TERMS OF REFERENCE CARIBBEAN INVESTMENT PROMOTION CERTIFICATION INITIATIVE (CIPCI)

Transcription

1 TERMS OF REFERENCE CARIBBEAN INVESTMENT PROMOTION CERTIFICATION INITIATIVE (CIPCI) 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1 Beneficiaries The primary beneficiaries under this initiative are the CARIFORUM Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) which are members of the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA). 1.2 Contracting Authority The contracting authority for this assignment is the Caribbean Export Development Agency (hereinafter Caribbean Export/the Agency). 1.3 Relevant Background Caribbean Export is the only regional trade and investment promotion agency in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group. The Agency also functions as the secretariat of CAIPA, which was established with the objective of enabling collaboration among the CARIFORUM IPAs. Additionally, CAIPA has been tasked with the important mandate of providing technical assistance and capacity building for its members who are responsible for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to their respective countries, particularly in highly competitive environments. In Caribbean countries where the investment climate can be categorized as unpredictable and nontransparent, IPA support could make a significant difference to investors by ultimately influencing their decisions. The most significant resource that countries have in attracting FDI is the staff of the IPA; the Investment Promotion (IP) professionals. However, constraining budgets and increasing demand on limited resources within the region s IPAs has severely impacted the capacity of these agencies to effectively provide services as required. The CAIPA Strategic Plan for identifies human capacity development as a priority need of CAIPA members. Most of the IPAs in the region have small professional staff complements, often with a high turnover rate. This creates a twofold challenge of limited staff, as well as the drawbacks associated with the inability to retain institutional capacity. These IPAs are also relatively young, with institutions formalised over the past 5-7 years. There are also a few regional IPAs made up of relatively larger teams of professionals with a stronger history of investment promotion and the needs of these agencies include expertise that can assist them in advancing their country s development objectives through the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI). In seeking to address these issues, capacity building has been a key initiative of CAIPA since its establishment. CAIPA members have noted that this has been one of the most effective areas of the collaboration and the Association has organised a number of capacity building activities including: i. Study tours

2 ii. Workshops iii. Web seminars and training iv. Attachments with other IPAs; and v. Other opportunities to share best practices At the time of implementation, these initiatives were based on proposals by the IPAs, and as a result, the focus of capacity building was on general topics of interest and was not determined by a rigorous assessment of the capacity gaps within the IPAs. Future capacity building programmes must consider the areas of coincidence across the region (e.g. the need for on-going training of new IP professionals to the IPAs) but should also take into account the differences in development of our region s Agencies and most importantly must be grounded in Caribbean realities. It is therefore envisaged that a capacity building programme which offers certification to IP professionals be developed, which will include, at a minimum, activities focused on: Brand development The basics of Investment Promotion National investment strategy development and implementation Investment marketing, including investor targeting Investment lead generation Investment facilitation After care services and investment retention Investment legal and regulatory frameworks Investment management and administration systems Business enabling environment improvements Public-private dialogue and partnerships IPA institutional efficiency and effectiveness The development of public private partnerships The programme can also be widened to include specific focus areas based on individual IPA needs, thereby increasing the benefit to the IPAs. 2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY 2.1 Overall Objective The objective of this consultancy is to develop a capacity building programme that offers certification for Investment Promotion Professionals within the CARIFORUM region which directly responds to their human resource development needs and aims to further build capacity within the agencies increasing the attraction of FDI to the region. 3. SCOPE OF WORK OF THE CONSULTANCY 3.1 General Caribbean Export is seeking the professional services of a consultant who will be tasked with the responsibility of:

