Key Information
TITLE: Market research into the supply of added-value agricultural products and demand from the tourism sector (focusing mainly on hotels) in Mugla.
LOCATION: Mugla Province, Turkey, focusing on the main resorts of Fethiye, Dalaman, Bodrum and Marmaris and the agricultural districts in the province.
DURATION: September – December 2018.
BUDGET: £10,000 (or approx. €11,200).
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Wednesday 5th September 2018 at 10 AM GMT.
Background and Context
The Travel Foundation
The Travel Foundation (TF) is an independent charity that works in partnership with tourism stakeholders to have a positive impact on destinations – enabling local communities, the environment and businesses to thrive. Since 2003 we have worked in 24 countries and implemented over 35 sustainable tourism projects and programmes.
TF’s vision is of “a world where tourism provides the greatest benefits for people and the environment in destinations” and its mission is to “increase the benefits and reduce the negative impacts of tourism in destinations”. To achieve this, we develop and implement tourism initiatives that promote cross-sector collaboration, build local capacity and enable the long-term incorporation of sustainable practice.
The Turkey Programme
The Travel Foundation (TF) has been working in Turkey, delivering sustainable tourism projects in the Fethiye- region, a popular tourism destination, since 2009, including ‘Taste of Fethiye’ (2009 – 2015), an award-winning agri-tourism linkages project. Given the success of this project which created market linkages between fresh agricultural producers and local hotels, TF in partnership with the TUI Care Foundation (TCF) intends to build on this and develop a new initiative that focuses on connecting producers of added-value products to the main tourism resorts across Mugla Province.
The Project
The purpose of the project is to support small rural families in the Mugla region to increase their livelihoods security through the supply of value-added products (i.e. agricultural products which are dried, processed etc.) to the tourism industry. These products are likely to include salad oils and vinegars, dried vegetables, dairy, cosmetics, etc. making best use of, and showcasing the region’s diversified agricultural produce such as olives, pomegranates and traditional herbs. The project will develop market linkages for these and other products within the main resorts in Mugla, (Fethiye, Dalaman, Marmaris and Bodrum), and will focus on supplying hotels and other tourism businesses.
The Brief
Need & purpose
Previous research (South Aegean Development Agency – GEKA) evidenced the potential for the production and sales of added-value products to the tourism industry in the Mugla Region, but it also highlighted the need to improve packaging and marketing to meet retail standards, as well as product development and business management capacity.
At this initial stage of the project, before market linkages can be created, a detailed understanding of the potential supply of, and demand for, added-value products by tourism businesses is required, hence this ITT.
The TF wishes to contract a consultant(s) to deliver a market research study which will enable it:
- To better understand the current situation in relation to what value-added products are produced in the region, and what is currently and could potentially be supplied to tourism businesses (hotels, restaurants and retail outlets)
- To better understand the current situation in relation to what value-added products are procured by tourism businesses in the region
- To better understand the distribution systems and pricing of added-value agricultural products in the area
- To identify and engage production units (producers organized as cooperatives, associations, SMEs, community groups, etc.) and tourism businesses with the most potential (motivation, feasibility) to supply/procure these products.
- To understand the current capacity of added-value producers in the region and identify training needs, to better equip them to meet the procurement needs of the hotels.
Approach / Methodology
TF will produce a list of target tourism businesses and production units to involve in the research and introduce them to the consultant(s). The criteria used to prioritize target businesses/units will be provided to the consultant(s) as background information. If appropriate, we would expect the consultant(s) to suggest relevant potential targets from existing relationships established with the targeted sectors and/or the project area.
TF will also provide the consultant(s) with a list of information to be gathered and questions to be answered for both the supply and demand side, including some key distributors.
The consultant(s) is expected to:
Develop appropriate research instruments (e.g. survey/interview questions) based on the information provided by TF to include both qualitative and quantitative data – to be approved by TF.
- Define a detailed workplan (including the resources, especially personnel who will conduct the work and a detailed timeframe) to be approved by TF.
- Organise and hold meetings with the targeted production units, distributors and tourism businesses in order to gather market research information using the research instruments developed.
- The research should involve around 75 tourism businesses (mainly hotels), to be delivered across 20 days approximately, and 30 added-value production units (including some farmers working with the production units, where required) and up to 10 distributors, – an additional maximum of 20 days delivery.
- NB1: some of the tourism businesses can be consulted via phone or email to gather information but the production units must be visited in person.
- NB2: some of the tourism businesses will only be available to visit/collect data in the window between late September and late October/early November.
- During visits to production units, it is expected that the consultant(s) will also take photographs of the products and gather samples, to showcase to tourism businesses.
- Produce a report outlining key findings plus recommendations on which production units (including products) and tourism businesses might be most appropriate to participate in the project, and potential training/capacity-building needs.
