2580 Consultant for Strategic Tourism Investment

Background

Purpose

 

To support and to provide advisory services and guidance in the tourism sector to the Development Agency of Serbia (DAS) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Unit in the process of attracting and facilitating new investments.

 

Objective

 

To support the DAS and FDI Unit in facilitation of current and identification of new investment projects in Serbia related to sector of hospitality/tourism, while leveraging know-how, investor network and proven strategies for attracting domestic and foreign investments.

 

Background

 

Improving investment climate plays a central role in growth and poverty reduction. To improve the institutional infrastructure for supporting the development of business environment in Serbia, the Serbian Development Agency (DAS) was established in 2015. In the previous period through “Improving the Investment Climate in Serbia” project, DAS was capacitated in terms of some structures, capacity building and procedures to effectively attract new investments and manage the existing projects. The structures developed through previous project was well placed and had good coordination role, helping both the DAS and investors to make promising progress in attracting more direct investments. However, there is a need for further strengthening the DAS capacities and coordination role of the FDI Unit.

 

The Development Services Agreement between Government of Serbia and UNDP is envisaged to provide a framework for services requested by the Government, for ongoing initiatives of the Government, for which it bears full accountability. Most development services envisaged under the Agreement relate to support to policy making through research, advocacy or policy alternatives, aimed at fulfilling priorities as articulated in the Government plans, presented before Parliament, and in line with progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The overall objective of the continuation of FDI Unit is to support effective coordination of all institutions in the Republic of Serbia, relevant for improvement of the investment climate, which in turn directly affects the country’s sustainable growth and development. This particularly will be needed in the next post-pandemic period and as an answer to economic impact of Covid-19. In that sense, UNDP will engage assistance for supporting policy work enabling investment projects, facilitating, and attracting individual FDIs and for continuation of the capacity building of the Development Agency of Serbia.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work

 

Government of the Republic of Serbia recognized the great potential of the Spa tourism within Serbia both from the aspect of the utilization of the vast availability of the natural resources as well as from the aspect of attracting domestic and foreign tourists to Serbia. According to the recent statistics, spas and health centres in Vrnjacka Banja and Sokobanja are among top destinations in Serbia, attracting more and more visitors every year. Government of Serbia and relevant institutions have prioritized attraction of the investments in the reconstruction of existing and building of new spa capacities in several location in Serbia. In order to support direct investments in this sector, the Government of Serbia introduced new Regulation on determining the criteria for granting incentives to attract direct investments in the hotel accommodation services sector. Although Regulation proved to be very successful, during the process of project implementation several areas have been identified as impediments to potential investments that need to be improved and more systematically addressed in order to ensure further growth of this sector and additional benefits to the economy.  

 

One of the identified bottlenecks for investments in tourism represent the lack of regional and local planning documents and systematic definition of the tourism development priorities by the municipalities which need to attract investments. The development of adequate strategic plans is therefore a first step in the process of adequate destination development.

 

Therefore, the Consultant shall provide support in the activities related to:

• Integrated planning of tourism development and related activities ie. development of reports related to Strategic Master Plan in line with the relevant legal and strategic framework (Law on tourism, Tourism Development Strategy, Spatial Plan, Law on investments, etc).
• Conduct activities in regard to the Implementation of the Europe Spa certification, provide recommendations for the improvement of the analytical framework for assessment of the effects of the investments into hotel facilities in the spa field, provide leads for perspective investors in prioritized touristic areas.

Specific responsibilities include:

 

1. Report on the analysis of the Strategic Concept and Development Model for selected priority tourist destination

 

The consultant shall prepare a report on the analysis of the Strategic Concept and Development Model for two selected priority tourist destination /the locations shall be provided by DAS/. The report shall contain:

• Advantages, disadvantages, and strategic strongholds of the project concept (regional and global demand for such concept, global trends and success stories for the project of similar size)
• Vision and market positioning of the destination, including the milestones along the way, key competitors, analysis of the impact of potential projects on economic sustainability and environment /once fully developed/;
• Market segmentation and geographic segmentation of potential guests (Leisure, MICE tourism, Medical Tourism, etc.)

In the process, the consultant shall conduct the following activities: initial collection of data using relevant secondary sources, terrain surveys - visits to key attractions, and resources, analysis of the existing strategic, planning and other relevant documents, and interviews with key stakeholders.

