For Various Short-Term Technical Assistance Services
Land O’Lakes Venture37
Land O’Lakes Venture37 invites proposals from qualified consultants to provide various technical assistance services to Land O’Lakes Venture37. We seek consultants to provide services in in one or more of the following six areas:
- Food Safety Technical Training
- Organizational Development Technical Training
- Food Safety Material Localization and Translation
- Food Safety Manual and Guidance Development
- Food Laws and Regulations
- Trade Facilitation
Each area will be evaluated separately based on the criteria described in this RFP and its attachments. This document includes background information on Land O’Lakes Venture37, a description of the types of services requested in each area, information about the expertise that Land O’Lakes Venture37 seeks and guidance on how to submit a proposal.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of one year. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for 40 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Proposal Process
The selected consultants will provide services such as those listed in Attachments A-F. Offerors are welcome to apply for work under more than one area. The attachments to this document are as listed below. The attachments specify the typical tasks involved, the minimum and desired qualifications of candidates, the submission requirements and the criteria used to evaluate all submissions received as well as the relative weight of the criteria.
- Attachment A – Food Safety Technical Training
- Attachment B – Organizational Development Technical Training
- Attachment C – Food Safety Material Localization and Translation
- Attachment D – Food Safety Manual and Guidance Development
- Attachment E – Food Laws and Regulations
- Attachment F – Trade Facilitation
Offerors will complete and include a Proposal Checklist (found in Annex 1) as the first page of their submission which will indicate the areas for which they would like to be considered. The Proposal Checklist also indicates what supporting attachments must be included.
Submission Instructions
All interested applications shall submit their complete proposals with the necessary documents stated in the scope work. For consideration, applicant’s documents shall be received by 11:59 PM on February 6, 2021. All proposal documentation shall be in English. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Applications shall be sent to Amina Hassan at aahassan@landolakes.org with the Subject Line “TAIB Short Term Technical Services Application” by the closing time on February 6, 2021.
If an applicant would like to be apply for more than one technical area, the applicant should submit just one application with the technical areas that they wish to be considered for clearly marked in Appendix I. The applicant is responsible for providing all the required documentation listed in the scope(s) of work for which they are applying for in their application submission.
Appendix 1: Proposal Checklist
Name of individual submitting proposal and contact information (email, phone number, address):
Please select the role(s) for which you wish to be considered:
☐Food Safety Technical Training
☐Organizational Development Technical Training
☐Food Safety Material Localization and Translation
☐Food Safety Manual and Guidance Development
☐Food Laws and Regulations
☐Trade Facilitation
Required Documents (all services):
☐ Proposal checklist (Appendix 1)
☐ Curriculum Vitae (CV)
☐ At least 2 references, with contact information
☐ Proposed daily rate in EGP*
* Costs should be gross, inclusive of taxes, and assume an 8-hour work day
Supplemental Documents (by service):
Food Safety Technical Training
☐ List of previous delivered trainings including technical subject and client
Food Safety Manual and Guidance Development
☐ At least 2 examples of previous manuals or guidance documents authored by the candidate
Appendix 2: Technical Competencies Checklist
This checklist is required only for offerors seeking to provide Food Safety Technical Training or Organizational Development Technical Training. Please check the technical areas in which you have experience and would like to be considered as a preferred provider:
☐ Food Safety Technical Training
☐ Food Safety Standards:
☐ ISO 22000
☐FSSC
☐BRC
☐Global GAP
☐ HACCP
☐Food Traceability
☐Food Allergies
☐Food Contact Materials
☐Cleaning and Sanitation
☐ Pest Control
☐Food Labeling
☐Control Measures for Food Safety
☐ Food Risk Assessment
☐ Food Additives
☐ Food Fraud prevention
☐ Food defense
☐ Food Preservation
☐ Good Storage Practices
☐ Good Transportation Practices
☐ Food Sampling
☐ Food Investigation Techniques
☐ Food Microbiological Contamination:
☐ Dairy
☐ Meat
☐ Fishery
☐ Fresh Produce
☐ Catering
☐ Inspection Procedures
☐ Organizational Development Technical Training
☐ Soft Skills Training:
☐ Leadership Skills
☐ Training of Trainers
☐ Critical Thinking
☐ ISO 17020
☐ Finance and Administration
☐ Financial Management
☐ Accounting
☐ Purchasing
☐ Organizational Management
☐ Change Management
☐ Crisis Management
☐ Risk Management
☐ Data Collecting and Analysis
☐ Human Resources Management
Attachment A: Food Safety Technical Trainer
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in developing and delivering food safety technical training to NFSA’s inspectors and food business operators.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
In order to improve the capacities and skills of food safety inspectors and workers, TAIB is looking to develop a list of preferred providers that are qualified food safety trainers across various food safety areas and specialists. Food safety trainers will design and deliver training to NFSA’s inspectors, Chamber of Food Industry’s trainers and other private sector stakeholders. Under this Scope of work the food safety trainer is expected to complete the following tasks:
- Training agenda.
