Stocktaking of Productive Economic Inclusion Programs

• Country: Uzbekistan
• Summary: Stocktaking of Productive Economic Inclusion Programs
• UZT Ref No: 52596364
• Deadline: 04 May 2021
• Financier: World Bank (WB)
• Purchaser Ownership: Government
• Tender Value: Refer Document
• Notice Type: Tender
• Document Ref. No.: 1274384
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• Description:
• Expression of Interest are invited for Stocktaking of Productive Economic Inclusion Programs in Uzbekistan. REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR SELECTION # 1274384 This Request for Expression of Interest is for a Firm Selection. Please log in as a valid Firm User if you wish to express interest in this selection. Selection Information Assignment Title Stocktaking of productive economic inclusion programs in Uzbekistan Publication Date 25-Apr-2021 Expression of Interest Deadline 04-May-2021 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time - Washington D.C.) Language of Notice English Selection Notice Assignment Country · UZ - Uzbekistan Funding Sources The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment/services under: · TF0B1636 - Promoting entrepreneurial mindset and skills in Uzbekistan · BB - BANK BUDGET Individual/Firm The consultant will be a firm. Assignment Description SELECTION FOR CONSULTANTS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Electronic Submissions through World Bank Group eConsultant2 https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW Assignment Title: 1274384 - Stocktaking of productive economic inclusion programs in Uzbekistan Assignment Countries: - Uzbekistan ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION The Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice is accepting proposals for the conduction of a desk review, focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KIIs) and the production of a stocktaking report to identify, assess and classify existing entrepreneurship programs in support of the poor and vulnerable in Uzbekistan. The consultancy will conduct desk review, semi-structured and structured key informant interviews, qualitative analysis and reporting in order to produce (1) an inventory of existing economic inclusion programs, (2) an in-depth mapping of selected programs, and (3) a stocktaking report that will identify, assess and classify programs. The activities are expected to take twelve weeks for completion. FUNDING SOURCE The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following: - Promoting entrepreneurial mindset and skills in Uzbekistan - BANK BUDGET ELIGIBILITY Eligibility restrictions apply: [Please type list of restrictions] INDIVIDUAL / FIRM PROFILE The consultant will be a firm. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The World Bank Group now invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications. Interested firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest. Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through World Bank Group eConsultant2 (https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html) NOTES Following this invitation for Expression of Interest, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will receive notification. No debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted. Attachments · Optional TOR File Qualification Criteria · 1. Provide information showing that they are qualified in the field of the assignment. * · 2. Provide information on the technical and managerial capabilities of the firm. * · 3. Provide information on their core business and years in business. * · 4. Provide information on the qualifications of key staff. * Terms of Reference Stocktaking of productive economic inclusion programs in Uzbekistan 1. Background and Objectives The Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice is accepting proposals for the conduction of a desk review, focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KIIs) and the production of a stocktaking report to identify, assess and classify existing entrepreneurship programs in support of the poor and vulnerable in Uzbekistan. The activity will be supported by the BEMSU project, which aims to assess needs and constraints to the development of entrepreneurial activities among the poor and vulnerable segments of the population in Uzbekistan. Programs supporting livelihood and entrepreneurship are important policy instruments to boost the income of poor and vulnerable people by addressing labor market constraints related to limited labor demand and by addressing financial and nonfinancial constraints impeding their economic inclusion. Self-employment is the predominant form of economic activity and source of jobs in low- and middle-income countries. While most of these self-employment activities do not ever grow beyond subsistence size, they represent the main source of income for the poor and vulnerable and, in some cases, a first step to evolve into growing businesses. In Uzbekistan the government-s approach for economic inclusion is almost exclusively based on micro-loans. In 2019, the government allocated nearly 7 trillion UZS (US$816.5 million) to microfinance programs, of which One Family One Entrepreneur is the largest ($587.3 Million USD). The government also has a flagship entrepreneurship-focused program (“Every Family is an Entrepreneur”), as well as a wide array of concessional micro-loans targeted to different groups (youth, poor, registered unemployed). In 2019 the Government of Uzbekistan (GOU) also introduced a subsidy targeted to unemployed people registered with the Employment Support Centers (ESCs) mapped to Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations (MELR) to cover start-ups costs in 2019. Different types of entrepreneurs (subsistence, own account, high-growth potential microenterprises, SMEs), requires its own solution to success (livelihood support, access to finance, credit, training, etc.). In Uzbekistan, however, there is no distinction between different forms of entrepreneurship, and therefore, no tailored approach to appropriately suit each one-s specific needs. For example, concessional microloans are used as the main policy instrument to promote livelihoods and subsistence activities for the poor and extreme-poor, an approach which does not recognize that this group requires a multifaceted approach, as lack of finance is not the only constraint they face. However, evidence reveals that microloans alone are less effective if not combined with non-financial support to promote the economic inclusion of potential entrepreneurs. International evidence shows that combining financial (including cash and in-kind grants, regular safety nets transfers, access to saving scheme for example, not just subsidized loans) and non-financial support (such as business skills training, financial literacy training, mentoring, consulting services, access to value chains and networks for example) are more effective for the poor and lower educated (potential entrepreneurs). That is because poor and vulnerable people tend to face multiple challenges—in addition to lack of start-up capital, they often lack soft skills necessary to launch a successful business, and these multi-faceted needs require integrated services. Entrepreneurship programs addressing multiple constraints have stronger impacts on business start-up and profitability than stand-alone interventions like microcredit, as access to finance may not be the only binding constraint for many entrepreneurs. The graduation into sustainable livelihoods approach (following the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) model) has increasingly been adapted and implemented in low-income and middle-income countries (currently serving about 14 million people in total). Recent evidence from Chile and Mexico demonstrates that providing a comprehensive service package consisting of start-up capital, training, and consulting services has positive impacts on consultancy productivity, number of employees of consultancies, and revenues of the self-employed in the long run. There is mixed evidence on linking entrepreneurship support programs for existing entrepreneurs to business performance and sustainability. Part of the reasons is that entrepreneurs are a heterogeneous group: some are innovative entrepreneurs with growth potential and ambitions, whereas others are there by necessity (Schoar, 2010, Banerjee and Duflo 2011). Some people start own businesses of their own will, sometimes quitting another job to do so. Others become self-employed out of necessity, as their only option to earn income and survive. Clearly, the policy implications differ for different types of entrepreneurs: not all “entrepreneurs by necessity” may need entrepreneurship support. Targeting of business development services and financial support, therefore, is critical for interventions to be cost-effective. Skills and entrepreneurial mindset are increasingly found to positively impact the success of economic inclusion programs. Vulnerable individuals, especially the poor, often lack self-esteem and the capacity to act independently and to make own choices. This deficiency is an important barrier to entrepreneurship as the lack of capital, financial literacy, and limited technical skills. According to international experience, this is especially true for women. Furthermore, emerging evidence from Africa and Latin America demonstrates that “personal initiative” training (a psychology-based mindset training program that develops key behaviors associated with a
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