Expression of Interest for preparation of Local Economic Development Plan
Background
MuAN in partnership with Subnational Governance Program, Strategic Partnership Agreement between The Asia Foundation, Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade has initiated a project titled “Strengthening Municipal Governance in Nepal –Phase II.” The project operates at federal, provincial, and local level and the project activities will support member municipalities. The overall goal of the project is to strengthen intergovernmental coordination, local economic development and public finance management for the implementation of federalism and thereby help improve municipal governance in federal Nepal.
Objective of the assignment
Enterprise development is key to local economic growth and development in Nepal. Local governments need to prioritize employment-focused and inclusive economic development that makes optimal use of resources, generates employment and income, and increases access to markets] for local products. This can be done by strengthening market linkages among smallholder producers and other actors in the agricultural value chain, and by strengthening the enabling environment for enterprise development. Parallelly, enhanced capabilities are needed not just of existing or prospective entrepreneurs but also of local government officials, especially in economic and financial literacy.
While the Local Economic development (LED) plan is a major roadmap for economic development for the local governments, the municipalities have been struggling to develop the plan due to lack of clarity in the municipal vision and priorities for enhancing the local economy. Considering the scenario, MuAN proposed to support two municipalities to develop a model LED plan which can be useful for other municipalities.
Therefore, the objective of the assignment is to develop an LED plan for two municipalities. The municipalities will be selected from within SNGP’s seven partner municipalities – Damak, Mithila, Bhimeshwor, Waling, Tansen, Birendranagar, and Tikapur – based on the criteria developed in consultation with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) and Subnational Governance Program..
Scope of the assignment
To address the objective of the assignment, the scope of work shall include the following:
- Prepare a clear work plan and deliverables to develop an LED plan for the two selected municipalities
- Review the existing documents, plans and policies of the municipalities including comprehensive plan, municipal profile, sectoral plans, etc.
- Conduct inclusive discussion with municipal stakeholders that include women marginalized communities and people with disability and convene consultation with relevant federal and provincial stakeholders
- Prepare a draft LED plan for two SNGP partner municipalities
- Organize a consultation workshop and share draft LED plan with municipal representatives and relevant stakeholders for feedback
- Incorporate feedback and inputs provided from the workshop in the final LED plan
- Conduct any further activity deemed necessary to fulfil the assignment.
- Finalize and submit the final LED plans to MuAN.
Approach/ Methodology
- Situation Analysis: The consultant will conduct thorough analysis of the current situation in the municipality including political economy analysis for the development of LED plan.
- Stakeholder engagement: In order to ensure that the plan reflect the need and aspiration of the community the consultant will engage with various stakeholders in the municipality including chamber of commerce, community organizations, government officials and residents. The consultant will conduct interviews, focused group discussion, meetings with the stakeholders.
- Goal setting: based on the situation analysis and stakeholder inputs the consultant will identify the clear and specific goal for LED.
- Sector identification and Analysis: The consultant will identify the key sector with growth potential in the municipality and analyze their current status, competitiveness, market trends and opportunities for development.
- Action plan: The consultant will develop a detailed action plan that outlines specific strategies, initiatives, and projects to achieve the identified goals.
- Implementation framework: The consultant will define an implementation framework that outlines the roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms among various stakeholders involved in the execution of plan.
- Monitoring and evaluation: The consultant will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to track the progress, outcomes, and impact of the economic development plan.
- Communicating and reporting: The consultant will develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to track the progress, outcome and impact of the economic development plan.
Expected Results/ Outputs
- Local Economic development plan for selected two municipalities
- A summary report of overall assignments in English with lessons learnt, and recommendations
- Consultation with the municipal stakeholders for the finalization of LED plan and getting it endorsed by municipality for its ownership
Deliverables
- Work plan of action
- No. of copies: 1soft /hard copy of LED for two municipalities
- Language: LED in Nepali, and summary report in English
Qualification of the consultant
Education:
Post-graduate Degree in related field most preferably Urban Planning, Economics, Urban Environment, Governance etc. or other relevant field
Experience:
Advance knowledge in municipal finance, public finance management, resource mobilization, urban planning with at least 10 years’ experience in planning and development.
Having experience in working on planning and governance with national and local governments in Nepal.
Demonstrated knowledge of urban problem and sustainability issues facing cities and communities.
Having work experience in LED project development and research will be an advantage
Strong research skills and in-depth understanding of emerging urban issues.
Language:
Good writing skills and fluency in both Nepali and English.
Computer skills:
Good computer skills (MS Word, MS Excel, etc.)
Others:
Has highly developed communication skills, including ability to draft/edit texts and to articulate ideas in clear, concise style to a variety of audiences, as well as facilitation skills;
Has positive attitude, honest, trustworthy and demonstrate sound work ethics;
Has the ability to quickly establish professional rapport with related stakeholders;
Has the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines;
Application procedure
Interested individual consultants / consulting firms must submit following documents to [email protected] no later than August 11, 2023.
Individual/consulting firms must submit the following documents:
Technical proposal comprising interpretation of ToR, methodology, work plan & CV of proposed key expert(s)
An EOI with work plan and financial proposal with signed and stamped
For Firms/Companies
- Firm/company valid registration certificate
- Tax registration certificate
- Tax Clearance certificate
Organization Profile, org chart, authorized person and current address
For Individual:
- Copy of Professional licenses/Government approval (business license, Lawyer, CA, etc)
- PAN Certificate
Bank Account in Nepal
Financial proposal with details breakdown
Has highly developed communication skills, including ability to draft/edit texts and to articulate ideas in clear, concise style to a variety of audiences, as well as facilitation skills;
Has positive attitude, honest, trustworthy and demonstrate sound work ethics;
Has the ability to quickly establish professional rapport with related stakeholders;
Has the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines;
Application procedure
Interested individual consultants / consulting firms must submit following documents to [email protected] no later than July 26, 2023.
Individual/consulting firms must submit the following documents:
- Technical proposal comprising interpretation of ToR, methodology, work plan & CV of proposed key expert(s)
- An EOI with work plan and financial proposal with signed and stamped
- For Firms/Companies
- Firm/company valid registration certificate
- Tax registration certificate
- Tax Clearance certificate
- Organization Profile, org chart, authorized person and current address
- For Individual:
- Copy of Professional licenses/Government approval (business license, Lawyer, CA, etc)
- PAN Certificate
- Bank Account in Nepal
- Financial proposal with details breakdown
