TOR for Implementation Agreement titled: "Provision of the “Startup programme for Water and Energy Innovations in Agriculture"

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The BOUZOUR project ‘Building Inclusive Markets and Decent Work for Lebanese host communities and Syrian refugees’ is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The project aims to develop specific agricultural and agri-food value chains with potential for decent job creation and livelihoods of both Lebanese and Syrian vulnerable population groups and in particular women of both communities.

The project makes use of the ILO’s Approach to Inclusive Market Systems (AIMS) to safeguard jobs and livelihoods of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities threatened by the crises and encourage decent job creation for both groups in sectors with potential. The BOUZOUR project is aligned with the idea of “doing development differently” and therefore applies a market systems development approach. This approach tackles the root causes of market issues affecting people in poverty, aiming for lasting, sustainable changes. Instead of delivering goods and services directly, the project looks at the overall system in which people live and make a living, asking why certain groups struggle to access economic opportunities. By understanding these root causes, the project can design interventions that address them sustainably. This means collaborating with a range of public and private actors to incentivize and capacitate them so they can deliver goods and services sustainably. To guarantee sustainability, the project seeks to create win-win situations whereby both the actor delivering any good or service and the person receiving that service stand to gain from the transaction.

ASSIGNMENT BACKGROUND

One of the most pressing challenges facing smallholder farmers and agri-enterprises is the lack of stable and affordable access to energy and water, essential for irrigation, cold storage, agro-processing, and other core functions. While renewable energy and other water resource-efficient technologies offer a promising path forward, the current macroeconomic environment poses significant barriers to their adoption. Startups and small enterprises working on water and energy solutions face extreme liquidity shortages, limited access to affordable finance, and a near absence of risk capital. The cost of deploying systems in rural and agricultural settings is high, while return timelines are uncertain especially in a country where energy markets remain fragmented and disrupted.

Despite these constraints, Lebanon is home to a growing ecosystem of clean energy and water innovation startups. However, many of these enterprises struggle to scale due to limited technical support, weak linkages with agricultural markets, and a lack of visibility among farmers and cooperatives. On the demand side, while awareness of solar and water-efficient solutions is growing among smallholder farmers and cooperatives, many still lack the upfront capital, adequate information, or confidence to invest in these systems. In this context, the BOUZOUR project is launching a targeted startup support initiative to bridge the gap between energy/water innovators and the agricultural actors that could benefit from their solutions. The assignment will design and implement tailored support for early- and growth-stage enterprises, including technical assistance, catalytic funding, and investment readiness coaching. By addressing market constraints on both the supply and demand sides, the initiative aims to unlock job creation, reduce reliance on costly fossil fuels, and foster the uptake of sustainable technologies within Lebanon’s strained yet vital agriculture sector.

ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVE

To support the growth, stabilization, and scale-up of startups developing water and energy innovations tailored to the agriculture and agri-food sectors, with the aim of enhancing the resilience of vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian communities. This will be achieved by facilitating the adoption of sustainable, cost-effective, and employment-generating technologies (e.g. solar PV systems, climate-smart technologies, etc), and strengthening the market ecosystem through catalytic funding, tailored technical assistance, and investment readiness support.

SCOPE OF WORK

The implementing partner will be responsible for designing and delivering a targeted startup support program that strengthens the capacity of early- and growth-stage enterprises developing water- and energy-efficiency innovations tailored to the agriculture and agri-food sectors in Lebanon. This will involve launching a public call for applications, conducting a transparent selection process, and providing a tailored package of support—including technical mentorship, business development services, and a competitive financial support mechanism—to help selected enterprises refine, pilot, and scale their innovations.

The intervention will ultimately contribute to increasing the availability of affordable and sustainable technologies among vulnerable communities engaged in agriculture. These include smallholder Lebanese farmers and agri-enterprises, who are heavily impacted by the high cost and unreliable supply of electricity, as well as the rising expense of pumping water for irrigation—both of which rely on diesel generators. Syrian workers, who make up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce at the farm level, are directly exposed to the use of these polluting generators during irrigation and other production tasks. The shift toward clean and efficient energy and water solutions can not only enhance productivity and reduce input costs but also improve occupational safety and health and and create more stable and fair working conditions for agricultural workers.

