Identification of Sectoral Opportunities in Regions of Georgia

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (Identification of Sectoral Opportunities in Regions of Georgia – Least Cost Selection)

Country: Georgia

Project Name: The Relief and Recovery for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

Project No: P173975

Loan No. 9239-GE

Assignment Title: Identification of Sectoral Opportunities in Regions of Georgia

Reference No . (as per Procurement Plan): GE-GEDC-CS-LCS-03

Implementing Agency: JSC Georgian Economic Development Corporation

Date: 07.10.2026

The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia (MoESD), within the Relief and Recovery for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Project supported by the World Bank, intends to apply part of the loan proceeds to support the identification and assessment of sectoral and business opportunities across the regions of Georgia, with a focus on regional and municipal competitive advantages, value-chain potential, and actionable investment and business opportunities. The Project, Relief and Recovery for MSMEs, will be implemented nationwide and will consist of four components: Component 1 – Financial relief and recovery for MSMEs Component 2 – Digital payments & financial infrastructure upgrading Component 3 – Project management and monitoring Component 4 – Contingent Emergency Response Component A substantial portion of the Project activities fall under Component 1. Component 1 is implemented by JSC Georgian Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) (hereinafter – Client). It comprises of the following sub-components: Sub-component 1.1 provide micro-grants to finance working capital and fixed assets for micro and small firms. Sub-component 1.2 co-finance interest payments on loans underwritten by participating financial institutions (PFIs). Sub-component 1.3 provide partial credit guarantees for loans issued by PFIs. Sub-component 1.4 provide technical assistance to MSMEs in COVID-proofing, strengthening managerial skills, and digitalization through establishing Consulting Centers in the regions of Georgia (Growth Hubs - hereinafter GHs) to deliver specific services to MSMEs locally.

This Assignment:

The assignment consists of conducting a study to identify and prioritize sectoral opportunities across the municipalities and regions of Georgia.

The study shall:

Analyze Georgia’s existing and potential sectoral strengths at the national level, including established and emerging sectors, infrastructure, market trends, and other factors relevant to identifying economic and investment opportunities in the regions of Georgia; Assess competitive advantages and sectoral opportunities at the municipal level across the regions of Georgia, identifying existing specializations, underutilized assets and capabilities, and opportunities for expansion, upgrading, diversification, and new sector development; Map existing and potential value-chain linkages across municipalities and regions , identifying how production, processing, services, logistics, distribution, export, and other value-chain functions are currently distributed or could be developed across different locations; Validate and refine the analytical findings through consultations with relevant institutions, businesses, and other stakeholders at the national, regional, and municipal levels; Identify specific investment and business opportunities within the shortlisted priority sectors and locations, and prepare preliminary investment-readiness assessments for a prioritized shortlist of opportunities, covering the principal market, location, infrastructure, workforce, financing, regulatory and other enabling conditions and constraints; Develop conclusions, recommendations, and a prioritized action plan for advancing the identified opportunities, including recommended next steps, required institutional and policy actions, potential business-support measures, further studies where required, and indicative short-, medium-, and longer-term priorities.

The outcome of the assignment shall enable the relevant stakeholders to direct investment promotion, regional development, and business support efforts toward the municipalities, regions, and sectors where competitive advantage and readiness are strongest. The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be found at the following link:

https: //docs.google.com/document/d/1xfvaZ4O82S6uumDtD2wDbG5aBNd0jEVb/edit usp=sharing&ouid=114433811295150382465&rtpof=true&sd=true

GEDC now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

The minimum selection criteria are:

Be a legal entity registered under the law of Georgia on Entrepreneurs, with no outstanding tax liabilities (unless deferred or exempt by law); General Experience – The Consultant shall have at least six (6) years of demonstrated professional experience in economic research and advisory services, regional or local economic development, sectoral analysis, competitiveness assessment, investment-related advisory services, or other fields directly relevant to the Assignment. Specific Experience - The Consultant shall have successfully completed, within the last six (6) years, at least three (3) regional economic development studies, sectoral opportunity assessments, and/or economic assessments, at least one (1) of which involved municipal- or regional-level analysis in Georgia or a comparable country.

To be considered for the selection, the interested consulting firm must submit the following documents: A brief description of the company’s background and organizational structure, including the year of legal registration/incorporation and an extract from the Registry of Entrepreneurial and Non-entrepreneurial (Non-commercial) Legal Entities. In the case of a Joint Venture (JV), this information shall be provided for each JV member. To de