1. BACKGROUND

The USAID-funded BEST program has the main goal to help grow and diversify Mongolia’s economy by increasing lending to SMEs and improving economic governance and accountability. The five-year program, which began in December 2019, serves as USAID’s flagship program for helping Mongolia develop a more resilient and diversified economy, with a primary focus on SME capacity building and good corporate governance.

The BEST program objectives will be achieved through five components:

• Objective 1. Increase SME access to finance;
• Objective 2. Improve corporate governance among SMEs;
• Objective 3. Improve capacity within Mongolian institutions;
• Objective 4. Maintain an analytical agenda for strategic learning; and
• Objective 5. Provide small grants to reach disadvantaged, but otherwise well-qualified small enterprises.

The program area covers 13 activity locations including Ulaanbaatar, Bayankhongor, Darkhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Khovd, Orkhon, Selenge, Zavkhan, Uvurkhangai, Khuvsgul, Umnugovi and Khentii aimags.

2. RATIONALE: The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in Mongolia’s economy, providing livelihoods for a significant portion of the population and contributing to the nation’s food security. To enhance the sustainability, productivity, and resilience of the sector, this survey aims to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis with a specific focus on producer cooperatives. This initiative is part of a larger effort to identify challenges and opportunities within the sector and to provide recommendations for policy and program interventions.
3. OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of the survey are as follows:

a. To assess the current state of Mongolia’s agriculture (including cashmere, wheat, meat, and milk production) sector, including key indicators of productivity, profitability, and sustainability:

• Evaluate logistical aspects related to transportation, storage, and distribution of cashmere, wheat, meat, and milk products.
• Consider the impact of logistics on productivity, profitability, and sustainability.
• Assess the current state of access to finance.

b. To evaluate the role and impact of producer cooperatives within the livestock, cashmere, wheat, meat, and milk production sector, including their organizational structures, operational effectiveness, and socio-economic contributions:

• Examine how logistical considerations affect the organizational structures and operational effectiveness of producer cooperatives.
• Assess the socio-economic contributions of producer cooperatives in addressing logistical challenges.
• To understand the financial landscape they operate in and identify opportunities to support their growth and development through improved access to funding.

c. To identify challenges, bottlenecks, and opportunities faced by both individual livestock, cashmere, wheat, meat, and milk producers and producer cooperatives:

• Include logistical challenges in transportation, storage, and distribution as part of the identified challenges.
• Explore opportunities for improving logistics to alleviate bottlenecks faced by individual producers and cooperatives.
• Understanding the financial landscape within which agricultural producers and cooperatives operate and identifying strategies to support their efforts in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their logistical operations.

d. To propose recommendations and strategies for improving the overall performance and competitiveness of Mongolia’s livestock, cashmere, wheat, meat, and milk production sector, with a particular focus on enhancing the role and functioning of producer cooperatives:

• Integrate recommendations for optimizing logistical processes to enhance sector-wide performance and competitiveness.
• Propose strategies for improving the logistical efficiency of producer cooperatives to strengthen their role in the value chain.
• Assessing how financial resources can be utilized to improve skills, upgrade equipment and facilities, adopt new technologies, and ultimately enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the cooperatives.

3. DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The following are the deliverables under this contract:

1. In-briefing Presentation: Within three (3) working days of contract commencement, the survey team will organize a briefing and workshop with Development Solutions (DS) NGO for introductions, to discuss the team’s understanding of the assignment, initial assumptions, survey scope, methodology, and to finalize the survey methodology approach and implementation plan.
2. Summary Report of Desk Study, Survey Approach, and Implementation Plan: Within three (3) calendar weeks of contract commencement, a 1) summary of desk study, 2) draft survey approach, 3) implementation plan shall be completed by the lead surveyer and submitted to the DS NGO. The summary desk study will include pre-identified documents and materials to be employed in the final report. The implementation plan will include: (i) the anticipated schedule and logistical arrangements; and (ii) a list of the members of the survey team, delineated by roles and responsibilities.
3. Fieldwork Update. The update should outline the survey team’s progress in the fieldwork including implementation challenges, and any proposed changes. Updates, in the form of a report, shall be provided at the end of the fieldwork. The fieldwork is expected to be finished within five (5) calendar weeks after the submission of the summary report. As indicated in the previous section, DS NGO estimates at least 2 field visits to the selected sites as well as Ulaanbaatar fieldwork to be conducted.
4. Draft Survey Report. Draft Survey Report shall be submitted within four (4) weeks after the fieldwork is completed. It shall not exceed 40 pages -with up to five (5) pages of the executive summary, excluding annexes.
5. Debriefing Presentation. The survey team will provide a debriefing presentation to DS NGO consisting of a) a 5-10 pages summary of key findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and b) a PowerPoint presentation covering the above material. The draft debriefing presentation slides and the written summary will be submitted to DS NGO for review and comment before the scheduled debriefing date. These shall be finalized by the survey team for approval by DS NGO. The debriefing presentation shall be held at the latest three (3) calendar days from the submission of the draft report.
6. Final Survey Report. The final report in MS Word and PDF formats will be submitted together with a separate summary not exceeding 10 pages. The report and summary will be in English and Mongolian and submitted within ten (10) working days from receipt of DS NGO’s comments on the draft report. Submission is inclusive of the following:

          a. Final report in English and Mongolian

          b. USB flash drives containing:

• • Electronic copies of the report (in PDF and MS Word formats);
  • Supporting documentation inclusive of complete data collected:
  • Pictures and other visual materials; and
  • Presentation materials.

