The ”Macedonian Association of Agricultural Cooperatives” – (MAAC) is an organization that consolidates the work of agricultural cooperatives and their members to achieve their individual and mutual rights and interests in a modern and democratic way and contributes to the development of sustainable agriculture and quality of life. The aim of the organization is to protect the economic, social and cultural interests of the cooperatives and to work on improving the conditions of the production market.
MAAC has the status of socio-economic partner of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and is representing the interests of agricultural cooperatives before the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy (MAFWE).
MAAC is an association established in 2012, it currently has 48 members (agricultural cooperatives from all regions of the country and from different sectors).
This call for consultancy is issued within the wider program “Support to Development of Agricultural Cooperatives” and implemented within the project “Business Plan 2019-2020”, funded by CARE International, Macedonian Enterprise Development Foundation (MEDF) and the European Union and implemented by MAAC.
Description of the engagement
CARE and MAAC are looking to hire a consultant whose main engagement will be to finalise the already started process of creating the MAAC’s Strategic Plan 2021-2026. The document should reflect the needs of the organisation, detect the weaknesses and challenges and ways to overcome them with a long-term effect.
Obligations to be realized by the consultant:
• In agreement with the MAAC Project Coordinator, provide a detailed plan for the consultancy;
• Desk review the MAAC documentation and data relevant to its work (N. Macedonian regulations, national strategies) analyse trends in the development of agro-cooperatives in the country, region and EU. Presentation of the results of the desk review to the members through a report (in Macedonian, max 10 pages);
• Facilitate a participatory process of design of the Strategic Plan, which will encompass data gathering on the needs, plans etc. (through polls, focus groups with MAAC members, individual interviews) and the three days strategic planning participatory workshop, gathering relevant MAAC members and leading them to jointly define the strategy.
• Provide the MAAC Strategic Plan document for the period 2021-2026 (in Macedonian, max 25 pages plus annexes);
• Within the Strategic Plan, provide the framework for short-term / annual planning and project planning processes. The Strategic Plan should provide clear guidelines for the operation of the administrative structures of MAAC as well as other possible changes in the internal organization of MAAC;
The process of preparation of the Strategic Plan should be conducted in a participatory and transparent manner, to enable appropriate involvement of the members -minimum 50, and the document should be formalized through its adoption by the Assembly of MAAC.
Required qualifications of the consultant:
• Minimum master degree in social or related sciences, with at least 10 years of working experience in this field;
• At least 8 years of experience in strategic planning for organisations;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Vast experience in data gathering;
• Excellent facilitation skills and workshop techniques;
• Well-developed interpersonal and teamwork skills;
• Multicultural values and the ability to adapt to work in a multi-ethnic environment;
• Excellent planning and organisation skills;
• Excellent command over Macedonian and English languages. Excellent writing skills.
Criteria for selecting a consultant:
• Analysis of the provided draft methodology and plan for the consultancy
• Educational background
• Experience in strategic planning for organisations
• Portfolio of the aplicant
• Financial offer
Application process
All interested candidates can apply no later than 05.05.2021, at the e-mail care.macedonia@care.org with the subject: Application for the MAAC’s Strategic Plan 2021-2026. The applicants are required to submit the following documents:
• Draft methodology for the planned engagement (overall consultancy plan);
• Professional CV. Necessary contact information;
• Portfolio / list of clients / organizations for which the same / similar activities have been delivered (with specified types of engagements);
• Financial offer, i.e. compensation per day in gross amount, with all expenses included (daily allowance plus travel expenses). The offer should include twenty (20) consultation days for the realization of the task. The offered price should be expressed in gross amount in Macedonian denars, including the personal income tax. The project is financed by the European Union and registered in the Central Donor Assistance Database of Republic of Macedonia (CDAD) with number of confirmation 07/01-18/3764 exempting the project from VAT, and the selected bidder should respect the procedure for tax exemption.
The selection of the most favourable bidder (consultant) will be made according to the principle “best value for money”.
The candidates will be notified of the results of the call via e-mail, no later than 3 days after the selection.
MAAC/CARE retains the right not to select any candidates upon this call, in case the received bids do not match the required quality.
