Selection of a consultant to conduct: i) A Comprehensive Needs and Capacities Assessment on market opportunities and interventions required for FGs and Coops of dairy, citrus, potato ii) (FEBL) Programmes iii) BP development and implementation

MoAL/RNRJobs/Pro-2/PMU/2025-26/54 August 13, 2026

ACCELERATE BHUTAN’S JOB TRANSFORMATION THROUGH RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE VALUE CHAINS (RNR JOBS PROJECT)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REoI) (CONSULTANTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

Country: Bhutan

Name of Project: Accelerate Bhutan’s Job Transformation Through Renewable Natural Resource Value Chains (RNR jobs project)

Loan No/Credit No/ Grant No: IDA-E4690

Assignment Title: External Service Provider (ESP) to Support Productive Partnerships (PPs) under the RNR Jobs Project, Bhutan

Reference No.: MOAL/DAMC-PMU/CS-8

1. The Royal Government of Bhutan has received financial assistance in the form of Credit and Grant from the World Bank towards the cost of the proposed Accelerate Bhutan’s Job Transformation Through Renewable Natural Resource Value Chains to be implemented partly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and intends to apply a part of the proceeds of this financing for the services of Selection of consultancy firm for External Service Provider (ESP) to Support Productive Partnerships.

2. The broad scope of services (“the Services”) includes

a. Post-Awareness and Pre-EoI Support Engage Interested Participants Capacity Needs and Opportunity Assessment Matchmaking and Partnership Formation Support to EoI Conceptualization

b. Business Planning and Capacity Development Workshops

c. Post-EoI Selection Support for Business Plan Development Financial Education and Business Literacy (FEBL) Capacity Development for Business Planning Quality Enhancement (Non-Substitutive Role)

d. Support during implementation phase Coordination between PPs and PMU Business plan implementation support Reporting and documentation

The detailed Terms of Reference for the assignment are available at: https://www.moal.gov.bt/tender-for-accelerate-bhutans-job-transformation-through-rnr-value-chain/ The TOR may also be obtained upon request from the address indicated below.

The Expressions of Interest will be evaluated to identify the most qualified and experienced firm in accordance with the Consultants’ Qualifications-based Selection (CQS) method. The evaluation criteria are:

Consultants are requested to submit, but not limited to, the following supporting documents in support of the above-mentioned criteria: Core business and organizational experience: At least five years of demonstrated institutional experience in agribusiness development, renewable natural resource value chains, enterprise development, productive partnerships, or other fields directly relevant to the assignment. Relevant experience in similar assignments: Demonstrated experience in at least three completed or substantially completed assignments during the last five years involving a combination of agribusiness or value-chain development, productive partnership facilitation, business-plan development and implementation support, and capacity building of farmer organizations, cooperatives, or SMEs. Experience in comparable assignments financed by governments, development partners, or other clients involving similar coordination, reporting, capacity-building, and stakeholder-engagement requirements. Technical capacity: Demonstrated institutional capacity to provide multidisciplinary support in agribusiness, partnership development, business and financial planning, capacity building, stakeholder facilitation, and implementation support. Managerial and organizational capacity: Demonstrated capacity to manage and coordinate decentralized, field-based assignments involving multiple beneficiaries, government agencies, private-sector entities, and other stakeholders. National language and dialects : Commitment to mobilize personnel with the strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills in national language and dialects during the implementation of the assignment.

Note* For each criterion, the firm shall submit assignment-specific details including the client name, country, scope of services, contract duration, completion status, contract value and the specific role undertaken by the firm or, in the case of a Joint Venture (JV), by each JV member.

(i) The Firm's Incorporation/Trade/registration documents from the country of the firm; (ii) Firm’s brochures; (iii) description of similar consultancy contracts, including the scope, contract amount, name of Client, period of the contract (date of contract signing to date of completion), location/ country of the services, etc. Key Experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage .

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.13, 3.15, and 3.16 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” February 2025 (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment as per paragraph 3.17 of the Procurement Regulations: Consultants shall not be hired for any assignment that would be in conflict with their prior or current obligations to other clients, or that may place them in a position of being unable to carry out the assignment in the best interests of the Borrower.

Consultants may associate with other firms to enhance their qualifications but shall indicate clearly whether the association is in the form of a joint venture (i.e. all members of the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable) and/or a sub-consultancy (i.e. the Consultant will be responsible, including for the services of the sub-consultant). In case of an association, the Consultant must explain in the EoI submission (a) the rationale/ justification for the proposed inclusion of the JV members and/or sub-consultants; and (b) the anticipated role and relevant qualifications of each member of the Joint Venture and/or of each sub-consultant for carrying out the assignment. Failure to provide the above explanation in the EoI may risk the