- Development of a final report including analysis of training results and recommendations for future activities.
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- University degree in Food Technology, Food Safety, Agriculture Science, Microbiology or another related field of study.
- Demonstrated experience delivering food safety related training.
- Demonstrated knowledge of current food safety practices and principles.
Preferred Skills and Qualifications:
- A minimum of 10 years’ experience working in food safety or working in food industries.
- Fluency in English and Arabic.
- Demonstrated experience delivering food safety related training to the public sector or in an international development context.
The candidate should clearly articulate which technical area(s) are being applied for by completing Appendix 2: Technical Competencies Checklist.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist.
- Appendix 2: Technical Competencies Checklist
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- List of previous delivered trainings including technical subject and client.
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Criteria for Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Skills and Experience Suitability of education and previous work experience. Demonstrated ability to provide technical training in food safety area(s) selected. |
70% |
|
Cost Price realism and value to Venture37. |
30% |
Attachment B: Organizational Development Technical Trainer
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in developing and delivering organizational development technical training and support services for NFSA and their staff.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
The TAIB project is supporting NFSA to strengthen their organizational capacity. TAIB is looking to develop a list of preferred providers that are organizational capacity building specialists and trainers to support NFSA’s sustainable growth and development. Potential tasks that the consultant may be expected to support in are:
· Developing and delivering training to NFSA staff. Potential topic areas include administrative skills, finance and accounting, leadership skills, ISO 17020, and human resources management;
· Conduct gap assessments of NFSA’s operations and developing action plans to address areas in need of improvement.
· Provide direct support to NFSA and providing on-the-job training to NFSA personnel. Potential fields include administration, finance, and / or accounting; and,
· Supporting NFSA to implement a Total Quality Management (TQM) system.
The candidate should clearly articulate which technical area(s) are being applied for by completing Appendix 2: Technical Competencies Checklist
- Offerors that fail to meet minimum qualifications may not be considered.)
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, administration, accounting, or related field; and,
- At least 5 years’ experience providing trainings to the public or private sector or directly working in organizational capacity building;
Preferred Qualifications
- Masters’ degree in finance, administration, accounting or related field;
- Demonstrated experience providing trainings to the public sector; and,
- Demonstrated conducting similar activities for international development organizations; and
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist (Appendix 1)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Qualifications and past experience to carry out work Suitability of education and previous work experience. Demonstrated ability to provide technical training or support to strengthen NFSA’s organizational capacity. Demonstrated expertise in the technical area applying for. |
70% |
|
Cost Price competitiveness and value to Venture37. |
30% |
Attachment C: Food Safety Material Localization and Translation
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in localizing and translating international training programs on food safety into Arabic.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
- To transfer international best practices to NFSA’s inspectors, TAIB is working to translate and localize a set of international training programs across various food safety topics. TAIB is looking to build a list of experts that can provide translation and localization of food safety training courses. Under this scope of work, the consultant is expected to provide on-demand support to TAIB by:
- Translating international food safety training materials from English to Arabic;
- Localizing the content of these training materials and guides to the Egyptian context; and,
- Translate other technical documents including standard operating procedures, questionnaires, food safety inspection checklists, memorandum of understanding, and food safety awareness materials from English to Arabic and vice-versa.
- University degree in agriculture science, food safety management, law or related field.
- Demonstrated competency in translation in Arabic/English.
- Excellent written and spoken language skills (both English and Arabic).
