Terms of Reference

Business Development Service Course Production for MSMEs

ABOUT FIRST CONSULT

First Consult is a leading economic development consulting firm implementing projects in Ethiopia. Founded in 2006, First Consult (FC) has grown to design and implement projects across the agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors. Our multidisciplinary teams combine a capacity to execute with clarity of the local context. As a result, we have delivered at-scale real impact in terms of job creation, business formation, business growth, and investment attraction and mobilization.

MESMER PROGRAM

Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Recovery and Resilience Program (MESMER) is a 5-year program launched in October 2022 to support 72,200 MSMEs and 410,800 jobs by creating access to finance for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) to realize their growth prospects and resilience. MESMER works to provide support to MSMEs through business development support, psychosocial services, and technical assistance to financial institutions. MESMER is a countrywide program implemented by First Consult in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy and will strive to create dignified and fulfilling work for the youth, the majority of them women.

MESMER is a national scale-up of the existing MSE Resilience Facility launched in 2020 to capacitate enterprises affected by the COVID pandemic. The project will mainly be following a four-pronged approach to meet its objectives: a) Grants and soft loans to MSMEs through a risk-sharing liquidity fund arrangement, b) Technical assistance to financial institutions, c) Business development services and life skills, d) Psychosocial support. The FDRE Ministry of Labour and Skills will be the main government counterpart for the program. Other partners include financial institutions (microfinance institutions, banks, and digital financial service providers), BDS, and psychosocial support providers.

BACKGROUND OF BDS COURSE PRODUCTION

MESMER’s primary objective is to support MSMEs’ bankability and facilitate sustainable access to finance to fuel their growth and unlock their development and employment creation potentials. MESMER is aiming to implement a digital BDS delivery in addition to the physical approach for startups and MSMEs in selected regions of Ethiopia considering variables including but not limited to literacy level, scale of business, access to smart phones and internet will be accessing and making use of the digital BDS platform.

With this background it is known that MSMEs do not have enough time to attend BDS session dedicating several days and even if they are able to do so their level of engagement for effective result is always questionable. Furthermore, BDS is commonly known to be delivered for free with donor finance which we believe is not sustainable thus the need for structuring a friendly platform where enterprises could access knowledge and information relevant for their business growth whenever and wherever they need is critical.

The digital BDS is believed to disrupt the existing trend and could potentially become a cost effective and sustainable way to deliver BDS at scale. To this end, the development of simplified, practical oriented, interactive and engaging content for the digital BDS is required. This ToR will focus on the course multimedia production that supports interactivity for digital BDS provision.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this terms of reference is to identify a service provider that can develop an interactive and engaging professional Business Development Services course producer for MSMEs and start-ups that is supported with assessment and feedback. The course to be produced will take into account the needs and context of MSMEs and startups to create a precise content that can get the required message across. The module for the course production will be available for the service provider to use for multimedia course production nonetheless it is expected to work closely with the module developer.

Justification of the Service

Face to face BDS delivery although most expensive is the effective delivery method while from sustainability perspective we are envisioning to help target enterprises learn and access information using technology by building an online self-learning platform where enterprises can access relevant knowledge and information related to financial literacy and help them assess their entrepreneurial/business skill whenever and wherever they want. This ToR seeks to produce a BDS course for MSMEs to help grow their business, effectively utilize the program fund and enhance their financial/access to finance awareness based on the already developed BDS module (on two courses) and instructional design.

The self-learning platform should integrate interactive elements, infographic, transcripts, audio, videos, animations, games and above all a storytelling to ensure active learning and engagement on the platform.  Another important factor is being able to get the message across in a concise manner so that users could be able to learn something within the allocated time for self-learning. Moreover, the produced course should at each stage/course enable users to take some action (reading, watching or answering questions) to progress to next contents and a system to evaluate whether users complete all courses besides being enrolled.

SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

The service provider is expected to bring its experience and knowledge to complete the following task:

1. Course production

·         Develop script according to BDS module to create an engaging online content

·         Creation of storyline that aligns with the key message and context of MSMEs and startups in Ethiopia

·         Incorporate graphic designs and storyboards as needed

·         Include different media production alternatives to ensure attractiveness and instructiveness of contents to be produced

·         Produce multimedia courses according to the module and instructional design while breaking courses in to small digestible chunks and incorporating interactive media that allows users to take some form of action (reading, watching or answering questions) to progress through the courses whenever relevant

2. Working closely with MESMER team and service provider to build a benchmarking tool that users can input relevant information to be also used at the end of service provision to assess improvement of enterprises

3. Work closely with module and web developer to realize production and hosting of developed content digitally in to an online learning platfor

DELIVERABLES AND TIMEFRAMES

The minimum deliverables are listed in the table below. The digital BDS implementation is planned to commence on 1 Aug, 2023, during which all preparatory works are expected to be completed.

Activities

Deliverables

Timeframe  

Initiation

Inception report

3 Jul, 2023

Development of script (storyboard and storyline)

Storyline

Storyboard and

Script documents

21 Jul, 2023

Multimedia Production

Outline of contents

Produced multimedia

04 Aug, 2023

Complete course production

Media produced course contents

Benchmarking and back end tools integrated

18 Aug, 2023

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

The service provider is expected to have;

·         A minimum of 3-5 years of expertise in creating educational media production

·         A firm with formal business license and registration documents

·         Proven experience in the design and development of online course multimedia production that suits for self-learning

·         Possess an existing platform for digital learning or has built one in the past and is now successfully implemented will be given priority

·         A service provider having studio facility for production and could potentially bring what MESMER doesn’t have to facilitate implementation is a plus

·         Willingness and pro activeness to work in team and entertain different perspectives for success of the assignment

  WORKING ARRANGEMENT

• The service provider will be working under a contract with First Consult Plc. The service provider will report directly to MESMER BDS Manager and also work with other service providers and MESMER team intensively

·         Service provider is obligated to work within the required deadlines and be available by schedule which can be adapted at any time as deemed necessary.

BUDGET

All costs should be stated in ETB and including any taxes. The budget should be presented in a format where cost areas are clearly identified for each activity. The budget should also indicate unit cost, quantity and number of days, if applicable.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants should email their proposal (both technical and financial) to bids3@firstconsultet.com with the relevant information detailed in technical and financial section of a proposal. The technical proposal should comprise: understanding of the assignment, methodology, proposed team, list of relevant experiences, timeframe for delivery of assignment and any other supporting documents. 

The subject of the email should be stated as “Terms of Reference for Business Development Service Course Production for MSMEs”.

Proposals must be received no later than 5 PM on June 23, 2023. For any queries relating to this assignment please contact Sihin Tesfaye at stesfaye@firstconsultet.com