Business Analyst to review and analyze Business Plans developed by the Danish Arab Partnership Program At Danish Refugee Council

Who is the Danish Refugee Council?

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international NGO and one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. Active in 40 countries with 9,000 employees and supported by 7,500 volunteers, DRC protects, advocates, and builds sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement affected people and communities. DRC works during displacement at all stages: In the acute crisis, in displacement, when settling and integrating in a new place, or upon return. DRC provides protection and life-saving humanitarian assistance; supports displaced persons in becoming self-reliant and included into hosting societies; and works with civil society and responsible authorities to promote protection of rights and peaceful coexistence.

DRC has been working in Tunisia since 2011 as part of a coordinated Libya-Tunisia program responding to regional instability following the Arab Spring revolutions. DRC has been one of the main implementing agencies providing services in Shousha refugee camp, as well as to refugees living in urban centres in southern Tunisia. From 2014 to 2021, DRC implemented a series of armed violence reduction projects aimed at enhancing community security and resilience in key border towns in Tunisia. In 2022, DRC North Africa has restructured itself and established a joint legal entity for Tunisia and Algeria investing skills and resources to continue to develop its existing portfolio and expand its services to migrants and other displacement affected populations in both countries.

Background

DRC Tunisia is currently implementing, as the country lead in Tunisia, the Youth Inclusion and Employment Project (YIEP) which is part of the Youth Employment Program of the Danish-Arab Partnership Program (DAPP) funded by the Danish Ministry of foreign affairs.

The Danish-Arab Partnership Program is Denmark’s collaboration program with the Middle East and North Africa focusing on Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan. Globally the YIEP component during 2022-2027 phase is led by PLAN international, however, in Tunisia it will be implemented by DRC Tunisia as a country lead, GAME, and MS ActionAid.

The YIEP final outcome is:

Young women and men have enhanced employability, obtain wage employment and/or self-employment.

In order to achieve this result, the consortium is focusing on 5 different outputs:

Output 1: Young people, in particular young women, have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to plan and pursue their career paths as well as to engage with governance processes and duty bearers
Output 2: Young people, in particular women, have market-responsive technical skills, knowledge of finding employment, and greater access to the labour market
Output 3: Young people, in particular women, have entrepreneurial skills, business plans and are pursuing their own businesses
Output 4: Young people, in particular women, increasingly know how to make strong business plans and obtain finance for entrepreneurs, and they are successful in doing so.
Output 5: Young people, in particular women, influence and face a more enabling and conducive environment for them to pursue decent income opportunities

DRC is collaborating with 3 implementing partners (Injaz Tunisia, Fondation Tunisie Pour Le Développement & Yunis Social Business Impact Partner) to implement activities under to output 3 and output 4.

The main indicators to be considered under each output are:

Output 3:
O3.1 ENTREPRENEUR SUPPORT: Number of young entrepreneurs who are supported through service provision, including mentorship, market access linkages, incubation and business development support (11568)
O3.2 ENTREPRENEURSHIP COMPETENCE: Number of young women and men who demonstrate entrepreneurship competencies which are core to business10 (youth from O3.1) (7200)
O3.3 BUSINESS START-UP: % of young people trained within the last 12 months who have pursued starting their own business (youth from O3.2 [5,760])
O3.4 STRONG BUSINESS PLANS: % of youth’s business plans screened and approved as strong enough for starting their business or growing their business (strong financial aspect included) (youth from O3.2 [5,400])
Output 4:
O4.1 PROGRAMME START-UP CAPITAL: # of entrepreneurs who obtain finance through the programme (seed capital, grant funding, small loans, equipment, specialised courses etc.)
O4.2 PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING LINKAGES: Number of external partnerships established to support young people accessing external funds
O4.3 SECURED EXTERNAL CAPITAL: % of participating young people who report having accessed private/government/external (other programmes, cooperatives, family, etc ) funds for entrepreneurs (youth from O3.4)
O4.4 YOUTH FRIENDLY FINANCING: % of participating young people who report being supported by business organizations/financial institutions to pursue self-employment opportunities (youth from O3.2)
O4.5 KNOW-HOW TO ACCESS: % of participating young people who report knowing how to access private/government funds for entrepreneurs (youths from O3.1 [9,254])

Purpose of the consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is focusing solely on indicator 03.04: screening all the submitted Business Plans with a maximum of 500 Business Plans per year and providing feedback and recommendation regarding each Business Plan.

it is worth noting that the template of the Business plan to be used is already drafted by the DRC team, and that all beneficiaries will be supported by DRC‘s implementing partners to create a Business Model Canvas (BMC) framing their business ideas.

