DEADLINE: 01 April 2015, 4:30PM (AST) CARIBBEAN EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NOTICE

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1 DEADLINE: 01 April 2015, 4:30PM (AST) CARIBBEAN EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NOTICE TITLE: Lead generation, pre-qualification and short-listing of foreign companies identified as potential investors and the securing of their participation in meetings, in particular, the Caribbean Investment Summit in London in 2015 CONSULTANCY SERVICES 1. Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export), in collaboration with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA), invites proposals from qualified contractors to provide consultancy services for the generation of leads, prequalification and short-listing of foreign companies, identified as potential investors in the Caribbean and the securing of their participation in meetings with CAIPA members, in particular the Caribbean Investment Summit, which is scheduled for June 25, 2015 in London. Contractors are invited to submit a technical and financial proposal. 2. The proposed consultancy is being undertaken in the context of the 10th European Development Fund Private Regional Sector Development Programme. The assignment is detailed in the attached Terms of Reference (TOR), Annex 1. Consultants (firms/individuals) are being asked to present proposals. 3. All proposals are to be addressed to: Executive Director c/o: Mr. Chris McNair Caribbean Export Development Agency 1st Floor Baobab Tower Warrens St. Michael BARBADOS Proposals may be sent via mail to the address noted above in Section 5, or by to the attention of Mr. Christopher McNair at: cmcnair@carib-export.com copied to shudson@carib-export.com Please note that if you submit a proposal by and do not receive a return response from Caribbean Export, you must contact the Agency prior to the deadline to ensure receipt of your . The deadline for all submissions is 01 April 2015 at 4:30 pm (AST). Late submissions will not be accepted. The timelines in Appendix 1: Terms of Reference, Section 7, are adjustable.

2 All questions regarding the terms of reference should be sent by to copied to Or telephone (Chris McNair) and (Suzette Hudson). 4. The Consultant will be supervised by the Executive Director, Caribbean Export Development Agency (or his/her nominee) who will have responsibility for overseeing the Consultancy and compliance with the scope of work. The Consultant will work closely with the members of the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA). 5. The successful consultant will be required to enter into a Contract with Caribbean Export Development Agency. 6. A proposal will not be considered unless it complies with the conditions set out in this notice. 7. Caribbean Export Development Agency does not bind itself to accept the lowest, or any proposal submitted. Appendix 1: TERMS OF REFERENCE Terms of Reference Lead generation, pre-qualification and short-listing of foreign companies identified as potential investors and the securing of their participation in meetings, in particular, the Caribbean Investment Summit in London in BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1.1. Beneficiary countries CARIFORUM Region: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago Contracting Authority Caribbean Export Development Agency 1.3. Relevant background The Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) was formed in 2004 with the objective of enabling collaboration among the CARIFORUM Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs). The Association was officially launched in 2

3 2007 and has as its primary aim the strengthening of the region s visibility as an attractive destination for FDI, the leveraging of opportunities for joint marketing and promotions, facilitating customized training for its members and providing access to reliable information. CAIPA, as an umbrella association for regional IPAs, also seeks to foster the exchange of best practices in Investment Promotion throughout the Caribbean Region. CAIPA s Members are the IPA and/or relevant Ministries of the following 19 Countries and Territories: Antigua & Barbuda Grenada St. Vincent & Grenadines Bahamas Guyana Suriname Barbados Haiti Trinidad & Tobago Belize Jamaica Turks & Caicos Cayman Islands Curaçao Dominica Dominican Republic Montserrat St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia Under this framework, Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) acts as CAIPA s Secretariat. Caribbean Export is a regional export development and trade and investment promotion organisation of the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM). The proposed activity is being undertaken through the provision of funding assistance by the European Union in the context of the 10 th European Development Fund (EDF). Caribbean Export, as the main beneficiary of the funding assistance has been charged with the implementation of a Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) and has targeted as one of its priority areas, the continued strengthening of CAIPA to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The overall objective of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme is to contribute to the gradual integration of CARIFORUM countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago) into the global economy. More specifically, the objectives of the RPSDP are: a) Enhancing Competitiveness and Promoting Innovation among CARIFORUM s Private Sector; b) Promoting Trade and Export Development among CARIFORUM States; c) Promoting stronger trade and investment relations among CARIFORUM and French Caribbean Outermost Regions (FCORs) as well as European 3

