Request for Expressions of Interest – Karamoja – Mercy Corps

Issuance Date: Friday May 6 , 2016
Closing Date for EOI submission: Tuesday May 31 , 2016
Anticipated Number of Contracts: Maximum Ten (10)
Maximum Value (per contract): USD 6000
Anticipated Duration: Until Oct. 2017
Geographic coverage: Kotido, Kaabong, Moroto, Nakapiripirit and Amudat

GHG Livestock Pilot Program
Mercy Corps’ Growth, Health and Governance (GHG) project is implementing a USAID funded livestock pilot project in target parishes and sub-counties in the districts of Kaabong and Kotido in Northern Karamoja and Amudat and Nakapiripirit in Southern Karamoja with the goal of increasing the productivity and competitiveness of the Karamoja livestock sector through three interwoven objectives, along with a strong focus on the sub-region’s complex gender dynamics. The GHG Livestock Pilot project intends to:

Increase livestock productivity and household incomes.
Improve household food security/ nutrition from livestock production.
Lay the foundation for a strong enabling environment for the livestock sub-sector.
The Request
Mercy Corps is pleased to announce a request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) from private veterinarians, livestock health distributors/retailers, and related entrepreneurs who are interested in developing or expanding their business in target areas of Karamoja.

Who: Expressions of Interest are sought only from Uganda-registered private companies or individuals that: 1) desire to expand their business activity and/or market reach to Karamoja, 2) have a minimum of two years of relevant experience and/or have completed a five year degree in veterinary medicine or related field, and 3) Individuals who can contribute their own resources as cost share.

What:
• Applications from livestock products companies or distributors submitted for this program must:

Provide evidence of an existing business license
Describe their current business with veterinary drugs/equipment in Uganda. The following inputs are of priority interest: Veterinary drugs, livestock feed/supplements and veterinary equipment.
Specify the proposed business activity for Karamoja, including proposed location, type of assistance needed, and type of cost share the applicant has.(Proposal: Not more than 5 pages)
• Applications from Veterinarians desiring to open a private practice must provide:
evidence of a degree in veterinary medicine
Describe the type of business (veterinary practice) they propose to open in Karamoja, including proposed location, type of assistance needed, and type of cost share the applicant has.(Proposal: Not More than 5 pages)
Two references

Mercy Corps will:
Designate eligible applicants based on the stated criteria above.
Review and score eligible applications based on: 1) relevance to GHG objectives and EOI, 2) suitability of budget and cost share, 3) experience and/or commitment to succeed..
Provide equipment, furnishings, materials as in-kind contributions and also training based on proposed needs.
Provide a partial credit guarantee for inventory rom approved suppliers, as needed.
Help facilitate a partial loan guarantee from the Ugandan Veterinary Association for UVA-approved businesses as a membership benefit.
Provide business assistance to the approved businesses for inventory control, credit management, and business management.
Encourage supported businesses to meet all terms and conditions in order to meet the objectives of the program/EOI.
Veterinary Drugs/Equipment Suppliers and/or Private/ Iindividual Veterinary Practitioners will:

Evaluate MC-designated businesses such as CAHWs to assess their potential as a customer/distributor/retailer and determine a credit limit that the supplier finds acceptable.
Sign an MOU with MC to stipulate the conditions of the in-kind equipment, furnishings, materials.
Support customers/distributor/retailers with promotional activities that may include radio programming, community outreaches, CAHW trainings and marketing assistance.
Provide technical and marketing assistance to the customers/distributors/retailers on product knowledge and provide promotional materials, as applicable.

Provide samples to guaranteed businesses for demonstrations, as applicable.

Where: Applicants must be willing to expand their veterinary practices or drugs/equipment supply activities to any or all of the following Districts: Kotido, Kaabong, Moroto, Nakapiripirit, and Amudat.

REOI Process
Applications submitted in accordance with the instructions above, will be screened for eligibility criteria (see “what” section above). Applicants that meet the eligibility criteria and receive a high score will be informed of next steps.

Other Information
Any resulting assistance will be made under USAID Award #AID-FFP-A-12-00006.

Eligibility
To be considered for this program, organizations must meet all of the eligibility criteria listed below and provide the required enclosures listed in the EOI form below. Meeting these criteria does not guarantee the award of assistance.

Applications from livestock products companies or distributors submitted for this program must:
a. Provide evidence of an existing business license
b. Describe their current business with veterinary drugs/equipment in Uganda. The following inputs are of priority interest: Veterinary drugs, livestock feed/supplements and veterinary equipment.
c. Specify the proposed business activity for Karamoja, including proposed location, type of assistance needed, and type of cost share the applicant has.
Applications from Veterinarians desiring to open a private practice must provide:
a. evidence of a degree in veterinary medicine
b. Describe the type of business (veterinary practice) they propose to open in Karamoja, including proposed location, type of assistance needed, and type of cost share the applicant has.
c. Two references

HOW TO APPLY:
How to apply: To be eligible for the Growth, Health and Governance (GHG) Livestock Pilot Veterinary Services and Livestock Products Assistance, applicants must provide evidence that they meet the eligibility criteria specified in this REOI (see eligibility section above) and submit applications/expressions of interest to consultant@ug.mercycorps.org by 10 am on Tuesday May 31, 2016