REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)
GEORGIA
National Innovation Ecosystem Project (GENIE) – P152441
Loan # IBRD-8595-GE
Consultancy Services for Provision of Business Mentoring to Matching Grants Beneficiaries
Reference Number. GE-GITA-64173-CS-CQS
The Government of Georgia has secured support from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) (hereinafter ‘the Bank’) for a National Innovation Ecosystem (GENIE) Project in the amount of 40 million US dollars. The main objective of the project is to increase innovative activities of the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and individuals in Georgia and their participation in the digital economy.
The Project will enhance Georgia’s national innovation ecosystem through an integrated approach across three components, plus project implementation support.
Component 1: Innovation Infrastructure. The component will: (a) develop a network of Regional Innovation Hubs (RIHs) and Innovation Centers (ICs) in selected cities, towns and villages (b) design a Broadband-for-Development (BfD) program to increase use of broadband internet services and advanced information technology by eligible households and eligible MSMEs, with a focus on rural areas, inter alia, by providing BfD Payments and related training.
Component 2: Innovation Services. This component will deliver services, many in coordination with the ICs and RIHs, tailored to Project beneficiaries at various stages/levels of the innovation ecosystem. The component will carry out outreach and communication activities, and provide training and technical assistance in support of: (a) building the innovation community, and organizing and carrying out innovation competitions; (b) carrying out periodic skills needs assessments of firms and developing digital economy skills of individuals; and (c) developing the innovation capacity of individuals and firms.
Component 3: Innovation Financing. This component supports the: (a) provision of matching grants, selection of eligible MSMEs for receipt of matching grants, and supervision of matching grants; (b) provision of technical assistance to eligible MSMEs to prepare and implement sub-projects (with the matching grants); and (c) provision of technical assistance to stimulate alternative forms of innovation financing and investment in the digital economy.
Georgia’s Innovation & Technology Agency (GITA) under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia (MoESD). GITA is responsible for all project implementation. It will coordinate the gathering and processing of the results of monitoring, reporting, fiduciary functions, and safeguard procedures in close cooperation with relevant institutions participating in the project.
The objective of this assignment is the provision of mentoring services to the Matching Grants beneficiaries/mentees. The company shall allocate the mentors with the skills required according to this ToR and experience in the same domain as the project to be assigned.
Each mentor shall be assigned with no more than two startups and each startup shall be trained by two mentors. The first mentor shall have an expertise in startup development strategies and the other shall possess the knowledge of the same domain in which the assigned startup operates.
- The company shall prepare the curriculum and methodology, define the outcomes and targets;
- The company shall develop the tool for collecting feedback from mentees and entrepreneurs and hand it to GITA; GITA will collect the feedback from the mentees and entrepreneurs;
- The company shall provide IP expertise by a qualified IP Expert to companies if required and applicable;
- The company shall:
- Familiarize themselves with the assigned projects and get to know the teams/mentees;
- Hold regular meetings with assigned mentees; at least four (4) one-hour meetings shall be conducted during the month, and ample preparation and follow-up time should be allocated in addition (estimated at two hours per one hour of meeting); GITA shall be informed about the schedule in advance to accommodate the presence of its representative during these meetings where necessary;
- Train mentees in lean startup methodologies, business model canvas, human-centered design, project management tools;
- Help mentees in developing/strengthening the business model supporting scalability of the startup, commercialization strategy, HR and team management, customer acquisition strategy, financial model and strategy, IP strategy where applicable;
- Guide mentees in conducting market research and analysis aiming for the internationalization of their products and services;
- Help mentees in acquiring useful business contacts and connections with prospective investors to raise the capital further and participate in acceleration/funding programs;
- Address other issues raised by mentees during the meetings;
- Preserve the highest standards of confidentiality and therefore will sign the document of Impartiality and Confidentiality.
Expected duration of the Services is four months, out of which mentoring will last for three months. Mentors will work remotely.
Georgia’s Innovation & Technology Agency (GITA) now invites eligible consulting firms ("Consultants") to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:
- General experience of consultant;
- Experience in similar assignments, in terms of nature of the assignment, complexity and scale, for last five years (since January 1 2013).
Note: the GITA reserves it’s right to verify submitted references and use obtained information for evaluation purposes.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank's Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011, revised July 2014 ("Consultant Guidelines"), setting forth the World Bank's policy on conflict of interest.
Consultants may associate with other firms. (Please take into account that form of association acceptable for the World Bank is either sub-consultancy or Joint-Venture and submission must clearly indicate the nature of the association. The experience of sub-consultants will not be taken into account while evaluating the corporate experience of the consultant).
Experience in the projects relevant to the assignment should be submitted in the Form No: 1 uploaded at matching grants website www.grants.gov.ge on the following link: http://www.grants.gov.ge/files/137/Form N1.docx
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Consultants’ Qualifications Selection (CQS) method set out in Section III of the Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011, revised July 2014.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Georgia’s Innovation & Technology Agency, Mr. Rati Gvelesiani, Procurement Consultant, Mobile number: +995 591016716.
Expressions of interest shall be submitted in English in a written form to the address below (in person, by mail, or by e-mail) by June 21, 2018, at 17:00 (Georgian local time).
Georgia’s Innovation & Technology Agency
7, Innovation str. 0114, TechPark, Okrokana, Tbilisi, Georgia
Mob: +995 591016716
E-mail to: [email protected]
Please indicate the Reference Number in the email subject line