Consultant

Advertisement for selection of a consultant for capacity building of two women-led FPOs on marketing in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra

Project In Brief :

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) is implementing the project titled Marathwada District Transformation Model for the period of 01/10/2022 to 31/03/2025 supported by Hindustan Unilever Foundation. During the project period, SSP will implement a Sustainable Water for Agriculture model to improve water security and wellbeing of 1 lakh women farmers in the drought prone Marathwada region. The organisation will create a grassroots cadre of progressive farmers called Sakhis who will expand their well-established 1-Acre bio-farm model in over 500 villages of Osmanabad district. The cadre will also mobilise village communities to plan and implement regionally appropriate water conservation infrastructure in 200 Gram Panchayats of Osmanabad district. The three pillars of the project are Kisaan-Bazaar-Sarkar (Farmer-Market and Government) wherein the produce of the farmer is then to be sold to the market. The project is supporting the strengthening of two women-led FPOs for the same.

Need :

SSP is reaching out to 100,000 farmers in the Osmanabad district, where the farmers are adopting SSP’s WCRF model and other best practices in organic farming. The project seeks to make better market connects for the 1lac farmers who will be making the shift to organic farming. For this, two women led FPOs are being supported. To ensure better market linkages, we need a consultant who will build the capacities of the FPOs and their management to ensure sustainability.

Assignment In Brief

Based on the requirement of the assignment, the consultant would be appointed to strengthen 2 Women Led FPOs in Osmanabad. Key methodology of the assignment would be:

  1. Strengthening of FPOs
  2. Enabling the FPOs to build scalable and sustainable business models
  3. Building market access for farmers through the FPOs
  4. FPO digitization and technology integration
Outputs and Deliverables:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following for both the FPOs during the agreement period:

  • Development of business plans
  • Ensuring market connects to big buyers
  • Development of standard operating procedure (SOP) for commodity procurement
  • Register the FPOs on Gateway Platform
  • Adoption of Business Management System for Accounting
  • Update the Know your member (KYM) details for all the shareholders on Gateway
  • Disseminate information via SMS based services and Robo calling
Contract Period:

CONTRACT PERIOD for the consultancy will be for twelve months starting from 1st October 2023 and at the sole discretion of Swayam Shikshan Prayog management targeted during the project period. Contract will be governed by standard terms of service contracts of the organization. And will be shared with shortlisted candidates upon request.

Qualification & Experience:
  1. Consultant / Agency must have enough qualification in providing technical services in capacity building of FPOs
  2. Consultant / Agency must have minimum 5 years of experience, (and expert team) with demonstrated track record of keen interest in similar assignments.
Remuneration:

REMUNERATION will be on par with the norms in Social sector. Interested candidates are expected to make a financial offer of their minimum expectation.

Selection Process

A shortlist of maximum three consultants will be established based on expressions of interest.

Preference will be given to candidates having successfully handled similar assignment. Weightage will also be given to candidates with whom Swayam Shikshan Prayog had prior satisfactory association.

Final selection will be by a Management Committee of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, who may telephonically interview the shortlisted candidates and the decision of the Committee will be final and binding.

Only shortlisted candidates shall be contacted. In case your profile does not match with the aforementioned requirements, your application will be eliminated at preliminary scrutiny stage and Swayam Shikshan Prayog is not obliged to send any communication in that regard and will not entertain any follow-ups in that regard.

Please mail your expression of interest along with your profile; timescale based financial offer and at least 2 independent references to sspindia1@gmail.com

Closing Date for Applications: 25th August, 2023.