Study on Demand for Selected Specialty Foods in CARIFORUM Markets

CARIBBEAN EXPORT DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

THE SPECIALTY FOOD INDUSTRY OF THE CARIFORUM MEMBER STATES

CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON DEMAND FOR SELECTED SPECIALTY FOODS

IN CARIFORUM MARKETS

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) has applied for a grant from the Caribbean Aid for Trade and Integration Trust Fund financed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in an amount equivalent to USD469,413 towards the cost of the above named project and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this Grant to eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued.

Payments by CDB will be made only at the request of Caribbean Export and upon approval by CDB, and will be subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the Financing Agreement. The Financing Agreement prohibits withdrawal from the Grant account for the purpose of any payment to persons or entities or for any import of goods, if such payment or import, to the knowledge of CDB, is prohibited by a decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. No party other than Caribbean Export shall derive any right from the Grant Agreement or have any claim to the proceeds of the Grant.

Caribbean Export, the Executing Agency, now wishes to procure consultancy services to conduct a study on the demand for selected specialty food products in the CARIFORUM markets.

The objective of this assignment is to increase the awareness of specialty food exporters of market opportunities in selected CARIFORUM countries namely, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas.  The Consultant is expected to utilize a combination of secondary and primary research.   Primary research will involve conduct of a market survey and should include interviewing individuals responsible for purchasing specialty foods in key segments of the food distribution system: (Agro)Tourism Sector: restaurants, hotels and institutional food service providers; retail grocers including specialty and gourmet shops, primarily regional chains but also one-store operations and national chains; and distributors.  The duration of the assignment is expected to be for a period of 80 days.

Caribbean Export now invites interested eligible consulting firms to submit Expressions of Interest for the provision of these consultancy services.

Consultants shall be eligible to participate if:

(a)        in the case of a body corporate, it is legally incorporated or otherwise organized in an eligible country, has its principal place of business in an eligible country and is more than 50 per cent beneficially owned by citizen(s) and/or bona fide resident(s) of eligible country(ies) or by a body(ies) corporate meeting these requirements;

(b)        in the case of unincorporated firms, the persons are citizens or bona fide residents of an eligible country; and

(c)         in all cases, the consultant has no arrangement and undertakes not to make any arrangements, whereby any substantial part of the net profits or other tangible benefits of the contract will accrue or be paid to a person not a citizen or bona fide resident of an eligible country.

Consultants from all countries are eligible to participate in this procurement opportunity.

In the assessment of submissions, consideration will be given to:

• Technical competence and qualifications, in particular with regard to market research and export development including distribution and logistics,
• Relevant experience on similar assignments, in particular with import and export-related experience in specialty foods sector
• Regional experience in CARIFORUM or English speaking Caribbean countries,
• Advanced academic qualifications in market research, marketing or other business-related discipline,
• Financial capability, and
• Existing commitments

All proposals must be submitted in English. Further information may be obtained from the first address below between 09:00 and 16:00 hours Monday to Friday.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted electronically by email to skruiner@carib-export.com  in PDF format no later than 16:00 hours Barbados time on January 20, 2014.  The email subject line should state “Expression of Interest – Consultancy Services to Conduct a Study on the Demand for selected Specialty Food products in the CARIFORUM Markets” and the email body must state the name and address of the applicant. The Expression of Interest will be deemed to have been received at the time that it is received by the Project Coordinator.  The burden of proving receipt of the e-mail will be on the applicant and will not be met solely by a read receipt or sent items report generated by the bidder’s computer.   In addition, one (1) hard copy must be sent simultaneously to CDB at the second address below. The sealed envelope containing each submission must include the name and address of the applicant and shall be clearly marked, “Expression of Interest – Consultancy Services to Conduct a Study on the Demand for selected Specialty Food products in the CARIFORUM Markets.”

Following the assessment of submissions, a short-list, of not less than three (3) and not more than six (6) firms will be provided with the full Terms of Reference (ToR) and invited to submit technical and financial proposals to undertake the assignment. Caribbean Export reserves the right to accept or reject late applications or to cancel the present invitation partially or in its entirety. Caribbean Export will not be bound to assign any reason for not short-listing any applicant and will not defray any cost incurred by any applicant in the preparation and submission of Expressions of Interest.

Submit Expressions of Interest to the following addresses: