Upphandling Support to ACE-ESD Innovation Hub

Direct procurement - Request for tender

Description of services: Support to ACE-ESD Innovation Hub

Requirements specifications of services

The purchase must include the following products/commitments/services:

INVITATION

We invite organisations to apply for a tender to support the development of the Rwanda-based ACE-ESD Grid Innovation and Incubation Hub (GIIH) as a consultant.

BACKGROUND

Chalmers University of Technology is supporting The African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACE-ESD) at University of Rwanda in developing their Grid Innovation and Incubation Hub (GIIH) on the campus of College of Science and Technology. The hub is a bridge between the University of Rwanda and the energy sector, and aims to strengthen innovation and research capacity in meeting the energy challenges Rwanda is facing. The GIIH has two main components. First, to translate energy research to positive societal impacts. This involves a range of innovation-oriented activities where universities can create societal value and enhance entrepreneurial thinking. Second, the Hub hosts an Incubator, a protected space (i) for business on campus, that is to provide business skills training, and (ii) where innovative ideas towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals can be nurtured and transformed to sustainable businesses.

The GIIH is currently in a phase of expansion and partial transformation, widening the scope beyond energy to other sustainability solutions. We are inviting experienced organizations that will provide expert advisory and support services to the Hub during its expansion phase, with activities related to teaching, research, nurturing innovations, entrepreneurship and policy advocacy.

We are inviting organizations to bid with an offer covering multiple of the categories that are specified below – amounting to a maximum of in total of 650 000 Swedish Krona excluding VAT over a contract period of May 2023 until end of December 2025. The offers will be evaluated based on quality of content, individual expertise within the organization, and value for money. Only organizations with an office and staff located in Rwanda will be considered.

The contract period can start at the earliest from May 2023. The specific timeline, work packages and dates of implementation will be decided through discussion and joint agreement between Chalmers, ACE-ESD and the contracted organization.

REQUESTED SERVICES

The services will be provided upon request from the Hub, based on the needs, and decided and agreed upon every quarter. Work will be implemented in work packages, with a budget specified and approved up front for each of those.

More specifically, the Consultant shall have expertise to provide support in the following categories:

Category 1: Improving the Hub’s strategy and management in the role of senior advisor

1.Providing guidance on the Hub model on a continuous basis – which includes the strategic objectives, branding, management model, activity plans, plans for monitoring and evaluation etc., with an eye to developing a model that can be scaled up to reach the entire University of Rwanda.

2. Advice on practical approaches to everyday management

Approaches: Regular meetings with Hub staff to continuously improve ways of working. Internal workshop(s) with representatives from different concerned management bodies and key stakeholders; document review and written feedback, etc.

Category 2: business Incubation program

1. Facilitating training activities at GIIH – e.g. pre-boot camp, boot-camp and market validation – and documenting the lessons learnt, and facilitating interns to the Hub

2. Capacity development on processes for business development, e.g. approaches for innovation ideation, pitching and selection, incubation, acceleration

3. Capacity development on business models, i.e. how to make the Incubator financially sustainable

4. Support in establishing digital components of the Incubator and the Hub, e.g. web-based tools for learning, interacting, etc.

Approaches: Assisting center staff in planning, implementing and evaluating Bootcamp & business skills seminar(s)/ trainings; meetings; document review and written feedback; mentoring staff; support in identifying mentors, etc.

Category 3: Supporting execution of activities

1. Managing funds on behalf of GIIH to execute some of their activities

2. Sub-contracting services on behalf of GIIH as per demand to enable execution of GIIH activities

Category 4: Communication and capacity development in innovation system interactions

1. Communicating GIIH activities in relevant channels

2. Facilitating stakeholder interactions & dialogue between the University/GIIH, the innovation ecosystem, and policy makers

3. Capacity development in external partnerships, e.g. advice on legal and financial aspects of partnerships with national and international partners

4.Capacity development on different approaches to research translation (e.g. stakeholder interaction and communication, research communication, popular science and public engagement, etc.)

