Background

Feed the Future Bangladesh Aquaculture Activity (BAA) is a five-year program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), implemented by WorldFish, to sustain positive aquaculture sector growth through an inclusive Market Systems approach. The Activity aims to improve the sustainable livelihoods for a large number of smallholder farmers and other stakeholders engaged in the aquaculture value chain in Feed the Future Zone of Influence (ZOI) and Zone of Resilience (ZoR).

The Activity will stimulate aquaculture sector growth, increase employment and income, and improve food and nutrition security for households. It will serve as a facilitating role by coordinating linkages among the value chain actors in the private, public and civil society sector of Bangladesh.

The aquaculture market is constrained by many challenges – one of them is access to quality inputs and appropriate information for their optimal utilization, which affects the production and productivity of many rural fish farmers, nurseries and hatcheries. Identification of quality inputs and information about their right usage for fish farming has a direct impact on farmers’ productivity and income.

The Activity is interested to develop and promote a joint business model by engaging relevant private sectors to provide a complete solution in terms of creating access to information alongside appropriate inputs to ensure optimum production, delivering increased profitability for the farmers.

Objective

The Activity invites applications from private organizations; aqua input companies or feed companies who are willing to expand their business by establishing a collaborative business model with other aquaculture input companies such as aqua medicinal companies or technology firms that provide information and advisory solutions. The proposed business model will create access to essential information and services, aqua inputs, improve farmers’ knowledge on quality inputs and their usage, strengthen the input market linkages and thus help fish farmers increase their productivity and income. The partner selected for this sub-grant could be led by a feed company who has a strong distribution network in the Feed the Future ZOI and ZOR areas and who has a strong product line of aquaculture inputs.

Scope of Work

The selected organization is expected to undertake the following activities (but not limited to) to roll out the joint business model. 

  • Develop a collaborative business plan by collaborating with other input companies or aquaculture service providers.
  • Create a commercially viable information and advisory service platform (physical and or digital) to create access to information and inputs for the fish farmers, nurseries and hatcheries.
  • Develop and deploy a local distribution model such as a Local Service Provider (LSP) model to serve the smallholder farmers in the remote rural areas.
  • Conduct marketing and business promotion activities to increase knowledge of the fish farmers and other market actors on appropriate usage of quality inputs.

Key Deliverables

  • A detailed business plan of the collaborative business model and its implementation.
  • A detail marketing and farmers outreach plan.
  • MOUs signed with other aqua input companies such as aqua medicinal company, aquaculture service providers and relevant suppliers as evidence of the collaborative business model.
  • Reports (technical and financial) in the Activity approved templates. 

Expected Results

  • A comprehensive business plan outlined, shared and executed on the collaborative business model.
  • The joint business model provides information, products and services as agreed by the business partners.
  • Farmers, hatcheries and nurseries are receiving services as per the market need. 

BAA Offers

BAA will provide both technical and financial support to execute the proposed and agreed upon business models/ideas:

  • Financial support to leverage the companies’ investment. If short-listed, the final agreement will be negotiated with selected, qualified companies.
  • Facilitation and co-development of the proposed business models or strategic plans.
  • Technical support as needed for successful implementation of the proposed models/initiatives.
  • Facilitation of identifying or developing business linkages with other market actors. 

BAA Fund Is Not For

  • Working capital (e.g. day to day operational costs, salaries of regular staff, rent of buildings, office, warehouse, storage houses, regular purchases)
  • Direct payments/subsidies to producers/aquaculture farmers
  • Common IT and fixed assets (e.g. computers, cameras, projectors, vehicles, machineries and equipment)
  • Common physical assets (e.g. buildings, warehouses, storage rooms) 

Eligibility Criteria

  • Have an experience and proven success on similar intervention
  • Have commercial and profit interest and incentives in the capacity development of aquaculture stakeholders.
  • Proposed business models/concepts which satisfy and support one or more of the following will be given preference (i) new and innovative business models, (ii) expansion of successful business models into new and underserved geographic markets and (iii) expansion of the business models targeting underserved customers in the rural areas, such as youth and women
  • Proposed business models must demonstrate continuity and sustainability.
  • Cost-share amount must be verifiable and it should not come from other USAID assisted projects or programs.
  • An active certificate of incorporation (for individual companies, a trade license);
  • Joint stock registration certificate (if applicable);
  • An organizational organogram of key personnel, inclusive of the names of such personnel;
  • Tax Identification Number (TIN);
  • VAT registration number;
  • Proof of a segregated bank account (providing the name and address of such an account);
  • The consulting firm must bear all annual income tax (AIT).
  • Percentage of VAT and total amount of VAT should be mentioned in the proposal.
  • Other valid papers (provided by government institutions).

GRANTS AWARD PROCESS

grant awarad process

EVALUATION 

evaluation

SUBMISSION DETAILS 

Interested parties should submit application by using the attached application form and budget template on or before 31 January 2022 to: wfbanaproject@cgiar.org mentioning the title of solicitation or Request for Application (RFA) in the subject line.