Consultancy Service for Establishing and Hosting the Responsible Business Helpdesk (RBH) in Vietnam

Calling for expression of interest (EoI)

Tender package 83419883

Provision of local CONSULTANCY SERVICE for establishing and hosting

the responsible business helpdesk (RBH) in Vietnam

As a federal enterprise, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. On behalf of the German Government, GIZ provides advisory services to the Vietnamese Government in three priority areas: (1) Vocational training, (2) Environmental policy and sustainable use of natural resources, and (3) Energy. For further information, please visit www.giz.de/viet-nam. 

The Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) project promotes the implementation of social, labour and environmental due diligence (HREDD) in global supply chains. It scales and harmonises approaches that allow for a comprehensive and joint implementation of due diligence. In this way, the IGS plans to enable buying and supplying companies to exercise shared responsibility for the impacts of their business practices on people and the planet. The IGS is currently being implemented in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Serbia within the garment and textile industry and electronics industry. The project works with four key areas of action, one of which being the establishment of Responsible Business Helpdesks (RBH) in each country where the IGS is active. 

The Responsible Business Helpdesk in Vietnam is going to be a local helpdesk that informs, raises awareness, and advises companies in Vietnam on standards and requirements of HREDD and connects them with local experts and service providers. The vision for the RBH is to be a ‘spider in the web' on responsible business conduct, bringing together producers, service providers and sustainability initiatives. Similar to the German helpdesk on business and human rights¹, the service portfolio of RBH itself is limited to more general and first line advice and referral to (external) experts and initiatives. Hence, the RBH provides first line support to (especially textile garment and electronics) industry on creating industrywide awareness on the German Supply Chain Act and upcoming European legislation and consequential Due Diligence obligations. More specifically, the RBH provides the following services:  

1. Advice for companies and business associations on the social, labor and environmental due diligence basics (risk management; continuous improvement processes; systematic data collection, monitoring and reporting, grievance mechanisms) and selected sector risks, as well as referral to experts for specialist sector risks and needs.?? 
2. Training on social, labor and environmental due diligence basics and referral to training of external service providers for specific sector risks and industry needs.? 
3. Raising awareness and fostering dialogues between stakeholders, through (online) seminars, events, consultations. 
4. Source of information for interested stakeholders, particularly private sector, for information on HREDD e.g. e-learning materials, FAQs, brief/ update on social, labor and environmental due diligence, relevant policies, regulations and tools, on a functional website 

The RBH in Vietnam will be hosted and managed by an organization (preferably a local industry association), whilst GIZ will provide technical support to the organizational development and capacitation of the RBH. The RBH service portfolio will be integrated in the host organization’s business strategy for its long-term sustainability. In addition, it contributes to strengthening the hosting organization as a key player in facilitating public-private dialogue and business services, especially for national textile-garment and electronics sectors. This shall help to improve the sectors’ competitiveness, sustainability, and capacity for social and environmental due diligence.?The RBH services also aim at positioning the host agency as a leading voice for responsible business practices, building on the organization’s existing profile in this space.

Against this background the IGS project is looking for local consulting entity(s)/ which can provide at least two (02) long-term expert positions: one (01) RBH Advisor and Coordinator and one (01) RBH Advisor, and a short-term expert pool to deliver the service packages (aforementioned) under the envisaged RBH. In addition, one (01) management representative of the host agency will be appointed as in-kind contribution of the consulting entity (no-cost) to oversee performance of the service contract.

On behalf of the IGS project, the GIZ Office Hanoi is conducting a public tender to seek qualified Local Consulting Firm(s) (here after called as LCF) to carry related tasks as follows:

1. Tentative timeframe of the assignment: from 25 November 2022 until 31 March 2024
2. Place of assignment: Mainly in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh, and other provinces
3. LCF’s expert months/days: up to 31 expert months (for long-term expert positions) and up to 80 expert days (for short-term expert pool)
4. Requirements: The selected LCF will be contracted to implement all the tasks within this activity. They are expected to have extensive expertise, preferably at least 15-years of experience in the field of providing advisory services on responsible business to private sector in Vietnam in terms of business operation, capacity building, legal issues, business strategy development and/or sustainability. The LCF is also required to have extensive experience in policy advocacy supporting business development, designing and/or formulating of policies related to private sector development at national and international levels. The LCF is expected to being engaged with various industrial sectors including at least the textile-garment and electronics sectors.

Interested Local Consulting Entity(s) should send an expression of interest containing:

1. Letter of interest (with Director’s signature and company stamp)
2. Entity profile (incl. Business license (for Firm) or Decision of establishment (for Association), tax code registration, organisational chart, summary of experience in providing technical and advisory services to enterprises on responsible business conduct, human rights and environmental due diligence, sustainable development including experience working with companies in textile-garment and electronic sectors; experience working with international organization and regional projects (if any).
3. Audited financial report of the last 2 years (for Firm)
4. Consortium (if at least 2 entities join the assignment): Consortium contract and nomination of consortium leader

Rejection criteria:  

LCF or leading firm of consortium is required to have at least 15 years of experience in providing technical and advisory services to enterprises on responsible business conduct, human rights and environmental due diligence, sustainable development including experience working with companies in textile-garment and electronic sectors. The LCF is required to provide Valid Legal Status (having copy of business registration/ decision establishment + VAT code (if applicable), incl. related business area about advising and supporting business community in Vietnam).

To receive Assessment Sheet of Expression of Interest (EOI) documents, please send email request to [email protected] before 03.10.2022.

The EoI documents with company stamp and signature of the Director or the authorized person must be submitted in writing in English and in Vietnamese, latest by 17:00 (Hanoi time) on 17.10.2022 to [email protected] with email subject “Tender code: 83419883-EoI dossier”.

Important note:

1. Request of EoI assessment sheet to be sent to [email protected] before 03.10.2022.
2. EoI assessment related questions to be sent to [email protected] before 10.10.2022.
3. EOI documents to be sent to [email protected] before 5 PM 17.10.2022.
4. Sending EoI documents to wrong email address will lead to disqualification of the bidder.
5. Only selected bidders will be contacted for receipt of tender dossier.