Foreign economic-aid-related services

Tender description

This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) only: publication and call for competition will be conducted once scope of work is full defined and approved. Subject to business case approval, DFID intends to publish a new competition opportunity in November 2016 where we will be seeking partners for a multi-million £ programme which will stimulate agricultural transformation (Stepping Up) through improved productivity, increased market access for smallholder farmers and increased investment in agribusiness in DFID focus countries. The Programme will help us to deliver on the DFID Conceptual Framework for Agriculture. It will include several components, of which the following will go to tender: 1) a learning and innovation facility (including monitoring and learning from the programme) and 2) a direct intervention component. Under Component 1, the delivery of this programme will require the suppliers to fulfil a range of functions, including: — Commissioning research to address knowledge gaps and test innovative approaches to increasing the development impact of commercial investment in agriculture Integrating learning from relevant research already commissioned by DFID and from DFID research programmes and programme interventions (including those undertaken as part of this programme) — Communicating findings and influencing the actions of a diverse range of audiences including governments, investors, private sector, NGOs, academia among others — Learning for the overall programme Suppliers of component 1 may or may not bid for the additional role of a managing agent for component 2 and will commission this work and oversee its implementation. This component will define and implement interventions in three areas: — Supporting smaller agribusinesses to prepare for and access investment from impact investors and local banks; — Linking smallholder farmers to agribusinesses through aggregation scheme such as producer organisations and contract farming; — Improving the enabling environment and removing barriers within selected agricultural value chains. The managing agent for Component 2 will conduct the following: — Country diagnostics: Conduct studies in 8-10 DFID countries which will identify the potential for increased investment in key value chains to deliver benefits for poor smallholder farmers; identify value chains with significant potential for smallholder impact; assess potential and effective investor interest in these value chains; analyse existing programmes and investments in the relevant geographies; and propose opportunities for this program. — Ensure design and delivery of direct interventions in 2 value chains in 4 DFID countries (8 value chains in total) in the priority areas determined by DFID based on the findings of the diagnostic studies. Suppliers will ensure that component 1 and component 2 are closely coordinated and work with DFID officials to ensure coherence across all of the DFID's agricultural work. It is anticipated that the programme will go to tender in November 2016, with contracts to be finalised by April 2017. The programme will have a duration of up to 5 years. DFID will be hosting an Early Market Engagement Event about the planned Programme and the services required from interested parties. The main objective is to elicit market views on the feasibility of the proposed delivery options and to discuss challenges and opportunities. The event will be in the form of a two hour session that will take place in DFID, 22 Whitehall, London, on September 21st, 2016 between 13:00 and 15:00. DFID will present the programme, its proposed outputs and delivery channels, as well as stimulate discussion around the following themes: — Interest and/or capability in the market to deliver this program — Ensure better understanding of business needs — Thematic scope of the work and delivery channels The event should also give suppliers an opportunity to create consortium linkages amongst suppliers and to network. Parties interested in attending or requiring any other information should register their attendance using the following link. Please complete the survey no later than September 16th 14:00 UK. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DWXFJYK If you have any difficulties please get in touch with Suzanne.Warnock@dfid.gov.uk DFID will send more information to those suppliers who register an interest in attending. We are happy to receive questions in advance of this event, which DFID will respond to at the event. The discussions headlines will also be published after the event on the Supplier Portal. We will not disclose the source of the questions and answers. Due to space restrictions we request only one attendee per interested party. Please note that this is a prior information notice to advertise a Supplier Day. No tender document will be available at this stage.