4 Union (EU) Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in the Caribbean; and d) Promoting stronger trade and investment cooperation between CARICOM and the Dominican Republic (DR). There is also a complementary objective of strengthening the institutional capacity of Caribbean Export to implement trade and investment promotion programmes in the region through its export development programming and through support to the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) Current state of affairs in the relevant sector In 2014, a Regional Investment Promotion Strategy (RIPS) for CARIFORUM was developed. The Strategy proposes a framework for regional collaboration in the promotion of the Caribbean region as a FDI destination. The Strategy s implementation will be championed by Caribbean Export in collaboration with CAIPA. It will provide a framework for future collaboration among CAIPA members in their efforts to promote the region for investment. Prior to the Strategy s development, CAIPA undertook activities geared towards the promotion of the region as a single destination. In the recent past, these initiatives have included outward missions, for example to Istanbul, Turkey and Geneva, Switzerland in At these events, CAIPA sought to present a single message about the Caribbean to potential investors. Despite efforts to dialogue with stakeholders on the ground in these countries, e.g. the overseas Caribbean diplomatic representatives and the local Chambers of Commerce, the process of lead generation and prequalification was not successfully executed. As a consequence, there were very few potential investors participating in the aforementioned events and those who participated were not prequalified. The start-up implementation of the RIPS in 2015 envisages the hosting of an investment forum in London targeting European investors. Given the foregoing, the strategic targeting of potential investors is one of the key initiatives that would ensure the successful hosting of the investment forum. It is against this background that the contracting of a lead generation firm is being considered to ensure the participation in the Forum and in subsequent meetings, of potential investors interested in investing in the Caribbean Related programmes and other donor activities: CAIPA is in receipt of funding support from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) under a Regional Public Goods Programme to provide support to FDI attraction initiatives. 2. OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE & EXPECTED RESULTS 4

5 2.1. Overall objective The overall objective of the Competitiveness and Innovation component of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP), of which this contract will be a part, is to enhance Competitiveness and to promote Innovation among CARIFORUM s private sector. Progress towards this outcome is assessed in several areas, one of which is the development and start-up implementation of the RIPS. The hosting of an investment forum in London is one of the planned initiatives, geared towards the securing of investors for investment ready projects in the Caribbean, in particular in the renewable energy, business process outsourcing and the tourism sectors. These are sectors identified by the RIPS for strategic targeting in the near to medium term Purpose The specific purpose of this contract is as follows: Lead generation, pre-qualification and short-listing of foreign companies identified as potential investors and the securing of their participation in meetings, in particular, the Caribbean Investment Summit in London in Results to be achieved by the Consultant The consultant is expected to deliver the following result: The generation of an initial list of at least 100 potential investors into the Caribbean, a short-list of 50 prequalified potential investors and a finalized shortlist of approximately 20 pre-qualified investors, seeking investment opportunities in the Caribbean. These final 20 investors are expected to participate in the Caribbean Investment Summit and in subsequent meetings with the Investment Promotion Agencies. 3. ASSUMPTIONS & RISKS 3.1. Assumptions underlying the project intervention There are investors interested in investing in the Caribbean who are willing and available to participate in the Investment Summit and in subsequent meetings with the IPAs at the time designated for the event; That the IPAs have investment ready projects that are of interest to potential investors in Europe and that can be used as the basis to initiate discussions with potential investors; and That there is adequate time available for the generation of leads prior to the 5

6 hosting of the investment summit Risks The risk is that the above-mentioned assumptions are not realized and as a consequence the anticipated results and objectives of the project are not realised. 4. SCOPE OF THE WORK 4.1. General CAIPA is seeking the professional services of a consultant whose primary goal will be to generate leads, pre-qualify and short-list foreign companies in Europe, identified as potential investors and secure their participation in meetings, in particular, the Caribbean Investment Summit in London in Specifically, the services to be provided will include: The generation of leads: The identification, profiling and segmentation of at least 100 potential foreign investors considering investing in the Caribbean; The pre-qualification and listing of at least 50 qualified foreign companies identified as potential investors; Securing the participation of at least 20 of these potential investors in the Caribbean Investment Summit and in subsequent meetings with the IPAs. The Summit is being proposed for 25 June 2015 and will be held in London Geographical area to be covered by the Consultant CARIFORUM, Europe Target groups Investment Promotion Agencies and Government agencies focused on investment promotions, Potential Investors Specific activities In order to realise the objectives and results, the Consultant will be specifically required to undertake the following tasks: 6

