Vacancy: Request for proposals for consultancy services for GTI clients

Job Description

BACKGROUND

The Feed the Future Ghana Trade and Investment (GTI) Activity is a five-year activity that started was on initiated December 1, 2021.  The Activity will work closely with public and private sector stakeholders to improve the enabling environment for Ghana’s economic growth by (1) facilitating growth in export-oriented trade; (2) improving and developing product standards; (3) catalyzing investments in private enterprises related to high-value commercial crops; (4) promoting job creation, particularly among women and youth; (5) promoting economic diversification; and (6) increasing foreign exchange revenues from high-value export crops. Nathan Associates will facilitate investing in firms that trade goods across borders, spur innovation, and build the capacity of the entire trade sector.

In scaling up our approach, Nathan Associates will develop a flexible menu of innovative financing activities that leverages the private sector to increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and Ghana. Our transaction advisory services will facilitate exports and investment and adhere to the principle of additionality to address market gaps unfilled by the private sector.

Rationale

Most agriculture value chain actors in Ghana have difficulty accessing affordable innovative financing for business growth especially working capital financing. To this end, the Nathan Associates is soliciting responses from professional service provider firms to provide services in analyzing, transforming, and securing investment for Ghanaian firms. This RFP is to identify a short list of Service Providers. The Service Provider will then be selected for specific tasks where individual Request for Services will be solicited and awarded on a rapid response basis. The Service Provider will prepare beneficiaries to be investor-ready and facilitate them to access affordable and smart capital from various sources. The services will aid in achieving GTI’s objectives and results stated as follows:

• Objective D1: Develop distinct and innovative ideas for additional programmatic interventions.
  
  
  
  • [Expected] Result D1: Develop innovative finance opportunities for firms in the agriculture sector.
  
  
  
  


• Objective E1: Scale-up programmatic interventions and increase firm level interventions.
  
  
  
  • [Expected] Result E1: Scale up size of investment opportunities for firms already completing business transactions valued in excess of US$2 million per firm.
  
  
  
  

SCOPE OF WORK

Nathan Associates requests that Service Providers responding to this RFP should be proficient in providing services in at least one of the following areas. These areas should constitute the scope work for the service provider under this assignment.

Service Area One: Due diligence and Diagnostics. Up to [150] beneficiaries who will be assisted with this type of service should have been pre-screened by Nathan Associates or otherwise. Nathan Associates may ask for Service Area One work to be done in two stages, the first being a more in-depth screening to determine whether a full due diligence and diagnostic is warranted.

Tasks may include but not limited to:

• Market analysis, viability of the market, both on the supply and sales sides. This may include analysis of supply chains and sales logistics health and challenges.


• Operational analysis, including review of internal controls, governance, asset verification and production capacity assessment, risk management, human resources, financial controls, inventory control, etc.


• Environmental analysis, to flag and provide potential remediation for destructive environmental practices


• Legal assessment: Firm status, tax liabilities, lien status, regulatory liabilities actual and contingent, etc.


• Internal financial analysis, potentially including a full historical and pro forma cash flow model, debt validation, sensitivity analysis, and Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) valuation.

Diagnostics include identifying type and depth of problems to be addressed before the Client firm becomes suitable for outside investment. Note that a diagnostic assessment that the firm is not or likely to be suitable, could be an acceptable output.

Each Request for Services issued by Nathan Associates to Service Provider selected under this RFP will indicate which areas are considered most important. Some due diligence areas may be rapidly check-listed, while others will be analyzed in much more detail. Nathan Associates also will rely on Service Provider to flag additional areas or help to rearrange priorities.

Nathan Associates will reserve the right to specify the exact types of analyses to be carried out, scope of the analyses, and tools used. In some cases, Nathan Associates may request that its own in-house tools/templates be used.

Service Area Two: Business Improvements. The diagnostics carried out in Service Area One work will be used, as needed, to prescribe remedial changes to be made in the firms before they are suitable for outside investment. This Service Area may entail a wide range of tasks across various disciplines.

Tasks may include but not be limited to:

• Remedial accounting work, including setting up of well-structured systems, and making current accounting consistent with International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) /International Accounting Standard (IAS)


• Support the implementation of various types of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems including logistics, inventory control, tracking, Customer Resource Management (CRM), and others


• Advising on and modification of corporate governance practices


• Development of sales and marketing programs and teams


• Improving human resource functions, including taking Gender Youth and Social Inclusion (GYSI) considerations into account


• Technology improvement and management

Under these Requests for Services, the Service Provider will be expected initially to validate the diagnostic from the firm that carried out the Service Area One work.

Service Area Three: Seeking Investment. Once Nathan Associates in consultation with the Service Provider believes that the beneficiaries are suitable for investment, and additional resources will go into matching the firm with investors. The extent and type of support under this Service Area will depend on the investment being sought.

Some examples of work under this Service Area include, but are not limited to:

• Preparation of packages of financial and legal materials on Client Firms for presentation to lenders and investors


• Preparation of offering memorandum and/or pitch decks for Client Firms seeking larger amounts of funding and/or from international sources


• Discounted Cash Flow model and/or market equivalent or other valuations techniques


• Identification of potential investors and making introductions for Client Firms


• Attending meetings between Client Firms and potential investors, and then providing detailed feedback to Nathan Associates


• Active work seeking out investors for Client Firms, domestically, regionally, and further abroad.

**Service Providers with strong linkages in the local, regional, and international financial sector will be given preference in this Service Area

**A Service Provider seeking to provide services for Nathan Associates should indicate the specific service area (s) they would like to partner with Nathan Associates.

DELIVERABLES

The successful Offeror shall deliver to Nathan Associates the following deliverables, in accordance with the schedule set forth in II.4 below.

Deliverable No. 1: Due diligence and Diagnostic Report

The Service provider shall assess businesses using an agreed tool and deliver a detailed business assessment report on challenges and proposed solutions in:

• Operation (process/method of converting materials, labor and technology into an output in an efficient manner)


• Market (domestic, regional and or international as well as key actors)


• Governance (decisions and actions of managers)


• Finance (use and sources of financing)


• Technology (methods, systems and devices used in production)


• Investment opportunities (business areas that present the best opportunities for investors)

The report will be used to design a technical assistance program towards investment readiness.

The Transaction Advisor shall provide Nathan Associates with an inception report, detailing any additional information, approach or methodology to use to execute the assignment

Deliverable No. 2: Business Improvement Report

The Service Provider shall assist the beneficiaries to address specific tasks to areas identified under Service Area one per task order issued out by Nathan Associates when needed. The Business improvement report shall include the approach used for addressing the business challenges and the expected impact to business.

Deliverable No. 3: Investment Information

The Service Provider shall develop the following investment documentation to potential investors:

• Investment teaser (this is 1-page summary of the business opportunity)


• Pitch deck (8–10-page document that explains the business and the opportunities available)


• Information Memorandum (similar to a business plan that provides all the necessary information for an investment decision to be made by an investor)

The Service Provider shall lead the investor engagement effort, support investment structuring and discussions on investment offer and close a minimum of five (5) investments.

DELIVERABLES SCHEDULES

The successful Offeror shall submit the deliverables described above in accordance with the following deliverables schedule:

• Deliverable numbers and names refer to those fully described in II.3 above