- Ability to translate standard operating procedures, questionnaires, food safety inspection checklists, memorandum of understanding from English to Arabic and from Arabic to English.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in the area of agriculture, food safety, or translation of food safety technical documents
- Demonstrated knowledge of technical terms related to agriculture, food safety, food quality, food import control and food management.
- Understanding of the Egyptian food control system.
- Accredited translation certificate or credentials.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist (Appendix 1).
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Short-listed candidates will be requested to conduct a trial translation and localization.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Qualifications and past experience to carry out work Demonstrated knowledge of food safety systems and experience conducting translation and or localizations. Demonstrated fluency in English and Arabic. |
40% |
|
Cost Price competitiveness and value to Venture37. |
30% |
|
Trial Translation Accuracy and suitability of trial translation / localization |
30% |
Attachment D: Food Safety Manual and Guidance Development
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in developing food safety manuals and guidance documents for industry on improved food safety practices and NFSA’s regulatory requirements.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
TAIB is supporting NFSA to modernize their inspection system, including the development of industry specific checklists and robust standard operating procedures (SOPs) to guide their inspection process. And to ensure that industry is aware of NFSA’s forthcoming regulatory changes and best practices, TAIB works with industry to develop various guidance and guideline materials to support industry’s adherence to NFSA’s regulatory requirements. TAIB is looking to build a list of qualified consultants which can review and/or develop SOPs, inspection checklists, and develop guidelines to support industry’s compliance. Under this scope of work the food safety manual and guidance consultant will be responsible for the following:
- Review and/or develop initial drafts of SOPs, inspection framework and inspection checklists.
- Support TAIB in developing guidelines and awareness materials for the industry.
- Support TAIB in the development and delivery of trainings on the developed guidelines for the industry.
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- Masters’ Degree in Food Technology, Food Safety, Agriculture Science, Microbiology or another related field of study.
- Proven experience in writing food safety manuals, guidelines, and similar materials.
- Demonstrated knowledge of current food safety practices and risk-based inspection principles.
- Proficiency, both oral and written, in English and Arabic.
Preferred Skills and Qualifications:
- A minimum of 10 years’ experience working in Food safety management, Food manufacture or food safety standards.
- Demonstrated knowledge of NFSA.
- Previous experience developing instructions and checklists for the public sector of certified food safety auditing company.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist (Appendix 1).
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- At least 2 examples of previous manuals or guidance documents authored by the candidate
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Qualifications and past experience to carry out work Demonstrated knowledge of food safety inspection practices. Demonstrated experience drafting food safety guides, manuals and guidance documents. Knowledge of NFSA’s regulatory requirements. |
70% |
|
Cost Price competitiveness and value to Venture37. |
30% |
Attachment E: Food Laws and Regulations
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in supporting NFSA to harmonize their regulatory framework with international standards.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
The TAIB project is supporting NFSA to review and update their regulatory framework to align more closely with international standards. TAIB seeks to hire on a short-term basis, a national consultant to assist the program with food policy initiatives. Typical tasks may include:
· Conducting legal research, including reviewing the chapters from the WTO Agreement, CODEX reports, and regulatory systems of trading partners, and providing summary reports to NFSA and TAIB’s leadership.
· Supporting the legal review of technical regulations prior to their submission to NFSA’s Board of Directors, ensuring their compatibility with Egyptian law and promotion of international best practices.
· Providing translation of legal texts, including technical regulations, from English into Arabic.
· Supporting NFSA to draft legal text and protocol.
Minimum Qualifications (Offerors that fail to meet minimum qualifications may not be considered.)
- Masters’ degree or equivalent in law or another related field;
- Five (5) years’ experience working in trade related law; and,
- English language proficiency.
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated experience working with and applying international trade related agreements;
- Demonstrated knowledge of legislative procedures and regulatory drafting in Egypt;
- Demonstrated competency in translating legal texts from English to Arabic; and,
- Familiarity with Egypt’s food control system and current legal system.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist (Appendix 1).
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Qualifications and past experience to carry out work Suitability of education and language skills. Demonstrated ability to support NFSA’s legal and food policy activities. Demonstrated knowledge of international trade agreements and of Egypt’s legislative procedures. Demonstrated ability to conduct legal research and translations. |
70% |
|
Cost Price competitiveness and value to Venture37. |
30% |
Attachment F: Trade Facilitation
Land O’Lakes Venture37 Short Term Technical Assistance Services (Egypt)
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (Venture37) invites proposals from consultants to provide short-term technical assistance in supporting NFSA to facilitate increased agriculture trade.
