Request for Application (RFA)-C Stimulating Private Sector Animal Health Service Delivery System in the RLP Area

1. Background of the project

The Regional Livestock Program (RLP) is a 12-year initiative funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by consortium members including IGAD, Helvetas, Welthungerhilfe, and Mercy Corps across 4 countries. The program aims to bring about transformative change in the pastoral and Agro-pastoral areas of the Horn of Africa by creating a more productive, climate-resilient, inclusive, and competitive livestock sector.

RLP is implementing a Market Systems Development (MSD) approach, to stimulate sustainable, systemic change on a large scale. This will involve multiple partnerships with private sector and government actors. Thus, the Livestock market actors have efficient and profitable engagement with domestic and international markets, especially women and youth of the program is issuing this RFA to partner with Private Veterinary Pharmacies (PVPs) in the program-targeted area to facilitate intervention to catalyze private sector-led animal health service delivery system through co-investment with private partners

2. Objective of Call for Applications

The objective of this call for applications is to catalyze private sector engagement in animal health service delivery to improve access to and uses of the service on a large scale to pastoral and agropastoral communities in the RLP program area.

RLP is welcoming applications from existing Private Veterinary Pharmacies (PVPs) and Private veterinary Clinic service providers who are interested in expanding their business through capacitating and networking of Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and new veterinary science/ animal science graduates to create a better access and quality service at scale to last mile/ pastoral and Agro-Pastoral communities.

3. Program Target areas.

Mercy Corps is open to receiving applications from PVPs and Private Veterinary (ambulatory) Clinic (PVC) and animal health service businesses operating in the following RLP program-targeted regions and/or existing in the adjacent regions who are interested in expanding the business/market to RLP target following priority target areas in the target regions

• Awdal region

• Maroodi jeex region

• Toghdeer region

• Saxil region

• Gebiley region

• Hawd region

Following a rigorous evaluation process, partnership agreements will be set up with selected companies/businesses based on the criteria described below. If the proposed activities require financial investment, the business company will be expected to leverage co-investment (in cash or in-kind) for the implementation of the envisioned activities.

Eligibility Criteria for application

Mercy Corps is interested in soliciting operational PVP and PVC who fulfill the following ELIGIBILITY criteria for the co-investment to support their business expansion or/and growth to better support program target beneficiaries:

• Operational Private Veterinary Practitioners/Pharmacies (PVP), Private veterinary clinic/ambulatory (PVC) and animal health service businesses providing services for communities in the program-targeted areas. To the minimum, the applicant should be in operation of the business for at least six consecutive months before the date of the application in and/or around RLP-targeted areas

• Should be legally registered under Somaliland law and should have renewed business licenses.

• Committed and have the financial means/resources to contribute to implement proposed business ideas

• Commitment/interest to work with livestock producers, veterinary associations, last mile animal health service providers (CAHWs), veterinary/animal science graduates, and other actors along the animal health service delivery chain.

• Clear understanding of private sector-led animal health service delivery system and have a clear business model that supports creating better access and uses of service to wider communities.

• Commitment to share information related to the service and the business operation with mandated local government bodies and Mercy Corps.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/144abNwt40zxX5NBj5bKV9GDFGrayHRF7/view?usp=sharing

Preparation of Applications

The application template is provided below and must be completed by the date listed above. Completed applications will be accepted in English and must be no more than ten (10) pages in length (not including budget, proof of registration, or other required attachments).

A soft copy of the application form will be emailed to interested applicants on request. Mercy Corps will evaluate all Applications based on the criteria described above. All applicants that meet the criteria will be considered, however, Mercy Corps reserves the right to not accept any applicant if none are qualified

Submission process

Interested applicants should submit a soft copy via email and hard copy of the Application and required documentation as follows to the following contacts

• Mercy Corps office in Hargeisa, located in the Shacab area, Opposite immigration-

• Tel +252634470253 / +252 63 4049848

• Email expression of interest to Abdirizak Jama (abdjama@mercycorps.org) and copy Abdulrahman Mohamed (abdulrmohamed@mercycorps.org)