Консультант з організації навчальної поїздки до Польщі з питань місцевого економічного розвитку

Консультант з організації навчальної поїздки до Польщі з питань місцевого економічного розвитку “Від стратегії до дії” для лідерів громад програми USAID DOBRE.

Global Communities, is seeking qualified short-term consultants for USAID-funded Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency Program (DOBRE):

POSITION:                                                    Trainer/Consultants to create & implement a Study Tour that enhances the capacity of municipal leaders in “Moving from Strategy to Action” to achieve local Economic Development

 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:                  2 Weeks

 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE:                    Poland

 LOE (Level of Effort) DAYS:                      Maximum 20 LOE days  

 TERMS OF REFERENCE

 Background

Global Communities is implementing the USAID funded Decentralization Offering Better Results and Efficiency (DOBRE) program in Ukraine.  Launched in 2016, this 5-year project is helping leaders of newly formed Amalgamated Territorial Communities (ATC) to effectively manage resources, increase the quality of public services, stimulate local economies, and improve citizen engagement. DOBRE guides community stakeholders through a participatory Strategic Planning process that engages citizens, identifies issues, and allocates resources.  Based on the resulting strategic development plan, DOBRE assists community leaders to create and implement programs and projects that address the priority needs of the communities. 

Using the Strategic Planning process as a framework, DOBRE is providing practical trainings and consulting services so that community leaders develop the skills needed to operationalize and implement their Strategic Plans.  Additionally, the knowledge, skills, and learning tools and approaches used are institutionalized within Ukrainian educational institutions and other local government service organizations so that developing communities will have access to information, support, and services needed in the future. 

DOBRE Project Description

DOBRE is working with newly Amalgamated Territorial Communities located in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Mykolayiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil Oblasts. Many leaders of ATCs lack the capacity to fulfil their new responsibilities resulting from decentralization and consolidation. Through a series of trainings and consultations, DOBRE is helping leaders to develop this essential capacity and effectively apply new knowledge and skills to engage citizens and improve their community. 

DOBRE’s Consortium comprised of international and Ukrainian organizations, led by Global Communities, unites a broad set of expertise and experience in decentralization and community development. This Consortium is partnering with multiple Ukrainian educational institutions, NGOs, associations and other organizations to deliver a series of practical trainings, off and on-site consultations, and community engagement activities that result in local economic and community development of the amalgamated territorial communities. Community-driven processes result in Strategic Development Plans that provide a framework for “action plans” that guide creation of programs and tailored projects that improve public services, stimulate economic development, and increase the quality of life in the communities. 

Scope of Work and Deliverables

Global Communities wishes to engage a Сonsultant(s) to design and implement a Study Tour that will increase the capacity of Ukrainian Municipal “Local Economic Development” teams and support organizations (educational institutions, NGOs, consulting organizations), in

“Moving from Strategy to Action” to Achieve Local Economic Development.

The Study Tour to Poland will instil the knowledge and skills necessary for municipal economic development teams to implement specific programs and projects that focus on priority Local Economic Development needs and opportunities identified during their strategic planning process.  As a result of the training, participants will be able to operationalize their communities’ strategic plans by completing and implementing specific “action plans” focused on priority areas. 

These action plans will allow communities to “Move from Strategy to Action” by creating action plans and assembling, motivating, and managing teams to implement the plans. Participants will be prepared to present their Action Plans to community stakeholders and lead the implementation of the projects.  

The 5-day study tour (ST) to small, rural communities located in Poland will provide participants the opportunity to visit municipal leaders and support staff that have successfully implemented Local Economic Development programs and projects. Participants will learn from experiences of Polish community leaders in practical planning and project implementing methods.  The visits will focus on projects that improved the business environment, supported existing business and aspiring entrepreneurs, and increased investment that led to the creation of new jobs and improving the quality of life in the community.   

Background and Objective of Consultancy

DOBRE uses a variety of tools for developing capacity of municipal staff and other community stakeholders. These include practical workshops, seminars, and study tours that instill essential knowledge and practical skills. Through study tours, participants learn from first-hand from experiences of international counterparts.