This solicitation is based on an open, competitive selection process. Successful offerors will be placed on Land O’Lakes Venture37’s preferred provider list. Selection as a preferred provider does not guarantee issuance of a contract. The preferred provider list shall be valid for a period of two years. Contracts will be issued to preferred providers on an as-needed basis, and will be negotiated based on assignment needs, offeror qualifications and availability, and will incorporate the offeror’s proposed rates. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to select any or none of the proposals. Land O’Lakes reserves the right to issue contracts to individuals and firms outside of those on the preferred provider list.
Background
Land O’Lakes Venture37 (www.landolakesventure37.org/) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is striving to help communities thrive through agriculture as we seek to fulfill our vision of abundant food, unlimited potential. We implement agricultural development and economic growth activities in partnership with donor agencies and foundations. Since our start in 1981, we have leveraged nearly 100 years of expertise in crop inputs, agricultural insights, dairy and animal nutrition from our close affiliate, Land O’Lakes, Inc. (www.landolakes.com), a farmer-owned agribusiness committed to fulfilling its purpose of feeding human progress.
Our team is made up of nearly 350 employees who are committed to market-led approaches, and passionate about collaborating locally to create lasting inclusive economic growth. By unlocking the potential of agribusiness market systems for more than 38 years, the lives of more than 3 million people have been transformed through nearly 300 programs in more than 70 countries.
Since 2018, Land O’Lakes Venture37 has been implementing the Transforming the Assessment and Inspection of Food Businesses in Egypt (TAIB) project, a five-year $7.5M activity funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will expand domestic and international trade of Egyptian food products through supporting the establishment and scale-out of a new government entity, the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA). TAIB will provide technical and financial support to NFSA that is responsive to the evolving needs of the nascent regulatory authority. Assistance will be aimed at harmonizing Egyptian food law and regulations and international standards, implementing robust inspection systems, managing outbreaks, conducting science-based risk assessments, monitoring Egyptian food safety systems, and reducing food borne illnesses.
Scope of Work
TAIB is working with NFSA to facilitate agriculture trade, including streamlining the sampling and inspection of imported and exported food consignments. TAIB seeks to hire on a short-term basis, a national consultant to support NFSA in the implementation of trade facilitation activities. Typical tasks may include:
- Supporting the implementation of NFSA Decision No. 6 / 2020 on Food Import Licensing, and NFSA Decision No. 7 / 2020 on a Risk-Based Food Import Control System;
- Preparing process maps, registration documents and other necessary administrative procedures to facilitate import and export of food consignments;
- Support in the development of a pre-border notification system;
- Provide training to NFSA staff on the implementation of the new food import and export procedures;
- Draft standard operating procedures and work instructions guiding the inspection and sampling of imported or exported food consignments;
- Supporting the implementation of NFSA’s temporary release protocols; and,
- Supporting industry to understand the regulatory requirements of NFSA’s new food import and export control systems.
- Offerors that fail to meet minimum qualifications may not be considered.)
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in trade, administration, agriculture, food science, or related field; and,
- Five (5) years’ experience working in trade, agriculture or agribusiness,
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated experience working to facilitate the trade of agriculture products internationally;
- Demonstrated knowledge of CODEX, the WTO Agreement and the Trade Facilitation Agreement;
- Prior experience developing standard operating procedures and / or work instructions for food inspection; and,
- Demonstrated experience developing administrative procedures for a public sector entity or large private sector company.
Proposal Submission Requirements
All interested candidates will submit the following materials:
- Proposal checklist (Appendix 1).
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- At least 2 references with phone and email contact information.
- Proposed gross daily rate in EGP. Daily rates should be expressed inclusive of taxes and should represent an 8-hour workday.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
|
Criterion |
Weight |
|
Qualifications and past experience to carry out work Suitability of education. Demonstrated ability to support NFSA to facilitate trade. Prior experience working in the trade of agriculture products. Demonstrated knowledge of international trade agreements. Demonstrated ability to support NFSA in the drafting of administrative procedures and technical work instructions to streamline the trade of agriculture products. |
70% |
|
Cost Price competitiveness and value to Venture37. |
30% |