Business Analysis to Map the cooperative support services under JCC and statistical database

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

GENERAL BACKGROUND

Overlapping drivers of displacement worldwide have coincided and increased the scope, scale, and complexity of displacement. Approximately 25.4 million individuals are recognized as refugees who have fled their homes due to a well-found fear of persecution. This is alongside millions of internally displaced persons and those who have fled their homes but are not recognized as refugees by the 1951 Refugee Convention. In response to the considerable challenges posed by forced displacement, a new strategic partnership, named PROSPECTS, was established by the Government of the Netherlands, IFC, UNICEF, ILO, UNHCR and the World Bank. The partnership spans eight countries and covers a five-year period (2018- 2022).

Through the Prospects partnership, the World Bank, IFC, UNICEF, UNHCR and ILO aim to leverage their comparative advantages and areas of expertise to programme complementary and interdependent interventions that address education, employment and protection challenges that negatively affect the livelihoods and well-being of host communities and forcibly displaced persons. The combined efforts of the organizations will endeavour to bolster the medium- and longer-term development goals for host communities and forcibly displaced persons to access quality and market-relevant education; decent work and enterprise opportunities; and comprehensive protection systems.

PROSPECTS IN JORDAN

Jordan is facing a historic forced displacement crisis and as the crisis extends into the next decade, the country is at an inflection point, given the scope, scale and protracted nature of the displacement. Through Prospects, partners will undertake interventions that will align with national strategies, helping to mitigate the impact of the current displacement crisis on both refugee and host communities, with a longer-term goal of supporting human development through support to increased economic opportunities, wider access to quality education and stronger protection mechanisms. As of January 2020, Jordan hosted over 745,000 refugees, including over 655,000 Syrians and almost 100,000 other nationalities. Children represent a little over half of the refugee community. With refugees constituting almost seven percent of Jordan’s population, the Kingdom is one of the top refugee hosting countries per capita worldwide.

Whilst Jordan’s economic situation pre-dated the Syrian crisis, the impact of its forced displacement crisis has worsened the situation. The IMF has estimated that Jordan’s economy lost one percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) each year of the crisis due to investment and export losses. Syrian and Jordanian households across the Kingdom continue to live in highly vulnerable conditions, with all communities dependent on overstretched and weak education systems; limited, and often informal, employment opportunities; poorly coordinated protection systems; and nascent social safety nets.

Within the framework of Prospects, partners will undertake interventions that will align with national strategies, helping to mitigate the impact of the current displacement crisis on both refugee and host communities, with a longer-term goal of supporting human development through support to increased economic opportunities, wider access to quality education and stronger protection mechanisms The five partners aim to leverage their joint efforts to address the areas where challenges negatively affect the livelihoods and well-being of Jordanians, refugees and other vulnerable groups: access to quality and market-relevant education; decent engagement, work and enterprise opportunities; and comprehensive protection systems, which will, in turn, support more sustainable livelihoods, in line with Jordan’s national plans.

ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND

ILO response to the refugee crisis driven by employment-rich interventions focusing on the needs of refugees and host communities, the ILO considers cooperatives as critical in advancing its mandate for social justice, the promotion of cooperatives recommendation 2002(193) recognizes the role of cooperatives in job creation, mobilizing resources and generating investment , as well as their rule in generating investment and promoting decent work and improving living and working conditions of women and men refugees and vulnerable host community especially those in rural communities

ILO has supported cooperative development for more than 100 years, ILO’s support to cooperatives aligned with findings of “Mapping responses by cooperatives and social and solidarity economy organizations to forced displacement” (ILO, 2020) which highlights the role of cooperatives in supporting displaced persons and host populations highlighting the importance considering cooperatives as development partners and the need to invest in their capacities. In Jordan ILO has been working closely with the cooperative movement in to strengthen its capacity to advance livelihoods opportunities for Jordanian, refugee, and migrant women and men, particularly those employed in the agricultural sector. Under the framework of PROSPECTS ILO helped build capacities of cooperatives on flexible work permit issuance and awareness raising on labour rights, as well as promoting their rule on prompting rights at works in agriculture sector including Occupational safety and health and eliminating Child labour, The ILO PROSPECTS Jordan support extended to work closely with local agricultural cooperatives, to career support them providing career guidance and job matching services

The ILO continued assisting its Constituents and the Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC)[1] in the framework of the national strategy for the Jordanian cooperative movement 2021–2025 to enhance the role of cooperatives in promoting decent work and productivity not just in agriculture, but in different economic sectors in the country.

[1] The JCC has a regulatory function: the elaboration of laws governing cooperatives in Jordan; the registration, supervision, auditing, and liquidation of all types of cooperatives in Jordan, JCC also has a developmental function: training and education of cooperative leaders and members, general awareness about cooperatives, provision of business support services; access to finance, among others

In 2020/2021, ILO PROSPECTS Jordan supported the JCC and the cooperative movement in the development of the national strategy for the Jordanian cooperative movement 2021–2025. The development of the strategy was done in consultation with a national steering committee composed of representatives of key ministries, the JCC, social partners, the cooperative movement and experts in the field of cooperatives.

[1] The JCC has a regulatory function: the elaboration of laws governing cooperatives in Jordan; the registration, supervision, auditing, and liquidation of all types of cooperatives in Jordan, JCC also has a developmental function: training and education of cooperative leaders and members, general awareness about cooperatives, provision of business support services; access to finance, among others

representatives of key ministries, the JCC, social partners, the cooperative movement and experts in the field of cooperatives.

The strategy is intended to serve as a five-year strategic document for Jordan’s cooperative movement, and as a guidance document for JCC, and other agencies and development partners supporting or involved in cooperative promotion in Jordan. It builds on three main outcomes: a conducive environment for the Jordanian cooperative movement; an efficient service infrastructure for cooperatives and unions; and autonomous, self-reliant cooperatives providing efficient services to members.

Recognizing that the JCC lacks sufficient digitization and automation of work processes, Output 1.2 of the above-mentioned strategy, provides for the JCC “to establish a computerized, statistical database on the Jordanian cooperative movement which should be fully aligned with Jordan’s National Strategy for the Development of Statistics 2018–2022 (DoS, 2018), the Guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives” adopted in 2018 by the 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians[2], and the information guide on the ILO Guidelines concerning Statistics of Cooperatives[3].

Moreover, Output 2 of the strategy relates to the establishment of different units at the JCC: Cooperative Development Institute, Cooperative Development Fund, and Cooperative Control and Audit Department. The establishment of these units will support providing efficient service infrastructure as they will be in charge of several functions and services including but not limited to: awareness raising, cooperatives members education, capacity building of cooperative leaders, studies, surveys, research, information and popularization campaigns, provision of market intelligence, access to finance and auditing.

PROSPECTS will support the JCC to undertake consultations and an initial assessment for the establishment of a computerized portal that will include a statistical database on the Jordanian cooperative movement which will be fully aligned with aforementioned National Strategy for the Development of Statistics and the Guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives. In order to fully align the assignment with national priorities and international good practice, consultations will include reviews of other similar initiatives (e.g. Tanzania, Turkey), cooperative members and leaders, JCC, representatives of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE), department of statistics, international cooperative experts and ILO’s COOP Unit, other relevant government authorities, development partners, among others.

The Cooperatives Services Electronic Portal (CSEP), will have the main objective of providing e-services to cooperatives, including the current services being provided by JCC ( including but not limited to Approval to amend the bylaws of the Cooperative, Cooperative Registration, Liquidation and deregistration of the cooperative upon requests , and auditing services) and the recommended services under Output 2 of the strategy (listed above). The CSEP will build on the existing JCC electronic systems[1] to make them more user-friendly, easily upgradable, and aligned with the e-government portal[2] . Currently, the following elements are considered as possible content that could be offered by the CSEP:

A ) Electronic statistical database: The objective of the database is to provide adequate information for a wide range of descriptive, analytical and policy purposes, taking specific national needs and circumstances into account. The database will collect and analyze data on cooperatives in the country, such as the number and types of cooperatives, the number of cooperative members , the number cooperative employees (regular, irregular, seasonal, part-time, full-time, volunteer work from members, with sex, age. nationality disaggregation) and financial data (income, member dues, surplus, etc.).

[2] Statistics on cooperatives and the wider social and solidarity economy (SSE) (ilo.org)

[3] https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/cooperatives/publications/WCMS_858833/lang–en/index.htm

[4] http://www.jcc.gov.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=158

[5]https://portal.jordan.gov.jo/wps/portal/Home/GovernmentEntities/Ministries/Ministry/Ministry%20of%20Agriculture/Jordanian%20Cooperative%20Corporation?nameEntity=Jordanian%20Cooperative%20Corporation&entityType=sub&lang=en&isFromLangChange=yes

irregular, seasonal, part-time, full-time, volunteer work from members, with sex, age. nationality disaggregation) and financial data (income, member dues, surplus, etc.).

and indicators on economic performance, such as value added, turnover, equity and assets.

It will ultimately help in providing efficient and responsive support services to the country’s cooperative movement.

B) Current services being provided by the JCC including but not limited to (cooperatives registration, audit, training and education …etc [6]

[6] http://www.jcc.gov.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=158

This list is in not exhaustive and may be revised further following the aforementioned consultations that will be initiated under this assignment, as well as other essential support services are being envisaged under the current electronic system being developed by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE)

ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES

These terms of reference outline the exploratory and preparatory work to be undertaken for the development of the CSEP. This will be participatory, drawing on the views of JCC and cooperative members to help determine the content of the platform, the services, and potential users.

The objectives of the service provider contract are:

1. To identify, document and validate the cooperative support services available.

These will include electronic services provided by the JCC e-system and those being developed by MoDEE. These will be, mapped against the services recommended under Output 2 of the strategy to identify existing gaps in the types and quality of services, while also avoiding duplication. Identified gaps will be validated with the JCC and relevant stakeholders.