Following the contract signing, the following tasks and services shall be undertaken:

4. SURVEY TEAM COMPOSITION

The survey team shall be composed of survey team leader and agriculture specialists.

A team leader should possess the following qualifications:

• Must hold a master’s degree or higher in relevant fields such as agricultural economics, rural development, agricultural management, business administration, environmental science, sustainable development, or a related discipline.
• Deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the agriculture sector, ideally with a focus on producer cooperative managements, sustainable and climate-resilient practices. At least 15 years of work experience in agriculture and food sector focused financial institutions or agricultural development initiatives.
• Proven track record of at least eight years in leading and successfully executing agricultural and cooperative development projects on an international scale.
• Familiarity with financial products and services tailored to the agricultural sector, including sustainable finance solutions. Involvement in developing financial solutions within agriculture sector in at least two (2) distinct projects or initiatives.
• Ability to navigate and respect diverse cultural settings, adapting strategies to local contexts. Experience in conducting similar survey and consulting work in at least 5 different countries on the topics of producer cooperatives, access to agricultural finance, agricultural market linkages, and agricultural value chains.

Agriculture specialists should possess the following qualifications:

• Must hold a master’s degree or higher in relevant fields such as agricultural economics, rural development, agricultural management, business administration, environmental science, sustainable development, or a related discipline.
• Team members must have at least five (5) years of experience (or hold a mid-level position or higher) in financial institutions or agricultural development initiatives.
• At least one team member should demonstrate expertise in cooperative development, particularly focusing on financial aspects.
• At least one team member should demonstrate expertise in agricultural sector development, preferably with a focus on developing recommendations for sector improvement.
• All team members should have experience working in at least three (3) different countries on projects related to agricultural markets and practices.

DS NGO shall review and approve the survey team composition. The organization may recommend an alternative team composition or structure to better meet the requirements of SOW.

5. Other requirements

All data collected by the survey team must be provided in an electronic file in an easily readable format agreed upon with DS NGO. The data should be organized and fully documented for use by those not fully familiar with the program or the survey. DS NGO will retain ownership of the survey and all datasets developed.

ANNEX I. SUBMISSION OF THE OFFER   

Interested entities are invited to submit the following documents:

Technical Proposal [not exceeding 30 pages]

• Organizational background showing evidence of prior performance in conducting similar surveys.
• Outline of proposed services, quality controls, proposed data collection methods, tools, and analysis.
• Implementation timetable to carry out the tasks under Section-3
• List of proposed Team Members together with Curriculum Vitae (CV) for each member. (Each CV must not exceed 5 pages)
• At least three (3) references for successful prior surveys of a similar nature. These references should include contact names, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of people who can be contacted regarding the Offeror’s prior performance.

Cost Proposal

The Cost Proposal includes estimated costs (MNT) per main activity throughout the survey. The template is available on the website of DS NGO specifying the detailed cost breakdown and the total price of the services being offered in response to this SOW.

The Offeror is suggested to submit their proposal to procurement@dsmongolia.org with the title of “Agriculture Sector Diagnosis Offer for BEST Program” by 10 AM on April 24, 2024.

Questions/Queries regarding this SOW should be directed to the task manager: Mrs. Purevdulam Jamiyansuren – purevdulam@dsmongolia.org +976 95195331

ANNEX II. TECHNICAL CRITERIA

The interested entity’s technical proposal will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Technical Proposal (evaluation weight: 30 points)
   • The degree to which the proposal incorporates a sound understanding of the requirements of the survey (Survey Design and Methodology) of the Statement of Work (10 points)
   • Proposed overall methodology including sampling and data collection methods (10 points)
   • Schedule for delivery of deliverables (10 points)
2. Personnel qualification and expertise (evaluation weight: 70 points)
   • Past experience in conducting similar works, especially in the area of the livestock sector and cooperative development. Previous experience in Mongolia within a similar context is preferred (30 points)
   • Relevant academic backgrounds/degrees of the survey team (20 points)
   • Experience in working with agricultural businesses facing challenges with an emphasis on rural herders and producer cooperatives (20 points)

ANNEX III. PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE, PAYMENT TERMS & DELIVERABLES

Based on successful completion and subject to acceptance of all work and services, including the submission of required reports and deliverables, payment shall be as follows:

Following the technical evaluation mentioned above, only the cost proposals of bids with a minimum of 50 points on the technical evaluation will be opened and evaluated. Technical proposals scoring below 50 points will be deemed unacceptable. The technical proposal has a weighing of 70%, the cost proposal 30%.