Business Development Expert

Background

The Alianza por la Solidaridad (Alianza) in partnership with Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA), Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA), Palestinian Information Technologies Incubator (PICTI), Women´s Affairs Technical Committee (WATC) are currently implementing the project “Equal rooting”: Greater gender equality in Palestine " funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency - SIDA.

The overall objective of the 3-year intervention is to contribute to foster gender equality in the oPt through a comprehensive program in the West Bank and Gaza. Under the framework of this project, PICTI is looking to support 3 female-led enterprises. By providing them with the needed guidance, mentoring and training in the areas of innovation & entrepreneurship, leadership skills, team management and any modern tools to be utilized for the benefit of their businesses. By the end of the incubation programme, the entrepreneur is to be connected with outside interested parties to get more information and resources that are of immense benefit to their businesses.

As such, PICTI is to select a highly qualified Business Development Expert, where he/she will follow up and keep track of the full entrepreneurship programme for a period of 4 months. The expert will provide guidance to the selected 3 female-led enterprises, who are leading an innovative start-up idea. Throughout the incubation period at PICTI, the expert is to help them expand and improve their business ideas to reach sustained growth through understanding their vision and goals, assess strengths and weaknesses, and also help optimize current business practices while developing new and improved management methods.

Scope of work:

• Full guidance along the 4 months incubation programme.
• Introduce new business methods and systems.
• Educate, lead and supervise to ensure achievement.
• Help with implementing suggested plans and strategies. 
• Identify problems - contribute to problem solving or minimize the negative impacts on the business.
• Collaborate with the assigned technical expert to provide technical assistance to startups.
• Perform a Gap analysis regarding the capacity strengths and weaknesses of the startup.
• Help entrepreneurs/women overcome challenges in order to increase revenue or growth.
• Improve the way entrepreneurial women manage their resources (Both financial and technical).
• Organization & supervision of training sessions to startups for the duration of incubation.

The Expert must ensure delivering the following:

• Evaluation report of beneficiaries of the entrepreneurship programme.
• Record of benefits template, including seed funding.
• Testimonies of success and empowerment stories: including interviewing the 5 startups in the incubation programme and conducting focus group discussions for the 5 startups altogether at the end of the programme.
• Training report template for the trainings offered to the startups (including methodology, content, attendance, pictures, training material, etc.).
• All documents, required by the beneficiary, delivered and/ or filled as requested.

The above activities for the regional mentor are estimated to consist of 40 hours (including preparation hours) over the 5 months of the incubation programme.

The Expert will be expected to have the following competencies:

• Experience in training, coaching and mentoring especially for start-ups.
• Good knowledge of the entrepreneurial echo system including Venture Capital and fund raising and teaching.
• Proven innovation and design thinking skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Proven project management skills.
• Experience in training and teaching.
• Ability to influence and inspire.

Guidelines and Selection Criteria

In undertaking this assignment, the service provider should consider submitting:

• Technical proposal (70%) covering the following items:

1. CVs and portfolio of the people involved in the assignment. (25%)

This must be showcasing previous relevant experience in the support and guidance to ICT SMEs and entrepreneurs, this must be supported with samples of previous similar work.

2. Methodology/Approach used to achieve the final report (include appropriate data collection instruments and procedures such as questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups). (25%)
3. Action Plan to achieve the final report (Including all working days for conducting interviews and focus groups with all aforementioned parties). (20%)

• Financial proposal (30%). The price quotation for the training delivery should be in EURO.

Please note that the price quotation should be submitted in:

1. English language.
2. The Price must be in Euro Including income Tax– and PICTI is not responsible for any currency differences.
3. The price offer must be valid for a period of 6 months.
4. PICTI has the right to withdraw or cancel the solicitation, without incurring any costs and without any justifications.
5. The consultant to whom the quotation is awarded bears all responsibility in the case that they submit a quotation and is unable to submit any of the reinforcements necessary for the payment.
6. The payment with the selected expert will be made after signing the contract, completing the required service by submitting the work completion report, and providing the financial payment request, 10% of the total amount will be deducted as income tax to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
7. PICTI reserves the right to reject any offer without stating the reasons and to solicit offers from abroad in the case of rejection of the submitted offers and in case of violation and non-compliance with the required specifications.
8. The amount due to the supplier shall be paid by Checks or bank transfer from the bank account of the project, after submitting the necessary.
9. PICTI is not obligated to the lowest prices without giving reasons, and it is also entitled to split or cancel without giving reasons, Therefore, the offers will be evaluated from a technical and financial point.
10. Any clause or any of the general conditions relating to PICTI that have been inadvertently omitted and is not mentioned within these Terms of Reference, is subject to PICTI internal standard procedures or the Palestinian Procurement and Supplies Law or any financial procedures related to that.
11. Please stamp and sign all pages of the quotation.

Please take into consideration that the budget is highly limited, therefore provide us with the lowest price offers as possible.

Application Submission and Deadline:

Interested agencies are encouraged to submit their price offers to envelopes to the following address: Al-Irsal Street; Ougarit Building; 4th Floor, indicating on the cover page “Business Development Expert” no later than Tuesday, Feb 7th, at 4.00 pm.

Note: If you have any further inquiries, please contact Hind Harb, on the following number:  2 297 1990