effective market linkages among the members and potential clients. 
• Expansion of sales strategies/channels, entering new markets, and optimizing their overall market presence.
• Skill to develop a comprehensive marketing plan (Product Development, Sales and strategies) aligned with the objectives of the BDS Officer and the cooperative's business development goals.
• Creating marketing materials and content to promote BDS offerings, including digital marketing campaigns, social media content, email newsletters, and promotional materials.
• Identifying opportunities for collaboration and partnership with other organizations, businesses, and stakeholders to expand the reach of BDS services.
• Skill for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of marketing efforts through data analysis and reporting.

Methodology of Training

The trainer is encouraged to employ a combination of lectures, and case studies to ensure effective learning. Emphasis on practical application and real-world scenarios, allowing BDS officers to translate theoretical concepts into actionable strategies through use of experiential learning techniques such as case studies, role-playing, and simulations. The trainer should provide trainings to BDS officers in each of the provinces by brining together BDS Officers from selected SACCOS.

Deliverables 

The Consultant/Firm is expected to deliver the following results and deliverables: 

• Training materials, including presentations, handouts, and any additional resources deemed beneficial for successful impartation of knowledge and skills. Additional reading and reference materials, including an electronic version and/or printed copy of the book, are to be provided to all the participants. All modules in the training program must be organized electronically by folders, with each folder containing a PPT presentation, reading material, case studies and/or exercises to be used in the module. and make presentations.

3. Pre and post training assessment of the knowledge, skills and experience of participants relating to the marketing strategies in the agriculture and tourism sectors, and other related concepts.

Timeline

TIMELINE: The firm/individual is expected to submit a work plan with a timeline with the technical proposal within this deadline. The timeline cannot be extended. The assignment is planned to be organized in the month of May- August 2024.

Required Qualification:

The Consultant must demonstrate the skills and experience required to undertake the tasks set out in these terms of reference. Specifically:

1. Proven experience as a marketing consultant or similar role.
2. In-depth knowledge of marketing strategies and techniques across various channels.
3. Strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret data to drive marketing decisions.
4. Ability to work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
5. Familiarity with agriculture and tourism sectors is highly preferred.
6. The trainer should have work experience with wide categorical range of financial Institutions/financial cooperatives in Nepal.  
7. Strong Excellent communication and presentation skills in Nepali and English with an ability to interact with a very broad spectrum of stakeholders.

Reporting requirements

The Consultant will report to Manager, Access to Financial Services under the overall guidance of Director of Economic Resilience and Competitiveness. Deliverables will be assessed during key milestones by the team, as well as external experts, when required.

All interested applicants shall submit their resume to info@tc-udhyamnepal.com no later than COB 5.00 pm April 22, 2024.