Team Start: ICT Entrepreneurship : Trainers

Team Start:  ICT Entrepreneurship - Gaza Strip

Mercy Corps is a nonprofit international relief and development organization serving more than 19 million people in 36 countries. Mercy Corps has had a presence in the West Bank and Gaza since the 1980s, helping Palestinians meet their immediate needs for survival and find durable solutions to chronic problems. With offices in East Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza City, Mercy Corps implements programs throughout the Palestinian territories.

Mercy Corps is implementing a three-year Economic Development and ICT project under the broader Palestinian Community Assistance Program (PCAP) funded by USAID.  PCAP’s Economic Development program works in several sectors of Gaza’s local economy, and assists young people to prepare for work. 
In 2008, Mercy Corps began work with the Palestine Information and Communication Technology Incubator (PICTI), and the United Kingdom’s University of Warwick Science Park (UWSP), to develop TeamStart:  an entrepreneurial path from idea to marketplace.  Teamstart includes technical consultation, confidence building, business development and practical assistance in a networked environment.

Mercy Corps is looking for a Service Provider to implement TeamStart ICT, a learning cycle dedicated to Gazans with advanced skills in different aspects of ICT, and ideas to translate those talents into income through business. 

Service Provider Qualifications:

TeamStart requires a provider to establish and maintain an exciting, realistic atmosphere in which ideas take shape and can be challenged.   In particular, Mercy Corps seeks a Service Provider and Trainer(s) with the following characteristics:

-Entrepreneurial, with innovative spirit and experience.
-Understanding of how creativity and practical business combine to earn a living. 
-Experience and networks within the ICT industry.
-Demonstrated experience in coaching, group dynamics, innovation-based training techniques and interactive learning rather than front-of-class experience.
-Proven knowledge of business, including financial management, marketing, and business planning.
-The Trainer(s) and or Guest Speakers as a group should demonstrate knowledge of
-Models of successful ICT enterprise
-Marketing and PR.
-Financial management
-Product development
-Technical experience in the ICT industry will be beneficial

The total anticipated implementation/delivery period is 16 – 18 calendar weeks, including preparation of curriculum/methodology and training materials.  TeamStart delivery is expected to begin in mid-March, pending confirmation that each participant is eligible to receive US Government assistance.

RFP: can be picked up at Mercy Corps Gaza Office, 2nd Floor, Abu Ghalioun Building during normal working hours; from Sunday 30 December 2012. Normal working hours are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Sunday to Thursday.

Tuesday, 1 January 2013 is an official holiday and Mercy Corps office will be closed.
A Pre-bid meeting will be held in Mercy Corps office on Sunday, 6 January 2013 at 2:00 pm.

Submission: Technical and financial proposals along with the RFP should be submitted in a sealed envelope provided by Mercy Corps, addressed to:
Procurement Department
Mercy Corps Gaza Office
2nd Floor, Abu Ghalioun Building