Procurement Notices

The project is aimed at promoting effective employment and self-employment of the population in small and medium-sized towns of Belarus through stimulating entrepreneurial initiative in the sphere of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as through the development of various forms of production cooperation and external economic integration within the framework of the EAEU.

Small business, which has the potential to create efficient jobs and absorb the excessive number of employees of town-forming enterprises, is not sufficiently developed in the regions. The larger part of manufacturing of products (works, services) in small business entities falls on the capital and regional cities. In addition, a limited number of small businesses are able to integrate into the value chains at the national and international levels.

To achieve the project goals, the following components are implemented:

1.   information and training activities on entrepreneurship and the development of production cooperation to promote the development of small businesses in small and medium-sized towns in the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions;

2.   a full cycle of development and implementation of plans for incubation and development of small enterprises carried out in six pilot towns in Vitebsk and Mogilev regions;

3.   the National Subcontracting Center (NSC) established on the basis of the Belarusian Fund for the Financial Support to Entrepreneurs to facilitate partnerships between small and large businesses as well as cross-border cooperation with the countries of Eurasian Economic Union. This is implemented through organization of business matching sessions for small and large businesses and other activities.

Within the framework of the project implementation, a popular handbook on business basics, practical guide on franchising and a handbook on regional clusters have been developed and published.

In 2019-2020 the project implements a series of business schools for women in Minsk, Vitebsk, Mogilev, Polotsk and Gorki. Each business school will include two-day trainings with experienced consultants and female entrepreneurs. The project will also organize a 4-month PR campaign to raise the profile of women entrepreneurship addressing existing and prospective female entrepreneurs, decision-makers such as investors and lenders, and other members of business community. In 2020 the Final Conference presenting the project results shall be held. Success stories of entrepreneurs who started their businesses with the project’s support shall be prepared and publicized.

The main partners of the project are the Department for Entrepreneurship of the Ministry of Economy, the Belarusian Fund for Financial Support to Entrepreneurs, and the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus.

Direct supervisor: Marina Kalinouskaya, Project Manager

Preparation and providing media coverage for business schools for women in Mogilev, Polotsk and Gorki, 4-month PR campaign to raise the profile of women entrepreneurship, and Final Conference.

- Drafting press-releases and inviting mass media representatives for the project events (5 two-day business schools for women in Mogilev, Gorki, Polotsk, 4-month PR campaign, final conference and other events held by the pilot business incubators with the project support, if necessary);

- preparing articles, messages for social media and photos to cover the business schools for women, final conference, other trainings and roundtables organized by the pilot business incubator in coordination with the Project Manager;

- support in preparing and conducting a 4-month PR campaign to promote women entrepreneurship and organizing relevant activities;

- preparation for shooting photos and videos about entrepreneurship, pilot business incubators and other project events;

- assistance to project staff in preparation of agenda and list of participants for press-tours for mass media, organized within PR campaign, aimed at demonstration of innovative approaches to the SME support in small and medium-sized towns;

- support to Project Manager in preparation of relevant materials for the project communication plan in the context of the conducted events;

- preparation of information on project events for further posting by UNDP CO on UNDP web-site, social networks (Facebook, Twitter), when approved;

- monitoring publications on the topics covered by the project events in media outlets (websites, newspapers, magazines, etc.);

- application of UNDP Editorial style manual, UNDP transliteration rules, donor requirements to visibility and other relevant communication guidelines;

- preparing reports on media coverage of project events in the form requested by the Project Manager;

- support in designing and ordering promo-materials, printing products for the events organized by the project;

- ensuring other support on PR-related issues upon request.

Successful implementation of tasks listed above upon supervisor’s request supported by the performance evaluation.

Technical requirements to the deliverables as to their quantity, format and timeline are specified by the Project Manager. The Project Manager approves results and checks the quality of the work performed.

Qualifications:

-   University degree in journalism, communications, public relations, languages or similar;

At least 2 years of relevant work experience in communications or public relations;

-Experience in international companies, projects or programs as a specialist in communications, events coordination or public relations is an advantage;

- Work experience in a PR services agency is an advantage;

-   Experience in organizing and providing media coverage for press tours, presentations, conferences, training activities or study tours (minimum 5 events organized and\or covered) that includes at least one publication per each event in national media - national TV channel or newspaper distributed at the republic level or online resources like tut.by, onliner.by, belta.by or similar broadcast;

-          Experience in creating and/or organizing at least two PR campaigns (confirmed by the sample concept in form of presentation or max. one-page description of creation and/or organization of minimum one of the PR campaigns).

Competencies:

-    Ability to write press releases, articles and messages for social media (confirmed by minimum 3 press-releases or articles);

-    Ability to shoot and edit photos of events suitable for social media and printed media (confirmed by minimum 3 photos from various events or links to these photos);

-   Ability to use basic software for graphic design (announcements, programs of events, rollups etc.) (confirmed by minimum 3 samples in pdf-format and links to the same samples in specialized format of Adobe Photoshop or CorelDRAW or similar software) is an advantage;

-    Fluency in oral and written English (at least upper-intermediate level) that is evidenced by a certificate, diploma or similar.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment duly signed by a Candidate;
2. Annex to the Offeror’s Letter to UNDP;
3. Financial Proposal duly signed by a Candidate;
4. Personal CV including past experience in similar area;
5. Copy of university diploma;
6. Copy of a certificate, diploma or similar document confirming the level of English proficiency.

All aforementioned documents should be provided in 1 envelope if they are submitted by a Candidate by post or delivered in person/through courier.

If documents are submitted by e-mail, they should be sent in no more than 3 e-mail transmissions, which should not exceed 7 MB each (please put number for each

 transmission in the subject line) and should not contain viruses.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all

requested materials.

Contract based on fixed hourly fee:

Under the hourly fee approach, the financial proposal specifies a single hourly fee. Payments will be transferred monthly based on the actual number of hours worked according to the timesheets approved by the direct supervisor.

Requirement for travel:

1 two-day business trip to Polotsk, 1 two-day business trip to Gorki, 1 two-day business trip to Mogilev.

All travel expenses must be included in the financial proposal (all-inclusive hourly fee).

In the event of unforeseeable travel apart from the trips mentioned above, payments to cover travel expenses may be reimbursed to the individual contractor upon submission of a travel claim (F-10 form) and all necessary supporting documents.

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

1. responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
2. having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• Technical Criteria weight; [70%, maximum 700 points]
• Financial Criteria weight; [30%, maximum 300 points]

Only offers of individual consultants who scored 490 (70% from 700) and more points during the desk review/interview are acceptable for financial evaluation. The lowest technically qualified proposal receives 300 points and all the other technically qualified proposals receive points in inverse proportion according to the formula:

P=Y*(L/Z), where

P=points for the financial proposal being evaluated

Y=maximum number of points for the financial proposal

L= price of the lowest price proposal

Z=price of the proposal being evaluated

For more details see the Procurement Notice file attached