Overall Objective

The ultimate objective of this consultancy is to evaluate each Business Plan based on clear evaluation criteria -to be agreed upon with the program manager – in order to identify if the Business Plan is 1) weak 2) good but needs development/improvment and 3) strong (ready to be referred to finance)

Responsibilities and Tasks:

Consult with the DRC team (and DRC’s implementing partners if relevant) in order to understand the project’ outputs and indicators as well as the roles and responsibilities of each partner and how activities are implemented.
Establish the criteria and the process of shifting from a Business Model Canvas to a Business Plan using the template developed by the DRC team.
In close collaboration with the DRC team develop the Business Plan evaluation criteria.
Screen all submitted Business Plans with a maximum of 500 business plan per year
Attribute a score to each screened Business Plan based on the evaluation criteria.
Categorize all screened Business Plan into (i) strong Business Plan that is ready to be financed, (ii) weak Business Plan that needs improvement and (iii) Business Plan with brilliant/innovative idea but not well presented.
Give concreate individual feedback and recommendations on how to improve the BP and make it strong enough to access finance (to be shared with beneficiaries).
Reporting on the result and analysis of the screened BPs (by sector, age, gender, region, score etc.) and presenting results with focus on lessons learned.

Objectives and deliverables of the consultancy

The primary objective of this consultancy is to play a pivotal role in enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape in Tunisia, particularly for young individuals, by focusing on Output 3.4: the screening and evaluation of Business Plans. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive analysis of these plans, categorizing them into three distinct groups: weak, requiring improvement, or strong and ready for financing.

The key responsibilities and tasks include engaging closely with the DRC team to establish the criteria and processes for transitioning from a Business Model Canvas to a fully developed Business Plan, using the template provided by the DRC team and define the Business Plan evaluation criteria and meticulously screen a maximum of 500 submitted Business Plans each year.

The final deliverables will consist of categorizing the screened Business Plans, providing concrete individual feedback, and furnishing recommendations for improvement. This constructive feedback will be shared with beneficiaries to empower them on their entrepreneurial journey. Additionally, the consultant is required to produce a comprehensive report on the results and analysis of the screened Business Plans, allowing us to extract valuable insights and lessons learned.

Scope of work and Methodology

The primary objective is to evaluate and categorize Business Plans submitted by aspiring young entrepreneurs. A critical task will be to assess each Business Plan based on predetermined criteria, which will be developed in collaboration with the program manager, to determine whether they are weak, require further development, or are strong and ready for financing. The evaluation process will involve screening a maximum of 500 Business Plans per year and assigning scores based on these criteria. In addition, our consultancy will provide individualized feedback and recommendations to assist aspiring entrepreneurs in strengthening their Business Plans. This feedback will empower beneficiaries to fine-tune their ideas and improve their chances of accessing much-needed financing.

Deliverables

The Consultant will submit the following deliverables:

Phase

Expected deliverables

Indicative description tasks

Maximum expected days

Inception Report

understanding the project activities, designing the process of shifting from a BMC to a BP and developing the BP evaluation criteria.

Analysis of BPs

Screening, scoring and providing feedback on BPs as well as reporting on and presenting of results during regular meetings with the project team to discuss the progress.

Ongoing

The documentation should be delivered through email.

Duration, timeline, and payment

The consultant(s) must be available to start the assignment by 13 November 2023.
Deliverables are not considered final until approved by the Project Manager.
The proposed costs should cover all expenses.
For activity task 1 the payment will be made as a lumpsum upon approval from the Project Manager.
Concerning task 2, the payment will be made on a monthly basis depending on the number of screened BPs, thus, the consultant is invited to estimate the cost by Business Plan screened.
The payment currency is the Tunisian Dinar (TND).

Proposed Composition of Team

Senior Business Analysist
Junior Business Analysist
Etc.

Eligibility, qualification, and experience required

Both companies and independent consultants are eligible to apply

International firms/individual may apply for this RFQ, but their offers will only qualify if the proposed consultant(s) have presence in Tunisia.

Essential:

At least 3 years of experience as a business development officer, business creation/growth consultant or mentor
Proven track record in analyzing and evaluating business ideas/plans.
Good verbal and written communication skills in English, French, and Arabic