The scope of work includes the following core components:

Output 1:  Design and Launch of a Call for Applications

• 1.1 Develop the overall program framework and timeline, including eligibility criteria, and scoring methodology, selection processes and transparent tracking. Criteria should emphasize the potential for both environmental and social impact—such as improved energy and water efficiency, job creation, and tangible benefits for vulnerable agricultural stakeholders including smallholder farmers and farm-level workers. A specific gender criterion must be included to assess the extent to which each startup promotes women’s participation, leadership, and access to decent work—either within the enterprise itself or through its solution.
• 1.2 Design, publish and promote a call for applications, ensuring inclusive outreach to youth-, women-, and refugee-led enterprises. Communications should use inclusive language and be disseminated through women’s networks, incubators, and local community channels.
• 1.3 Conduct eligibility screening and shortlist candidates based on predefined criteria, including the startup’s alignment with gender inclusion, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic impact goals.
• 1.4 Organize and facilitate a selection committee to review and score shortlisted applications and finalize the selection of high-potential startups for support.

Output 2: Strengthened Technical Capacity and Operations of Selected Startups

• 2.1 Design and apply an assessment framework to identify capacity gaps, operational needs, and in-kind support requirements of early- and growth-stage startups (including business, technical, and operational dimensions).
• 2.2 Conduct tailored business and operational needs assessments for each startup.
• 2.3 Design tailored in-kind support packages for each startup, including a dedicated support budget that reflects the specific business model, operational needs, and technology readiness of the startup. This budget will cover a combination of equipment, studies, technical assistance, and other eligible in-kind services tied to performance milestones.
• 2.4 Explore cost-sharing and co-investment opportunities with startups to foster ownership, sustainability, and long‑term growth.
• 2.5 Deliver customized technical assistance, training, and one-on-one coaching on business model validation, go-to-market strategies, operational processes, OSH/labour standards, and financial planning.
• 2.6 Support startups in integrating the in-kind support into their operations, with KPIs on technology adoption, operational efficiency, farmer and agri-enterprises reach.
• 2.7 Formalize agreements outlining responsibilities, reporting, and timelines for in-kind support deployment.
• 2.8 Monitor implementation, provide troubleshooting, and offer ongoing technical guidance.

Output 3: Monitoring, Reporting, and Learning

• 4.1 Develop a monitoring and evaluation framework with indicators for tracking startup performance and program impact
• 4.2 Collect baseline and follow-up data from participating startups.
• 4.3 Conduct periodic reports to assess startup progress and flag implementation challenges.
• 4.4 Document case studies and success stories through visual and written media. (Explore creative documentation approaches, including a “documentary-style” that regularly follows selected startups).
• 4.5 Submit regular progress and final reports with lessons learned and recommendations for scale-up or replication.

Please refer to attached ToR for more information on the outputs and deliverables.

TIME FRAME

This contract will be implemented over the period from 1 July 2025 to 7 November 2025 including the preparation phase. Technical and Financial reports are expected to be delivered to the satisfaction of the ILO as indicated in the reporting schedule.

Deliverables shall be submitted in line with the requirements explained in the agreed upon TOR within the deadlines and are subject to the approval of the ILO.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE (Please refer to the attached ToR)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

To apply for this assignment, the applicant must meet the following qualifications.

• Proven track record of at least 3-5 years working with startup support programs or entrepreneurship development in Lebanon.
• Experience addressing challenges related to the agriculture and energy sector and working with agricultural and Energy Technologies.
• Demonstrated experience with challenges and opportunities faced by startups, including access to finance, mentoring, capacity building, and market linkages.
• Familiarity with incubators, accelerators, and startup ecosystem development approaches.
• Experience managing projects of similar scope and complexity, ensuring delivery within agreed timelines and budgets.
• Strong understanding of Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) frameworks with proven experience in tracking project outputs and outcomes.
• The project team should include professionals with relevant academic backgrounds such as Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Economics, Energy, Agriculture or related fields.

DELIVERABLES

The ILO requires candidates to submit the following:

1. Technical Proposal: The Technical proposal is expected to be submitted by candidates in the following structure (maximum of 8 pages excluding CVs, registration documents, and financial proposal)
2. Project Summary: An abstract of the proposal, a brief description of the rationale, goal(s), objectives, specific project activities, target beneficiaries, and expected outputs.
3. Project Narrative Description: this section should include the following:
   1. 1. Project Goals and Purpose: Project goal(s) must be clearly defined and directly relevant to the need(s) identified above. Project purpose must be measurable, realistic (aligned within the project’s period of performance) and be directly relevant to the priority area identified.
      2. Project Activities and Methodology: Discuss all proposed project activities and describe the methodologies to be applied to implement the project to deliver the outputs outlined under the “Scope of Work”. In this section the relation between project objectives, outputs and activities should be clear.
4. Detailed work plan with a timetable related to the different activities.

4. CVs of Team leader, and staff involved in the project implementation demonstrating their capacity to conduct the assignment.

2. Financial Proposal: Candidates should submit their financial proposal as per the template found in ANNEX 1

3. Proof of valid legal registration or status of the lead organization

Please refer to attached the ToR to review the Annex