3 Undertaking the institutional assessment of each IPA within CARIFORUM to gauge the capacity building gap and identify capacity building needs Designing a skills template for Caribbean IPAs based on information provided by the institutional assessment Designing a certification framework for core IPA skills based on the needs of all the IPAs, as well as the needs of specific groups of IPAs and developing training materials Testing the certification framework by designing and piloting one (1) training programme for Master trainers Using the results of the pilot programme to finalize the certification framework 3.2 Specific Activities Phase One Develop an institutional assessment framework which is tailored to suit Caribbean IPAs Conduct in-country assessment/needs analysis of IPAs to determine current capabilities and areas of weakness to be addressed Prepare a diagnostic report that notes areas of strength across the region but that also highlights key recommendations for skills improvement Phase Two Prepare a skills template for effective investment promotion, based on the diagnostic report findings Design a certification framework and develop indigenous programme materials which reflect the specific circumstances of Caribbean IPAs Provide recommendations on additional tools relevant to the training programme Determine the most appropriate method of delivery of the programme to IPAs (including standard on-line training courses) Provide a pilot training session to Master trainers which tests the developed certification framework Develop instruments/processes to address the issue of institutional retention through: the creation of a framework for trainees to train other staff, the development of capacity and processes for converting and making training material applicable to individual IPAs; and developing processes to allow for programme updates and the monitoring of implementation and sharing of skills after training 4. LOGISTICS AND TIMING 4.1 Location The Consultant must be a national of an African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) State or of a European Union Member State and will be required to conduct the in-country institutional assessments in beneficiary states. The consultant must also work closely with Caribbean Export management and staff, as well as CAIPA.

4 4.2 Commencement date and period of implementation of tasks Work is expected to commence by August 24, 2015 and should be completed by February 24, A total of 100 working days is being allocated over this protracted period to this assignment. Extensions may be agreed upon by both parties, if applicable. 4.3 Office Accommodation Office accommodation will not be provided by the Agency. 5. REQUIREMENTS 5.1 Personnel Qualifications and Experience Required A postgraduate degree in international trade, international business, economics, statistics, market research or a related field. 5 years experience/involvement in the development of capacity building programmes. 10 years experience in the Investment Promotion field. Years of experience working in/with the Caribbean region, or on projects in the region, specifically in the area of investment promotion. Excellent presentation and communication (oral and written) skills. Fluent in English, however ability to speak Spanish, French and/or Dutch would be an asset. Applicants must be nationals of or have a firm registered in an ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) country or in the European Union. 5.2 Required Documentation The Applicant will at a minimum submit the following: 1. Examples of previous work done in this area. 2. Proposal submitted which should include; company profile, understanding of the project and methodology, available experts and qualifications, timetable/ Gantt chart for activities and a detailed proposed budget (N.B. Professional fees budgeted should cover the cost of conducting the pilot training programme; Caribbean Export will cover the cost of participants attendance). 3. Proof of citizenship in the case of an individual or company registration if a firm. 6. REPORTS 6.1 Reporting Requirements The consultant shall provide the following reports: An Inception Report (Report 1) that includes a proposed project design and work plan, as well as timelines, to be presented within 10 working days of the commencement of the

5 consultancy. Prior to the submission of the Inception Report and the commencement of the contract, the consultant will be required to attend an inception meeting with the Caribbean Export team and CAIPA representatives. An interim report (Report 2) or diagnostic which details the results of the institutional assessment and identifies the capacity gaps within the IPAS. It should also include the skills template developed based on these results. An additional progress report (Report 3) which should provide the certification framework design and the region specific training materials developed. A final report (Report 4) which should include results of the pilot programme, feedback provided from participants and recommendations for the sustainability of the programme and for its improvement over time. Each report will be required to contain, at a minimum: (i) summary of the overall implementation process to include any issues and challenges, description and explanation of delays and impacts and recommendations for resolution; important meetings with brief statements of their conclusions; (ii) work plan for the coming month, with main activities, duration and expected outputs and results. The format of these reports is to be agreed on with the Project Manager. Each report must be submitted as: (i) one hard copy (ii) one electronic file in MS format and (iii) an electronic file in PDF. 6.2 Submission and approval of deliverables The deliverables referred to in 3.2 above must be submitted to the Senior Advisor, Investment Promotion, Caribbean Export Development Agency who is responsible for approving all deliverables. All reports must be submitted in English. 7. MONITORING AND EVALUATION 7.1 Definition of Indicators Performance on this assignment will be measured by timely and pertinent submission of completed deliverables outlined in Section 6 above and as outlined within the work plan and that meet or exceed the expectations of the Executing Agency. Feedback on each submitted deliverable is not a requirement for the continuation of the project, however, comments will be provided in a timely manner. 7.2 Special Requirements None.