Deadline: June 8, 2023
Job Description
Opportunity Title:
TAAP Edible Oil Processing Expert – Ethiopia and Tanzania
Short Description:
The consultant will be tasked with assessing the entire production line of identified refineries, who have facilities in Ethiopia and Tanzania. In this capacity, the consultant will focus primarily on troubleshooting problematic machinery to provide a potential solution that would address operational inconsistencies, breakdowns, and efficiency bottle necks (First pass quality) as well as provide insights on how best to implement fortification global best practices.
Detailed Description
TechnoServe is seeking proposals from qualified consultants for the following scope of work. For information on timeline, application requirements, and evaluation criteria, please review the full Request for Proposals here. Please submit your proposal for this consultancy to buy+US+P0018905@tns.org by June 8, 2023. An amendment to extend the deadline has been made and can be found here.
TERMS OF REF. – Edible Oil processing Expert to Conduct Holistic refineries Audit and Food Fortification Needs Assessment
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS & SCOPE OF WORK
Assignment: The consultant will be tasked with assessing the entire production line of identified refineries, who have facilities in Ethiopia and Tanzania. In this capacity, the consultant will focus primarily on troubleshooting problematic machinery to provide a potential solution that would address operational inconsistencies, breakdowns, and efficiency bottle necks (First pass quality) as well as provide insights on how best to implement fortification global best practices.
Location: Ethiopia and Tanzania
Duration: 4 Weeks (20 Working days) / Country
Reporting to: Deputy Program Director, TechnoServe
TechnoServe Background:
Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.
The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.
Program Description:
The first-year phase of the Technical Assistance Accelerator Program (TAAP) investment will lay the foundation for the development of the five-year main grant to increase relevant and sustained large-scale coverage of fortified foods by working with 100 food processors across targeted geographies. Under the initial phase of the TAAP, TechnoServe will develop, implement, and refine the model for the larger TAAP: understanding cross-cutting technical issues at an industry level; establishing a PPP platform; building and managing relationships with private sector partners; and developing scalable tools and program elements. It will also serve as an opportunity to engage critical industry stakeholders to deliver Technical Assistance aimed at not only improving fortification practices but overall production efficiency.
This will be particularly important in geographies such as Ethiopia, that just enacted mandatory fortification standards and Tanzania, where the program is focused on re-engaging processors that were part of TNS’ previous LSFF initiative – Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) Program. The ultimate vision for the TAAP, is a public-private partnership (PPP) with Fortification Partners providing technical assistance (TA) and high-quality inputs to over 100 national food processors per year, helping to close gaps in their motivation and ability to comply with national fortification regulations. The TAAP will focus on 8 countries namely, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Pakistan, of which India, Kenya and Nigeria will serve as operational nodes.
This Terms of Reference is for a consultant (referred as “Consultant” herein) to undertake the aforementioned services captured in the above assignment section
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The consultant will be tasked with assessing the entire production line of identified refineries, who have facilities in Ethiopia and Tanzania. In this capacity, the consultant will focus primarily on troubleshooting problematic machinery to provide a potential solution that would address operational inconsistencies, breakdowns, and efficiency bottle necks (First pass quality) as well as provide insights on how best to implement fortification global best practices.
The objective of this assignment will be to also analyze the company’s edible oil refining practices and determine whether the client is adopting the best strategies that will produce the highest yield of well extracted or refined and uniform edible oil quality and consistency in the least time and most economically. Specifically, this will result in a deep analysis of the following machinery and processes within the refineries:
- Oil seed intake
- Preparation
- Cleaning/drying/
- Cracking/dehulling/flaking
- Extraction (mechanical or solvent extraction)
- Refining
- Degumming
- Neutralization
- Bleaching
- Deodorization
- Fortification (batch mixing, static mixing, automated pumping, pre blend preparation, etc.)
- Filling and packaging
- Storage
- Refining documentation e.g records
- Overall plant layout- design and maintenance, optimizing the process and power usage.
*Fortification assessment components (13-15) may be carried out by a separate expert from one of the TAA Program’s Strategic Fortification Partners (SFP), in collaboration with the selected 3rd party technical consultant*
DELIVERABLES
The Consultant will carry out the following tasks to achieve the stated objectives in this TOR for Five (5) edible oil refining companies in both Ethiopia and Tanzania (total of 10 across both countries):
- Company Assessment: The Consultant will utilize quantitative and qualitative methods for data gathering. Collected data will primarily be based on edible oil refineries visits and interviews with the client (senior management and plant operators). This assessment will be primarily focused on the entire process of edible oil processing.
- Identification of Technical bottlenecks: The consultant will identify top technical constraints of the edible oil processing facility which might have implications on production efficiency, edible oil fortification, complying with safety and quality specifications. In order to check if the technical difficulties are linked with external factors (off factory control) or not, the consultant need to triangulate the challenges by conducting a 3 to 5 key informant interviews (KII).
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: A cost-benefit analysis will be conducted as it relates to edible oil processing and the potential implications of machinery and system upgrades. The consultant should also take into account the financial value of intangible factors, such as the benefits and costs associated with downtime, staff competency, energy usage, and market-driven demand trends.
- Development of Execution Plan: Ultimately, the consultant will be responsible for providing solutions to the company in the form of an execution plan. Within this plan, an improved strategy will be formulated as well as the identification of metrics that will be used to monitor general production improvements and increased efficiency.
