Verfahrensangaben

Côte d'Ivoire has experienced sustained economic growth over the past decade, driven by structural reforms, investments, and economic diversification. However, this growth is accompanied by the predominance of the informal economy, which accounts for approximately 80% of economic units and nearly 90% of employment. Despite its significant contribution to GDP, the informal sector is characterized by low productivity, weak organizational structures, limited access to finance, and restricted access to public support mechanisms.

Within this context, a growing number of innovative micro and small enterprise - particularly among young entrepreneurs and artisans - are emerging in sectors such as agriculture, crafts, digital services, trade, and energy. These enterprises develop solutions with strong social, environmental, or digital impact but face structural barriers, including insufficient legal formalization, weak governance and financial management, limited understanding of investment mechanisms, and low strategic planning capacity.

In response, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MCI), with the support of the GIZ-implemented ProREI project financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), intends to implement a structured support program targeting innovative entrepreneurs from the informal sector, with a particular focus on artisans and entrepreneurs in regions outside major urban centers.

The program aims to strengthen entrepreneurial, technical, and financial capacities; promote progressive and sustainable formalization; reinforce local support structures through training trainers; and facilitate access to appropriate financing instruments. It aligns with national priorities under the National Development Plan (PND 2021-2025) and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 8 and SDG 9. Through training, coaching, and investment readiness support, the program seeks to enhance the competitiveness of innovative informal enterprises and foster their sustainable integration into Côte d'Ivoire's formal economy.

This tender aims to recruit a specialized consulting firm with proven experience in supporting innovative entrepreneurs from the informal economy, particularly in the artisanal sector. The selected contractor will design and implement a comprehensive accompaniment program combining capacity building, individualized coaching, formalization support, and preparation for access to finance.

The assignment is structured around two main phases:

- Phase 1 focuses on program preparation and capacity building, including inception meetings with key stakeholders, awareness campaigns, calls for applications, and the selection of approximately 60 innovative informal entrepreneurs. It also includes the selection and training of 12 to 15 local trainers from business support structures, the implementation of in-depth diagnostics of beneficiary enterprises, assessment of trainers' capacities, and the development of tailored training modules covering entrepreneurship and business management, marketing and communication, and formalization processes.

- Phase 2 consists of the implementation of the structured accompaniment program through group training sessions, individualized coaching and on-site visits, matchmaking with financial institutions and ecosystem actors, and support to progressive formalization. The contractor will also establish a monitoring and evaluation system, provide practical toolkits to entrepreneurs and trainers, and organize pitching preparation and pitching events to connect selected entrepreneurs with potential investors and partners.

Throughout the assignment, the contractor is expected to apply participatory and practice-oriented methodologies, integrate digital tools where possible, ensure the involvement of trained local trainers, and maintain close coordination with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Chamber of Crafts of Côte d'Ivoire, GIZ ProREI, and other relevant stakeholders. The assignment contributes primarily to Output 3 of the ProREI project while indirectly supporting Outputs 1 and 2 related to public capacity building and public-private dialogue.

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.

All communication takes place in English via communication tool in the project area of the procurement portal.