About Swisscontact

Swisscontact, Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation, is headquartered in Zurich and was founded in 1959 by leading figures from the Swiss private sector and Swiss universities. It is exclusively involved in international cooperation and since 1961 has carried out its own and mandated projects. A part of the organisation, Swisscontact Bangladesh, is registered as an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) under The GO Affairs Bureau, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, carrying out various development projects and programmes in the areas of skills development (ASTHA, B-SkillFUL, Uttoron), SME promotion (B-SkillFUL, M4C), Local Economic Development (PRABRIDDHI), Agricultural Insurance (BMMDP) and Financial Services (Sarathi) from its office based at House 20, Road 68, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh.

About PROGRESS

With support from the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, Swisscontact is implementing the project Promoting Green Growth in the ReadyMade Garments Sector Through Skills (PROGRESS) in Bangladesh. One of the objectives of the project is to support 30 Tier-2 and 6 Tier-3 RMG (ReadyMade Garments) factories to improve their environmental and social compliance. Swisscontact’s experience of supporting RMG factories over the years have unearthed several challenges and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance. One of the major challenges identified during this period is the need for better clarity, coordination, harmonisation of ESG reporting, particularly among the factory management, factory owners, apparel buyers, industry associations and Government of Bangladesh (GoB). This necessitates further exploration of the RMG ESG systems concerning the digitalisation of ESG reporting through an exploratory study. Key challenges identified during the ideation and clarification phase include the need for a centralised data management system to streamline data collection and archiving, a learning platform to keep stakeholders informed about emerging trends and ESG requirements, and matchmaking features to connect support services with factories and other practitioners. The study will further examine these needs and expectations and develop and implement a WIREFRAME/PROTOTYPE for a digital solution that addresses these challenges

Objectives of the Assignment

Globally there are many digital platforms that attempt to address the harmonised ESG reporting need, such as IBM Envizi, SustainIQ, Workiva, etc. However, these platforms are either very expensive or not tailored to the needs of Bangladesh’s RMG sector. This challenge creates an opportunity to conduct a stakeholder need analysis, pilot a customised ESG platform as a solution amongst

RMG industry stakeholders and assess its commercial feasibility. As a part of ESG interventions, PROGRESS is conducting a study to assess the (i) demand for a digital ESG platform, required features from a potential digital platform while assessing the customisation/ collaboration potential with the existing platforms, (ii) technical and commercial feasibility of developing and operationalising the platform, and (iii) stakeholder requirements to inform potential business models. 

The detailed ToR and the proposal outline can be found in the following link:

1. ToR for Consultants –Click Here

Project locations: Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram

Duration of the Assignment

The assignment will be completed and delivered in no more than 30-man days within the period from November 2024 to February 2025.

Submission Details:

Both hard and soft copies of the proposal(s) must be submitted to the following address:

For soft copy bd.progress@swisscontact.org

For hard copy: Swisscontact Bangladesh, PROGRESS, House 20, Road 68, Gulshan 2, Dhaka 1212 by 3 November 2024 addressing Manager, Business Administration, PROGRESS project, Swisscontact Bangladesh. Please mention “Application for the Consultant – WIREFRAME/PROTOTYPE DESIGN, ESG Study, PROGRESS” on the top of the email subject line and the envelope.

No late submission will be accepted. Only shortlisted firms will be called for a presentation before making a final selection.

Swisscontact reserves the right to accept or reject any of all proposals without assigning any reason whatsoever