Introduction/Overview
Local Enterprise Office Mayo invites you to join a panel of consultants to deliver Management Development Programmes under the title Stimulus Fund Programme. Under the July stimulus, a €10m. fund was ring fenced for Local Enterprise Office clients. This fund is to enable these businesses to move into a recovery phase.
The funding is conditional upon eligible businesses agreeing to complete a project focused on driving key themes such as Competitiveness both Operationally and Green, Capability across Leadership, Innovation, Strategic Finance and New Market Development which will support the mitigation of the effects of the Covid and Brexit crises. The intention is that the funding and associated projects will provide businesses with a platform from which they can sustain and grow thereby contributing to the recovery of the Irish economy.
Local Enterprise Office Mayo is setting up 6 panels of consultants under each of the specific areas of work outlined below. Each assignment will consist of no more than 3 days in-house consultancy. For each assignment consultants are obliged to submit timesheets, progress reports, and a final report (template to be provided including Objective, Deliverables and Impacts), including case study, to the Local Enterprise Office.
Purpose of the Programme
The projects to be accepted by clients will be for no more than 3 days/6 half days of one to one consultancy focused on one of the following:
a) The Lean for Micro programme: is to support owner managers and key staff members who wish to gain an understanding of lean principles and how lean can help increase the overall productivity, effectiveness and efficiency of the enterprise.
b) The Green for Micro programme: is to improve the environmental performance of the company thereby increasing the agility and resilience to climate change impacts. It is intended for companies unfamiliar with or lacking sufficient capability in environmental improvement methodologies. Eligible projects may include:
· Guidance with basic Environmental / Climate Action Management Systems
· Guidance with developing a Sustainable Strategy and Action Plan
· Guidance with aligning environmental practices to global/Irish sustainability reporting initiatives, e.g. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Origin Green, etc.
· Guidance with Life cycle assessment and/or Circular economy thinking
c) Leadership Coaching: The aim of this coaching is to build the individual leadership capacity, as well as supporting the development of skills to manage stakeholders and teams, during adverse (changing) business environments. Coaching sessions involve establishing a clear vision, identifying challenges and opportunities and agreeing leadership goals. Some outcomes include:
· Equiping the individual with the skills to enrich performance in their role, by building on their strengths, improving their development areas and achieving their goals.
· Enhancing specific aspects of interpersonal, communication and leadership skills.
· Strengthening skills in leading and managing change, and improving performance, as required by their role.
· Creating the environment for the individual to agree and implement a plan of continuous performance improvement.
· Empowering the individual to take full responsibility of their own leadership development.
· Supporting a culture of continuous professional development.
· Generally, improves confidence, performance and capability to lead the business in a volatile business environment.
d) Innovation Capability Development Programme: To support owner managers to embed innovative thinking into their business. An innovation expert will support them in a practical way to develop a roadmap to uncover the innovation potential that exists in their business stimulating the creation of new business models, services, products and processes to create new opportunities in the marketplace.
e) Strategic Financial Capability Development: To support owner managers who wish to strengthen their strategic financial capability. The objective is to demonstrate how financial information can be used to assist in strategic decisions that will help grow the business and the practical implications for implementing.
f) New Market Development: focused on upskilling domestic focused business interested in understanding if exporting is for them. Consideration of the challenges and opportunities for commencing an export journey:
· Domestic business and product capability
· Export opportunity – customer – competition – culture
· Export opportunity – products - sales – logistics
· Export opportunity – potential sales and costs
Providing clients with the tools to develop a strategy leading to client achieving their global ambition
· Product and competitor understanding
· Customer and Market Understanding
· Infrastructure understanding
· Capability and capacity understanding
Assignments are for no more than 3 days/6 half days in house consultancy. Please note the daily rate maximum is €900 (ex vat) and inclusive of travel and expenses. The consultancy work will be delivered in accordance with current government guidelines in relation to Covid-19 at the time the consultancy is taking place.
To be considered for a panel a consultant must:
1. State which panel(s) they wish to be considered for;
2. State their daily rate €(ex VAT);
3. Provide 2 examples of previous work with a micro enterprise relating to the panel(s) they wish to be considered for. Please note if you wish to be considered for multiple panels – different examples per panel are required;
4. Provide an outline of the proposed content of consultancy work e.g. hours of availability, onsite/online delivery, name of all proposed team members involved in delivery, proposed consultancy content outline relating to the panel(s) they wish to be considered for. Please note if you wish to be considered for multiple panels – different outlines per panel are required;
5. Provide CV(s) outlining relevant qualifications, background & experience for lead consultant and any proposed team members involved in the delivery;
6. Provide tax clearance number and access number;
7. Provide copies of professional indemnity and public liability insurance policies.
Planning phase will commence immediately following appointment of panels in May 2021. Projects are to be delivered between June 2021 & September 2021. Please note assignments will be based on a best fit principle. The highest scoring candidate will not necessarily be assigned all of the client businesses seeking support in that area as the LEO will consider the need of individual businesses to have work delivered in a timely manner.
Awards Criteria
The tenders will be adjudicated using the following scoring system:
1) Proposed content of consultancy work (30%)
2) Qualifications, Background and Experience (30%)
3) Price (40%)
Closing date is Friday 28th May 2021 @ 4.00pm and please be advised that late applications will not be accepted.
If you have any queries about the process, please do not hesitate to contact the office on 094 906 4299.