Call for concepts: e-solutions for inclusive employment opportunities
1. Introduction
The RisiAlbania Project is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by a consortium consisting of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and Partners Albania. The overall goal of the project is to contribute to an increase in employment opportunities for young women and men (age 15-29) in Albania. This goal will be achieved through:
- Enhanced growth and job creation by the private sector in three selected subsectors agro business, tourism, and ICT,
- Improved access to job opportunities and labor market information and services (intermediation), and
- Improved skills of young people by improving the offer of private training providers in the three selected sectors (labor supply).
RisiAlbania is looking for proposals that lead to business growth and contribute to creation of jobs. Ensuring inclusiveness of vulnerable and socially excluded young women and men in the Albanian labor market is in the focus of all RisiAlbania interventions. The project also addresses the issues of specific groups such as rural young women and internal migrants, aiming to bring qualitative improvements in the life of such vulnerable and socially excluded young women and men in Albania.
2. Objectives of the call
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of the economy: it has created major problems for companies to access markets and workforce, which has resulted in unemployment. But it is also creating opportunities, especially for technology and innovationoriented companies. The challenge remains for companies to adapt to the new situation. Risi Albania is inviting private sector companies to submit a concept note presenting a project idea which will lead to improved, inclusive, viable e-services linked to business growth and to the creation of new jobs for young people in ICT and within other economic sectors through improved business processes. To ensure that this crisis does not increase inequality and exclusion in the labour market, solutions targeting beneficiaries from to the most vulnerable and marginalised groups are encouraged.
The format of the concept note is open, and the scope can include project ideas that support the private sector to introduce new products and services that lead to creation of new jobs and investment in a sustainable way and benefit to young women and men of different educational, language or cultural backgrounds.
This is a non-exhaustive list of potential areas the project can support: ideas can introduce innovation, improve work quality and productivity across different business functions, improve the functioning of supply chains, support career intermediation and skills delivery.
Concepts must be based on an assessment of private sector needs, and clearly indicate how the proposed product, service or solution will help to create new jobs or improve the employability of young people. Proposals that benefit rural women, internal migrants and marginalized groups are encouraged.
3. Content of concept notes
The concept notes must specify the growth vision, strategy, job creation forecasts and need for support from RisiAlbania:
- Growth Provide a vision for your business in the medium to long term and how you plan to grow [maximum half a page].
- Growth Describe the new product or service that you are planning to develop in detail, delivery models, and the markets targeted. Explain how the development and delivery of this service or product will be sustainable for your business (i.e continue beyond the duration of the project support), including financially [maximum two pages].
- Inclusive job creation. Explain how the new product or service will lead to investments and create Quantify the number of jobs that you expect will be created as a result of the new service or product, in which economic sectors they will be, and indicate how young people will benefit. RisiAlbania will favour applications that lead to jobs created among marginalized groups [maximum two pages].
- RisiAlbania support. Indicate support needs (i.e. training, coaching, certification). Please indicate clearly your financial contribution in the new project, the financial support that you need from RisiAlbania, and, if applicable, the investment from other potential investors, donors or sponsors [maximum one page].
Applicants must send by email a scanned version of the concept note in PDF format, signed, stamped, and including a date of submission. They should also submit the electronic NIPT and registration document in QKB together with the concept note.
*Note that RisiAlbania does not cover fixed costs such as rent, salaries or utilities. The total contribution of the project can amount to 50% of the product or service development costs. The project co-finances costs for up to a 12-month period*.
- Submission of the concept notes:
We expect concepts to be submitted in English or Albanian (English preferred) in 1 electronic copy via email to the address [email protected] by June 16th, 2020, at 15:00. Concept notes handed outside the indicated timeline may not be considered.
For any questions you might have related the application, please, write by email: [email protected] within June 12th, 2020.
5. Selection process
The concepts submitted to RisiAlbania will be evaluated and scored against the following criteria. After selection, RisiAlbania will work with shortlisted applicants to write a full proposal and business plan for the new project idea prior to receiving Risi funding.
| Selection criteria | Scores (100 total) |
| Impact of project idea on creating new jobs | 30 |
| Sustainability of project idea | 20 |
| Clear explanation of how the idea will benefit vulnerable groups | 20 |
| Target agribusiness, tourism, skills provision or intermediation | 10 |
| Experience of applicant | 10 |
| Value for money in the budget support | 10 |
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