Background

a) About the SUN Business Network (SBN)

In 2010, the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) is Global Movement that was launched to support national leadership and collective action to scale up nutrition. In Bangladesh, the SUN Business Network (SBN) is one of the six global networks that support SUN countries along with Government, UN, Civil Society, Donor Networks and Academia. It is convened by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and further supported by an Advisory Group comprised of senior business leaders under the Guidance of the government of the Bangladesh. The SBN aims to reduce malnutrition in all its forms through mobilising business to invest and innovate in responsible and sustainable actions and operations. To do this SBN provides a neutral platform to facilitate and catalyse partnerships and collaboration between businesses and all actors on nutrition at national, regional and global level to support SUN Country plans. We believe that when consumers demand improved nutrition, businesses will act responsible, and national economies will grow. Currently the SBN is supporting over 30 SUN Countries, of which 18 of have an established national SBN.

b) Rationale for the SUN Pitch Competition

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can serve as a powerful catalyst and vehicle for harnessing innovative solutions that address local food system constraints. Not only do SMEs occupy critical positions along agri-food value chains as input suppliers, off-takers, processors, distributors, retailers or otherwise, at a global level they feed the vast majority of individuals who procure their food in the open market. Against this backdrop, SBN in collaboration with key partners will organise the second edition of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Pitch Competition, with the following key objectives:

1. Develop a pipeline of quality ‘nutrition sensitive investments’ in Africa and Asia that can be linked to investors and technical assistance providers.
2. Leverage local and global strategic partnerships that can increase the reach of SBN’s partnerships.
3. Position SBN as the local and regional coordinating mechanism for private sector investment in nutrition.

The theme for the 2019/2020 SUN Pitch Competition is 'Rethinking Nutrition Innovations'. Specifically, the SUN Pitch Competition is focusing on identifying innovative SMEs that can provide big, inspiring and disruptive investment solutions to the following food system innovation challenges:

1. Food Design Innovations: How can your business offer an innovative solution to develop or introduce new, affordable and nutritious food products for local vulnerable populations?
2. Post-Harvest Loss Reduction Innovations: How can your business offer an innovative solution to reduce post-harvest losses along the supply chain and ensure the retention of nutrients in nutritious food?
3. Market Connectivity Innovations: How can your business offer an innovative solution to improve the linkage between the supply, demand and distribution of affordable nutritious foods to especially remote populations?
4. Food Safety Innovations: How can your business offer an innovative solution to ensure food safety along the supply chain to improve the local consumption of safe and nutritious foods?

To build a pipeline of eligible finalists for the Global SUN Pitch Competition, a series of National SUN Pitch Competitions will run in select African and Asian countries over the course of 2019. The Global SUN Pitch Competition which will take place in Singapore in April 2020, will see 20 SMEs drawn from National SUN Pitch Competitions present an innovative investment opportunity to a panel of judges that addresses a local nutrition priority.

Application and Evaluation Process

Interested individual service providers must include the following documents when submitting their applications:

1. Technical proposal that includes a proposed methodology and workplan for undertaking the assignment. In addition to submitting relevant project references and team CVs;
   
2. Submission of financial proposal in US Dollars broken down by main cost categories (personnel, subcontracts, travel, operational, and indirect costs) and by main activities. Include a brief narrative justification for line items included. The budget should be inclusive of all taxes/VAT and indirect costs. Payment is subject to approval by SBN Bangladesh and will be made in instalments that are linked to deliverables (to the extent possible) as stipulated in the final consultancy contract and grant agreement.

The proposals should be sent via email to smridwan@gainhealth.org with the subject line ‘SUN PITCH COMPETITION PROPOSAL’ no later than midnight 27th August 2019. Proposals to be received after the deadline will be rejected.

The award of the contract will be made to the individual service provider whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest weighted average score out of a pre-determined set of technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
• Technical Criteria will bear a weight of 70%;
• Financial Criteria will bear a weight of 30%.

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