ToR - Individual Consultancy-SME Expert - ENABLE

PROJECT BACKGROUND

General background

With funding from the European Union, the International Labour Organization (ILO) is implementing the ENABLE programme to support Lebanon’s most vulnerable populations by fostering economic resilience through employment opportunities. The program focuses on improving the livelihoods of marginalized communities, reducing dependency on social assistance, and promoting social cohesion.

Assignment Overview

The recent war in Lebanon has significantly disrupted local labor markets, placing immense pressure on businesses and workers alike. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of the Lebanese economy, have been particularly hard-hit. Many have experienced operational setbacks, damage to infrastructure, reduced demand, and interruptions in supply chains. These disruptions have not only hindered productivity and worker retention but have also deepened the vulnerability of employees, many of whom now struggle with job insecurity and limited social protection. ILO has conducted a Rapid Assessment of the Impact of the War on Private Sector Workers and Enterprises in Lebanon in April 2025 revealing a clear picture of the private sector's most pressing needs. Both active and temporarily closed enterprises identified access to finance as the most critical requirement for recovery (80%), followed by affordable energy (40%), market access (35%), and wage subsidies (25%). Additionally, while training ranked lower among initial concerns, 24.5% of businesses stressed the need for technical assistance to build resilience and adapt to ongoing uncertainty. In response to this, ENABLE programme is currently supporting diverse business development service providers to adapt their services, prioritise business resilience trainings in affected areas and assist SMEs in developing business resilience strategies. This will be achieved through the partnership with ILO’s International Training Center (ITCILO) to adapt the available GIZ-ILO Sustainable and Resilient Enterprises training package (SURE) to the Lebanese context to respond to the needs of the SMEs in the country and implement the trainings needed. The “SURE” training aims to enhance employment by equipping SMEs with tools to detect and mitigate risks, assess staff agility and develop their own business resilience strategies and has been previously implemented in Ukraine.

Following the provision of SURE training to SMEs, businesses demonstrating sufficient capacity and commitment will be selected for the subsequent phase of the program. This phase aims to create employment opportunities for vulnerable populations by potentially offering short-term placements within these SMEs. This approach represents a mutually beneficial arrangement: individuals receive short term employment opportunities in the SMEs which may help them secure long-term employment based on their performance, while SMEs gain access to additional staff supported by subsidized salaries.

To ensure successful implementation of this intervention, ENABLE is seeking to engage a national consultant with expertise in SMEs to conduct a targeted mapping and rapid needs assessment. This will help identify suitable enterprises within selected regions and sectors that are interested in participating in the programme and in engaging vulnerable workers.

ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF WORK

The main objectives of the consultancy are to:

• Conduct mapping to identify at least 200 SMEs operating in targeted locations and sectors included in the sector analysis implemented by ENABLE that are interested in participating in the SURE training on business resilience and willing to engage vulnerable workers on a short-term basis, with salary support.
• Conduct a preliminary needs assessment of these identified enterprises to inform ENABLE’s ongoing and future support strategies.

The consultant will be expected to deliver the below:

1. Develop and implement a methodology for identifying relevant SMEs fitting ENABLE’s criteria using a mixed approach that includes:

• Direct outreach to enterprises where appropriate in close coordination with ILO and ITCILO.
• Strategic engagement with business associations, cooperatives, municipalities, industrial clusters, chambers of commerce, sectoral networks, etc to facilitate outreach and information-gathering.

The outreach is expected to target a diversity of enterprises, including those owned or employing women and/or displaced or marginalized populations. The consultant will support the ILO in organizing a one-day event in each target area, where enterprises and organizations working with enterprises will have the opportunity to meet, learn about the SURE initiative, and identify potential enterprises interested in participating

2.  Identify and profile SMEs operating in the following sectors: hospitality, agro-processing, construction, garment, solid waste management and focused on the following geographic areas: Beirut and Mount Lebanon (Bourj Hammoud and Southern Suburbs) and the South (Tyre, Nabatiyeh).

3.  Identify and assess at least 200 enterprises interested and willing to participate in the SURE training programme and capable of retaining existing workers and create temporary positions for vulnerable groups.

4.   Conduct a rapid needs assessment of these identified enterprises, focusing on:

• Skills gaps and training needs for workers
• Operational and logistical constraints
• Equipment or machinery needs
• Opportunities for scale-up or follow-on support

METHODOLOGY

To achieve these objectives, the contracted consultant is expected to carry out the following activities and deliver the below outputs:

Kick-off coordination and consultations with the project team: The consultant will begin the assignment with a kick-off coordination call with the ILO project team and ITCILO to align on the scope, timeline and expectations. During this initial consultation, the consultant will propose a draft methodology which will be reviewed and validated before proceeding with data collection.

