Country Advisory and Economics Department of the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group (“WBG”), aims to support Croatian Ministry of Economy (MINGO) in their efforts to create less burdened, incentivized and more competitive business environment, as recommended in the European Commission’s regular annual assessment. As part of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (NPRR), Croatian authorities have defined comprehensive reform package that will trigger the needed growth, including measures to support managerial capabilities within SMEs.The project aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Croatian businesses by promoting the adoption of modern business practices and strengthening the capacity of Business Development Service (BDS) providers.

The project will consist of three phases, each corresponding to a distinct implementation segment. Specifically, (1) Phase 1 (Business Assessment and Program Development) will lay the foundations for the program, including the design of the new guidelines and methodology in supporting SMEs, (2) Phase 2 (Capacity Building of SMEs and selected business service partners) will pilot the new guidelines and methodology with 150 firms being trained by December 2025, and (3) Phase 3 will support the government in building a marketplace of well-established and efficient BDS able to deliver consulting and training on a wide range of business practices (managerial, green and digital and ESG), scaling up the program and ensuring its sustainability beyond the project’s completion date.

Phase 2 is critical for the overall project objective and as part of it, businesses will receive the following services: (1) Diagnostic and benchmark of their business practices compared to aspirational peers, (2) General and short training sessions on growth, growth strategies, ESG best practices, global trends on the market. The objective of this training is for SME to start thinking of their growth strategy, understand which areas they need to strengthen and ignite some interest for more support; (3) One-on-one meetings with a BDS provider to develop a thorough diagnostic of current business practices, discuss a growth strategy, and design an action plan to achieve this growth strategy which lists the various business practices to be upgraded; (4) Specific enhanced technical training sessions led by experts on selected topics to guide SMEs. 

IFC intends to hire a consulting agency (here the “Consultant”) to assist the team to develop a comprehensive training program that equips SME managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster a growth mindset, navigate transformational changes, and stay abreast of global trends. The objective of this assignment includes: (1) developing a detailed training curriculum to instill growth-oriented perspective encouraging adaptability and continuous learning, (2) facilitating the training program for selected SMEs, (3) Evaluating the effectiveness of the training program.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: Strengthening Private Sector Capabilities in Croatia - Training Program Consultant

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

Country Advisory and Economics Department of the International Finance Corporation (“IFC”), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group (“WBG”), aims to support Croatian Ministry of Economy (MINGO) in their efforts to create less burdened, incentivized and more competitive business environment, as recommended in the European Commission’s regular annual assessment. As part of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (NPRR), Croatian authorities have defined comprehensive reform package that will trigger the needed growth, including measures to support managerial capabilities within SMEs. The project aims to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of Croatian businesses by promoting the adoption of modern business practices and strengthening the capacity of Business Development Service (BDS) providers.

The project will consist of three phases, each corresponding to a distinct implementation segment. Specifically,(1) Phase 1 (Business Assessment and Program Development) will lay the foundations for the program, including the design of the new guidelines and methodology in supporting SMEs, (2) Phase 2 (Capacity Building of SMEs and selected business service partners) will pilot the new guidelines and methodology with 150 firms being trained by December 2025, and (3) Phase 3 will support the government in building a marketplace of well-established and efficient BDS able to deliver consulting and training on a wide range of business practices (managerial, green and digital and ESG), scaling up the program and ensuring its sustainability beyond the project’s completion date.

Phase 2 is critical for the overall project objective and as part of it, businesses will receive the following services: (1) Diagnostic and benchmark of their business practices compared to aspirational peers, (2) General and short training sessions on growth, growth strategies, ESG best practices, global trends on the market. The objective of this training is for SME to start thinking of their growth strategy, understand which areas they need to strengthen and ignite some interest for more support; (3) One-on-one meetings with a BDS provider to develop a thorough diagnostic of current business practices, discuss a growth strategy, and design an action plan to achieve this growth strategy which lists the various business practices to be upgraded; (4) Specific enhanced technical training sessions led by experts on selected topics to guide SMEs.

IFC intends to hire a consulting agency (here the “Consultant”) to assist the team to develop a comprehensive training program that equips SME managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to foster a growth mindset, navigate transformational changes, and stay abreast of global trends. The objective of this assignment includes: (1) developing a detailed training curriculum to instill growth-oriented perspective encouraging adaptability and continuous learning, (2) facilitating the training program for selected SMEs, (3) Evaluating the effectiveness of the training program.

Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now

NOTES

Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Only those firms which have been shortlisted will be invited to participate in the RFP phase. No notification or debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted.

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