2. To draft and validate a list of prioritized recommendations for the platform’s content and services.

This should be presented as a list, with clear itemized content, accompanies by an approximate start-up and maintenance budget and management plan. This will be drafted and validated with JCC and relevant stakeholders, so that there is ultimately consensus on the content and management arrangements.

3. Mapping the workflow of cooperatives services including the electronic database of cooperatives.

This willinclude a visual mapping, and validation of action(s), workflow(s) and procedures. Workflows will include all steps in the action, from initiation to the conclusion, required timeframes for each step, required forms for each step, roles of the personnel that touch each step and for what purpose, and decision points that may create deviations or sub-actions.

2. SCOPE OF WORK

Given the above objective and scope, the external collaborator will undertake the following tasks:

1. Review all relevant documents (i.e., standard operating procedures, manuals, etc.), relevant to understanding cooperatives services in Jordan and its current processes, current electronic services, and guidelines concerning statistics of cooperatives adopted at the 20th International Conference of Labour Statistics.
2. Conduct consultation interviews with relevant stakeholders mentioned above
3. Conduct rapid need assessment of JCC and some active cooperatives members to identify potential users, their knowledge, information and other needs, and recommendations on platform content, type and services, including approximate start-up and maintenance budget for the platform.
4. Map the electronic cooperative support services to the cooperative’s movement to identify the niche of the proposed platform
5. Identify the gap between the current system being developed with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE) and what is intended to be supported by ILO, to avoid any overlapping between the two systems/platforms
6. Present the findings and prioritized recommendations for key stakeholders to validate
7. Prepare relevant documents both in Arabic and English and amend documents as necessary.
8. Mapping the workflow of the cooperatives services and the electronic database of cooperatives, and drafting visual cooperatives services process workflow(s). using Business Process Management System (BPMS) specifications, to be used by developers for process automation

3. DELIVERABLES and TIMELINE

( 2 days ,15-20 August 2023 )

1. initial construction of the consultation interviews, including questions, and list of interviewees, in English and Arabic (3-4 pages) submitted and validated by ILO prior moving to next deliverable.

( 5 Days , 21-30/August 2023 )

2. Analysis report on, consultation interviews and rapid need assessment, containing preliminary findings, identification of potential users, their knowledge, information and other needs, and recommendations on platform content, type, and services, including approximate start-up and maintenance budget for the platform. (6-8 pages) in English and Arabic

( 10 Days , 30/August 2023 – 17/Sep 2023 )

3. draft mapping of the electronic cooperatives services, including gaps between the different systems/portals, prioritized list and recommendations

4. Draft visual cooperatives services and electronic data base process workflow(s). using Business Process Management System (BPMS) specifications, to be used by developers for process automation in Arabic and English

( 4 Days , 18-30/Sep 2023 )

5) Written narrative of the final and validated cooperatives services and electronic database of cooperatives process workflow(s) using BPMS specifications, to be used by developers for process automation. In Arabic and English, the document should also include**:**

a. Analysis of the services of the current cooperative provision process with recommendations to make the processes more efficient and add other services.

b. identify the gap between the current system with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE) and what is intended to be supported by ILO, to avoid any overlapping between the two systems/platforms.

c. provide recommendations for ILO for the best way to

support if ILO will support a new system or upgrade the existing one.

( 1 Day 1-15/October / 2023 )

6. Present findings, recommendations during one day workshop that will be organized by ILO

4. REQUIRED EXPERTISE:

The service provider (individual/firm) should possess the following education and experience:

1. Experience and success in working on reviewing or mapping business processes
2. Experience in visually mapping processes, and business analysis
3. Demonstrated experience facilitating workshops and focus groups
4. Experience with BPMS, MS Visio, Bizagi, or other commonly deployed workflow modelling applications
5. Understanding of government structure and inter-government relations
6. Fluency in English and Arabic written and spoke

5. Selection Criteria

1. Minimum 2 years’ Experience and success in reviewing or mapping business process
2. Minimum 2 years’ Experience in business analysis
3. Previous experience with UN agencies and INGOs

6. SUPERVISION AND LOGISTICAL ARRANGEMENTS

The service provider will perform the assignment under the supervision of the ILO PROSPECTS Jordan National Project Officer for Agriculture er, the ILO PROSPECTS National Data Analyst, and the overall guidance of ILO PROSPECTS Chief Technical Adviser for the Arab States Region. Technical inputs will be sought from the Enterprise Development Specialist at ROAS and Technical Officer at the COOP Unit in Geneva.

7. TIME FRAME/EXPECTED DURATION

This assignment will take place from 15/08/2023 to 15/10/2023

All assignment deliverables are expected to be submitted to the satisfaction of the ILO by 15/10/2023

How to apply

The interested service providers should submit their financial and technical offers based on a daily rate. All documents should be sent by email to [email protected] , with [email protected] in cc, by August 5th , 2023, with the subject line “Business Analysis to Map the cooperative support services under JCC and statistical database.”