Approaches: joint event with an already established local hub – e.g. innovation challenge, seminars, presentations by former incubatees, etc.; learning workshop(s) aimed at establishing the triple helix link; (online) meetings, document review, advice on fund raising, support in developing MoUs and contracts, communication skills training, etc.

Category 5: Curriculum for the Incubation program

1. Advice and support on curriculum development, teacher trainings and student-oriented capacity development activities related to innovation and entrepreneurship

2. Support in using the lean canvas, design thinking model and business canvas model

Approaches: support in developing training modules and improving curriculum through e.g. workshop(s); (online) meetings; document review and written feedback. Seminars that apply practical design thinking tools; facilitation of community engagements and interactions; support in user innovation processes and co-creation in research, training on design ethics, or similar approaches, etc.

We welcome applications that indicate the type and objective of the support they want to provide (using the categories presented as a guiding point), the approaches they will use, and the outputs. The outputs should, among others, include a specification of the organizational staff who are experts and will provide the support in the suggested area.

More specifically, the Consultant shall provide support in multiple or all categories.

Price

The maximum budget available over the period of May 2023-Dec 2025 is 650,0000 SEK (Swedish Krona) excluding VAT and including all related costs requested in this request for tender. Proposals will be assessed on value for money, among other factors. The work is done based on demand, there is thus no guarantee that the services requested will amount to the maximum.

Agreement terms

The seller must accept all agreement terms.

Tender submission

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Your organization is invited to submit a proposal. Instructions for proposal preparation:

1. Please give a brief overview of the organization’s activities in relation to the scope of the services we are requesting. Specify your organizational number and address in Rwanda.

2. Describe the skill set of your team, number of staff present in Rwanda and how you can add value to our process.

3. Describe the implementation plan you propose for the first year such that we understand what you see as prioritized areas for work (including timeframes and proposed timelines) and specify the outputs of these activities. Explain what makes you uniquely positioned to deliver the specified support.

4. Provide a budget: clearly specify cost for staff (hourly rate or daily rate) without VAT. Specify also if you anticipate travel cost, possible equipment/premises as part of your activities. Exemplify your offer with a proposed work package (topic of your own choice) of 20 days such that we get an overall estimate.

5. Provide CV of individual experts within the organization that will be involved

The tender must be received no later than 24th April 2023.

The tender shall be valid until end of June 2023. 

Evaluation of tenders

The most economically advantageous tender (i.e. an assessment of price, quality, service etc.) will be chosen.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The offers will be evaluated based on quality of content, individual expertise within the organization, and value for money. The skills and competences listed below will also be considered. This is not a checklist that must be fulfilled in its entirety but summarizes what may be needed for the activities in the different categories listed above.

1. Proven knowledge in setting up and/or managing an innovation hub (or similar organization)

2. Proven knowledge in providing entrepreneurial or business skills training for students or researchers in Rwanda

3. Good understanding of orienting innovation hub activities to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals

4. Good understanding of the innvovation ecosystem in Rwanda

5. Good understanding of the set-up of higher education institutions in Africa – preferably public universities

6. Proven skills and ability in moderating/facilitating knowledge development meetings, seminars, and workshops

7. Knowledge of or experience in gender mainstreaming and social inclusion

8. Knowledge of the innovation hub ecosystems in Africa

PERFORMANCE

Upon successful and satisfactory conclusion of one assignment, a Contract renewal will be made for executing the second and subsequent stages of the assignment (if the offer includes multiple assignments corresponding to different categories). Duration of Initial and Subsequent Contracts, and the Expected Duration of Assignment will be specified in the next stages of the bidding process.

Confidentiality and the freedom of information principle

After the procurement has been terminated the principle of public access to official records applies. This means that all documents related to the procurement process become public and may be disclosed to anyone who requests access to them. Exceptions may only be made if there is any specific reason to believe that the Tenderer may suffer damage if the information is disclosed.

If you have information that you consider is of such nature, your tender shall include precise details of which information should remain confidential, and how you would suffer damage in case of the public disclosure of this information. Chalmers will evaluate your request and determine whether confidentiality in accordance with Swedish law may be deemed to apply.