Employment Promotion Programme IV – Sierra Leone

Call for expression of interest (EoI) to develop a website and a record-keeping mobile application for MSMEs in Sierra Leone, promote the tool and train on its usage

PN: 20.2105.3-001

Cosoft No: 83431490

Background 

The Employment Promotion Programme IV (EPP IV) in Sierra Leone is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union. The programme is steered and hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development (MoPED) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. EPP’s goal is to enhance the employability of young people on both the supply (TVET) and demand (private sector) side. EPP includes the development of 5 non-financial Business Development Services (BDS) that will strengthen micro, small and medium-sized enterprises by overcoming businesses challenges. EPPIV conducted a desk and a field study on the challenges faced by MSMEs in Sierra Leone and the identification of BDS to tackle these challenges. One of the challenges identified was the lack of financial management skills from MSMEs; leading business owners to make uninformed business decisions and hindering financial inclusion, therefore preventing business growth. The BDS identified by the study to support businesses in overcoming this challenge is the development of a simple record-keeping digital solution adapted to the needs of MSMEs in Sierra Leone, along with the training and mentoring of its users.

Objectives

The aim of the EOI is to find interested consultants to: 

1. develop a digital record-keeping service that is accessible, evolutive and adaptable to the business and the (digital) literacy level of the business owner – includes video tutorials, visuals, voice instructions, etc. to be as inclusive as possible. The service should become sustainable – accessible to MSMEs in Sierra Leone while generating an income sufficient to maintain the service on the long run. 
2. roll-out a communication campaign to promote the service (social media promotion, radio, flyers, etc.)
3. train and coach users into using the service, and future trainers

Specific tasks to be performed

1. Develop a website to allow MSMEs to keep business records following the requirements and specifications detailed below – companies who already own an existing tool to keep business records are encouraged to apply if the tool meets the desired 3. Requirements and specifications of the website / mobile application or if they are willing to adapt it to match the specifications.

2. Develop the corresponding mobile application

3. Develop 2 training curricula (usable in English and Krio) and a knowledge test for each (to assess trainees’ mastery of the tool at the end of the training): 

• a short, practical and easily replicable user training
  • a training of trainers (ToT).

4. Directly train a minimum of 300 businesses on the use of the digital tool (in batches of 40 trainees maximum), some of which through other EPPIV activities or activities of its partners

5. Monitor and coach the 300 directly trained businesses to consistently use the digital tool to track their business transactions and produce qualitative financial statements. This implies monitoring the financial transactions uploaded by the businesses, ensuring an effective use of the tool (supporting potential corrections), supporting the interpretation and the use of the financial documents produced. 

6. Organise a minimum of 4 ToTs that will in turn promote the service and train a minimum of 400 users

7. Indirectly train a minimum of 100 businesses (in batches of 40 trainees maximum) through the ToTs. The participants of the ToTs should cascade the training down to 100 businesses minimum. 

8. Organise a communication campaign to promote the use of the service through radio advertisement and social media promotion, relying on entrepreneurship and business networks in Freetown and in the districts, mainly in the operational areas of GIZ EPPIV (Kailahun, Kono, Koinadugu and Falaba districts).

Location

Freetown and operational districts of EPPIV (Koinadugu, Falaba, Kono and Kailahun) for the training. Monitoring and coaching can be done on phone.

Duration of assignment

The project will be implemented in 7 months, spanning from mid-February 2023 to mid-September 2023 (provisional dates).

Personnel

A team leader and 3 additional expert staff with expertise in the following areas:

• web and mobile application development on Android and iOS products, 
• graphic design, 
• communication, 
• training development (namely in financial and digital literacy), 
• facilitation
• business coaching

Key Deliverables

• A simple and evolutive financial management solution in the form of a website and a mobile application accessible to a wide range of businesses (from small informal businesses to medium-sized formal enterprises operating in different sectors)
• A training curriculum for users of the digital service
• A training curriculum for training of trainers on the digital service
• A coaching plan for the 300 directly trained users including an initial training, individual coaching, refresher sessions and remedy actions when needed
• A report on the 400 trained users (300 directly and 100 through ToTs) and their usage of the tool, with a focus on the 300 directly training and coached businesses 
• Communication materials (radio jingles, social media flyers, etc.)

Eligibility criteria and documents to be submitted by the enterprise

Enterprises interested should submit an Expression (EoI) of Interest to receive the integral Terms of Reference. The firm and the proposed personnel must have (hands on) successfully implemented similar interventions (web development, graphic design, communication, training development and facilitation, business coaching, etc.). The EoI should include: 

• The service provider provides poof of good standing, commercial qualification, payment of taxes and social benefits: Clearance certificate of NRA and NASSIT
• The service provider is based and registered in Sierra Leone: Certificate of Business Registration
• the CVs of the personnel proposed for the assignment
• the work plan for the assignment

Submission of Expressions of Interest

Enterprises should submit their “Expression of Interest – Product development training” via Email toSL_Quotation@giz.de not later than Friday 17^th February 2023, 5 PM local time, clearly marked with “Expression of Interest – Financial management tool” Cosoft No: 83431490.