DOBRE wishes to engage individual trainers/consultants to design and deliver a 5-day practical study tour that creates a framework for operationalizing communities’ Strategic Development Plans. Strategic Development Plans have set out community goals and created a vision of how citizens would like their community to evolve. However, the Strategic Plans do not provide specific guidance on priorities and details of implementation steps, responsibilities, sequencing, milestones, target dates, and financing.   

The Study Tour will build upon knowledge and skills learned during a previously conducted DOBRE workshop that introduced Action Planning. The 2-day training focused on the design of “action plans” that address specific program/project areas identified in the community’s Strategic Development Plan.

The Study Tour will build on the foundation of knowledge resulting from this and other DOBRE trainings by visiting LED project sites and interacting with municipal and business leaders who successfully moved from “strategy to action” to implement projects. Visits will include on-going or completed projects in key sectors of small, rural communities of Poland.

Study Tour sites and Focus

Desired visits include successful projects in: 

• “Multiple-Use” Public Spaces with an emphasis on economic development related facilities such as farmers markets, recreational parks, marinas, etc.

Examples can be seen at https://www.pps.org/reference/ten-strategies-for-transforming-cities-through-placemaking-public-spaces/ Many DOBRE communities have identified agriculture processing and farmers markets as LED tools that would benefit their community.  Developing the areas as multi-purpose public areas are of great interest. 

• Agriculture Cooperatives – By visiting active cooperatives in Poland, study tour participants will learn the role of cooperatives in pooling resources, uniting and enabling producers to access new markets, receiving information and training, applying needed technology and receiving financing. Learning the benefits, challenges and methods of establishing cooperatives and keeping them operational will be of great importance.

• Communication with Business and New Investors – Study Tour participants need to learn their role in Local Economic Development, learning about alternative programs and activities that support existing businesses, encouraging entrepreneurism, and attracting new investment. What can be done to improve the local business environment? What tools are often used in Poland? What can be done to attract and work with new investors?  (Community websites, community passports/investment profiles, business surveys, business directories, community branding, inventories of community assets, etc.) What barriers are typically encountered and how can they be overcome?  Meeting with Polish counterparts who have successfully developed their local economic eco-system is of great interest.

• Youth Business Training Programs – Entrepreneurship development is an important requirement for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth. This is particular relevant for youth who face higher unemployment rates than adults or view migration as their only alternative, especially from smaller rural communities.  Poland has a number of programs supporting entrepreneurship of youth and participants will benefit from learning from program leaders (school to work, skill training, coaching, internships, entrepreneur competitions, etc.).  Visiting programs of individual rural communities and those that are reliant on inter-municipal cooperation are of interest.  For additional information and examples, see https://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/SummaryReportSeminarYouthEntrepreneurshipRev.pdf

• Business Incubators and Support Centers – What type of support can rural communities provide to existing businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs? Are local or area education institutions helping to provide the services in Poland? Is it viable to establish permanent centers in small communities or is this type of LED support only sustainable through inter-municipal cooperation or networks? How can this be achieved? Visiting ongoing and active programs in rural communities of Poland is highly desirable.

• Inter-municipal Cooperation – For many DOBRE communities, various economic tools can only become viable through inter-municipal cooperation. The experience of Poland’s Zielawa Valley is a good example on what can be done.  In addition to public services, communities collaborated to create a coherent and comprehensive tourism promotion strategy. DOBRE communities siting tourism as a viable LED tool can benefit from both successful and unsuccessful experiences in Poland.

Recently, the regional cluster approach became recognized as a valuable tool to foster economic development in Poland. A regional network of communities must promote itself in order to attract new members, to create confidence and a positive attitude towards the industry in the region and, more importantly, to build a common identity. Cluster policies generally concentrate their support in networks rather than individual firms or communities and emphasize the importance of enhancing innovation and learning within the cluster. For example, the Silesian Wood Cluster features production and services companies, mainly manufacturers of wood joinery and suppliers of resources and production materials.

