Call for Applications: Value Chain & Sector Analysis Experts (Expert Roster)

Objectives of this Call

SNV is currently building an experts’ roster of experienced, specialized consulting firms to implement on-demand technical assistance (TA) projects for the GG ICR Facility.

The objective of this call is to ensure that SNV has a roster of relevant firms to allow for efficient selection of the right expertise as new requests for TA reach the Facility.

Area of technical expertise

The GG ICR Facility expects to receive several requests in the coming years related to value chain analysis and broader sectoral analysis. The GG ICR Facility has worked on various agricultural or agroforestry value chains such as mango, coffee and cacao, or natural rubber. Other relevant sectors where value chain analysis would be relevant are Global Gateway themes such as transport and logistics, renewable energy or critical raw materials (CRM), These analyses often have a strong focus on climate resilience as well as women’s economic empowerment to ensure inclusive value chains and closing gender gaps in specific sectors.

The assignments may cover a wide range of activities, including ecosystem mapping, stakeholder consultations, diagnostics, desk research, market analysis, policy and strategy development, institutional gender mainstreaming, investment or trade opportunity identification, public-private dialogue, or practical reform recommendations.

Examples of potential future projects could include supporting a government to assess export opportunities in a specific value chain, helping a regional economic community identify barriers to investment in a priority sector, or facilitating dialogue between public and private actors to define practical reforms that strengthen market opportunities and competitiveness.

Two examples of TORs are included in the Annex (please note: one example is from the current project phase with Global Gateway focus and one from the previous phase before the Global Gateway focus).

Expected results

GG ICR Facility projects are intended to deliver a clear outcome (not just an output, but a concrete result), beyond the deliverables that are produced as part of the project. An outcome is a concrete change that occurs in practice as a direct result of the project intervention: something that would not have happened had the intervention not taken place. Examples of outcomes include a new regulation or law in force, improved services of a chamber of commerce to its members, or the implementation of a public private dialogue platform.

Experts should design the project methodology and activities in a way that maximizes the likelihood of concrete change taking place on the ground. This may include introducing practical change management tools and ensuring that implementing agencies have the authority, leadership, capacity, buy-in, and budget needed to move reforms forward. Reform recommendations should be actionable and anticipate the requirements for implementation, including the estimated budget, feasibility, expected impact, responsible entity or person, and whether actions are short-, medium-, or long-term.

Given the complexity and dynamic nature of GG ICR Facility projects, experience with iterative, agile approaches, and adaptive management is highly valuable. Project methodologies should allow for regular reflection, learning, and adjustment based on emerging evidence, stakeholder feedback, and changing circumstances.

Functioning of the Roster

The selected firms (max 10) will be part of a roster of experts which SNV will draw upon to select a firm for specific assignments. The roster will be valid for a period of two years.

For each relevant new project, and based on a Terms of Reference (TOR), SNV will ask 3 firms on the Roster for their interest, availability, and a short proposal related to the specific assignment (short approach, team composition of the experts you want to include, and relevant daily rates). Through a short evaluation process, 1 firm will then be selected for the project.

As the GG ICR Facility is on-demand, there is no certainty of the number of potential projects relevant to the roster nor is there guaranteed work for each firm on the roster. In this sense, being selected to be part of the roster does not mean necessarily that the firm will be engaged on a given project.

Level of effort for each project

The duration, level of effort, and country of work will vary depending on the needs of each specific project and will be defined in the corresponding Terms of Reference. Assignments may be maximum 100 expert days, with most projects expected to range between 40 and 90 expert days.

Assignments are typically expected to last between 4 and 12 months.

Depending on the scope of work, experts will work virtually, on-site, or may be required to travel to assigned project countries for technical assistance missions. In some cases, missions may cover more than one country and/or multiple locations within a country

During assignments, close contact …