Geographic Scope
The geographical scope is the Mugla Province, focusing the demand analysis in the main resorts of Fethiye, Dalaman, Bodrum and Marmaris and the supply analysis in the agricultural districts in the region (Muğla, Bodrum, Dalaman, Datça, Fethiye, Kavaklıdere, Köyceğiz, Marmaris, Menteşe, Milas, Ortaca, Seydikemer, Ula, Yatağan)
Thematic Scope
The added-value products the project aims to work with are food/ingredients and agri-product derivatives (e.g. olive oil soap) made from produce that is grown in the region e.g. olives and pomegranates, not bananas, for example. Out of scope are: furniture, fixtures and fittings; non-food/toiletry-related crafts (even when derived from regional produce e.g. olive wood); and produce for which there is low demand from the tourism sector.
Outputs / Deliverables
The following outputs will be delivered by the consultant(s) within the agreed timeframe:
- Methodology (including research instruments e.g. questionnaires): to be signed off by TF before the fieldwork is carried out.
- A detailed report which includes:
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- An executive summary (no longer than 2 pages)
- A summary of the methodology used (survey/interview questions etc. should be provided in appendices)
- Key findings (including, but not limited to, important contextual information, summarised data on supply and demand for added-value products, information on pricing and distribution systems, capacity gaps and training needs of the producers/production units,
- Recommendations on tourism businesses, especially hotels (individual, categories, chains), and production units (and particular products) to work with
- A contact database of stakeholders surveyed, including the contact person, contact details and an overview of the data they have provided
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- A complete set of all data collected including relevant tables, analysis, pictures, etc.
- Any samples collected from the production units
All outputs should be delivered in English, and output 2 should also be provided in Turkish.
The Tender Proposal
The tender document should be a maximum of 6 A4 pages (excluding supporting documents) and should include the following:
- A short interpretation of the brief (max. half page): Demonstrating an understanding of the brief and outlining the general approach to the work.
- Approach/methodology (max. 1.5 page): Outlining how would you approach the task based on the information provided above, including:
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- An outline of your suggested approach
- A detailed explanation of how you will organize the meetings and a protocol of how you will interact with the different targets.
- A detailed explanation of how you will conduct data collection with the targets.
- Ideas of innovative ways to approach the task
- Any anticipated barriers or challenges in delivering the research and how you intend to address them
- Examples of previous work (max. 1.5 pages): A couple of short paragraphs explaining why you are qualified to do the required work and a list of some examples of previous work which demonstrates relevant skills/experience for this tender. Include in the supporting documents similar reports produced that demonstrate your relevant skills and experience.
- Resources (max. 1.5 pages) – Define the roles and responsibilities within your team for the delivery and quality control of the work. Include in the supporting documents the CV of each person that will be involved.
- Timeframe/workplan (max. 1 page) – A detailed workplan for the delivery of the required outputs, including a list of activities, associated timeframes and key milestones. Ensure you build-up in any time for sign-off of drafts, where appropriate. You can use the following suggested guidelines as reference:
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- Final approach, methodology and workplan – by 21st September 2018
- Data collection and entry – between 26th September and 26th November
- Preliminary draft of final detailed report – by 5th December
- Final report and complete set of data collected – by 18th December 2018
- Budget (max. 0.5 pages) – Full budget breakdown of estimated costs associated with the delivery of the research, including personnel (daily rate x number of days for each person involved) and capital costs (e.g. travel and accommodation), as well as overheads, communications, translator, VAT, printing costs, etc. if required.
- Supporting Documents – The tender should include the following supporting documents:
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- Examples of relevant research that the consultant(s) or consultancy has worked on previously.
- Up-to-date CVs (in English) of all consultant(s) indicating their role and demonstrating experience, knowledge and skills relevant to the brief.
- Contact details.
Payment
TF has a guideline budget of £10,000 (approx. €11,200) for this work, including all taxes (e.g. VAT), to cover all the costs associated with the delivery of the outputs (including, but not limited to, transport, accommodation, subsistence, insurances, communication, administration and interpretation/translation costs).
The fee will be broken down based on the delivery of outputs:
- 20% upon signing the contract
- 20% upon delivery of Output 1 (methodology review, questionnaires and detailed workplan)
- 60% upon delivery of Outputs 2 and 3 (report and data)
Timescale and Communication
It is expected that the research will be delivered across 3 months, starting in September 2018 with the final report due by 17th December 2018. The consultant will report regularly on progress (timeframe to be agreed) to the Destinations Programme Officer based in the UK, and the Project Coordinator based in Fethiye, Turkey. An excellent knowledge of English will be required.
For any queries relating to this tender, please email the Destination Programme Officer for Turkey on [email protected], or phone on +44 (0)117 9273049.
Submission
IMPORTANT: Please submit tender documents in English.
The tender should be emailed to Arnau Teixidor ([email protected]), copying Şemsi Toprak ([email protected]) by 10am GMT on Wednesday 5th September 2018. Tenders received after this deadline will not be considered.
Assessment
The proposals will be scored against the following criteria:
- Understanding and interpretation of the brief
- Quality of the overall tender
- Demonstrated capacity to adapt research methods and implement them at the appropriate standard
- Capability, track record and capacity of the team proposed to carry out the work
- Knowledge of the project area and previous relationships in the targeted sectors
- Appropriateness of the suggested workplan and ability to meet delivery timescales
- Value for money of the proposed tender
Once the successful consultant has been chosen, we will be inviting them to a Skype call (exact date to be confirmed), to discuss the proposal.
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