The Promotion of Private Sector Competitiveness (ProComp) in Togo is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The duration of the Promotion runs from 01/04/2024 to 31/03/2027 (36 months). Its overall objective is to ensure the promotion of food security, the development of agro-industries and the creation of jobs in the agroecological and organic fields. The specific objective is to improve agricultural productivity and production in the selected agricultural value chains (pineapple, maize, mango, cassava and soybeans) on the one hand and to strengthen the position of farms on the other hand. These objectives will be achieved through the following four (04) outputs: i. See production: Seed producers use innovations agroecological, climate-smart and managerial initiatives to improve productivity. ii. Value chain organizations and institutions/CVAs: producer organizations, agricultural cooperatives and agri-food companies offer producers economic services facilitating access to the market (national, regional, international). iii. The inter-branch organizations of the priority value chains (pineapple, maize, mango, cassava, and soybeans) have developed and are implementing their development plans. Iv. Organic production and agroecology: more actors in selected value chains are transitioning to organic production and agroecology according to the current regulatory framework. Through its four (04) outputs, the action strengthens the productivity, profitability, and organization of agricultural value chains (AVCs) selected for their importance and economic prospects. The focus is on the production link (including upstream production support such as the supply of inputs) of these CVAs in terms of technicality, organization and orientation towards markets and access to financial services. On this basis, the links between producing farms and companies (agri-food marketing and processing) are consolidated. The sectors will thus be equipped to manage their development inclusively according to the opportunities and requirements of the market.
Particular attention is paid to the sustainable growth of CVAs through the agroecological approach, the consideration of organic value chains and actions in favor of the involvement of women and young people. The action contributes to the policy priorities of the government"s action plan, for the transformation of agri-food systems and the national sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.

As part of the technical cooperation between Togo and Germany, the competitiveness of the Togolese private sector is one of the strategic areas of intervention. Strengthening agro-industrial transformation to bring about structural change as an engine for growth and employment to improve framework conditions and services. In order to improve SMEs' access to raw materials in terms of quantity and quality, it is necessary to strengthen the structuring and operation of value chains.

Agricultural activity in Togo is characterised by subsistence farming by individual producers, some of whom are organised into cooperatives, with small areas (less than one hectare) and limited technical and economic resources to develop their activities. The lack of mechanization (less than 1% of plots), the difficulty of access to quality inputs and the poor organization of value chains are some of the major causes of the low productivity of Togolese farms.

Since 2013, the government has been supporting the development of inter-professional associations to encourage consultation between stakeholders (producers, processors, traders, and exporters) and to define and implement concrete actions and development plans for the sectors. The Program to Promote the Competitiveness of the Private Sector (ProComp), co-financed by the European Union, will ultimately help to strengthen the framework for implementing Togo's agricultural strategy, as set out in the policy document agricultural for the period 2015-2030.

Implementing the action will thus help to achieve the specific objectives (food security, improving farm incomes, creating jobs, reducing the drudgery of work and maintaining a high agricultural growth rate).The proposed strategy is to strengthen the skills of the inter-professions of the priority value chains (pineapple, mango, and soya) to implement the development guidelines for their respective sectors. The objective of this project is to recruit a firm consultancy to coach the pineapple, mango, and soya interprofessions to enhance their functionality.
It is in this context that this call for tenders is launched for the recruitment of a research and consultancy firm.

GIZ may optionally commission contract amendments and/or increases based on the criteria in the tender documents to the successful bidder of this tender. For details, please see the terms of reference.

According to Article 160, Section 3 of the German Act Against Restraint of Competition (GWB), application for review is not permissible insofar as
1. the applicant has identified the claimed infringement of the procurement rules before submitting the application for review and has not submitted a complaint to the contracting authority within a period of 10 calendar days; the expiry of the period pursuant to Article 134, Section 2 remains unaffected,
2. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that are evident in the tender notice are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for the application or by the deadline for the submission of bids, specified in the tender notice.
3. complaints of infringements of procurement rules that first become evident in the tender documents are not submitted to the contracting authority at the latest by the expiry of the deadline for application or by the deadline for the submission of bids,
4. more than 15 calendar days have expired since receipt of notification from the contracting authority that it is unwilling to redress the complaint.
Sentence 1 does not apply in the case of an application to determine the invalidity of the contract in accordance with Article 135, Section 1 (2). Article 134, Section 1, Sentence 2 remains unaffected.

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