Market Research Analyst Consultant

Job Description

Pact is interested in transitioning the USAID Green Invest Asia project into an enterprise. The purpose of the consultancy is to contribute toward mapping a pathway for Green Invest Asia to be transformed into an innovative technical support hub or fund for sustainable land use businesses in Southeast Asia. The analysis findings will contribute to developing a revenue-generating model for delivering products, services and/or platforms. To strategize Pact’s actions to this vision, Pact expects the market analysis to meet the following objectives:

• Conduct a market analysis to develop an understanding of the supply and demand that middle-sized businesses have in some selected Southeast Asian countries for services to transform them into environmentally and socially sustainable business
• Identify revenue generating products, services and platform options
• Develop an action plan and identify options to transform USAID Green Invest Asia to an enterprise
• Identify gaps and needed metrics for tracking data necessary for the development of a solid business/investment plan

The analysis will be conducted through desk research, using the existing research, publications, and database. Furthermore, the consultant may organize a meeting with USAID Green Invest Asia team members. The consultant is expected to produce a short and concise report with some clear and realizable recommendations addressing the following key questions:

Products and services

• What financial, environmental, social and gender products and services are needed for medium-sized[1] businesses in some selected Southeast Asian countries[2] to transform them into environmentally and socially sustainable business?
• What products and services are already available for medium-sized businesses in each country?
• Which agencies and platforms (particularly private sector, NGOs and donors) are providing these products and services, and what are their conditions (e.g., free, service fee, etc.) for them?
• What product and service gaps are there in each country?

Revenue generation

• What revenue generation models are practiced by the existing product and service providers, and platforms?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing models?
• What innovative revenue generation models are potential for each country?

The consultant is expected to produce a country-specific report – 5 pages per county with the following:

1. Products and service needs (for medium-sized businesses)
2. Already available products and services, service providers and associated conditions
3. Products and service gaps
4. Functional revenue generation models and their strengths and weaknesses
5. Potential innovative revenue generation models
6. Existing data gaps and needed metrics for tracking data for the development of a solid business/investment plan
7. Recommendations (max 5 per country)
8. An Action Plan to pilot initiatives to transforming GIA to innovating regional hub

Once the report is finalized, the consultant will make a presentation of the key findings to the Pact team in Bangkok. S/he will also seek inputs from the Pact team to develop an action plan for Pact. Based on the feedback from the Pact members, the consultant will finalize the country-specific report and draft an Action Plan that guides Pact to pilot initiatives to transforming USAID Green Invest Asia to an innovative technical support hub or fund for private sector businesses in Southeast Asia.

The outputs generated from this work will be the property of Pact. They will NOT be shared with others or reproduced without prior written consent from Pact Country Director, Thailand.

The task needs about 25 days of inputs over three months (June – August 2019) to conduct the market analysis, produce country reports and develop an action plan. The final product will be submitted to Pact by August 30, 2019 as per the following:

• Recruitment of consultant by April 30, 2019
• Desk review and consultation with Pact team members & submission of first draft of report(s) by June 14, 2019
• Pact feedback on first draft of report(s) by June 28, 2019
• Meeting with Pact team member to present key findings and get inputs for action planning by July 15, 2019
• Review and finalization of report and an action plan by July 30, 2019

The consultant will have the following qualifications and experiences:

• Sound understanding of existing SME in Southeast Asia, particularly of the companies working in agriculture, forestry and other land use sector
• At least seven years of experiences of conducting market research, feasibility studies, and/or business plans (sample required)
• Sound understanding of the forestry and/or agriculture sector in relation to sustainable business practices in Asia
• Excellent English language

[1] For this review purpose, the medium-sized business will have at least 50 employees throughout the year and/or above US$ 2 million dollars of investments

[2] At least three to four countries will be taken for the review purpose from Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand

About the Organization

Pact works to address the causes of poverty and marginalization of people throughout the world through systemic solutions which engage a range of shareholders impacted by the effects. To that end, Pact seeks opportunities to increase engagement with the private sector at country and regional levels as a partner in development. In Southeast Asia, Pact manages USAID Green Invest Asia (www.greeninvestasia.com) Program which works with agriculture and forestry businesses to improve their sustainable commodity production. The program also provides technical assistance for investors to connect with investment-worthy businesses.