Development of detailed methodology: The consultant will develop a clear and detailed methodology outlining how the enterprise mapping and outreach will be conducted. Outreach efforts should be conducted in collaboration with intermediary organizations and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALI), to ensure effective access to relevant enterprises. For this assignment a mixed-method approach shall be adopted, combining 3-4 key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders in the outreaching phase and a short survey targeting at least 200 enterprises   The methodology should also outline the sampling approach, data collection tools and coordination strategy with local actors. It should ensure representation across targeted sectors and locations while capturing the diversity of enterprise types, including women-led and vulnerable group–employing businesses.

Field work and validation: The field work will focus on identifying and profiling at least 200 SMEs in the abovementioned sectors and geographical locations and interested and capable of being part of this intervention.  Additionally, the consultant will facilitate 3-4 KIIs with key stakeholders across the identified areas in Lebanon. The research will assess each enterprise’s capacity to retain existing workers and create new temporary jobs, while also evaluating training needs, operational challenges and opportunities for scale-up. Outreach should be conducted in coordination with municipalities, business networks and other local actors. The results will guide ENABLE’s next phase of recovery efforts, under the SURE programme, and support the design of targeted and evidence-based interventions.

Final report –The final report will provide an overview of enterprises in the abovementioned sectors and geographical locations incorporating feedback before submitting the final version, ensuring that the assessment is both actionable and aligned with programmatic priorities and ILO standards.

DELIVERABLES

The consultant is expected to deliver the following in a total of 35 working days:

1st deliverable:

Inception report (within 1 week of contract start):

• Detailed work plan, including outreach strategy, mapping methodology, and a list of key stakeholder groups and networks to be engaged in addition to the designed data collection tools (survey & KII questionnaires).

2nd deliverable:

• Interim progress note and one day event in each area (midway through assignment):
• Summary of progress, initial findings, and any emerging challenges.

3rd deliverable:

Final mapping report, including:

• A final database/list of at least 200 SMEs aligned with the geographic and sectoral scope and interested and willing to take part of the intervention (in English).
• Summary profiles enterprises, including sector and location, size and number of employees, interest in SURE training, willingness to hire vulnerable workers at least for a short period, etc.
• A brief needs assessment highlighting:

1. Common operational constraints
2. Training and capacity gaps
3. Needs related to infrastructure, tools, or equipment
4. Recommendations for tailored support under ENABLE or future programming
5. Presentation of Findings to ENABLE project team (PowerPoint format)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The national consultant should possess the following:

• The assignment is open for individuals with at least 7 years of experience in SME development, enterprise support, or economic development in Lebanon or similar contexts (companies or firms are not eligible to apply).
• Demonstrated experience in enterprise mapping, field research, and rapid assessments.
• Strong understanding of the economic landscape in Lebanon, especially within the targeted regions and sectors.
• Excellent analytical, reporting, and communication skills.
• Fluency in Arabic and English is essential.

The technical proposal must include a clear methodology, a comprehensive data management plan and a structured reporting outline.

For proposal evaluation, all applicants will be evaluated against the eligibility criteria set above, This assignment will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Ranking will be based on the most technically compliant and financially competitive proposal, and incomplete submissions will be disqualified.

SUPERVISION

The consultant will lead on this assignment under the overall supervision of the ENABLE Project Manager/Chief Technical Advisor, and the direct supervision of ENABLE’s National Project Coordinator and Skills and Enterprise Officer. The consultant will work directly with ITCILO in charge of the SURE implementation Additional technical feedback will be sought from the Enterprise Development Specialist, as needed.

TIMEFRAME

This contract will be implemented over a period of 35 working days from the date of agreement signature, which is expected to be between 21 May and 8 July 2025.

Payment Schedule:

1st payment: Amounting to 30% of total payment upon the successful completion and delivery of a detailed work plan, inception report including an outreach strategy, mapping methodology, data collection tools, and a list of key stakeholder groups and networks to be engaged (1st deliverable) approved by the ILO and in line with ILO standards.

2nd and final payment: final payment amounts to 70% of the total payment will be paid upon the satisfactory submission and clearance of the interim progress note and the final needs assessment report and presentation (2nd and 3rd deliverables) according to ILO standards.