Announcement Description

1. Background

The CAPRED Facility is Australia's flagship bilateral economic development program in Cambodia, focusing on economic recovery and resilience. The Facility supports Cambodia in implementing a range of necessary economic interventions and reforms to maintain the country's economic transition. These interventions and reforms are primarily aimed at encouraging more productive and inclusive public and private investment, which promotes a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable economy (RISE).

CAPRED interventions fall under three technical components including: Agriculture and Agro-processing; Trade, Investment and Enterprise Development and Infrastructure Development; and one Cross-Cutting component comprising: Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI); Climate Resilient initiatives, and policy support. GEDSI is at the heart of all that CAPRED does. CAPRED is conducting several research and technical assistance projects with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) regarding SME linkages. SME linkages refer to supplier-buyer relationships between large firms and SMEs along industry value chains. SME linkages support broad-based economic growth by fostering SME competitiveness, innovation, employment, and export growth.

Bid Components

Request For Proposals for Foreign Direct Investment by the Local Small and Medium- sized Enterprises (FDI-SME) Linkage Survey

CATEGORY: Call for Proposals

LOCATION: Phnom Penh

2. Purpose

CAPRED seeks to engage a qualified consulting firm to survey large firms, including both local and foreign-owned large firms, on their linkages with Cambodian SMEs. The survey will determine whether forward and backward linkages exist (number of local SME suppliers), the extent of these linkages (share of total intermediate inputs/costs provided by local SMEs), and where they exist in the value chain. The survey also aims to uncover the constraints and challenges to broader and deeper linkages, and potential strategies and policies to promote and strengthen linkages.

The survey will also collect detailed information about the firms' characteristics, including but not limited to size, location, sector, staffing, financial performance, etc.

3. Requirements

3.1 Key survey specifications

While the exact survey specifications will be discussed and agreed between CAPRED and the successful firm during the survey design and planning phases, the following broad guidance should be used for responding to the RFP.

• Number of responses required: 400 (300 from foreign-owned firms, 100 from locally-owned firms)
• Sector coverage: all economic sectors, with manufacturing firms overweighted.
• Expected length of survey interview: 30-45 minutes
• Expected number of simple (closed-ended) questions: 40 - 70
• Expected number of open-ended questions: 10
• Regional coverage: Phnom Penh, plain, Tonle Sap, coastal, and mountainous region
• Timeline: January - June 2025 (early survey results are desired by April 2025)
• Interview method: confidential face-to-face interviews using tablets and computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) tools such as KoboToolbox.
• Interviewees: senior representatives of the firm able to answer questions regarding the firms' overall operations, especially their supplier contracts. Suitable candidates would include the firm: CEO, COO, CFO, director, country manager etc.

See more details in attachments below.

Bidder Eligibility

4. Qualifications, knowledge, and experience required

• Education
• Senior team members who will work on this project should possess advanced degrees in statistics, economics, development studies, social science, or similar fields.
• Technical Competencies
  • Proven track record and extensive experience in conducting similar survey research.
  • Ability to ensure a high response rate and the collection of accurate data and detailed answers to open-ended questions. This entails the ability to secure interviews with:
  • large firms in Cambodia across multiple sectors and provinces, especially foreign-owned firms.
  • sufficiently senior representatives of these firms.Familiarity with computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) tools such as KoboToolbox.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage the project effectively, meet deadlines, deliver high quality survey data, and adhere to budgets.
  • Demonstrated experience with stakeholder management and coordinating with government and the private sector.
  • Excellent understanding of Cambodia's economic and policy context.

Submission Requirements

5. Evaluation criteria

CAPRED will use an objective and reliable process to evaluate each proposal. The proposals and responses will be evaluated based on (in no particular order):

1. Compliance with this Request for Proposal (RFP).
2. Understanding of and ability to meet the qualifications, knowledge, and experience requirements detailed in Section 4 above.
3. The proposed approach and methodology, which should be feasible, technically sound, and correspond to the deliverables and key tasks/activities in this RFP.
4. Supplier expertise, experience, and performance delivering similar work relevant to this RFP (as determined by referee checks).
5. Expertise of the team nominated to deliver the services. (CAPRED reserves the right to reject any individual being proposed and to ask the supplier to provide an alternative).
6. Proposed fee charged for the services.

Note: While price is a factor, it is more important that the applicant can demonstrate value for money. CAPRED reserves the right to contract more than one supplier for these services and may actively seek to contract more than one supplier to ensure the supply of technical services. CAPRED reserves the right to vary the contract terms, and to exercise the option period at its sole discretion.

Due diligence checks will be conducted on the consulting firm/s and individuals nominated in the RFP prior to awarding contract/s.

6. How to Apply

The proposals including the Technical and Financial Response Form must be submitted no later than 5:00 pm (Phnom Penh time), 8 January 2025 by e-mail to email address provided in the contact details with "FDI-SME Linkage Survey" in the subject line. Any proposals submitted after this time and date will not be considered.

CAPRED is available to answer questions or provide more detail on the scope of work. Please email with "FDI-SME Linkage Survey enquiry" in the subject line.

Attachment:

• Technical Response Form
• Financial Response Form