Consulting Services for MSME Champions Market Study and Program Design

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: Consulting Services for MSME Champions Market Study and Program Design

Assignment Countries:

- India ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION This TOR concerns the design and delivery of the MSME Champions program across priority manufacturing sectors and select geographies, in close coordination with SIDBI (Apex MSME Bank in India). Recognizing that the barriers MSMEs face are multi-dimensional — spanning access to markets, access to finance, access to capacity, and integration into global value chains, IFC seeks to commission a rigorous, evidence-based market study to understand the current state and future trajectory of MSME Champions across six priority manufacturing sectors. This study will generate actionable intelligence to inform the product design, financial instruments, technical assistance programmes, and policy advocacy for the MSME sector— and ultimately to catalyse a new generation of Indian manufacturing champions that are export-competitive, ESG-compliant, digitally enabled, and globally integrated. The firm will conduct a comprehensive market study – focused on identified sectors - to understand domestic and export demand, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and competitive dynamics across the 6priority sectors; and will include detailed secondary and primary data study (~600 MSMEs), across select manufacturing oriented MSME sectors in India. The assignment aims to identify, screen, and strengthen high-potential manufacturing MSME 'Champions' across ~6 manufacturing oriented sectors (to be defined by IFC/WBG/SIDBI) and across select geographies. Based on the study and findings, the goal is design a program, to increase their turnover, improve market access (domestic and export), enhance adherence to efficiency, ESG and quality standards, and measure the impact of the support program.

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility restrictions apply

- The consulting firm must demonstrate strong expertise in MSME development, manufacturing sector competitiveness, export market access, and enterprise capacity building. The proposed team should include, at a minimum, the following profiles: Team Leader / Project Director ● At least 15 years of experience in MSME development, industrial competitiveness, or enterprise support programs in emerging markets, with significant India-specific exposure. ● Demonstrated experience managing multi-sector, multi-stakeholder assignments of comparable scope and duration. ● Strong understanding of Indian manufacturing sectors and MSME policy ecosystem. Sector Specialists (one per priority sector; minimum 2 required) ● At least 7–10 years of relevant sector experience, with expertise in priority sectors (such as: Trade and export competitiveness; Financial sector / access to finance specialist; ESG and sustainability; Digital transformation and technology; etc.). ● Experience in quality standards, certification processes, and export market dynamics within the relevant sector. Market Access and Export Specialist ● At least 7 years of experience in export promotion, trade development, or global supply chain advisory, with knowledge of export destination markets relevant to Indian MSMEs. ● Familiarity with government export promotion schemes and trade bodies. Field Research and Monitoring Team ● Adequate research capacity for MSME outreach, baseline surveys, field assessments, and monitoring data collection. The firm may propose a consortium or sub-contracting arrangement, provided the lead firm retains overall accountability for quality and timely delivery. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase. Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now NOTES Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted. If you encounter technical difficulties while uploading documents, please send an e-mail to the Help Desk at [contact details removed] prior to the submission deadline.

Procurement number: 0002023860. Expressions of interest are submitted through the World Bank Group's eProcure (RFx Now) portal, which requires vendor registration.