The project opportunity

TASK 1. Co-design a project to support development of the medicinal plant commodity sector in Son La and/or Lao Cai provinces. 

Working closely with GREAT and relevant provincial stakeholders conceptualise, co-design and develop a detailed and fully costed project proposal for submission to GREAT’s Investment Committee for approval. 

The design will set out the key sector challenge(s) constraining the development of a strong, resilient and high-quality sector based on ethnic minority women producers. It will outline in detail any/all proposed innovative solution(s) to those challenges and which are to be piloted, tested and refined in collaboration with GREAT and key sector stakeholders, including ethnic minority women producers, groups and/or cooperatives. The project design will build on GREAT’s existing template(s), identifying the project rationale, objectives, outputs and results, and include details of project management, quality assurance, monitoring and adaptation. 

Potential scope of project activities:

GREAT’s initial analysis has identified the following key constraints to the sector and, in particular, the sub-sector led by ethnic minority women producers:

1. Component 1: Strengthen the sustained production capacity and supply of (GACP-WHO) quality seedlings by cooperatives, vendors or others

This may entail:

• Identifying demand trends and selecting priority medicinal plant species and varieties;
• Strengthening capacity and guidelines for seedling and plant production and quality assurance;
• Supporting the capacity and business models of cooperatives (or others) to produce, promote and distribute improved seed varieties to ethnic minority women producers.

1. Component 2: Test and develop sustainable supply chain support and management model(s) to strengthen the quality, consistency and resilience of ethnic minority women production of medicinal plant commodities 

This may entail:

• To transfer production and processing skills for local potential actors (such as cooperatives, public service providers) who can provide on the production job training or guidance to ethnic minority producers including women producers to ensure the functioning of their supply chain. 
• Test and develop innovative supply chain modalities, potentially including secure production, processing and offtake mechanisms with cooperatives and/or ethnic minority women producer groups;
• Test and develop investment modalities to enable secure and effective business co-investing and/or risk sharing with ethnic minority women producers.

TASK 2. Project implementation and management

Once approved, the medicinal plant commodity sector project partnership will be led and managed by the successful partner(s) in close collaboration with GREAT and its provincial stakeholders and in accordance with the agreed conditions for technical activities and resource investments by each party. The project will be established in the form of a sub-contract between GREAT and the successful partner(s) on behalf of Cowater International.

Expected results of business plan in each province:

• Minimum reach of 300 ethnic minority households in each province with increased income from medicinal plant production
• Improved business capacity of at least 2 cooperatives for quality nursery supply, semi processing
• Other – to be agreed with successful partners

Timeline

The project is expected to commence no later than January 2025 and be completed by the end of March 2027.

Instructions for Expression of Interest

Interested parties should develop and submit an brief Expression of Interest (EOI) as follows: 

1. Cover Letter

The EOI cover letter should be signed by an authorised representative.

1. Expression of Interest
   1. Firm Information

The EOI must be written in either English or Vietnamese and be a maximum of 10 pages to include the following: 

• Provide the name, address and firm contact
• Summary of firm/business expertise and credentials in the medicinal plant commodity sector (production, supply and/or manufacture), including current business model and operations. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following expertise:
  • Knowledge and understanding of medicinal plant commodity sector in Vietnam and in Son La and/or Lao Cai in particular
  • Knowledge and experience of managing medicinal plant commodity supply chains involving small scale producers, including ethnic minority women producers
  • Experience working with relevant public and private sector stakeholders in support of medicinal plant seedling production, plant production and harvesting and/or processing

1. Technical approach

• Proposed areas of interest for collaboration with GREAT in developing the medicinal plant commodities sector. This may include, but not necessarily be limited to:
  • Your business concept to implement component 1 and component 2 of the proposal including expected results to be achieved by 2027 in term of key changes in the production areas, number of beneficiary households, increased income and revenue for the business, investment cost  and your business/expansion plan beyond 2027
  • Your expected support from GREAT to implement this business plan
• Proposed core team and respective expertise to support the intervention. Team up with other partner to implement the initative is encouraged.

1. Project and partnership management capability

• Overview of the experience and expertise of the firm / key staff in the management and operation, monitoring and quality assurance, and reporting requirements of a project of this nature in collaboration with a development partner and/or other value chain stakeholders.
  1. Commercial capacity
• Information (e.g. relevant accounts or a recent, publicly available audit report) on the overall size, structure and ownership of the firm, including the medicinal plant commodity part of the business
• The successful candidate will be willing and able to demonstrate that it has:
  • long-term commitment to the medicinal plant commodities sector in northwest Vietnam; and
  • willingness to co-invest its own resources and finance in the project

A detailed budget will be negotiated with the successful candidate(s) as part of the co-design process.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Further enquires about this call can be made, in writing, to recruitment@aus4equalityvn.org no later than 6 September 2024.

Interested firms organisations are invited to send EOIs to recruitment@aus4equalityvn.org no later than 5 pm Hanoi time, 20 September 2024. Please indicate in the subject “Development of the medicinal plant commodities sector”. 

EOIs will be assessed as they are received. We thank all applicants, however, only those making the shortlist will be contacted.

Cowater International is an equal opportunity employer, basing employment on merit and qualifications as they relate to professional experience and position expectations. Cowater does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender identity, disability, age, or any other basis protected by law.