April 1, 2021
Request for Proposal (RFP)
RFP #: 217788-2021-03 BAS Providers
RFP Issue Date: April 1, 2021
Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA)
Closing Date and Time
May 7, 2021, and 5:30 PM
Contact Person
Philip Djabatey
Details for Submission
As implementer for the Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) activity, Palladium invites you to submit a proposal for the terms of reference below. Your proposal must be valid for the Validity Period.
Please submit your proposal in accordance with the Details for Submission above by the Closing Date and Time. This RFP in no way obligates Palladium to award a contract nor does it commit Palladium to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Palladium bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes.
I look forward to your response. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Philip Djabatey at+ 233 27 4350305 or by e-mail [email protected]
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Victor Antwi
Chief of Party
Company Information
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact— the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with corporations, governments, foundations, investors, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.
Project
The Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) Activity is a $19 million, 4-year USAID Activity that aims to increase commercial financing availability for agriculture to facilitate capital investment and promote trade. MFA will leverage financial incentives to spur agricultural finance market behavior change and system reform, leading to more inclusive economic growth through agribusiness development.
Background
In order to unlock agricultural finance in Ghana, the Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) Activity will facilitate transactions to drive capital investment and trade in selected value chains in Ghana: maize, soy, groundnuts, cowpea, shea, cashew, mango and other high value export crops. It will leverage performance-based incentives to enhance the capacity of Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) to close deals, as well as catalyse financial institutions’ (FIs) engagement with the target sector. Over the four-year period of performance (2020-2024), MFA will unlock $261 million in investment, in addition to spurring agricultural finance market behaviour change and system reform to drive sustainable agricultural lending and inclusive growth.
Purpose
MFA will engage BASPs to assist enterprises operating in Ghana to access business advisory services in order to obtain finance and investment, as a part of our effort to mobilize $261M in financing by October 2024.
This tender seeks to subcontract Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) under a Pay-for-Performance incentive program that encourages deeper engagement of M-SMiLEs in target the sectors within Ghana. To become eligible under this Tender, BASPs must demonstrate a track record of successfully assisting enterprises to secure financing (debt/equity/grants or other forms of financing) in the targeted sectors, as highlighted below. The objective is to create a vibrant network of BASPs competing to close capital and financing opportunities. Therefore, MFA intends to engage multiple BASPs through this procurement.
Sector and Geographic scope of the assignment
BASPs will be eligible to receive success fee commissions for facilitating finance and investment to M-SMILEs in the maize, soy, groundnut, cowpea, shea, cashew, mango and other high value export crops. Enterprises supported by BASPs to access finance and investment must be conducting business in the above listed value chains (VC). Examples of value chain actors eligible for support include input dealers, producers, processors, aggregators, storage service providers, traders, retailers, exporters, agriculture logistics firms, and technology providers.
There are three categories of transactions under this subcontract:
- Maize, soy, cowpea and groundnut value chain deals. BASPs may provide investment and credit facilitation services for a success fee commission for each transaction that supports USAID’s Feed the Future Initiative. Approved enterprises must be located within or must work with suppliers/producers located within the Feed the Future Ghana Zone of Influence’s (ZOI) 17[1] Districts across four regions (Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West). The BASP’s client enterprise must be located in, selling to, or buying from any of these districts in the country to qualify for success fees.
- Trade acceleration value chain deals (High value export crops, including but not limited to Shea, Cashew and Mango). Diversification into higher-value crops of agricultural transformation that offers the potential to pull farm households by connecting them to more lucrative domestic and international markets and diversifying their incomes. Approved enterprises for the value chains within this section must be operational within Ghana.
Other high value crops not explicitly mentioned in this paragraph must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the MFA team before a BASP will qualify for success fee for facilitating finance and/or investment for an enterprise within those value chains.
- Cocoa deals. BASPs may provide investment facilitation services for the specific activities in the cocoa value chain related to cocoa tree planting and processing. Transactions supporting harvesting, collecting, or trading will not be eligible. For all cocoa deals, the BASP must seek approval from MFA before providing any services and MFA reserves the right to disqualify any transaction from being eligible in this value chain.
Type of Contract and Ceilings
The contracts that will result from this RFP will be Firm Fixed Price subcontracts. Selected BASPs will be subcontracted for an initial fee ceiling amount, up to a maximum of $80,000 USD, as determined at the time of contracting for the first year. MFA will reward high-performing BASPs with an increase to their subcontract ceilings. MFA will review the performance of the BASP every six months and evaluate whether an adjustment (increase or decrease) to the awarded ceiling is warranted. Any additional subcontract renewal ceilings will be based on historical performance via modification to the existing agreement.
Anticipated Contract Term
Subcontracts will be offered to approved applicants for a period of 12 months with the option for renewal based on performance and the availability of funding, at the sole discretion of the MFA team. Renewal, extensions, or modifications may be granted up to an additional 12 months, but not beyond October 26, 2024.
Timeline
Submissions for this program are due not later than May 7, 2021. Two weeks after the advertisement of the RFP, Palladium will hold an informational session for interested bidders. In this session, there will be a presentation with an overview of the program, instructions on how to apply and the evaluation methodology, and a chance for bidders to ask questions. Answers to questions will be circulated to all attendees as well as all contacts who have expressed interest in the RFP up until that date.
BASPs who will request and respond to the Full RFP by May 7, 2021, will have their proposal evaluated and successful candidates signed onto the MFA BAS Network by May 21, 2021. BASPs that do not meet the May 7, 2021 deadline may still be able to join the program through a separate rolling application.
The anticipated start date would be immediately after contract signature. **
How to apply
Instructions to the Offerors
**
Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs) who wish to respond to this RFP must meet the following minimum qualification criteria and provide corresponding supporting documents:](https://bit.ly/3fvOoTX)
- Must be a registered legal entity in Ghana and provide copy of certificate or articles and memorandum of association;
- Must have been in existence for at least three years;
- Local Company Data sheet (Filled, dated and signed) (Attached to this RFP);
- Must have facilitated at least three financing deals of at least USD 100,000 (GHS equivalent) in the past three years;
- Key personnel must have a minimum of three years of relevant experience; ](https://bit.ly/3fvOoTX)
- Must have a DUNS number (instructions for obtaining a DUNS number may be found here https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/get-a-duns.html );
- Must not have any active exclusions in www.sam.gov, UN, or other international compliance databases;
- Signed certifications: Terrorism, Ant-Kick Back, Debarment, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; and
- Past Performance of Trade References
Must be owned by nationals of a country not considered a prohibited source or barred from doing business with the United States
The Chief of Party has the authority to waive a requirement if a response to the RFP presents a valid justification.
The anticipated start date would be immediately after contract signature.
Click the link below to read the full RFP and submission requirements:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DCUV5q4MSFCBNk1RrCmwIGgGy7i1J6yp/view
More Information
- Job City Ghana
