AP-000020: Terms of Reference (TORs) for Procurement of Consulting Firm under Retainership Contract for Provision of Advisory Services for Incubation Programs

1) Background 

Accelerate Prosperity (AP) is a joint initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) in Central and South Asia. It aspires to work towards a society that is powered by innovative and successful young entrepreneurs. Through its services, AP extends tailored training, advice, and technical assistance to aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to help them launch or expand their innovative business ventures. It also extends tailored financing to start-ups and SGBs to help them unlock external investments by improving their bankability and investment readiness.

2) Program Overview 

Start-up Pakistan is a project financed by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and implemented by Accelerate Prosperity. The initiative aims to scale up Accelerate Prosperity’s existing model of technical support and financing for businesses. It will expand into new geographies and across exciting sectors such as education, health, tourism and green economy, prioritizing digitization and environmental sustainability. 

3)  Program Context 

To enhance the quality and relevance of its incubation programs, AP seeks to engage a firm on a retainership basis to provide qualified experts as advisors who can guide early-stage entrepreneurs across business, technical, and sector-specific dimensions.

4) About the Consultancy 

 To ensure consistent and high-quality advisory for startups, enabling them to refine business models and value propositions, strengthen product development and go-to-market strategies and improve operational, financial, and investment readiness.

5) Scope of work 

a. Expert Pool Development & Management

• Identify and maintain a pool of 20+ diverse and experienced experts/advisors across domains
• Regularly update AP with experts' availability, bios, and areas of expertise
• Ensure representation across core sectors including but not limited to: technology, agriculture, tourism, education, health, green economy, and manufacturing.

b. Deployment of Advisors

• Match experts to startup needs based on AP’s diagnostic input
• Facilitate one-on-one coaching, group mentoring, expert panels, and thematic workshops
• Ensure advisors commit to structured engagements (minimum 4–6 hours/month per startup)

c. Quality Assurance

• Collect feedback from both advisors and startups after each engagement
• Provide recommendations for advisors' replacement, re-engagement, or escalation where necessary
• Facilitate orientation for new advisors on AP’s methodology and impact goals

d. Reporting & Coordination

• Submit monthly activity logs and summaries of advisory clinics
• Highlight outcomes, gaps, and improvement recommendations in quarterly reports
• Attend coordination calls and planning meetings with AP’s incubation team

6) Deliverables 

 Deliverables may include but not be limited to the following identified areas: 

• Initial pool of minimum 20 vetted advisors with specific technical and domain expertise within two weeks of contract signing
• Monthly advisor deployment and engagement schedule
• Post-session reports and aggregated startup feedback
• Quarterly outcome reports highlighting startup progress and advisor contributions

7) Qualifications and Experience 

The applying firm must meet the following minimum criteria:

8) Contract Duration  

The duration of the Consultancy Services will be initially 12 months and will be subject to renewal with the mutual consent of both parties, after the lapse of the defined duration. 

9) Location 

This is a remote position, and the consulting firm can be based anywhere in Pakistan.  

10) Payment terms 

Payment will be made against the number of businesses (up to 20 in one year) supported by experts in a month. This payment will be made against proof of submission of deliverables and approval by the Technical Assistance Manager.  

11) Reporting Line 

The consultancy firm will be reporting to the Technical Assistance Manager at Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan.  

12) Evaluation Criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated based on:  

• Technical expertise and experience of the applicants (70%)  

• Financial competitiveness (30%%) 

13) Proposal Submission Requirements 

The bids are to be evaluated on the following grounds, meeting the following criteria which are mandatory. 

Interested applicants must submit the following:  

A. Technical Proposal:  

• The firm must provide a certificate of company/firm registration with SECP and an active NTN number.
• The consulting firm must submit a company profile that outlines it has 3 years of experience in managing mentorship/advisory/capacity-building programs for startups or SMEs.
• The consulting firm must demonstrate relevant experience in managing advisors and coordinating mentorship programs with strong reporting, quality assurance, and cross-sectoral expertise.
• Consulting Firms are required to sign the RFP document along with annexes, and it should be submitted along with the proposal.
•  The firm must have the capacity to support startups across multiple regions in Pakistan. 
•  The consulting firms must prepare at least a 1-3 pages description of the proposed methodology and work plan for performing the assignment that includes an understanding of early-stage incubation, including advisor/expert deployment, quality assurance, and reporting mechanisms.   
• The consulting firm must provide detailed profiles of proposed advisors. The individual should meet the following minimum qualifications: 

1.             Experience: Minimum 5 years of domain-specific experience (entrepreneurship, investment, product development, etc) working with growth stage start-ups and SGBs.
2.             Mentorship Track Record: Minimum 2 prior mentorship, advisory, or coaching engagements (with 1 reference) 
3.             Availability: Minimum commitment of 4–6 hours per month per assigned startup 
4.             No Conflict of Interest: Must disclose any commercial interest in the assigned startups 

 B. Financial Proposal:  

• The financial proposal should be submitted using the attached financial proposal format with a valid signature and stamp.