- Harnessing opportunities/ next outlooks: to be successful in the aforementioned deliverables as well as to find TAAP’s/TNS’s operating niche, perhaps taking into consideration of the viewpoints highlighted in the below table is helpful.
| Specific tasks | Approaches |
| Preparation for company assessment | Scheduling with selected factories, accompany the consultant, arranging onsite visit, assist the consultant while conducting the assessment, pre and post assessment briefing at the factories, arrange logistics, facilitate availability of senior managements for the interview, and lubricate communication with factories not to be suspicious of the assessment or visit. |
| Select factories and KIIs | Set and define criteria to select the edible oil processing factories and KII participants, and ensure the selection criteria are in line with TAAP’s/TNS’s objective. |
| Facilitate secondary data collection | Provide available secondary data either to triangulate the assessment findings or support the final report. In addition, support the consultant by identifying the key informant interviewees, scheduling with them and as needed assist language translation. |
| Develop a business case | Facilitate market linkage for the fortified flour. TAAP/TNS can quickly facilitate B2B platforms to be able to tap existing but fragmented opportunities. This can be done by bringing premix and/or dossing machine suppliers SFPs), institutional buyers such as WFP, the edible oil processors (e.g., early adopters), potential development partners who might have the resource to ignite marketing of fortified edible oil by applying possible cost sharing models, etc. |
MILESTONE/REPORTING REQUIREMENT
The following milestones are expected to be completed within the listed period:
| Tasks | Deliverable | Level of Effort per edible oil processors (working days) |
| Company assessment including mapping of the refineries machinery layout and management practices
Qualitative and qualitative data collection
|
A detailed report with Pictures to be shared |
5
|
| Validate process improvements vs. expected output- cost-benefit analysis | Establish current processes vs. proposed improvements | 10 |
| Development of an execution plan
|
Brief implementation reports with expected outcomes | 5 |
| Debrief and project close | Final Project report | |
| Total Number of working days | 20 | |
All deliverables shall be submitted electronically in editable formats. All photographs or other graphics/figures in the reports will be submitted as separate files.
The submitted assessment report should include at a minimum, the following:
- Review of production parameters and quality standards
- Proposed improvements to process and machinery in detail
- Validation of the capital equipment proposal offered by the vendor including other options that may be more cost-effective
- Proposed changes to operating procedures necessary to achieve the target batch time and quality that can be achieved with the current system as installed.
- Cost implications
- A practical guide on edible oil production, inclusive of fortification best practices
- Follow-up actions that can be undertaken by the company
- Any other findings
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The following weighting and points will be assigned to the proposal for evaluation purposes
| Technical Proposal – 40%
Assignment Approach/Methodology Quality of Work Plan Project Deliverables |
10 points (maximum) 20 points (maximum) 10 points (maximum) |
40 total points |
| Experience – 30%
|
30 points (maximum)
|
30 total points |
| Cost Proposal – 30% | 30 points (maximum) | 30 total points |
| TOTAL | 100 POINTS |
Technical Proposal Content Instructions
Candidates meeting the criteria and interested in being considered for this consultancy should submit one Word document or PDF (with a maximum of 10 pages) with the following contents:
- A maximum one-page cover letter summarizing the candidate’s interest and capacity to implement the assignment.
- A description of the recommended approach to the scope of work that demonstrates an understanding of the expected deliverables
- Sample work plan with that details how and when the Consultant proposes to deliver the Scope of Work.
- CV(s) of the Consultant’s or key personnel’s experience in conducting similar assignments
- Detailed budget to deliver the scope of work.
TechnoServe reserves the right to award the contract to the organization whose proposal is deemed to be in the best interest of TechnoServe and the Donor.
The Consultant with the winning proposal will be notified in writing. Those who were not selected may or may not be notified, at the sole discretion of TechnoServe.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- The Request for Proposal is not and shall not be considered an offer by TechnoServe.
- All responses must be received on or before the date and time indicated on the RFP. All late responses will be rejected.
- All unresponsive responses will be rejected.
- All proposals will be considered binding offers. Prices proposed must be valid for entire period provided by respondent.
- All awards will be subject to TechnoServe contractual terms and conditions and contingent on the availability of donor funding.
- TechnoServe reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal or cancel the solicitation process at any time, and shall have no liability to the proposing organizations submitting proposals for such rejection or cancellation of the requests for proposals.
- TechnoServe reserves the right to accept all or part of the proposal when award is provided.
- All information provided by TechnoServe in the RFP is offered in good faith. Individual items are subject to change at any time, and all bidders will be provided with notification of any changes. TechnoServe is not responsible or liable for any use of the information submitted by bidders or for any claims asserted therefrom. TechnoServe reserves the right to require any bidder to enter into a non-disclosure agreement.
- The bidders are solely obligated to pay for any costs, of any kind whatsoever, which may be incurred by bidder or any third parties, in connection with the Response. All responses and supporting documentation shall become the property of TechnoServe, subject to claims of confidentiality in respect of the response and supporting documentation, which have been clearly marked confidential by the bidder.
How to Apply
Please submit your proposal for this consultancy to buy+US+P0018905@tns.org by June 8, 2023.