Request for Proposal High-Speed Rail Community Economic Resilience Program: Capacity Building and Training

RFP No: PR-MSP-2023-05-25

Background

The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program (“Mekong Safeguards”) supports policymakers, government regulators, major financiers, developers, contractors, and communities with technical assistance, knowledge, and tools to foster consistent application of strengthened environmental and social governance standards, particularly for the energy, transport, and water sectors. While recognising the economic-growth imperative of this underdeveloped region and the role of infrastructure in contributing to growth, Mekong Safeguards promotes profitable economic growth supported by sustainable infrastructure that causes less harm to the environment, biodiversity, and people. The Program is implemented by The Asia Foundation and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Description

The Asia Foundation (TAF) Thailand Office is implementing a community economic resilience program in several cities in Thailand to support and empower women-owned and run small and micro businesses and commuters with greater market access, safety, and inclusivity as part of the Bangkok-to-Nakhon Ratchasima high-speed rail development, particularly, in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima, in communities immediately surrounding and affected by the rail development. The stakeholders are: 

i. Women and other marginalised commuter populations who will depend on rail for economic livelihoods and trade.
ii. Women-run and/or owned small and micro-businesses.

Scope of Work

For this engagement, TAF is seeking a team or individuals to conduct a community needs assessment and deliver capacity building and training in Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces, Thailand. The awarded applicant will be responsible for:

I. Conducting needs assessment with community(s) in Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima. 

Objectives

• To collect data and information on training and capacity building needs through focus groups to maximise progress towards impacts below.
• To assess needs regarding access to high-speed rail and related facilities for vulnerable population groups including women, the aged, and people with disabilities.
• To collect information regarding gaps in knowledge and understanding for women-owned and run small and micro businesses in Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima to enter markets around the high-speed rail.

Tasks

• Conduct desk research and gap analysis on Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima baseline information on local economic opportunities for small and micro businesses as well as women entrepreneurs.
• Lead and facilitate focus group discussions (FGDs) with community representative groups to collect information regarding baseline livelihoods, access to rail infrastructure, and economic activities surrounding the rail development. The consultant(s) will work with the Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima community coordinator teams who will support convening the right representative groups from local communities in the provinces.
• Conduct other data collection approaches, for instance, key informant interviews with local authorities, community enterprises, as relevant to inform development of capacity building material in Task II. 

II. Develop capacity building and training materials.

Objectives

• To develop capacity building and training materials that will increase knowledge and understanding of target beneficiaries on inclusivity and market access pertinent to high-speed rail development.

Tasks

• Develop training material including presentations for 1-2 hour training sessions and a short manual/guidebook that contains information on key aspects related to economic resilience for communities around the high-speed rail, including:
  • Enhancing inclusivity for women commuters and other populations.
  • Supporting economic resilience of women-owned and run small and micro businesses.
• Provide benchmarking information on best practices for economic opportunities and activities surrounding the transportation infrastructure development from other countries. 
• The presentation should be in the Thai language. The guidebook should be in Thai and English.

III. Deliver capacity building and training sessions to community groups.

Objectives

• To deliver capacity building and training sessions and ensure increased knowledge and understanding of target beneficiaries on inclusivity and market access pertinent to high-speed rail development.

Tasks

• Deliver 2-3 training sessions* for each community group in Ayutthaya tentatively in June-July 2023.
• Deliver 2-3 training sessions* for each community group in Nakhon Ratchasima tentatively during the first quarter of 2024.

*The setting in which the capacity building and training will be conducted is during a multi-day community event (one event in each province) that will include capacity building and training sessions for local participants and potential partner organisations. These events should be 3-5 days in length, involving 100-150 stakeholder small and/or micro businesses and vendors, awareness raising activities, and engagement with local leaders and policymakers. The aim of these events is to contribute directly to the impacts below.

Impacts 

The impacts expected of this capacity building and training are as follows:

1. Strengthened accessibility and safety for women and other marginalised commuters to the high-speed rail development.

2. Create opportunities and enhanced market knowledge and accessibility for small and micro-businesses owned and run by women, related to new primary and secondary markets of the high-speed rail development.

Timeline and Deliverables

The duration of the work under this RFP is estimated to be twelve (12) months (tentatively from March 2023-March 2024). The contractor is expected to immediately start work within one (1) week of contract execution and to participate in biweekly progress meetings to be arranged at a date and time under consultation with TAF and HSR Ayutthaya Outreach representatives. The table below provides an indicative timeframe for principal activities and deliverables.