 

2. Report on the analysis of the Investment Strategy for  selected priority tourist destinations

 

The consultant shall prepare a report on the analysis of investment strategy for the selected priority tourist destinations. The report shall contain:

• Methodology to assess investment strategy;
• Goals and Importance of the Investment Strategy;
• Public Investments Overview;
• Proposal of the Private Investments
• Options for Public Private Partnership

In the process, the Consultant shall perform the following activities: initially collect data using relevant secondary sources, terrain survey- visits to key attractions, and resources, analysis of the existing strategic, Planning and other relevant documents, and conduct interviews with key stakeholders.

 

3. Report with a compiled Promotional plan for the priority tourist destinations and investment potentials

 

The report shall contain:

• SWOT analysis for the Spa hotel sector in Serbia.

• Identified unique selling points for the priority tourist destinations.
• Positioning plan for the spa sector for international and domestic investors and tourists.
• Recommendations of key industry events at key spa congresses, fairs and road shows requiring minimum financial input and maximum potential output.
• Recommend the key channels for promotion (traditional & digital) for both the destinations and projects.

 

4. Report on recommendations for improvement of the analytical framework for assessment of the effects of the investments into hotel facilities in the spa field

 

           The report shall contain:

• Analysis of market conditions in priority areas for spa development prior to investments and highlight the post-investment impact on local and domestic economy. Recommendation of best practices resulted from the analysis to be included.
• Analysis of employment benefits for the local community using the application of internationally recognized manning guidelines and further development of criteria for the award of invectives by conditioning employment in line with spa and wellness hotel typology and market standards. Recommendation of best practices resulted from the analysis to be included.

 

5. Progress log on lead provision to perspective investors in prioritized tourist areas

 

The consultant shall prepare a Progress report on undertaken activities related to attracting potential investors. The Consultant shall conduct the following activities:

• Utilize industry know-how and knowledge of the potential investors in order to attract foreign investors;
• Create “one-page teaser” for each key priority destination highlighting the benefits of investment and share through the appropriate channels specialized for hotel and spa investments;
• Together with SDA, develop an operational plan for organisation  of events for potential investors, real estate agencies and other key stakeholders to promote key destinations and attract investors.

 

6. Progress report on activities undertaken in relation to the provision of know – how to DAS, utilizing industry standards and proven best practices in hotel and spa segment

 

• Overview of the activities related to engagement on international hotel and spa digital platforms and organizations
• Overview of industry networks to remain updated and knowledgeable of current standards and latest trends. The overview shall include providing DAS staff with currents sustainable tourism standards related to hotel management.
• Information on latest spa hotel trends
• Apply own experience and knowledge to DAS and provide full support during various meetings with domestic and foreign investors

 

The consultant will closely cooperate with UNDP Tourism Destination Development Consultant in synchronizing efforts and reports pertaining to selected tourism destinations planning.

 

Duties, responsibilities and key milestones

The consultant is responsible for the following deliverables:

	Service deliverables	Deadline*
1	Report on the analysis of the Strategic Concept and Development Model for the selected priority tourist destination (up to 15 pages), submitted and approved	15 May 2023
2	Report on the analysis of the investment strategy for the selected priority tourist destination (up to 30 pages), submitted and approved	1 July 2023
3	Report with a compiled promotional plan for the priority tourist destinations and investment potentials  (up to 15 pages), submitted and approved	1 August 2023
4	Report on recommendations for improvement of the analytical framework for assessment of the effects of the investments into hotel facilities in the spa field (up to 15 pages), submitted and approved	15 September 2023
5	Progress log on lead provision to perspective investors in prioritized tourist areas (up to 10 pages), submitted and approved	1 November 2023
6	Progress report on activities undertaken in relation to the provision of know – how to DAS, utilizing industry standards and proven best practices in hotel and spa segment (up to 15 pages), submitted and approved	1 December 2023

 

* The timelines may be slightly adjusted once the contract is signed with the consultant in order to align with actual project implementation.

All reports shall be in Serbian language.

All deliverables shall be quality reviewed and accepted by the UNDP Portfolio Manager in consultation with the Technical Advisor for Investment Climate.

Competencies

• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills (English and Serbian);
• Ability to work in teams and share ideas and knowledge;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Demonstrates integrity by modelling ethical standards;
• Full computer literacy in the use of MS Office package, especially Word;
• Excellent written communication skills and analytic capacity and ability to synthesize relevant collected data and findings for the preparation of quality analysis.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Sciences in Economic, Business Administration, Tourism and Hospitality or other related field.

 

Work Experience:

 

• Minimum 6 years of hotel experience with 5 years in management capacities;
• At least 5 years of experience in conducting analysis and formulating strategies;
• Good understanding of the investment and tourism policies;
• Advanced knowledge of hotel procedures with special focus on spa hotels.        

 

Languages and other competences:

• Fluency in Serbian and English.

 

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS.

 

Application Procedure:

Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their applications via UNDP Web site: UNDP in Serbia under section “Jobs” no later than 2nd April 2023.

 

 Application should include: 

• CV in English language containing date of birth, contact information (home address, phone number, e-mail) and timeline of work experience (including description of duties).  

• Offeror’s Letter confirming Interest and availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment. Can be downloaded from the following link https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/confirmation.docx. The Offeror’s Letter shall include financial proposal specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement with a breakdown of costs (Offeror’s Letter, including Annex 2, Table A: Breakdown of costs & Table B: Breakdown of costs by deliverables).

 

In order to apply please merge above listed documents into a single PDF file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.

 

The shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide copies of diplomas and any other certificates providing evidence of their education and experience in relevant fields.

 

Any request for clarification must be sent by standard electronic communication to the e-mail vacancy.rs@undp.org. The procuring UNDP entity will respond by standard electronic mail and will send response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.

 

Financial Proposal

 

Lump sum contracts The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount in USD currency, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in instalments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon approval of each deliverable.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel in Serbia, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

 

Travel

 

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

 

Evaluation

 

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable in terms of relevant experience and academic background, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight; 70%

* Financial Criteria weight; 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Criteria	Weight	Max. Point
Technical		70 points
Criteria A	Desk review of CVs based on experience of tourism industry standards.	35
Criteria B	Experience in hotel procedures with special focus on spa hotels	35
Financial		30 points

 

Additional Information:

 

• Individual Contract (IC) will be applicable for individual consultants applying in their own capacity.  If the applicant is employed by any legal entity, IC would be issued upon submission of Consent letter from the employer acknowledging the engagement with UNDP. Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: Template of General Conditions on IC could be found on: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/General_Conditions_for_Individual_Contracts.pdf 
• Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA) will be applicable for applicants employed by any legal entity. Template of RLA with General Terms and Conditions could be found on: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/PSU_Individual%20Contract_Model%20Reimbursable%20Loan%20Agreement.docx

In the case of engagement of Civil servants under IC contract modality a no-objection letter should be provided by the Government entity. The ‘no-objection’ letter must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on “leave-without-pay” status (if applicable), and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any. If the previous is not applicable ‘leave-without-pay’ confirmation should be submitted.

Engagement of Government Officials and Employees

 

• Government Officials or Employees are civil servants of UN Member States.  As such, if they will be engaged by UNDP under an IC which they will be signing in their individual capacity (i.e., engagement is not done through RLA signed by their government employer), the following conditions must be met prior to the award of contract:

(i)       A “No-objection” letter in respect of the individual is received from the Government employing him/her, and;

(ii)     The individual must provide an official documentation from his/her employer formally certifying his or her status as being on “official leave without pay” for the duration of the IC.

• The above requirements are also applicable to Government-owned and controlled enterprises and well as other semi/partially or fully owned Government entities, whether or not the Government ownership is of majority or minority status.   
• UNDP recognizes the possibility that there are situations when the Government entity employing the individual that UNDP wishes to engage is one that allows its employees to receive external short-term consultancy assignments (including but not limited to research institutions, state-owned colleges/universities, etc.), whereby a status of “on-leave-without-pay” is not required.  Under such circumstance, the individual entering into an IC with UNDP must still provide a “No-objection” letter from the Government employing him/her.  The “no objection” letter required under (i) above must also state that the employer formally certifies that their employees are allowed to receive short-term consultancy assignment from another entity without being on “leave-without-pay” status and include any conditions and restrictions on granting such permission, if any.  The said document may be obtained by, and put on record of, UNDP, in lieu of the document (ii) listed above.