Industrial parks have been successfully developed in Poland and study tour participants will be interested in visiting one.  Any visit to an industrial park site should emphasize the highly competitive nature of attracting investment to the park, what community resources are critical (workforce, housing, public services, transport, etc), and what actions and investment is required from a city to “close a deal.”  What are the biggest challenges to expect? If a park is established, what role does the community have in ensuring public service and other requirements are satisfied? One suggested site is the Bielsko Aviation Technology Park. 

Creation of Action Plans

During the Study Tour, Participants will incorporate information learned during the Study Tour into their draft “Action Plan” that will guide them in their LED project/program’s implementation.  Additionally, participants will gain the ability to present their Action Plan to key stakeholders and answer requests or questions about the specific program/project(s) they plan to implement. Examples of expected requests or questions include: 

• Describe the program/project goals and how it fits into the community’s Strategic Development Plan?
• What specific economic benefits will the program/project bring to the community?
• Are there sufficient people who have a buy-in to drive the plan forward?
• What are the human, financial, time and other needs of the program or project?
• How will you access these needed resources?
• What are the anticipated challenges or “roadblocks” to implementing the plan?
• When and how will the plan be initiated?
• What are your first action steps?
• What are its milestones?
• How will you track and monitor implementation of your plan?

• How will you communicate the plan to key stakeholders and the broader community?

Responsibilities and Tasks

Trainers/consultant(s) will be selected to organize and implement a 5 to 7 day study tour. (5 days of visits plus arrival day “preparatory” session and departing day “Summary and Next Steps – Implementing Action plans”.  

The major deliverables of the Consultant include:

• Develop training program for study tour participants and submit for DOBRE approval;
• In collaboration with Logistics Provider, arrange Study Tour Program comprise of meetings with Polish counterparts (hosting municipalities organizations, institutions) involved in LED in small, rural communities in Poland and site visits to LED programs and projects;
• Create basic training materials, highlighting key goals/objectives of each visit;
• Provide contact information of municipal officials and other Polish counterparts involved in LED to be visited and, if required, make formal contacts (letters, mails) to such officials referring to Study Tour issues and getting agreements.
• Accompany the group during meetings and site visits;

Working language of the Study Tour will be Ukrainian, but all reports will be submitted to DOBRE in English. 

Targeted audience

DOBRE works with leaders of newly amalgamated communities.  The study tour participants will primarily represent these small, rural communities. 

The study tour will be comprised of approximately 20 participants.  Participants will include municipal leaders and staff responsible for economic development in DOBRE partner ATCs. Additionally, some representatives from “Local Government Service Organizations (LGSOs)” assigned to support the participating ATCs’ economic growth will be invited to attend.  LGSO representatives will assist and work closely with ATC teams to complete pre-study tour and study tour assignments.  Two or three representatives of DOBRE will also participate. 

Deliverables

The major deliverables of the Consultant are as follows:

• *Specific schedule dates will be assigned upon signing of contract agreement

Qualifications and Experience of Trainers/Consultants

The ideal Consultant(s) will have the following qualifications:

• At least five years of practical training experience (skill training as opposed to theory/lectures)
• A demonstrated understanding of rural economies in Ukraine
• Experience in providing consultancy services to municipal governments;
• Proven trackrecord of professionalism and ethical conduct.

NOTE:  Ukrainian language presentations will be facilitated through professional translators.  

Duration

The work will begin immediately after contract signing and completed no later than 60 calendar days after the signing. 

Estimated Level of Effort (LOE) Guide

As guidance, the expected LOE for the study tour measured in 8-hour workdays is as follows:

Additional Notes

Although the study tour will be conducted in Ukrainian, the trainer/consultant(s) will submit all reports electronically to DOBRE in the English language.

Application Process

Submissions must be prepared in English and delivered electronically to the following address: [email protected], indicating “STUDY TOUR POLAND – “Moving from Strategy to Action” by COB November 3, 2017.   

All submissions must include: 

• A summary (max. 3 pages) of the applicant’s expertise and experience, highlighting those aspects that are particularly relevant to the present assignment.
• Applicant’s CV (10 pages maximum).
• Three relevant references.
• Proposed daily consultancy fee rate (in US$, supported by Biodata Form to be sent to applicant upon request).
• Draft Study Tour agenda, content, and proposed training approach, including tentative sites the consultant plans to cover.