7 a. Develop a long-list of approximately 100 potential investors from Europe who may be interested in investing in the Caribbean; b. Based on interventions with these potential investors, develop a short-list of about 50 pre-qualified potential investors from Europe interested in investing in the Caribbean. The development of the short-list of pre-qualified investors will be guided by information on shovel-ready investment opportunities in the Caribbean, provided by CAIPA members; c. Secure the participation in the Caribbean Investment Summit and in subsequent meetings with the IPAs of at least 20 of these foreign companies pre-qualified as potential investors in the Caribbean; d. Provide a duly signed declaration made by the 20 selected companies demonstrating the interest of the company to invest in the Caribbean (expression of interest); e. Prepare a profile on these firms including a preliminary due diligence. This profile should also include a summary of the interventions made by the lead generation firm and the sector/project of interest of the potential investor. Detailed information about the firm is also required that will assist in advancing discussions at the planned business meetings subsequent to the Summit; f. Priority focus should be placed on the following types of investment projects: Greenfield or brownfield investments in niche tourism; Call centres, back-office operations, technical support and customer services; and Renewable energy (in particular wind and solar) However, should a potential investor express an interest in other sectors, these should also be considered; and g. Provide general guidance on the hosting of the Caribbean Investment Summit and specific guidance to the IPAs regarding their planned meetings with the selected potential investors Project management Responsible body The Caribbean Export Development Agency will be responsible for the management and coordination of this project Management structure The M a n a g e r, C o m p e t i t i v e n e s s a n d I n n o v a t i o n will retain overall responsibility for the project and will report the performance of the project to the Executive Director. Day-to-day supervision of the activities of the project is the responsibility of the Senior Advisor for Investment Promotions (based in the Dominican Republic) Facilities to be provided by the Contracting Authority and/or other parties 7

8 Not applicable. 5. LOGISTICS AND TIMING 5.1. Location The CARIFORUM region 5.2. Commencement Date & Period of implementation of tasks The intended commencement date is 0 6 A p r i l The deliverables and maximum payable man hours for completion of this assignment is 65 days. The project will end on 06 July REQUIREMENTS 6.1. Personnel Key expert All experts who have a crucial role in implementing the contract are referred to as key experts. The profiles of the experts for this contract are as follows: Qualifications & Skills 1. Graduate degree in business, economics, international marketing or related field 2. Proven experience in research and analysis 3. Expertise in developing and implementing marketing and public relations strategies with particular focus on location marketing 4. Familiarity with the implementation of investment promotion strategies 5. Excellent written communications skills with fluency in English. General Professional Experience 1. Minimum ten (10) years experience in international marketing 2. Solid experience in generating leads, pre-qualifying investors and securing the participation of potential investors in meetings to discuss investment opportunities 3. Knowledge of the business climate in the Caribbean, opportunities for investing and the challenges related to sustainable development in the Caribbean 4. Experience working with investment promotion agencies within CARIFORUM would be an asset. 8

9 Other experts, support staff & backstopping Only one key expert will be required for this contract Office accommodation No office accommodation at the Caribbean Export Development Agency is required for the key expert Facilities to be provided by the Consultant The Consultant shall ensure that additional experts, if required, are adequately supported and equipped. In particular, the Consultant shall ensure that there is sufficient administrative, secretarial and general support for each additional expert to enable the Consultant to concentrate on his/her primary responsibilities. The Consultant must also transfer funds as necessary to support the activities under the contract and to ensure that all employees are paid regularly and in a timely fashion Equipment No equipment is to be purchased on behalf of the Contracting Authority/beneficiary countries as part of this service contract or transferred to the Contracting Authority/ beneficiary countries at the end of this contract. Any equipment related to this contract which is to be acquired by the Contracting Authority/beneficiary countries must be purchased by means of a separate supply tender procedure. 7. REPORTS 7.1. Reporting requirements The consultant will submit the following deliverables: Inception Report detailing the programme of work and timelines, within 1 week of commencement of the assignment, by 06 April 2015 Report 1 Submission of the targeted long-list by sectors, by 13 April 2015 Report 2 Submission of a short-list of the 50 prequalified investors by 18 May Report 2 Submission of the list of 20 prequalified investors who will be participating in the Caribbean Investment Summit and in meetings with the IPAs by 08 June This Report should also include the profiles of these potential investors, the preliminary due diligence report, their duly signed declaration and the times scheduled for subsequent meetings. A participant s list that includes signatures from the 20 pre-qualified investors is also required Report 2 Final Report that includes feedback from the 20 potential investors on the 9

10 Summit and on the subsequent meetings held, their proposed follow-up action and support required from the IPAs - Report Submission & approval of deliverables The deliverables referred to above must be submitted to the Senior Advisor, Investment Promotions. All reports must be submitted in English. The Senior Advisor, Investment Promotions is responsible for approving all deliverables. 8. PAYMENT TERMS All services must be completed to the satisfaction of the Agency and payment will be contingent on submission to and approval of the services performed. Payment will be made based on the following schedule: 30% of the total sum upon presentation and approval of the Inception Report (Report 1) 50% of the total sum upon presentation and approval of Report 2 20% of the total sum upon presentation and approval of Report 3 9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION 9.1. Definition of indicators Performance on the project will be measured by timely submission of the deliverables outlined in Section 4.2 and as outlined within the work plan, as well as by the acceptance and approval of the Contracting Authority. Feedback on each submitted Report is not a requirement for the continuation of the project. The Contracting Authority will provide feedback to the consultant within five (5) working days of receipt of the final report Special requirements None. 10