The UNDP and Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic have set up a programme to support successful participation of Slovak business sector (both consultants and suppliers) in IFI/IGO tender opportunities. This programme is to follow the World Bank’s Private Sector Liaison Officers (PSLO) concept, which sets and appoints business intermediary organizations that are members of the PSLO network. Aspiro has been appointed as the Private Sector Liaison Officer executing agency for Slovak Republic under this assignment, to act as a voice of the Slovak private sector.
Project context:
Slovakia, through the MinFin, was looking at increased involvement of the private sector in development cooperation as a way to contribute to job creation, domestic resource mobilization and to catalyse economic growth in developing countries in order to be beneficial for reducing poverty in recipient countries. While the MinFin had created several instruments before, their use was unsatisfactory and did not lead to the intended objective of increasing Slovak firms’ participation in international tenders and subsequent projects, bringing in tax revenue back to the MinFin. The MinFin officials took inspiration from the World Bank’s ongoing Private Sector Liaison Offices network and, unlike how it was being done until then, decided to choose a private contractor to help them reach their development objectives. The MinFin allocated the funds through the UNDP for this.
Aspiro role:
- Mapping of priority IFIs/IGOs and their portfolios where Slovak business sector can add value and bid successfully
- Liaison with IFI/IGO staff, promote portfolios of Slovak companies, which have successfully qualified through development business readiness checklist
- Training and coaching Slovak diplomatic corps and IFI/IGO staff in the ways they can support visibility and know-how transfer to Slovak business sector
- Analysis and providing advice ton the government in strategic positioning and accession to IFIs and IGOs with regard to promoting eligibility and involvement of Slovak business sector in the respective international tenders and PPP deals
- Qualification of Slovak companies meeting the criteria to be eligible and successful in IFI/IGO environment and coached them in the basics of relationship building, opportunity qualification, procurement/PPP approach and tendering, and consortium building
- Providing direct support to interested companies in tender preparation, PPP structuring, and bid management
- Introduction of payment system in 2016, validating it with involved companies as prospective clients, to allow Rozvojmajstri operate independently and sustainably after the end of the assignment
Client testimonial:
In 2015, the Ministry of Finance of Slovak Republic (MoF) launched a broader initiative aimed to increase, within the framework of its powers, the involvement of Slovak business sector in international development cooperation. Thus, through UNDP, the MoF initiated the procurement process to select a company that will deal with this issue. Aspiro won with its project Rozvojmajstri. Within the project implementation period Rozvojmajstri built a functioning network of reliable companies and provided high quality consultancy using various support tools (tailor-made workshops, missions, proposal reviews, etc.). Their professional approach helped to start the initiative with tangible results and laid the foundation for effective support of Slovak businesses in the context of international financial institutions procurements. MoF is satisfied with the cooperation, especially with the proactive approach of Rozvojmajstri in identifying the opportunities for the Slovak business community.
Martina Kobilicová
Director General, International Affairs Section
Ministry of Finance of Slovak Republic